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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Summer is a great time to barbecue , hit the beach or get out and explore the town . But for gamers it 's often a huge disappointment , as the flow of new releases generally slows to a trickle . Mercifully , software publishers are beginning to wise up and use the slower months to issue an increasing number of promising but less high-profile releases that may otherwise have slipped beneath the radar . The following are among my top picks for the season -- sure to keep you happy while others fret about trivialities like fresh air and exercise . Xbox 360 owners can spare themselves the trouble of getting off the couch and download selections , like these three , from Xbox Live Arcade . Due out July 28 , Konami 's `` Castlevania : Harmony of Despair '' is a classic , 2-D monster mash that combines elements of platform-hopping and adventure to atmospheric effect . `` Hydro Thunder Hurricane , '' is a sequel to the blistering arcade speedboat racer that sees multiple wheelmen competing to cross the finish line . It even allows multiple players to tag-team the adventure . Completing a trifecta of notable , multiplayer-ready sequels , `` Tomb Raider '' spin-off `` Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light '' -LRB- PC and PlayStation Network versions are available , too . -RRB- also lets you explore , do battle and solve puzzles in the company of friends -- no sleepovers required . On the retail front , be sure to check out `` Madden NFL 11 '' for PS2 , PS3 , PSP , Xbox 360 and Wii . The latest installment in the football franchise streamlines decision-making and play-calling , making for a faster , more engaging virtual gridiron experience . Spy thriller `` Alpha Protocol '' will also satisfy PC , PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 fans ' inner Jack Bauer , combining exotic settings , in-depth character customization and detailed stat-crunching with atmospheric espionage . Sci-fi fans should also have a look at `` Transformers : War for Cybertron '' on the PC and all major console platforms . It 's predictable , but delves deeper into the Autobots ' and Decepticons ' origins . Freeform blaster `` Crackdown 2 '' for the Xbox 360 is sure to make you feel positively superhuman , too , leaping tall buildings and annihilating adversaries as a futuristic lawman . Golden age mob yarn `` Mafia II '' for PC , PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 further makes an offer you ca n't refuse , offering open-ended adventures in the vein of underworld classics like `` Goodfellas . '' Handheld gaming enthusiasts also have it good thanks to titles like `` Puzzle Quest 2 '' for the Nintendo DS and DSi , which blends fantasy role-playing and casual mindbenders together in a surprisingly addictive medieval epic . Creepy DS first-person survival horror outing `` Dementium II '' will additionally have you on the edge of your car or plane seat as well . While the PlayStation Portable 's lineup is noticeably more anemic , military-themed stealth action offering `` Metal Gear Solid : Peace Walker '' successfully shoots to thrill . Demonic role-player `` Shin Megami Tensei : Persona 3 Portable '' should be on every fan of Japanese imports ' list to boot . So , maybe summer ca n't compete with the holidays in terms of sheer volume of games . But never fear -- the gaming season is still bound to be hot .
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`` Madden NFL 11 '' streamlines decision-making for a faster virtual gridiron experience . Handheld gaming enthusiasts have it good thanks to titles like `` Puzzle Quest 2 '' Sci-fi fans should also have a look at `` Transformers : War for Cybertron '' on the PC .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The company that made 44,000 helmets recalled by the Army has stopped all helmet manufacturing . Federal Prison Industries , the company that made the potentially defective combat helmets , was subcontracted to make the helmets by ArmorSource , the company named in the recall . Federal Prison Industries , also known as UNICOR , has also agreed to waive preferential status that gives it right of first refusal on U.S. government contracts . The Army recalled the helmets two weeks ago , when officials said the advanced combat helmets failed ballistic testing standards . Many were used by troops in Iraq and Afghanistan . Troops have been instructed to exchange the helmets for ones made by another company , but the Army is still trying to find all the recalled helmets . The company 's decision comes after the Justice Department launched an investigation into its helmet manufacturing and an amendment was proposed to the Defense Authorization Bill . That amendment would have forced the company to submit to competitive bidding . The author of the amendment , Rep. Chris Carney , D-Pennsylvania , said , `` Our military men and women deserve only the best equipment and it has become clear that Federal Prison Industries can not meet the standards required in manufacturing helmets . '' The Federal Bureau of Prisons overseas Federal Prison Industries , which uses prisoners in some of its work . Traci Billingsley , the bureau 's chief public information officer , said , `` Federal Prison Industries has always strived to make a quality product that meets or exceeds the needs and expectations of our customers . '' She said if the company resumes helmet production , it will voluntarily submit to competitive bidding . The company is one of several major manufacturers of combat helmets . A competitor , BAE , laid off some of its staff earlier this year . Josh Drobnyk , a spokesman for Carney , said , `` Absolutely there 's a jobs element to it . I do n't think it 's widely known that prisoners are making the most basic part of a soldier 's gear . And this company has quit making helmets right in the midst of an investigation by the Department of Justice . '' Army officials said the Justice investigation helped trigger the testing on the helmets that determined they did not meet standards . In addition to the 44,000-helmet contract , Federal Prison Industries had an Army contract to produce 600,000 helmets and a contract to deliver 100,000 lightweight helmets to the U.S. Marine Corps . Rep Carney said , `` FPI has not met protective standards , nor has it met required deadlines in its production of these crucial helmets ... and we ca n't wait any longer to protect our troops . '' Carney is a U.S. Navy Reserve commander , who also served in the Pentagon as an intelligence analyst .
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Federal Prison Industries uses prisoners in some of its work . Helmets fail to meet Army standards during tests . Justice Department investigating company , which has other defense contracts . Company , managed by Prisons Bureau , says it will waive preferential treatment .
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United Nations -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Six months after an earthquake devastated Haiti , a United Nations representative on the ground there says many challenges still lie ahead in the aftermath of the `` worst living disaster . '' Nigel Fisher , the deputy special representative for the stabilization mission in Haiti , told the U.N. press via video-conference Monday that progress has been made in rehabilitating the country , but that the nation still faces many problems . The January 12 quake left over 220,000 dead , over 300,000 injured , and over a million homeless . According to recent U.N. reports , the quake destroyed 60 percent of government infrastructure , and left more than 180,000 homes uninhabitable . Six months later , more than 1.5 million remain in overcrowded displacement camps , and Fisher does not anticipate the number in camps to reduce soon . According to the United Nations , 1,300 camping sites and 11,000 latrines have been built , and thousands of kilos of food and humanitarian resources have been delivered to those in need . Fisher said that despite a lack of communication , destroyed roads and lack of transportation and railway systems , food was delivered relatively quickly to displaced Haitians . The response from the international community , Fisher said , was `` quite significant . '' Houses that were not structurally damaged are being rebuilt at a relatively low cost , though tents and camps are undergoing their second `` phase of replacement . '' An unforeseen difficulty of `` land tenure , '' especially in a `` place where land ownership has been disputed for years , '' has significantly slowed down the process of building more permanent houses in preparation for the hurricane season . `` It is important to remember what Haiti was and what Port-au-Prince was before the earthquake : two-thirds of the population was living in poverty , many lacked access to clean water and were living in slums , '' Fisher said . According to 2009 U.N. reports , 55 percent of Haitians lived on less than $ 1.25 a day , and per capita annual income was US $ 660 . Fifty-eight percent of children were under-nourished and 58 percent of the population lacked access to clean water . The earthquake followed the devastating 2008 hurricanes that affected 800,000 Haitians , and deforestation left the country with less than 2 percent forest cover . `` Then , the catastrophic earthquake left 230,000 dead , 300,000 injured and an estimated one million homeless . In addition , 17 million cubic meters of debris were scattered on the streets , '' Fisher explained . Fisher said the relocation of displaced families from the camps to newly built homes has posed a problem because of two main concerns on the part of family members : the need for a job and for a nearby school where their children could receive an education . Furthermore , the private sector , which has been damaged by the `` overwhelming response from the international community , '' has experienced a loss of clients and `` extremely high interest rates '' that Fisher said can be solved only through recapitalization of the private sector by the country itself . But with a focus more on urban reconstruction and the development of a closer link between government and education , Fisher said Haiti could become a better nation than it was before the earthquake . `` We have a long way to go , but things could have been much worse . '' Nutritional status and general health `` has not worsened in the months since the earthquake , '' he said . `` There has been no epidemic of cholera or measles , '' Fisher stated , because access to clean water and free medical facilities have reduced chances of an outbreak . He asserted even that the U.N. mission has seen improvement in some of the camps .
