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tina <tsp> ( cnn ) -- beyonce and her mother tina knowles talk to cnn 's becky anderson during london fashion week about the launch of their fashion label , house of dereon , and beyonce 's pregnancy . beyonce : i grew up in a fabric store . unfortunately my mother would say : come on let 's go to the fabric store , ' and she would make all of these beautiful clothes for myself and the other ladies of destiny 's child , and after so many years my fans said we want to buy these clothes somewhere , so it was a natural thing for us to do this line , and it 's so great for us to be able to do it together , number one because we get to spend time together , and two because we have such respect for each others'taste . becky : tina what is it like to see not just your daughter but your designs on television ? watch the interview with beyonce and tina knowles tina knowles : oh it 's unbelievable sometimes and i never anticipated that . i started designing things out of necessity because there were budgetary restraints . so i would buy fabrics instead of clothes and just make them . beyonce : back in those days they would n't loan us the clothes . tina : and it 's funny when you need the clothes they wo n't loan them to you , and when you do n't need them everyone wants to give them to you , so that 's how it started but that was very exciting to see the clothes on tv . becky : how do you get on with each other ? do you fall out over design ? beyonce : sometimes , but it 's very rare . i think we will get into it and it 's usually over the phone , not in person and then we 'll hang up and call each other and say you 're right . you 're right but we have such similar taste , but there 's respect . i respect my mother so much and she respects my taste as well so we have a lot of trust . becky : many fans will call it beyonce style ' -- where do you get the inspiration ? beyonce : this collection was inspired by a lot of my travels . i did a world tour , i traveled to asia , brazil , all over the world and i saw such beauty and my mother traveled with me and we decided we should mix these great cultures together and make something original and beautiful , and this show celebrates the global nomad , and one day at the rate we 're going which is such a beautiful thing , there wo n't be all these different races we 'll all just be mixed up and beautiful and that is so wonderful exciting and refreshing you know we have the mixtures of the african hair wraps and some of the asian prints and we mix it with different textures sequins and gold jewelery and it just becomes very refreshing . becky : miss tina , is there any one piece that comes to mind that you think that is the inspiration ? tina : i think the holiday collection -- what beyonce is wearing now . we were inspired by her travels and we did a lot of different prints , sequins , glitz and glamor and we mixed it with some funky things . becky : congratulations on the pregnancy . does the collection now include maternity wear -- everybody will be asking that question ? beyonce : what i 'm wearing today is part of the collection and its not supposed to be , but it actually is really good for the maternity but we did n't plan six months ago before - actually longer than that - but we do have some things that i am still trying to rock . becky : are you struggling to find things that you feel good in where your husband might go err , i 'm not having that ? beyonce : actually i am having so much fun , it has been the most fun time now that it has been announced and i do n't have to , you know , it was really difficult to conceal , but now that i can be proud and excited about it i 'm having so much fun shopping -- it 's great . becky to tina : you must be delighted tina : i am so delighted . i 'm over the moon . becky : do you know what you 're having ? beyonce : i do n't . becky : and if you did you would n't tell me ! do you consider this more fashion than style and the idea being you 're sort of universal , you are for the universal woman -- who is the house of dereon woman ? tina : i think trend-setting woman , confident , has her own style . beyonce : yes someone bold , someone who wants to stand out , someone confident , hard working and i think it is more about style than fashion -- it 's a lifestyle and we just want to bring out that inner confidence and inner beauty in every woman . becky : and has your attitude towards style , fashion changed since you learned you were pregnant ? beyonce : i just feel like it is often within . my mother has always told me that beauty comes from within and what 's exciting about being a woman is you can say today i feel like being , today i feel really conservative , today i 'm feeling classy , today i am going on a date and i want to just be a showstopper and you know there is this variety of beautiful clothes that can bring out whatever you feel inside but it comes from here and you should wear your clothes they should n't wear you . becky : so it does n't come from jay-z -- that 's what you 're saying ? beyonce : it comes from here . | tina : i started designing things out of necessity because there were budgetary restraints ' |
tina <tsp> ( cnn ) -- beyonce and her mother tina knowles talk to cnn 's becky anderson during london fashion week about the launch of their fashion label , house of dereon , and beyonce 's pregnancy . beyonce : i grew up in a fabric store . unfortunately my mother would say : come on let 's go to the fabric store , ' and she would make all of these beautiful clothes for myself and the other ladies of destiny 's child , and after so many years my fans said we want to buy these clothes somewhere , so it was a natural thing for us to do this line , and it 's so great for us to be able to do it together , number one because we get to spend time together , and two because we have such respect for each others'taste . becky : tina what is it like to see not just your daughter but your designs on television ? watch the interview with beyonce and tina knowles tina knowles : oh it 's unbelievable sometimes and i never anticipated that . i started designing things out of necessity because there were budgetary restraints . so i would buy fabrics instead of clothes and just make them . beyonce : back in those days they would n't loan us the clothes . tina : and it 's funny when you need the clothes they wo n't loan them to you , and when you do n't need them everyone wants to give them to you , so that 's how it started but that was very exciting to see the clothes on tv . becky : how do you get on with each other ? do you fall out over design ? beyonce : sometimes , but it 's very rare . i think we will get into it and it 's usually over the phone , not in person and then we 'll hang up and call each other and say you 're right . you 're right but we have such similar taste , but there 's respect . i respect my mother so much and she respects my taste as well so we have a lot of trust . becky : many fans will call it beyonce style ' -- where do you get the inspiration ? beyonce : this collection was inspired by a lot of my travels . i did a world tour , i traveled to asia , brazil , all over the world and i saw such beauty and my mother traveled with me and we decided we should mix these great cultures together and make something original and beautiful , and this show celebrates the global nomad , and one day at the rate we 're going which is such a beautiful thing , there wo n't be all these different races we 'll all just be mixed up and beautiful and that is so wonderful exciting and refreshing you know we have the mixtures of the african hair wraps and some of the asian prints and we mix it with different textures sequins and gold jewelery and it just becomes very refreshing . becky : miss tina , is there any one piece that comes to mind that you think that is the inspiration ? tina : i think the holiday collection -- what beyonce is wearing now . we were inspired by her travels and we did a lot of different prints , sequins , glitz and glamor and we mixed it with some funky things . becky : congratulations on the pregnancy . does the collection now include maternity wear -- everybody will be asking that question ? beyonce : what i 'm wearing today is part of the collection and its not supposed to be , but it actually is really good for the maternity but we did n't plan six months ago before - actually longer than that - but we do have some things that i am still trying to rock . becky : are you struggling to find things that you feel good in where your husband might go err , i 'm not having that ? beyonce : actually i am having so much fun , it has been the most fun time now that it has been announced and i do n't have to , you know , it was really difficult to conceal , but now that i can be proud and excited about it i 'm having so much fun shopping -- it 's great . becky to tina : you must be delighted tina : i am so delighted . i 'm over the moon . becky : do you know what you 're having ? beyonce : i do n't . becky : and if you did you would n't tell me ! do you consider this more fashion than style and the idea being you 're sort of universal , you are for the universal woman -- who is the house of dereon woman ? tina : i think trend-setting woman , confident , has her own style . beyonce : yes someone bold , someone who wants to stand out , someone confident , hard working and i think it is more about style than fashion -- it 's a lifestyle and we just want to bring out that inner confidence and inner beauty in every woman . becky : and has your attitude towards style , fashion changed since you learned you were pregnant ? beyonce : i just feel like it is often within . my mother has always told me that beauty comes from within and what 's exciting about being a woman is you can say today i feel like being , today i feel really conservative , today i 'm feeling classy , today i am going on a date and i want to just be a showstopper and you know there is this variety of beautiful clothes that can bring out whatever you feel inside but it comes from here and you should wear your clothes they should n't wear you . becky : so it does n't come from jay-z -- that 's what you 're saying ? beyonce : it comes from here . | beyonce says sometimes she falls out with her mother tina over clothes design , but it 's rare |
white house <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the obama administration sent mixed signals wednesday on its stance on a no-fly zone in libya , with secretary of state hillary clinton saying u.n. backing was essential while white house spokesman jay carney left the door open to the united states acting unilaterally or in concert with nato allies . some critics , as well as top democrats such as sen. john kerry of massachusetts , have called for a stronger u.s. response to the libya violence , including the possible imposition of a no-fly zone that would prevent libyan military aircraft from attacking the libyan people . president barack obama has made clear he wants any military response to come from the international community , to prevent libyan leader moammar gadhafi from blaming the united states for his predicament . clinton emphasized that point wednesday in an interview with cbs news , saying the administration seeks to avoid any room for anyone , including col. gadhafi , to say that'this is n't about my people , this is about outsiders .' she noted that the british and french governments were bringing a draft resolution on international action to the united nations , saying : i think it 's very important that there be a u.n. decision on whatever might be done . ' we believe it 's important that this not be an american , or a nato , or a european effort . it needs to be an international one , ' clinton said . approval by the u.n. security council for international military intervention in libya , including a no-fly zone , is considered unlikely due to expected opposition from china and russia . both countries are believed to be reluctant to set a precedent of u.n.-supported military action in an internal conflict . clinton acknowledged opposition to a no-fly zone from within the u.n. security council , but said efforts continued to come up with an acceptable package . she also emphasized the need to have arab nations and bodies such as the arab league in support . a few hours later , carney told reporters at the white house that u.n. backing was just one possible form of the international support sought for any military intervention in libya . it is our strong preference in this situation and many others that we act together with our international partners , ' said carney , who then added that we always reserve the right , nato does rather , as does the united states , to act on our own . ' at the state department , spokesman mark toner also stopped short of insisting on u.n. backing , instead saying : it 's always desirable . ' in a letter dated march 5 to the u.n. general assembly , libya 's interim transitional national council -- the opposition movement seeking to oust gadhafi -- asked for the international community to fulfill its obligations to protect the libyan people from any further genocide and crimes against humanity without any direct military intervention on libyan soil . ' carney and other administration officials contend the united states already has moved quickly in the crisis by freezing $ 30 billion in u.s. assets of gadhafi , supporting further u.n. sanctions on libya and sending military aircraft to help transport foreign nationals who fled the fighting there . at the same time , top u.s. defense officials including defense secretary robert gates warn that imposing such a no-fly zone amounts to an act of war that requires major resources and political will . on wednesday , carney reiterated the white house stance that all options remain on the table regarding libya , and he specified that a possible no-fly zone was being actively discussed by both the united states and nato . overall , though , the obama administration has tried to downplay the possibility of imposing a no-fly zone without significant international backing , especially from the arab world . asked about it sunday on the nbc program meet the press , white house chief of staff bill daley complained that people calling for such a move talk about it like it 's a game or a video game or something . ' obama , in response to questions about the u.s. response in libya , told reporters last week that that it was important to ensure that the libyan people feel full ownership ' for any transformation and cited egypt 's recent revolution as an example . we did not see anti-american sentiment arising out of that movement in egypt precisely because they felt that we had n't tried to engineer or impose a particular outcome , but rather they owned it , ' obama said . | white house : u.s. , nato have the right to act unilaterally |
booty call <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jeffrey ian pollack , who directed the popular 1990s films booty call ' and above the rim ' and produced the fresh prince of bel-air ' was found dead on monday police said . he was 54 . a spokesperson for the hermosa beach police department confirmed to cnn on thursday that an unidentified woman informed authorities that there was a man down on a walking trail in hermosa beach , california , early on december 23 . police responding to the scene found pollack on the ground by the side of the walking/running path near a tree . according to authorities pollack , who was reportedly an avid runner , was not alive at the time he was discovered . he was found wearing a jogging outfit and with a music player . while the cause of death has not yet been determined , police said they do not suspect foul play . in addition to producing the fresh prince of bel-air ' starring actor will smith , pollack was a business partner of superstar manager benny medina who was the inspiration for the series . according to the hollywood reporter , pollack and medina formed a company which became handprint entertainment whose management clients included celebs mariah carey , tyra banks and jennifer lopez . the company reportedly folded in 2008 . pollack also worked with jeff beacher , the creator of the beacher 's madhouse variety shows which were performed at the roosevelt hotel in hollywood . the show has been revamped for a new version with miley cyrus hosting and opening december 27 at the mgm grand in las vegas . he was my best friend and partner for a decade , ' beacher said in a statement . he was my brother and father in one . words ca n't describe how i feel right now . ' people we lost in 2013 | pollack directed booty call ' and above the rim ' |
the tree of life <tsp> ( ew.com ) -- the producers guild of america has announced its 10 nominees for best picture of the year , and along with expected contenders like the artist , ' war horse , ' the descendants , ' the help , ' and hugo ' were two minor surprises : the girl with the dragon tattoo ' and the ides of march . ' left off the list , meanwhile , were drive , ' extremely loud & incredibly close , ' and most interestingly , the tree of life . ' that polarizing film , which has done well in the critics awards so far , clearly takes the biggest hit in the overall oscar race and is no longer a sure thing for a best picture nomination . last year , the pga honorees matched the eventual best picture nominees nine for 10 , but this year it may not be as easy to compare the two -- the academy 's new voting rules dictate that there will be somewhere between five and 10 best picture nominees this go-round , depending on how many films receive at least 5 percent of the overall no . 1 votes . the pga awards will take place on jan. 21 ; all the nominees are listed below . best picture the artist bridesmaids the descendants the girl with the dragon tattoo the help hugo the ides of march midnight in paris moneyball war horse best animated film the adventures of tintin cars 2 kung fu panda 2 puss in boots rango best documentary beats , rhymes & life : the travels of a tribe called quest bill cunningham new york project nim senna the union long-form television cinema verite downton abbey the kennedys mildred pierce too big to fail tv comedy 30 rock the big bang theory glee modern family parks and recreation tv drama boardwalk empire dexter game of thrones the good wife mad men live entertainment & talk the colbert report the ellen degeneres show real time with bill maher saturday night live the 64th annual tony awards competition television the amazing race american idol dancing with the stars project runway top chef non-fiction tv 30 for 30 american masters anthony bourdain : no reservations deadliest catch undercover boss see the full article at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | the tree of life ' is no longer a sure thing for a best picture nomination |
ukraine <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was late afternoon in kiev on july 17 when i spotted the tweet : a commercial airliner had been downed over eastern ukraine . my team , more than 250 civilians from the organization for security and cooperation in europe , had been sent to ukraine three months before to monitor and report on the security situation in the country and to facilitate dialogue . now we were involved in something very different . as the minutes ticked by , we raced to verify claims about the plane . soon it was confirmed : a boeing 777 with 298 people aboard it had crashed . it was exactly 24 hours after malaysia airlines flight 17 fell out of the heavens and into the farmlands of the donetsk region when our team of two dozen monitors arrived on the scene . we knew we were close when we spotted from a distance the vertical tail , with the malaysia airlines logo still largely intact . it lay peacefully , seemingly untouched , in a wheat field . we were the first international organization on the ground , and with that came an intense , unprecedented media glare that would last for days . some referred to us as the eyes and ears of the world ' -- and what we saw was horrifying . our first observations were of a gruesome scene of smoldering rubble , bodies ( some still strapped into their seats ) , personal belongings and a bewildered group of swaggering rebels , uniformed first responders and foreign journalists . there was no sign of perimeter security . aside from the vertical tail , the aft section of the fuselage was among the largest , intact pieces of debris . on the opposite side of a farm road that bisected the main impact site were more terrible scenes : mangled corpses amid still-smoldering fuselage , duty free shopping bags and open suitcases . farther along the hellish landscape was where the wings , fuel tanks , landing gear and main cabin crashed . the impact of the jet smashing into the ground caused a fireball in one field that brought temperatures as high as 1,600 degrees celsius , according to some experts -- enough to melt the aluminum wings of the 17-year-old aircraft and incinerate everything in the immediate area . incredibly , the small village of hrabove , just a few meters away , remained relatively untouched . on day one , we were only able to spend 75 minutes on the site . the heavily armed rebel who appeared to be in charge was largely uncooperative and clearly unhappy with our presence there . he was aggressive and appeared to be intoxicated . journalists on the scene told us that they had been hastily corralled , apparently to create a semblance of order . there were many scenes that defied logic : an opened bag of duty free items with two plastic , un-pilfered bottles of whiskey , a macbook pro laptop , a lonely planet guidebook to bali -- not a surprising find given that this backpacker route ' is heavily used by holidaymakers destined for asia . a few days later we 'd find several passports that had been taken away and then put back at the crash site , apparently by a guilt-ridden first responder . what also struck us was the randomness of how pieces of the plane fell upon this bucolic region of conflict-ridden eastern ukraine : a toilet sink here , a business class seat a few meters away and next to it the horizontal stabilizers . we were shocked one day to chance upon an enormous piece of the main passenger cabin , hidden away in the woods . i counted 17 windows , some of them still intact . by far the most horrific scene was four days after the crash , when our team monitored the sealing up of train cars filled with the remains of the plane 's passengers , at the railway station in torez ( which , ironically , was where four of our colleagues were kidnapped by an armed group at the end of may ) . the stench of death at the station was overwhelming . yet knowing that these souls were finally on their way home , out of this chaotic scene to a place where they could be cared for with dignity , provided some sense of comfort . i noted how the local women from the railway station took great pains to meticulously seal the car doors -- perhaps feeling in some small way that they had aided the families of the victims . it was during these first crucial days that our team was able to facilitate access for four small groups of experts : a team of civil aviation experts from kiev , a three-member team from malaysia airlines and that country 's department of civil aviation , along with dutch and australian experts . i marveled particularly at the stoicism and composure of the malaysian experts : these are men who live and breathe aviation , and they knew the aircraft intimately . the tragedy struck deeply for me as well . i had lived and worked for many years in malaysia , have many friends there and am very familiar with the country and the airline . my roots are in ukraine , and i 've covered commercial aviation as a journalist and i 've a well-known fondness for flying . at least at the end of every day , we were able to retreat to the relative comfort of our hotel in donetsk city . but even there , the threat of violence was never far off . late one night , standing on the hotel rooftop waiting to go live on tv with cnn 's erin burnett , the sound of automatic gunfire sent me and the turkish crew rushing for cover . i ended up speaking to erin crouched down near a protective wall . on august 1 , after almost a week-long pause due to security reasons , we were able to establish a new access route that paved the way for daily visits by a critical mass of dutch and australian experts to the mh17 crash site . to finally see dozens of trained sets of eyes combing over the site , starting with the chicken farm near hrabove , brought us all a sense of accomplishment . as images of the uniformed experts surveying the fields , aided by sniffer dogs , were flashed around the word by the media and via social media , i thought to myself that this must have brought some sense of comfort to the families of the victims . and after days of waiting in donetsk , i know that the dutch and australian experts -- despite the grim task ahead of looking for victims'remains and personal belongings , as well as the dangers of working a crime scene in the midst of an active conflict zone -- could not wait to get down to work . the sounds of shelling in the distance were a constant reminder of the threat . little wonder that during an orientation session , one of the commanders instructed the experts to treat every day here as if it is your last day on site . ' i am often asked how we coped with the enormity of all this , of the horrific scenes we witnessed . what powered us through this was knowing that we were providing families with crucial bits of information in those chaotic first days . as always , our hearts and prayers are with the victims'loved ones , and we hope that we have been able to provide them with some sense of comfort and closure to this horrific tragedy . mh17 victims'bodies flown home to malaysia mother of two mh17 victims regrets not heeding son 's fears | malaysia airlines flight 17 crashed in ukraine on july 17 , killing all 298 passengers |
superstorm sandy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- superstorm sandy has taken a tragic toll on the residents of the mid-atlantic 's barrier islands . all along the coast , hundreds of homes were lost , and thousands of people still have no power after sandy wreaked havoc . the impact is not unlike many other destructive recent storms in the united states , such as ivan , katrina and ike . so what can be done ? in their natural state , the barrier islands that line about half of the u.s. coast , including most of the region affected by sandy , are mobile and change constantly in response to wind , waves , tides and sea level . in fact , these islands owe their very existence to storms and the long-term rise in sea level of the past several thousand years . but much of today 's coastline is a complex hybrid of a natural , dynamic landform overprinted with decades of immobile human development . taking the dynamic nature of these barrier islands into account as we rebuild after major storms can help reduce the vulnerability of the local infrastructure to the inevitable next big storm . beaches and dunes are the first line defense from ocean waves and storm surge , protecting the island 's interior . when dunes erode and fail , much of the sand is carried up onto the island as overwash . while a failed dune in a coastal community makes it more exposed to the next storm , dune failure can make an undeveloped barrier island stronger by adding elevation to its core . this is how the barrier islands were built in the first place . during superstorm sandy , broad swaths of the coastline from north carolina to massachusetts experienced dune failure and massive overwash . the sand washed onto and across the barrier islands , filling roads , yards and living rooms . this overwash sand instantly added several feet of elevation to the islands . on a natural barrier island , this new elevation reduces the chance of inundation from the next storm . and as new yorkers learned , a couple of feet can make all the difference between inconvenience and catastrophe . as the army of bulldozers and other earth-moving equipment deployed along the coast suggests , current efforts appear headed to restore the islands to their pre-storm state . pushing the sand off the streets and back onto the beach removes the elevation that would have added freeboard above future floods . on a developed shore , this excavation of the roads is absolutely necessary to regain the dunes that are the first line of defense . but , everyone must understand that by resetting the island back to pre-storm conditions , the long-term risks are increased . then there is the issue of rising seas . sea level has risen 6 to 9 inches along the new jersey coast since the last big storm in 1962 ( the ash wednesday storm ) . some residents say the 1962 storm barely reached their doorstep , while this time superstorm sandy flooded them by a foot . although sandy and the 1962 storm differ in their details , 50 years of sea-level rise certainly allowed water to reach areas that would not have been reached otherwise . what we know about storms , sea-level rise and barrier island response can be applied to redevelopment of the new jersey coast . we can either try to thwart the natural response -- requiring increasing investment in construction and maintenance of storm protection structures -- or adapt by relocating farther away from the beachfront and upward as the barrier islands move . there is historical precedent for adaptation by moving . in new jersey , some pre-wwii beachfront communities had moveable houses . in 1888 , the brighton beach hotel on coney island was moved several hundred feet back from the ocean by six steam locomotives . there are difficult choices to be made in our response to superstorm sandy . doing nothing other than rebuilding is an easy choice and least expensive in the near-term , unless the next superstorm ' comes next year , or even this winter . hundreds of miles of the east coast where dunes were eroded or no longer exist are now more vulnerable than ever . protecting the entire coast with coastal structures like sea walls is not feasible or even desirable ; there are aspects of coastal armoring that have negative consequences . a practical response will be a blend of all the realistic options . this requires identifying which areas can adapt best , prioritizing which will receive the most protection and which will receive the least , or even none . this will be a challenging process . but , if undertaken jointly by citizens , policymakers and scientists , it could be a refreshing response and yield a coastal environment that is more resilient and economically and environmentally sound . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of e. robert thieler , nathaniel g. plant and hilary f. stockdon . | they say during superstorm sandy , coastlines experienced massive overwash |
thieler <tsp> ( cnn ) -- superstorm sandy has taken a tragic toll on the residents of the mid-atlantic 's barrier islands . all along the coast , hundreds of homes were lost , and thousands of people still have no power after sandy wreaked havoc . the impact is not unlike many other destructive recent storms in the united states , such as ivan , katrina and ike . so what can be done ? in their natural state , the barrier islands that line about half of the u.s. coast , including most of the region affected by sandy , are mobile and change constantly in response to wind , waves , tides and sea level . in fact , these islands owe their very existence to storms and the long-term rise in sea level of the past several thousand years . but much of today 's coastline is a complex hybrid of a natural , dynamic landform overprinted with decades of immobile human development . taking the dynamic nature of these barrier islands into account as we rebuild after major storms can help reduce the vulnerability of the local infrastructure to the inevitable next big storm . beaches and dunes are the first line defense from ocean waves and storm surge , protecting the island 's interior . when dunes erode and fail , much of the sand is carried up onto the island as overwash . while a failed dune in a coastal community makes it more exposed to the next storm , dune failure can make an undeveloped barrier island stronger by adding elevation to its core . this is how the barrier islands were built in the first place . during superstorm sandy , broad swaths of the coastline from north carolina to massachusetts experienced dune failure and massive overwash . the sand washed onto and across the barrier islands , filling roads , yards and living rooms . this overwash sand instantly added several feet of elevation to the islands . on a natural barrier island , this new elevation reduces the chance of inundation from the next storm . and as new yorkers learned , a couple of feet can make all the difference between inconvenience and catastrophe . as the army of bulldozers and other earth-moving equipment deployed along the coast suggests , current efforts appear headed to restore the islands to their pre-storm state . pushing the sand off the streets and back onto the beach removes the elevation that would have added freeboard above future floods . on a developed shore , this excavation of the roads is absolutely necessary to regain the dunes that are the first line of defense . but , everyone must understand that by resetting the island back to pre-storm conditions , the long-term risks are increased . then there is the issue of rising seas . sea level has risen 6 to 9 inches along the new jersey coast since the last big storm in 1962 ( the ash wednesday storm ) . some residents say the 1962 storm barely reached their doorstep , while this time superstorm sandy flooded them by a foot . although sandy and the 1962 storm differ in their details , 50 years of sea-level rise certainly allowed water to reach areas that would not have been reached otherwise . what we know about storms , sea-level rise and barrier island response can be applied to redevelopment of the new jersey coast . we can either try to thwart the natural response -- requiring increasing investment in construction and maintenance of storm protection structures -- or adapt by relocating farther away from the beachfront and upward as the barrier islands move . there is historical precedent for adaptation by moving . in new jersey , some pre-wwii beachfront communities had moveable houses . in 1888 , the brighton beach hotel on coney island was moved several hundred feet back from the ocean by six steam locomotives . there are difficult choices to be made in our response to superstorm sandy . doing nothing other than rebuilding is an easy choice and least expensive in the near-term , unless the next superstorm ' comes next year , or even this winter . hundreds of miles of the east coast where dunes were eroded or no longer exist are now more vulnerable than ever . protecting the entire coast with coastal structures like sea walls is not feasible or even desirable ; there are aspects of coastal armoring that have negative consequences . a practical response will be a blend of all the realistic options . this requires identifying which areas can adapt best , prioritizing which will receive the most protection and which will receive the least , or even none . this will be a challenging process . but , if undertaken jointly by citizens , policymakers and scientists , it could be a refreshing response and yield a coastal environment that is more resilient and economically and environmentally sound . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of e. robert thieler , nathaniel g. plant and hilary f. stockdon . | thieler , plant , stockdon : it 's better to move up and away from the beachfront |
thieler <tsp> ( cnn ) -- superstorm sandy has taken a tragic toll on the residents of the mid-atlantic 's barrier islands . all along the coast , hundreds of homes were lost , and thousands of people still have no power after sandy wreaked havoc . the impact is not unlike many other destructive recent storms in the united states , such as ivan , katrina and ike . so what can be done ? in their natural state , the barrier islands that line about half of the u.s. coast , including most of the region affected by sandy , are mobile and change constantly in response to wind , waves , tides and sea level . in fact , these islands owe their very existence to storms and the long-term rise in sea level of the past several thousand years . but much of today 's coastline is a complex hybrid of a natural , dynamic landform overprinted with decades of immobile human development . taking the dynamic nature of these barrier islands into account as we rebuild after major storms can help reduce the vulnerability of the local infrastructure to the inevitable next big storm . beaches and dunes are the first line defense from ocean waves and storm surge , protecting the island 's interior . when dunes erode and fail , much of the sand is carried up onto the island as overwash . while a failed dune in a coastal community makes it more exposed to the next storm , dune failure can make an undeveloped barrier island stronger by adding elevation to its core . this is how the barrier islands were built in the first place . during superstorm sandy , broad swaths of the coastline from north carolina to massachusetts experienced dune failure and massive overwash . the sand washed onto and across the barrier islands , filling roads , yards and living rooms . this overwash sand instantly added several feet of elevation to the islands . on a natural barrier island , this new elevation reduces the chance of inundation from the next storm . and as new yorkers learned , a couple of feet can make all the difference between inconvenience and catastrophe . as the army of bulldozers and other earth-moving equipment deployed along the coast suggests , current efforts appear headed to restore the islands to their pre-storm state . pushing the sand off the streets and back onto the beach removes the elevation that would have added freeboard above future floods . on a developed shore , this excavation of the roads is absolutely necessary to regain the dunes that are the first line of defense . but , everyone must understand that by resetting the island back to pre-storm conditions , the long-term risks are increased . then there is the issue of rising seas . sea level has risen 6 to 9 inches along the new jersey coast since the last big storm in 1962 ( the ash wednesday storm ) . some residents say the 1962 storm barely reached their doorstep , while this time superstorm sandy flooded them by a foot . although sandy and the 1962 storm differ in their details , 50 years of sea-level rise certainly allowed water to reach areas that would not have been reached otherwise . what we know about storms , sea-level rise and barrier island response can be applied to redevelopment of the new jersey coast . we can either try to thwart the natural response -- requiring increasing investment in construction and maintenance of storm protection structures -- or adapt by relocating farther away from the beachfront and upward as the barrier islands move . there is historical precedent for adaptation by moving . in new jersey , some pre-wwii beachfront communities had moveable houses . in 1888 , the brighton beach hotel on coney island was moved several hundred feet back from the ocean by six steam locomotives . there are difficult choices to be made in our response to superstorm sandy . doing nothing other than rebuilding is an easy choice and least expensive in the near-term , unless the next superstorm ' comes next year , or even this winter . hundreds of miles of the east coast where dunes were eroded or no longer exist are now more vulnerable than ever . protecting the entire coast with coastal structures like sea walls is not feasible or even desirable ; there are aspects of coastal armoring that have negative consequences . a practical response will be a blend of all the realistic options . this requires identifying which areas can adapt best , prioritizing which will receive the most protection and which will receive the least , or even none . this will be a challenging process . but , if undertaken jointly by citizens , policymakers and scientists , it could be a refreshing response and yield a coastal environment that is more resilient and economically and environmentally sound . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of e. robert thieler , nathaniel g. plant and hilary f. stockdon . | e. robert thieler , nathaniel plant , hilary stockdon : we need a solution after sandy |
elizabeth warren <tsp> washington ( cnn ) hillary clinton has sought advice from dozens of people over the past several months in the run up to a likely presidential bid , but one such source stands out from the rest : sen. elizabeth warren . clinton has reached out to the massachusetts senator several times ' over the past six months , a source with knowledge of clinton 's plans told cnn on tuesday , a sign of how important warren 's wing of the democratic party is to the foundation of a would-be presidential bid for the former secretary of state . the two met privately at the former secretary of state 's washington , d.c. home in december , according to the source , and have talked on the phone , as well . the new york times first reported the december meeting on tuesday . secretary clinton really values senator warren and has reached out several times over the past six months , ' the source added . the senator 's office has not responded to questions about the meeting . the clinton-warren relationship is part of the former first lady 's months-long process of soliciting ideas and seeking advice from leading democrats as she prepares for an all-but-certain 2016 run . since the 2014 midterms , clinton has prepared for 2016 by meeting and talking with top democrats about the strategy , tactics and policy that would make a possible clinton run in 2016 campaign successful . but the meetings and phone calls are also seemingly an attempt by clinton to satisfy what has been persistent calls from the left for the 2016 democratic nominee to focus on income inequality , wall street reform and raising up the middle class . warren , who is seen as the heart and soul of the democratic left on those issues , has been the focus of a few draft campaigns since the 2014 midterms . left leaning groups like democracy for america and moveon.org , as well as the new ready for warren campaign , have knocked clinton 's centrism and created sometimes negative headlines for the democratic frontrunner . although the senator has repeatedly disavowed the efforts and said she will not run for president in 2016 , she will undoubtedly direct some of the presidential conversation from her perch in the senate and if they are not satisfied and courted , her supporters could continue to be an annoyance for clinton . erica sagrans , the ready for warren campaign manager , said tuesday that the meeting is another sign clinton is among a growing number of democratic leaders who admire ' warren 's liberal positions . this is why we 're calling on warren to run for president in 2016 -- so that we have a real democratic primary debate about the issues that matter , and so voters can get behind a fearless champion for working families , ' sagrans added . the clinton-warren meetings and calls also show growth in a relationship that looked awkward in 2014 . while campaigning for massachusetts'democratic gubernatorial candidate in october , clinton was effusive in her praise for warren , labeling her the passionate champion for working people and middle class families . ' i love watching elizabeth , ' clinton added , touting her ability to you know , give it those who deserve to get it . ' warren , however , was n't so effusive and barely mentioned the former secretary of state who was headlining the event . happy to welcome secretary clinton back to the commonwealth , ' warren said , firing up the crowd . we love it ! ' the senators endorsing hillary clinton | hillary clinton has reached out to elizabeth warren several times ' over the past six months , says a source with knowledge |
showtime <tsp> ( the hollywood reporter ) the original cast of twin peaks is backing david lynch in his salary standoff with showtime . the stars have teamed together for a video backing the show 's co-creator with a # savetwinpeaks campaign that says doing the revival without lynch is like pies without cherries , ' among other nods to the original drama series . sherilyn fenn , sheryl lee , james marshall , peggy lipton and other familiar faces from the series appear in the video . ( some members have also set up a facebook page . ) showtime renews'shameless ,'orders'happyish'to series lynch announced sunday that he was exiting showtime 's nine-episode revival over a salary dispute . he originally signed on to direct the project but noted that there was not enough money offered to do the script the way i felt needed to be done . ' showtime already had a deal in place with lynch and co-creator mark frost to bring back the cult hit with star kyle maclachlan for a run in 2016 , with sources telling thr that the scripts had already been written . showtime chief on'twin peaks'plans ,'homeland'backlash and free speech for its part , showtime noted that it continues to hold out hope ' that twin peaks can be brought back with both its creators at the helm . maclachlan is the only cast member currently confirmed for the reboot . lynch to leave'twin peaks'reboot ©2015 the hollywood reporter . all rights reserved . | twin peaks ' creator david lynch announced he was departing the showtime revival of the cult series sunday |
twin peaks <tsp> ( the hollywood reporter ) the original cast of twin peaks is backing david lynch in his salary standoff with showtime . the stars have teamed together for a video backing the show 's co-creator with a # savetwinpeaks campaign that says doing the revival without lynch is like pies without cherries , ' among other nods to the original drama series . sherilyn fenn , sheryl lee , james marshall , peggy lipton and other familiar faces from the series appear in the video . ( some members have also set up a facebook page . ) showtime renews'shameless ,'orders'happyish'to series lynch announced sunday that he was exiting showtime 's nine-episode revival over a salary dispute . he originally signed on to direct the project but noted that there was not enough money offered to do the script the way i felt needed to be done . ' showtime already had a deal in place with lynch and co-creator mark frost to bring back the cult hit with star kyle maclachlan for a run in 2016 , with sources telling thr that the scripts had already been written . showtime chief on'twin peaks'plans ,'homeland'backlash and free speech for its part , showtime noted that it continues to hold out hope ' that twin peaks can be brought back with both its creators at the helm . maclachlan is the only cast member currently confirmed for the reboot . lynch to leave'twin peaks'reboot ©2015 the hollywood reporter . all rights reserved . | twin peaks ' creator david lynch announced he was departing the showtime revival of the cult series sunday |
david lynch <tsp> ( the hollywood reporter ) the original cast of twin peaks is backing david lynch in his salary standoff with showtime . the stars have teamed together for a video backing the show 's co-creator with a # savetwinpeaks campaign that says doing the revival without lynch is like pies without cherries , ' among other nods to the original drama series . sherilyn fenn , sheryl lee , james marshall , peggy lipton and other familiar faces from the series appear in the video . ( some members have also set up a facebook page . ) showtime renews'shameless ,'orders'happyish'to series lynch announced sunday that he was exiting showtime 's nine-episode revival over a salary dispute . he originally signed on to direct the project but noted that there was not enough money offered to do the script the way i felt needed to be done . ' showtime already had a deal in place with lynch and co-creator mark frost to bring back the cult hit with star kyle maclachlan for a run in 2016 , with sources telling thr that the scripts had already been written . showtime chief on'twin peaks'plans ,'homeland'backlash and free speech for its part , showtime noted that it continues to hold out hope ' that twin peaks can be brought back with both its creators at the helm . maclachlan is the only cast member currently confirmed for the reboot . lynch to leave'twin peaks'reboot ©2015 the hollywood reporter . all rights reserved . | twin peaks ' creator david lynch announced he was departing the showtime revival of the cult series sunday |
youtube <tsp> ( cnn ) -- anna hazare , the 74-year-old indian activist set to begin a 15-day hunger strike at a public venue , delivered a message thursday to the thousands who have taken to the streets in support of his anti-corruption crusade . your revolution has energized me , ' he said in a youtube video posted by his adviser , kiran bedi . speaking from tihar jail in which he was staying -- though he was not a prisoner -- he added , i will stay here tonight and will be out with you tomorrow . ' my health is good . in fact , i am more alert than ever . we will not stop until we get this lokpal bill , ' he said , referring to the anti-corruption body that protesters want set up . and he warned his strike could go on longer . they 've given me 15 days , but if the lokpal is not established , i will extend my fast by another seven days . ' he added , the people out on the streets are finding it difficult to live because of the corruption . the public will continue to be on the streets as long as this lokpal is n't created . ' bedi , a former police adviser , wrote in a tweet posting a link to the video , it was destiny doing this . share . anna is ours . ' she added , jai hind ' -- long live india . hazare was planning to go on a hunger strike to call for stronger anti-corruption measures when he was detained tuesday . as thousands took to the streets to protest the arrest , authorities let him free , but he refused to leave the jail . he accepted a police proposal that will allow him to fast in new delhi for two weeks . the site chosen is ramlila maidan , a public ground that often stages exhibitions and events . he plans to arrive at the grounds friday . hazare only recently rose to national prominence , as his protest seems to have struck a chord with indian society across the spectrum because corruption is pervasive at all levels of government , observers say . a new website ipaidabribe.com , in which people can denounce the corruption they encounter in their daily lives , quickly gained popularity . hazare 's detention appears to have added to his popularity , because it makes it look like the government is going after the messenger rather than offering solutions . corruption is considered an endemic problem that affects all levels of indian society . according to a 2010 transparency international report , india ranked 87th out of 178 countries in its corruption-perception index . in april , suresh kalmadi , the chief organizer for last year 's commonwealth games , was arrested and accused of buying a time , scoring and result system from a swiss company at inflated costs . india 's former telecom minister a. raja , several bureaucrats and corporate officials are facing trial in connection with a multi-billion-dollar scandal involving the suspected below-price sale of mobile-phone radio waves in 2008 . the draw of hazare 's planned hunger strike was so great that police tried to put conditions on it . organizers did not accept six of 22 police conditions for allowing the protest , including limiting the crowd to the capacity of the ground , police said . as a result , hazare was detained , as were 1,300 supporters who planned to join hazare at a protest site . a magistrate sent hazare and seven supporters to jail after they failed to post bail , according to rajan bhagat , a police spokesman in new delhi . they were freed hours later and brought to a prison office after the magistrate issued release orders , jail spokesman sunil gupta said . the group had refused to leave the prison office until they are allowed to hold their hunger strike without the conditions , the jail spokesman said . thousands gathered in several cities , chanting pro-hazare slogans and echoing his demands . supporters carrying indian flags held sit-ins , marches and noisy demonstrations . many had i am anna ' labels on their shirts . hazare conducted a similar five-day hunger strike in april at new delhi 's jantar mantar landmark , ending it after india 's prime minister agreed to introduce long-pending legislation . anti-corruption campaigners have rejected legislation prepared by the federal government to create a citizen ombudsman , saying the bill , now in parliament , is too weak a measure . critics have accused the activists of undermining lawmakers who will decide the proposed law . prime minister manmohan singh on wednesday justified the arrests in a statement before parliament . our government acknowledges the right of citizens to hold peaceful protests , ' he said , adding that hazare and his supporters would have been allowed to hold their protest fast if they had accepted the conditions . amid shouts by opposition lawmakers over the police response to hazare 's protest , the indian prime minister also cited supremacy of the legislature . i am not aware of any constitutional philosophy or principle that allows anyone to question the sole prerogative of parliament to make a law , ' he said . singh , whose government is roiled in massive corruption scandals , said in a national address earlier in the week that no single measure could handle chronic corruption . i believe that there is no single big step which we can take to eradicate corruption . in fact , we will have to act simultaneously on many fronts , ' singh said . amnesty international called thursday for u.s. president barack obama to urge singh to respect the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in the context of anti-corruption rallies taking place in india . ' president obama has repeatedly described india as a strong ally , ' the human rights group said in a statement , adding that obama should not miss this opportunity to prove that the united states is a friend of the indian people . ' any silence will be misinterpreted as the united states looking the other way when it comes to the importance of basic rights like freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in india . president obama should instruct the u.s. ambassador to india to visit protest sites . ' activists have appealed to government employees to take a day off work in a show of solidarity with hazare . in his video , hazare warned that more arrests could lie ahead . the jails that are empty , we will keep filling them , ' he said . i tell these young people : as long as the lokpal is n't created , the jails will never be empty . ' we have no demands of the government , ' he said . we have just sent them to do two things : look after our money and account for it and make good laws for the country . ' he insisted the lokpal bill would reduce corruption by 65 to 70 percent . i will not stop , as long as there 's breath in my body , until this becomes law , ' hazare said . | hazare 's youtube video warns he may extend fast another week |
iran <tsp> iran 's top cop has offered to quit his job if anyone verifies the results of a recent survey that says 80 % of iranian students drink alcohol and have friendships with the opposite sex , the semi-official iranian labour news agency reported . these findings have no basis and if such things are true , i will resign from my post , ' ahmadi moghadam said , according to ilna . drinking alcohol and relations between men and women who are not related are forbidden in iran and other conservative muslim countries . according to ilna , the survey was conducted by a university professor in tehran . the report did n't reveal the number of students surveyed or their age range but the study was enough to provoke the police chief 's ire . the report that 80 percent of males and females have relations goes against the moral fabric of our society , ' ilna quoted the police chief as saying . moghadam condemned the media for reporting what he called the bogus results of the study and challenged to debate anyone who believed the findings to be true . those who want to report these statistics want to rattle the public 's thoughts . ' the police chief said iran 's law enforcement agencies do not interfere with family relations and friendships but they 'll step in if laws are broken . if relations are made through deception we will immediately get involved since committing sexual violations calls for the highest punishment . ' | iran 's police chief says if the survey proves true he will quit |
iran <tsp> iran 's top cop has offered to quit his job if anyone verifies the results of a recent survey that says 80 % of iranian students drink alcohol and have friendships with the opposite sex , the semi-official iranian labour news agency reported . these findings have no basis and if such things are true , i will resign from my post , ' ahmadi moghadam said , according to ilna . drinking alcohol and relations between men and women who are not related are forbidden in iran and other conservative muslim countries . according to ilna , the survey was conducted by a university professor in tehran . the report did n't reveal the number of students surveyed or their age range but the study was enough to provoke the police chief 's ire . the report that 80 percent of males and females have relations goes against the moral fabric of our society , ' ilna quoted the police chief as saying . moghadam condemned the media for reporting what he called the bogus results of the study and challenged to debate anyone who believed the findings to be true . those who want to report these statistics want to rattle the public 's thoughts . ' the police chief said iran 's law enforcement agencies do not interfere with family relations and friendships but they 'll step in if laws are broken . if relations are made through deception we will immediately get involved since committing sexual violations calls for the highest punishment . ' | such relations and drinking alcohol are forbidden in iran |
pentagon <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the obama administration has filed a request with the 9th u.s . circuit court of appeals to stay a lower court injunction stopping the military policy regarding openly gay troops serving . late tuesday , u.s. district court judge virginia phillips in california denied the government 's request for an emergency stay of her order barring the military from expelling openly gay service members . that ruling came as the pentagon has begun advising recruiting commands that they can accept openly gay and lesbian recruit candidates , according to a pentagon spokeswoman . the guidance from the personnel and readiness office was sent to recruiting commands on friday , according to spokeswoman cynthia smith . the recruiters were told that if a candidate admits he or she is openly gay , and qualify under normal recruiting guidelines , their application can be processed . recruiters are not allowed to ask candidates if they are gay as part of the application process . the notice also reminded recruiters that they have to manage expectations ' of applicants by informing them that a reversal of the court decision might occur , whereby the do n't ask , do n't tell ' policy could be reinstated , smith said . groups representing gays and lesbians have warned against coming out to the military because the policy is still being appealed in courts . one group , the servicemembers legal defense network , sent a statement out tuesday reiterating the concern . during this interim period of uncertainty , service members must not come out and recruits should use caution if choosing to sign up , ' sldn executive director aubrey sarvis said in the statement . the bottom line : if you come out now , it can be used against you in the future by the pentagon . ' judge phillips'ruling on do n't ask , do n't tell ' stemmed from a lawsuit by log cabin republicans , a gay rights group , challenging the policy . former army lt. daniel choi , an iraq war combat veteran who challenged do n't ask , do n't tell ' and was discharged , moved to rejoin the military tuesday afternoon . i 'm here because i want to serve my country , ' he said . in the recruiting station . apparently i 'm too old for the marines ! ' he said in a tweet . just filled out the army application . ' choi said he told recruiters he was gay and that there was no reaction or delay in the enlistment process . he indicated he would complete his paperwork wednesday and that he did not care what rank he would assume . will rodriguez-kennedy , president of log cabin republicans'san diego , california , office , tried tuesday afternoon to be reinstated by the marines . once a marine , always a marine , ' said rodriguez-kennedy , a corporal who was honorably discharged in february 2008 . he served three years of a four-year term . it 's a feeling of not having completed a full tour , ' he said . recruiters told him tuesday there were no current slots and they would call him in january , rodriguez-kennedy said . one option is to join another branch of the service , but rodriguez-kennedy said he might speak with marine officers or get legal help . reinstatement would allow him to keep the corporal rank and resume benefits . rodriguez-kennedy , 23 , served as a provisional military police officer in iraq in 2007 . he said he was open to new responsibilities . i love the marine corps , ' he said . cnn called several recruiting stations in new york and chicago . they referred inquiries to the pentagon . cnn 's larry shaughnessy , vivienne foley and phil gast contributed to this report | the pentagon says given the ruling , recruiters can accept gay and lesbian candidates |
christian <tsp> there are two rick santorums : the first one i might not agree with , but the second one truly scares me . santorum one ' pushes for less government regulation for corporations and shrinking the federal government . you may or may not agree with these positions , but they are both mainstream conservative fare . then there 's santorum two . ' this santorum wants to impose conservative christian law upon america . am i being hyperbolic or overly dramatic with this statement ? i wish i were , but i 'm not . plainly put , rick santorum wants to convert our current legal system into one that requires our laws to be in agreement with religious law , not unlike what the taliban want to do in afghanistan . santorum is not hiding this . the only reason you may not be aware of it is because up until his recent surge in the polls , the media were ignoring him . however , santorum two ' was out there telling anyone who would listen . he told a crowd at a november campaign stop in iowa in no uncertain terms , our civil laws have to comport with a higher law : god 's law . ' on thanksgiving day at an iowa candidates'forum , he reiterated : we have civil laws , but our civil laws have to comport with the higher law . ' yes , that means exactly what you think it does : santorum believes that each and every one of our government 's laws must match god 's law , warning that as long as there is a discordance between the two , there will be agitation . ' i 'm not exactly sure what agitation ' means in this context , but i think it 's a code word for something much worse than acid reflux . and as an aside , when santorum says god , ' he means not any god ( but ) the god of abraham , isaac and jacob . ' so , if your god differs from rick 's , your god 's views will be ignored , just like the father is on keeping up with the kardashians . ' some of you might be asking : how far will santorum two ' take this ? it 's not like he 's going to base public policy decisions on bible passages , right ? well , here 's what santorum had to say just last week when asked about his opposition to gay marriage : we have judeo-christian values that are based on biblical truth . ... and those truths do n't change just because people 's attitudes may change . ' santorum could not be more unambiguous : his policy decisions will be based on biblical truths , ' and as he noted , these truths ' will not change regardless of whether public opinion has evolved since the time the bible was written thousands of years ago . imagine if either of the two muslim members of congress declared their support for a proposed american law based on verses from the quran . the outcry would be deafening , especially from people like santorum . one of the great ironies is that santorum has been a leader in sounding alarm bells that muslims want to impose islamic law -- called sharia law -- upon non-muslims in america . while santorum fails to offer even a scintilla of credible evidence to support this claim , he continually warns about the creeping ' influence of muslim law . santorum 's fundamental problem with sharia law is that it 's not just a religious code . it is also a governmental code . it happens to be both religious in nature and origin , but it is a civil code . ' consequently , under the sharia system , the civil laws of the land must comport with god 's law . now , where did i hear about someone wanting to impose only laws that agree with god 's law in america ? so , what type of nation might the united states be under rick santorum 's sharia law ? 1 . rape victims would be forced to give birth to the rapist 's child . santorum has stated that his religious beliefs dictate that life begins at conception , and as a result , rape victims would be sentenced to carrying the child of the rapist for nine months . 2 . gay marriages would be annulled . santorum recently declared that not only does he oppose gay marriages , but he supports a federal constitutional amendment that would ban them , invalidating all previous gay marriages that have legally been sanctioned by states and thus callously destroying marriages and thrusting families into chaos . 3 . santorum would ban all federal funding for birth control and would not oppose any state that wanted to pass laws making birth control illegal . 4 . no porn ! i 'm not kidding . santorum signed the marriage vow ' pledge ( pdf ) authored by the family leader organization , under which he swears to oppose pornography . i think many would agree that alone should disqualify him from being president . to me , santorum two ' truly poses an existential threat to the separation of church and state , one of the bedrock principles of our nation since its inception . not only did thomas jefferson speak of the need to create a wall of separation between church and state , ' so did santorum 's idol , ronald reagan , who succinctly stated , church and state are , and must remain , separate . ' while there may be millions of americans who in their heart agree with the views of santorum two , ' it is my hope they will reject any attempts to move america closer to a becoming the afghanistan of the western hemisphere . | dean obeidallah : santorum would like to impose christian law on u.s . |
christian <tsp> there are two rick santorums : the first one i might not agree with , but the second one truly scares me . santorum one ' pushes for less government regulation for corporations and shrinking the federal government . you may or may not agree with these positions , but they are both mainstream conservative fare . then there 's santorum two . ' this santorum wants to impose conservative christian law upon america . am i being hyperbolic or overly dramatic with this statement ? i wish i were , but i 'm not . plainly put , rick santorum wants to convert our current legal system into one that requires our laws to be in agreement with religious law , not unlike what the taliban want to do in afghanistan . santorum is not hiding this . the only reason you may not be aware of it is because up until his recent surge in the polls , the media were ignoring him . however , santorum two ' was out there telling anyone who would listen . he told a crowd at a november campaign stop in iowa in no uncertain terms , our civil laws have to comport with a higher law : god 's law . ' on thanksgiving day at an iowa candidates'forum , he reiterated : we have civil laws , but our civil laws have to comport with the higher law . ' yes , that means exactly what you think it does : santorum believes that each and every one of our government 's laws must match god 's law , warning that as long as there is a discordance between the two , there will be agitation . ' i 'm not exactly sure what agitation ' means in this context , but i think it 's a code word for something much worse than acid reflux . and as an aside , when santorum says god , ' he means not any god ( but ) the god of abraham , isaac and jacob . ' so , if your god differs from rick 's , your god 's views will be ignored , just like the father is on keeping up with the kardashians . ' some of you might be asking : how far will santorum two ' take this ? it 's not like he 's going to base public policy decisions on bible passages , right ? well , here 's what santorum had to say just last week when asked about his opposition to gay marriage : we have judeo-christian values that are based on biblical truth . ... and those truths do n't change just because people 's attitudes may change . ' santorum could not be more unambiguous : his policy decisions will be based on biblical truths , ' and as he noted , these truths ' will not change regardless of whether public opinion has evolved since the time the bible was written thousands of years ago . imagine if either of the two muslim members of congress declared their support for a proposed american law based on verses from the quran . the outcry would be deafening , especially from people like santorum . one of the great ironies is that santorum has been a leader in sounding alarm bells that muslims want to impose islamic law -- called sharia law -- upon non-muslims in america . while santorum fails to offer even a scintilla of credible evidence to support this claim , he continually warns about the creeping ' influence of muslim law . santorum 's fundamental problem with sharia law is that it 's not just a religious code . it is also a governmental code . it happens to be both religious in nature and origin , but it is a civil code . ' consequently , under the sharia system , the civil laws of the land must comport with god 's law . now , where did i hear about someone wanting to impose only laws that agree with god 's law in america ? so , what type of nation might the united states be under rick santorum 's sharia law ? 1 . rape victims would be forced to give birth to the rapist 's child . santorum has stated that his religious beliefs dictate that life begins at conception , and as a result , rape victims would be sentenced to carrying the child of the rapist for nine months . 2 . gay marriages would be annulled . santorum recently declared that not only does he oppose gay marriages , but he supports a federal constitutional amendment that would ban them , invalidating all previous gay marriages that have legally been sanctioned by states and thus callously destroying marriages and thrusting families into chaos . 3 . santorum would ban all federal funding for birth control and would not oppose any state that wanted to pass laws making birth control illegal . 4 . no porn ! i 'm not kidding . santorum signed the marriage vow ' pledge ( pdf ) authored by the family leader organization , under which he swears to oppose pornography . i think many would agree that alone should disqualify him from being president . to me , santorum two ' truly poses an existential threat to the separation of church and state , one of the bedrock principles of our nation since its inception . not only did thomas jefferson speak of the need to create a wall of separation between church and state , ' so did santorum 's idol , ronald reagan , who succinctly stated , church and state are , and must remain , separate . ' while there may be millions of americans who in their heart agree with the views of santorum two , ' it is my hope they will reject any attempts to move america closer to a becoming the afghanistan of the western hemisphere . | he says santorum has repeatedly said he thinks civil law should reflect christian law |
facebook <tsp> ( the frisky ) -- you do n't have to be jennifer aniston to think that the four women who krazy-glued a cheater 's penis to his stomach were way harsh and beyond psycho . if your ex 's loved ones ask why you broke up , it 's ok to admit he cheated on you , writer says . but in our less scrupulous/mature moments , many of us want to punish a particularly nasty ex , especially if he was a cheater . ladies , let 's keep it legal ( and krazy glue-free ) , ok ? here are 10 ideas : 1 . email his crappiest crap e-mail to jezebel.com 's crap e-mail from a dude and when they publish it , discreetly post the link as your gchat away message . 2 . call up your hottest platonic male friend , grab your digital camera and go do something adorable together . now it 's time to create a facebook photo album full of pics of you looking smiley . ( bonus points if your ex was slightly paranoid that this guy had a thing for you ) . the frisky : possible to remain friends with an ex ? 3 . permanently adopt that comfy sweatshirt he left at your place . especially if he 's the one who caused the breakup , he probably does n't have the cojones to ask for it back now . 4 . gain that extra 10 lbs that fills you out nicely , like joan holloway on mad men ' ... 5 . ... or lose that extra 10 lbs so you can fit into your sexy jeans again . either way , this also requires a facebook photo album . the frisky : how joan holloway gives me confidence 6 . you might hear from his mom , sisters , or other family members you were close to after the breakup , especially if you dated for a long time . airing too much of your dirty laundry to them will make you look like a psycho . but if he did cheat on you ( and you did n't cheat back ) , it could n't hurt to mention how his bad behavior led to the split . the frisky : 10 rules on way men and women eat dude sure as hell did n't tell them the truth about why you broke up ! and any mom or sister worth her salt will tear your ex a new one when they learn that 's why he lost a great girl like you . the frisky : continue relationships with an ex 's loved ones ? 7 . ignore every single text , tweet , facebook poke and email from here on out . but kept posting stuff on your social networking sites on the regular . 8 . if you 're a songwriter or a poet , well , you know what to do . the creep who caused ani di franco 's song untouchable face ' probably has n't forgotten what he did . 9 . penning aggressive-aggressive emails ( as opposed to passive-aggressive ones ) is always therapeutic . the frisky : passive aggressive notes web site 10 . spend a few months feeling down . indulge in some therapy . do some fun things single women do . work extra-hard at your job and get a promotion . go take a trip or buy some new clothes . whenever you 're ready , go meet a new guy . fall in love . have tons of great sex . laugh a lot . talk about baby names and where you want your honeymoon to be . the next time you run into your ex , mention all the great things that have happened in your life since you broke up ... or just smile . the frisky : happy to be single tm & © 2009 tmv , inc. | all rights reserved | do whatever it takes to look your best , post pix on facebook with male friend |
ana ivanovic <tsp> ( cnn ) -- maria sharapova drove away a top of the range porsche sports car for the third straight year in stuttgart after battling back to beat ana ivanovic in the final sunday . sharapova may need to build a bigger garage at home to house the prize gifts from the sponsor of the wta premier tier event , but it 's a nice problem to have for the four-time grand slam champion , who is returning to her best form after recovering from a recurrent shoulder injury . i had quite a slow beginning to the year , but me and my team have been working hard to get in the position to win titles again , and i 'm so happy to be able to do it in stuttgart , ' the russian told the official wta website . but in a battle of former world number one 's , sharapova was taken all the way by ivanovic , who led by a set and 3-1 and looked set to take the keys of the porsche herself . but sharapova reeled off 11 of the last 13 games of the match on the red clay to win 3-6 6-4 6-1 in two hours three minutes . it was the 30th career title for the two-time defending champion and an important boost ahead of the french open in paris next month . for the first half of the match i thought it might not be my day today , but somehow i turned it around , ' she added . serbia 's ivanovic had underlined her improvement with a fine run to the title match , but was left to rue missed opportunities to close out the match in the second set . in the second set she definitely went for those big shots and she made some amazing points . she 's just a great player , and that 's what happens when you play against great players in big matches like this . you need to use your opportunities , ' she said . sharapova , who is a brand ambassador for the sponsor , took match point with her 34th winner and was clearly delighted to continue her dominance at the german event . it 's been an incredible few years at this tournament , ' she said . on the atp tour , japan 's kei nishikori wrapped up the barcelona open with a 6-2 6-2 win over santiago giraldo of colombia in the final . nishikori was always on top as he won his second title of the year and fifth of his burgeoning career . he hit 19 winners to leave giraldo with few opportunities to show his best in a one-sided match . the tournament was notable for the shock defeat of world number one rafael nadal in the quarterfinals to nicolas almagro , who was in turn beaten by giraldo in the last four . rising young star grigor dimitrov took the nastase tiriac title in bucharest with a 7-6 6-1 win over lukas rool in the final . the top-seeded bulgarian has already won in acupulco this season and is pushing for a place in the top 10 with his strong performances in 2014 . | beats ana ivanovic in final in three sets |
kerry <tsp> dozens of armed men seized the regional government administration buildings in ukraine 's southern crimean region thursday and raised the russian flag in a challenge to the eastern european country 's new leaders . crimea , a black sea peninsula with an ethnic russian majority , is the last big bastion of opposition to the new political leadership in the capital , kiev , after president viktor yanukovych 's ouster saturday . the seizure , coming a day after russia ordered surprise military exercises on ukraine 's doorstep , has raised fears about the push and pull of opposing allegiances in a country sandwiched between russia and the european union . there 's a broad divide between those who support developments in kiev -- where parliament was voting on an interim west-leaning , national unity government thursday -- and those who back russia 's continued influence in crimea and across ukraine . yanukovych issued a defiant statement to russian news agencies condemning the interim government in kiev and calling everything happening now in the ukrainian parliament illegitimate , russian state news agency ria novosti reported thursday . according to ria novosti , anonymous government sources said thursday that yanukovych was in russia and that russian authorities have accepted his request for security . a warrant has been issued for his arrest in ukraine . yanukovych will give a news conference friday in the southern russian city of rostov-on-don , russian state media reported . if so , it would be the first time he 's been seen in public since fleeing kiev . cnn has not independently confirmed yanukovych 's whereabouts . secession fears about crimea concerns are building that the tensions in the autonomous crimean region might escalate into a bid for separation by its russian majority . pro-russian members of the crimean parliament dismissed the government of crimean premier anatolii mohyliov in a vote of no confidence thursday , his spokesman andrey demartino told cnn . he said mohyliov would respect the parliament 's decision , despite many procedural irregularities . the lawmakers also voted for a referendum on may 25 on greater autonomy for the region within ukrainian territory , he said . only pro-russian lawmakers were present in the parliament building , still occupied by apparently pro-russian gunmen . demartino quoted mohyliov as saying the responsibility for crimea 's future stability rests with parliament . crimea was handed to ukraine by the soviet union in 1954 . just over half its population is ethnic russian , while about a quarter are ukrainians and a little more than 10 % are crimean tatars , a group oppressed under former soviet leader josef stalin . many are struggling to come to grips with the rapid political upheaval , and scuffles have broken out between rival groups -- one pro-russian and the other supporting the new authorities in kiev -- in the crimean capital of simferopol . new ukraine prime minister 's appointment back in kiev , lawmakers approved opposition leader arseniy yatsenyuk of the batkivshchyna , or fatherland , party as prime minister . yatsenyuk , who has been both economic and foreign minister in past governments , told reporters that yanukovych is no longer the president , he is the person under investigation and accused of crimes against humanity , ' state news agency ukrinform reported . the new prime minister told parliament that he can not promise to turn things around quickly and that there is likely to be pain in the short term as the cash-strapped country seeks to get back on track . he also made clear that he believes the country 's future rests in closer ties to europe , not russia . the key task for the ukrainian government is european integration , ' he said . it means a visa-free regime for the ukrainian citizens , and it means an agreement with the european union on political and economic integration ; agreement on a fully fledged free trade zone . the future of ukraine is in europe , and ukraine will become a member of the european union . ' yanukovych 's decision to scrap a european union trade deal in favor of one with russia prompted the protests , which began in november . those protests devolved last week into bloody street clashes between demonstrators and security forces that left more than 80 people dead . international monetary fund chief christine lagarde said thursday her organization was ready to respond to a request for assistance from ukrainian authorities and would send a fact-finding team to ukraine to assess the situation and discuss potential reforms . we are also discussing with all our international partners -- bilateral and multilateral -- how best to help ukraine at this critical moment in its history , ' she said . ukrainian authorities anticipate the country will need about $ 35 billion in foreign assistance by the end of 2015 . u.s. concerns about russian military exercises as ukraine 's interim leaders work to restore stability , u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel , speaking at a meeting of nato defense ministers in brussels , belgium , urged all parties to avoid provocative actions ' in ukraine . and he warned that the united states was keeping a sharp eye on russia in light of its recent moves . i 'm closely watching russia 's military exercises along the ukrainian border , ' he said . i expect russia to be transparent about these activities , and i urge them not to take any steps that could be misinterpreted or lead to miscalculations . ' this , he said , is a time for very calm , wise leadership on the russian side , on everyone 's side here . ' u.s. officials earlier told cnn that the russian military exercises were making u.s. military and intelligence agencies concerned that russia may be positioning ground forces to be able to move across the border into ukraine if moscow issued such orders . russian defense minister sergey shoigu has said the exercises are being conducted to check combat readiness . ' u.s. secretary of state john kerry said his russian counterpart , foreign minister sergey lavrov , offered reassurances thursday that military exercises were previously scheduled and not related to ukraine . we believe that everybody now needs to step back and avoid any kind of provocations , and we want to see in the next days ahead obviously that the choices russia makes conform to this affirmation that we received today , ' he said after a phone conversation with lavrov . we are also making the same point about reducing tensions in the crimea to the ukrainians . it is very important that the process continue in a thoughtful and respectful way . ' opinion : will ukraine 's crimean region be europe 's next'frozen'conflict ? no negotiations in simferopol , it was not immediately known who was occupying the government buildings . mohyliov , the crimean prime minister , told cnn earlier thursday that the gunmen had refused to speak with him , telling him he had no authority . the men , who stormed the building early thursday , had made no demands , and it was not clear what they wanted , he said . he added that government security forces , which were outside the buildings , would not use force or weapons to take over the buildings . all police in ukraine have been ordered to be prepared , ' acting interior minister arsen avakov wrote on his facebook page . orders have been issued to create a cordon around the parliament in crimea and to avoid shooting and violence . ' a witness , who gave his name only as maxim , said he saw the armed men run into the building and kick out police . nobody knows what is going on inside at the moment . we only saw the building being taken over , ' he said . he said the men took bags containing antitank weapons , sniper rifles , assault rifles and handguns from buses into the building . anders fogh rasmussen , nato 's secretary general , described the seizure of the regional government administration building and parliament as dangerous and irresponsible . ' 5 things you need to know about ukraine 's crimean region | kerry says russia reaffirms that the military exercises are not related to ukraine |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- thousands of mourners and supporters crowded hillsides near srebrenica , bosnia-herzegovina , sunday , to mark the 15th anniversary of the massacre of nearly 8,000 men and boys . more than 50,000 people witnessed the burial of 775 newly identified genocide victims at the centre potocari -- the official srebrenica genocide memorial where 5,000 genocide victims are buried -- a few miles outside the city , according to bosnia-herzegovina 's official news agency , fena . in 1995 , potocari served as a safe-haven for bosnian muslims . they were under the protection of a u.n.-dutch-led mission . the massacre of men and boys occurred when ethnic serb troops overran the united nations safe area . the five-day slaughter was the worst european massacre since world war ii and was described by the u.n. war crimes tribunal as the triumph of evil . ' witnesses , human rights investigators and court testimonies documented the summary executions , as well the rape and murder of women . sunday 's burial was attended by top international officials , including a u.s. delegation whose members read a statement from president barack obama . in the statement , obama called the srebrenica massacre an unimaginable ' tragedy that has left an indelible stain on our collective conscience . ' fifteen years ago today , despite decades of pledges of'never again ,'8,000 men and boys were murdered in these fields and hills , ' said in the statement . they were brothers , sons , husbands , and fathers , and they all became victims of genocide . ' obama also called on all governments to redouble their efforts ' to find and prosecute those responsible for the tragedy . this includes ratko mladic , who presided over the killings and remains at large , ' he said , referring to the former bosnian serb army commander . mladic has been charged with genocide and remains a fugitive . bosnian serb president radovan karadzic is now on trial at the tribunal in the hague . fena news agency reported that boris tadic , president of serbia , also attended the burial memorial of the genocide victims and promised to find serb war criminals . i , as the president of serbia , will never give up finding them , and especially ratko mladic . when that ends , i will consider a part of my job completed , ' tadic said . but before that , it is important that people reach out to one another and to continue living as people . a lot of time has passed , and i have done everything possible for mladic to be arrested , ' he said . | obama : massacre leaves stain on our collective conscience ' |
bosnian serb <tsp> ( cnn ) -- thousands of mourners and supporters crowded hillsides near srebrenica , bosnia-herzegovina , sunday , to mark the 15th anniversary of the massacre of nearly 8,000 men and boys . more than 50,000 people witnessed the burial of 775 newly identified genocide victims at the centre potocari -- the official srebrenica genocide memorial where 5,000 genocide victims are buried -- a few miles outside the city , according to bosnia-herzegovina 's official news agency , fena . in 1995 , potocari served as a safe-haven for bosnian muslims . they were under the protection of a u.n.-dutch-led mission . the massacre of men and boys occurred when ethnic serb troops overran the united nations safe area . the five-day slaughter was the worst european massacre since world war ii and was described by the u.n. war crimes tribunal as the triumph of evil . ' witnesses , human rights investigators and court testimonies documented the summary executions , as well the rape and murder of women . sunday 's burial was attended by top international officials , including a u.s. delegation whose members read a statement from president barack obama . in the statement , obama called the srebrenica massacre an unimaginable ' tragedy that has left an indelible stain on our collective conscience . ' fifteen years ago today , despite decades of pledges of'never again ,'8,000 men and boys were murdered in these fields and hills , ' said in the statement . they were brothers , sons , husbands , and fathers , and they all became victims of genocide . ' obama also called on all governments to redouble their efforts ' to find and prosecute those responsible for the tragedy . this includes ratko mladic , who presided over the killings and remains at large , ' he said , referring to the former bosnian serb army commander . mladic has been charged with genocide and remains a fugitive . bosnian serb president radovan karadzic is now on trial at the tribunal in the hague . fena news agency reported that boris tadic , president of serbia , also attended the burial memorial of the genocide victims and promised to find serb war criminals . i , as the president of serbia , will never give up finding them , and especially ratko mladic . when that ends , i will consider a part of my job completed , ' tadic said . but before that , it is important that people reach out to one another and to continue living as people . a lot of time has passed , and i have done everything possible for mladic to be arrested , ' he said . | bosnian serb president radovan karadzic is now on trial at the tribunal in the hague . |
chuck blazer <tsp> ( cnn ) -- football 's world governing body fifa has provisionally suspended outgoing executive committee member chuck blazer for 90 days based on the fact that various breaches of the code of ethics appear to have been committed ' by the american . the former general secretary of concacaf , the body which governs football in north and central america and the caribbean , has been barred from taking part in any kind of football-related activity ' for a maximum period of 90 days . the decision was taken by hans-joachim eckert , the chairman of the adjudicatory chamber of the fifa ethics committee -- which opened investigation proceedings against blazer , 68 , in response to a report filed by the concacaf integrity committee last month . the decision was taken following a request made by the acting deputy chairman of the investigatory chamber of the ethics committee , robert torres , based on the fact that various breaches of the fifa code of ethics appear to have been committed by chuck blazer and that a decision on the main issue could not be taken early enough , ' read a fifa statement . the announcement comes less than one week after fellow fifa executive committee member vernon manilal fernando of sri lanka was banned for eight years for unethical behaviour . the concacaf report alleged that blazer , who has been provisionally banned pending a full disciplinary hearing , received at least $ 15 million in addition to other funds that were used to buy and rent luxury apartments . blazer , who has been the most senior american official at fifa for the last 16 years , had previously said that he will give up his seat on the executive committee when his term expires at the end of this month . he resigned as concacaf 's general secretary in 2011 , after serving with the body for 21 years . in april , the head of concacaf 's integrity committee , david simmons , described blazer and his former boss , trinidadian jack warner , as being'fraudulent in their management'of the continental organization . the former colleagues fell out in 2011 when blazer reported warner and asian football confederation chief mohamed bin hammam to fifa 's ethics committee , accusing the duo of trying to bribe caribbean delegated to support the qatari bin hammam in that year 's fifa presidential election . blazer 's accusations led to the downfall of bin hammam , the resignation of warner as a fifa vice president and concacaf leader , and sanctions against several caribbean football officials . now however , blazer finds himself in the dock alongside warner . last month , simmons accused both men of abusing their position and power ' -- with warner said to have failed to disclose the creation of a $ 25.9 million concacaf center of excellence on his land , while blazer was accused of mismanaging funds . both men have denied any wrongdoing . fifa has been affected by numerous corruption scandals in recent times , which do not only involve the likes of warner , blazer and manilal . last week , former president joao havelange - who ruled the organization between 1974 and 1988 - resigned as fifa 's honorary president after the 96-year-old was ruled to have taken bribes in a report by ethics chairman eckert . | fifa provisionally ban executive committee member chuck blazer for maximum of 90 days |
vettel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mark webber claimed his first victory of 2011 as he relegated his red bull teammate sebastian vettel to second place in the season-ending race in brazil . the australian took the lead on the 30th lap as vettel was under team orders to nurse a serious gearbox problem . until then , germany 's vettel had looked set to cap his triumphant season with his 12th race win . he had led off his record 15th pole position with webber taking close order in second place . but after the first round of pit stops , the technical problem on the normally ever reliable red bull of the two-time champion came to light . mclaren 's jenson button overtook fernando alonso of ferrari for the final podium position late in the race to retain second spot in the championship behind vettel . abu dhabi winner lewis hamilton went out with a faulty gearbox in the second mclaren as he bid unsuccessfully for back-to-back victories . but few could begrudge webber his belated win , repeating his 2009 success at the same circuit and his seventh career triumph in f1 . seb did a great lap for pole , but today i had the rub of the green . it would have been nice to have a race with seb all the way through but he had a problem , ' he told the post-race media conference . i enjoyed the last few laps . it 's always nice when i could pit a bit later than people and cover people off . nice way to finish , ' he added . it was a real shame for me as i had a good start , ' said vettel . home hope felipe massa claimed fifth place in the second ferrari with adrian sutil an excellent sixth for force india . nico rosberg of mercedes finished seventh with rookie paul di resta in eighth in the second force india car . kamui kobayashi of sauber and vitaly petrov for renault rounded out the point-scoring . | vettel was leading until his car had gearbox problem |
vettel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mark webber claimed his first victory of 2011 as he relegated his red bull teammate sebastian vettel to second place in the season-ending race in brazil . the australian took the lead on the 30th lap as vettel was under team orders to nurse a serious gearbox problem . until then , germany 's vettel had looked set to cap his triumphant season with his 12th race win . he had led off his record 15th pole position with webber taking close order in second place . but after the first round of pit stops , the technical problem on the normally ever reliable red bull of the two-time champion came to light . mclaren 's jenson button overtook fernando alonso of ferrari for the final podium position late in the race to retain second spot in the championship behind vettel . abu dhabi winner lewis hamilton went out with a faulty gearbox in the second mclaren as he bid unsuccessfully for back-to-back victories . but few could begrudge webber his belated win , repeating his 2009 success at the same circuit and his seventh career triumph in f1 . seb did a great lap for pole , but today i had the rub of the green . it would have been nice to have a race with seb all the way through but he had a problem , ' he told the post-race media conference . i enjoyed the last few laps . it 's always nice when i could pit a bit later than people and cover people off . nice way to finish , ' he added . it was a real shame for me as i had a good start , ' said vettel . home hope felipe massa claimed fifth place in the second ferrari with adrian sutil an excellent sixth for force india . nico rosberg of mercedes finished seventh with rookie paul di resta in eighth in the second force india car . kamui kobayashi of sauber and vitaly petrov for renault rounded out the point-scoring . | teammate and two-time champion sebastian vettel finishes second |
rafael buschmann <tsp> convicted singaporean match-fixer wilson raj perumal is categorically denying a story published by german weekly der spiegel alleging that the cameroon team was involved in fixing a world cup game in brazil . the cameroon federation -- known as fecafoot -- has pledged to investigate der spiegel 's allegations , which focused on the national side 's second group a game against croatia -- purportedly based on an interview with perumal . contrary to the'revelations'published by the german weekly der spiegel that were picked up by news outlets worldwide , i did not predict the result of the cameroon vs. croatia match played on june 18 , 2014 , ' said perumal in a statement published online . the facebook chat with the der spiegel journalist took place a few days after the match -- june 21 -- as confirmed by my facebook log , and was but an informal assessment of the behavior of the cameroon team at the brazil 2014 world cup after they had played two of their three group stage matches , including the one with croatia . ' cnn has been sent screen grabs of two facebook conversations between perumal and the journalist , rafael buschmann , by the fixer 's representative . the first is dated the june 21 and the second is dated the june 26 -- in other words after the croatia game -- where perumal talks of five to seven black sheeps , ' and seven rotten apples ' within the cameroon team , adding in my opinion they fixed all three matches . ' perumal 's facebook account does not show public updates , so cnn was unable to independently verify those exchanges . at no time did i make reference to four goals being scored or to a red card being issued , ' perumal said . at no time did i suggest that i had any way of corroborating or substantiating what was meant to be an educated guess based on my extensive match-fixing experience , ' added perumal , who was arrested in helsinki in 2011 and sentenced to two years in prison for fixing games in rovaniemi , northern finland . last but not least : at no time was i informed by the der spiegel journalist that our chat was going to end up in the german publication . ' the der spiegel journalist , rafael buschmann , told cnn that the publication was confident in its reporting of the story . we firmly stand by our assertion that mr. perumal wrote in a facebook chat with der spiegel some hours before the world cup match croatia vs. cameroon , that the result of the match will be a 4-0 victory for croatia and that a player of cameroon will get a red card in the first half , ' buschmann said . that alleged prediction largely came true . midfielder alex song was red-carded during the game for lashing out at croatia striker mario mandzukic , who scored twice in a 4-0 victory along with goals from ivica olic and ivan perisic . cnn contacted song 's agent but he was not immediately available for comment . now living in hungary , perumal recently published a book -- kelong kings ' -- about his involvement in illegal match fixing , which was written in conjunction with investigative journalists alessandro righi and emanuele piano . i apologize to the cameroon fa and to its fans if i inadvertently offended them ; it was not my intention , ' said perumal . i strongly believe that der spiegel should also do the same since they placed words in my mouth that i did not utter . ' kelong kings ' examines three decades of match-fixing efforts , including world cup qualifiers , olympic matches and the 2010 world cup . i am now back in hungary where i have testified against my former associates in a local match-fixing trial , ' said perumal. ''kelong kings'is an honest account of what my life has been like until today . i have now turned a new leaf and wish to put my expertise at the disposal of those willing to truly fight the scourge of match-fixing . when the time is ripe i will share what i know with fifa and uefa , but i will not accept that my statements be manipulated at the detriment of others . ' a fifa spokesperson told reporters tuesday that football 's governing body could not comment on whether an investigation was underway on the alleged manipulation of the cameroon-croatia match . fecafoot said in a statement monday that in 55 years of existence , it has never been sanctioned for , involved in , or even linked to match fixing or any fraud of any kind . ' | der spiegel and journalist rafael buschmann stand by the original story |
turkey <tsp> the conflict raging in gaza is different this time . while hamas'rocket attacks and israel 's military actions may look familiar , they 're taking place against a whole new backdrop . this is unprecedented in the history of the arab-israeli conflict , ' says cnn 's ali younes , an analyst who has covered the region for decades . most arab states are actively supporting israel against the palestinians -- and not even shy about it or doing it discreetly . ' it 's a joint arab-israeli war consisting of egypt , jordan , saudi arabia against other arabs -- the palestinians as represented by hamas . ' as the new york times put it , arab leaders , viewing hamas as worse than israel , stay silent . ' one of the outcomes of the fighting will likely be the end of the old arab alliance system that has , even nominally , supported the palestinians and their goal of establishing a palestinian state , ' younes says . the israel-hamas conflict has laid bare the new divides of the middle east , ' says danielle pletka , vice president of foreign and defense policy studies at the american enterprise institute . it 's no longer the muslims against the jews . now it 's the extremists -- the muslim brotherhood , hamas , hezbollah , and their backers iran , qatar and turkey -- against israel and the more moderate muslims including jordan , egypt , and saudi arabia . ' it 's a proxy war for control or dominance in the middle east , ' says cnn 's fareed zakaria . to understand why and what all this means , we need to begin with understanding of hamas . hamas and the muslim brotherhood hamas , which has controlled the palestinian government in gaza for years , is an extension of the muslim brotherhood . to many americans , the brotherhood is familiar for its central role in the power struggle for egypt . but it 's much larger than that . the muslim brotherhood is international , with affiliated groups in more than 70 countries , including saudi arabia and the uae , ' says eric trager of the washington institute for near east policy . the arab spring showed the region that uprisings can lead to the brotherhood gaining power . so it 's a threat to the governments it opposes . israel 's ongoing battle against hamas is part of a wider regional war on the muslim brotherhood , ' says the soufan group , which tracks global security . most arab states share israel 's determination to finish the movement off once and for all , but they are unlikely to be successful . ' from the perspective of egypt , saudi arabia , jordan , the uae and some other arab states , what the israeli prime minister is doing is fighting this war against hamas on their behalf so they can finish the last stronghold of the muslim brotherhood , ' younes says . arab governments and official arab media have all but adopted the israeli view of who is a terrorist and who is not . egyptian and saudi-owned media are liberal in labeling the muslim brotherhood as'terrorists'and describing hamas as a'terrorist organization .'it 's a complete turnabout from the past , when arab states fought israel and the u.s. in the international organizations on the definition of terrorism , and who is a terrorist or a'freedom fighter .'' egypt egypt 's new president vowed during his campaign that he would finish off the muslim brotherhood . abdel fattah el-sisi , the former military chief , deposed egypt 's first freely elected leader , president mohamed morsy of the muslim brotherhood , last year following mass protests against morsy 's rule . el-sisi was elected officially in june . in egypt you have a regime that came to power by toppling a muslim brotherhood government , ' says trager . it 's therefore in an existential conflict with the brotherhood . so it does n't want to see hamas , the palestinian muslim brotherhood , emerge stronger in a neighboring territory . ' egypt also has another reason to stand against hamas : rising violence and instability in sinai , the northern part of egypt that borders israel and gaza . hamas'network of tunnels includes some in and out of egypt used to smuggle goods include weapons for attackson israeli civilians . the new egyptian government has been cracking down aggressively since it removed the brotherhood from power , ' trager says . el-sisi closed the border crossings between egypt and gaza , which has helped block hamas militants from escaping or smuggling in more weapons during israel 's onslaught . but it also has contributed to the humanitarian crisis of people trapped in gaza . egypt proposed a cease-fire , and israel quickly accepted it -- indicating that it contained the terms israel was looking for , analysts say . hamas rejected it . while egypt has worked furiously to try to broker a truce in the past , cairo this time shows little rush to change its proposal to one much more favorable to hamas , analysts say . saudi arabia , uae , jordan the monarchies of saudi arabia , the united arab emirates and jordan have called on hamas to accept the cease-fire proposal as is . we condemn the israeli aggression and we support the egyptian cease-fire proposal , ' jordan 's king abdullah said last week . countries such as saudi arabia and the uae are challenged by islamists who come to power via the ballot box rather than through royal succession , ' says trager . so these countries have been directly supportive of the coup in egypt because it removed elected islamists and therefore discredited that model . ' saudi arabia is leading the charge , ' partly through backing the coup and financing state media reports that attacked the brotherhood , says younes . egypt , jordan , saudi arabia and the uae all see the destruction of hamas as of benefit to their internal security as well as to regional stability . ' the saudis and the egyptians are now more scared of islamic fundamentalism than they are of israel , ' says zakaria . the saudi monarchy is more worried about the prospects of hamas winning , which would embolden islamists in other parts of the middle east , and therefore potentially an islamist opposition in saudi arabia . ' but hamas is not alone . turkey and qatar turkey and qatar remain supportive of hamas . qatar supported egypt 's muslim brotherhood government , and built an egypt-centric al jazeera network that became known for its strongly pro-muslim brotherhood line , ' says trager . qatar also funds many muslim brotherhood figures in exile , including hamas political leader khaled mashaal , who is believed to have orchestrated numerous hamas terrorist attacks . i think this is a case of a country with a lot of money to burn making a certain calculation in 2011 that made a lot of sense at the time : that the brotherhood was the next big thing that was going to dominate many of the countries of the region , ' says trager . realistically , it made sense to bet on it . ' turkey has more of an ideological sympathy with the brotherhood , ' he says . last week , turkish prime minister recep tayyip erdogan spoke with cnn , accusing israel of genocide . ' erdogan has tried to use the cause of the brotherhood to bolster his own islamist credentials at home , ' says trager . last year , erdogan cracked down on mass demonstrations in his country . iran and syria iran has long supported hamas , supplying it with weapons . and meshaal used to be based in syria . but that changed . in 2012 , meshaal left syria as the country 's civil war deepened -- a decision believed to have caused a breakdown in his relationship with iran as well , says firas abi ali , head of middle east and north africa country risk and forecasting at the global information company ihs . tehran is aligned with syrian president bashar al-assad 's regime . now , syria -- israel 's neighbor to the north -- is locked in a brutal , multiparty civil war , with islamist extremists hoisting severed heads onto poles . the war , believed to have killed more than 115,000 people , is just one of the many developments emphasizing how many fault lines ' there are in the region , richard haass , president of council on foreign relations , told cnn tonight . ' there 's fault lines within the palestinians between hamas and the other part of the palestinian authority . you have sunnis vs. shia . you have iran vs. saudi arabia and the arabs . you have secularists vs. people who embrace religion in the political space . ' the palestinian authority paying a price for all this is another key player : fatah , the palestinian faction that controls the west bank . fatah and hamas have long fought each other , but earlier this year made another effort at a unity government . palestinian leader mahmoud abbas , who is in charge of the government in the west bank , seems politically exhausted by all the twists and turns he has made in search of a durable solution , ' the soufan gruop says . and the one chance of reasserting his authority through a unity government that would have forced hamas into a subordinate and less militant role has now disappeared . he must now watch helplessly as protests in the west bank undo whatever progress he had made towards a two-state solution . ' gaza conflict by the numbers | turkey and qatar support hamas |