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U.N. rep in Haiti says progress has been made but many problems still ahead . U.N. says 1,300 camping sites , 11,000 latrines built . Rep cites access to clean water and medical facilities as preventing disease outbreaks .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The mother and father of missing Oregon boy Kyron Horman repeatedly urged stepmother Terri Horman to co-operate with police during a news conference Thursday . `` I really want her to do the right thing , '' said Kyron 's mother , Desiree Young . `` Kyron is still out there and needs to be home . '' Court records released Thursday revealed that Kaine Horman , the boy 's father , believes the stepmother is involved in Kyron 's disappearance . The revelation was made public after a restraining order against Terri Horman was unsealed by Multnomah County court authorities in Portland . The father alleges his wife knows what happened to Kyron , who was last seen at school more than one month ago . `` I believe respondent is involved in the disappearance of my son Kyron who has been missing since June 4 , '' Horman wrote in his request for the restraining order . `` I also recently learned that respondent attempted to hire someone to murder me . The police have provided me with probable cause to believe the above two statements to be true . '' The restraining order bars Terri Horman from having any contact with Kaine Horman or the couple 's 20-month-old daughter . When asked by reporters at the Thursday news conference in Beaverton , Oregon , how he processed the information discovered in the restraining order he said , `` I did n't process it . It 's not important right now . Kyron is still missing . He 's still missing . '' This is the second time in a week that the boy 's biological parents pleaded with the stepmother to work with investigators . But there have not been any changes since the earlier request , said Young . `` She is still not co-operating . '' `` I 'm so angry , I do n't have the words , '' said Young . `` She is not taking an active role in trying to find Kyron . She is not telling the truth . '' `` I 've known her for a long time , said Young , `` I know she 's lying . '' All three adults have taken polygraph tests as the investigation into Kyron 's disappearance continues , said Kaine . Terri Horman was subjected to two , but did not pass either , he said . Young and Kaine Horman said they have been totally blindsided by the disappearance of their son and by the events that followed . Terri Horman 's lawyer could not be reached for comment later Thursday . Lt. Mary Lindstrand said the Multnomah County Sheriff 's Office had no comment on the allegations made by Kaine Horman . Authorities have not named any suspect or person of interest in connection with Kyron 's disappearance . Asked if the department believes Kyron is alive , Lindstrand said , `` We are going with the premise , that , yes , Kyron is alive and we are going to bring him home . '' Relatives of Kyron have said they are trying to keep the focus on finding the boy and not suspicions about the boy 's stepmother . Kyron went missing after Terri Horman dropped him off at school on June 4 . The stepmother said she last saw Kyron walking down a hallway toward his second-grade classroom at Skyline Elementary School in Portland , according to police . Sources told CNN affiliates that investigators believe that Terri Horman has lied to them , and cell phone records could show she was n't where she claimed to be . Kyron 's family members said they hope people will focus more on the missing boy . `` Our main goal is to keep Kyron in the front of everyone 's mind because we have a better chance of finding him . So we are constantly working to keep him the focus of the story and not Terri , '' the family members said in an e-mail . Terri Horman was in the headlines Monday when CNN affiliates KGW and KATU reported that she had attempted to hire a landscaper to kill her husband several months ago . KGW reported that sources believe Terri Horman approached the landscaper , who had been working on the family 's property in northwest Portland , and offered the man `` a large sum of money '' to kill Kaine Horman . Repeated efforts by CNN to reach Terri Horman have been unsuccessful . CNN 's Gabriel Falcon contributed to this report .
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NEW : Kyron Horman 's parents urge stepmother to co-operate with police . Restraining order against stepmother Terri Horman unsealed . Husband Kaine Horman believes she is involved in Kyron 's disappearance . Family members `` remain hopeful '' that Kyron is still alive .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Two of three American hikers who have been detained in Iran for nearly 10 months -- Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd -- have gotten engaged in prison and plan to get married after their release , their relatives said Monday . The third hiker , Josh Fattal , plans to be best man at the wedding , the relatives said in a statement . The three hikers ' mothers learned of the engagement when they visited Bauer , Shourd and Fattal in Iran last week . `` Shane told me that he proposed to Sarah in the yard of Evin prison on January 6 , the very same day that we applied for our visas to go visit them , '' Bauer 's mother , Cindy Hickey , said in the written statement . `` We 're all so overjoyed at the news but it 's obviously impossible to know when the wedding will take place . '' The couple wears engagement rings that Bauer made from threads he pulled from his shirt , the statement said . `` Sarah could n't wait to show me her ring , '' said Shourd 's mother , Nora Shourd . `` It 's one of the things that keeps her going -- knowing that she and Shane have this unbreakable bond and a friend in Josh who will always be there for them . '' Iranian authorities detained the three after they reportedly crossed the border into Iran by accident while hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan . On Sunday , Iran 's intelligence minister said the three Americans are spies , but he hinted that Iran may consider releasing them in exchange for the release of Iranian prisoners , state media reported . `` We expect the Americans , who claim to be advocates of human rights , to also commit humanitarian acts , because only after this can we decide on whether or not to have a swap , '' Iranian Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi said , according to the IRNA news agency . Speaking on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting , Moslehi said there had been no official talks about a swap , Iranian state television reported . The trio made a brief phone call home March 9 and have had access to a few letters and messages sent by relatives , friends and supporters . They have not been formally charged , although Iranian officials have said they will face trial on espionage charges . Before their trip , the mothers had requested meetings with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , but those meetings did not take place , according to the hikers ' attorney .
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Relatives : Shane Bauer , Sarah Shourd to marry after release . Third hiker , Josh Fattal , plans to be best man , the relatives say . Iranian authorities detained the 3 after they reportedly crossed a border into Iran . Iranian official calls the trio spies , hints at prisoner exchange .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- On January 12 , I went to basketball practice and then spent time with a kids ' basketball league . The whole time my phone was in the car . When I finally looked at it , I had about 50 messages saying , `` Have you been watching the news about Haiti ? '' It still haunts me to think that , as I went about my business that day , my homeland shuddered , crashed , and crumbled . More than 220,000 of my fellow Haitians died . Another 1.6 million were instantly left homeless -- most with nothing but the clothes on their backs . About 800,000 of them are children . Haiti has never been an easy place to be a kid . When I was growing up in Port-au-Prince , I felt lucky because I always had at least one meal a day . Some of my friends were starving . But we all shared what we had with each other . We figured out ways to have fun with nothing but a small patch of dirt to play in . We got along with very little , and we told ourselves that -- if we got just the slightest opportunity -- we would grab onto it and use it to do great things . That is what Haiti 's children need now . They need opportunity . They need our help . It is amazing what kids can endure . Haiti 's children have held the hands of parents as they lay crushed and dying beneath rubble . They 've lost families , best friends , homes , schools . They can survive all that . But they ca n't thrive without us stepping up . Right after the earthquake , the immediate and enormous generosity from people in the U.S. made such a difference in Haiti -- and it made me very proud to be part of this huge-hearted nation . Organizations like UNICEF , which I have partnered with for years through my Samuel Dalembert Foundation , were able to provide emergency relief that stopped another wave of disaster in the form of disease and starvation . In the last six months , UNICEF has been providing water , food , shelter , immunizations , medicines , child protection , and education supplies to hundreds of thousands of Haitian children and their families . But in many ways , the hard work is just beginning . And the need remains huge . Those 1.6 million people left homeless are still living in tents and makeshift shelters -- and hurricane season is fast approaching . More than one third of the spontaneous settlements that have been created lack adequate sanitation , and this can make kids ill and lead to major disease outbreaks . People in settlements still rely on water being trucked in every day , and many do n't get enough considering the near 100-degree heat . Learn more about helping Haiti at Impact Your World . Education is going to make all the difference to Haiti 's future . Given the opportunity to learn , the children who survived the earthquake will grow up to transform their nation and lead it towards prosperity . But before the earthquake , only four in ten kids went to school , and that number is even lower now . Teachers are also absent because so many lost their homes and are now displaced . I was lucky enough to get the opportunity I dreamed of as a child in Haiti . And I started my foundation because I wanted to give other kids that chance , too . It 's my deep belief that those who are lucky enough to have success in this life should do something -- anything -- to help others . So I ask : Even if you 've already been generous , do n't forget Haiti now that it 's dropped from the news headlines . Organizations like UNICEF are there for kids , but they need funds to rebuild schools , train teachers , set up feeding centers , immunize against disease , dig wells , install water pumps ... There are hundreds of thousands of very resilient kids in Haiti who are surviving despite all they 've been through . They can endure a lot . Parents dying . Living in tents in 100-degree weather and rainstorms . Hungry bellies . But we do n't want a nation of kids just barely surviving -- we want a nation of leaders . Haiti 's children ca n't become leaders if they do n't go to school . They ca n't become leaders if they 're so hungry they ca n't concentrate . Or if they have to spend their days selling sodas in the street to make a few pennies . They ca n't become leaders if the water they drink makes them chronically sick . Or if they never get the vaccines that will keep deadly diseases away . If you join me in giving Haiti 's kids the opportunities they deserve , I can promise they will do great things . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Samuel Dalembert .