egypt <tsp> the conflict raging in gaza is different this time . while hamas'rocket attacks and israel 's military actions may look familiar , they 're taking place against a whole new backdrop . this is unprecedented in the history of the arab-israeli conflict , ' says cnn 's ali younes , an analyst who has covered the region for decades . most arab states are actively supporting israel against the palestinians -- and not even shy about it or doing it discreetly . ' it 's a joint arab-israeli war consisting of egypt , jordan , saudi arabia against other arabs -- the palestinians as represented by hamas . ' as the new york times put it , arab leaders , viewing hamas as worse than israel , stay silent . ' one of the outcomes of the fighting will likely be the end of the old arab alliance system that has , even nominally , supported the palestinians and their goal of establishing a palestinian state , ' younes says . the israel-hamas conflict has laid bare the new divides of the middle east , ' says danielle pletka , vice president of foreign and defense policy studies at the american enterprise institute . it 's no longer the muslims against the jews . now it 's the extremists -- the muslim brotherhood , hamas , hezbollah , and their backers iran , qatar and turkey -- against israel and the more moderate muslims including jordan , egypt , and saudi arabia . ' it 's a proxy war for control or dominance in the middle east , ' says cnn 's fareed zakaria . to understand why and what all this means , we need to begin with understanding of hamas . hamas and the muslim brotherhood hamas , which has controlled the palestinian government in gaza for years , is an extension of the muslim brotherhood . to many americans , the brotherhood is familiar for its central role in the power struggle for egypt . but it 's much larger than that . the muslim brotherhood is international , with affiliated groups in more than 70 countries , including saudi arabia and the uae , ' says eric trager of the washington institute for near east policy . the arab spring showed the region that uprisings can lead to the brotherhood gaining power . so it 's a threat to the governments it opposes . israel 's ongoing battle against hamas is part of a wider regional war on the muslim brotherhood , ' says the soufan group , which tracks global security . most arab states share israel 's determination to finish the movement off once and for all , but they are unlikely to be successful . ' from the perspective of egypt , saudi arabia , jordan , the uae and some other arab states , what the israeli prime minister is doing is fighting this war against hamas on their behalf so they can finish the last stronghold of the muslim brotherhood , ' younes says . arab governments and official arab media have all but adopted the israeli view of who is a terrorist and who is not . egyptian and saudi-owned media are liberal in labeling the muslim brotherhood as'terrorists'and describing hamas as a'terrorist organization .'it 's a complete turnabout from the past , when arab states fought israel and the u.s. in the international organizations on the definition of terrorism , and who is a terrorist or a'freedom fighter .'' egypt egypt 's new president vowed during his campaign that he would finish off the muslim brotherhood . abdel fattah el-sisi , the former military chief , deposed egypt 's first freely elected leader , president mohamed morsy of the muslim brotherhood , last year following mass protests against morsy 's rule . el-sisi was elected officially in june . in egypt you have a regime that came to power by toppling a muslim brotherhood government , ' says trager . it 's therefore in an existential conflict with the brotherhood . so it does n't want to see hamas , the palestinian muslim brotherhood , emerge stronger in a neighboring territory . ' egypt also has another reason to stand against hamas : rising violence and instability in sinai , the northern part of egypt that borders israel and gaza . hamas'network of tunnels includes some in and out of egypt used to smuggle goods include weapons for attackson israeli civilians . the new egyptian government has been cracking down aggressively since it removed the brotherhood from power , ' trager says . el-sisi closed the border crossings between egypt and gaza , which has helped block hamas militants from escaping or smuggling in more weapons during israel 's onslaught . but it also has contributed to the humanitarian crisis of people trapped in gaza . egypt proposed a cease-fire , and israel quickly accepted it -- indicating that it contained the terms israel was looking for , analysts say . hamas rejected it . while egypt has worked furiously to try to broker a truce in the past , cairo this time shows little rush to change its proposal to one much more favorable to hamas , analysts say . saudi arabia , uae , jordan the monarchies of saudi arabia , the united arab emirates and jordan have called on hamas to accept the cease-fire proposal as is . we condemn the israeli aggression and we support the egyptian cease-fire proposal , ' jordan 's king abdullah said last week . countries such as saudi arabia and the uae are challenged by islamists who come to power via the ballot box rather than through royal succession , ' says trager . so these countries have been directly supportive of the coup in egypt because it removed elected islamists and therefore discredited that model . ' saudi arabia is leading the charge , ' partly through backing the coup and financing state media reports that attacked the brotherhood , says younes . egypt , jordan , saudi arabia and the uae all see the destruction of hamas as of benefit to their internal security as well as to regional stability . ' the saudis and the egyptians are now more scared of islamic fundamentalism than they are of israel , ' says zakaria . the saudi monarchy is more worried about the prospects of hamas winning , which would embolden islamists in other parts of the middle east , and therefore potentially an islamist opposition in saudi arabia . ' but hamas is not alone . turkey and qatar turkey and qatar remain supportive of hamas . qatar supported egypt 's muslim brotherhood government , and built an egypt-centric al jazeera network that became known for its strongly pro-muslim brotherhood line , ' says trager . qatar also funds many muslim brotherhood figures in exile , including hamas political leader khaled mashaal , who is believed to have orchestrated numerous hamas terrorist attacks . i think this is a case of a country with a lot of money to burn making a certain calculation in 2011 that made a lot of sense at the time : that the brotherhood was the next big thing that was going to dominate many of the countries of the region , ' says trager . realistically , it made sense to bet on it . ' turkey has more of an ideological sympathy with the brotherhood , ' he says . last week , turkish prime minister recep tayyip erdogan spoke with cnn , accusing israel of genocide . ' erdogan has tried to use the cause of the brotherhood to bolster his own islamist credentials at home , ' says trager . last year , erdogan cracked down on mass demonstrations in his country . iran and syria iran has long supported hamas , supplying it with weapons . and meshaal used to be based in syria . but that changed . in 2012 , meshaal left syria as the country 's civil war deepened -- a decision believed to have caused a breakdown in his relationship with iran as well , says firas abi ali , head of middle east and north africa country risk and forecasting at the global information company ihs . tehran is aligned with syrian president bashar al-assad 's regime . now , syria -- israel 's neighbor to the north -- is locked in a brutal , multiparty civil war , with islamist extremists hoisting severed heads onto poles . the war , believed to have killed more than 115,000 people , is just one of the many developments emphasizing how many fault lines ' there are in the region , richard haass , president of council on foreign relations , told cnn tonight . ' there 's fault lines within the palestinians between hamas and the other part of the palestinian authority . you have sunnis vs. shia . you have iran vs. saudi arabia and the arabs . you have secularists vs. people who embrace religion in the political space . ' the palestinian authority paying a price for all this is another key player : fatah , the palestinian faction that controls the west bank . fatah and hamas have long fought each other , but earlier this year made another effort at a unity government . palestinian leader mahmoud abbas , who is in charge of the government in the west bank , seems politically exhausted by all the twists and turns he has made in search of a durable solution , ' the soufan gruop says . and the one chance of reasserting his authority through a unity government that would have forced hamas into a subordinate and less militant role has now disappeared . he must now watch helplessly as protests in the west bank undo whatever progress he had made towards a two-state solution . ' gaza conflict by the numbers | egypt , jordan , and saudi arabia are seen as supporting israel 's crackdown on hamas |
alonso <tsp> ( cnn ) -- he travels in private jets and is one of the world 's highest-paid athletes , but fernando alonso 's humble beginnings are never far away from his thoughts . he recalls with fondness those childhood days when he used to race go-karts -- the precursor to his enormous success on the formula one circuit -- free of any pressure . back then he did n't have to worry about points or standings . his passion for motorsport stemmed from his father jose luis , himself a former go-kart driver , and alonso is also quick to remember the sacrifices his parents made as they drove him around spain and europe during his rise through the ranks . his mother ana maria would even make his racing outfits , adjusting the size of his overalls as her son grew up . one of the most important things that i received from my parents was to have always this sense of family and to be united , ' the ferrari star -- who has an older sister , lorena -- tells cnn 's human to hero series . you always have little fights with your family , with your sister when you 're a kid , but at the end of the day you must know that family will always be there . ' alonso admits he wants to have children of his own one day , but for now he is focused on trying to win more titles with arguably the most famous formula one team in the world , the iconic rosso corsa ' of ferrari . talking to cnn at an exhibition of memorabilia in madrid documenting his illustrious career , the 32-year-old reflects on his early days in oviedo -- a city in northwest spain , in the province of asturias . my father was the one to introduce the adrenaline and the passion for racing into the family , ' alonso says . the go-kart i had when i was three years old was going very , very slow . basically my father was walking alongside me to control the steering wheel or if i was doing any funny things . the weekends were probably a nightmare for ( my parents ) because they needed to take the car , they needed to drive maybe 10 hours with me asleep in the back and then have a race somewhere -- and then come home because they needed to work and i needed to go to school . ' alonso showed promise from a young age , but his mother and father made it clear that the priority was n't landing trophies . first it was to study , ' he says . if i do well , i keep racing in go-karts . i needed to do all the exams . i missed a lot of lessons and i needed to recover . i needed to recover in the back of the car reading books , so that was my school probably . ' with his family 's support , alonso flourished -- becoming a megastar who last year was rated 19th in forbes'top-earning athletes list on $ 30 million , and is considered f1 's most marketable driver . his first key ' moment , he says , was winning the spanish national championships in 1994 . i felt that this was a good moment and i would keep this trophy all my life because you never think that you will continue , ' says alonso , a cycling enthusiast , too , who hopes to have his own team . i did n't know if i would race anymore in go-karts or if my family would take me to the next weekend 's race . you never know . you just enjoy the present . and maybe that was the nice thing about that period of my career when i was a go-kart driver . you enjoy that sunday . you do n't think anymore because you do n't know if there is something more coming . ' in alonso 's case , plenty did come . in 1998 , he was runner-up at the european karting championships and two years later finished fourth in formula 3000 . alonso made his formula one debut with minardi in 2001 but was n't thinking of winning that day in melbourne . he was just happy he did n't crash . we did n't have any preseason test because the car was n't ready , ' he recalls . it was just ready for the first race . they explained briefly what the steering wheel was , the buttons to press . there was a panic moment because i did not know what the neutral button was , and i was trying to find it . i had one second or i would crash somewhere . ' despite not tallying a single point in 2001 , alonso caught the eye and soon moved to renault , where in 2005 at the age of 24 he became f1 's youngest world champion -- a record since beaten by lewis hamilton and reigning titleholder sebastian vettel . when you 're world champion , there are many memories from the past , 20 years in different motorsports , ' says alonso . you arrive in formula one , you win the world championship -- that 's it . it 's enough for your whole life , probably . the satisfaction you have in a few minutes of your life when you become champion , it 's enough to live forever . ' yet alonso did n't stop there . he repeated as world champion to emulate the likes of ayrton senna -- his hero . when i was 10 years old to 15 years old , in my room when i opened the door to get clothes , i had a photo of ayrton with a car . he was at suzuka with mclaren and i remember that particular picture every time i open the door of the room . ' after leaving renault for the first time in 2007 , he endured a difficult season with mclaren , clashing with hamilton and finishing third in the championship . his problems with the british driver led to accusations that alonso was difficult to work with , but he insists that reports of tensions with his teammates over the years are exaggerated . ' it 's true that you should beat your teammate to have a better reputation or to have a better result in that weekend , ' he says . but believe me , when we are in a meeting or a debrief after a race , there are zero problems -- there are only good things , helpful comments from the other driver . all are working together , if we discover something in the setup , immediately the other driver tests to see that positive result and confirm that that will be our standard setup from that moment on . so there 's a huge communication and a huge teamwork , despite what you read or what you see from the outside . ' like everyone else on the circuit , he has lagged behind vettel since joining ferrari in 2010 , with the red bull driver claiming four consecutive titles . this season alonso is joined at the italian team 's maranello headquarters by kimi raikkonen -- the last driver to win the championship for the scuderia back in 2007 . felipe massa , the man raikkonen replaced , said last year he thought the two world champions would collide ' but alonso has welcomed the finn . i think he 's very talented so that is a huge help and huge motivation for myself first and also for the team because the team knows it has to deliver a good car because kimi will deliver a good result , ' alonso says . myself i know i need to deliver my best . ' and there 's nothing he 'd like more than adding to his already impressive collection of racing souvenirs . if you ask me this question in 10 years'time ... i will tell you that two championships are more than i could dream of -- i never thought i 'd become a formula one driver , i never thought i 'd win one grand prix . i 'm extremely proud and extremely happy with my career , ' alonso says . if you ask me right now ... i am hungry for victories , hungry for success -- i will tell you that two championships are not enough . ' | the foundation for fernando alonso 's success stems from his family |
alonso <tsp> ( cnn ) -- he travels in private jets and is one of the world 's highest-paid athletes , but fernando alonso 's humble beginnings are never far away from his thoughts . he recalls with fondness those childhood days when he used to race go-karts -- the precursor to his enormous success on the formula one circuit -- free of any pressure . back then he did n't have to worry about points or standings . his passion for motorsport stemmed from his father jose luis , himself a former go-kart driver , and alonso is also quick to remember the sacrifices his parents made as they drove him around spain and europe during his rise through the ranks . his mother ana maria would even make his racing outfits , adjusting the size of his overalls as her son grew up . one of the most important things that i received from my parents was to have always this sense of family and to be united , ' the ferrari star -- who has an older sister , lorena -- tells cnn 's human to hero series . you always have little fights with your family , with your sister when you 're a kid , but at the end of the day you must know that family will always be there . ' alonso admits he wants to have children of his own one day , but for now he is focused on trying to win more titles with arguably the most famous formula one team in the world , the iconic rosso corsa ' of ferrari . talking to cnn at an exhibition of memorabilia in madrid documenting his illustrious career , the 32-year-old reflects on his early days in oviedo -- a city in northwest spain , in the province of asturias . my father was the one to introduce the adrenaline and the passion for racing into the family , ' alonso says . the go-kart i had when i was three years old was going very , very slow . basically my father was walking alongside me to control the steering wheel or if i was doing any funny things . the weekends were probably a nightmare for ( my parents ) because they needed to take the car , they needed to drive maybe 10 hours with me asleep in the back and then have a race somewhere -- and then come home because they needed to work and i needed to go to school . ' alonso showed promise from a young age , but his mother and father made it clear that the priority was n't landing trophies . first it was to study , ' he says . if i do well , i keep racing in go-karts . i needed to do all the exams . i missed a lot of lessons and i needed to recover . i needed to recover in the back of the car reading books , so that was my school probably . ' with his family 's support , alonso flourished -- becoming a megastar who last year was rated 19th in forbes'top-earning athletes list on $ 30 million , and is considered f1 's most marketable driver . his first key ' moment , he says , was winning the spanish national championships in 1994 . i felt that this was a good moment and i would keep this trophy all my life because you never think that you will continue , ' says alonso , a cycling enthusiast , too , who hopes to have his own team . i did n't know if i would race anymore in go-karts or if my family would take me to the next weekend 's race . you never know . you just enjoy the present . and maybe that was the nice thing about that period of my career when i was a go-kart driver . you enjoy that sunday . you do n't think anymore because you do n't know if there is something more coming . ' in alonso 's case , plenty did come . in 1998 , he was runner-up at the european karting championships and two years later finished fourth in formula 3000 . alonso made his formula one debut with minardi in 2001 but was n't thinking of winning that day in melbourne . he was just happy he did n't crash . we did n't have any preseason test because the car was n't ready , ' he recalls . it was just ready for the first race . they explained briefly what the steering wheel was , the buttons to press . there was a panic moment because i did not know what the neutral button was , and i was trying to find it . i had one second or i would crash somewhere . ' despite not tallying a single point in 2001 , alonso caught the eye and soon moved to renault , where in 2005 at the age of 24 he became f1 's youngest world champion -- a record since beaten by lewis hamilton and reigning titleholder sebastian vettel . when you 're world champion , there are many memories from the past , 20 years in different motorsports , ' says alonso . you arrive in formula one , you win the world championship -- that 's it . it 's enough for your whole life , probably . the satisfaction you have in a few minutes of your life when you become champion , it 's enough to live forever . ' yet alonso did n't stop there . he repeated as world champion to emulate the likes of ayrton senna -- his hero . when i was 10 years old to 15 years old , in my room when i opened the door to get clothes , i had a photo of ayrton with a car . he was at suzuka with mclaren and i remember that particular picture every time i open the door of the room . ' after leaving renault for the first time in 2007 , he endured a difficult season with mclaren , clashing with hamilton and finishing third in the championship . his problems with the british driver led to accusations that alonso was difficult to work with , but he insists that reports of tensions with his teammates over the years are exaggerated . ' it 's true that you should beat your teammate to have a better reputation or to have a better result in that weekend , ' he says . but believe me , when we are in a meeting or a debrief after a race , there are zero problems -- there are only good things , helpful comments from the other driver . all are working together , if we discover something in the setup , immediately the other driver tests to see that positive result and confirm that that will be our standard setup from that moment on . so there 's a huge communication and a huge teamwork , despite what you read or what you see from the outside . ' like everyone else on the circuit , he has lagged behind vettel since joining ferrari in 2010 , with the red bull driver claiming four consecutive titles . this season alonso is joined at the italian team 's maranello headquarters by kimi raikkonen -- the last driver to win the championship for the scuderia back in 2007 . felipe massa , the man raikkonen replaced , said last year he thought the two world champions would collide ' but alonso has welcomed the finn . i think he 's very talented so that is a huge help and huge motivation for myself first and also for the team because the team knows it has to deliver a good car because kimi will deliver a good result , ' alonso says . myself i know i need to deliver my best . ' and there 's nothing he 'd like more than adding to his already impressive collection of racing souvenirs . if you ask me this question in 10 years'time ... i will tell you that two championships are more than i could dream of -- i never thought i 'd become a formula one driver , i never thought i 'd win one grand prix . i 'm extremely proud and extremely happy with my career , ' alonso says . if you ask me right now ... i am hungry for victories , hungry for success -- i will tell you that two championships are not enough . ' | alonso looks forward to starting his own family one day : it is a goal of life ' |
gaza <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- comedienne joan rivers says she will stand behind ' what she told a paparazzo about not feeling sadness for civilians killed in gaza . rivers made her controversial comments at the los angeles airport wednesday when a photographer for splash news online asked her about the nearly 2,000 palestinian killed over the last month since israel launched military operations in gaza in response to hamas rocket attacks . when you declare war , you declare war , ' rivers said . they started it . we now do n't count who 's dead . you 're dead . you deserve to be dead . you started it . you started it . do n't you dare make me feel sad about that . ' rivers compared israel 's operations against gaza to the united states'dropping atomic bombs on japan 69 years ago . you were told to get out , you do n't get out , then you know you 're an idiot , and at least the ones that were killed were the ones with very low iqs , ' rivers said . celebs step into israel-gaza pr minefield rivers posted what she called an accurate clarification ' of her comments on her facebook page thursday afternoon , but it was not an apology . instead , she said she was saddened and disappointed ' that her words were totally taken out of context ' by the media . the media , as usual , has decided to only quote the most out of context and inflammatory non sequitur rather than giving an accurate account of what my intentions were behind the statement , ' rivers said . she 's tired of bearing the brunt of attacks by people who want to sell newspapers or gain ratings by creating a scandal about me that is non-existent , ' rivers said . what i said and stand behind is , war is hell and unfortunately civilians are victims of political conflicts , ' rivers said . rivers said she was praying for peace ' in the middle east . jon voight : javier bardem , penelope cruz'ignorant'about israel and gaza the palestinian ministry of health said as of thursday that 1,888 people , including 446 children , have died and 9,804 injured in gaza in the past month . the united nations has estimated that at least 70 % of the dead were civilians . the israel defense forces believes it killed about 900 militants -- roughly half of the dead . israeli officials have said 64 israeli soldiers and three civilians in israel died . clock ticking on gaza truce talks in cairo | joan rivers about gaza dead : you deserve to be dead . you started it ' |
gaza <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- comedienne joan rivers says she will stand behind ' what she told a paparazzo about not feeling sadness for civilians killed in gaza . rivers made her controversial comments at the los angeles airport wednesday when a photographer for splash news online asked her about the nearly 2,000 palestinian killed over the last month since israel launched military operations in gaza in response to hamas rocket attacks . when you declare war , you declare war , ' rivers said . they started it . we now do n't count who 's dead . you 're dead . you deserve to be dead . you started it . you started it . do n't you dare make me feel sad about that . ' rivers compared israel 's operations against gaza to the united states'dropping atomic bombs on japan 69 years ago . you were told to get out , you do n't get out , then you know you 're an idiot , and at least the ones that were killed were the ones with very low iqs , ' rivers said . celebs step into israel-gaza pr minefield rivers posted what she called an accurate clarification ' of her comments on her facebook page thursday afternoon , but it was not an apology . instead , she said she was saddened and disappointed ' that her words were totally taken out of context ' by the media . the media , as usual , has decided to only quote the most out of context and inflammatory non sequitur rather than giving an accurate account of what my intentions were behind the statement , ' rivers said . she 's tired of bearing the brunt of attacks by people who want to sell newspapers or gain ratings by creating a scandal about me that is non-existent , ' rivers said . what i said and stand behind is , war is hell and unfortunately civilians are victims of political conflicts , ' rivers said . rivers said she was praying for peace ' in the middle east . jon voight : javier bardem , penelope cruz'ignorant'about israel and gaza the palestinian ministry of health said as of thursday that 1,888 people , including 446 children , have died and 9,804 injured in gaza in the past month . the united nations has estimated that at least 70 % of the dead were civilians . the israel defense forces believes it killed about 900 militants -- roughly half of the dead . israeli officials have said 64 israeli soldiers and three civilians in israel died . clock ticking on gaza truce talks in cairo | rivers compares israel 's actions against gaza to the u.s. dropping atomic bombs on japan |
alabama <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- pam biggers , a 52-year-old woman from hueytown , alabama , disappeared while on a business trip to the florida panhandle . pam biggers disappeared while on a business trip to the florida panhandle in january 2008 . she drove to the la quinta inn at panama city beach on january 27 , 2008 , a sunday . she checked in and talked with her husband over the phone about 5:30 p.m. she told him she was going out to eat with a colleague who was staying across the hall . after an early dinner , the two women returned to their rooms about 7 p.m. , police said . and then pamela biggers simply disappeared . it 's completely baffling , ' said her husband , don biggers . all of her belongings , clothes , purse , cell phone , were left in her room . ' biggers'bed did not look slept in , police said , but it appeared that she had been reading in bed . her open book and glasses were on the bedside table , and the pillows were propped up against the headboard . she had not changed into her pajamas , and her hotel room key and car keys were in the room . there was no sign of struggle , police said . watch rupa 's report on this baffling cold case » biggers'family believes that she left the hotel and either lost her way or became the victim of foul play . we think she may have initially wandered off on her own , ' don biggers said . she had some episodes ... complaining of voices in her head and paranoia . ' she 'd been on medication but had decided to stop taking it , he added . biggers said he was concerned about his wife 's health and urged her to not go on the business trip . police searched for biggers for weeks . her family brought in texas equusearch , a specialized search and rescue operation . the group conducted ground and air searches and used cadaver dogs but was unable to find any clues . the hotel did not have surveillance cameras , so it is not known when biggers left or whether she was alone . hotel staffers did not recall seeing biggers leave . she had driven to florida in the family car , which was in the hotel parking lot . according to her family , biggers had never wandered off before , nor had she suffered from memory loss . she had just learned that her son , jacob , was to be dispatched for a tour of duty in the military to afghanistan and may have been stressed about that , her husband said . police and the biggers family are asking the public for help . anyone who has seen pam biggers or has more information leading to the person or people responsible for her disappearance is asked to call the bay county sheriff 's office tip line at 850-747-4700 . a $ 20,000 reward is offered . biggers was last seen wearing a white sweater , black pants with white pinstripes , a wedding band and an aquamarine ring . she is a white female who stands 5'8 ' tall , weighs 135 pounds and has green eyes and gray hair . | the 52-year-old from huey , alabama , was on a business trip |
obama <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- republican rep. paul ryan of wisconsin is two for two . the republican from janesville , wisconsin , has successfully appeased house republicans and engaged president barack obama in as little as 48 hours . a feat near impossible in these times of extreme partisanship . after laying low , ryan swept into the budget battle crippling washington with a plan to break the stalemate that has resulted in a government shutdown and no agreement so far on avoiding a possible u.s. debt default . with an op-ed and some persuading , he effectively moved demands by tea party aligned house republicans on government funding and debt away from obamacare . op-ed does n't mention obamacare ryan responds to critics that enabled house republicans to propose an approach on friday on the fiscal impasse that still has n't met president barack obama 's chief requirements , but has n't scotched negotiations , either . obama , boehner agree all sides should keep talking the ryan express chugged into the white house on thursday with other house republican leaders where he again waited for his opportunity to make an impact . in that meeting , progress seemed elusive as the two sides talked past each other . then , the 2012 republican vice presidential candidate stepped in . and the tone of the meeting changed . key moment in white house meeting ryan conceded his side would n't get all it wanted while obama asked how he could make something happen . borger : goodbye to the strategy republicans knew was a fantasy republicans left the executive mansion expressing optimism , motivated to get to work . the white house admitted progress . but can ryan push a deal over the finish line ? he might be the person in the republican party to do it . ryan leaves drama to others in new book , paul ryan asks'where do we go from here ?'the republican 's chief negotiator , house speaker john boehner , has been unable -- or unwilling -- to reach a deal with the president amid the shutdown . boehner and obama have a fractured history of bitter negotiations . both said afterward they felt burned by the other . though they did talk by phone on friday and agreed talks should go on . ryan and obama , on the other hand , have a completely different relationship . they were the fiercest of competitors during the presidential election . even after , they remain political foes . now that the president is implementing his agenda , we 'll see that the benefits are far less than advertised , ' ryan said at the national review institute in january , just days after obama was inaugurated for the second time . while they spent months criticizing and deriding each other on the campaign trail , the mantra of politics is not personal seems to be true with these two . after thursday 's meeting , republican rep. steve southerland of florida said they obviously respect each other . paul and the president certainly have a pass through the last election and i think there 's a great respect between them . and you ca n't make that up . ' southerland said , adding that the communication between paul and the president , i think , was an important part of the conversation . ' what 's more , a white house official told cnn that the president viewed ryan 's op-ed as an opening and provided an opportunity for negotiations to open the government and lift the ceiling to take place . ryan is steeped in fiscal matters as chairman of the house budget committee . the two politicians are only nine years apart , and while their positions on government spending are the role of government sit on opposite ends of the political spectrum , the have a bit in common . they both tap into the younger generation yet have an academic approach to their work . but most importantly , they seem to get along . cnn 's gloria borger put it this way : ryan and president obama have a preexisting condition . ' they have a prior relationship built on ideological differences not personal insult . they respect each other , ' borger said . the last time they worked together was six months ago . during the last budget battle in march , obama invited ryan and his democratic counterpart on the budget committee , rep. chris van hollen , d-maryland , to lunch . it was the first time obama and ryan had sat down together since the presidential race . van hollen said at the time that their relationship is developing . ' one of their first public encounters , however , was mixed . when obama invited himself to a republican retreat in baltimore in 2010 , he took questions from the members while the television cameras rolled . ryan introduced himself as a ranking member of the budget committee , ' indicating he was n't sure the president knew who he was . after a back and forth about the budget , the president abruptly cut ryan off , ending the discussion . obama later complimented ryan , saying , i think paul ryan is a pretty sincere guy and has a beautiful family . ' obama joked . and by the way , in case he 's going to get a republican challenge , i did n't mean it . do n't want to hurt you , man . ' fast forward to today . while they have been on different sides of nearly every debate , their relationship is not broken . and in today 's washington , that 's saying a lot . shutdown polls : no winners , but a bigger loser christie :'if i was in the senate right now , i 'd kill myself' coburn : our spending addiction is out of control supporters stand by representatives , and government shutdown cnn 's dan merica contributed to this report . | obama and ryan have past relationship that could benefit the negotiations |
obama <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- republican rep. paul ryan of wisconsin is two for two . the republican from janesville , wisconsin , has successfully appeased house republicans and engaged president barack obama in as little as 48 hours . a feat near impossible in these times of extreme partisanship . after laying low , ryan swept into the budget battle crippling washington with a plan to break the stalemate that has resulted in a government shutdown and no agreement so far on avoiding a possible u.s. debt default . with an op-ed and some persuading , he effectively moved demands by tea party aligned house republicans on government funding and debt away from obamacare . op-ed does n't mention obamacare ryan responds to critics that enabled house republicans to propose an approach on friday on the fiscal impasse that still has n't met president barack obama 's chief requirements , but has n't scotched negotiations , either . obama , boehner agree all sides should keep talking the ryan express chugged into the white house on thursday with other house republican leaders where he again waited for his opportunity to make an impact . in that meeting , progress seemed elusive as the two sides talked past each other . then , the 2012 republican vice presidential candidate stepped in . and the tone of the meeting changed . key moment in white house meeting ryan conceded his side would n't get all it wanted while obama asked how he could make something happen . borger : goodbye to the strategy republicans knew was a fantasy republicans left the executive mansion expressing optimism , motivated to get to work . the white house admitted progress . but can ryan push a deal over the finish line ? he might be the person in the republican party to do it . ryan leaves drama to others in new book , paul ryan asks'where do we go from here ?'the republican 's chief negotiator , house speaker john boehner , has been unable -- or unwilling -- to reach a deal with the president amid the shutdown . boehner and obama have a fractured history of bitter negotiations . both said afterward they felt burned by the other . though they did talk by phone on friday and agreed talks should go on . ryan and obama , on the other hand , have a completely different relationship . they were the fiercest of competitors during the presidential election . even after , they remain political foes . now that the president is implementing his agenda , we 'll see that the benefits are far less than advertised , ' ryan said at the national review institute in january , just days after obama was inaugurated for the second time . while they spent months criticizing and deriding each other on the campaign trail , the mantra of politics is not personal seems to be true with these two . after thursday 's meeting , republican rep. steve southerland of florida said they obviously respect each other . paul and the president certainly have a pass through the last election and i think there 's a great respect between them . and you ca n't make that up . ' southerland said , adding that the communication between paul and the president , i think , was an important part of the conversation . ' what 's more , a white house official told cnn that the president viewed ryan 's op-ed as an opening and provided an opportunity for negotiations to open the government and lift the ceiling to take place . ryan is steeped in fiscal matters as chairman of the house budget committee . the two politicians are only nine years apart , and while their positions on government spending are the role of government sit on opposite ends of the political spectrum , the have a bit in common . they both tap into the younger generation yet have an academic approach to their work . but most importantly , they seem to get along . cnn 's gloria borger put it this way : ryan and president obama have a preexisting condition . ' they have a prior relationship built on ideological differences not personal insult . they respect each other , ' borger said . the last time they worked together was six months ago . during the last budget battle in march , obama invited ryan and his democratic counterpart on the budget committee , rep. chris van hollen , d-maryland , to lunch . it was the first time obama and ryan had sat down together since the presidential race . van hollen said at the time that their relationship is developing . ' one of their first public encounters , however , was mixed . when obama invited himself to a republican retreat in baltimore in 2010 , he took questions from the members while the television cameras rolled . ryan introduced himself as a ranking member of the budget committee , ' indicating he was n't sure the president knew who he was . after a back and forth about the budget , the president abruptly cut ryan off , ending the discussion . obama later complimented ryan , saying , i think paul ryan is a pretty sincere guy and has a beautiful family . ' obama joked . and by the way , in case he 's going to get a republican challenge , i did n't mean it . do n't want to hurt you , man . ' fast forward to today . while they have been on different sides of nearly every debate , their relationship is not broken . and in today 's washington , that 's saying a lot . shutdown polls : no winners , but a bigger loser christie :'if i was in the senate right now , i 'd kill myself' coburn : our spending addiction is out of control supporters stand by representatives , and government shutdown cnn 's dan merica contributed to this report . | he changed the tenor of a meeting at the white house and engaged obama |
obama <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- republican rep. paul ryan of wisconsin is two for two . the republican from janesville , wisconsin , has successfully appeased house republicans and engaged president barack obama in as little as 48 hours . a feat near impossible in these times of extreme partisanship . after laying low , ryan swept into the budget battle crippling washington with a plan to break the stalemate that has resulted in a government shutdown and no agreement so far on avoiding a possible u.s. debt default . with an op-ed and some persuading , he effectively moved demands by tea party aligned house republicans on government funding and debt away from obamacare . op-ed does n't mention obamacare ryan responds to critics that enabled house republicans to propose an approach on friday on the fiscal impasse that still has n't met president barack obama 's chief requirements , but has n't scotched negotiations , either . obama , boehner agree all sides should keep talking the ryan express chugged into the white house on thursday with other house republican leaders where he again waited for his opportunity to make an impact . in that meeting , progress seemed elusive as the two sides talked past each other . then , the 2012 republican vice presidential candidate stepped in . and the tone of the meeting changed . key moment in white house meeting ryan conceded his side would n't get all it wanted while obama asked how he could make something happen . borger : goodbye to the strategy republicans knew was a fantasy republicans left the executive mansion expressing optimism , motivated to get to work . the white house admitted progress . but can ryan push a deal over the finish line ? he might be the person in the republican party to do it . ryan leaves drama to others in new book , paul ryan asks'where do we go from here ?'the republican 's chief negotiator , house speaker john boehner , has been unable -- or unwilling -- to reach a deal with the president amid the shutdown . boehner and obama have a fractured history of bitter negotiations . both said afterward they felt burned by the other . though they did talk by phone on friday and agreed talks should go on . ryan and obama , on the other hand , have a completely different relationship . they were the fiercest of competitors during the presidential election . even after , they remain political foes . now that the president is implementing his agenda , we 'll see that the benefits are far less than advertised , ' ryan said at the national review institute in january , just days after obama was inaugurated for the second time . while they spent months criticizing and deriding each other on the campaign trail , the mantra of politics is not personal seems to be true with these two . after thursday 's meeting , republican rep. steve southerland of florida said they obviously respect each other . paul and the president certainly have a pass through the last election and i think there 's a great respect between them . and you ca n't make that up . ' southerland said , adding that the communication between paul and the president , i think , was an important part of the conversation . ' what 's more , a white house official told cnn that the president viewed ryan 's op-ed as an opening and provided an opportunity for negotiations to open the government and lift the ceiling to take place . ryan is steeped in fiscal matters as chairman of the house budget committee . the two politicians are only nine years apart , and while their positions on government spending are the role of government sit on opposite ends of the political spectrum , the have a bit in common . they both tap into the younger generation yet have an academic approach to their work . but most importantly , they seem to get along . cnn 's gloria borger put it this way : ryan and president obama have a preexisting condition . ' they have a prior relationship built on ideological differences not personal insult . they respect each other , ' borger said . the last time they worked together was six months ago . during the last budget battle in march , obama invited ryan and his democratic counterpart on the budget committee , rep. chris van hollen , d-maryland , to lunch . it was the first time obama and ryan had sat down together since the presidential race . van hollen said at the time that their relationship is developing . ' one of their first public encounters , however , was mixed . when obama invited himself to a republican retreat in baltimore in 2010 , he took questions from the members while the television cameras rolled . ryan introduced himself as a ranking member of the budget committee , ' indicating he was n't sure the president knew who he was . after a back and forth about the budget , the president abruptly cut ryan off , ending the discussion . obama later complimented ryan , saying , i think paul ryan is a pretty sincere guy and has a beautiful family . ' obama joked . and by the way , in case he 's going to get a republican challenge , i did n't mean it . do n't want to hurt you , man . ' fast forward to today . while they have been on different sides of nearly every debate , their relationship is not broken . and in today 's washington , that 's saying a lot . shutdown polls : no winners , but a bigger loser christie :'if i was in the senate right now , i 'd kill myself' coburn : our spending addiction is out of control supporters stand by representatives , and government shutdown cnn 's dan merica contributed to this report . | president obama and ryan are political rivals but not enemies |
earth <tsp> ( cnn ) the idea of sustainable development is that raw capitalism is far too powerful for its own good . global capitalism is a juggernaut , with the world economy now doubling in size every generation . yet on a finite earth , with a billion new people being added every 15 years , that juggernaut is now laying siege to the physical bases of life and the social support systems that make life pleasant and decent . sustainable development offers a path out of this growing crisis . the reality is that raw capitalism is the economics of greed . unleash greed , the theory goes , and type-a personalities around the world will spend inordinate energy to organize businesses , invent new products , and thereby raise well-being . and in some sense , there 's a lot to say for this theory . after all , the world economy has expanded at least 100-fold since modern industrial capitalism first found its footing in britain around 1800 , and for most of the world , living standards have risen markedly along the way . yet history has also taught us that the invisible hand ' of the free market is a little less miraculous than it looks . instead , untrammeled greed also leads to massive fraud , mega-tax evasion , pervasive bribery , modern slavery , rising inequalities , and environmental destruction . perhaps most important , it feeds moral blindness . too many of the super-rich , whether they are calling for drilling in the arctic for oil or encouraging the cutting down of the rainforests for tropical hardwoods , simply deny the irreparable damage they are causing to the planet . it¹s no surprise that the wall street journal runs anti-environmental editorials on what feels like a daily basis . the environment is a nuisance and a hindrance to greed . and greed rules the moral order at the top of raw capitalism . novelists , ethicists , activists , unionists , preachers , teachers , and others have long known these facts , but the juggernaut has proved hard to tame . unleash greed as the supreme economic good , and it is greed that we get as the ultimate moral arbiter . sustainable development is a doctrine that says : let us once again place the economy on a true moral foundation and we 'll keep greed within bounds , ensuring the economic growth is combined with social fairness and environmental sustainability . the idea of sustainable development is that an economy must satisfy all three principles : economic growth , social fairness and environmental sustainability . yes , there can and should be economic growth , especially for today 's developing countries . human ingenuity and markets can indeed lead us to higher living standards and longer lives for all parts of the world , rich and poor alike . but these gains should be widely shared and should never be based on the exploitation of those at the bottom of society . social inclusion has been widely shown to improve societal progress broadly for all . and equally important , those gains should be based on true value added , not on the destruction of natural capital , whether through deforestation , climate change , or pollution of air , land , and water . thus , sustainable development calls for a holistic approach that combines economic , social , and environmental objectives . this balanced approach is much harder to achieve than the raw capitalism that places the economy above society and the physical earth . yet it recognizes that we are doomed to conflict and even collapse if we fail to promote social equality and environmental sustainability . just look at the recent news . last year was the earth 's hottest year on record , and another year of mega-storms , droughts , floods , and heat waves . major parts of the world , from pakistan and iran to california and brazil , are experiencing mega-droughts , and the prospect of catastrophic water scarcity in the future unless something changes . and even as the world economy grows and millions escape extreme poverty , our societies become more unequal , less trusting , and corrupt . all over the world , there is unrest on the streets even as our generation is the beneficiary of unprecedented technological knowhow and material progress . in my new book , the age of sustainable development , i¹ve not only analyzed the trends of growing inequality and rising environmental destruction , but have also shown how the concepts of sustainable development can be used to chart a way out of our growing crisis . it turns out that with goodwill , cooperation , greed kept in check , and technological savvy , we can build a modern global economy that is productive , inclusive , and environmentally sustainable all at the same time . the ongoing revolution of information and communications technology ( ict ) is an incredibly powerful enabler of new sustainable technologies . and doubters about the feasibility of sustainable development should have a look at scandinavia ¬ denmark , norway , and sweden , as they are the closest on the planet to achieving this trifecta of prosperity , fairness , and sustainability . consider the challenge of climate change , for example . big oil and wall street executives too often simply deny the science . yet a science-based sustainable development perspective shows that not only is human-induced climate change very real and very dangerous , but that it is also solvable at very low cost by switching over the next 30 years to electric vehicles , heat pumps , well-insulated buildings , smart ict-enabled grid , wind and solar energy , and other low-carbon and energy efficient technologies . if the world takes the time to do its homework and plan for the future , the world can bring the climate crisis under control and still enjoy a growing supply of quality energy services . and , more generally , although the u.s. political system still feeds untrammeled greed by enabling super-rich campaign donors and lobbyists to buy the political class , the american people and much of the rest of the world are coming to recognize the urgency of sustainable development . that is why governments around the world will adopt sustainable development goals ( sdgs ) this year , on the 70th anniversary of the united nations . these new sdgs will become markers and guideposts for building a world that combines prosperity , fairness , and environmental sanity -- a world we truly want and need for ourselves and our children . | last year was the earth 's hottest year on record , he says |
metropolitan police <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- six people were arrested wednesday in what london 's metropolitan police is calling a separate phone-hacking conspiracy at rupert murdoch 's defunct news of the world newspaper . all of them are journalists or former journalists , police said . tabloid hacking report : who won ? who lost ? dozens of people , including murdoch protã©gã© rebekah brooks and andy coulson , a former adviser to prime minister david cameron , already have been arrested and several have been charged with phone hacking and related crimes . police say wednesday 's arrests are part of a separate conspiracy to hack phones , primarily from 2005 to 2006 , at the news of the world . how murdoch bounced back from his'most humble day' three men and two women were arrested in london and one woman in cheshire , in northern england . searches are being carried out at several addresses , police said . in due course officers will be making contact with people they believe have been victims of the suspected voicemail interceptions , ' a police statement said . murdoch closed the sunday tabloid , one of the world 's best-selling english-language newspapers , in 2011 over the phone-hacking scandal . three police investigations were created to look into allegations of phone hacking , bribery of public officials and computer hacking . rupert murdoch : the last press baron brooks and coulson are both former news of the world editors . brooks later became chief executive of news international , a uk subsidiary of murdoch 's news corp. empire . coulson went on to become cameron 's director of communications before resigning early in 2011 . the hacking scandal prompted cameron to set up an independent , judge-led inquiry -- named for lord justice leveson , its chairman -- to make recommendations on journalistic ethics and examine the relationship of the press with the public , police and politicians . | london 's metropolitan police is running three investigations into alleged wrongdoing |
greek <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in the last decade of the 20th century , the turkish lira fell in value 1,000 times against the u.s. dollar , meaning that tourists returning to that country after several years found that any old money they still possessed since their last visit had become almost worthless . now as fears grow about whether greece will stay in the euro , and the possible domino effect this could cause , many prospective holidaymakers appear to be having second thoughts about visiting that country and other economically troubled members of the 17-nation eurozone , such as spain or portugal . and while tourists may be bulking up their cash reserves in the case of a euro exit , others may be concerned about safety if violent street protests resume against austerity cuts . what is the financial situation now ? political deadlock is leading to fears that greece will not have a government in place when it needs to make critical debt payments , which could in turn jeopardize its place in the eurozone . on monday , greeks withdrew up to €800 million from greek banks , and the threat of a banking panic heightened concern of a default . fears of contagion spilled over into bond markets in spain and italy . the idea that has investors around the globe worried is the so-called grexit ' -- or greek exit from the eurozone -- a tricky scenario that is now looking like a real possibility . english bookmakers ladbrokes stopped taking bets after gamblers lined up to put money on it last week . other betting companies are giving odds on greece leaving the euro as low as 1/10 , while the odds on spain leaving are about 6/1 . what effect is uncertainty having on tourism within the eurozone ? many in the travel industry admit bookings to greece are lower than in previous years , with other countries benefiting . hotel reservations on popular holiday destinations such as corfu and crete are down by up to 50 % compared to the same period before last month 's indecisive election , according to the hellenic hotel federation . sean tipton of the association of british travel agents blames some inaccurate coverage of concerns about greece 's financial problems as a factor . this is having a positive effect on spanish travel , for example , with bookings higher than normal , ' he told cnn . travelers are advised to take spending money in cash , as in the event of greece leaving the euro there may be questions about whether you could still pay by credit or debit cards . ' despite tourism contributing about $ 10,5 billion , or about 16 % of greece 's gross domestic product , officials brushed off concerns . there was also a financial crisis in greece last year as well and we had a record year with a 10 % increase in the number of visitors , ' said konstantinos zikos , president of the greek national tourism organization . because of the crisis , early booking are down around europe at the moment . however , greece is a beautiful and safe country so we are optimistic that tourism wo n't be strongly affected . ' in the longer term , if greece does leave the euro , it could mean it becomes a much cheaper country to visit , as britain 's biggest travel company thomas cook pointed out . we believe there are positives and negatives for the travel industry in the event that greece were to leave the euro , ' the firm said . should tourists be worried about buying euros for foreign travel ? on the face of it , tourists have n't had it so good for a long time : the euro is at a three-year low against the british pound and is as weak against the u.s. dollar as it has been since 2010 . this should mean the cost of hotels and restaurants is lower than it has been for a few years . travel experts say that whatever happens with greece and the euro this summer , tourists visiting economically troubled european countries , such as greece , italy , spain and portugal -- all major tourist destinations -- are unlikely to lose out . if greek does leave the euro this could lead to contagion , and other countries joining them , but few analysts believe the whole euro project is likely to collapse in the next year or so . in other words , it 's safe to buy euros , but keep an eye on the exchange rate , which is continuing to strengthen in favor of world currencies . how can travelers ensure they do n't lose out ? travel writer simon calder said he planned to visit greece this summer , and was taking two precautions . the first was to add an extra €100 to my estimated spending , ' calder wrote on his blog . normally i rely on plastic for emergencies , but were greece to leave the euro , electronic banking could freeze for up to a week and prevent debit and credit card transactions . next , i insisted on €5 , €10 and €20 notes . if greece leaves the euro , the most likely interim currency is the existing euro overprinted with a greek delta symbol ( for drachma ' ) , or possibly with a corner clipped . the value of the greek euro would fall by perhaps 40 per cent . while traders sort themselves out , and before a market in the greek currency begins , tourists are likely to pay in euros but be given change in new money . pay for a €15 round of drinks with a €50 note , and you could get back change in greek currency worth only €20 . that is why low-denomination notes are so useful . ' do street protests against austerity cuts mean greece or another country is unsafe ? no . there have been occasional protests in big cities , such as athens and thessaloniki , but most say greece remains safe . posts on online forums were scathing about what they said was the media blowing the unrest out of proportion , although there are some warnings that strikes could disrupt travel into and around the country . abta 's sean tipton said there 's an element of concern about personal safety with sporadic unrest in athens , but most places where tourists visit are safe . in reality this is one of the best times to visit greece , as prices should come down , thanks to supply and demand . ' uk travel firm thomas cook said it was closely monitoring the evolving situation in athens . most of our holidaymakers are on the country 's islands where you 'd never know anything was going on . ' | idea that has investors worried is the so-called grexit ' -- or greek exit from the eurozone |