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As Haiti recovers from January quake , children bear a heavy burden , says Samuel Dalembert . He says it 's important that kids not only survive , but are educated and kept healthy . Dalembert recalls growing up poor in Haiti , sharing with friends who had less . He and other kids vowed if they got any opportunity , they would use it to do great things , he says .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Australian MotoGP star Casey Stoner will leave Ducati at the end of the season to join Japanese manufacturer Honda . The 24-year-old actually made his MotoGP debut with the satellite LCR Honda outfit in 2006 before moving to Ducati , where he won the world title in 2007 . `` We are very pleased that Casey will join Honda again next year , '' the factory-team 's vice president Shuhei Nakamoto told the official MotoGP website . `` Clearly he is one of the top riders in MotoGP and he will bring valuable speed and experience to our team . `` We already have two very strong and experienced riders in Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso who are performing very well and currently hold second and third positions in the 2010 World Championship . `` We hope to retain these two riders for next year -- giving us what would be a truly formidable line-up . '' Stoner added : `` I have decided to move on . I will have new challenges in the future and different obstacles to overcome , but I will not forget these years with Ducati and the people I have had the privilege to work with . '' World champion Valentino Rossi is now expected to leave Yamaha to link-up with his fellow-Italians at Ducati . Rossi is currently recuperating from a broken leg suffered at the Italian Grand Prix last month but is expected to return before the end of the season .
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Australian MotoGP star Casey Stoner will leave Ducati at the end of the current season . The 24-year-old will rejoin Honda , the manufacturer he made his debut with in 2006 . Stoner will join Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso in a formidable line-up next year . World champion Valentino Rossi is now expected to leave Yamaha to link-up with Ducati .
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Atlanta , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Like most college students , Jake McCoy had to apply for several loans to pay for his education . After a rigorous check of his credit , he secured the loans and has been paying them back since graduating from Baylor University in May 2006 . Then , in October 2008 , he received a letter from Baylor with bad news : A laptop computer with his account information had either been stolen or misplaced . `` They told me my information was on it , and that 's pretty much it , '' McCoy said . `` I assumed that my information was in good hands ; it was so hard to get the loans that I figured surely they 'd protect it very well . '' The university set up a credit monitoring service for McCoy , now a first-year medical student at Baylor . The service expired in a year , and McCoy worries that he 's still at risk for being on the hook for thousands of dollars that someone using his identity could spend . `` The biggest concern is always that you do n't know what someone is going to do with your financial information , '' said McCoy . `` I was really worried that someone out there was going to be ruining my credit and how big of a headache it would be to resolve it . '' And McCoy is not alone . In March , a portable media device with personal data for more than 3 million people was stolen from Minnesota-based Educational Credit Management Corp. . It is believed to be the largest breach of its kind . The thieves who stole the USB drive , like in other cases , may not commit identity thefts themselves , according to Jonathon Giffin , a system and software security researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology . `` They may sell the information to others who have the knowledge of making money from those identities , '' Giffin said . Most credit card companies and banks offer some recourse if a customer becomes the victim of internet fraud . But when personal information is lost because a company is the victim of crime , it is often unclear who is ultimately responsible . There are U.S. laws that hold companies accountable when major breaches occur , and new legislation is being considered . The Personal Data Privacy Act of 2009 would require companies to notify , in writing , anyone affected by a security breach . Under the act , which is still pending a vote in Congress , companies would also be required to notify major media outlets if there are more than 5,000 people affected by a security breach . The company that carried McCoy 's loans simply provided him with a basic $ 15 credit monitoring service that lasted for one year . `` For me , it 's not a one-year ordeal , '' said McCoy . `` If I had ruined my credit , it would have taken me forever to get back on track . One year was a nice gesture , but I definitely wish it would have been more than just a year . '' More than 350 million personal records at hundreds of universities , government agencies and businesses have been at risk because of data privacy breaches since 2005 , according to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse , a nonprofit group that publishes reports on cybercrimes . Sometimes , that 's a result of simple mistakes , and other times , it 's the result of a criminal act . Either way , Giffin says everyone needs to protect their personal identity . `` We can encourage organizations to try to protect our data using mechanisms such as data encryption , so that if a USB drive or a laptop is stolen , the data is encrypted and can not be retrieved , '' he said . `` But we would be relying on companies to do that for us . '' Encryption causes a slowdown for companies . System users would have to encrypt and decrypt the data every time they access it , which creates extra work , and companies may not have an incentive to pay for safer data . New legislation could change the way companies look at data safety costs . The Data Accountability and Trust Act , which has been passed by the House and awaits a vote in the Senate , would protect consumers by requiring companies to take reasonable measures to protect data containing personal information . If a security breach occurs , companies would be required to provide nationwide notice . But even if the bill is enacted , it may not be enough . Many laws dealing with internet protection have n't always been able to catch up to evolving cybercrimes . But that does n't mean there has n't been any progress in the ongoing battle to protect personal data , according to Adam Palmer , the lead adviser on cybersecurity issues for Norton . `` There are some very good , tough laws right now on both the state and federal level , and there 's a lot of legislation in the pipeline to try to address some of these crimes , '' said Palmer , a former cyber-crime prosecutor . But new challenges exist for fighting crime in a virtual world . Palmer says cybercriminals often use sophisticated technology to launch attacks . `` You ca n't go to a crime scene and take pictures and interview witnesses , so it 's in some ways a very old crime that still relates to stealing money , stealing people 's identities , '' he said . `` It 's done with such complexities , that makes it very difficult for prosecutors . '' Giffin says there has been a significant shift in cybercrime over the last decade , including new techniques such as `` botnets , '' which are computers that can transmit viruses to other computers without the knowledge of the owner . Although cybercriminals continue to develop new methods of attack , there are no new ways for users to protect themselves other than what experts have advised for years : . • Maintain good security practices . • Exercise greater awareness of how your information could be used . • Check credit reports . • Tell your financial institutions to track your accounts . • Report any cybercrimes to law enforcement . But even in doing so , consumers -- like McCoy -- still face a potential risk when their personal information is in the hands of others . McCoy says he is more careful with his information , and he hopes that businesses take more precautions with their customers ' personal data . `` It still put that doubt in my mind about how easy it could be for businesses that I trust to lose my information or have it stolen , '' McCoy said . `` I do n't know why they were carrying around information on a laptop . I feel like they should be a little more protective with information than that . ''
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Most credit card companies and banks offer help to victims of internet fraud . However , it 's unclear who is responsible when the company is a victim of crime . A student loan company lost a laptop with Jake McCoy 's personal data . `` I do n't know why they were carrying around information on a laptop , '' McCoy said .
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Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Kenneth Slayton wants to get a message to Jaycee Dugard , the California woman kidnapped as a child and held captive for 18 years . Slayton would like to get together with Dugard and her two children on Father 's Day , but he said he is being blocked from communicating with the 29-year-old he believes is his daughter . When Dugard went missing in 1991 , FBI agents investigating the 11-year-old 's disappearance knocked on Slayton 's door because the truck driver had been identified as her biological father . Slayton said he was shocked by the FBI visit because until then he did n't know about Jaycee was his daughter . The 64-year-old truck driver said he was shocked again last August when he heard a radio report his long-lost daughter had been found alive . `` I almost wrecked my truck , '' Slayton said . But Dugard 's return to her family did not include Slayton . He said he is desperately trying to change that . `` Since she has been found , I have done everything I could to make contact with Jaycee , but to no avail , '' Slayton said at a news conference Friday . Doing everything included hiring celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred . `` Sunday is Father 's Day , '' Allred said . `` Our client has missed celebrating Father 's Day for 29 years . He is thrilled that his daughter has been found alive and that he has two grandchildren he never even knew he had . '' Several letters from Slayton sent to Dugard through her lawyer were returned unopened , he said . They included photos of his other children who would like to meet their sister , he said . Allred would not speculate on who decided not to open them . `` They only thing she knows about me is something that maybe somebody said that maybe did n't like me too well , '' Slayton said . `` That 's wrong . '' A spokeswoman for the Dugard family issued a statement recently which acknowledged Slayton as the father but questioned his motives for wanting into Dugard 's life after many years . `` I was very upset by the verbal missiles that the spokesperson fired at me when she targeted me , '' Slayton said . `` I guess they 're trying to kill my spirit , reputation issuing totally false statements . I mean , these things are over the hill . '' `` The statement that I had no interest in Jaycee is a completely false statement , '' he said . `` Ever since I learned certainly that I had a daughter I wanted to see her , protect her and love her . '' He said he never would have abandoned a daughter if he had known she existed . `` I 'm not a runner . '' `` I would have been there , '' Slayton said . `` I would have been a good loving father , and involved in supporting her and helping in any way that I could . '' He filed a paternity suit last month . Legally establishing that he is her father would guarantee Slayton a courtroom seat when the couple charged with kidnapping Dugard are tried , Allred said . Phillip Garrido , 58 , and his wife , Nancy , 54 , are charged with 29 felony counts in the kidnapping of Dugard , who was 11 when she was snatched in 1991 from the street in front of her house in South Lake Tahoe , California . `` I am also a victim of Phillip Garrido because he kept me separated from my daughter and because he inflicted terrible pain on her , '' he said .
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Slayton wants to legally prove he 's Dugard 's dad . Agents probing case in 1991 told him he was her dad . His letters to Dugard have been returned unopened .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Bristol Palin and the father of her child , Levi Johnston , are engaged again . The couple reconciled three months ago during custody discussions about their 18-month-old son , Tripp , Us Weekly magazine reported Wednesday . According to the magazine , the couple said Bristol Palin 's mother , former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin , did not know about their plans until now . `` We got engaged two weeks ago , '' the magazine quoted Bristol Palin as saying . `` It felt right , even though we do n't have the approval of our parents . '' She acknowledged in the article that `` it is intimidating and scary just to think about what her reaction is going to be , '' adding : `` Hopefully she will jump on board . '' The Palin family issued a statement later Wednesday that stopped short of a full-throated endorsement . `` Bristol , at 19 , is now a young adult , '' said the statement attributed to the Palin family . `` As parents we obviously want what is best for our children , but Bristol is ultimately in charge of determining what is best for her and her beautiful son . '' The family statement added that `` Bristol believes in redemption and forgiveness to a degree most of us struggle to put in practice in our daily lives . '' `` We pray that , as a couple , Bristol and Levi 's relationship matures into one that will allow Tripp to grow up graced with two loving parents in his life , '' the statement said . According to the magazine , Johnston , 20 , had no expectations of a reconciliation when he and Bristol Palin got together to discuss custody arrangements involving their son . `` I really thought we were over . So when I went , I had no hope , '' the magazine quoted Johnston as saying . `` I think we both just started talking -- and then we took Tripp for a walk . '' Us Weekly Senior Editor Lindsey Powers told CNN 's `` American Morning '' on Wednesday that `` they opened up to us about how they had the baby so young and it was really hard for them to work together to raise Tripp . '' `` But as they got a little bit closer , Bristol moved out of her parents ' home to a condo in Anchorage , they got accustomed to parenting and as they worked out a custody plan , they started spending a lot more time together then started realizing they wanted to reunite , '' Powers said . The engagement `` would fit in with -LRB- Sarah Palin 's -RRB- ` family values ' platform , '' Powers said . `` What better than to have your daughter reuniting with the father of the baby and reuniting the family ? '' Johnston sent Bristol Palin a text that said , `` I miss you . I love you . I want to be with you again '' and she was in shock , Powers confirmed to CNN . `` They realized that they 're really in love and they 're together . And she was thrilled when he popped the question with a one-carat diamond ring , '' Powers said . `` They say they want it to be quick so , certainly , we 'll see them walking down the aisle shortly , '' Powers added . Their teenage relationship fell under an intense public spotlight after Sen. John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate in August 2008 . The couple broke off their first engagement about two months after their son 's birth in December 2008 . After they broke up , Johnston posed in Playgirl Magazine and said on `` The Tyra Banks Show '' that they had been allowed to live together , a charge the Palin camp denied . Johnston irked Sarah Palin last fall by claiming that she referred to her infant son Trig , who has Down syndrome , as `` retarded . '' According to Us Weekly , she fired back , telling reporters that anyone who posed for Playgirl would `` say and do anything for even more attention . '' Later , during an interview with Oprah Winfrey , she called his `` aspiring porn '' career `` heartbreaking . '' During a nasty custody battle last year , Johnston asked that the case be conducted in public to protect him from Sarah Palin , whom he said was `` powerful , politically ambitious and has a reputation for being extremely vindictive . '' Bristol Palin said in the custody hearing that Johnston wanted a public case so he could `` continue to make a spectacle of this custody dispute for his own self-promotion . '' Bristol Palin noted in the court case that Johnston 's mother , Sherry Johnston , pleaded guilty to a felony drug charge this year . Bristol Palin asked that the paternal grandmother be barred from having any unsupervised visitation with Tripp . Her petition said she `` may re-offend , keep medications around the house which could be accessible to the baby , have illegal drug users come to the house -LRB- or she could take the baby in her car during a drug sale -RRB- . '' Johnston 's response said his mother 's `` chronic pain condition is currently being managed in coordination with the Department of Corrections . '' On July 7 , Johnston publicly apologized to the Palin family in a statement to People Magazine , saying some of his comments about the family were not totally true . `` Last year , after Bristol and I broke up , I was unhappy and a little angry . Unfortunately , against my better judgment , I publicly said things about the Palins that were not completely true , '' Johnston told People . `` I have already privately apologized to Todd and Sarah . Since my statements were public , I owe it to the Palins to publicly apologize . ''
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NEW : The Palin family issues a statement wishing the couple well . Bristol Palin says she and the father of her child are engaged - again . The couple reconciled 3 months ago during custody discussions , they tell Us Weekly magazine . Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has not been told about their plans until now , the magazine says .
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The oldest known surviving copy of the New Testament gets the modern touch Thursday when parts of it go online for the first time . The full manuscript of the Codex Sinaiticus will be online a year from now . The British Library plans to begin publishing the Codex Sinaiticus , a 4th century text handwritten in Greek , on its Web site . The Gospel of Mark and the Book of Psalms go online Thursday . The full manuscript is to be online in a year . Translations of the Codex Sinaiticus have long been widely available , but publishing images of the manuscript online will let anyone see pages that , until now , have been viewed in detail mainly by academia . As the Web site becomes operational , it will show photographs of each page of the text , with links to translations in English and German . There will also be a search function . `` It contains the earliest complete copy of the New Testament , '' said Scot McKendrick , the head of Western Manuscripts at the British Library . While the Codex contains all of the New Testament , it also includes part of the Old Testament and originally contained the entire text of the Christian Bible . The manuscript also includes the Apocrypha , 14 disputed books of the Old Testament that are usually omitted from the Protestant Bible . It also includes two early Christian texts : the `` Epistle of Barnabas '' and the `` Shepherd of Hermas . '' The library announced plans three years ago to digitize the 1,600-year-old book , a tough job since pieces of the manuscript reside in four countries . `` It was a challenge , but it was ... also very exciting , '' said Juan Garces , the curator of the project . Photographers took digital pictures of the text in United Kingdom , Russia , Germany and Egypt to put the entire manuscript online . `` It unites something that belongs together , '' he said . The complete text once was housed at the Monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai , Egypt , before it came to the attention of a German scholar , Constantine Tischendorf , in the 19th century . He took parts of it to Germany and Russia . The British Library later bought several hundred pages from the Russians . Digitizing the text is a windfall for scholars , but the main goal was to make the Codex available to everyone . `` It makes it accessible , and it opens up to anyone who can access it via the Internet , '' Garces added . Eventually , the manuscript will be translated into Russian and modern Greek . `` The user will come to the Web site and will be able to look at images of each page of Codex Sinaiticus , will be able to zoom in and out and look around the page and see the page lit in standard light . '' Garces said .