spaniard <tsp> ( cnn ) -- experience eventually overcame youthful promise at the indian wells masters on tuesday , as tennis legend roger federer battled to a third-round win over rising star milos raonic . raonic has already won two titles this season , and was the atp tour 's newcomer of the year for 2011 . the 21-year-old canadian , ranked 27th in the world , made a bright star to his clash with the former world no . 1 by clinching a first-set tie break . but federer , who has won a record 16 grand slam titles since turning pro in 1998 , showed composure to regroup and triumph 6-7 ( 4-7 ) 6-2 6-4 , setting up a last -16 clash with brazil 's world no . 50 thomaz belluci . i guess my experience helped me to stay calm and just weather the storm , ' the 30-year-old third seed told the tournament 's official website . maybe if i was younger i 'd be more panicky about him hitting aces left and right and making me feel uncomfortable . i have been there so many times before against some of the all-time great servers that it was obviously not going to happen tonight . i just hoped to stay calm . ' raonic , seeded 23rd for the u.s. hard-court event , was pleased with his overall performance , but rued his lack of experience . i think i hit the ball well , ' he said . i just was picking the wrong shot , and this is what makes the difference , but with experience hopefully i catch on to that . ' federer 's longtime rival rafael nadal strolled into the fourth round with a 6-1 6-4 success against fellow spaniard marcel granollers . the second seed , runner-up here last year , will face ukrainian 21st seed alexandr dolgopolov in the last 16 as he heads towards a semifinal showdown with federer . nadal 's fifth-seeded compatriot david ferrer is out following a shock 6-4 6-3 defeat to uzbekistan 's 51st-ranked denis istomin . istomin earned a clash with argentina 's 2009 u.s. open champion juan martin del potro , who maintained his quest for a second title of 2012 by beating spanish 19th seed fernando verdasco . sixth seed jo-wilfried tsonga will meet former world no . 3 david nalbandian of argentina after beating czech no . 28 radek stepanek . in the women 's draw , serbia 's ana ivanovic booked a place in the quarterfinals by winning the battle of the former world no . 1s against recently displaced caroline wozniacki . ivanovic , who occupied top spot after winning the french open in 2008 but is now ranked 16th , recorded a 6-3 6-2 against the danish fourth seed -- who lost her no . 1 ranking following victoria azarenka 's triumph at january 's australian open . i did n't do much wrong today besides the first few games on my serve , ' ivanovic , 24 , told the wta 's website . i 'm really pleased the way i was aggressive , and how i just stayed in the match and played point by point . i did everything i should have done today . ' seventh seed marion bartoli awaits ivanovic in the last eight , following the frenchwoman 's win over czech no . 23 lucie safarova . the top two seeds remain on track for a final showdown after both azarenka and three-time grand slam champion maria sharapova won , against germany 's julia gorges and italian roberta vinci respectively . next up for belarus'azarenka is polish fifth seed agnieszka radwanska , who benefited from the retirement of american wildcard jamie hampton due to cramps in the third and deciding set of their match . russian no . 2 sharapova will play 20th-seeded compatriot maria kirilenko , while the remaining quarterfinal tie pits china 's french open champion li na against german no . 18 angelique kerber . | second seed rafael nadal advances after win over fellow spaniard marcel granollers |
roger federer <tsp> ( cnn ) -- experience eventually overcame youthful promise at the indian wells masters on tuesday , as tennis legend roger federer battled to a third-round win over rising star milos raonic . raonic has already won two titles this season , and was the atp tour 's newcomer of the year for 2011 . the 21-year-old canadian , ranked 27th in the world , made a bright star to his clash with the former world no . 1 by clinching a first-set tie break . but federer , who has won a record 16 grand slam titles since turning pro in 1998 , showed composure to regroup and triumph 6-7 ( 4-7 ) 6-2 6-4 , setting up a last -16 clash with brazil 's world no . 50 thomaz belluci . i guess my experience helped me to stay calm and just weather the storm , ' the 30-year-old third seed told the tournament 's official website . maybe if i was younger i 'd be more panicky about him hitting aces left and right and making me feel uncomfortable . i have been there so many times before against some of the all-time great servers that it was obviously not going to happen tonight . i just hoped to stay calm . ' raonic , seeded 23rd for the u.s. hard-court event , was pleased with his overall performance , but rued his lack of experience . i think i hit the ball well , ' he said . i just was picking the wrong shot , and this is what makes the difference , but with experience hopefully i catch on to that . ' federer 's longtime rival rafael nadal strolled into the fourth round with a 6-1 6-4 success against fellow spaniard marcel granollers . the second seed , runner-up here last year , will face ukrainian 21st seed alexandr dolgopolov in the last 16 as he heads towards a semifinal showdown with federer . nadal 's fifth-seeded compatriot david ferrer is out following a shock 6-4 6-3 defeat to uzbekistan 's 51st-ranked denis istomin . istomin earned a clash with argentina 's 2009 u.s. open champion juan martin del potro , who maintained his quest for a second title of 2012 by beating spanish 19th seed fernando verdasco . sixth seed jo-wilfried tsonga will meet former world no . 3 david nalbandian of argentina after beating czech no . 28 radek stepanek . in the women 's draw , serbia 's ana ivanovic booked a place in the quarterfinals by winning the battle of the former world no . 1s against recently displaced caroline wozniacki . ivanovic , who occupied top spot after winning the french open in 2008 but is now ranked 16th , recorded a 6-3 6-2 against the danish fourth seed -- who lost her no . 1 ranking following victoria azarenka 's triumph at january 's australian open . i did n't do much wrong today besides the first few games on my serve , ' ivanovic , 24 , told the wta 's website . i 'm really pleased the way i was aggressive , and how i just stayed in the match and played point by point . i did everything i should have done today . ' seventh seed marion bartoli awaits ivanovic in the last eight , following the frenchwoman 's win over czech no . 23 lucie safarova . the top two seeds remain on track for a final showdown after both azarenka and three-time grand slam champion maria sharapova won , against germany 's julia gorges and italian roberta vinci respectively . next up for belarus'azarenka is polish fifth seed agnieszka radwanska , who benefited from the retirement of american wildcard jamie hampton due to cramps in the third and deciding set of their match . russian no . 2 sharapova will play 20th-seeded compatriot maria kirilenko , while the remaining quarterfinal tie pits china 's french open champion li na against german no . 18 angelique kerber . | former world no . 1 roger federer defeats 23rd seed milos raonic at indian wells |
sandusky <tsp> ( cnn ) -- lawyers for former penn state assistant coach jerry sandusky , who was convicted on multiple counts of child sex abuse , argued a motion for a new trial thursday . judge john cleland , who presided over sandusky 's conviction and sentencing , heard arguments thursday at centre county court in bellefonte , pennsylvania , but did not rule immediately . a motion for a new trial asks the trial court to re-examine issues it already ruled on in an earlier judgment . in october , cleland sentenced sandusky to no less than 30 years and no more than 60 years in prison for abusing 10 boys during a 15-year period . sandusky , 68 , had faced the possibility of up to a 400-year prison term . sandusky 's lawyers have argued that there was insufficient evidence to convict him , and that the court did n't allow them enough time to prepare for trial after the prosecution flooded them with documentation . defense attorney joe amendola testified thursday that he had been unprepared for the trial . but he also conceded that after reviewing the documents post-trial , he did n't see anything he would have done differently in defending sandusky . sandusky 's legal team has also argued that certain counts against their client were too broad and should therefore have been dismissed . opinion : pennsylvania 's suit against ncaa is absurd cleland could easily rule that evidence presented at the criminal trial was so overwhelming -- the victims'testimony , for instance -- that the defense 's concerns would not have changed the end result , said karl rominger , one of sandusky 's lawyers . the eight victims who testified , now young men , said that they were boys when sandusky forced them to engage in sexual acts with him . the acts occurred , they said , in showers in penn state 's athletic facilities ; hotel rooms ; and the basement of sandusky 's home , among other places . testimony was often emotional and graphic . jurors convicted sandusky on 45 out of 48 sexual abuse counts . this first attempt to overturn the conviction based on ineffective counsel , a common tactic , will be tough , his lawyers acknowledged before the hearing . they said that if the court rejects it , they may launch appeals based on other arguments . if you win on one of the appeal issues , everything probably falls , ' amendola has said . all we have to do is convince an appellate court that one of the issues we will raise is worthy of a reversal . ' amendola and rominger have also filed a motion to have sandusky 's sentence reconsidered . the lawyers had attempted to withdraw from the case before the trial , telling cleland the day before jury selection began that they did not feel adequately prepared and that it would be unethical ' for them to move forward . cleland denied their request . the sex abuse scandal led to the firing of head football coach joe paterno and the ouster of the university 's longtime president , graham spanier . paterno died in 2012 of lung cancer . the ncaa slapped penn state with fines and sanctions over the case , but pennsylvania 's governor announced a lawsuit last week against the collegiate athletic board , saying sandusky 's actions were a criminal matter and not a violation of ncaa rules . cnn 's sara ganim , josh levs , mallory simon , ben brumfield and marina carver contributed to this report | new : sandusky 's attorneys filed a motion for a new trial |
sandusky <tsp> ( cnn ) -- lawyers for former penn state assistant coach jerry sandusky , who was convicted on multiple counts of child sex abuse , argued a motion for a new trial thursday . judge john cleland , who presided over sandusky 's conviction and sentencing , heard arguments thursday at centre county court in bellefonte , pennsylvania , but did not rule immediately . a motion for a new trial asks the trial court to re-examine issues it already ruled on in an earlier judgment . in october , cleland sentenced sandusky to no less than 30 years and no more than 60 years in prison for abusing 10 boys during a 15-year period . sandusky , 68 , had faced the possibility of up to a 400-year prison term . sandusky 's lawyers have argued that there was insufficient evidence to convict him , and that the court did n't allow them enough time to prepare for trial after the prosecution flooded them with documentation . defense attorney joe amendola testified thursday that he had been unprepared for the trial . but he also conceded that after reviewing the documents post-trial , he did n't see anything he would have done differently in defending sandusky . sandusky 's legal team has also argued that certain counts against their client were too broad and should therefore have been dismissed . opinion : pennsylvania 's suit against ncaa is absurd cleland could easily rule that evidence presented at the criminal trial was so overwhelming -- the victims'testimony , for instance -- that the defense 's concerns would not have changed the end result , said karl rominger , one of sandusky 's lawyers . the eight victims who testified , now young men , said that they were boys when sandusky forced them to engage in sexual acts with him . the acts occurred , they said , in showers in penn state 's athletic facilities ; hotel rooms ; and the basement of sandusky 's home , among other places . testimony was often emotional and graphic . jurors convicted sandusky on 45 out of 48 sexual abuse counts . this first attempt to overturn the conviction based on ineffective counsel , a common tactic , will be tough , his lawyers acknowledged before the hearing . they said that if the court rejects it , they may launch appeals based on other arguments . if you win on one of the appeal issues , everything probably falls , ' amendola has said . all we have to do is convince an appellate court that one of the issues we will raise is worthy of a reversal . ' amendola and rominger have also filed a motion to have sandusky 's sentence reconsidered . the lawyers had attempted to withdraw from the case before the trial , telling cleland the day before jury selection began that they did not feel adequately prepared and that it would be unethical ' for them to move forward . cleland denied their request . the sex abuse scandal led to the firing of head football coach joe paterno and the ouster of the university 's longtime president , graham spanier . paterno died in 2012 of lung cancer . the ncaa slapped penn state with fines and sanctions over the case , but pennsylvania 's governor announced a lawsuit last week against the collegiate athletic board , saying sandusky 's actions were a criminal matter and not a violation of ncaa rules . cnn 's sara ganim , josh levs , mallory simon , ben brumfield and marina carver contributed to this report | sandusky , 68 , was convicted on 45 counts of sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years |
als <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if he had been listening from his car monday morning , radio veteran steak shapiro knew what he would have thought of a bit mocking a former new orleans saint now battling lou gehrig 's disease . i would have been offended . ' why ? the now former host of mayhem in the am ' on atlanta 's 790 the zone offered up plenty of reasons in an interview tuesday with cnn 's brooke baldwin . and none of his descriptions of the now infamous two-minute radio bit were positive . stupid . not thought out . offensive . awful . and not funny . you walk a fine line trying to be somewhat on the edge , ' shapiro said . we blew it . we blew it in a huge way . ' shapiro and the show 's two other hosts -- chris dimino and nick cellini -- were fired monday evening . it all started , he explained , as the show 's crew batted around ideas during a commercial break . the atlanta falcons are big in georgia , and the new orleans saints are likely their biggest rivals . and it just so happened that gleason , one of the men most associated with the louisiana team , had been the guest writer for peter king 's popular monday morning quarterback ' column this week on si.com . but gleason is n't just any saint . he 's a hero in new orleans not just for his play as a defensive back but , more recently , for his battle against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , a neuromuscular disease also known by its acronym als and as lou gehrig 's disease . the illness has hindered many of gleason 's functions , but it has n't stopped him . to put together the column , he pointed out , he used technology that allowed him to type with his eyes . gleason also explained his struggles with , and triumphs over , the disease . als prevents your brain from talking to your muscles . as a result , muscles die . as a result , every 90 minutes people die , ' he wrote . i am a person . ' the mayhem in the am ' crew decided to spoof gleason 's illness , specifically , the fact he speaks with a synthetic voice . the segment featured punchlines of an imaginary gleason telling knock-knock jokes , using a would-be synthesizer , with punchlines like smother me , do me a favor . ' on tuesday , shapiro offered no defense for the segment , which he described as quickly conceived and ill-advised . at the outset , he realized the bit was n't funny but was n't prepared as it quickly got slammed on social media and beyond . the pressure is to try to do a good radio show , and that was n't a good moment , ' shapiro recalled . it was a horrible moment . ' within hours , the radio station and its parent company had suspended cellini , dimino and shapiro . by day 's end , they were all out of a job . 790 the zone , our owners , sponsors and partners in no way endorse or support this kind of content . we sincerely apologize to mr. gleason , his family and all those touched by als , ' rick mack , the station 's general manager , said in a statement all three hosts have apologized on twitter and personally to the team gleason foundation , as gleason himself wrote on facebook . received and accepted , ' he wrote . we have all made mistakes in this life . how we learn from our mistakes is the measure of who we are . ' since the story broke , gleason said , there 's been a lot of talk about als , an ailment he characterizes as being not ( well ) understood ... and largely ignored . ' hopefully , this unintentional uproar will help change that , he said . that 's shapiro 's hope as well . at the same time , he 's personally shaken for his part in offending so many -- including gleason , those fighting als and the city of new orleans . the 18-year radio veteran knows new orleans well : he attended tulane university , was married in the city and even has a daughter named nola . it 's a place i understand their passions and their heroes , ' shapiro said , counting gleason as one such hero . and to make fun of those , it 's an awful thing . i feel awful about it . ' outrage over radio hosts'comments is hardly unprecedented , especially in a shock jock ' age in which some push the line in order to entertain listeners . and sometimes the hosts get fired . that 's what happened when gregg hughes and anthony cumia 's opie and anthony ' show got pulled in 2002 for a stunt in which they broadcast descriptions of people having sex in public places , including new york 's st. patrick cathedral . five years later , cbs abruptly ended don imus'radio show after his remarks about rutgers university 's women 's basketball program that some deemed racist and sexist . both imus and opie and anthony ' are still in the radio business and have nationwide followings . more recently , two popular australian radio djs made headlines for a prank call targeting a pregnant catherine duchess of cambridge that was followed by the suicide of a nurse fooled by their call . those radio hosts were suspended , not fired . that 's what should have happened to cellini , dimino and shapiro , according to sirius xm radio host jay thomas of new orleans , where he says steve gleason is an icon . ' thomas is an accomplished actor , winning three emmy awards as candice bergen 's love interest , talk show host jerry gold , on murphy brown . ' he also worked on cheers , ' playing hockey star eddie lebec , husband of rhea perlman 's carla tortelli . thomas -- who admits being a huge saints fan ' who does n't like atlanta -- believes 790 the zone 's management overreacted to a bad joke . ' he noted that tv shows such as family guy ' have repeatedly featured caricatures of steven hawking , who also has als and uses a synthetic voice , in its shows with no equivalent uproar . the atlanta saga would have ended better if the fired radio hosts , after being suspended for some time , had returned to talk about als with gleason and raised money for the cause , said thomas . that was a dumb thing to say , but no one is yelling for them to get fired , ' thomas told cnn . ... it 's a terrible thing , a stupid thing . but yeah , you make mistakes . ' cnn 's matt smith and joe sutton contributed to this report . | accepting the hosts'apologies , gleason says he hopes more learn about als |
als <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if he had been listening from his car monday morning , radio veteran steak shapiro knew what he would have thought of a bit mocking a former new orleans saint now battling lou gehrig 's disease . i would have been offended . ' why ? the now former host of mayhem in the am ' on atlanta 's 790 the zone offered up plenty of reasons in an interview tuesday with cnn 's brooke baldwin . and none of his descriptions of the now infamous two-minute radio bit were positive . stupid . not thought out . offensive . awful . and not funny . you walk a fine line trying to be somewhat on the edge , ' shapiro said . we blew it . we blew it in a huge way . ' shapiro and the show 's two other hosts -- chris dimino and nick cellini -- were fired monday evening . it all started , he explained , as the show 's crew batted around ideas during a commercial break . the atlanta falcons are big in georgia , and the new orleans saints are likely their biggest rivals . and it just so happened that gleason , one of the men most associated with the louisiana team , had been the guest writer for peter king 's popular monday morning quarterback ' column this week on si.com . but gleason is n't just any saint . he 's a hero in new orleans not just for his play as a defensive back but , more recently , for his battle against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , a neuromuscular disease also known by its acronym als and as lou gehrig 's disease . the illness has hindered many of gleason 's functions , but it has n't stopped him . to put together the column , he pointed out , he used technology that allowed him to type with his eyes . gleason also explained his struggles with , and triumphs over , the disease . als prevents your brain from talking to your muscles . as a result , muscles die . as a result , every 90 minutes people die , ' he wrote . i am a person . ' the mayhem in the am ' crew decided to spoof gleason 's illness , specifically , the fact he speaks with a synthetic voice . the segment featured punchlines of an imaginary gleason telling knock-knock jokes , using a would-be synthesizer , with punchlines like smother me , do me a favor . ' on tuesday , shapiro offered no defense for the segment , which he described as quickly conceived and ill-advised . at the outset , he realized the bit was n't funny but was n't prepared as it quickly got slammed on social media and beyond . the pressure is to try to do a good radio show , and that was n't a good moment , ' shapiro recalled . it was a horrible moment . ' within hours , the radio station and its parent company had suspended cellini , dimino and shapiro . by day 's end , they were all out of a job . 790 the zone , our owners , sponsors and partners in no way endorse or support this kind of content . we sincerely apologize to mr. gleason , his family and all those touched by als , ' rick mack , the station 's general manager , said in a statement all three hosts have apologized on twitter and personally to the team gleason foundation , as gleason himself wrote on facebook . received and accepted , ' he wrote . we have all made mistakes in this life . how we learn from our mistakes is the measure of who we are . ' since the story broke , gleason said , there 's been a lot of talk about als , an ailment he characterizes as being not ( well ) understood ... and largely ignored . ' hopefully , this unintentional uproar will help change that , he said . that 's shapiro 's hope as well . at the same time , he 's personally shaken for his part in offending so many -- including gleason , those fighting als and the city of new orleans . the 18-year radio veteran knows new orleans well : he attended tulane university , was married in the city and even has a daughter named nola . it 's a place i understand their passions and their heroes , ' shapiro said , counting gleason as one such hero . and to make fun of those , it 's an awful thing . i feel awful about it . ' outrage over radio hosts'comments is hardly unprecedented , especially in a shock jock ' age in which some push the line in order to entertain listeners . and sometimes the hosts get fired . that 's what happened when gregg hughes and anthony cumia 's opie and anthony ' show got pulled in 2002 for a stunt in which they broadcast descriptions of people having sex in public places , including new york 's st. patrick cathedral . five years later , cbs abruptly ended don imus'radio show after his remarks about rutgers university 's women 's basketball program that some deemed racist and sexist . both imus and opie and anthony ' are still in the radio business and have nationwide followings . more recently , two popular australian radio djs made headlines for a prank call targeting a pregnant catherine duchess of cambridge that was followed by the suicide of a nurse fooled by their call . those radio hosts were suspended , not fired . that 's what should have happened to cellini , dimino and shapiro , according to sirius xm radio host jay thomas of new orleans , where he says steve gleason is an icon . ' thomas is an accomplished actor , winning three emmy awards as candice bergen 's love interest , talk show host jerry gold , on murphy brown . ' he also worked on cheers , ' playing hockey star eddie lebec , husband of rhea perlman 's carla tortelli . thomas -- who admits being a huge saints fan ' who does n't like atlanta -- believes 790 the zone 's management overreacted to a bad joke . ' he noted that tv shows such as family guy ' have repeatedly featured caricatures of steven hawking , who also has als and uses a synthetic voice , in its shows with no equivalent uproar . the atlanta saga would have ended better if the fired radio hosts , after being suspended for some time , had returned to talk about als with gleason and raised money for the cause , said thomas . that was a dumb thing to say , but no one is yelling for them to get fired , ' thomas told cnn . ... it 's a terrible thing , a stupid thing . but yeah , you make mistakes . ' cnn 's matt smith and joe sutton contributed to this report . | gleason has als and speaks with a synthetic voice , which the hosts spoofed |
ukraine <tsp> we 're leaving . no , you 're not . that 's where the crisis in ukraine stood thursday after lawmakers in crimea voted in favor of leaving the country for russia and putting it to a regional vote in 10 days . this act drew widespread condemnation , with ukrainian interim prime minister arseniy yatsenyuk calling such a referendum an illegitimate decision . ' crimea was , is and will be an integral part of ukraine , ' he said . it was a sentiment echoed by several world leaders , who called the scheduled vote and possible pullout violations of ukrainian and international law . any discussion about the future of ukraine must include the legitimate government of ukraine , ' said u.s. president barack obama . in 2014 , we are well beyond the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders . ' it 's not clear how easily the region could split off from ukraine even if the referendum endorses the move . the developments came at a dizzying pace thursday as yatsenyuk joined emergency talks in brussels , belgium , called by leaders of the european union who support the kiev government and want to de-escalate the crisis . the eu and the united states announced plans to freeze the assets of viktor yanukovych , who was ousted as ukraine 's president after he turned his back on a trade deal with the eu in favor of one with russia . the rejected trade deal prompted months of protests that culminated in february with bloody street clashes that left dozens dead and yanukovych out of office . interpol said it is reviewing a request by ukrainian authorities that would allow for the arrest of yanukovych on charges of abuse of power and murder , an allegation tied to the death of protesters . moscow has denounced the events that led to yanukovych 's ouster as an illegitimate coup and has refused to recognize the new ukrainian authorities , putting the two countries on a collision course over control of the crimea , a peninsula on the black sea that has long ties to russia and has thousands of russian troops stationed there . russian president vladimir putin has insisted he has the right to use military force in ukraine if necessary to protect ethnic russians under threat in crimea . ukrainian officials say no such threat exists and say putin is using it as a pretext to control the region . as the standoff continued , ukrainian authorities announced the arrest thursday of a leader of a pro-russian movement in the eastern city of donetsk . authorities said he is a ukrainian national named pavlo gubarev , a self-proclaimed governor of donetsk . in crimea , worlds collide growing divide the crisis threatens to not only divide ukraine , but russia and the west . those two sides have exchanged barbs and threatened punitive measures against each other in recent days , all while offering divergent views on the situation in crimea . two diplomats at the center of the crisis -- u.s. secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov -- met face-to-face on thursday . they agreed to continue talking over the course of the next hours , the next days ' to try to find a political solution to end the crisis , kerry told reporters following the meeting . the diplomats'bosses , obama and putin , talked for an hour thursday afternoon , with the u.s. president stating russia 's actions are in violation of ukraine 's sovereignty ' and that there is a diplomatic way out , according to the white house . putin 's office said the call -- initiated by obama -- revealed differences in approaches and assessments of the causes of the crisis and the current situation . ' he also voiced russia 's view it can not ignore calls for help ' from eastern and southeastern ukraine , before concluding that lavrov and kerry will continue intensive contacts . ' such conversations have n't stopped either side from taking action . eu nations , for instance , announced thursday they will suspend bilateral talks with russia on visa matters and have threatened travel bans , asset freezes and cancellation of the eu-russia summit . any further steps by the russian federation to destabilize the situation in ukraine would lead to additional and far reaching consequences for relations in a broad range of economic areas , ' eu leaders said , having also threatened travels bans on certain russians and the freezing of some assets . the united states has taken action . the state department has imposed a visa ban on russian and ukrainian officials and others that it says are responsible for , or complicit in , threatening ukraine 's sovereignty and territorial integrity . obama signed an executive order laying the groundwork for sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for the crisis . despite such pressure , russia has n't budged , even refusing to engage in direct talks with the new ukrainian authorities in kiev . as his office noted after the obama call , putin believes this government is a result of an unconstitutional revolution ' and imposed illegitimate decisions . ' the dispute has threatened to boil into a military conflict . putin has denied claims by ukrainian officials and western diplomats that russia has sent thousands of troops into the region in recent days . moscow says the heavily armed troops , who are in uniforms without insignia and who have reportedly encircled ukrainian bases , are local self-defense ' forces . meanwhile , russia has begun an air defense drill 280 miles ( 450 kilometers ) from ukraine 's border , reports russian state-run news agency ria novosti . a military spokesman called it the largest-ever exercise held by air defense units ' in the region . russian authorities said the drills are part of a regular combat training cycle , according to the news agency . but the move comes a day after the u.s. military announced it was beefing up the number of fighter jets in the baltics , adding six f-15s to the four participating in a nato mission in the region . five possible ways to end the crisis voting for russia or ukraine ? amid all the diplomatic wrangling , it is ukrainians who are most directly affected . and they hardly are speaking with one voice . furor in the western part of the country over yanukovych , his powers and his bringing ukraine closer to russia led to his ouster . now , most people here support the new government and oppose russian intervention , as well as the prospect of crimea becoming part of russia . the sentiment tends to be very different in crimea -- which was part of russia until being given to ukraine in 1954 by soviet leader nikita kruschev -- and other parts of southern and eastern ukraine . late last month , the parliament in crimea installed a new , pro-moscow government late last month -- as armed , pro-russian men besieged the parliament building -- and does not recognize the authorities in kiev . citizens will be allowed to vote on march 16 on whether they want an autonomous republic of crimea within russia ; or within ukraine . the autonomous region has a 60 % ethnic russian population , having been part of russia until it was ceded to ukraine in 1954 by the soviet union . but not everyone may be as keen on coming under moscow 's direct influence . about 25 % of the peninsula 's population is ukrainian and about 12 % is crimean tatar , a predominantly muslim group . as riot police looked on , hundreds gathered thursday in the southern port city of odessa under the flag of the former soviet union calling for unity with russia . we are all standing here for russia , ' one masked protester told cnn 's matthew chance . none of us wants to be part of the european union . ' late thursday , the management of the hotel in the crimean capital of simferopol where cnn has been based told the network to stop broadcasting from there . other media outlets got the same message , and no reason was given . not everyone in this region wants to become part of russia . protesters , including one topless woman who was dragged away screaming , railed against the crimean parliament vote and putin . but they were drowned out by a heckling , pro-russian crowd . alex shiroki , from yalta , said that his boss asked him , point-blank , are you for ukraine or for russia ? ' while his boss favors the latter , shiroki does not , saying he 'd probably leave if crimea ends up splitting from ukraine . u.s. paves way for sanctions on russians , ukrainians over crimea michael crawford , a former british ambassador in eastern europe , said that may not happen -- at least easily or peacefully -- even if voters support such a split in the upcoming referendum . for russia to start cherry-picking bits of the former soviet union , cranking up referenda in kazakhstan or latvia or wherever you like , to try to carve off bits , would be against international law , ' crawford said , and it would be something vladimir putin has said he does n't want to do . ' yatsenyuk said that if ukraine is broken up , the world will have trouble ever getting another country to give up its nuclear weapons program . why ? in 1994 , ukraine agreed to give up its soviet-era nuclear arsenal in return for guarantees -- signed by the united states , the united kingdom and russia -- of its territorial integrity and independence . what happens now to ukraine will have an impact on nuclear nonproliferation programs , ' yatsenyuk said . live updates of the crisis in ukraine u.n. envoy to cnn : situation in crimea'dangerous' anchor quits : i ca n't be part of network'that whitewashes'putin 's actions | ukraine 's interim prime minister , u.s. president obama call such a vote unlawful |
ukraine <tsp> we 're leaving . no , you 're not . that 's where the crisis in ukraine stood thursday after lawmakers in crimea voted in favor of leaving the country for russia and putting it to a regional vote in 10 days . this act drew widespread condemnation , with ukrainian interim prime minister arseniy yatsenyuk calling such a referendum an illegitimate decision . ' crimea was , is and will be an integral part of ukraine , ' he said . it was a sentiment echoed by several world leaders , who called the scheduled vote and possible pullout violations of ukrainian and international law . any discussion about the future of ukraine must include the legitimate government of ukraine , ' said u.s. president barack obama . in 2014 , we are well beyond the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders . ' it 's not clear how easily the region could split off from ukraine even if the referendum endorses the move . the developments came at a dizzying pace thursday as yatsenyuk joined emergency talks in brussels , belgium , called by leaders of the european union who support the kiev government and want to de-escalate the crisis . the eu and the united states announced plans to freeze the assets of viktor yanukovych , who was ousted as ukraine 's president after he turned his back on a trade deal with the eu in favor of one with russia . the rejected trade deal prompted months of protests that culminated in february with bloody street clashes that left dozens dead and yanukovych out of office . interpol said it is reviewing a request by ukrainian authorities that would allow for the arrest of yanukovych on charges of abuse of power and murder , an allegation tied to the death of protesters . moscow has denounced the events that led to yanukovych 's ouster as an illegitimate coup and has refused to recognize the new ukrainian authorities , putting the two countries on a collision course over control of the crimea , a peninsula on the black sea that has long ties to russia and has thousands of russian troops stationed there . russian president vladimir putin has insisted he has the right to use military force in ukraine if necessary to protect ethnic russians under threat in crimea . ukrainian officials say no such threat exists and say putin is using it as a pretext to control the region . as the standoff continued , ukrainian authorities announced the arrest thursday of a leader of a pro-russian movement in the eastern city of donetsk . authorities said he is a ukrainian national named pavlo gubarev , a self-proclaimed governor of donetsk . in crimea , worlds collide growing divide the crisis threatens to not only divide ukraine , but russia and the west . those two sides have exchanged barbs and threatened punitive measures against each other in recent days , all while offering divergent views on the situation in crimea . two diplomats at the center of the crisis -- u.s. secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov -- met face-to-face on thursday . they agreed to continue talking over the course of the next hours , the next days ' to try to find a political solution to end the crisis , kerry told reporters following the meeting . the diplomats'bosses , obama and putin , talked for an hour thursday afternoon , with the u.s. president stating russia 's actions are in violation of ukraine 's sovereignty ' and that there is a diplomatic way out , according to the white house . putin 's office said the call -- initiated by obama -- revealed differences in approaches and assessments of the causes of the crisis and the current situation . ' he also voiced russia 's view it can not ignore calls for help ' from eastern and southeastern ukraine , before concluding that lavrov and kerry will continue intensive contacts . ' such conversations have n't stopped either side from taking action . eu nations , for instance , announced thursday they will suspend bilateral talks with russia on visa matters and have threatened travel bans , asset freezes and cancellation of the eu-russia summit . any further steps by the russian federation to destabilize the situation in ukraine would lead to additional and far reaching consequences for relations in a broad range of economic areas , ' eu leaders said , having also threatened travels bans on certain russians and the freezing of some assets . the united states has taken action . the state department has imposed a visa ban on russian and ukrainian officials and others that it says are responsible for , or complicit in , threatening ukraine 's sovereignty and territorial integrity . obama signed an executive order laying the groundwork for sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for the crisis . despite such pressure , russia has n't budged , even refusing to engage in direct talks with the new ukrainian authorities in kiev . as his office noted after the obama call , putin believes this government is a result of an unconstitutional revolution ' and imposed illegitimate decisions . ' the dispute has threatened to boil into a military conflict . putin has denied claims by ukrainian officials and western diplomats that russia has sent thousands of troops into the region in recent days . moscow says the heavily armed troops , who are in uniforms without insignia and who have reportedly encircled ukrainian bases , are local self-defense ' forces . meanwhile , russia has begun an air defense drill 280 miles ( 450 kilometers ) from ukraine 's border , reports russian state-run news agency ria novosti . a military spokesman called it the largest-ever exercise held by air defense units ' in the region . russian authorities said the drills are part of a regular combat training cycle , according to the news agency . but the move comes a day after the u.s. military announced it was beefing up the number of fighter jets in the baltics , adding six f-15s to the four participating in a nato mission in the region . five possible ways to end the crisis voting for russia or ukraine ? amid all the diplomatic wrangling , it is ukrainians who are most directly affected . and they hardly are speaking with one voice . furor in the western part of the country over yanukovych , his powers and his bringing ukraine closer to russia led to his ouster . now , most people here support the new government and oppose russian intervention , as well as the prospect of crimea becoming part of russia . the sentiment tends to be very different in crimea -- which was part of russia until being given to ukraine in 1954 by soviet leader nikita kruschev -- and other parts of southern and eastern ukraine . late last month , the parliament in crimea installed a new , pro-moscow government late last month -- as armed , pro-russian men besieged the parliament building -- and does not recognize the authorities in kiev . citizens will be allowed to vote on march 16 on whether they want an autonomous republic of crimea within russia ; or within ukraine . the autonomous region has a 60 % ethnic russian population , having been part of russia until it was ceded to ukraine in 1954 by the soviet union . but not everyone may be as keen on coming under moscow 's direct influence . about 25 % of the peninsula 's population is ukrainian and about 12 % is crimean tatar , a predominantly muslim group . as riot police looked on , hundreds gathered thursday in the southern port city of odessa under the flag of the former soviet union calling for unity with russia . we are all standing here for russia , ' one masked protester told cnn 's matthew chance . none of us wants to be part of the european union . ' late thursday , the management of the hotel in the crimean capital of simferopol where cnn has been based told the network to stop broadcasting from there . other media outlets got the same message , and no reason was given . not everyone in this region wants to become part of russia . protesters , including one topless woman who was dragged away screaming , railed against the crimean parliament vote and putin . but they were drowned out by a heckling , pro-russian crowd . alex shiroki , from yalta , said that his boss asked him , point-blank , are you for ukraine or for russia ? ' while his boss favors the latter , shiroki does not , saying he 'd probably leave if crimea ends up splitting from ukraine . u.s. paves way for sanctions on russians , ukrainians over crimea michael crawford , a former british ambassador in eastern europe , said that may not happen -- at least easily or peacefully -- even if voters support such a split in the upcoming referendum . for russia to start cherry-picking bits of the former soviet union , cranking up referenda in kazakhstan or latvia or wherever you like , to try to carve off bits , would be against international law , ' crawford said , and it would be something vladimir putin has said he does n't want to do . ' yatsenyuk said that if ukraine is broken up , the world will have trouble ever getting another country to give up its nuclear weapons program . why ? in 1994 , ukraine agreed to give up its soviet-era nuclear arsenal in return for guarantees -- signed by the united states , the united kingdom and russia -- of its territorial integrity and independence . what happens now to ukraine will have an impact on nuclear nonproliferation programs , ' yatsenyuk said . live updates of the crisis in ukraine u.n. envoy to cnn : situation in crimea'dangerous' anchor quits : i ca n't be part of network'that whitewashes'putin 's actions | crimean lawmakers set a date for a referendum on staying in ukraine or joining |
ukraine <tsp> we 're leaving . no , you 're not . that 's where the crisis in ukraine stood thursday after lawmakers in crimea voted in favor of leaving the country for russia and putting it to a regional vote in 10 days . this act drew widespread condemnation , with ukrainian interim prime minister arseniy yatsenyuk calling such a referendum an illegitimate decision . ' crimea was , is and will be an integral part of ukraine , ' he said . it was a sentiment echoed by several world leaders , who called the scheduled vote and possible pullout violations of ukrainian and international law . any discussion about the future of ukraine must include the legitimate government of ukraine , ' said u.s. president barack obama . in 2014 , we are well beyond the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders . ' it 's not clear how easily the region could split off from ukraine even if the referendum endorses the move . the developments came at a dizzying pace thursday as yatsenyuk joined emergency talks in brussels , belgium , called by leaders of the european union who support the kiev government and want to de-escalate the crisis . the eu and the united states announced plans to freeze the assets of viktor yanukovych , who was ousted as ukraine 's president after he turned his back on a trade deal with the eu in favor of one with russia . the rejected trade deal prompted months of protests that culminated in february with bloody street clashes that left dozens dead and yanukovych out of office . interpol said it is reviewing a request by ukrainian authorities that would allow for the arrest of yanukovych on charges of abuse of power and murder , an allegation tied to the death of protesters . moscow has denounced the events that led to yanukovych 's ouster as an illegitimate coup and has refused to recognize the new ukrainian authorities , putting the two countries on a collision course over control of the crimea , a peninsula on the black sea that has long ties to russia and has thousands of russian troops stationed there . russian president vladimir putin has insisted he has the right to use military force in ukraine if necessary to protect ethnic russians under threat in crimea . ukrainian officials say no such threat exists and say putin is using it as a pretext to control the region . as the standoff continued , ukrainian authorities announced the arrest thursday of a leader of a pro-russian movement in the eastern city of donetsk . authorities said he is a ukrainian national named pavlo gubarev , a self-proclaimed governor of donetsk . in crimea , worlds collide growing divide the crisis threatens to not only divide ukraine , but russia and the west . those two sides have exchanged barbs and threatened punitive measures against each other in recent days , all while offering divergent views on the situation in crimea . two diplomats at the center of the crisis -- u.s. secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov -- met face-to-face on thursday . they agreed to continue talking over the course of the next hours , the next days ' to try to find a political solution to end the crisis , kerry told reporters following the meeting . the diplomats'bosses , obama and putin , talked for an hour thursday afternoon , with the u.s. president stating russia 's actions are in violation of ukraine 's sovereignty ' and that there is a diplomatic way out , according to the white house . putin 's office said the call -- initiated by obama -- revealed differences in approaches and assessments of the causes of the crisis and the current situation . ' he also voiced russia 's view it can not ignore calls for help ' from eastern and southeastern ukraine , before concluding that lavrov and kerry will continue intensive contacts . ' such conversations have n't stopped either side from taking action . eu nations , for instance , announced thursday they will suspend bilateral talks with russia on visa matters and have threatened travel bans , asset freezes and cancellation of the eu-russia summit . any further steps by the russian federation to destabilize the situation in ukraine would lead to additional and far reaching consequences for relations in a broad range of economic areas , ' eu leaders said , having also threatened travels bans on certain russians and the freezing of some assets . the united states has taken action . the state department has imposed a visa ban on russian and ukrainian officials and others that it says are responsible for , or complicit in , threatening ukraine 's sovereignty and territorial integrity . obama signed an executive order laying the groundwork for sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for the crisis . despite such pressure , russia has n't budged , even refusing to engage in direct talks with the new ukrainian authorities in kiev . as his office noted after the obama call , putin believes this government is a result of an unconstitutional revolution ' and imposed illegitimate decisions . ' the dispute has threatened to boil into a military conflict . putin has denied claims by ukrainian officials and western diplomats that russia has sent thousands of troops into the region in recent days . moscow says the heavily armed troops , who are in uniforms without insignia and who have reportedly encircled ukrainian bases , are local self-defense ' forces . meanwhile , russia has begun an air defense drill 280 miles ( 450 kilometers ) from ukraine 's border , reports russian state-run news agency ria novosti . a military spokesman called it the largest-ever exercise held by air defense units ' in the region . russian authorities said the drills are part of a regular combat training cycle , according to the news agency . but the move comes a day after the u.s. military announced it was beefing up the number of fighter jets in the baltics , adding six f-15s to the four participating in a nato mission in the region . five possible ways to end the crisis voting for russia or ukraine ? amid all the diplomatic wrangling , it is ukrainians who are most directly affected . and they hardly are speaking with one voice . furor in the western part of the country over yanukovych , his powers and his bringing ukraine closer to russia led to his ouster . now , most people here support the new government and oppose russian intervention , as well as the prospect of crimea becoming part of russia . the sentiment tends to be very different in crimea -- which was part of russia until being given to ukraine in 1954 by soviet leader nikita kruschev -- and other parts of southern and eastern ukraine . late last month , the parliament in crimea installed a new , pro-moscow government late last month -- as armed , pro-russian men besieged the parliament building -- and does not recognize the authorities in kiev . citizens will be allowed to vote on march 16 on whether they want an autonomous republic of crimea within russia ; or within ukraine . the autonomous region has a 60 % ethnic russian population , having been part of russia until it was ceded to ukraine in 1954 by the soviet union . but not everyone may be as keen on coming under moscow 's direct influence . about 25 % of the peninsula 's population is ukrainian and about 12 % is crimean tatar , a predominantly muslim group . as riot police looked on , hundreds gathered thursday in the southern port city of odessa under the flag of the former soviet union calling for unity with russia . we are all standing here for russia , ' one masked protester told cnn 's matthew chance . none of us wants to be part of the european union . ' late thursday , the management of the hotel in the crimean capital of simferopol where cnn has been based told the network to stop broadcasting from there . other media outlets got the same message , and no reason was given . not everyone in this region wants to become part of russia . protesters , including one topless woman who was dragged away screaming , railed against the crimean parliament vote and putin . but they were drowned out by a heckling , pro-russian crowd . alex shiroki , from yalta , said that his boss asked him , point-blank , are you for ukraine or for russia ? ' while his boss favors the latter , shiroki does not , saying he 'd probably leave if crimea ends up splitting from ukraine . u.s. paves way for sanctions on russians , ukrainians over crimea michael crawford , a former british ambassador in eastern europe , said that may not happen -- at least easily or peacefully -- even if voters support such a split in the upcoming referendum . for russia to start cherry-picking bits of the former soviet union , cranking up referenda in kazakhstan or latvia or wherever you like , to try to carve off bits , would be against international law , ' crawford said , and it would be something vladimir putin has said he does n't want to do . ' yatsenyuk said that if ukraine is broken up , the world will have trouble ever getting another country to give up its nuclear weapons program . why ? in 1994 , ukraine agreed to give up its soviet-era nuclear arsenal in return for guarantees -- signed by the united states , the united kingdom and russia -- of its territorial integrity and independence . what happens now to ukraine will have an impact on nuclear nonproliferation programs , ' yatsenyuk said . live updates of the crisis in ukraine u.n. envoy to cnn : situation in crimea'dangerous' anchor quits : i ca n't be part of network'that whitewashes'putin 's actions | west threatens russia with punitive actions over ukraine |