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British Library plans to publish world 's oldest surviving Bible online . Codex Sinaiticus contains all of New Testament , part of Old Testament . Web site will have photographs of pages , search function .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Leszek Balcerowicz , Poland 's former finance minister , recently said his country is enjoying `` its best period in 300 years . '' CNN looks at how the country emerged from communism to become one of eastern Europe 's most stable and thriving democracies . Solidarity leader Lech Walesa addresses striking workers in Gdansk , Poland in 1989 . Modern Poland gained independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union during the Second World War . Almost six million Poles , including the majority of the country 's large Jewish population , died during the devastating six-year conflict . The shadow of Stalin continued to loom large over Poland after the war , when the communist-dominated government ensured that Poland would become a Soviet satellite state for the next 40 years . The following decades were punctuated by revolts against the repressive authoritarian regime in Warsaw , but none had a greater impact on Poland 's political future than events in 1980 at a shipyard in western Poland . With a struggling economy and rumors of corruption and mismanagement within the state causing widespread discontent , a series of strikes by workers paralyzed the country . Eventually the government was forced to negotiate and on August 31 , 1980 , workers at the massive Lenin shipyard in Gdansk , led by an electrician named Lech Walesa , signed a deal giving workers the right to strike and form trade unions . This heralded the creation of the Solidarity movement , which would ultimately be instrumental in bringing Poland 's communist era to an end . The presence in the Vatican at the time of Polish-born Pope John-Paul II was also a significant influence on the movement throughout the 1980s , as the Catholic church had remained a very potent force in Polish life . The Pope even made a visit to the country in 1979 . Despite Soviet-endorsed attempts to slow the erosion of the regime 's grip on power -- including the declaration of martial law by General Wojciech Jaruzelski in 1981 which outlawed Solidarity -- Poland 's worsening economic situation , compounded by further nationwide strikes , meant that the government had no alternative but to negotiate a date for free elections with Walesa and the Solidarity movement . Solidarity members won a stunning victory in the election of 1989 , taking almost all the seats in the Senate and all of the 169 seats they were allowed to contest in the Sejm or parliament . This gave them substantial influence in the new government . Activist and journalist Tadeusz Mazowiecki was appointed prime minister , while Lech Walesa was elected as president the following year . After years of economic mismanagement under the communists , Poland embarked on a painful reform program under finance minister Leszek Balcerowicz -- especially in traditional heavy industries such as coal and steel -- which moved away from the inefficient state-controlled system of economic planning . Despite growing unemployment and a dilapidated infrastructure , Poland was slowly transformed into an investment-friendly , market economy . Banking and lending policies were reformed , while newly reshaped ownership relations , independent enterprises and strengthened domestic competition all had a massive impact . Over a relatively short period of time , Poland had become one of the most dynamically developing economies in Europe and by the mid-1990s , it became known as the `` Tiger of Europe . '' Poland also liberalized its international trade during this period . The national currency -- the zloty -- became convertible to other currencies and internal convertibility was also established , providing another platform for dynamic economic growth . New markets in countries that had been treated not so long before as ideological as well as economic enemies were opened up to Polish companies . The EU and U.S. were now the key markets for Polish goods . This realignment of policy was emphasized by its accession into the European Union in 2004 . It had also joined NATO in 1999 . Unfortunately the continuing problem of high unemployment and the promise of better salaries encouraged many Poles to work in other EU countries after 2004 . However this trend started to reverse in 2008 as the Polish economy enjoyed a boom period . Politically , Poland has also successfully transformed itself into a fully democratic country . Since 1991 the Polish people have voted in parliamentary elections and four presidential elections -- all free and fair . Incumbent governments have transferred power smoothly and constitutionally in every instance to their successors .
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Poland was ruled by Soviet-backed regime after the Second World War . Solidarity movement became a key factor in the fall of communist regime . Centrally-planned economic system replaced by free market economy . Poland joined the European Union in 2004 .
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LOS ANGELES -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The tears begin and her voice trembles as Ruth Martinez remembers the first few days of her new world . CNN 's John King talks to Ruth Martinez and her son Jacob . She would leave work , pick up her son Jacob at school and drive aimlessly , sometimes sneaking back to the office , `` to watch TV there without my boss knowing . '' Her husband had lost his job , and the stress drove them apart . Then Martinez was evicted . Suddenly , her car was her home . And she was afraid to ask for help . `` We just prayed , '' Martinez told us . `` And I was embarrassed because a Hispanic Latina does not ask for help . The way I was raised , you put your pride to the side and did what you had to do . '' Rudy Salinas finds them in cars , under bridges , in abandoned homes , and even in protected trenches artfully dug by the military veterans who put survival skills learned in Iraq and Afghanistan to use in America 's inner cities . Salinas has been working to help the homeless here for eight years now , driving the streets every day looking for people hiding under bridges and in abandoned properties . More and more of late , there are people in business clothes , heading off to work . More and more , they are women with young children . `` In my eight years of doing this I have never come across as many people who 've told us they have never been homeless before , '' said Salinas , the director of community outreach for People Assisting the Homeless . `` It 's quite different from what I have seen in the past . '' Estimates of the problem vary widely . A 2007 survey by the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority estimated there were more than 73,000 homeless people in Los Angeles County . Activists like Salinas who walk the streets say the number has grown in the past year as the recession has deepened , and that more and more they encounter families . The ingredients for this growing problem are a troubling mix : double-digit employment , in the 20 percent or higher range in poorer African-American and Latino communities , high foreclosure rates and budget cuts to social service programs including homeless assistance . `` A lot of folks who just recently lost their job , and a few folks that were telling us they were living and paying the rent -- following everything they had to do -- but the owner of the property was foreclosed and they had to be moved out , '' Salinas said . `` So we 've seen a combination and it 's pretty much balanced between the two right now . But we 're seeing more now than I have seen in the past eight years . '' Martinez is one of the new faces among the homeless . The government told her it could n't help because she had a job and did n't qualify . Finally , LAHSA , a homeless advocacy group , offered a voucher for a hotel . It was , in Martinez 's words , `` very , very low class . '' Her purse was stolen . Then her car . Drug dealers roamed the grounds . But it was a roof over Jacob 's head . `` I was willing to deal with it because I had nowhere else to go . '' The agency that gave her the voucher then referred her to People Assisting the Homeless and before too long Martinez and Jacob were assigned a room at a Los Angeles shelter . It is cramped ; bunk beds against the wall and a thin mattress on the floor where Jacob prefers to sleep . No chairs . No windows . No TV . No complaints . `` PATH is an awesome place , '' Martinez tells us after giving us a tour of the shelter , which has a common kitchen area and family room with a single TV , and a small outdoor play area for the children . Families are in one section , single women another across the hall . Men are sheltered upstairs . She has been here six weeks and can stay six months . Those given rooms must agree to set aside some of their earnings in a savings account to help build enough money to rent an apartment , and there are strict curfews and rules of conduct . Martinez still goes to work every day . She still picks up her son at school , and makes sure he keeps his grades up . It would n't dawn on any passerby outside that she is homeless -- and she sees a powerful lesson in that . `` The person next to you at times could be homeless and little do you know that they are . So when people see homeless , I wish society would try to help ... I wish society would be more gentle with words sometimes . '' Across town , in a motel whose better days were long ago , Dina Acevedo huddles on one of two twin beds lined against the walls . Her three daughters sit closely at her side , though the youngest , 3-year-old Citially , from time to time gets up to wander the small room or play with a small stuffed Dalmatian . `` I am homeless because we can not afford an apartment , '' Acevedo says . `` Renting is very expensive here . '' She is divorcing a husband she said was abusive . After taking off , he is now paying some child support because of the efforts of the Los Angeles District Attorney 's Office . The girls were born in the United States and are citizens , but Dina can not work because she is here illegally , applying now for legal status after being told a nonprofit she believed was helping her for years had lost her paperwork . At times in the past , she has worked in the underground economy , cleaning homes and doing other odd jobs . But a back injury makes that work more difficult , and she says there are fewer jobs because of the economy and more and more prospective employers who demand to see immigration documents . `` They request all the time for papers to work , '' she said . `` I have been waiting for my immigration papers since 2000 , '' she said . She could afford a small studio or one-bedroom , but no one will rent such a small place to a family of four , so she lives in a tiny motel room . Her church is part of her lifeline . `` They support us spiritually and with pantries for food , '' Acevedo said . `` The church is like our second home and we are so happy there . '' In June it will be one year in these cramped quarters . To cook , the family goes down the hall to a shared kitchen . There is just one bathroom for the four of them . To bathe or shower , there is an additional , though welcome , complication : two tiny turtles , who spend most of their day wandering the bathtub . Acevedo said she will stay here until her immigration status is resolved , and then plans to move to Louisiana where she has friends and relatives , and where she said there are more jobs and a lower cost of living . For Martinez , Los Angeles is home , and she hopes by the end of her six months in the People Assisting the Homeless shelter to have set aside enough money to get an apartment . Still , as urgent as her need to save , she often gives a few dollars away on the ride back to the shelter at night . `` When I get off the freeway I see a gentleman there all the time , '' she said . `` If I have a couple of dollars I give it to him . Even though I am homeless , I would rather give the last dollar I have to the person who I see needs it more than me . ''