obama <tsp> we 're leaving . no , you 're not . that 's where the crisis in ukraine stood thursday after lawmakers in crimea voted in favor of leaving the country for russia and putting it to a regional vote in 10 days . this act drew widespread condemnation , with ukrainian interim prime minister arseniy yatsenyuk calling such a referendum an illegitimate decision . ' crimea was , is and will be an integral part of ukraine , ' he said . it was a sentiment echoed by several world leaders , who called the scheduled vote and possible pullout violations of ukrainian and international law . any discussion about the future of ukraine must include the legitimate government of ukraine , ' said u.s. president barack obama . in 2014 , we are well beyond the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders . ' it 's not clear how easily the region could split off from ukraine even if the referendum endorses the move . the developments came at a dizzying pace thursday as yatsenyuk joined emergency talks in brussels , belgium , called by leaders of the european union who support the kiev government and want to de-escalate the crisis . the eu and the united states announced plans to freeze the assets of viktor yanukovych , who was ousted as ukraine 's president after he turned his back on a trade deal with the eu in favor of one with russia . the rejected trade deal prompted months of protests that culminated in february with bloody street clashes that left dozens dead and yanukovych out of office . interpol said it is reviewing a request by ukrainian authorities that would allow for the arrest of yanukovych on charges of abuse of power and murder , an allegation tied to the death of protesters . moscow has denounced the events that led to yanukovych 's ouster as an illegitimate coup and has refused to recognize the new ukrainian authorities , putting the two countries on a collision course over control of the crimea , a peninsula on the black sea that has long ties to russia and has thousands of russian troops stationed there . russian president vladimir putin has insisted he has the right to use military force in ukraine if necessary to protect ethnic russians under threat in crimea . ukrainian officials say no such threat exists and say putin is using it as a pretext to control the region . as the standoff continued , ukrainian authorities announced the arrest thursday of a leader of a pro-russian movement in the eastern city of donetsk . authorities said he is a ukrainian national named pavlo gubarev , a self-proclaimed governor of donetsk . in crimea , worlds collide growing divide the crisis threatens to not only divide ukraine , but russia and the west . those two sides have exchanged barbs and threatened punitive measures against each other in recent days , all while offering divergent views on the situation in crimea . two diplomats at the center of the crisis -- u.s. secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov -- met face-to-face on thursday . they agreed to continue talking over the course of the next hours , the next days ' to try to find a political solution to end the crisis , kerry told reporters following the meeting . the diplomats'bosses , obama and putin , talked for an hour thursday afternoon , with the u.s. president stating russia 's actions are in violation of ukraine 's sovereignty ' and that there is a diplomatic way out , according to the white house . putin 's office said the call -- initiated by obama -- revealed differences in approaches and assessments of the causes of the crisis and the current situation . ' he also voiced russia 's view it can not ignore calls for help ' from eastern and southeastern ukraine , before concluding that lavrov and kerry will continue intensive contacts . ' such conversations have n't stopped either side from taking action . eu nations , for instance , announced thursday they will suspend bilateral talks with russia on visa matters and have threatened travel bans , asset freezes and cancellation of the eu-russia summit . any further steps by the russian federation to destabilize the situation in ukraine would lead to additional and far reaching consequences for relations in a broad range of economic areas , ' eu leaders said , having also threatened travels bans on certain russians and the freezing of some assets . the united states has taken action . the state department has imposed a visa ban on russian and ukrainian officials and others that it says are responsible for , or complicit in , threatening ukraine 's sovereignty and territorial integrity . obama signed an executive order laying the groundwork for sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for the crisis . despite such pressure , russia has n't budged , even refusing to engage in direct talks with the new ukrainian authorities in kiev . as his office noted after the obama call , putin believes this government is a result of an unconstitutional revolution ' and imposed illegitimate decisions . ' the dispute has threatened to boil into a military conflict . putin has denied claims by ukrainian officials and western diplomats that russia has sent thousands of troops into the region in recent days . moscow says the heavily armed troops , who are in uniforms without insignia and who have reportedly encircled ukrainian bases , are local self-defense ' forces . meanwhile , russia has begun an air defense drill 280 miles ( 450 kilometers ) from ukraine 's border , reports russian state-run news agency ria novosti . a military spokesman called it the largest-ever exercise held by air defense units ' in the region . russian authorities said the drills are part of a regular combat training cycle , according to the news agency . but the move comes a day after the u.s. military announced it was beefing up the number of fighter jets in the baltics , adding six f-15s to the four participating in a nato mission in the region . five possible ways to end the crisis voting for russia or ukraine ? amid all the diplomatic wrangling , it is ukrainians who are most directly affected . and they hardly are speaking with one voice . furor in the western part of the country over yanukovych , his powers and his bringing ukraine closer to russia led to his ouster . now , most people here support the new government and oppose russian intervention , as well as the prospect of crimea becoming part of russia . the sentiment tends to be very different in crimea -- which was part of russia until being given to ukraine in 1954 by soviet leader nikita kruschev -- and other parts of southern and eastern ukraine . late last month , the parliament in crimea installed a new , pro-moscow government late last month -- as armed , pro-russian men besieged the parliament building -- and does not recognize the authorities in kiev . citizens will be allowed to vote on march 16 on whether they want an autonomous republic of crimea within russia ; or within ukraine . the autonomous region has a 60 % ethnic russian population , having been part of russia until it was ceded to ukraine in 1954 by the soviet union . but not everyone may be as keen on coming under moscow 's direct influence . about 25 % of the peninsula 's population is ukrainian and about 12 % is crimean tatar , a predominantly muslim group . as riot police looked on , hundreds gathered thursday in the southern port city of odessa under the flag of the former soviet union calling for unity with russia . we are all standing here for russia , ' one masked protester told cnn 's matthew chance . none of us wants to be part of the european union . ' late thursday , the management of the hotel in the crimean capital of simferopol where cnn has been based told the network to stop broadcasting from there . other media outlets got the same message , and no reason was given . not everyone in this region wants to become part of russia . protesters , including one topless woman who was dragged away screaming , railed against the crimean parliament vote and putin . but they were drowned out by a heckling , pro-russian crowd . alex shiroki , from yalta , said that his boss asked him , point-blank , are you for ukraine or for russia ? ' while his boss favors the latter , shiroki does not , saying he 'd probably leave if crimea ends up splitting from ukraine . u.s. paves way for sanctions on russians , ukrainians over crimea michael crawford , a former british ambassador in eastern europe , said that may not happen -- at least easily or peacefully -- even if voters support such a split in the upcoming referendum . for russia to start cherry-picking bits of the former soviet union , cranking up referenda in kazakhstan or latvia or wherever you like , to try to carve off bits , would be against international law , ' crawford said , and it would be something vladimir putin has said he does n't want to do . ' yatsenyuk said that if ukraine is broken up , the world will have trouble ever getting another country to give up its nuclear weapons program . why ? in 1994 , ukraine agreed to give up its soviet-era nuclear arsenal in return for guarantees -- signed by the united states , the united kingdom and russia -- of its territorial integrity and independence . what happens now to ukraine will have an impact on nuclear nonproliferation programs , ' yatsenyuk said . live updates of the crisis in ukraine u.n. envoy to cnn : situation in crimea'dangerous' anchor quits : i ca n't be part of network'that whitewashes'putin 's actions | ukraine 's interim prime minister , u.s. president obama call such a vote unlawful |
obama <tsp> we 're leaving . no , you 're not . that 's where the crisis in ukraine stood thursday after lawmakers in crimea voted in favor of leaving the country for russia and putting it to a regional vote in 10 days . this act drew widespread condemnation , with ukrainian interim prime minister arseniy yatsenyuk calling such a referendum an illegitimate decision . ' crimea was , is and will be an integral part of ukraine , ' he said . it was a sentiment echoed by several world leaders , who called the scheduled vote and possible pullout violations of ukrainian and international law . any discussion about the future of ukraine must include the legitimate government of ukraine , ' said u.s. president barack obama . in 2014 , we are well beyond the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders . ' it 's not clear how easily the region could split off from ukraine even if the referendum endorses the move . the developments came at a dizzying pace thursday as yatsenyuk joined emergency talks in brussels , belgium , called by leaders of the european union who support the kiev government and want to de-escalate the crisis . the eu and the united states announced plans to freeze the assets of viktor yanukovych , who was ousted as ukraine 's president after he turned his back on a trade deal with the eu in favor of one with russia . the rejected trade deal prompted months of protests that culminated in february with bloody street clashes that left dozens dead and yanukovych out of office . interpol said it is reviewing a request by ukrainian authorities that would allow for the arrest of yanukovych on charges of abuse of power and murder , an allegation tied to the death of protesters . moscow has denounced the events that led to yanukovych 's ouster as an illegitimate coup and has refused to recognize the new ukrainian authorities , putting the two countries on a collision course over control of the crimea , a peninsula on the black sea that has long ties to russia and has thousands of russian troops stationed there . russian president vladimir putin has insisted he has the right to use military force in ukraine if necessary to protect ethnic russians under threat in crimea . ukrainian officials say no such threat exists and say putin is using it as a pretext to control the region . as the standoff continued , ukrainian authorities announced the arrest thursday of a leader of a pro-russian movement in the eastern city of donetsk . authorities said he is a ukrainian national named pavlo gubarev , a self-proclaimed governor of donetsk . in crimea , worlds collide growing divide the crisis threatens to not only divide ukraine , but russia and the west . those two sides have exchanged barbs and threatened punitive measures against each other in recent days , all while offering divergent views on the situation in crimea . two diplomats at the center of the crisis -- u.s. secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov -- met face-to-face on thursday . they agreed to continue talking over the course of the next hours , the next days ' to try to find a political solution to end the crisis , kerry told reporters following the meeting . the diplomats'bosses , obama and putin , talked for an hour thursday afternoon , with the u.s. president stating russia 's actions are in violation of ukraine 's sovereignty ' and that there is a diplomatic way out , according to the white house . putin 's office said the call -- initiated by obama -- revealed differences in approaches and assessments of the causes of the crisis and the current situation . ' he also voiced russia 's view it can not ignore calls for help ' from eastern and southeastern ukraine , before concluding that lavrov and kerry will continue intensive contacts . ' such conversations have n't stopped either side from taking action . eu nations , for instance , announced thursday they will suspend bilateral talks with russia on visa matters and have threatened travel bans , asset freezes and cancellation of the eu-russia summit . any further steps by the russian federation to destabilize the situation in ukraine would lead to additional and far reaching consequences for relations in a broad range of economic areas , ' eu leaders said , having also threatened travels bans on certain russians and the freezing of some assets . the united states has taken action . the state department has imposed a visa ban on russian and ukrainian officials and others that it says are responsible for , or complicit in , threatening ukraine 's sovereignty and territorial integrity . obama signed an executive order laying the groundwork for sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for the crisis . despite such pressure , russia has n't budged , even refusing to engage in direct talks with the new ukrainian authorities in kiev . as his office noted after the obama call , putin believes this government is a result of an unconstitutional revolution ' and imposed illegitimate decisions . ' the dispute has threatened to boil into a military conflict . putin has denied claims by ukrainian officials and western diplomats that russia has sent thousands of troops into the region in recent days . moscow says the heavily armed troops , who are in uniforms without insignia and who have reportedly encircled ukrainian bases , are local self-defense ' forces . meanwhile , russia has begun an air defense drill 280 miles ( 450 kilometers ) from ukraine 's border , reports russian state-run news agency ria novosti . a military spokesman called it the largest-ever exercise held by air defense units ' in the region . russian authorities said the drills are part of a regular combat training cycle , according to the news agency . but the move comes a day after the u.s. military announced it was beefing up the number of fighter jets in the baltics , adding six f-15s to the four participating in a nato mission in the region . five possible ways to end the crisis voting for russia or ukraine ? amid all the diplomatic wrangling , it is ukrainians who are most directly affected . and they hardly are speaking with one voice . furor in the western part of the country over yanukovych , his powers and his bringing ukraine closer to russia led to his ouster . now , most people here support the new government and oppose russian intervention , as well as the prospect of crimea becoming part of russia . the sentiment tends to be very different in crimea -- which was part of russia until being given to ukraine in 1954 by soviet leader nikita kruschev -- and other parts of southern and eastern ukraine . late last month , the parliament in crimea installed a new , pro-moscow government late last month -- as armed , pro-russian men besieged the parliament building -- and does not recognize the authorities in kiev . citizens will be allowed to vote on march 16 on whether they want an autonomous republic of crimea within russia ; or within ukraine . the autonomous region has a 60 % ethnic russian population , having been part of russia until it was ceded to ukraine in 1954 by the soviet union . but not everyone may be as keen on coming under moscow 's direct influence . about 25 % of the peninsula 's population is ukrainian and about 12 % is crimean tatar , a predominantly muslim group . as riot police looked on , hundreds gathered thursday in the southern port city of odessa under the flag of the former soviet union calling for unity with russia . we are all standing here for russia , ' one masked protester told cnn 's matthew chance . none of us wants to be part of the european union . ' late thursday , the management of the hotel in the crimean capital of simferopol where cnn has been based told the network to stop broadcasting from there . other media outlets got the same message , and no reason was given . not everyone in this region wants to become part of russia . protesters , including one topless woman who was dragged away screaming , railed against the crimean parliament vote and putin . but they were drowned out by a heckling , pro-russian crowd . alex shiroki , from yalta , said that his boss asked him , point-blank , are you for ukraine or for russia ? ' while his boss favors the latter , shiroki does not , saying he 'd probably leave if crimea ends up splitting from ukraine . u.s. paves way for sanctions on russians , ukrainians over crimea michael crawford , a former british ambassador in eastern europe , said that may not happen -- at least easily or peacefully -- even if voters support such a split in the upcoming referendum . for russia to start cherry-picking bits of the former soviet union , cranking up referenda in kazakhstan or latvia or wherever you like , to try to carve off bits , would be against international law , ' crawford said , and it would be something vladimir putin has said he does n't want to do . ' yatsenyuk said that if ukraine is broken up , the world will have trouble ever getting another country to give up its nuclear weapons program . why ? in 1994 , ukraine agreed to give up its soviet-era nuclear arsenal in return for guarantees -- signed by the united states , the united kingdom and russia -- of its territorial integrity and independence . what happens now to ukraine will have an impact on nuclear nonproliferation programs , ' yatsenyuk said . live updates of the crisis in ukraine u.n. envoy to cnn : situation in crimea'dangerous' anchor quits : i ca n't be part of network'that whitewashes'putin 's actions | putin to obama : russia can not ignore the calls for help ' |
granderson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- you would think that in the shadow of a general election dubbed year of the woman , ' the last thing any republican in washington would want to do is tick off women . and while the violence against women act passed in the senate by a healthy bipartisan majority a few hours before president obama 's state of the union address , the fact that 22 senators -- all republicans , all men -- voted against it should be troubling to gop leaders . and perhaps the most troubling aspect of that is florida sen. marco rubio , the so-called savior of the republican party , was one of those republican men . just think : a few hours before rubio was to deliver a message reflecting a new republican party , he casts a vote that screams more of the same . the jokes about him fidgeting like a 5-year-old and chugging water during the rebuttal will eventually go away . but if he 's seriously thinking about running in 2016 , that one vote is going to come back to haunt him . especially if a revitalized hillary clinton , and her 18 million cracks in the ceiling , is in the race . domestic violence vote key test of more inclusive gop in a statement , he said he could not support the final , entire legislation that contains new provisions that could have potentially adverse consequences . specifically , this bill would mandate the diversion of a portion of funding from domestic violence programs to sexual assault programs , although there 's no evidence to suggest this shift will result in a greater number of convictions . ' the senate-version of reauthorization extends protections to native americans , gays and lesbians , and immigrants . it would allow the prosecution of non-native americans for abusing native american women . regarding that , rubio said he voted against the bill because of concerns regarding the conferring of criminal jurisdiction to some indian tribal governments over all persons in indian country , including non-indians . ' translation : from a political standpoint , rubio blew it long before he lunged off-camera to grab a swig of water . and democrats wasted little time pointing this out . gop 's rubio rips obama voting against a bill to help women because you 're not happy about the amount of money being spent on domestic violence vs. sexual assault is splitting some pretty fine hairs and just is n't choosing the right fight . especially when juxtaposed against the success of the programs . from the time the act passed through 2010 , intimate partner violence declined by 67 % . there has also been an increase in the arrests of suspects in domestic and violent sexual crimes . the new legislation has a provision that speeds up dna analysis in rape cases and a program to fight human trafficking . and if spending was a concern , the $ 659 million the senate approved for violence against women programs for the next five years is actually 17 % less than the amount approved in 2005 . how could the face of a new , kinder , women-friendly republican party say no to that ? perhaps the reason why he needed water during the rebuttal is because he got cotton-mouthed listening to his party 's resounding approval when obama mentioned the senate passing the bill during the state of the union address . or maybe he felt a tad faint when house speaker john boehner was seen looking over and talking to vice president joe biden -- who co-wrote the first incarnation of the bill nearly 20 years ago -- as he clapped in support . talk back : is giving the state of the union response a political'kiss of death'? and trust me , boehner did not spend a lot of time applauding obama or talking to joe . this week , house majority leader eric cantor , who is spearheading the negotiations of a house bill , and boehner received a letter from 17 house republicans urging them to take action , stating that the act 's programs save lives , and we must allow states and communities to build upon the successes of current vawa programs so that we can help even more people . ' the gop knows that between the embarrassing remarks about rape made by several candidates during the last election cycle , the record 20 seats held by women in the democratic-held senate and the 55 % of women who voted for obama , regaining power requires a makeover . rubio appeared to be someone who could embody that change , but he did n't do himself any favors tuesday . not with his rebuttal and certainly not with this vote . opinion : a kinder , gentler , wiser marco rubio ' mr. president , ' rubio said in his speech , i do n't oppose your plans because i want to protect the rich . i oppose your plans because i want to protect my neighbors . ' i 'm going to assume none of his neighbors are women . the opinions in this commentary are solely those of lz granderson . | lz granderson : rubio one of 22 male gop senators to vote no on violence against women act |
granderson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- you would think that in the shadow of a general election dubbed year of the woman , ' the last thing any republican in washington would want to do is tick off women . and while the violence against women act passed in the senate by a healthy bipartisan majority a few hours before president obama 's state of the union address , the fact that 22 senators -- all republicans , all men -- voted against it should be troubling to gop leaders . and perhaps the most troubling aspect of that is florida sen. marco rubio , the so-called savior of the republican party , was one of those republican men . just think : a few hours before rubio was to deliver a message reflecting a new republican party , he casts a vote that screams more of the same . the jokes about him fidgeting like a 5-year-old and chugging water during the rebuttal will eventually go away . but if he 's seriously thinking about running in 2016 , that one vote is going to come back to haunt him . especially if a revitalized hillary clinton , and her 18 million cracks in the ceiling , is in the race . domestic violence vote key test of more inclusive gop in a statement , he said he could not support the final , entire legislation that contains new provisions that could have potentially adverse consequences . specifically , this bill would mandate the diversion of a portion of funding from domestic violence programs to sexual assault programs , although there 's no evidence to suggest this shift will result in a greater number of convictions . ' the senate-version of reauthorization extends protections to native americans , gays and lesbians , and immigrants . it would allow the prosecution of non-native americans for abusing native american women . regarding that , rubio said he voted against the bill because of concerns regarding the conferring of criminal jurisdiction to some indian tribal governments over all persons in indian country , including non-indians . ' translation : from a political standpoint , rubio blew it long before he lunged off-camera to grab a swig of water . and democrats wasted little time pointing this out . gop 's rubio rips obama voting against a bill to help women because you 're not happy about the amount of money being spent on domestic violence vs. sexual assault is splitting some pretty fine hairs and just is n't choosing the right fight . especially when juxtaposed against the success of the programs . from the time the act passed through 2010 , intimate partner violence declined by 67 % . there has also been an increase in the arrests of suspects in domestic and violent sexual crimes . the new legislation has a provision that speeds up dna analysis in rape cases and a program to fight human trafficking . and if spending was a concern , the $ 659 million the senate approved for violence against women programs for the next five years is actually 17 % less than the amount approved in 2005 . how could the face of a new , kinder , women-friendly republican party say no to that ? perhaps the reason why he needed water during the rebuttal is because he got cotton-mouthed listening to his party 's resounding approval when obama mentioned the senate passing the bill during the state of the union address . or maybe he felt a tad faint when house speaker john boehner was seen looking over and talking to vice president joe biden -- who co-wrote the first incarnation of the bill nearly 20 years ago -- as he clapped in support . talk back : is giving the state of the union response a political'kiss of death'? and trust me , boehner did not spend a lot of time applauding obama or talking to joe . this week , house majority leader eric cantor , who is spearheading the negotiations of a house bill , and boehner received a letter from 17 house republicans urging them to take action , stating that the act 's programs save lives , and we must allow states and communities to build upon the successes of current vawa programs so that we can help even more people . ' the gop knows that between the embarrassing remarks about rape made by several candidates during the last election cycle , the record 20 seats held by women in the democratic-held senate and the 55 % of women who voted for obama , regaining power requires a makeover . rubio appeared to be someone who could embody that change , but he did n't do himself any favors tuesday . not with his rebuttal and certainly not with this vote . opinion : a kinder , gentler , wiser marco rubio ' mr. president , ' rubio said in his speech , i do n't oppose your plans because i want to protect the rich . i oppose your plans because i want to protect my neighbors . ' i 'm going to assume none of his neighbors are women . the opinions in this commentary are solely those of lz granderson . | granderson : just as rubio was to show new face of gop , he cast a vote that 's the old face |
collins <tsp> ( cnn ) -- police in jackson , mississippi , have prepared an arrest warrant for former television host gary collins for leaving the scene of an accident , police spokesman colendula green told cnn . officers were called to the scene monday afternoon but when police arrived , only one of the parties involved was there . the victim had been stopped at a red light and was rear-ended by a white jeep , driven by gary collins , ' green said . collins'lawyer , tom royals , said his client had gotten out of his vehicle , examined the accident , and exchanged information with the driver of the other car . after calling the police , collins left because he had been waiting for some time and he thought he had done all that was required , royals said . the other party knew his information , ' royals said . and in fact collins knew someone in the car . they talked a while and then he left . ' green agreed that the ex-actor had provided his contact information but said jackson police have cited collins for leaving the scene of an accident , a misdemeanor . police are waiting to execute the arrest warrant once a judge signs off on it . the other driver is pressing charges , green said . it was not a serious accident , ' royals said . it was really just a minor fender-bender . ' collins is known for being a tv and radio personality , and is married to former miss america mary anne mobley . as an actor , he is known his role in the television series the sixth sense , ' and the wackiest ship in the army . ' | collins exchanged information with the other driver , but left before police arrived |
collins <tsp> ( cnn ) -- police in jackson , mississippi , have prepared an arrest warrant for former television host gary collins for leaving the scene of an accident , police spokesman colendula green told cnn . officers were called to the scene monday afternoon but when police arrived , only one of the parties involved was there . the victim had been stopped at a red light and was rear-ended by a white jeep , driven by gary collins , ' green said . collins'lawyer , tom royals , said his client had gotten out of his vehicle , examined the accident , and exchanged information with the driver of the other car . after calling the police , collins left because he had been waiting for some time and he thought he had done all that was required , royals said . the other party knew his information , ' royals said . and in fact collins knew someone in the car . they talked a while and then he left . ' green agreed that the ex-actor had provided his contact information but said jackson police have cited collins for leaving the scene of an accident , a misdemeanor . police are waiting to execute the arrest warrant once a judge signs off on it . the other driver is pressing charges , green said . it was not a serious accident , ' royals said . it was really just a minor fender-bender . ' collins is known for being a tv and radio personality , and is married to former miss america mary anne mobley . as an actor , he is known his role in the television series the sixth sense , ' and the wackiest ship in the army . ' | gary collins is a former television host and actor |
cnni <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tropical storm haikui made landfall wednesday morning in zhejiang province , where hundreds of thousands of people had been evacuated from its path . the rain is the bigger impact going forward , ' said cnni meteorologist taylor ward , who noted that haikui had diminished from typhoon status before hitting land about 225 kilometers ( 140 miles ) south of shanghai . we have already had up to 8 inches in some locations . ' ward said another 6 to 10 inches of rain were expected to fall , with maybe isolated amounts greater . ' haikui was moving northwest at 20 kph ( 12 mph ) but was expected to slow over the coming two days , he said . chinese officials had evacuated 374,000 people from shanghai and 250,000 from zhejiang , according to the state-run china daily . haikui , which had been a typhoon on tuesday , is the third tropical storm to hit china 's east coast in less than a week . | the rain is the bigger impact going forward , ' says cnni meteorologist taylor ward |
louisiana <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a 2009 helicopter crash in which eight people died was due to a bird striking the chopper 's windshield , the national transportation safety board said wednesday . contributing to the accident , the board said , were the lack of [ federal aviation administration ] regulations and guidance requiring helicopter windshields to be resistant to bird strikes , ' among other factors , the ntsb said in a news release . on january 4 , 2009 , a dual-engine sikorsky s-76c helicopter crashed into marshy terrain near morgan city , louisiana , about seven minutes after takeoff from amelie , louisiana . the copter was on a charter flight to a gulf of mexico oil rig . both pilots were killed , along with six of the seven passengers , according to the ntsb . heard on the helicopter 's cockpit voice recorder was a loud bang , followed by sounds consistent with rushing wind and a power reduction on both engines , ' according to the statement . the aircraft crashed several seconds later . ' feathers and other debris , identified as belonging to a red-tailed hawk , were collected from the helicopter 's canopy and windshield , the ntsb said . investigators believe the bird 's impact jarred the fire extinguisher t-handles loose and moved them aft , which pushed both engine control levers into the flight idle position , reducing fuel to both engines , the statement said . the pilots were probably disoriented from the broken windshield and rushing air and were unable to react in time to maintain control of the helicopter . ' the helicopter was registered to and operated by phi inc. , the board said . the helicopter initially was equipped with laminated glass windshields that complied with european bird-strike resistance standards , but phi had replaced them with lighter-weight acrylic windshields without bird-strike resistance . the crash occurred just days before pilot chesley sullenberger and co-pilot jeffrey skiles landed a us airways flight in the hudson river at new york city after a bird strike to the engines . only a few minor injuries were reported . the january 15 landing made heroes of sullenberger and his crew . | eight people died in the january 2009 crash in louisiana |
monica beresford-redman <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- the sisters of a los angeles woman found dead in cancun , mexico , in april want the u.s. government to explain why her husband has not been arrested a month after mexican prosecutors requested his extradition . we are tired of waiting , ' jeanne burgos said thursday . it 's not fair . ' she and her sister carla burgos staged a rally outside the federal courthouse in downtown los angeles on thursday afternoon to demand an arrest . we are demanding that the united states authorities just do what they have to do , ' burgos said . we are not asking for anything beyond what their duties are . ' reality tv producer bruce beresford-redman is still living free with his children in los angeles nearly two months after a mexican judge ordered his arrest . mexican officials said june 23 that they had sent their extradition petition to the u.s. embassy in mexico city . neither the u.s. state department nor the justice department in washington would confirm what has happened with the extradition request . a spokesman for the u.s. attorney in los angeles , who would pursue an arrest , said thursday that nothing has been filed in california . they are not telling us anything , ' said allison triessl , the burgos family 's lawyer . we have repeatedly asked . we have made phone calls almost daily , and we have received no information at all . ' beresford-redman was briefly detained after his wife 's body was found april 8 in a sewer at cancun 's moon palace resort . his passport was taken by investigators , and he was told not to leave mexico until the inquiry was concluded . quintana roo state attorney general francisco alor said in may that he has a very concrete ' case against the former survivor ' producer . beresford-redman 's lawyer , richard hirsch , has said he would fight extradition . beresford-redman returned home in may , without the knowledge of investigators , to take care of family business and see his two young children , his lawyer said . his parents have temporary legal custody of the children , ages 3 and 5 , but they are staying with beresford-redman . the initial investigation suggested that monica beresford-redman died of strangulation , because of the bruising , ' mexican regional police spokesman adrian cardena said . a source close to the wife has said that she cleaned out the family 's bank account and took her two children to hawaii because she was upset about her husband 's extramarital affair . the couple later traveled to cancun in an effort to repair their marriage , the source said . | monica beresford-redman was found dead at cancun resort in april |
mexican <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- the sisters of a los angeles woman found dead in cancun , mexico , in april want the u.s. government to explain why her husband has not been arrested a month after mexican prosecutors requested his extradition . we are tired of waiting , ' jeanne burgos said thursday . it 's not fair . ' she and her sister carla burgos staged a rally outside the federal courthouse in downtown los angeles on thursday afternoon to demand an arrest . we are demanding that the united states authorities just do what they have to do , ' burgos said . we are not asking for anything beyond what their duties are . ' reality tv producer bruce beresford-redman is still living free with his children in los angeles nearly two months after a mexican judge ordered his arrest . mexican officials said june 23 that they had sent their extradition petition to the u.s. embassy in mexico city . neither the u.s. state department nor the justice department in washington would confirm what has happened with the extradition request . a spokesman for the u.s. attorney in los angeles , who would pursue an arrest , said thursday that nothing has been filed in california . they are not telling us anything , ' said allison triessl , the burgos family 's lawyer . we have repeatedly asked . we have made phone calls almost daily , and we have received no information at all . ' beresford-redman was briefly detained after his wife 's body was found april 8 in a sewer at cancun 's moon palace resort . his passport was taken by investigators , and he was told not to leave mexico until the inquiry was concluded . quintana roo state attorney general francisco alor said in may that he has a very concrete ' case against the former survivor ' producer . beresford-redman 's lawyer , richard hirsch , has said he would fight extradition . beresford-redman returned home in may , without the knowledge of investigators , to take care of family business and see his two young children , his lawyer said . his parents have temporary legal custody of the children , ages 3 and 5 , but they are staying with beresford-redman . the initial investigation suggested that monica beresford-redman died of strangulation , because of the bruising , ' mexican regional police spokesman adrian cardena said . a source close to the wife has said that she cleaned out the family 's bank account and took her two children to hawaii because she was upset about her husband 's extramarital affair . the couple later traveled to cancun in an effort to repair their marriage , the source said . | mexican officials say u.s. received extradition request a month ago |
muslims <tsp> ( cnn ) the sun had n't risen at garissa university college . most students slept in their beds . a few had woken up to head to early morning christian prayers . then the terror began . it started with an explosion and gunshots around 5:30 a.m. thursday ( 10:30 p.m . et wednesday ) at the kenyan school 's front gates . the attackers continued to fire as they stalked through campus , with the red cross saying they stopped at a girls'dormitory . at one point , they burst into a room where christians had gathered and took hostages , said lecturer joel ayora . a student in the room told alex kubasu , a reporter with cnn affiliate citizen tv , that the terrorists sprayed bullets indiscriminately , striking his thigh . then they proceeded to the hostels , ' ayora told cnn , referring to the university dorm , shooting anybody they came across -- except their fellows , the muslims . ' according to afp , the gunmen separated the students by religion and allowed muslims to leave . this would be consistent with the past practices of al-shabaab , the somalia-based terror group that 's claimed responsibility for the attack . that 's what al-shabaab did in a december raid on a quarry in the kenyan village of kormey , near the somali border , that ended with at least 36 killed . whatever their religion , hundreds of students managed to escape , said dennis okari , a reporter with cnn affiliate ntv . some ran . some crawled . all feared for their lives . and they were the lucky ones . it was n't until about 15 hours after the attack began that the explosions and gunfire around garissa finally ended . interior ministry secretary joseph nkaissery announced that four terrorists were killed and the operation had ended successfully . ' by then , 147 people were dead and plans were underway to evacuate students and other affected persons , ' the kenya national disaster operation centre tweeted . it is a very sad day for kenya , ' nkaissery said . some of those students , at one point or another , were believed to be hostages in one of the four dormitories on campus . yet others like ayora managed to find safety , in his case at the staff residence . others escaped the college 's grounds . okari , for instance , told cnn that he saw about 200 people sitting in the scorching mid-90-degree heat thursday in a corner of a garissa airstrip , surrounded by military officials . one student , japhet mwala , recalled to afp how everyone started running ' after hearing blasts and gunshots . there were those who were not able to leave the hostels where the gunmen headed and started firing , ' mwala said . i am lucky to be alive , because i jumped through the fence with other students . ' rosalind mugambi fled into a nearby field with bullets following us . ' she escaped unscathed , but a few of her friends did not . we saw some bloodstains , ' mugambi told afp , and they were shot . ' such terrorism , sadly , is n't new to the people of eastern kenya . and that 's largely thanks to al-shabaab . while it is based in somalia , the militant group has made bloody incursions into neighboring kenya -- most notoriously a 2013 siege of nairobi 's upscale westgate mall that left at least 67 dead . a primary aim of such attacks is thought to be sowing terror . there 's also a religious undercurrent , given al-shabaab 's once and possibly future goal of creating a fundamentalist islamic state , according to the council on foreign relations . needless to say , that aim is n't shared in most places -- particularly in kenya , where more than 80 % of citizens are christian . such violence is more likely in towns like garissa , given its location 90 miles west of the somali border . what makes thursday 's attack different is what was targeted -- an institute of higher learning , presumably filled with innocent students with no direct part in the kenyan and allied governments'fight against al-shabaab . such an attack is more reminiscent of what other islamist extremist groups , the pakistani taliban and boko haram , did in respectively attacking a school in peshawar , pakistan , and kidnapping more than 200 girls at a school in chibok , nigeria . garissa university college began in the 1990s as garissa teacher training college before evolving , by government decree , into its current form as a degree-granting institution in 2011 . as of this spring , the school had schools of education , information science , and arts and social sciences . and it was growing , with its staff of 75 set to expand to 200 by year 's end , according to the college 's website . it 's too early to tell what the future now holds for garissa university college . but kenyan president uhuru kenyatta on thursday urged people around the african nation to stay calm as we resolve this matter . ' this is a moment , ' kenyatta said , for everyone throughout the country to be vigilant as we continue to confront and defeat our enemies . ' cnn 's josh levs contributed to this report . | reports : gunmen storm the kenyan school , attacking christians and letting muslims go |
kenyan <tsp> ( cnn ) the sun had n't risen at garissa university college . most students slept in their beds . a few had woken up to head to early morning christian prayers . then the terror began . it started with an explosion and gunshots around 5:30 a.m. thursday ( 10:30 p.m . et wednesday ) at the kenyan school 's front gates . the attackers continued to fire as they stalked through campus , with the red cross saying they stopped at a girls'dormitory . at one point , they burst into a room where christians had gathered and took hostages , said lecturer joel ayora . a student in the room told alex kubasu , a reporter with cnn affiliate citizen tv , that the terrorists sprayed bullets indiscriminately , striking his thigh . then they proceeded to the hostels , ' ayora told cnn , referring to the university dorm , shooting anybody they came across -- except their fellows , the muslims . ' according to afp , the gunmen separated the students by religion and allowed muslims to leave . this would be consistent with the past practices of al-shabaab , the somalia-based terror group that 's claimed responsibility for the attack . that 's what al-shabaab did in a december raid on a quarry in the kenyan village of kormey , near the somali border , that ended with at least 36 killed . whatever their religion , hundreds of students managed to escape , said dennis okari , a reporter with cnn affiliate ntv . some ran . some crawled . all feared for their lives . and they were the lucky ones . it was n't until about 15 hours after the attack began that the explosions and gunfire around garissa finally ended . interior ministry secretary joseph nkaissery announced that four terrorists were killed and the operation had ended successfully . ' by then , 147 people were dead and plans were underway to evacuate students and other affected persons , ' the kenya national disaster operation centre tweeted . it is a very sad day for kenya , ' nkaissery said . some of those students , at one point or another , were believed to be hostages in one of the four dormitories on campus . yet others like ayora managed to find safety , in his case at the staff residence . others escaped the college 's grounds . okari , for instance , told cnn that he saw about 200 people sitting in the scorching mid-90-degree heat thursday in a corner of a garissa airstrip , surrounded by military officials . one student , japhet mwala , recalled to afp how everyone started running ' after hearing blasts and gunshots . there were those who were not able to leave the hostels where the gunmen headed and started firing , ' mwala said . i am lucky to be alive , because i jumped through the fence with other students . ' rosalind mugambi fled into a nearby field with bullets following us . ' she escaped unscathed , but a few of her friends did not . we saw some bloodstains , ' mugambi told afp , and they were shot . ' such terrorism , sadly , is n't new to the people of eastern kenya . and that 's largely thanks to al-shabaab . while it is based in somalia , the militant group has made bloody incursions into neighboring kenya -- most notoriously a 2013 siege of nairobi 's upscale westgate mall that left at least 67 dead . a primary aim of such attacks is thought to be sowing terror . there 's also a religious undercurrent , given al-shabaab 's once and possibly future goal of creating a fundamentalist islamic state , according to the council on foreign relations . needless to say , that aim is n't shared in most places -- particularly in kenya , where more than 80 % of citizens are christian . such violence is more likely in towns like garissa , given its location 90 miles west of the somali border . what makes thursday 's attack different is what was targeted -- an institute of higher learning , presumably filled with innocent students with no direct part in the kenyan and allied governments'fight against al-shabaab . such an attack is more reminiscent of what other islamist extremist groups , the pakistani taliban and boko haram , did in respectively attacking a school in peshawar , pakistan , and kidnapping more than 200 girls at a school in chibok , nigeria . garissa university college began in the 1990s as garissa teacher training college before evolving , by government decree , into its current form as a degree-granting institution in 2011 . as of this spring , the school had schools of education , information science , and arts and social sciences . and it was growing , with its staff of 75 set to expand to 200 by year 's end , according to the college 's website . it 's too early to tell what the future now holds for garissa university college . but kenyan president uhuru kenyatta on thursday urged people around the african nation to stay calm as we resolve this matter . ' this is a moment , ' kenyatta said , for everyone throughout the country to be vigilant as we continue to confront and defeat our enemies . ' cnn 's josh levs contributed to this report . | kenyan agency : 147 dead , plans underway to evacuate students and others |
kenyan <tsp> ( cnn ) the sun had n't risen at garissa university college . most students slept in their beds . a few had woken up to head to early morning christian prayers . then the terror began . it started with an explosion and gunshots around 5:30 a.m. thursday ( 10:30 p.m . et wednesday ) at the kenyan school 's front gates . the attackers continued to fire as they stalked through campus , with the red cross saying they stopped at a girls'dormitory . at one point , they burst into a room where christians had gathered and took hostages , said lecturer joel ayora . a student in the room told alex kubasu , a reporter with cnn affiliate citizen tv , that the terrorists sprayed bullets indiscriminately , striking his thigh . then they proceeded to the hostels , ' ayora told cnn , referring to the university dorm , shooting anybody they came across -- except their fellows , the muslims . ' according to afp , the gunmen separated the students by religion and allowed muslims to leave . this would be consistent with the past practices of al-shabaab , the somalia-based terror group that 's claimed responsibility for the attack . that 's what al-shabaab did in a december raid on a quarry in the kenyan village of kormey , near the somali border , that ended with at least 36 killed . whatever their religion , hundreds of students managed to escape , said dennis okari , a reporter with cnn affiliate ntv . some ran . some crawled . all feared for their lives . and they were the lucky ones . it was n't until about 15 hours after the attack began that the explosions and gunfire around garissa finally ended . interior ministry secretary joseph nkaissery announced that four terrorists were killed and the operation had ended successfully . ' by then , 147 people were dead and plans were underway to evacuate students and other affected persons , ' the kenya national disaster operation centre tweeted . it is a very sad day for kenya , ' nkaissery said . some of those students , at one point or another , were believed to be hostages in one of the four dormitories on campus . yet others like ayora managed to find safety , in his case at the staff residence . others escaped the college 's grounds . okari , for instance , told cnn that he saw about 200 people sitting in the scorching mid-90-degree heat thursday in a corner of a garissa airstrip , surrounded by military officials . one student , japhet mwala , recalled to afp how everyone started running ' after hearing blasts and gunshots . there were those who were not able to leave the hostels where the gunmen headed and started firing , ' mwala said . i am lucky to be alive , because i jumped through the fence with other students . ' rosalind mugambi fled into a nearby field with bullets following us . ' she escaped unscathed , but a few of her friends did not . we saw some bloodstains , ' mugambi told afp , and they were shot . ' such terrorism , sadly , is n't new to the people of eastern kenya . and that 's largely thanks to al-shabaab . while it is based in somalia , the militant group has made bloody incursions into neighboring kenya -- most notoriously a 2013 siege of nairobi 's upscale westgate mall that left at least 67 dead . a primary aim of such attacks is thought to be sowing terror . there 's also a religious undercurrent , given al-shabaab 's once and possibly future goal of creating a fundamentalist islamic state , according to the council on foreign relations . needless to say , that aim is n't shared in most places -- particularly in kenya , where more than 80 % of citizens are christian . such violence is more likely in towns like garissa , given its location 90 miles west of the somali border . what makes thursday 's attack different is what was targeted -- an institute of higher learning , presumably filled with innocent students with no direct part in the kenyan and allied governments'fight against al-shabaab . such an attack is more reminiscent of what other islamist extremist groups , the pakistani taliban and boko haram , did in respectively attacking a school in peshawar , pakistan , and kidnapping more than 200 girls at a school in chibok , nigeria . garissa university college began in the 1990s as garissa teacher training college before evolving , by government decree , into its current form as a degree-granting institution in 2011 . as of this spring , the school had schools of education , information science , and arts and social sciences . and it was growing , with its staff of 75 set to expand to 200 by year 's end , according to the college 's website . it 's too early to tell what the future now holds for garissa university college . but kenyan president uhuru kenyatta on thursday urged people around the african nation to stay calm as we resolve this matter . ' this is a moment , ' kenyatta said , for everyone throughout the country to be vigilant as we continue to confront and defeat our enemies . ' cnn 's josh levs contributed to this report . | reports : gunmen storm the kenyan school , attacking christians and letting muslims go |
garissa university college <tsp> ( cnn ) the sun had n't risen at garissa university college . most students slept in their beds . a few had woken up to head to early morning christian prayers . then the terror began . it started with an explosion and gunshots around 5:30 a.m. thursday ( 10:30 p.m . et wednesday ) at the kenyan school 's front gates . the attackers continued to fire as they stalked through campus , with the red cross saying they stopped at a girls'dormitory . at one point , they burst into a room where christians had gathered and took hostages , said lecturer joel ayora . a student in the room told alex kubasu , a reporter with cnn affiliate citizen tv , that the terrorists sprayed bullets indiscriminately , striking his thigh . then they proceeded to the hostels , ' ayora told cnn , referring to the university dorm , shooting anybody they came across -- except their fellows , the muslims . ' according to afp , the gunmen separated the students by religion and allowed muslims to leave . this would be consistent with the past practices of al-shabaab , the somalia-based terror group that 's claimed responsibility for the attack . that 's what al-shabaab did in a december raid on a quarry in the kenyan village of kormey , near the somali border , that ended with at least 36 killed . whatever their religion , hundreds of students managed to escape , said dennis okari , a reporter with cnn affiliate ntv . some ran . some crawled . all feared for their lives . and they were the lucky ones . it was n't until about 15 hours after the attack began that the explosions and gunfire around garissa finally ended . interior ministry secretary joseph nkaissery announced that four terrorists were killed and the operation had ended successfully . ' by then , 147 people were dead and plans were underway to evacuate students and other affected persons , ' the kenya national disaster operation centre tweeted . it is a very sad day for kenya , ' nkaissery said . some of those students , at one point or another , were believed to be hostages in one of the four dormitories on campus . yet others like ayora managed to find safety , in his case at the staff residence . others escaped the college 's grounds . okari , for instance , told cnn that he saw about 200 people sitting in the scorching mid-90-degree heat thursday in a corner of a garissa airstrip , surrounded by military officials . one student , japhet mwala , recalled to afp how everyone started running ' after hearing blasts and gunshots . there were those who were not able to leave the hostels where the gunmen headed and started firing , ' mwala said . i am lucky to be alive , because i jumped through the fence with other students . ' rosalind mugambi fled into a nearby field with bullets following us . ' she escaped unscathed , but a few of her friends did not . we saw some bloodstains , ' mugambi told afp , and they were shot . ' such terrorism , sadly , is n't new to the people of eastern kenya . and that 's largely thanks to al-shabaab . while it is based in somalia , the militant group has made bloody incursions into neighboring kenya -- most notoriously a 2013 siege of nairobi 's upscale westgate mall that left at least 67 dead . a primary aim of such attacks is thought to be sowing terror . there 's also a religious undercurrent , given al-shabaab 's once and possibly future goal of creating a fundamentalist islamic state , according to the council on foreign relations . needless to say , that aim is n't shared in most places -- particularly in kenya , where more than 80 % of citizens are christian . such violence is more likely in towns like garissa , given its location 90 miles west of the somali border . what makes thursday 's attack different is what was targeted -- an institute of higher learning , presumably filled with innocent students with no direct part in the kenyan and allied governments'fight against al-shabaab . such an attack is more reminiscent of what other islamist extremist groups , the pakistani taliban and boko haram , did in respectively attacking a school in peshawar , pakistan , and kidnapping more than 200 girls at a school in chibok , nigeria . garissa university college began in the 1990s as garissa teacher training college before evolving , by government decree , into its current form as a degree-granting institution in 2011 . as of this spring , the school had schools of education , information science , and arts and social sciences . and it was growing , with its staff of 75 set to expand to 200 by year 's end , according to the college 's website . it 's too early to tell what the future now holds for garissa university college . but kenyan president uhuru kenyatta on thursday urged people around the african nation to stay calm as we resolve this matter . ' this is a moment , ' kenyatta said , for everyone throughout the country to be vigilant as we continue to confront and defeat our enemies . ' cnn 's josh levs contributed to this report . | garissa university college students wake to explosions and gunfire |