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Ruth Martinez worked in an office , but lived in her car . Dina Acevedo left her husband but had no job or place to go . Both are being helped by aid agencies in Los Angeles , California . Aid worker says lately he finds more women with children are homeless .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The tale contains elements of a spy thriller : a soldier in Iran 's feared Revolutionary Guard turns spy for the CIA after concluding that the government that had promised democracy had instead ushered in oppression , violence and death . But , Reza Kahlili says , this is no novel . In his new book , `` A Time to Betray : The Astonishing Double Life of a CIA Agent Inside the Revolutionary Guards of Iran , '' Kahlili offers a firsthand account of how he turned against the Islamic regime that he said has oppressed its people for three decades . In one of his first public appearances , Kahlili addressed a packed hall Friday at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy . Flanked by a bodyguard and disguised in a hat , mask and glasses , he spoke through a modulator that led Washington Post columnist David Ignatius to liken his voice to Darth Vader 's . Even his name is a pseudonym , all in an effort to protect his family , friends and contacts , he said . The author said that , after a peaceful childhood in Iran , he came to the United States in the 1970s for college , studying computer science at the University of Southern California , where he enjoyed a carefree life of parties , watching football and listening to Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull . He returned home after the sudden death of his father to find a country embroiled in change . Kahlili describes the immediate aftermath of the 1979 revolution against Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi as a special time in Iran . Iranians had been led to believe democracy was theirs , the clergy would n't interfere in their lives and the people would have freedom of speech , assembly and political affiliation , he said . Everyone was excited about the direction of the country , he said . It was then that Khalili 's friend told him about an opportunity with the newly formed , elite Revolutionary Guard , which hired him immediately . Reza said he quickly became disillusioned when he saw people being tortured and murdered and women raped in Tehran 's notorious Evin Prison . Repressing his countrymen , he said , was not what he had signed up for . But rather than quit the Guard and endanger his family , he contacted the CIA and began work as an American agent under the code name `` Wally , '' he said . There was no magic watch or pen or fancy car like James Bond , he said , just a pencil and a notebook . He was trained in communications and deciphering codes . Kahlili said his role `` was to look and act the part of a devout Muslim enforcing all the new rules laid down by the mullahs . '' `` A full black beard was a mandatory accessory to the Guard 's uniform , and I sported one along with every other member of the Guards . The image of a scowling , black-bearded Guard in uniform mustered fear and garnered respect . Playing the part of a zealot did not come naturally to me , and there were times I had to do things I dreaded : cautioning young girls to cover up , barking at kids for not displaying proper Islamic behavior , taking on the persona of a fanatic . I knew I would have to try to convince myself that doing these things allowed me to maintain my role -- and maintaining my role allowed me to contribute to the downfall of the organization to which I so fervently imitated allegiance . '' He said he provided critical information to his CIA handlers about Iran 's role in the Iran-Iraq war , the Iran-contra affair , the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut and the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 , which he said was masterminded by Tehran . Kahlili described a CIA that knew little about what was going on inside Iran and was complacent about finding out the truth about the regime . He said he warned his case officers in the mid-1980s about the growing danger of the Guard , but said U.S. officials sat idly by , alternating indifference and negotiation with the regime he was working to take down . This `` misconception '' of Iran , he said , has plagued America 's decisionmaking for three decades . After a few scares in which he thought his cover was blown , Kahlili left Iran , was granted asylum in the United States and moved to California . He said he no longer works for the CIA , but still provides the agency with information from his contacts in Iran about the regime , its nuclear program , its terrorist activities in the region and its continued oppression of the Iranian people . He said that , after the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks and the 2005 election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadenijad , he decided to speak out publicly to raise awareness of the brutality of the regime . He predicted that Iran will eventually attack Israel , Europe and the Gulf and advocated a preemptive military strike against the regime but not against the Iranian people or infrastructure . Kahlili accused the Obama administration of naivete and betrayal for seeking to engage Iran . Not only does the regime see this as weakness on the part of the United States , he said , but the Iranian people view it as a betrayal of the highest order as they fight for freedom . `` Stop dreaming , please , '' he said Friday . `` You are not dealing with rational people . Every time you extend a hand , it is not seen as sincerity , but stupidity . '' The CIA 's public affairs office in Washington was not open Friday night and its telephone number would not accept messages ; its e-mail account rejected two attempts to send it a message .
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Ex-member of Iran 's Revolutionary Guards describes life as a CIA spy . Newly published book describes disillusionment after 1979 revolution . Author , whose pen name is Reza Kahlili , says U.S. has long misperceived Iran 's regime . Kahlili says Obama administration is naive , predicts Iran will attack Israel .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A missing Iranian researcher , who Tehran claimed the CIA abducted , has sought sanctuary in the Pakistani Embassy in Washington , a senior U.S. official and two senior Pakistani diplomatic sources told CNN on Tuesday . `` Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri , who was kidnapped by the Americans , had gone to the Pakistani Embassy in Washington , D.C. and taken refuge at Iran 's Interest Section . He has requested to be sent back to Iran quickly , '' Iran 's semi-official news agency Mehr said Tuesday . Since he is an Iranian national , the Interest Section will prepare his papers , buy him a ticket and send him home , the Pakistani sources said . Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that Amiri is in the United States `` of his own free will '' and is `` free to go '' back to Iran . She also repeated the U.S. request that Iran release three American hikers jailed there . Amiri told the United States of his plans to return to Iran , and he was scheduled to travel Monday but was unable to make the appropriate travel arrangements in time , State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said . Responding to a question about a potential `` prisoner swap , '' Crowley said the United States remains concerned about three American hikers being held against their will in Iran and Robert Levinson , the former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran two years ago . But he denied any suggestion of a swap . Last week , the United States returned 10 alleged spies to Russia in exchange for four people who had been jailed in Russia . Abdul Basit , a spokesman for the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs , said that Amiri came to the embassy at 6:30 p.m. Monday . The Pakistani diplomatic sources said no one in Iran was aware of Amiri 's whereabouts until his arrival at the embassy . Because Iran and the United States do not maintain diplomatic ties , the Pakistani Embassy looks after Iran 's interest in Washington . Iran 's Interest Section is in a separate building on the grounds of the embassy . Basit said it is controlled and staffed by Iran -- with about 70 to 80 Iranian diplomats . Pakistan has no control over the section , Basit said , adding that Amiri was not a guest of , nor was he in the custody or protection of the Pakistani government . Amiri , a researcher at Tehran 's Malek Ashtar University , mysteriously disappeared in June 2009 while on a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia , according to Iranian media reports . Iran has accused the United States of involvement in Amiri 's disappearance , saying the researcher was taken to force him to give up data about Tehran 's nuclear program . But the Pakistani sources said Amiri is not considered a top scientist in Iran and would not be privy to highly sensitive information , so his alleged captors apparently concluded he offered little use to them . The U.S. State Department has denied involvement but has been tight-lipped on whether Amiri defected and per policy , the CIA does not comment on defections . But a U.S. official who is not authorized to speak publicly said Amiri 's actions show the reality of the situation . `` His multiple videos and now his trip to the Iranian Interests section -- clearly prove he was not held in the United States against his will , '' said the U.S. official . `` He came to this country freely , he lived here freely , and he has chosen freely to return to Iran . The United States , to be sure , is n't standing in his way . He himself gives the lie to the idea he was tortured or imprisoned . He can tell any story he wants -- but that wo n't make it true . '' The U.S. official also said that Amiri `` may well be feeling some pressure from back home . ... That could be one explanation for his contradictory messages . That said , he 's decided of his own volition to go back , and the U.S. wo n't stop him . He 's been a free man here , and that includes the freedom to make his own choices . '' On Sunday , Iranian media quoted a top Iranian lawmaker as saying that newly found documents back up Tehran 's claims that the CIA is responsible . `` The U.S. move to kidnap Amiri runs counter to international regulations , '' said Javad Jahangirzadeh , a member of Iranian parliament 's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission , the semi-official Fars news agency reported . He said Iranian officials had turned over the documents to the Swiss ambassador in Tehran . Last month , two videos surfaced on the internet of a man claiming to be Amiri in which he said he had escaped from U.S. agents and was hiding in Virginia . That was the third time that videos allegedly showing Amiri had circulated on the internet . In one , he said he had been kidnapped by U.S. agents . Another contradicted that claim and said he was living freely and studying in Arizona . In one of the videos posted June 30 on YouTube and dated June 14 , the man again said that he was brought against his will to the United States and fears he will be discovered and re-arrested . `` I am Shahram Amiri , the son of the Islamic Republic of Iran , who with God 's help succeeded in running away from the U.S. security agents in the state of Virginia . I am -LSB- temporarily -RSB- at a safe place and I am trying to do this video but it is quite possible that I may shortly be again arrested by American security agents . '' He went on to say : `` I am not free here and not allowed to contact my family or other people . If I face any problems or if I do not return to my country soon , the government of the U.S. would be directly responsible for it . '' CNN could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos nor the identity of the man in them . `` If he is who people think he is , the U.S. would be in contact with the person , '' a CIA official said last month . And if he were being held against his will , `` how would he have been able to produce any of the videos ? '' the official asked . In the second video that surfaced June 30 and dated June 23 , the man claiming to be Amiri reassures his family about his well-being . `` I want to let my beloved family know that I am OK and they should not worry about my health , '' he says . `` With God 's help I shall return to my beloved country in the next few days . I want them to be , as always , strong and patient and to pray for my safe return . I hope to see you in our beloved country . '' Tehran blamed Washington for Amiri 's disappearance shortly after revelations surfaced that Iran has been building a second uranium enrichment facility near the city of Qom . After that , tensions over Iran 's nuclear program mounted . Iran says its nuclear energy is solely for civilian purposes . But the United States pushed the United Nations to punish Tehran for its nuclear ambitions . The Security Council recently slapped a fourth round of tough sanctions on the Islamic republic . CNN 's Pam Benson , Shirzad Bozorgmehr and Elise Labott contributed to this report .
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NEW : Secretary of State Clinton says the scientist is in the United States of his own free will . The Iranian scientist arrived at the Pakistani Embassy on Monday . Iran claims U.S. kidnapped Amiri to force him to give up data about Iran 's nuclear program . U.S. has denied charge but remains tight-lipped on whether Amiri defected .
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Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A trio of wildfires burned through Southern California on Tuesday , threatening homes , shutting down roads and prompting some residents to evacuate , officials said . There were no reports of injuries from the three fires in Camarillo , Walnut and at Camp Pendleton . Capt. Ron Oatman of the Ventura County Fire Department estimated the fire in Camarillo -- about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles -- to be about 15-20 acres . Oatman said some homes were threatened , but residents were not yet evacuating . In Walnut , 25 miles east of Los Angeles , a 5-acre wildfire prompted residents in 24 homes to evacuate , though the fire was later extinguished without burning any structures , according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department . Meanwhile , fire officials at Camp Pendleton -- home to a U.S. Marine Corps base north of San Diego -- had that blaze 60 percent contained Tuesday evening after it burned 2,700 acres . Firefighters expect to have it fully controlled Wednesday , according to a statement from the base . The Camp Pendleton fire , which started Tuesday morning during a training exercise , forced the closure of at least one road that will remain closed through the night , the statement said . CNN 's Sonya Hamasaki contributed to this report .
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There are no reports of injuries . Some homes are under threat in Camarillo , fire official says . Residents were evacuated in Walnut , fire department says . Camp Pendleton fire officials expect to contain that blaze by Wednesday .
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Editor 's note : In our Behind the Scenes series , CNN correspondents share their experiences in covering news and analyze the stories behind the events . Here , Anderson Cooper goes to the Congo where he covered the killings of endangered mountain gorillas . Ten mountain gorillas reportedly have been killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last year . NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- You hear them before you actually see them . Some branches snap just ahead of you . The adult male silverback grunts somewhere off to the side of you . He even pounds his chest . You approach slowly . Mountain gorillas have been used to seeing scientists for decades , but these are wild animals , and you have to be respectful . When you see them , it is shocking . I 've been visiting mountain gorillas since I was 17 -- I 've probably been about six or seven times -- but each visit is extraordinary . They are among our closest animal relatives , and when you stare into their eyes , you see the spark of intelligence . You know these are individuals , with personalities , thoughts and feelings . Each gorilla group or family is headed by an adult male silverback . They are massive creatures , weighing up to 500 pounds , and are fiercely protective of their brood . Around them baby mountain gorillas tumble and play . They beat their chests just like their father , though the display is far less impressive . If you look closely , you may notice some of the mountain gorillas have lost a hand or a foot . Poachers ' snares are a problem , even in a well-protected park in Rwanda I visited . There are about 700 mountain gorillas left in the world , according to Flora and Fauna International , an organization that acts to conserve threatened species and ecosystems , and they live in a lush forest that straddles Rwanda , Uganda , and the Democratic Republic of Congo . Watch a close-up view of a mountain gorilla '' In Rwanda and Uganda , where they 're well-protected , the mountain gorilla populations are thriving . They are major tourist attractions that bring millions of dollars each year to both countries . The real problem right now is in the Democratic Republic of Congo . For the last 10 years , there has been fighting in that country , and in the last year , according to the U.N. Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization -LRB- UNESCO -RRB- 10 mountain gorillas have been killed , shot to death . We went to the Congo to find out why those mountain gorillas were murdered . And the answer is we just do n't know . Because of the fighting , the mountain gorillas are completely cut off . The rangers who protect them have had to flee the park , and no one 's been able to check up on the gorillas . What we do know , and what is so sad , is that these gentle giants trust us . You see it when you sit with them , when they allow you to come so close . They 've been taught that man wo n't hurt them . This year , in the Congo , the gorillas have been lied to . E-mail to a friend .
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Conservation organization says 700 mountain gorillas are left in the world . Ten mountain gorillas have been killed in the Congo in last year , U.N. agency says . Mountain gorillas weigh as much as 500 pounds .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A 14-year-old cruise passenger was killed in a crossfire Monday as she rode on a tour bus on the U.S. Virgin Islands , police said . Authorities said the shooting happened just before noon in the Coki Point area of St. Thomas . They found the girl wounded on the bus and a man who had been fatally shot in the street , police said in a statement . She was identified as Liz Marie Perez Chapparro of Puerto Rico by the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism . Chapparro was taken to a hospital , where she died from her injuries , police said . The shootout between the unidentified man and the driver of a red Honda occurred at the funeral of Joseph Ferrari , who was shot to death at a mall parking lot on June 29 . The driver in Monday 's shooting ran away from the scene , police said . Three others were arrested as police searched the area . Police said they found ammunition on the dead man 's body . Chapparro 's family immediately flew home to Puerto Rico , the tourism department said .
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Teen tourist killed in crossfire on St. Thomas . An unidentified man also fatally shot . Shootout happened at a funeral .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A man who shot and killed two people at a fiber optics company in New Mexico Monday before turning the gun on himself has been identified as 37-year-old Robert Reza , a police spokesman told CNN Tuesday . Police responded to a 911 call Monday morning from Emcore Company that multiple shots had been fired . When officers entered the building , they found a total of seven people shot . Three were dead , including the shooter , said Nadine Hamby with the Albuquerque Police Department . Among the wounded victims was a woman who has been identified by police as the shooter 's estranged girlfriend . Adrienne Basciano , 49 , was in guarded condition Tuesday at the University of New Mexico Hospital , said Hamby . Michele Turner , 36 , died at the scene and Sharon Cunningham , 47 , died at the University of New Mexico Hospital , Hamby said . A woman and man , both 58 , and a 54-year-old woman were released from the hospital . Conflicting information emerged in the hours after the shooting . Authorities first reported that six people had died , and later said three people were killed . Earlier reports also mistakenly identified the shooter as a woman . Police said miscommunication among officers and emergency personnel was to blame for the erroneous reports . `` We believe this incident to be a domestic violence workplace situation , '' Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz said Monday . Police also said that they have located the children of the gunman and his estranged girlfriend . Schultz would only say that the children are `` OK . '' The roughly 85 Emcore employees who were inside the building at the time of the shooting were later interviewed at a community center near the building , authorities said .