christians <tsp> ( cnn ) the sun had n't risen at garissa university college . most students slept in their beds . a few had woken up to head to early morning christian prayers . then the terror began . it started with an explosion and gunshots around 5:30 a.m. thursday ( 10:30 p.m . et wednesday ) at the kenyan school 's front gates . the attackers continued to fire as they stalked through campus , with the red cross saying they stopped at a girls'dormitory . at one point , they burst into a room where christians had gathered and took hostages , said lecturer joel ayora . a student in the room told alex kubasu , a reporter with cnn affiliate citizen tv , that the terrorists sprayed bullets indiscriminately , striking his thigh . then they proceeded to the hostels , ' ayora told cnn , referring to the university dorm , shooting anybody they came across -- except their fellows , the muslims . ' according to afp , the gunmen separated the students by religion and allowed muslims to leave . this would be consistent with the past practices of al-shabaab , the somalia-based terror group that 's claimed responsibility for the attack . that 's what al-shabaab did in a december raid on a quarry in the kenyan village of kormey , near the somali border , that ended with at least 36 killed . whatever their religion , hundreds of students managed to escape , said dennis okari , a reporter with cnn affiliate ntv . some ran . some crawled . all feared for their lives . and they were the lucky ones . it was n't until about 15 hours after the attack began that the explosions and gunfire around garissa finally ended . interior ministry secretary joseph nkaissery announced that four terrorists were killed and the operation had ended successfully . ' by then , 147 people were dead and plans were underway to evacuate students and other affected persons , ' the kenya national disaster operation centre tweeted . it is a very sad day for kenya , ' nkaissery said . some of those students , at one point or another , were believed to be hostages in one of the four dormitories on campus . yet others like ayora managed to find safety , in his case at the staff residence . others escaped the college 's grounds . okari , for instance , told cnn that he saw about 200 people sitting in the scorching mid-90-degree heat thursday in a corner of a garissa airstrip , surrounded by military officials . one student , japhet mwala , recalled to afp how everyone started running ' after hearing blasts and gunshots . there were those who were not able to leave the hostels where the gunmen headed and started firing , ' mwala said . i am lucky to be alive , because i jumped through the fence with other students . ' rosalind mugambi fled into a nearby field with bullets following us . ' she escaped unscathed , but a few of her friends did not . we saw some bloodstains , ' mugambi told afp , and they were shot . ' such terrorism , sadly , is n't new to the people of eastern kenya . and that 's largely thanks to al-shabaab . while it is based in somalia , the militant group has made bloody incursions into neighboring kenya -- most notoriously a 2013 siege of nairobi 's upscale westgate mall that left at least 67 dead . a primary aim of such attacks is thought to be sowing terror . there 's also a religious undercurrent , given al-shabaab 's once and possibly future goal of creating a fundamentalist islamic state , according to the council on foreign relations . needless to say , that aim is n't shared in most places -- particularly in kenya , where more than 80 % of citizens are christian . such violence is more likely in towns like garissa , given its location 90 miles west of the somali border . what makes thursday 's attack different is what was targeted -- an institute of higher learning , presumably filled with innocent students with no direct part in the kenyan and allied governments'fight against al-shabaab . such an attack is more reminiscent of what other islamist extremist groups , the pakistani taliban and boko haram , did in respectively attacking a school in peshawar , pakistan , and kidnapping more than 200 girls at a school in chibok , nigeria . garissa university college began in the 1990s as garissa teacher training college before evolving , by government decree , into its current form as a degree-granting institution in 2011 . as of this spring , the school had schools of education , information science , and arts and social sciences . and it was growing , with its staff of 75 set to expand to 200 by year 's end , according to the college 's website . it 's too early to tell what the future now holds for garissa university college . but kenyan president uhuru kenyatta on thursday urged people around the african nation to stay calm as we resolve this matter . ' this is a moment , ' kenyatta said , for everyone throughout the country to be vigilant as we continue to confront and defeat our enemies . ' cnn 's josh levs contributed to this report . | reports : gunmen storm the kenyan school , attacking christians and letting muslims go |
mosul museum <tsp> irbil , iraq ( cnn ) they take sledgehammers to statues with an uncommon gusto -- destroying in seconds what may have survived centuries . new video released by isis shows militants smashing what they say are antiquities at a museum in mosul , iraq . men shove statues off pedestals , and use hammers and drills to destroy what 's left . an unnamed militant offers the following explanation : these antiquities and idols behind me were from people in past centuries and were worshiped instead of god . when god almighty orders us to destroy these statues , idols and antiquities , we must do it , even if they 're worth billions of dollars , ' he says . it 's not clear from the footage how many of the pieces were originals , versus replicas . experts are clear in saying , however , the video represents a clear loss . qais hussain rashid , director general of iraqi museums at the ministry of antiquities and tourism , said friday on iraqiya tv that most of the artifacts shown in the isis video were real -- including a famed , millennia-old winged bull that 's seen being defaced with a drill . mosul museum has 173 original pieces , and there were preparations to reopen the mosul museum before isis invaded the city in june 2014 , ' rashid said . he added that mosul has more than 1,700 historical sites that are potentially at risk . on repeated viewing of that very grainy video , we now suspect that there ( were ) far more originals in the museum than i first thought , ' said eleanor robson , chairwoman of the british institute for the study of iraq . whilst there was indeed a program to relocate antiquities to safekeeping in baghdad , it looks now as though it did n't reach that particular museum . ' i condemn this as a deliberate attack against iraq 's millennial history and culture , and as an inflammatory incitement to violence and hatred , ' said irina bokova , director-general of unesco , the united nations cultural organization . this attack is far more than a cultural tragedy -- this is also a security issue as it fuels sectarianism , violent extremism and conflict in iraq , ' she said , calling for an emergency meeting of the security council to protect iraq 's cultural heritage . how isis is run cnn has extensively reported on isis'destruction of some ancient and deeply meaningful sites in that country . officials there have said isis has blown up shrines such as the tomb of jonah . its motives are not purely ideological , however ; isis makes money off looting . rashid has told cnn that isis sells stolen antiquities to criminals and antique dealers on the black market . everything to know about the rise of isis the militant group also allows locals to dig at ancient sites as long as those people give isis a percentage of the monetary value of anything found , according to a september 2014 new york times opinion piece written by three people who had recently returned from southern turkey and interviewed people who live and work in isis-controlled territory . isis'system of profiteering from antiquities thieving is very complicated , the three said , adding that for some areas along the euphrates river , isis leaders encourage semiprofessional field crews to dig . isis militant'jihadi john'identified ben wedeman reported this story from irbil . dana ford reported and wrote this story from atlanta . cnn 's ashley fantz and yousuf basil also contributed to this report . | director general of iraqi museums says mosul museum had 173 original pieces |
abu sayyaf <tsp> ( cnn ) -- after nearly 15 months being held captive by suspected islamic militants in the southern philippines , warren rodwell is emaciated , exhausted but delighted to be free at last . philippine authorities found rodwell , a 54-year-old australian , early saturday in the port city of pagadian on the island of mindanao . he had been taken hostage in december 2011 , when armed men showed up at the residence where he and his filipina wife lived on mindanao . his captors , believed to be part of the islamic extremist group abu sayyaf , demanded a ransom of $ 2 million , a sum the australian government refused to pay . as his detention dragged on , his family and officials in australia and the philippines continued to work to try to secure his release . their efforts paid off when a philippine port employee reportedly spotted a sodden and mud-flecked rodwell trudging ashore in pagadian before daybreak on saturday . appearing gaunt with sunken cheeks and spindly limbs in photos and videos after his release , rodwell is now receiving medical treatment . he was expected to be reunited with his brother and sister , who are in the philippines . relief for the family ' we 're happy and relieved that warren has finally been released , ' his sister denise cappello said at a news briefing in manila on monday . i 'm sure you will understand that this has been a very difficult and exhausting ordeal for warren , ' his brother wayne rodwell said at the same briefing . it has also been a difficult time for his family . ' he is delighted to be free , ' he said . he has , however , lost a lot of weight and is exhausted . he will need special medical support as well as time and space to recover . ' reports in the australian and philippine news media suggested that rodwell 's family had paid a ransom worth nearly $ 100,000 in return for his release . his brother and sister declined to field questions at the news conference in manila . the philippine government on sunday said that its policy is not to pay ransoms for victims of kidnappings , the official philippines news agency reported . having said that , we have no information or confirmation on that alleged ransom that was paid , ' deputy presidential spokesperson abigail valte said . a separatist group abu sayyaf , which wants to establish a separate state for the philippines'minority muslim population , has been blamed for several terrorist attacks , including the bombing of a ferry in 2004 that left about 130 people dead , as well as previous kidnappings . although the philippine government agreed a preliminary peace deal last year with the moro islamic liberation front , a leading rebel group in the country 's restive south , some extremists are still active . we wish the philippine police every success in tracking down the group that took warren from his home , ' cappello said . we hope they will be brought to justice , so others do n't have to experience what warren has just been through , ' she added . the australian government welcomed rodwell 's release over the weekend , paying tribute to the philippine government agencies that try to tackle kidnapping cases . prime minister julia gillard also acknowledged what his relatives had gone through . mr. rodwell 's family have shown a great deal of courage and stoicism in what has been a tremendously difficult situation , ' she said . | his captors were believed to be the islamic militant group abu sayyaf |
spcai <tsp> placerville , california ( cnn ) -- california 's attorney general is actively reviewing ' an animal charity executive who had agreed not to take a higher office with another charity after a state investigation into how her previous employer had spent its donations , a spokesman for the ag 's office told cnn . the woman at the center of the review , terri crisp , has been identified by spca international in its tax filings as one of its directors or officers . she also serves as the spokeswoman for the charity 's baghdad pups ' program which , according to spca international , helps u.s. troops safely transport home the companion animals they befriend in the war zone . ' before her work with spca international , crisp headed the california-based animal rescue charity noah 's wish , which received millions of dollars in donations after hurricane katrina struck the u.s. gulf coast in 2005 . it promised to use the money to help animals affected by the disaster the california attorney general investigated whether contributions to noah 's wish for rescuing and caring for the animal victims of hurricane katrina ' were used for that purpose . in the summer of 2007 , noah 's wish reached a settlement agreement with the state of california in which the charity agreed to forfeit $ 4 million in donations out of the $ 8 million raised by the charity . under that settlement , crisp agreed not to serve as an officer , director or trustee or in any position having the duties or responsibilities of an officer , director or trustee , with any nonprofit organization for a period of five ( 5 ) years from the date of the execution of this settlement agreement . ' yet in a filing with the north carolina secretary of state 's office last year , spca international named crisp in its list of officers and directors . california 's attorney general launched the investigation into noah 's wish after a bookkeeper with the charity and others alerted his office to questionable business practices . the former bookkeeper , who wants to conceal her identity for reasons unrelated to her work at noah 's wish , told cnn that donations came pouring into noah 's wish soon after hurricane katrina . crisp had appealed for donations on numerous television networks , including cnn . there was cash , there were checks , there were cashiers checks , there were letters -- heartbreaking letters from kids who , instead of having birthday parties , they wanted all the money to go to noah 's wish to help those poor little animals , ' the woman said . on a given day , we would have , oh my gosh , easily $ 20,000 ... just in checks . ' and she said suddenly terri crisp changed , hiring her daughter and acting as if the money was hers to keep . both made six-figure salaries , the former bookkeeper said . terri at one time said ,'i 've worked hard for so many years , doing animal rescue , i am entitled to this money .'' when approached by cnn at her placerville , california , home , crisp told cnn she has nothing to hide ' but refused to answer any detailed questions without permission from the organization 's communications director . cnn requested an on-camera interview several weeks ago from stephanie scott , the spca international public relations director , but scott never responded either by phone or e-mail . standing on the lawn of her home , crisp told cnn that you 've taken a lot of the information ' provided by spca international and reported it incorrectly . ' cnn said now was her chance to correct the record she saw as inaccurate . i would love to but as i said , i 'm an employee of spca international . ' she added , i ca n't answer any of your questions . believe me , i would love to . ' she did tell cnn that the noah 's wish board of directors set her salary and that she is now an employee , not a director , at spca international . a cnn investigation into spca international found that the charity raised close to $ 27 million to help animals worldwide but spent nearly all of that money on fund-raising expenses paid to a direct-mail company . in 2010 , spca international owed $ 8.4 million to quadriga art and its affiliated company , brickmill marketing services , according to publicly available internal revenue service 990 tax records . quadriga art is one of the world 's largest direct-mail providers to charities and nonprofits . it is the same fund-raiser hired by two veterans charities that spent tens of millions of dollars for its services -- triggering a senate investigation last month into whether one of the charities should retain its tax-exempt status . that charity , washington-based disabled veterans national foundation , collected nearly $ 56 million in donations over the past three years yet paid quadriga art more than $ 60 million in fees , according to a cnn investigation into the charity 's tax records . the other veterans charity , national veterans foundation , raised more than $ 22 million in donations over the past three years to help veterans yet spent about $ 18.2 million to pay quadriga art , according to irs 990 forms . spca international is still in debt to quadriga art , according to a spokeswoman for the direct-mail firm , adding that 's part of the charity 's aggressive strategy ' to build a broad donor base . that resulted in an expected high cost in the beginning of their acquisition program , ' said the spokeswoman , who declined to be named . she called spca international 's efforts a successful strategy . ' there 's no question that a charity needs to spend money to raise money , according to bob ottenhoff , president of the charity watchdog group guidestar . but he said that spca international 's tax records raise a number of red flags . ' no . 1 , there is an enormous amount of money going into fund-raising , ' ottenhoff said . it 's not unusual for a nonprofit to fund-raise . in fact they need to fund-raise . but this organization has an enormous amount of fund-raising costs , certainly relative to the amount of money being spent . ' of the $ 14 million raised in 2010 , spca international reports it spent less than 0.5 % -- about $ 60,000 -- in small cash grants to animal shelters across the united states . it also said it spent about $ 450,000 -- about 3 % of the total raised in 2010 -- to bring back animals from iraq and afghanistan as part of its baghdad pups ' program . in addition to its questionable finances , cnn found that spca international misrepresented the baghdad pups ' program on its tax filings . on its website and its tax filings , spca international describes as a program that helps u.s. troops safely transport home the companion animals they befriend in the war zone . ' yet the charity admitted that only 26 of the nearly 500 animals transported to the united states from iraq and afghanistan were actually service animals . the rest were stray animals , said stephanie scott , the charity 's communications director . watch anderson cooper 360° weeknights 10pm et . for the latest from ac360° click here . | california 's attorney general is now reviewing crisp 's involvement with spcai |
winter hill <tsp> boston ( cnn ) -- in many respects it was like a meeting of old friends : james whitey ' bulger listening carefully -- laughing heartily at one point -- to colorful recollections of former boston bookie richard o'brien , who ran a successful bookmaking operation that he inherited from his father . but this was no remember-when reunion between two elderly men . the 84-year-old o'brien , who lives in florida and uses a wheel chair , testified friday as a prosecution witness at the federal trial of bulger , who is charged in the deaths of 19 people during the nearly two decades that prosecutors say he was the head of the irish mob in boston . o'brien described a meeting between bulger and a man who owed him money . when the man balked at paying , bulger replied , we have a business besides bookmaking . ' what 's that ? ' the man asked . killing ( expletive ) like you . ' the 83-year-old bulger , who has shown little emotion in the first days of trial , threw his head back and let out a laugh . at trial , bulger edscribed as'hands-on killer' o'brien said he was an independent ' bookmaker , or unaffiliated with a crime organization , when bulger summoned him to a meeting to discuss joining the bulger group . o'brien said had been working for the italian mafia in boston 's north end but bulger told him , forget the north end . if you want to be in business , you have to be with us . ' he had no choice but to join bulger 's winter hill gang , o'brien testified , saying , their reputation preceded them . ' o'brien then referenced boston 's violent gang wars saying , a lot of people were shot . mr. bulger ended up on top . you can draw your own conclusions . ' thus began a 14-year relationship , with o'brien testifying he paid bulger 's group a couple of thousand dollars , cash , in rent ' virtually every month . asked why , o'brien replied , i valued my life as well as those with me . ' the monthly payment went in excess of $ 2,000 , o'brien said , and was sometimes higher because bulger and partner steven the rifleman ' flemmi would charge random taxes ' if , for example , one of o'brien 's workers found himself at the end of a government wiretap . bulger never personally took the money , which was always paid in cash . it was always handed to bulger 's partner , flemmi . maybe he never wanted it entered into evidence , ' o'brien offered . o'brien said he moved to florida in the early '90s , turning over the day-to-day operations of his bookmaking business to one of his six daughters . several years later , he said , he was summoned to a meeting with flemmi amid rumblings that bulger associates -- including a father-and-daughter team ' -- were starting to cooperate with the government . he said before he left for the meeting he told his daughter , if i 'm not back in 12 hours go to the fbi in miami . do n't go home ( to boston ) . do n't go to the fbi there . ' o'brien is expected to continue testifying monday . jurors earlier heard testimony from retired massachusetts state police col. thomas foley , who on thursday described the fbi 's informant program as poorly run . ' the fbi put a higher priority protecting their informants ' than they did protecting public safety , ' foley said . bulger 's lawyers are trying to show bulger was allowed to act with impunity , sanctioned by corrupt fbi agents and federal prosecutors . on cross-examination bulger attorney hank brennan questioned foley about the integrity of bulger 's fbi informant file , which is likely to be introduced at trial , asking the retired investigator why he would accept the informant file as accurate when it was compiled by the same fbi agents foley believed were lying to him . foley said he had other sources but acknowledged he had never checked the validity of the entire file . bulger 's lawyers also are trying to establish that bulger was never a paid informant for the fbi and that instead bulger was the one paying rogue agents for information . the trial is expected to take up to three months and has the potential to reveal sensational details about the mob and fbi corruption , especially if bulger chooses to testify . bulger was in hiding for 16 years before he was captured in santa monica , california , two years ago , living under a false name with his girlfriend in an apartment in the oceanside city . at his july 2011 arraignment , he pleaded not guilty to the 19 murder charges and 13 other counts . | he 's charged in 19 killings during the two decades he ran boston 's winter hill gang |
super bowl <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tyler sampson , a middle-schooler from frisco , texas , does n't let his differences get in the way of his dream . the seventh grader was born with only half of his right arm , but he still excels on the football field . this week , he was part of a different kind of victory . his story was included in the nfl 's together we make football ' contest , which highlighted inspiring , heartwarming and empowering stories from football fans around the country . sampson and his parents had no idea that when a camera crew came to film a pep rally at his school , it meant he had won . standing in the middle of his school 's gymnasium , sampson was surprised by his favorite player , demarcus ware . ware had another surprise , too -- tickets to this year 's super bowl . ware has been an inspiration to sampson since they met in a grocery store a few years ago . ware had taken a moment to encourage sampson to follow his dreams of playing football . four other special football fans also won the grand prize , including lee krost , who is the quarterback of a flag football team at age 75 . krost received his prize from joe namath . | tyler sampson received tickets to the super bowl from dallas cowboys'demarcus ware |
texas <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a texas court granted a stay of execution for convicted murderer henry hank ' skinner on monday , giving skinner time to pursue dna testing his lawyers say could prove his innocence . skinner had been scheduled to die by lethal injection wednesday evening for the new year 's eve 1993 killings of his live-in girlfriend , twila busby , and her two adult sons in the texas panhandle town of pampa . but the state court of criminal appeals halted the proceeding monday afternoon , ruling that it needed time to review the state 's revised law on dna testing . in a written statement , skinner 's lawyer , rob owen , said the decision has ensured that mr. skinner 's request for dna testing will receive the thorough and serious consideration it deserves . ' skinner , now 49 , has strongly denied any involvement in the crime and claims that the dna analysis of untested evidence will not only show him innocent but help determine the real killer . he came within 45 minutes of execution in march 2010 before the u.s. supreme court stepped in and handed him a legal reprieve . as another execution date loomed , his supporters ratcheted up the pressure on texas officials to grant his request for dna testing . executing mr. skinner without testing all the relevant evidence would suggest official indifference to the possibility of error in this case and needlessly undermine public confidence in texas 's criminal justice system , ' former texas gov . mark white and 16 other current and former texas lawmakers , prosecutors and judges wrote in an october 27 letter to gov . rick perry , texas attorney general greg abbott and gray county district attorney lynn switzer . owen requested a 30-day reprieve from perry 's office monday afternoon , shortly before the appeals court issued its ruling , arguing that substantial new evidence ' has come to light since his trial to support skinner 's claim of innocence . physical evidence from the crime scene , witness accounts and expert testimony all demonstrate that mr. skinner was so severely impaired at the time of the murders as a result of his extreme intoxication from drugs and alcohol that he would have lacked the physical and mental coordination to perform even simple tasks , let alone commit these three murders , ' owen wrote . dna tests could resolve once and for all longstanding and troubling questions about the reliability of the verdict in his case , ' he added . and in a letter to the dallas morning news published sunday , the foreman of the jury that sentenced skinner to death urged his execution be stayed until all of the uncertainty is resolved . ' since the trial , i and many of my fellow jurors have grown increasingly concerned that key pieces of dna evidence from the crime scene remain untested , ' the foreman , danny stewart , wrote . either the tests confirm skinner 's guilt or prove his innocence and prevent the state from making an irreversible mistake . there is simply no downside . ' skinner admits being at the crime scene when busby and her sons died but said he was passed out on the couch from a combination of vodka and codeine and was too intoxicated to have committed the murders . monday 's decision comes four days after the trial court denied skinner 's latest request for dna testing on a variety of items collected by police , including vaginal swabs from busby contained in a rape kit ; clippings from her fingernails ; two knives , one found on busby 's front porch and the second found in a plastic bag in the living room ; a dish towel ; and blood and hairs from a jacket found next to busby 's body . all the district attorney has got to do is turn over the evidence and test it , and let the chips fall where they may , ' skinner told cnn 's kate bolduan in 2009 in an interview from death row at the polunsky correctional institution in livingston , texas . if i 'm innocent , i go home . if i 'm guilty , i die . what 's so hard about that ? ' a federal case in which skinner is also seeking the testing has been put on hold pending the outcome of the state court proceedings . texas state attorneys argued at a recent court hearing that the testing should not be conducted because there was not a reasonable probability the trial jury would have found skinner not guilty if the testing had been done for his trial , owen said . switzer 's office has refused comment on the case , while perry 's office referred questions last week to the attorney general 's office , which also denied comment . in may 2010 , two months after halting skinner 's execution , the supreme court ruled 6-3 that skinner has a basic civil right to press for dna analysis . but texas prosecutors have fought the testing , claiming that skinner is not entitled to testing of evidence not analyzed before his 1995 trial . forensic evidence gathered at the scene , as well as witness statements , points to skinner as the killer , they maintain . a female friend of skinner 's who lived four blocks away testified at his trial that he walked to her mobile home and told her that he may have kicked twila busby to death , although evidence did not show she had been kicked . the neighbor has since recanted parts of her testimony . authorities followed a blood trail from the crime scene to the female friend 's home and found skinner in the closet , authorities said . he was wearing heavily blood-stained jeans and socks and bearing a gash on the palm of his right hand , ' according to the texas attorney general 's summary of the case . authorities said cuts on skinner 's hand came from the knife used to stab the men . skinner claimed he cut it on glass . some dna testing was done , which implicated skinner , but not on the items he now wants tested . in addition to twila busby , also found stabbed to death were her sons elwin scooter ' caler , 22 , and randy busby , 20 , both of whom were developmentally disabled . busby 's family , including busby 's surviving daughter , believes skinner is guilty . but they also have pressed state officials to do the forensic testing , saying it would end the years-long delay while skinner has pressed his legal claims . | henry hank ' skinner was scheduled for execution wednesday in texas |
qatar <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it has been a rocky couple of years for the people of egypt . since the 2011 revolution , the economy has tanked , street protests are an almost daily occurrence and the political situation remains volatile . however , a handful of young egyptians have found that the best way to take a stand against the turmoil is with stand-up comedy . we are like a little beam of sunlight , coming through and reminding people ,'do n't worry ! when this cloud passes , it will be brighter . it will be happier ,'' says rami borai , a comedian in one of egypt 's first home-grown comedy troupes , hezb el comedy . the group , whose name means the comedy party , ' was formed in 2009 by hashim al gahry , who admits he started up with zero capital . ' al gahry and some friends pooled their savings , and started marketing the group through social media . when they 're not performing , hezb el comedy teaches the art of stand-up to other aspiring comics , instructing them on things like timing and body language . we 're not the funniest people in the world , but it 's the experience that has put us in a position to give them advice and tell them ,'these are our mistakes , and this is what you can do to avoid what we did ,'' says al gahry . read more : book shows collection of iran 's political cartoons other arab nations are similarly investing in grassroots comedy . in qatar , a few young comics have come together to form sucq ( an acronym for stand up comedy qatar ) . it 's an american art . we took it from the americans . we have reshaped it to adapt to our culture and society and people , ' says hamad al amri , 24 , a comedian who is also a banker by day . mohamed kamal , who also performs stand-up with sucq , notes that given qatar 's political climate , there are limits to what he can joke about . we ca n't talk about politics , or very sensitive topics , like sex or religion , ' he notes . for those comics in the middle east who do n't censor themselves , comedy can be a risky business . earlier this month , egyptian satirist bassem youssef made headlines after he was charged for mocking both islam and egypt 's president , mohamed morsy . other comics in the region have faced similar fates . sami fehri , a tunisian producer of a political puppet show , was imprisoned for corruption charges , and saudi blogger raif badawi was jailed last year for mocking religious figures . read more : syria 's freedom graffiti ' amid devastation of war goes viral al gahry admits that as a comic , he must proceed with caution . you have to push the limit , but you have to be very careful , ' he says . borai , meanwhile , finds humour in the prospect of facing arrest . if i ever read a newspaper that said ,'ramy was indicted ,'i would say ,'yo , mom , this is it !'i 'll fly out of here , but i would be like ,'i got kicked out of my country for being too damn funny !'' | young people in qatar have also started a stand-up comedy group |
787 dreamliner <tsp> everett , washington ( cnn ) -- sprawled out before us sits the exterior of the world 's biggest building by volume . they make airliners here . big ones . let 's go see some airplanes ! ' says our boeing vip tour guide . i remind myself : this does n't happen very often . yeah yeah yeah , boeing offers public tours of this 98.3-acre airliner factory north of seattle every day . this ai n't that . this is special . as part of a convention of aviation fans called aviation geek fest , we 're gaining ultra-exclusive access to the factory floor . the public tour is limited to the balcony . we 're about to walk knee-deep where boeing gives birth to some of the world 's biggest and most advanced airliners , including the 747-8 intercontinental , the 777 worldliner and the 787 dreamliner . hot damn . but not so fast -- before we go inside , boeing has laid down some rules : no photos , no video , for our eyes only . here 's a painful development : our smartphones have been confiscated . gulp . i 'm already suffering from phantom phone pangs . we enter through a small , inconspicuous door marked s-1 . suddenly , we 're surrounded by partly assembled airliners in a room so big it takes on the feeling of an entire world . in some spots , we gaze across an unobstructed view measuring a quarter-mile . this building is so flippin'big that -- years ago -- it created its own inside weather patterns , including vapor clouds . they eliminated that by installing a special ventilation system . today 's factory forecast : avgeeking , with continued avgeeking and a favorable chance of avgeeking later in the day . here are a few cool tidbits : jaw-dropping perspective the thrill of being so close to the planes literally stops you in your tracks . seemingly everywhere you look there 's another five- or six-story-tall airplane towering over you . some are covered with a green , protective temporary coating . one dreamliner tail is painted with the familiar british airways red , white and blue . another sports new zealand air 's cool black-and-white . boeing paints the tails before they 're attached to the planes . then they carefully adjust the tails for balance . paint adds hundreds of pounds of weight , which would ruin the plane 's balance if the tails were painted after being attached . soon these behemoths will jet across vast oceans as they carry travelers to far-flung destinations .'you 've got ta have secret clearance' the planes'huge fuselages are joined together with the help of a giant piece of equipment called a saddle . ' this u-shaped metal cage straddles the top of the planes during the body-joining process . the wing build ' area -- where workers attach wings to the planes -- is the loudest part of the entire facility . the staccato of rivet guns pierces the heavy air . whooshing vacuums suck up any dust that may be created when workers drill into the planes'lightweight carbon composite material . security concerns in the plant are real . conversation-restricted area , ' says one sign . as we walk past a fenced-off zone , our guide quips , you 've got ta have secret clearance . i ca n't even go in there ! ' the rock star engine then , like a holy relic brought back from the crusades -- boeing lets us touch it . ' by it ' we mean the ge90-115b . guinness calls it the most powerful commercially produced jet engine in the world . we gather around this rock star engine like thirsty travelers at a desert oasis , each taking turns running our hands across its silver exterior . the lip of the engine 's mouth feels rough , like it has countless scratches etched into it . that design , engineers discovered , helps reduce noise . this 19,000-pound monster hangs from the wing of a giant 777 , but the engine still looks humongous -- measuring more than 11 feet in diameter . in fact , boeing says it 's so big you could fit the body of a 737 airliner inside it . there 's no way to sense the sheer size of an airplane without being right there underneath it , ' says nycaviation.com contributor ben granucci , enjoying his first aviation geek fest . engines like this make it possible for wide-body planes to fly long-distance routes nonstop with only two engines instead of three or four . in fact , the 777 flies many of the world 's longest nonstop routes . in 2005 it set the world distance record for a nonstop commercial airline flight , jetting 13,423 miles from hong kong eastbound to london in 22 hours , 22 minutes . the world 's top flying hauler just a few hours earlier , a handful of aviation geeks were hanging out at a hotel next to paine field , the airport boeing uses to test and deliver the factory 's planes . then , granucci tweeted out that the plane that hauls the most cargo by volume in the world just happened to be passing through . count me in . soon , a dozen camera-wielding geeks are lined up outside the hotel to welcome the dreamlifter -- a modified 747 -- as it lumbers in for a landing . we 're gon na be late for breakfast , ' says avgeek steve dillo as he snaps photo after photo . but this is worth it . ' the thing roars like a lion , but it looks like a whale as it slows for touchdown . in the entire world , there are only four of these giant planes . boeing uses them to ferry big sections of the 787 for final assembly here in everett . last year , when a dreamlifter landed at the wrong airport in kansas , it was n't exactly a stellar moment . the avgeek news network this is the fifth avgeek fest , co-sponsored by airlinereporter.com and everett 's future of flight museum . the february convention drew a record 300-plus participants from 18 different states and three countries . former gm and toyota engineer philip mckenzie , flew 8,000 miles from melbourne , australia , to see how things are laid out ' in the factory . vancouver airport official trevor batstone traveled 100 miles from canada . who are these people -- these avgeeks ? what defines them ? it 's someone who always looks up in the sky when they hear a jet roar , ' says ryan ewing , 14 , who runs airlinegeeks.com out of his bethesda , maryland , home . ewing was right there in the thick of the geeks with his camera when the dreamlifter came calling . the event was born from an aviation-obsessed online community that uses social media to organize and share information . aviation news sites like airchive , airlinereporter , nycaviation and airlineguys all share common friends , connections and interests . when news breaks , their informal social network sometimes challenges traditional news media . this month airlinereporter and a few other aviation sites broke news about the hijacking of an ethiopian airlines 767 in rome about 30 minutes before many legacy ' news organizations , says airlinereporter founder and editor-in-chief david parker brown . boeing 's desire to connect with fans and fliers combined with the emerging power of the avgeek nation opened the doors to the exclusive boeing tours , brown says . boeing has increasingly realized how smart and educated about aviation avgeeks are . ' baby boeings the following day southeast of seattle , boeing opens up yet another factory for us to tour . this one is the birthplace of what guinness calls the most produced large commercial jet in aviation history ' -- the 737 . no public tours here . this is a tour for avgeeks and vips . avgeeks love getting access to places that are off limits , ' says brown . it 's all about exclusivity . ' here 's some 737 tour trivia : —this place creates 38 of the planes every month on a moving assembly line . and they 're pushing to increase that rate . even though we joke that the 737 is the'baby boeing ,'it 's still a large and complex machine , ' says granucci . it requires precision to put it together . the fact that you can perform such precise work on a moving target -- i find that to be incredible . ' — the facility receives pre-assembled fuselages by train from a factory in wichita , kansas . — workers attach wings to the fuselages . it takes about nine hours to put wings on a 737 . —the planes also get winglets ' — the tiny , upward pointing wings you see on the wingtips of 737s and other airliners . these doodads reduce drag on the plane and make it more fuel efficient — by about 4 % . —workers install seats on the planes by using a loading machine they call a hay baler . ' — in an operation called high blow , ' boeing tests each plane 's passenger cabin for possible leaks during pressurization . the procedure includes putting people inside the planes to listen for leaks . — each 737 is made up of 42 miles of wire and 394,000 separate parts — if there 's a problem on the assembly line , workers activate a purple flashing light -- alerting others that they need help . blinking purple is bad for us here , ' says christian ofsthus , a boeing senior manager . if there 's something wrong , something does n't fit , we need to do something about that . ' as the tour ends , we wind through an employee diner named for the world war ii symbol rosie the riveter , and file back onto our bus . driving off the property , we spot a train loaded with brand new wingless 737 fuselages headed to the factory behind us . that triggers spontaneous applause and scattered whoops throughout the bus . well , you just ca n't get any geekier than that . that is so cool , ' i hear someone say . yeah , ' said someone else , baby planes ! ' | avgeeks ' toured factories for 737 , 747 , 777 and 787 dreamliner |
world refugee day <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- secretary of state hillary clinton announced the united states will give $ 60 million to the u.n . relief and works agency for help to palestinian refugees on friday , a move designed to improve the lives of 4.7 million people . the aid comes as the united states and the international community struggle to provide increased aid to palestinians living in gaza . in may , in a deadly clash aboard a flotilla carrying aid to gaza , israeli forces killed nine activists . israel subsequently has said it will ease restrictions on aid going into gaza but will not end its naval blockade . the united states already is the largest single source of support for refugees and refugees and victims of conflict internationally , clinton said , providing $ 1.7 billion last year , including $ 640 million for the u.n. high commissioner for refugees , or the unhcr . clinton made the comments at a world refugee day event , co-hosted by the department of state and the unhcr . it included live interactive video feeds with high commissioner antonio guterres and an iraqi refugee family in syria ; unhcr goodwill ambassador angelina jolie ; and a unhcr official and a congolese man displaced because to activities of the lord 's resistance army in the democratic republic of the congo . we are all vulnerable no matter how comfortable our lives may appear to be , ' clinton said . but we too , around the world , those of us who enjoy the benefits of the life that we have built or inherited , we too are vulnerable to war and conflict , droughts and floods , environmental disasters as we 've seen even in our own country . ' clinton said that many of the refugee problems can not be solved simply with humanitarian aid . it 's a question of better governance , more accountable governance , of political and diplomatic efforts , of reconciliation and peace , of the growth of democracies and economies . ' she said . angelina jolie , with 34 refugee families from colombia living on the border with ecuador , said they were terrified ' and that almost everyone in the families had someone who had been murdered . they are so grateful just to be safe , ' she said . | secretary of state hillary clinton made comments at world refugee day |
rio <tsp> ( cnn ) -- serving as a timely reminder to delegates convening for the rio +20 earth summit , the international union for conservation of nature ( iucn ) has published its latest red list detailing the ongoing threats to biodiversity on the planet . the iucn assessed a total of 63,837 plant and animal species around the globe which revealed 19,817 of that number are currently threatened with extinction , with 3,947 described as critically endangered ' -- the final classification prior to extinction . a further 5,766 are endangered , ' while more than 10,000 species are listed as vulnerable . ' sustainability is a matter of life and death for people on the planet . a sustainable future can not be achieved without conserving biological diversity ... not only for nature itself but also for all seven billion people who depend on it , ' julia marton-lefevre , iucn director general , said in a statement . ( the latest report ) is a clarion call to world leaders gathering in rio to secure the web of life , ' marton-lefevre added . see also : can rio +20 solve world 's environmental problems ? amphibious creatures like frogs , toads and newts are the most endangered group with 41 % facing extinction . a quarter of all mammals and 13 % of bird species are heading towards a similar fate . ocean biodiversity is continuing its decline with a third of all reef-building corals threatened by extinction which could cause potentially catastrophic consequences for humans . more than 275 million people are dependent on coral reefs for food , coastal protection and their livelihoods , according to the iucn . the reef fishing industry is worth $ 6.8 billion annually but overfishing is now affecting more than half the world 's reefs . the services and economic value that species provide are irreplaceable and essential to our well being , ' jon paul rodrãguez , deputy chair , iucn species survival commission , said in a statement . unless we live within the limits set by nature , and manage our natural resources sustainably , more and more species will be driven towards extinction . if we ignore our responsibility we will compromise our own survival , ' he added . plants also continue to face severe threats . two species ( acalypha dikuluwensis and basananthe cupricola ) were officially declared extinct in 2012 and 30 % of conifers are under threat . recent work on plant assessments suggests that around one in five plants are threatened with extinction , ' says professor stephen hopper , director ( ceo and chief scientist ) , royal botanic gardens , kew , england . three quarters of the world 's population depends directly on plants for their primary health care . eighty percent of our calorie intake comes from 12 plant species . if we care about the food we eat , and the medicines we use , we must act to conserve our medicinal plants and our crop wild relatives , ' he added . paul smith , head of the millennium seed bank at the royal botanic gardens says that every plant extinction makes it more challenging for humans to adapt to change . you look at all the big environmental problems -- food security , water scarcity , energy , climate change mitigation and adaptation -- the fact is we need to adapt and innovate , ' smith said . we have always adapted and innovated -- 10,000 years ago we innovated with agriculture . but we can only innovate if we have access to a full range of plant diversity , ' he added . the seed bank at kew , the largest of its kind in the world , currently stores 11 % ( around 31,000 specimens ) of the world 's plant species . smith says the plant extinctions that have occurred since the first earth summit in 1992 have all been entirely avoidable . there is no technological reason why a plant species should become extinct . to collect and preserve an entire species which we can keep in the seed bank here for 200 years costs about â£2,000 , ' he said . smith says the failures to forge ahead with environmental action in recent years have been down to lack of political will . i think because people are incapable of thinking in the long term -- particularly politicians and our leaders . there has n't been either priority or resource given to these tasks , ' he said . but he remains upbeat about rio +20 . you 've always got to be optimistic , ' smith said . the problem with any consensual approach is that it takes a very long time . it has become highly politicized and dominated by lawyers . that 's the problem with any multilateral consensual system . ' but others , like jim leape , director general of wwf is deeply concerned that rio +20 talks will stall . in a statement released by wwf on tuesday , leape said the summit is doomed to ridicule ' unless world leaders get serious about sustainable development . ' leape laments the revisions to the rio +20 negotiating text made by diplomats over recent days which have swapped weak words for toothless language , ' he argues . they 've added some positive actions around oceans protection . but the text has lots of words that'commit'parties to nothing -- such as'commit to promote'and'commit to systematically consider ,'' leape said . world leaders'recognized'problems 20 years ago , and they 've done little about them since . how long are we going to accept'we 'll look into it'as a solution ? ' he added . | wwf director general warns rio doomed to ridicule ' if world leaders do n't act decisively |
rio <tsp> ( cnn ) -- serving as a timely reminder to delegates convening for the rio +20 earth summit , the international union for conservation of nature ( iucn ) has published its latest red list detailing the ongoing threats to biodiversity on the planet . the iucn assessed a total of 63,837 plant and animal species around the globe which revealed 19,817 of that number are currently threatened with extinction , with 3,947 described as critically endangered ' -- the final classification prior to extinction . a further 5,766 are endangered , ' while more than 10,000 species are listed as vulnerable . ' sustainability is a matter of life and death for people on the planet . a sustainable future can not be achieved without conserving biological diversity ... not only for nature itself but also for all seven billion people who depend on it , ' julia marton-lefevre , iucn director general , said in a statement . ( the latest report ) is a clarion call to world leaders gathering in rio to secure the web of life , ' marton-lefevre added . see also : can rio +20 solve world 's environmental problems ? amphibious creatures like frogs , toads and newts are the most endangered group with 41 % facing extinction . a quarter of all mammals and 13 % of bird species are heading towards a similar fate . ocean biodiversity is continuing its decline with a third of all reef-building corals threatened by extinction which could cause potentially catastrophic consequences for humans . more than 275 million people are dependent on coral reefs for food , coastal protection and their livelihoods , according to the iucn . the reef fishing industry is worth $ 6.8 billion annually but overfishing is now affecting more than half the world 's reefs . the services and economic value that species provide are irreplaceable and essential to our well being , ' jon paul rodrãguez , deputy chair , iucn species survival commission , said in a statement . unless we live within the limits set by nature , and manage our natural resources sustainably , more and more species will be driven towards extinction . if we ignore our responsibility we will compromise our own survival , ' he added . plants also continue to face severe threats . two species ( acalypha dikuluwensis and basananthe cupricola ) were officially declared extinct in 2012 and 30 % of conifers are under threat . recent work on plant assessments suggests that around one in five plants are threatened with extinction , ' says professor stephen hopper , director ( ceo and chief scientist ) , royal botanic gardens , kew , england . three quarters of the world 's population depends directly on plants for their primary health care . eighty percent of our calorie intake comes from 12 plant species . if we care about the food we eat , and the medicines we use , we must act to conserve our medicinal plants and our crop wild relatives , ' he added . paul smith , head of the millennium seed bank at the royal botanic gardens says that every plant extinction makes it more challenging for humans to adapt to change . you look at all the big environmental problems -- food security , water scarcity , energy , climate change mitigation and adaptation -- the fact is we need to adapt and innovate , ' smith said . we have always adapted and innovated -- 10,000 years ago we innovated with agriculture . but we can only innovate if we have access to a full range of plant diversity , ' he added . the seed bank at kew , the largest of its kind in the world , currently stores 11 % ( around 31,000 specimens ) of the world 's plant species . smith says the plant extinctions that have occurred since the first earth summit in 1992 have all been entirely avoidable . there is no technological reason why a plant species should become extinct . to collect and preserve an entire species which we can keep in the seed bank here for 200 years costs about â£2,000 , ' he said . smith says the failures to forge ahead with environmental action in recent years have been down to lack of political will . i think because people are incapable of thinking in the long term -- particularly politicians and our leaders . there has n't been either priority or resource given to these tasks , ' he said . but he remains upbeat about rio +20 . you 've always got to be optimistic , ' smith said . the problem with any consensual approach is that it takes a very long time . it has become highly politicized and dominated by lawyers . that 's the problem with any multilateral consensual system . ' but others , like jim leape , director general of wwf is deeply concerned that rio +20 talks will stall . in a statement released by wwf on tuesday , leape said the summit is doomed to ridicule ' unless world leaders get serious about sustainable development . ' leape laments the revisions to the rio +20 negotiating text made by diplomats over recent days which have swapped weak words for toothless language , ' he argues . they 've added some positive actions around oceans protection . but the text has lots of words that'commit'parties to nothing -- such as'commit to promote'and'commit to systematically consider ,'' leape said . world leaders'recognized'problems 20 years ago , and they 've done little about them since . how long are we going to accept'we 'll look into it'as a solution ? ' he added . | report is clarion call to world leaders gathering in rio , ' says iucn director general julia marton-lefevre |
ford <tsp> ( wired ) -- joe wilkins knew there was only one way to give his supercharged , alcohol-injected hemi-engined hot rod more power : put a jet engine in the trunk . it started as a hobby and turned into a monster , ' said joe wilkins , the motor madman behind what might be the wildest 1939 ford ever built . he 's an inventor and defense department contractor , and the idea of goosing the ford 's ability to turn heads and shred tires came when he bought a used gas turbine engine . i got hooked on the simplicity and power that this thing produced , and i decided one day i want to put it in a car . ' luckily for us , he did . the hemi jet -- wilkins has copyrighted the name -- fires up this weekend at the houston autorama , and wilkins plans to attempt a land speed record in the near future . in the meantime , he 's tooling around navasota , texas , in what he says is the ultimate sleeper when the jet engine 's tucked away in the trunk . most people say nice car ' and assume he 's got the obligatory small-block chevrolet engine under the hood . little do they know . i can drive it up to the store and get a gallon of milk if i want to , ' he told autopia . the car is an amalgamation of the big three , with a chrysler engine , chevrolet drivetrain and ford body . wilkins says the jet engine was probably used as an apu and weighs 110 pounds . he claims the car is street legal so long as the jet stays stowed . he fires it up from time to time to show off , and he plans to run it flat-out at the bonneville salt flats . we want to be the fastest street legal car in the world , ' he said . he 's got some intense competition . the bugatti veyron tops out at 253 mph and the shelby supercars ultimate aero tt does 255 . and then there 's red vector one , that crazy vauxhall that does zero to 60 in under a second . record , schmecord -- we just want to see the video . i 'm more than certain the car will go over 300 , ' wilkins said . we 've still got a ways to go [ before bonneville ] , but not a long way . we 'll have to experiment in some wind tunnels and end up with a spoiler on the back to keep the front end on the ground . ' sadly , wilkins wo n't be behind the wheel during the car 's test run . i turned 61 last sunday . i just do n't think i 'm going to be able to handle it [ without ] the reflexes i had 20 or 30 years ago , ' he said . i know several people who would be more than interested . ' so do we , and we even suggested wilkins give the job to fellow jet-junkie bob maddox . after jumping from a plane with a pulse jet strapped to his chest , we suspect maddox would welcome the opportunity to stay on the ground . subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2010 wired.com . | the car has a chrysler engine , a chevrolet drivetrain and a ford body |
ford <tsp> ( wired ) -- joe wilkins knew there was only one way to give his supercharged , alcohol-injected hemi-engined hot rod more power : put a jet engine in the trunk . it started as a hobby and turned into a monster , ' said joe wilkins , the motor madman behind what might be the wildest 1939 ford ever built . he 's an inventor and defense department contractor , and the idea of goosing the ford 's ability to turn heads and shred tires came when he bought a used gas turbine engine . i got hooked on the simplicity and power that this thing produced , and i decided one day i want to put it in a car . ' luckily for us , he did . the hemi jet -- wilkins has copyrighted the name -- fires up this weekend at the houston autorama , and wilkins plans to attempt a land speed record in the near future . in the meantime , he 's tooling around navasota , texas , in what he says is the ultimate sleeper when the jet engine 's tucked away in the trunk . most people say nice car ' and assume he 's got the obligatory small-block chevrolet engine under the hood . little do they know . i can drive it up to the store and get a gallon of milk if i want to , ' he told autopia . the car is an amalgamation of the big three , with a chrysler engine , chevrolet drivetrain and ford body . wilkins says the jet engine was probably used as an apu and weighs 110 pounds . he claims the car is street legal so long as the jet stays stowed . he fires it up from time to time to show off , and he plans to run it flat-out at the bonneville salt flats . we want to be the fastest street legal car in the world , ' he said . he 's got some intense competition . the bugatti veyron tops out at 253 mph and the shelby supercars ultimate aero tt does 255 . and then there 's red vector one , that crazy vauxhall that does zero to 60 in under a second . record , schmecord -- we just want to see the video . i 'm more than certain the car will go over 300 , ' wilkins said . we 've still got a ways to go [ before bonneville ] , but not a long way . we 'll have to experiment in some wind tunnels and end up with a spoiler on the back to keep the front end on the ground . ' sadly , wilkins wo n't be behind the wheel during the car 's test run . i turned 61 last sunday . i just do n't think i 'm going to be able to handle it [ without ] the reflexes i had 20 or 30 years ago , ' he said . i know several people who would be more than interested . ' so do we , and we even suggested wilkins give the job to fellow jet-junkie bob maddox . after jumping from a plane with a pulse jet strapped to his chest , we suspect maddox would welcome the opportunity to stay on the ground . subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2010 wired.com . | a texas man has outfitted a 1939 ford with a jet engine he hopes will make it go more than 300 mph |
gi bill <tsp> ( cnn ) -- seventy years ago this week , president franklin roosevelt signed the gi bill of rights , formally the servicemen 's readjustment act , which the house of representatives and senate passed unanimously . it authorized unemployment compensation for a maximum of 52 weeks and guaranteed farm , home and business loans up to $ 2,000 to world war ii veterans . most importantly , by providing up to four years of education and training at annual tuition rates of up to $ 500 ( the rate then charged by harvard ) , plus a monthly living stipend , the bill made it possible for gis to attend any college or university that would accept them . that was then . in 2014 , the promise of full and equal access to higher education for men and women in the armed services , and , for that matter , for all academically qualified americans , has not been fulfilled . family income , not a concerted national initiative , still dictates whether students , including servicemen and women , go to college and which institutions they attend . more than 2 million world war ii veterans went to college on the gi bill . at least a quarter of them could not have done this without it . many excelled ; gis appeared with regularity on honors rolls and deans lists . and they more than paid back the investment that had been made in them . many of them achieved higher occupational status , more job security , better health and pension benefits and paid more taxes than their peers . they joined 50 % more civic and political organizations and voted more frequently than their contemporaries in post-war america , according to suzanne mettler , author of soldiers to citizens : the gi bill and the making of the greatest generation ' and a professor of government at cornell university . they also upended a pervasive assumption at the time that college was best suited to affluent americans . influenced no doubt by the performance of the first wave of gi bill students , the 1947 truman commission , higher education in american democracy , called for free and universal access to higher education ' for all americans based on the interests , needs , and abilities of each student , but without regard to race , creed , sex , national origin or economic circumstances . the gi bill and the truman commission report touched off a golden age of higher education in the united states . thanks in no small measure to funding for financial aid and research from states and the federal government , the number of undergraduates increased five-fold from 1945 to 1975 , and graduate students nine-fold , according to clay shirky in the end of higher education 's golden age . ' in the past 70 years , gi bill benefits have become significantly less generous than the provisions of the servicemen 's readjustment act of 1944 . the korean gi bill of 1952 , the veterans readjustment benefits act of 1966 and the montgomery gi bill of 1985 fell far short of covering tuition and fees at many public and private colleges and universities . while 52 % of world war ii veterans enrolled in private colleges and universities under the gi bill , only 20 % of the veterans of korea and vietnam were able to do so . it has become more difficult to ask , as time magazine did in the 1940s , why go to podunk college when the government will send you to yale ? ' although sen. james webb wanted his gi bill , signed into law by president george w. bush on june 30 , 2008 , to give veterans of the wars in iraq and afghanistan the same educational chance that'the greatest generation'had , ' it provided tuition payments only up to the most expensive in-state public university and restricted eligibility to individuals who spent three years or more on active duty . more generally , state appropriations for all higher education in recent years have leveled off or gone down , and federal funding for financial aid for undergraduates has not kept pace with the cost of attendance at public or private institutions . the maximum pell grant , which accounted for about four-fifths of the cost at an average public university in the '70s , now covers about 31 % . little wonder , then , that three of four individuals from families in the top quartile of the economic distribution have received undergraduate degrees by age 24 , but only one of five in the third tier and one of 10 in the fourth -- and the median debt at graduation is rising rapidly . or that the united states is no longer at the top -- or even near the top -- of countries that send the highest percentage of their young people to college . more than ever , it is clear that educational achievement promotes economic growth , helps our nation compete in world markets and leads to high incomes as well as individual fulfillment . so let 's mark the 70th birthday of the gi bill not just by celebrating one of the greatest pieces of legislation in american history . we must also insist that congress make it a high priority to provide the opportunity for our servicemen and women -- and for all young men and women in the united states -- to use higher education to fulfill the american dream and go as far and as fast as their ambition , discipline and talent will take them . | glenn altschuler : 70 years ago , fdr signed gi bill ; more than 2 million went to college on it |
gi bill <tsp> ( cnn ) -- seventy years ago this week , president franklin roosevelt signed the gi bill of rights , formally the servicemen 's readjustment act , which the house of representatives and senate passed unanimously . it authorized unemployment compensation for a maximum of 52 weeks and guaranteed farm , home and business loans up to $ 2,000 to world war ii veterans . most importantly , by providing up to four years of education and training at annual tuition rates of up to $ 500 ( the rate then charged by harvard ) , plus a monthly living stipend , the bill made it possible for gis to attend any college or university that would accept them . that was then . in 2014 , the promise of full and equal access to higher education for men and women in the armed services , and , for that matter , for all academically qualified americans , has not been fulfilled . family income , not a concerted national initiative , still dictates whether students , including servicemen and women , go to college and which institutions they attend . more than 2 million world war ii veterans went to college on the gi bill . at least a quarter of them could not have done this without it . many excelled ; gis appeared with regularity on honors rolls and deans lists . and they more than paid back the investment that had been made in them . many of them achieved higher occupational status , more job security , better health and pension benefits and paid more taxes than their peers . they joined 50 % more civic and political organizations and voted more frequently than their contemporaries in post-war america , according to suzanne mettler , author of soldiers to citizens : the gi bill and the making of the greatest generation ' and a professor of government at cornell university . they also upended a pervasive assumption at the time that college was best suited to affluent americans . influenced no doubt by the performance of the first wave of gi bill students , the 1947 truman commission , higher education in american democracy , called for free and universal access to higher education ' for all americans based on the interests , needs , and abilities of each student , but without regard to race , creed , sex , national origin or economic circumstances . the gi bill and the truman commission report touched off a golden age of higher education in the united states . thanks in no small measure to funding for financial aid and research from states and the federal government , the number of undergraduates increased five-fold from 1945 to 1975 , and graduate students nine-fold , according to clay shirky in the end of higher education 's golden age . ' in the past 70 years , gi bill benefits have become significantly less generous than the provisions of the servicemen 's readjustment act of 1944 . the korean gi bill of 1952 , the veterans readjustment benefits act of 1966 and the montgomery gi bill of 1985 fell far short of covering tuition and fees at many public and private colleges and universities . while 52 % of world war ii veterans enrolled in private colleges and universities under the gi bill , only 20 % of the veterans of korea and vietnam were able to do so . it has become more difficult to ask , as time magazine did in the 1940s , why go to podunk college when the government will send you to yale ? ' although sen. james webb wanted his gi bill , signed into law by president george w. bush on june 30 , 2008 , to give veterans of the wars in iraq and afghanistan the same educational chance that'the greatest generation'had , ' it provided tuition payments only up to the most expensive in-state public university and restricted eligibility to individuals who spent three years or more on active duty . more generally , state appropriations for all higher education in recent years have leveled off or gone down , and federal funding for financial aid for undergraduates has not kept pace with the cost of attendance at public or private institutions . the maximum pell grant , which accounted for about four-fifths of the cost at an average public university in the '70s , now covers about 31 % . little wonder , then , that three of four individuals from families in the top quartile of the economic distribution have received undergraduate degrees by age 24 , but only one of five in the third tier and one of 10 in the fourth -- and the median debt at graduation is rising rapidly . or that the united states is no longer at the top -- or even near the top -- of countries that send the highest percentage of their young people to college . more than ever , it is clear that educational achievement promotes economic growth , helps our nation compete in world markets and leads to high incomes as well as individual fulfillment . so let 's mark the 70th birthday of the gi bill not just by celebrating one of the greatest pieces of legislation in american history . we must also insist that congress make it a high priority to provide the opportunity for our servicemen and women -- and for all young men and women in the united states -- to use higher education to fulfill the american dream and go as far and as fast as their ambition , discipline and talent will take them . | he says gi bill paid off : vets got better jobs , were more civicly engaged , paid more taxes |
americans <tsp> ( cnn ) -- seventy years ago this week , president franklin roosevelt signed the gi bill of rights , formally the servicemen 's readjustment act , which the house of representatives and senate passed unanimously . it authorized unemployment compensation for a maximum of 52 weeks and guaranteed farm , home and business loans up to $ 2,000 to world war ii veterans . most importantly , by providing up to four years of education and training at annual tuition rates of up to $ 500 ( the rate then charged by harvard ) , plus a monthly living stipend , the bill made it possible for gis to attend any college or university that would accept them . that was then . in 2014 , the promise of full and equal access to higher education for men and women in the armed services , and , for that matter , for all academically qualified americans , has not been fulfilled . family income , not a concerted national initiative , still dictates whether students , including servicemen and women , go to college and which institutions they attend . more than 2 million world war ii veterans went to college on the gi bill . at least a quarter of them could not have done this without it . many excelled ; gis appeared with regularity on honors rolls and deans lists . and they more than paid back the investment that had been made in them . many of them achieved higher occupational status , more job security , better health and pension benefits and paid more taxes than their peers . they joined 50 % more civic and political organizations and voted more frequently than their contemporaries in post-war america , according to suzanne mettler , author of soldiers to citizens : the gi bill and the making of the greatest generation ' and a professor of government at cornell university . they also upended a pervasive assumption at the time that college was best suited to affluent americans . influenced no doubt by the performance of the first wave of gi bill students , the 1947 truman commission , higher education in american democracy , called for free and universal access to higher education ' for all americans based on the interests , needs , and abilities of each student , but without regard to race , creed , sex , national origin or economic circumstances . the gi bill and the truman commission report touched off a golden age of higher education in the united states . thanks in no small measure to funding for financial aid and research from states and the federal government , the number of undergraduates increased five-fold from 1945 to 1975 , and graduate students nine-fold , according to clay shirky in the end of higher education 's golden age . ' in the past 70 years , gi bill benefits have become significantly less generous than the provisions of the servicemen 's readjustment act of 1944 . the korean gi bill of 1952 , the veterans readjustment benefits act of 1966 and the montgomery gi bill of 1985 fell far short of covering tuition and fees at many public and private colleges and universities . while 52 % of world war ii veterans enrolled in private colleges and universities under the gi bill , only 20 % of the veterans of korea and vietnam were able to do so . it has become more difficult to ask , as time magazine did in the 1940s , why go to podunk college when the government will send you to yale ? ' although sen. james webb wanted his gi bill , signed into law by president george w. bush on june 30 , 2008 , to give veterans of the wars in iraq and afghanistan the same educational chance that'the greatest generation'had , ' it provided tuition payments only up to the most expensive in-state public university and restricted eligibility to individuals who spent three years or more on active duty . more generally , state appropriations for all higher education in recent years have leveled off or gone down , and federal funding for financial aid for undergraduates has not kept pace with the cost of attendance at public or private institutions . the maximum pell grant , which accounted for about four-fifths of the cost at an average public university in the '70s , now covers about 31 % . little wonder , then , that three of four individuals from families in the top quartile of the economic distribution have received undergraduate degrees by age 24 , but only one of five in the third tier and one of 10 in the fourth -- and the median debt at graduation is rising rapidly . or that the united states is no longer at the top -- or even near the top -- of countries that send the highest percentage of their young people to college . more than ever , it is clear that educational achievement promotes economic growth , helps our nation compete in world markets and leads to high incomes as well as individual fulfillment . so let 's mark the 70th birthday of the gi bill not just by celebrating one of the greatest pieces of legislation in american history . we must also insist that congress make it a high priority to provide the opportunity for our servicemen and women -- and for all young men and women in the united states -- to use higher education to fulfill the american dream and go as far and as fast as their ambition , discipline and talent will take them . | writer : congress must reprioritize this educational pact with vets and all americans |
congress <tsp> ( cnn ) -- seventy years ago this week , president franklin roosevelt signed the gi bill of rights , formally the servicemen 's readjustment act , which the house of representatives and senate passed unanimously . it authorized unemployment compensation for a maximum of 52 weeks and guaranteed farm , home and business loans up to $ 2,000 to world war ii veterans . most importantly , by providing up to four years of education and training at annual tuition rates of up to $ 500 ( the rate then charged by harvard ) , plus a monthly living stipend , the bill made it possible for gis to attend any college or university that would accept them . that was then . in 2014 , the promise of full and equal access to higher education for men and women in the armed services , and , for that matter , for all academically qualified americans , has not been fulfilled . family income , not a concerted national initiative , still dictates whether students , including servicemen and women , go to college and which institutions they attend . more than 2 million world war ii veterans went to college on the gi bill . at least a quarter of them could not have done this without it . many excelled ; gis appeared with regularity on honors rolls and deans lists . and they more than paid back the investment that had been made in them . many of them achieved higher occupational status , more job security , better health and pension benefits and paid more taxes than their peers . they joined 50 % more civic and political organizations and voted more frequently than their contemporaries in post-war america , according to suzanne mettler , author of soldiers to citizens : the gi bill and the making of the greatest generation ' and a professor of government at cornell university . they also upended a pervasive assumption at the time that college was best suited to affluent americans . influenced no doubt by the performance of the first wave of gi bill students , the 1947 truman commission , higher education in american democracy , called for free and universal access to higher education ' for all americans based on the interests , needs , and abilities of each student , but without regard to race , creed , sex , national origin or economic circumstances . the gi bill and the truman commission report touched off a golden age of higher education in the united states . thanks in no small measure to funding for financial aid and research from states and the federal government , the number of undergraduates increased five-fold from 1945 to 1975 , and graduate students nine-fold , according to clay shirky in the end of higher education 's golden age . ' in the past 70 years , gi bill benefits have become significantly less generous than the provisions of the servicemen 's readjustment act of 1944 . the korean gi bill of 1952 , the veterans readjustment benefits act of 1966 and the montgomery gi bill of 1985 fell far short of covering tuition and fees at many public and private colleges and universities . while 52 % of world war ii veterans enrolled in private colleges and universities under the gi bill , only 20 % of the veterans of korea and vietnam were able to do so . it has become more difficult to ask , as time magazine did in the 1940s , why go to podunk college when the government will send you to yale ? ' although sen. james webb wanted his gi bill , signed into law by president george w. bush on june 30 , 2008 , to give veterans of the wars in iraq and afghanistan the same educational chance that'the greatest generation'had , ' it provided tuition payments only up to the most expensive in-state public university and restricted eligibility to individuals who spent three years or more on active duty . more generally , state appropriations for all higher education in recent years have leveled off or gone down , and federal funding for financial aid for undergraduates has not kept pace with the cost of attendance at public or private institutions . the maximum pell grant , which accounted for about four-fifths of the cost at an average public university in the '70s , now covers about 31 % . little wonder , then , that three of four individuals from families in the top quartile of the economic distribution have received undergraduate degrees by age 24 , but only one of five in the third tier and one of 10 in the fourth -- and the median debt at graduation is rising rapidly . or that the united states is no longer at the top -- or even near the top -- of countries that send the highest percentage of their young people to college . more than ever , it is clear that educational achievement promotes economic growth , helps our nation compete in world markets and leads to high incomes as well as individual fulfillment . so let 's mark the 70th birthday of the gi bill not just by celebrating one of the greatest pieces of legislation in american history . we must also insist that congress make it a high priority to provide the opportunity for our servicemen and women -- and for all young men and women in the united states -- to use higher education to fulfill the american dream and go as far and as fast as their ambition , discipline and talent will take them . | writer : congress must reprioritize this educational pact with vets and all americans |
zhou <tsp> at the height of his power , zhou yongkang controlled police forces , spy agencies , court systems and prosecution offices across china -- and the domestic security czar was n't shy in deploying his vast assets to crush dissent and unrest in the name of preserving social stability . ' during his reign before retiring in 2012 , as worsening income inequality and official corruption fueled mass discontent nationwide , zhou oversaw the domestic security budget swell to surpass that of the two million-strong chinese military -- the world 's largest . as a member of the ruling communist party 's politburo standing committee -- china 's top decision-making body -- zhou was one of nine men who effectively ruled the country of more than 1.3 billion people . away from the spotlight , though , zhou and his family members were reportedly taking advantage of his leadership position to accumulate enormous wealth . the allegedly blatant exchange between money and power , as revealed by china 's state media , would eventually prompt zhou 's shocking downfall last summer . after months of intense political rumors , the communist party 's disciplinary arm in late july announced an official investigation into zhou for serious disciplinary violations . ' on friday , state prosecutors alleged the investigation found that zhou , 71 , had taken advantage of his positions to garner profits for others , and had accepted huge bribes personally and through his family . ' zhou was also expelled from the communist party , according to state news agency xinhua , citing a decision made friday at a meeting of the party central committee 's political bureau . anti-corruption campaign many have viewed his fall from grace as a watershed moment in the secretive world of chinese politics now ruled by president xi jinping , who has been spearheading a massive anti-corruption campaign ostensibly targeting tigers and flies ' -- high-ranking and low-level officials -- alike . the important thing here is that xi has proven he 's powerful enough to break this taboo of never incriminating former politburo standing committee members , ' said longtime political analyst willy lam with chinese university of hong kong . unlike xi , who is communist royalty ' thanks to his father 's status as one of chairman mao 's comrades in arms during the revolution , zhou was born to a poor family in eastern china . his father was an illiterate farmer but borrowed money to send him to school . smart and hardworking , zhou did n't disappoint and went on to become one of the few local students admitted into an elite university in beijing . that school , now called china university of petroleum , was the cradle for titans in the state oil industry . after graduating with a degree in oil exploration , zhou was assigned to an oil field in the country 's northeast and rose through the official ranks from the late 1960s through the mid-1980s . described by many as a capable and humbling young party cadre , zhou was remembered more for his political savviness than technical knowledge . his political skill shone when he was transferred to the oil ministry in beijing , which later became a giant state-owned oil company and one of zhou 's power bases . decisive leader overcoming factional wars in the ministry , zhou was said to be a decisive leader who focused on expanding domestic oil exploration as well as overseas projects , a two-pronged strategy that would continue to this day . fast growth of business abroad made supervision from beijing harder , sowing the seeds for corruption . in 2001 , after a stint as minister of land resources , zhou was named the communist party chief of sichuan in southwest china , one of the country 's most populous provinces . state media there portrayed zhou as an eloquent leader with a clear vision , and credited him for luring high-tech companies including intel to the southwestern province , as well as modernizing the agriculture and tourism sectors . zhou also developed strong local ties and planted officials loyal to him -- including secretaries he brought from beijing -- in key postings throughout the province . zhou 's big break came in 2002 when he returned to beijing and was put in charge of the ministry of public security , which runs the country 's police forces . five years later , he rose to the apex of power by taking a seat in the nine-member politburo standing committee -- with an expanded portfolio that covered all domestic security affairs . his reign coincided with a time of mounting social and ethnic unrest as well as such major events as the beijing olympics in 2008 , the 60th anniversary of the people 's republic in 2009 and the world expo in shanghai in 2010 . ruthless hardliner as the leadership prioritized security and stability above all else , zhou greatly expanded police power at the expense of already-limited judicial independence , cementing his reputation as a ruthless hardliner among political dissidents and activists . it was also during this period that zhou became a patron of bo xilai , a fast-rising political star who was waging his own controversial war against organized crime in the southwestern metropolis of chongqing . bo 's spectacular downfall in 2012 -- complete with tales of murder , bribery and betrayal -- attracted global attention . state media cited his subsequent conviction on corruption charges as a prime example of xi 's resolve to clean up the party . bo supporters , however , have long called him a political victim as the former high-flying politician was once considered xi 's main challenger for the top spot of chinese leadership . political activists and observers now note the similarity between the bo and zhou cases . zhou challenged xi 's authority and threatened his rule -- that 's why he 's now being held responsible along with his gangs , ' offered hu jia , one of china 's leading political dissidents , who was thrown into prison for more than three years on subversion ' charges when zhou first took over nationwide law enforcement . the bottom line is : all officials are corrupt , ' he added . xi ca n't find a better excuse to rid of his political opponents than fighting corruption -- something that helps him win the masses'hearts and minds . the people being investigated for corruption are on the losing side of factional struggles , ' echoed lam , the hong kong analyst . people who are close to xi are less liable to becoming incriminated . ' zhou 's family , aides probed those close to zhou have fallen with him . state media have reported official investigations -- and formal arrests in some cases -- into dozens of zhou 's family members and former aides . the biggest impact was felt in the domestic security apparatus , state oil industry and sichuan province -- three places zhou once ruled . details have also emerged in chinese media about possible skeletons in zhou 's closet , including the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of his first wife . most stories , though , have focused on the vast wealth amassed by zhou 's older son as well as his two brothers and their families . the zhous reportedly benefited immensely from china 's booming energy and real estate sectors thanks to zhou 's deep ties to the two related ministries . zhou 's older son , who is 42 , is said to own multiple luxury properties worth millions of dollars . before even turning 30 , the younger zhou 's first foray into business met with fast growth and quick success after winning a contract to upgrade it systems for 8,000 gas stations across china . his companies also reportedly reaped huge financial gain from buying and selling oil fields and hydropower stations . state media reports also indicated that one of zhou 's younger brothers , a onetime farmer , used zhou 's influence to launch a crisis management ' business and profited from helping people get out of jail , enter police academy and sell steel pipes to state-owned oil fields . other published articles have painted an intricate web of officials , cronies and tycoons -- some with alleged mafia connections -- orbiting around the domestic security czar before the crumbling of his power structure . i think , unlike bo xilai , zhou yongkang will cooperate with investigators because his family is involved , ' said analyst lam , predicting a suspended death sentence for both zhou and his older son . his only incentive now is to protect his son -- he will toe the line to protect his son . ' | zhou yongkang was a member of the ruling communist party 's politburo standing committee |
zhou <tsp> at the height of his power , zhou yongkang controlled police forces , spy agencies , court systems and prosecution offices across china -- and the domestic security czar was n't shy in deploying his vast assets to crush dissent and unrest in the name of preserving social stability . ' during his reign before retiring in 2012 , as worsening income inequality and official corruption fueled mass discontent nationwide , zhou oversaw the domestic security budget swell to surpass that of the two million-strong chinese military -- the world 's largest . as a member of the ruling communist party 's politburo standing committee -- china 's top decision-making body -- zhou was one of nine men who effectively ruled the country of more than 1.3 billion people . away from the spotlight , though , zhou and his family members were reportedly taking advantage of his leadership position to accumulate enormous wealth . the allegedly blatant exchange between money and power , as revealed by china 's state media , would eventually prompt zhou 's shocking downfall last summer . after months of intense political rumors , the communist party 's disciplinary arm in late july announced an official investigation into zhou for serious disciplinary violations . ' on friday , state prosecutors alleged the investigation found that zhou , 71 , had taken advantage of his positions to garner profits for others , and had accepted huge bribes personally and through his family . ' zhou was also expelled from the communist party , according to state news agency xinhua , citing a decision made friday at a meeting of the party central committee 's political bureau . anti-corruption campaign many have viewed his fall from grace as a watershed moment in the secretive world of chinese politics now ruled by president xi jinping , who has been spearheading a massive anti-corruption campaign ostensibly targeting tigers and flies ' -- high-ranking and low-level officials -- alike . the important thing here is that xi has proven he 's powerful enough to break this taboo of never incriminating former politburo standing committee members , ' said longtime political analyst willy lam with chinese university of hong kong . unlike xi , who is communist royalty ' thanks to his father 's status as one of chairman mao 's comrades in arms during the revolution , zhou was born to a poor family in eastern china . his father was an illiterate farmer but borrowed money to send him to school . smart and hardworking , zhou did n't disappoint and went on to become one of the few local students admitted into an elite university in beijing . that school , now called china university of petroleum , was the cradle for titans in the state oil industry . after graduating with a degree in oil exploration , zhou was assigned to an oil field in the country 's northeast and rose through the official ranks from the late 1960s through the mid-1980s . described by many as a capable and humbling young party cadre , zhou was remembered more for his political savviness than technical knowledge . his political skill shone when he was transferred to the oil ministry in beijing , which later became a giant state-owned oil company and one of zhou 's power bases . decisive leader overcoming factional wars in the ministry , zhou was said to be a decisive leader who focused on expanding domestic oil exploration as well as overseas projects , a two-pronged strategy that would continue to this day . fast growth of business abroad made supervision from beijing harder , sowing the seeds for corruption . in 2001 , after a stint as minister of land resources , zhou was named the communist party chief of sichuan in southwest china , one of the country 's most populous provinces . state media there portrayed zhou as an eloquent leader with a clear vision , and credited him for luring high-tech companies including intel to the southwestern province , as well as modernizing the agriculture and tourism sectors . zhou also developed strong local ties and planted officials loyal to him -- including secretaries he brought from beijing -- in key postings throughout the province . zhou 's big break came in 2002 when he returned to beijing and was put in charge of the ministry of public security , which runs the country 's police forces . five years later , he rose to the apex of power by taking a seat in the nine-member politburo standing committee -- with an expanded portfolio that covered all domestic security affairs . his reign coincided with a time of mounting social and ethnic unrest as well as such major events as the beijing olympics in 2008 , the 60th anniversary of the people 's republic in 2009 and the world expo in shanghai in 2010 . ruthless hardliner as the leadership prioritized security and stability above all else , zhou greatly expanded police power at the expense of already-limited judicial independence , cementing his reputation as a ruthless hardliner among political dissidents and activists . it was also during this period that zhou became a patron of bo xilai , a fast-rising political star who was waging his own controversial war against organized crime in the southwestern metropolis of chongqing . bo 's spectacular downfall in 2012 -- complete with tales of murder , bribery and betrayal -- attracted global attention . state media cited his subsequent conviction on corruption charges as a prime example of xi 's resolve to clean up the party . bo supporters , however , have long called him a political victim as the former high-flying politician was once considered xi 's main challenger for the top spot of chinese leadership . political activists and observers now note the similarity between the bo and zhou cases . zhou challenged xi 's authority and threatened his rule -- that 's why he 's now being held responsible along with his gangs , ' offered hu jia , one of china 's leading political dissidents , who was thrown into prison for more than three years on subversion ' charges when zhou first took over nationwide law enforcement . the bottom line is : all officials are corrupt , ' he added . xi ca n't find a better excuse to rid of his political opponents than fighting corruption -- something that helps him win the masses'hearts and minds . the people being investigated for corruption are on the losing side of factional struggles , ' echoed lam , the hong kong analyst . people who are close to xi are less liable to becoming incriminated . ' zhou 's family , aides probed those close to zhou have fallen with him . state media have reported official investigations -- and formal arrests in some cases -- into dozens of zhou 's family members and former aides . the biggest impact was felt in the domestic security apparatus , state oil industry and sichuan province -- three places zhou once ruled . details have also emerged in chinese media about possible skeletons in zhou 's closet , including the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of his first wife . most stories , though , have focused on the vast wealth amassed by zhou 's older son as well as his two brothers and their families . the zhous reportedly benefited immensely from china 's booming energy and real estate sectors thanks to zhou 's deep ties to the two related ministries . zhou 's older son , who is 42 , is said to own multiple luxury properties worth millions of dollars . before even turning 30 , the younger zhou 's first foray into business met with fast growth and quick success after winning a contract to upgrade it systems for 8,000 gas stations across china . his companies also reportedly reaped huge financial gain from buying and selling oil fields and hydropower stations . state media reports also indicated that one of zhou 's younger brothers , a onetime farmer , used zhou 's influence to launch a crisis management ' business and profited from helping people get out of jail , enter police academy and sell steel pipes to state-owned oil fields . other published articles have painted an intricate web of officials , cronies and tycoons -- some with alleged mafia connections -- orbiting around the domestic security czar before the crumbling of his power structure . i think , unlike bo xilai , zhou yongkang will cooperate with investigators because his family is involved , ' said analyst lam , predicting a suspended death sentence for both zhou and his older son . his only incentive now is to protect his son -- he will toe the line to protect his son . ' | zhou arrested as part of corruption probe , expelled from communist party |
zhou <tsp> at the height of his power , zhou yongkang controlled police forces , spy agencies , court systems and prosecution offices across china -- and the domestic security czar was n't shy in deploying his vast assets to crush dissent and unrest in the name of preserving social stability . ' during his reign before retiring in 2012 , as worsening income inequality and official corruption fueled mass discontent nationwide , zhou oversaw the domestic security budget swell to surpass that of the two million-strong chinese military -- the world 's largest . as a member of the ruling communist party 's politburo standing committee -- china 's top decision-making body -- zhou was one of nine men who effectively ruled the country of more than 1.3 billion people . away from the spotlight , though , zhou and his family members were reportedly taking advantage of his leadership position to accumulate enormous wealth . the allegedly blatant exchange between money and power , as revealed by china 's state media , would eventually prompt zhou 's shocking downfall last summer . after months of intense political rumors , the communist party 's disciplinary arm in late july announced an official investigation into zhou for serious disciplinary violations . ' on friday , state prosecutors alleged the investigation found that zhou , 71 , had taken advantage of his positions to garner profits for others , and had accepted huge bribes personally and through his family . ' zhou was also expelled from the communist party , according to state news agency xinhua , citing a decision made friday at a meeting of the party central committee 's political bureau . anti-corruption campaign many have viewed his fall from grace as a watershed moment in the secretive world of chinese politics now ruled by president xi jinping , who has been spearheading a massive anti-corruption campaign ostensibly targeting tigers and flies ' -- high-ranking and low-level officials -- alike . the important thing here is that xi has proven he 's powerful enough to break this taboo of never incriminating former politburo standing committee members , ' said longtime political analyst willy lam with chinese university of hong kong . unlike xi , who is communist royalty ' thanks to his father 's status as one of chairman mao 's comrades in arms during the revolution , zhou was born to a poor family in eastern china . his father was an illiterate farmer but borrowed money to send him to school . smart and hardworking , zhou did n't disappoint and went on to become one of the few local students admitted into an elite university in beijing . that school , now called china university of petroleum , was the cradle for titans in the state oil industry . after graduating with a degree in oil exploration , zhou was assigned to an oil field in the country 's northeast and rose through the official ranks from the late 1960s through the mid-1980s . described by many as a capable and humbling young party cadre , zhou was remembered more for his political savviness than technical knowledge . his political skill shone when he was transferred to the oil ministry in beijing , which later became a giant state-owned oil company and one of zhou 's power bases . decisive leader overcoming factional wars in the ministry , zhou was said to be a decisive leader who focused on expanding domestic oil exploration as well as overseas projects , a two-pronged strategy that would continue to this day . fast growth of business abroad made supervision from beijing harder , sowing the seeds for corruption . in 2001 , after a stint as minister of land resources , zhou was named the communist party chief of sichuan in southwest china , one of the country 's most populous provinces . state media there portrayed zhou as an eloquent leader with a clear vision , and credited him for luring high-tech companies including intel to the southwestern province , as well as modernizing the agriculture and tourism sectors . zhou also developed strong local ties and planted officials loyal to him -- including secretaries he brought from beijing -- in key postings throughout the province . zhou 's big break came in 2002 when he returned to beijing and was put in charge of the ministry of public security , which runs the country 's police forces . five years later , he rose to the apex of power by taking a seat in the nine-member politburo standing committee -- with an expanded portfolio that covered all domestic security affairs . his reign coincided with a time of mounting social and ethnic unrest as well as such major events as the beijing olympics in 2008 , the 60th anniversary of the people 's republic in 2009 and the world expo in shanghai in 2010 . ruthless hardliner as the leadership prioritized security and stability above all else , zhou greatly expanded police power at the expense of already-limited judicial independence , cementing his reputation as a ruthless hardliner among political dissidents and activists . it was also during this period that zhou became a patron of bo xilai , a fast-rising political star who was waging his own controversial war against organized crime in the southwestern metropolis of chongqing . bo 's spectacular downfall in 2012 -- complete with tales of murder , bribery and betrayal -- attracted global attention . state media cited his subsequent conviction on corruption charges as a prime example of xi 's resolve to clean up the party . bo supporters , however , have long called him a political victim as the former high-flying politician was once considered xi 's main challenger for the top spot of chinese leadership . political activists and observers now note the similarity between the bo and zhou cases . zhou challenged xi 's authority and threatened his rule -- that 's why he 's now being held responsible along with his gangs , ' offered hu jia , one of china 's leading political dissidents , who was thrown into prison for more than three years on subversion ' charges when zhou first took over nationwide law enforcement . the bottom line is : all officials are corrupt , ' he added . xi ca n't find a better excuse to rid of his political opponents than fighting corruption -- something that helps him win the masses'hearts and minds . the people being investigated for corruption are on the losing side of factional struggles , ' echoed lam , the hong kong analyst . people who are close to xi are less liable to becoming incriminated . ' zhou 's family , aides probed those close to zhou have fallen with him . state media have reported official investigations -- and formal arrests in some cases -- into dozens of zhou 's family members and former aides . the biggest impact was felt in the domestic security apparatus , state oil industry and sichuan province -- three places zhou once ruled . details have also emerged in chinese media about possible skeletons in zhou 's closet , including the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of his first wife . most stories , though , have focused on the vast wealth amassed by zhou 's older son as well as his two brothers and their families . the zhous reportedly benefited immensely from china 's booming energy and real estate sectors thanks to zhou 's deep ties to the two related ministries . zhou 's older son , who is 42 , is said to own multiple luxury properties worth millions of dollars . before even turning 30 , the younger zhou 's first foray into business met with fast growth and quick success after winning a contract to upgrade it systems for 8,000 gas stations across china . his companies also reportedly reaped huge financial gain from buying and selling oil fields and hydropower stations . state media reports also indicated that one of zhou 's younger brothers , a onetime farmer , used zhou 's influence to launch a crisis management ' business and profited from helping people get out of jail , enter police academy and sell steel pipes to state-owned oil fields . other published articles have painted an intricate web of officials , cronies and tycoons -- some with alleged mafia connections -- orbiting around the domestic security czar before the crumbling of his power structure . i think , unlike bo xilai , zhou yongkang will cooperate with investigators because his family is involved , ' said analyst lam , predicting a suspended death sentence for both zhou and his older son . his only incentive now is to protect his son -- he will toe the line to protect his son . ' | zhou was also a patron of bo xilai , a former a fast-rising political star who was jailed for graft |
peace arch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a canadian border officer was shot in her booth tuesday afternoon by a motorist , who then apparently killed himself , canadian police said . the shooting occurred at a border crossing across from blaine , washington , where the motorist was traveling from , authorities said . the border officer was breathing before being airlifted to a hospital , but further details about her condition were not immediately available , said surrey royal canadian mounted police cpl . bert paquet . the man who shot her was pronounced dead at the scene , apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound , paquet said . he was driving a car with washington state plates into canada , he said . authorities had yet to confirm the man 's identity late tuesday afternoon , paquet said . canadian authorities closed the border crossing immediately after the shooting . the closed british columbia port is known as the douglas or peace arch crossing , and canadian authorities are asking motorists to use another area crossing , said faith st. john with the canada border services agency . the royal canadian mounted police were investigating . dave noble told cnn affiliate ctv that he saw a chaotic scene when he arrived at the crossing tuesday . about a dozen border guards with guns drawn encircled a white van . they had it surrounded . ... you knew something had gone down , ' he said . it 's very shocking . i feel terrible for the border guard . i come here quite a bit , and do n't know any of them personally ... but there are some really nice people that work here . ' authorities told lisa kennedy that she and her family would be waiting for a while . she saw all the ambulances and police cars pull up to the scene , where the van 's doors were opened . they said ,'hold on , you guys are going to be here for a long time . we 've had an injury , a fairly serious one , ' kennedy told ctv . jagdar randhawa said he heard the gunfire . all of sudden , i hear two shots , ' he said tuesday afternoon . then we wait for a while . we 're still waiting for a long time . ' canadian minister of public safety vic toews said he was deeply concerned by the news of the shooting today at the peace arch border crossing of a cbsa officer . ' this event is a sobering reminder of the dangerous conditions faced daily by the men and women of our law enforcement agencies as they work to protect the safety and security of canadians , ' toews said . about 60 vehicles were stranded on the canadian side of the border . cnn 's amanda watts contributed to this report . | new : authorities shut down the peace arch across from blaine , washington |
syria <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- uk police arrested four people tuesday on suspicion of traveling to syria or supporting the fighting there . two men , ages 29 and 18 , and a 21-year-old woman were arrested in manchester , northwest england , on suspicion of being involved in the commission , preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism , greater manchester police said . a fourth person , a 29-year-old man , was arrested in oxford on the same charge , a police statement said . all four are now being questioned by counterterror officers in manchester . detective chief superintendent tony mole , head of the counterterror unit , said there was no imminent threat to anyone in manchester or britain . the operation has been running since autumn 2013 , since we first became aware of a number of individuals traveling from the northwest to the battlefields of syria , ' he said . mole said even those who travel to the region with the intention of providing humanitarian aid are putting themselves in danger . we know that some have already lost their lives or been detained by the regime and badly treated , ' he said . there are serious concerns that anyone traveling to syria , whether for humanitarian reasons or because of a desire to support the syrian opposition , may be targeted by extremist groups who want to recruit them . this could have serious repercussions for the safety of the individual concerned . ' syria 's civil war will this month have dragged on for three painful years . more than 100,000 people have died and more than 680,000 others have been wounded , the united nations has said . at least 6.5 million have been internally displaced and nearly 2.5 million people have fled to other countries . cnn 's carol jordan contributed to this report . | police say a number of people have traveled to the battlefields of syria |
security council <tsp> ( cnn ) -- three days after syrian government forces seized control of the strategically important city of qusayr , aid workers remained unable saturday to enter the region , the international committee of the red cross said . as of today , icrc still does n't have permission to enter qusayr region and will continue to make all efforts to obtain access as and when security allows , ' spokesman ewan watson said in a statement . the u.n. security council had urged on friday that syrian authorities let humanitarian reach the town . the u.n. high commissioner for refugees said this week that it had received reports that as many as 1,500 wounded civilians were trapped in qusayr , which endured nearly seven weeks of fighting until government forces gained control on wednesday . the syrian network for human rights reported that almost 600 of the wounded were unable to walk . many were trapped in narrow areas near the city , the network said . the icrc said that , over the past two days , the lebanese red cross transferred 39 syrians to receive emergency medical care . the casualties were already on lebanese territory and were not taken across the border by the red cross , watson said . in the village of eastern bowaiyda in homs province , where many of those displaced by fighting in al qusayr have sought shelter , clashes erupted between rebels and syrian troops after the government forces tried to latter attempted to advance on the area , the syrian observatory for human rights said . the state-run syrian arab news agency reported saturday that the army had restored stability to the region . most of those who fled qusayr to lebanon are women and children . those we have spoken to say it is unsafe to flee with men , who are at heightened risk of being arrested or killed at checkpoints along the way , ' said melissa fleming , spokeswoman for the u.n. 's refugee agency , earlier this week . fleming said one woman told the agency that qusayr residents were facing a stark choice : you leave and risk being killed ... or you stay and face a certainty of being killed . ' fighters from hezbollah , the powerful lebanese shiite militia backed by iran and the syrian government , were involved in the takeover . the loss of what had been a rebel stronghold near the lebanese border represented a blow to rebels'efforts to oust syrian president bashar al-assad and may portend heightened sectarian tensions . the government 's control of the city helps secure a critical link between the capital , damascus , and alawite strongholds such as tartus and latakia , said charles lister , an analyst at ihs jane 's terrorism and insurgency centre . he predicted that the manly sunni rebels'loss would spark a rise in cross-border attacks on shiite towns in eastern lebanon and possible attacks on hezbollah forces farther inside the country . more than 70,000 syrians -- most of them civilians -- have been killed in the two-year conflict , according to the united nations . the growing need in syria was underscored friday when the united nations made its largest appeal ever -- for more than $ 5 billion -- for relief aid to syrians across the country . syria as a civilization is unraveling , with as many as half of its citizens in need of urgent help as a result of this savage conflict , ' said antonio guterres , the world body 's high commissioner for refugees , who announced the goal in geneva . the funds we are appealing for are a matter of survival for suffering syrians , and they are essential for neighboring countries that are hosting refugees . ' more than 1.6 million syrians have fled the country since the conflict began in march 2011 ; another 4.25 million are estimated to have been displaced inside it . the announcement came as the u.n. office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs predicted that 3.45 million inside syria could have crossed its borders by the end of the year and another 6.8 million people remaining inside syria will need aid . that 's nearly half of the nation , which has a population of 22.5 million . cnn 's bharati naik contributed to this report . | the security council is urging damascus to allow aid to qusayr |
european champions league <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ivory coast striker didier drogba confirmed his switch to china 's shanghai shenhua on wednesday , a move which will reunite him with former chelsea teammate nicolas anelka . drogba announced he would leave chelsea days after scoring the penalty which beat bayern munich in last month 's european champions league final , and the 34-year-old has signed a two-year deal to become the chinese super league 's latest high-profile star . the two-time african footballer of the year will reportedly be paid â£200,000 ( $ 315,000 ) a week , which would make him china 's highest-paid player . i have considered all the offers i have received in the past few weeks , but feel that shanghai shenhua fc is the right move for me at this time , ' said drogba in a statement released through his representatives . i am looking forward to a new challenge , to experiencing a new culture , and i 'm excited about the new developments in the chinese super league . i hope to help promote chinese football around the world and further improve the links between china and africa . ' former france international anelka made the move from stamford bridge to shanghai in january and even had a brief spell as the team 's coach following jean tigana 's exit in april . former argentina coach sergio batista is now in charge of the team , and he is looking forward to working with former marseille star drogba . drogba is a very good soccer player , his outstanding skills and amazing experience will give us motivation to improve our games , ' said argentina 's 1986 world cup winner . it is my honor to invite him to join in our team . at last i have to say that the club owner zhu jun did his utmost to bring drogba to shenhua . ' shanghai is currently 12th in the league , with only three wins all season . but shenhua owner zhu is confident drogba can have a positive impact on results as he seeks his first title since taking over in 2007 -- and the club 's first since 2003 . drogba scored 157 goals for chelsea in his eight seasons at the club , winning three english premier league titles , four fa cups and two league cups as well as the london club 's long-awaited first european crown . we have been wanting to sign didier for a while , and are very happy that it has finally happened , ' said zhu . he is an incredible player , who has won so many trophies in his career , we feel that his experience and ability will be a very valuable asset to our squad . shanghai is one of the most influential cities in the world , and we are very excited to welcome didier here . ' drogba and anelka are two of a number of soccer stars to have joined china 's premier football competition . italy 's world cup-winning coach marcello lippi is now in charge at guangzhou evergrande , an ambitious club who in the last year have signed argentine dario conca and paraguay 's lucas barrios . | drogba scored the penalty which won chelsea the european champions league |
afghanistan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- for a website devoted to exposing secrets , wikileaks.org is pretty good at keeping its own . not much is confirmed about exactly who founded it and runs it , who donates money to allow the five or so full-time people and hundreds of volunteers to keep it going , and where it all happens . despite such murkiness , wikileaks has gained international notoriety since it started posting classified documents and other secret information from a european base in january 2007 . in april , video of a u.s. military helicopter strike in iraq that killed two reuters journalists raised questions about the attack , as well as how wikileaks got the military tapes . now , rumors abound that wikileaks is poised to post more video of americans at war , perhaps involving u.s. air strikes in afghanistan that killed civilians and prompted a military report critical of what happened . the pentagon has taken notice . in a secret 2008 report leaked to wikileaks , the u.s. army counterintelligence center called the website a potential threat to u.s. forces and counterintelligence efforts . recent unauthorized release of dod ( department of defense ) sensitive and classified documents provide fiss ( foreign intelligence and security services ) , foreign terrorist groups , insurgents and other foreign adversaries with potentially actionable information for targeting u.s. forces , ' said the report posted on wikileaks . to julian assange , the website 's director and only public face , it 's all about providing information necessary for citizens to make decisions that shape their future . all the information in a society , all the happenings in a society , is relevant to choosing to support ' a government , political parties and particular leaders , assange said in an interview posted on wikileaks on june 1 . more revealing was an april interview on the u.s. comedy show the colbert report , ' in which assange acknowledged to host stephen colbert that the goal of posting secret documents was to gain the maximum possible political impact . ' for example , assange told colbert , he titled the video on the iraqi helicopter strike that killed the reuters journalists collateral murder ' because , he said , that 's what happened . at the same time , assange said , wikileaks always provides to the public all the video or documents available so that viewers can decide for themselves . if people have a different opinion , the full material is there for them to analyze and assess , ' assange told colbert . wikileaks publishes anonymously submitted documents , video and other sensitive materials after vetting them , it says . it claims never to have fallen for a forgery . a scouring of internet sources found some basic information about the website , including that it was started by a group of activists that included chinese political dissidents and it survives on donations . assange , an australian journalist depicted in media reports as a former computer hacker , described wikileaks in a january interview as run by five or so full-time people supported by hundreds of volunteers . his work with wikileaks won amnesty international 's 2009 uk media award in the new media category for kenya : the cry of blood -- extra judicial killings and disappearances , ' a suppressed report on police killings by kenya 's national commission on human rights . in the january interview posted on the medien-okonomie-blog , assange described an almost covert operation with no headquarters that needs roughly $ 300,000 a year to function as a mostly volunteer organization . but there are people who ca n't afford to continue being involved full-time unless they are paid , ' he said , estimating the costs would approach $ 1 million year if that happened . he explained the value that wikileaks provides to the mainstream media by publishing otherwise unobtainable information . we take the most legally difficult part , which is not the story , but usually the backing documents , ' assange said in the interview . as a result there is less chance of legal action against the publisher . ' for its own legal troubles , assange said , wikileaks relies on lawyers donated by mainstream media outlets including the associated press and the los angeles times . the website 's biggest u.s. splash was the april posting of what it said was video from a u.s. helicopter involved in an attack in baghdad that killed nine people -- including the two reuters journalists -- and wounded two children . a u.s. army intelligence analyst was arrested two months later , allegedly for leaking classified military information , the u.s. military said . the website wired.com identified him as spc . bradley manning , 22 , and said he had leaked the video of the helicopter assault . wired.com reported that manning confessed to the leak in a series of online chats with a former computer hacker . he allegedly owned up to leaking other items to wikileaks , including the classified army document assessing the threat level of the website , as well as state department cables , according to the article public airing of the video forced the pentagon to defend the actions of its troops in a report that concluded the apache helicopter crews had no way of knowing the journalists -- namir noor-eldeen and saeed chmagh -- were among suspected insurgents on the street . now assange is described as living on the run , and the iceland parliament has passed a proposal intended to make the country a haven for whistle-blowers such as wikileaks . cnn 's richard greene , atika shubert , atia abawi and tom cohen contributed to this report | rumors abound that wikileaks will soon post video footage of air strikes in afghanistan |
south korea <tsp> seoul ( cnn ) in the first few days after the sewol disappeared beneath the yellow sea , divers pulled body after body from the watery wreckage , bringing the dead home . and throughout the following days , weeks and months , park eun-mi waited to see if one of them was her 16-year-old daughter , huh da-yun . the divers stopped searching months ago because of the winter and water conditions , and the south korean ferry remains on the bottom of the sea floor . the sewol sank on april 16 , killing 304 people , mostly high school students who were on their way to a field trip to jeju island , off south korea 's southern coast . we kept waiting with belief in finding our daughter . i thought once ,'somebody will be the last person and what if it 's da-yun ?'' park said . a year later , park 's life remains at a standstill . nine have yet to be found . we , the families of the missing victims , are still living the day -- april 16 , 2014 , ' said park , who is in poor health , but refusing treatment . i can not think about anything except to find my daughter and other missing people . ' park 's case is an unsettling one -- emblematic of what remains unresolved a year after the sewol ferry sank . dozens associated with the ferry disaster have been sent to jail on criminal charges . but families say the underlying problems that led to the sinking of the sewol are far from resolved . on april 16 , the sewol ferry , carrying hundreds of high school students , began sinking after taking a sharp turn . passengers were told repeatedly by the crew members to stay where they were as rescuers would arrive soon . many of them listened to the instructions and remained in place . as the ferry tilted sideways , water seeped in and objects in the ship toppled over , injuring people and blocking their way out . anger over how the crew failed to evacuate the passengers intensified when video surfaced of the ferry 's captain in his underwear leaping into the arms of the korean coast guard while hundreds remained trapped in the vessel . divers had to pluck the bodies from the water one-by-one , bringing the youngsters back to land in black body bags where they were met with the gut-wrenching cries of their families . on thursday , the one year anniversary of the disaster , south korea 's president park geun-hye called for the salvage of the sewol 's wreck as soon as possible . ' recently , there was an announcement that it is technically possible to salvage sewol ferry . i believe that it is now time to earnestly prepare to salvage , ' she said . a government study on raising the ferry released last week identified a crane and floating dock as the safest way to look for the missing . the sewol ferry is over 20 years old and there are fears it could fall apart during the extraction , according to the south korean ministry of oceans and fisheries . the agency anticipates a complicated technical operation to remove the ferry , which would weigh about 10,200 tons above water . the process could take over a year and a half , and that it would cost the south korean government anywhere from $ 91 million to $ 182 million . the victims'families have demanded that the ship be recovered in order to thoroughly investigate the accident . since the days immediately after the disaster , families have criticized the government over its response . communication over the rescue efforts were jumbled , paving way for rumors and hoaxes . criticism swirled over the south korean coast guard 's effectiveness in carrying out the rescue operation . the captain of the first coast guard ship sent to rescue the sewol passengers was found guilty of negligence and making false reports . the recovery efforts have also taken a deadly toll with a total of six deaths -- a diver searching the sewol died in may , and in july , five people died after a helicopter carrying emergency workers involved in the operation crashed . park , the south korean president , pledged major reforms , dismantled the coast guard and vowed an investigation into what went wrong . that promised investigation has been hampered by politics and disagreements between the families and the government over who should participate in the investigation . earlier this month , several dozens of family members marched to seoul from ansan , the suburb where most of the students had resided . some of the families shaved their heads to demand political action . several laws have been passed to inspect cargo weight and increase oversight in the industry . in the case of sewol , the ferry was found to be loaded with double its capacity . its cargo was n't secured properly , which threw the ship off balance as the containers tumbled and knocked the vessel off balance . an inexperienced crew and redesigns of the ship to handle more passengers and cargo were also cited as factors in the disaster . the sinking spurred a debate about the shortcomings of the government and what preventive measures should have been taken . the tragedy of sewol was also virtually caused by accumulation of corruption , irregularity and going blind eyes , ' park said on thursday . corruption and deep-rooted evil are issues that can lead to taking away people 's lives . we take this very seriously . ' in the immediate aftermath , south korean prosecutors arrested the captain , crew members and business associates . sewol 's captain , lee joon-seok , who was widely derided for jumping to safety , was sentenced to 36 years in prison for abandonment causing death and injury , and violating sea laws . in july , the body of a billionaire yoo byung eun , who was believed to have connections to the company that owned the ferry , was found decomposing in a plum field . but some families say that wider , systematic problems that allowed the disaster to occur have n't been addressed . whether the ferry will be raised and an independent investigation will be held remains to be seen . cnn 's kj kwon and journalist jungeun kim contributed to this report in seoul . | sewol ferry sank a year ago off the coast of south korea , killing 304 people |
sewol <tsp> seoul ( cnn ) in the first few days after the sewol disappeared beneath the yellow sea , divers pulled body after body from the watery wreckage , bringing the dead home . and throughout the following days , weeks and months , park eun-mi waited to see if one of them was her 16-year-old daughter , huh da-yun . the divers stopped searching months ago because of the winter and water conditions , and the south korean ferry remains on the bottom of the sea floor . the sewol sank on april 16 , killing 304 people , mostly high school students who were on their way to a field trip to jeju island , off south korea 's southern coast . we kept waiting with belief in finding our daughter . i thought once ,'somebody will be the last person and what if it 's da-yun ?'' park said . a year later , park 's life remains at a standstill . nine have yet to be found . we , the families of the missing victims , are still living the day -- april 16 , 2014 , ' said park , who is in poor health , but refusing treatment . i can not think about anything except to find my daughter and other missing people . ' park 's case is an unsettling one -- emblematic of what remains unresolved a year after the sewol ferry sank . dozens associated with the ferry disaster have been sent to jail on criminal charges . but families say the underlying problems that led to the sinking of the sewol are far from resolved . on april 16 , the sewol ferry , carrying hundreds of high school students , began sinking after taking a sharp turn . passengers were told repeatedly by the crew members to stay where they were as rescuers would arrive soon . many of them listened to the instructions and remained in place . as the ferry tilted sideways , water seeped in and objects in the ship toppled over , injuring people and blocking their way out . anger over how the crew failed to evacuate the passengers intensified when video surfaced of the ferry 's captain in his underwear leaping into the arms of the korean coast guard while hundreds remained trapped in the vessel . divers had to pluck the bodies from the water one-by-one , bringing the youngsters back to land in black body bags where they were met with the gut-wrenching cries of their families . on thursday , the one year anniversary of the disaster , south korea 's president park geun-hye called for the salvage of the sewol 's wreck as soon as possible . ' recently , there was an announcement that it is technically possible to salvage sewol ferry . i believe that it is now time to earnestly prepare to salvage , ' she said . a government study on raising the ferry released last week identified a crane and floating dock as the safest way to look for the missing . the sewol ferry is over 20 years old and there are fears it could fall apart during the extraction , according to the south korean ministry of oceans and fisheries . the agency anticipates a complicated technical operation to remove the ferry , which would weigh about 10,200 tons above water . the process could take over a year and a half , and that it would cost the south korean government anywhere from $ 91 million to $ 182 million . the victims'families have demanded that the ship be recovered in order to thoroughly investigate the accident . since the days immediately after the disaster , families have criticized the government over its response . communication over the rescue efforts were jumbled , paving way for rumors and hoaxes . criticism swirled over the south korean coast guard 's effectiveness in carrying out the rescue operation . the captain of the first coast guard ship sent to rescue the sewol passengers was found guilty of negligence and making false reports . the recovery efforts have also taken a deadly toll with a total of six deaths -- a diver searching the sewol died in may , and in july , five people died after a helicopter carrying emergency workers involved in the operation crashed . park , the south korean president , pledged major reforms , dismantled the coast guard and vowed an investigation into what went wrong . that promised investigation has been hampered by politics and disagreements between the families and the government over who should participate in the investigation . earlier this month , several dozens of family members marched to seoul from ansan , the suburb where most of the students had resided . some of the families shaved their heads to demand political action . several laws have been passed to inspect cargo weight and increase oversight in the industry . in the case of sewol , the ferry was found to be loaded with double its capacity . its cargo was n't secured properly , which threw the ship off balance as the containers tumbled and knocked the vessel off balance . an inexperienced crew and redesigns of the ship to handle more passengers and cargo were also cited as factors in the disaster . the sinking spurred a debate about the shortcomings of the government and what preventive measures should have been taken . the tragedy of sewol was also virtually caused by accumulation of corruption , irregularity and going blind eyes , ' park said on thursday . corruption and deep-rooted evil are issues that can lead to taking away people 's lives . we take this very seriously . ' in the immediate aftermath , south korean prosecutors arrested the captain , crew members and business associates . sewol 's captain , lee joon-seok , who was widely derided for jumping to safety , was sentenced to 36 years in prison for abandonment causing death and injury , and violating sea laws . in july , the body of a billionaire yoo byung eun , who was believed to have connections to the company that owned the ferry , was found decomposing in a plum field . but some families say that wider , systematic problems that allowed the disaster to occur have n't been addressed . whether the ferry will be raised and an independent investigation will be held remains to be seen . cnn 's kj kwon and journalist jungeun kim contributed to this report in seoul . | sewol ferry sank a year ago off the coast of south korea , killing 304 people |
northeast <tsp> philadelphia ( cnn ) -- first came the whiteouts , then the blackouts . utility companies scrambled friday to restore power to the northeast as hundreds of thousands shivered . a powerful snowstorm had moved wednesday from the midwest , arriving thursday in the northeast . it whacked a string of states along the way , dumping 13 inches of snow on kansas , more than 10 inches on parts of massachusetts and 4 inches on new york . in some areas , ice snapped tree limbs and downed power lines , causing massive blackouts . in philadelphia alone , electric provider peco said early friday that 319,000 homes and businesses were without power . in pennsylvania 's chester county , some traffic lights were powered by portable generators , cnn affiliate kfw reported . the vast majority of those who lost their power should see it restored friday , though some may have to wait until sunday , company spokeswoman debbie yemenijian said . utility crews from arkansas , illinois , massachusetts , new york , ohio and canada joined peco 's workers to fix the damage , the company said . in all , more than 1,500 workers were in the field , it said . in the baltimore area , about 19,000 homes and businesses remained without power early friday , utility baltimore gas and electric co. said on its website . tens of thousands more were without power elsewhere in pennsylvania and new jersey , with a handful of outages remaining in ohio as well . by friday evening , more than 270,000 customers were still with power in the mid-atlantic states . the wet , heavy snow may have pleased children who got a snow day , but some grownups were not applauding . harder to push , not as easy actually to plow , ' said boston snowplow driver nick sfravara . it 's definitely a challenge to get this stuff out of the way rather than the light stuff . ' another system is forecast to bring snow to the region this weekend , but it 's not expected to produce as many problems , cnn meteorologists said . on the west coast , much-needed rain and snow should continue through the weekend . in washington state , one person was killed and several others injured in a 28-car crash on interstate 5 in washington state after a new winter storm blew in off the pacific , cnn affiliate kptv reported . portland , oregon , got 3.8 inches of snow on thursday , the fifth-greatest february snowfall since 1940 . thursday was also the coldest day in february since 1989 , with a high of 23 degrees . a second round of snow is expected to fall friday afternoon , according to kptv . san francisco received nearly three quarters of an inch of rain on thursday . another several inches are expected in the inland valleys and 8 to 10 inches in the coastal mountains through the weekend , bringing the possibility of flooding . snow showers from the midwest to the northeast were expected to drop 2 to 4 inches of snow from the midwest to the northeast over the weekend . cold air will hang on through the weekend , with highs 10 to 20 degreess below average . another round of cold is expected to move sunday into the upper midwest , with highs predicted at 30 degrees below average . cnn 's faith karimi reported and wrote from atlanta , and margaret conley reported from philadelphia . cnn 's rick martin , monica garrett , michael pearson and tom watkins contributed to this report . | but it 's not expected to produce as many problems in the northeast |
house <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- finding al qaeda leader osama bin laden and rolling back a resurgent taliban are necessary steps toward winning the war in afghanistan , the top u.s. commander there told a senate committee tuesday . bin laden remains at large more than eight years after the september 11 , 2001 , attacks on new york and washington that triggered the afghan war , and is widely believed to be hiding along the rugged border between afghanistan and pakistan . gen. stanley mcchrystal , the commander of u.s. forces in afghanistan , said the world 's most wanted terrorist is an iconic figure ' whose survival emboldens al qaeda as a franchising organization across the world . ' it would not defeat al qaeda to have him captured or killed , but i do n't think we can finally defeat al qaeda until he is finally captured or killed , ' mcchrystal told the senate armed services committee . but he said if bin laden is hiding across the border , it is outside of my mandate . ' in addition , he said , pushing back the taliban -- which allowed al qaeda to operate from afghanistan before 9/11 -- is a prerequisite ' for destroying the terrorist network . to pursue our core goal of defeating al qaeda and preventing their return to afghanistan , we must disrupt and degrade the taliban 's capacity , deny their access to the afghan population , and strengthen the afghan security forces , ' he said . mcchrystal 's appearance before senators was his second round of testimony on capitol hill on tuesday , following a session with the house armed services committee earlier in the day . karl eikenberry , the u.s. ambassador in kabul , joined him in both hearings . both men were called to testify about president obama 's new plan for the afghan war , which involves the deployment of another 30,000 u.s. troops and a july 2011 date for the beginning of an american withdrawal . mcchrystal said the next 18 months will be critical ' to the war effort and said u.s. forces must convince afghans that we are going to win . ' the united states and its nato allies must reverse the taliban 's actual and perceived momentum and establish contiguous security ' around the country rather than the pockets that currently exist , mcchrystal said . one advantage u.s. troops have is that the taliban -- which ruled most of afghanistan before the 9/11 attacks -- remain largely unpopular among afghans and draw support only through the threat of violence . i have never seen evidence that the taliban have popular support like a political liberation movement , ' he said . in august , the general had cautioned that a failure to reverse taliban gains within 12 months could make defeating the insurgents impossible . but his testimony tuesday lengthened that timeline . the sober fact is that there are no silver bullets , ' he told the house committee . ultimate success will be the cumulative effect of sustained pressure . ' mcchrystal said he participated fully in the president 's assessment and decision-making process ' and fully supports obama 's decision . and eikenberry , whose leaked cables to washington indicated that he opposed sending large numbers of troops to the conflict , told the senate he is 100 percent ' behind the new strategy with the refinement of the mission . ' his initial questions , eikenberry told the house , were about the number of troops , the timeline for those troops , and the context in which those troops would operate . the mission was refined , the ways forward were clarified , and the resources now have been committed to allow us to achieve the refined mission , ' said the ambassador , a retired general who held a senior post in kabul before retiring from the army . with that , at this point in time ... i am unequivocally in support of this mission and i am exactly aligned with gen. mcchrystal in moving forward now to vigorously implement the assigned mission . ' both eikenberry and mcchrystal went out of their way to minimize the differences in their views after reports of an eikenberry cable advising the president that mcchrystal 's plans to send more troops would be ill advised because of a lack of confidence in the government of afghan president hamid karzai . in their opening statements , both said they were honored to testify together and each called the other a friend . but more of those differences were seen when the men gave their predictions about the final outcome of the war . i believe we will absolutely be successful , ' mcchrystal responded when the committee chairman , rep. ike skelton , d-missouri , asked the general point-blank about the chances for success of the u.s. mission . earlier , in his opening remarks , the general had said , the mission is not only important , it is also achievable . we can and will accomplish this mission . ' eikenberry was more cautious , saying that success is not guaranteed but it is possible . ' but mcchrystal emphasized that the july 2011 date is only a marker in the broader picture , and not a major factor ' in u.s. military strategy . i do n't view july 2011 as a deadline . i do n't believe it is a deadline at all , ' he told lawmakers , later adding that he assumed a u.s. troop withdrawal will begin at that time . it is a solid decision the president has made and i operate under the assumption that we will begin to decrease our forces beginning in july 2011 , ' the general said . mcchrystal said that the influx of additional troops should bring significant progress ' in the war by next summer , and by next december he should be able to lay out progress ' and show evidence of success in a report he will present . my expectation is the insurgency will be less robust in the summer of 2011 , significantly so , and it is also my expectation that the afghan security forces will be more robust , ' mcchrystal said . i see confidently in the summer of 2011 that beginning the reduction of forces will be appropriate , the pace and scope of which needs to be conditions-based on how strong is insurgency at that point . ' he said the taliban must not become an existential threat ' to the afghan government , and thus to the afghan people . ' so rather than wipe out every taliban member , what we need to do is lower their capacity to the point where -- within their own means -- afghanistan can hold them from being a major threat to either their way of life or their government . i think that , over time , that will cause the taliban to go away , to become irrelevant , and cease to exist , ' he explained . at present , 68,000 u.s. troops are operating under both nato and u.s. commands in afghanistan , and around 42,000 non-u.s. forces are under nato . the pentagon announced 1,500 more marines would be deploying this month as part of the new strategy . last week , nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen said that britain , italy , poland , slovakia and non-nato member georgia are among at least 25 countries offering to send a total of 7,000 additional troops to afghanistan . cnn 's jill dougherty contributed to this report . | new : general , u.s. ambassador testify before house and senate armed services committees |
clark <tsp> atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- seventh graders at ron clark academy became an overnight sensation during the presidential election when their youtube performance of you can vote however you like ' catapulted them to online stardom . the higher the expectations , the higher the results , ' says ron clark , seen here with his students . now , their creative and scholastic talents have proved the students to be more than just one hit wonders . ' academy students showcased their poetry and writings for cnn 's documentary black in america 2 , ' hosted by soledad o'brien . cultivating student creativity is just one of the goals of academy founder ron clark , an enigmatic educator known for his unconventional teaching methods . under his strict tutelage , students at ron clark -- who are predominantly african-american -- are expected to excel in all subjects and maintain a high standard of respect for their peers and teachers . i 'm teaching an eighth-grade curriculum to fifth-graders , ' says clark . some people say my expectations of the kids , academically , is too high , but the higher the expectations , the higher the results . ' but with high academic expectations come an equally high quotient for fun . it 's become one of clark 's trademarks : singing and dancing to popular rap and r & b songs during class to get the kids engaged . my first day at ron clark academy , i thought all the teachers were psychopaths , ' says seventh-grader jai springs . i thought ron clark was going crazy . he was up in front of the kids on desks , he was dancing . ... i never saw a teacher get up on a desk and dance . but now i 'm used to it , so i get up on the desk and dance too , ' says jai . clark , formerly a schoolteacher from south carolina , founded the academy with money he earned from his book titled the essential 55 , which detail clark 's 55 golden rules for success -- in and out of the classroom . clark was invited to be a guest on the oprah winfrey show after winning disney teacher of the year award in 2001 . oprah believed so much in the well-mannered southern school teacher from south carolina that she encouraged him to write the book . later she promoted the essential 55 on her show , prompting it 's ascension to new york times bestseller list . together with co-founder kim bearden , clark transformed a decaying factory in a rough part of atlanta , georgia , into a state-of-the-art educational model for middle schools across the country . soon after the school opened its doors in 2008 , a christmas package from winfrey arrived for clark in the form of a $ 365,000 grant , or a thousand dollars for each day of the year , ' as oprah referred to it in the letter . then came the elections , with a tight presidential race between sens . barack obama of illinois and john mccain of arizona . inspired by rapper t.i . 's hit song whatever you like , ' clark 's seventh grade class penned their own lyrics and dance moves . the students'performance carried a message : cast your ballot because you support a candidate 's policies rather than just his skin color . when they perform the song , half the seventh grade class touts the virtues of gop 's mccain while the other half root for democrat obama : obama on the left . mccain on the right . we can talk politics all night . and you can vote however you like . ' the students can talk politics with the best of them , ' says clark . video clips of the kids performing have garnered over 15 million hits on youtube . we got lots of media attention . but when the media arrived to the school they realized the song is not the story , it 's the kids , ' says clark . one of clark 's credos is teaching a global curriculum ' with a heavy emphasis on current events . himself an avid world traveler , clark believes it 's essential for his students to travel to other countries to develop an understanding and appreciation of the world in which they live . through delta 's corporate sponsorship of the school , administrators have been able to send all 100 of their fifth to eighth grade students abroad before they graduate . i 'm not nearly as shy as i used to be , ' says seventh-grader chi chi kasarachi after her first year at the academy . my knowledge of the world has improved , i know more about what 's going on in other countries and i 'm more curious about things . ... i 'm just hungry for knowledge , ' says chi chi . in fact , the students at ron clark academy are better versed in current events and politics than many adults . i never thought i 'd be interested in watching the news , ' says seventh-grader osei avril . now i find it interesting because i have learned the stories behind the news , ' he says . osei -- who pronounces iranian president ahmadinajad 's name perfectly -- says he 's interested in learning about world issues such as the iranian elections , the taliban in pakistan , and the palestinian- israeli conflict . at the beginning , ' says clark , the kids will say something like'i 've been to east point [ a suburb of south atlanta ] . after a few years they 've been to kenya , japan , or south africa , or england . ... they 've become very comfortable with understanding the country and understanding themselves . ' but it 's not just the travel or even the singing and dancing to rap music that make the school so special , say the students . it 's the academy teachers'creative ways of instilling education , solid values , and a passion for learning . they want you to pass the people at the top , ' says jai . to be at the top nonstop , be at your fullest , to be creative , to think out of the box . ' but school is n't all fun and games , she says . clark is a strict disciplinarian that expects -- and enforces -- model behavior from all of the students . i love mr. clark with all my heart , he 's like a father to me , ' says chi chi . he might fuss a lot , but i know he 's doing it for our own good . ' | ron clark academy students' 08 youtube rap performance got millions of hits |
clark <tsp> atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- seventh graders at ron clark academy became an overnight sensation during the presidential election when their youtube performance of you can vote however you like ' catapulted them to online stardom . the higher the expectations , the higher the results , ' says ron clark , seen here with his students . now , their creative and scholastic talents have proved the students to be more than just one hit wonders . ' academy students showcased their poetry and writings for cnn 's documentary black in america 2 , ' hosted by soledad o'brien . cultivating student creativity is just one of the goals of academy founder ron clark , an enigmatic educator known for his unconventional teaching methods . under his strict tutelage , students at ron clark -- who are predominantly african-american -- are expected to excel in all subjects and maintain a high standard of respect for their peers and teachers . i 'm teaching an eighth-grade curriculum to fifth-graders , ' says clark . some people say my expectations of the kids , academically , is too high , but the higher the expectations , the higher the results . ' but with high academic expectations come an equally high quotient for fun . it 's become one of clark 's trademarks : singing and dancing to popular rap and r & b songs during class to get the kids engaged . my first day at ron clark academy , i thought all the teachers were psychopaths , ' says seventh-grader jai springs . i thought ron clark was going crazy . he was up in front of the kids on desks , he was dancing . ... i never saw a teacher get up on a desk and dance . but now i 'm used to it , so i get up on the desk and dance too , ' says jai . clark , formerly a schoolteacher from south carolina , founded the academy with money he earned from his book titled the essential 55 , which detail clark 's 55 golden rules for success -- in and out of the classroom . clark was invited to be a guest on the oprah winfrey show after winning disney teacher of the year award in 2001 . oprah believed so much in the well-mannered southern school teacher from south carolina that she encouraged him to write the book . later she promoted the essential 55 on her show , prompting it 's ascension to new york times bestseller list . together with co-founder kim bearden , clark transformed a decaying factory in a rough part of atlanta , georgia , into a state-of-the-art educational model for middle schools across the country . soon after the school opened its doors in 2008 , a christmas package from winfrey arrived for clark in the form of a $ 365,000 grant , or a thousand dollars for each day of the year , ' as oprah referred to it in the letter . then came the elections , with a tight presidential race between sens . barack obama of illinois and john mccain of arizona . inspired by rapper t.i . 's hit song whatever you like , ' clark 's seventh grade class penned their own lyrics and dance moves . the students'performance carried a message : cast your ballot because you support a candidate 's policies rather than just his skin color . when they perform the song , half the seventh grade class touts the virtues of gop 's mccain while the other half root for democrat obama : obama on the left . mccain on the right . we can talk politics all night . and you can vote however you like . ' the students can talk politics with the best of them , ' says clark . video clips of the kids performing have garnered over 15 million hits on youtube . we got lots of media attention . but when the media arrived to the school they realized the song is not the story , it 's the kids , ' says clark . one of clark 's credos is teaching a global curriculum ' with a heavy emphasis on current events . himself an avid world traveler , clark believes it 's essential for his students to travel to other countries to develop an understanding and appreciation of the world in which they live . through delta 's corporate sponsorship of the school , administrators have been able to send all 100 of their fifth to eighth grade students abroad before they graduate . i 'm not nearly as shy as i used to be , ' says seventh-grader chi chi kasarachi after her first year at the academy . my knowledge of the world has improved , i know more about what 's going on in other countries and i 'm more curious about things . ... i 'm just hungry for knowledge , ' says chi chi . in fact , the students at ron clark academy are better versed in current events and politics than many adults . i never thought i 'd be interested in watching the news , ' says seventh-grader osei avril . now i find it interesting because i have learned the stories behind the news , ' he says . osei -- who pronounces iranian president ahmadinajad 's name perfectly -- says he 's interested in learning about world issues such as the iranian elections , the taliban in pakistan , and the palestinian- israeli conflict . at the beginning , ' says clark , the kids will say something like'i 've been to east point [ a suburb of south atlanta ] . after a few years they 've been to kenya , japan , or south africa , or england . ... they 've become very comfortable with understanding the country and understanding themselves . ' but it 's not just the travel or even the singing and dancing to rap music that make the school so special , say the students . it 's the academy teachers'creative ways of instilling education , solid values , and a passion for learning . they want you to pass the people at the top , ' says jai . to be at the top nonstop , be at your fullest , to be creative , to think out of the box . ' but school is n't all fun and games , she says . clark is a strict disciplinarian that expects -- and enforces -- model behavior from all of the students . i love mr. clark with all my heart , he 's like a father to me , ' says chi chi . he might fuss a lot , but i know he 's doing it for our own good . ' | i 'm teaching an eigthth-grade curriculum to fifth graders , ' says clark |
clark <tsp> atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- seventh graders at ron clark academy became an overnight sensation during the presidential election when their youtube performance of you can vote however you like ' catapulted them to online stardom . the higher the expectations , the higher the results , ' says ron clark , seen here with his students . now , their creative and scholastic talents have proved the students to be more than just one hit wonders . ' academy students showcased their poetry and writings for cnn 's documentary black in america 2 , ' hosted by soledad o'brien . cultivating student creativity is just one of the goals of academy founder ron clark , an enigmatic educator known for his unconventional teaching methods . under his strict tutelage , students at ron clark -- who are predominantly african-american -- are expected to excel in all subjects and maintain a high standard of respect for their peers and teachers . i 'm teaching an eighth-grade curriculum to fifth-graders , ' says clark . some people say my expectations of the kids , academically , is too high , but the higher the expectations , the higher the results . ' but with high academic expectations come an equally high quotient for fun . it 's become one of clark 's trademarks : singing and dancing to popular rap and r & b songs during class to get the kids engaged . my first day at ron clark academy , i thought all the teachers were psychopaths , ' says seventh-grader jai springs . i thought ron clark was going crazy . he was up in front of the kids on desks , he was dancing . ... i never saw a teacher get up on a desk and dance . but now i 'm used to it , so i get up on the desk and dance too , ' says jai . clark , formerly a schoolteacher from south carolina , founded the academy with money he earned from his book titled the essential 55 , which detail clark 's 55 golden rules for success -- in and out of the classroom . clark was invited to be a guest on the oprah winfrey show after winning disney teacher of the year award in 2001 . oprah believed so much in the well-mannered southern school teacher from south carolina that she encouraged him to write the book . later she promoted the essential 55 on her show , prompting it 's ascension to new york times bestseller list . together with co-founder kim bearden , clark transformed a decaying factory in a rough part of atlanta , georgia , into a state-of-the-art educational model for middle schools across the country . soon after the school opened its doors in 2008 , a christmas package from winfrey arrived for clark in the form of a $ 365,000 grant , or a thousand dollars for each day of the year , ' as oprah referred to it in the letter . then came the elections , with a tight presidential race between sens . barack obama of illinois and john mccain of arizona . inspired by rapper t.i . 's hit song whatever you like , ' clark 's seventh grade class penned their own lyrics and dance moves . the students'performance carried a message : cast your ballot because you support a candidate 's policies rather than just his skin color . when they perform the song , half the seventh grade class touts the virtues of gop 's mccain while the other half root for democrat obama : obama on the left . mccain on the right . we can talk politics all night . and you can vote however you like . ' the students can talk politics with the best of them , ' says clark . video clips of the kids performing have garnered over 15 million hits on youtube . we got lots of media attention . but when the media arrived to the school they realized the song is not the story , it 's the kids , ' says clark . one of clark 's credos is teaching a global curriculum ' with a heavy emphasis on current events . himself an avid world traveler , clark believes it 's essential for his students to travel to other countries to develop an understanding and appreciation of the world in which they live . through delta 's corporate sponsorship of the school , administrators have been able to send all 100 of their fifth to eighth grade students abroad before they graduate . i 'm not nearly as shy as i used to be , ' says seventh-grader chi chi kasarachi after her first year at the academy . my knowledge of the world has improved , i know more about what 's going on in other countries and i 'm more curious about things . ... i 'm just hungry for knowledge , ' says chi chi . in fact , the students at ron clark academy are better versed in current events and politics than many adults . i never thought i 'd be interested in watching the news , ' says seventh-grader osei avril . now i find it interesting because i have learned the stories behind the news , ' he says . osei -- who pronounces iranian president ahmadinajad 's name perfectly -- says he 's interested in learning about world issues such as the iranian elections , the taliban in pakistan , and the palestinian- israeli conflict . at the beginning , ' says clark , the kids will say something like'i 've been to east point [ a suburb of south atlanta ] . after a few years they 've been to kenya , japan , or south africa , or england . ... they 've become very comfortable with understanding the country and understanding themselves . ' but it 's not just the travel or even the singing and dancing to rap music that make the school so special , say the students . it 's the academy teachers'creative ways of instilling education , solid values , and a passion for learning . they want you to pass the people at the top , ' says jai . to be at the top nonstop , be at your fullest , to be creative , to think out of the box . ' but school is n't all fun and games , she says . clark is a strict disciplinarian that expects -- and enforces -- model behavior from all of the students . i love mr. clark with all my heart , he 's like a father to me , ' says chi chi . he might fuss a lot , but i know he 's doing it for our own good . ' | clark teaches global curriculum ' with heavy emphasis on current events |
goetz <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- a new york man dubbed the subway vigilante ' after he shot four youths in 1984 was released from jail saturday on a charge of selling marijuana to an undercover officer . bernhard goetz , 65 , was ordered freed on his own recognizance at an arraignment in criminal court , the manhattan district attorney 's office said . his next court date is december 18 , the district attorney 's office said . national attention followed 1984 shooting goetz was the subject of national attention when he shot four black teenagers on december 22 , 1984 , aboard a manhattan subway car . the four said they were panhandling and asked goetz for $ 5 to play video games . goetz said he believed he was being robbed . goetz , who is white , was acquitted of murder and assault charges in the shooting but was convicted of illegal possession of a weapon . he served less than nine months behind bars . the incident took place at a time when race relations were strained and crime levels were high in new york city . arrest followed drug sting goetz was arrested friday about a block away from his home in the west village neighborhood of manhattan , according to police . he is accused of meeting an undercover officer at union square park and agreeing to sell her marijuana , sgt . carlos nieves told cnn . nieves said goetz went to his apartment to pick up the drug and then sold it to the officer for $ 30 . members of the manhattan south narcotics division swooped in to arrest goetz , police told cnn . goetz is charged with criminal possession , criminal sale and unlawful possession of marijuana , nieves told cnn . goetz 's victim dies on anniversary of shooting cnn 's david simpson contributed to this report . | goetz served less than nine months for weapon possession in 1984 shooting |
goetz <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- a new york man dubbed the subway vigilante ' after he shot four youths in 1984 was released from jail saturday on a charge of selling marijuana to an undercover officer . bernhard goetz , 65 , was ordered freed on his own recognizance at an arraignment in criminal court , the manhattan district attorney 's office said . his next court date is december 18 , the district attorney 's office said . national attention followed 1984 shooting goetz was the subject of national attention when he shot four black teenagers on december 22 , 1984 , aboard a manhattan subway car . the four said they were panhandling and asked goetz for $ 5 to play video games . goetz said he believed he was being robbed . goetz , who is white , was acquitted of murder and assault charges in the shooting but was convicted of illegal possession of a weapon . he served less than nine months behind bars . the incident took place at a time when race relations were strained and crime levels were high in new york city . arrest followed drug sting goetz was arrested friday about a block away from his home in the west village neighborhood of manhattan , according to police . he is accused of meeting an undercover officer at union square park and agreeing to sell her marijuana , sgt . carlos nieves told cnn . nieves said goetz went to his apartment to pick up the drug and then sold it to the officer for $ 30 . members of the manhattan south narcotics division swooped in to arrest goetz , police told cnn . goetz is charged with criminal possession , criminal sale and unlawful possession of marijuana , nieves told cnn . goetz 's victim dies on anniversary of shooting cnn 's david simpson contributed to this report . | police say goetz sold marijuana to an undercover officer |
goetz <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- a new york man dubbed the subway vigilante ' after he shot four youths in 1984 was released from jail saturday on a charge of selling marijuana to an undercover officer . bernhard goetz , 65 , was ordered freed on his own recognizance at an arraignment in criminal court , the manhattan district attorney 's office said . his next court date is december 18 , the district attorney 's office said . national attention followed 1984 shooting goetz was the subject of national attention when he shot four black teenagers on december 22 , 1984 , aboard a manhattan subway car . the four said they were panhandling and asked goetz for $ 5 to play video games . goetz said he believed he was being robbed . goetz , who is white , was acquitted of murder and assault charges in the shooting but was convicted of illegal possession of a weapon . he served less than nine months behind bars . the incident took place at a time when race relations were strained and crime levels were high in new york city . arrest followed drug sting goetz was arrested friday about a block away from his home in the west village neighborhood of manhattan , according to police . he is accused of meeting an undercover officer at union square park and agreeing to sell her marijuana , sgt . carlos nieves told cnn . nieves said goetz went to his apartment to pick up the drug and then sold it to the officer for $ 30 . members of the manhattan south narcotics division swooped in to arrest goetz , police told cnn . goetz is charged with criminal possession , criminal sale and unlawful possession of marijuana , nieves told cnn . goetz 's victim dies on anniversary of shooting cnn 's david simpson contributed to this report . | bernhard goetz ordered freed on his own recognizance |
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