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NEW : Police identify a gunman in New Mexico as Robert Reza , 37 . NEW : A woman identified as the shooter 's girlfriend is listed in guarded condition . Albuquerque police believe it was a domestic violence situation that spilled into the workplace .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Break out your D20s and your `` New Mutants '' collection ! It 's `` Embrace Your Geekness Day , '' and Wall Street embraced geeks by letting them ring the starting bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday morning . Those bellringers are also known as members of Best Buy 's Geek Squad , who drive to the rescue of people trying to master the computers they bought from the store . This embracing holiday is just one of a handful of geeky observances : `` Darwin Day , '' `` Pi Day , '' `` Towel Day '' -LRB- think `` Hitchhiker 's Guide to the Galaxy '' -RRB- , `` Geek Pride Day . '' There 's even a `` Take Your Webmaster to Lunch Day . '' But this particular day -- `` Embrace Your Geekness Day '' -- is copyrighted by Wellcat Holidays , and meant for people who are `` into dungeon games , comic books and doing vampire dress-up , '' as well as those who `` spend endless hours going strange places on the internet . '' According to Wellcat Holidays , `` this is your day to roar ! '' So why do Americans celebrate people who are defined by Webster 's dictionary as , `` any person considered to be different from others in a negative or bizarre way , as a teenager seen as being socially or physically awkward '' ? According to Benjamin Nugent , author of `` American Nerd : The story of my people , '' a geek is `` a nerd who is defined by his knowledge on a certain subject . '' -LRB- Nugent points out that this is a far cry from what the word `` geek '' used to mean -- a carnie who was so unskilled that all he or she could do was bite the heads off live animals . -RRB- . Thanks to Silicon Valley and the charismatic representation of geekdom by people like Apple 's Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and Microsoft 's Bill Gates , geeks are fashionable and associated with economic power , Nugent said . Even their interests , like video games and computer technology , `` have become so refined that they 're irresistible to a huge percentage of the population , '' said Nugent . Genevieve Bell , a cultural anthropologist with Intel Labs , agrees . `` There are far more products , programs , services and applications than there 's ever been before , '' she said . `` And they speak to a wider market than ever before . '' Since geeks are strongly inclined to master technology , said Bell , they now represent dominance over a domain the general and less geeky members of the public would like to conquer . Geek holidays , while probably not necessary for true geeks to accept their quirks and interests , give others ample opportunity to celebrate and nurture their inner geek . Along with the mainstreaming of geek interests comes a bittersweet trade-off for geeks who had been marginalized in the past . Nugent said that when geeks and nerds were not as readily accepted in American culture , they had a thriving , fraternal community spirit . Now that technology , sci-fi , comics and gaming are mass consumer experiences , Nugent said , geek communities are fracturing . But in 2010 , letting your geek flag fly has become a source of pride for many Americans . Bell said it 's a natural fit for a country that 's known as a nation of individuals . Scott Kauffman , CEO of Geeknet , the company that runs popular sites Slashdot.org , SourceForge.net and ThinkGeek.com , said that geeks will define the 2010s much as the GenXers defined the 1990s . Read Techland 's interview : Hey , Wil Wheaton , what 's the geekiest thing you 've ever done ? Kauffman likens geek obsession to the fan in everyone . `` People are getting in touch with their inner geekdom and that can take the form of many different kinds of passions or obsessions . It used to be a ` sports fan ' or a ` sports nut , ' now it 's a geek , '' he said . Geek mainstreaming began decades ago , said Nugent , when `` Star Wars '' and the `` Lord of the Rings '' books burst on the scene to unprecedented popularity . Science fiction and fantasy , once the bastions of geek and nerd culture , became huge entertainment moneymakers thereafter , he said . `` More recently , our pop culture has become generous towards nerdy characters , '' said Nugent . Through TV shows like `` The OC '' and Judd Apatow 's movies , geeks have become protagonists -- leading men , even -- and not just comic relief , he said . Bell goes so far as to say being geeky is downright American . `` Think about the railways or the electrification of America or the moon shot , even the Manhattan Project , '' she said . `` There 's always a strong sense that to have technical prowess is a quintessential piece of what it is to be American ... and what it means to be successfully American . '' The mainstreaming of geek interests naturally leads to another American pursuit : capitalism . Wellcat Holidays does , after all , make money on its copyrights . In the last year , Geeknet , a company that harnesses the natural talents of geeks and caters to their interests , saw an explosion of sales . Geeknet offers geeks a one-stop shop : geek-written content , free open source code and all the niche tchotchkes a geek could want . Companies appealing to a broader audience are ready to use images of geeks in order to see that same kind of success . Apple 's PC and Mac commercials showcase two geeks -- old school and new -- while Intel 's `` rock star '' commercials show off how geeky the company is -LRB- because their rock stars are inventors . -RRB- . `` Communications technology , especially , has such a patina , '' said Bell , `` and geek culture puts a face on all this technology . '' Geeks evoke the ideas of diversity and innovation , she said , and it 's valuable for companies to commodify that . Nugent agrees . `` I think what those companies are exploiting is a desire for the reassurance of technical expertise , '' he said . `` This sort of cuddly nerd character who fixes your computer and makes everything right is reassuring , '' said Nugent . `` This is n't an intimidating expert who will say things you do n't understand and condescend to you . '' Best Buy 's Geek Squad , for example , uses the image of geeks to appeal to a large audience . Kauffman said this kind of marketing says to customers , `` If you 're not a geek and you want what geeks have , because geeks are cool and have cutting edge -- bleeding edge -- technology , we can bring that to you . '' Nick Devita , a member of the bell-ringing Geek Squad team , thinks Best Buy has plenty of geek . `` We are a group of people ... that take the passion we have for technology and help other people embrace it , so they can have passion about it as well , '' he said . Ironically , geeks need little marketing and even less convincing . `` I think what 's interesting about geek culture is that it does n't need to be marketed to , much , '' said Nugent . `` If you have a new product , they will embrace it on its own merit , because they 're geeks . They read the trade magazines , and they read articles in Wired and they obsess about these things in chat rooms . ''
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The Geek Squad rang the NYSE bell Tuesday for `` Embrace Your Geekness Day '' Pop culture and ubiquitous technology make geek culture mainstream . Businesses use geeks and geek interests to market to non-geeks . New products aimed at geeks need little marketing -- geeks already want them .
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Miami , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Miami , Florida , court appearance for Colton Harris-Moore , the so-called `` barefoot bandit , '' has been postponed until Friday , as he did not have a U.S.-based attorney to represent him Wednesday . Wearing government-issued socks , sandals and shackles , the 19-year-old Harris-Moore told the judge his mother hired an attorney whose name he did not know . Public defender Hector Topico offered to assist Harris-Moore in contacting the attorney in Washington state . Harris-Moore was taken into custody on Harbour Island in the Bahamas early Sunday . He was sought in a string of home and airport break-ins in various U.S. locations along with thefts of vehicles . In the Bahamas , Harris-Moore pleaded guilty to a charge of illegally landing a plane , paid a $ 300 fine and was ordered deported , his lawyer said . He was then flown to Miami on Tuesday , the FBI said . Typically in extradition cases , the accused makes a first appearance in the federal court closest to where he was arrested , said Emily Langlie , spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney 's Office in the Western District of Washington . The Southern District of Florida , in Miami , is the closest jurisdiction to the Bahamas , said Langlie . In his initial U.S. appearance , he will be told of his rights and read an initial charge of interstate transportation of stolen property , Langlie said . The complaint , which was sealed until last week , was filed last December and stems from his allegedly stealing a plane in Bonner 's Ferry , Idaho , and crashing it outside Granite Falls , Washington , she said . After his initial appearance , U.S. marshals will take him to the Western District of Washington in Seattle . Under the federal system , the case will then go to a grand jury . If an indictment is returned , more charges could be filed . The federal charge of interstate transportation of stolen goods carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison . Federal prosecutors are working with other states to determine the best way to go forward in this case , but the Washington courts will get him first since he was arrested on their warrant , Langlie said . `` He seems to be very remorseful , '' attorney Monique Gomez , a Bahamian lawyer who represented Harris-Moore in Nassau , told CNN in a telephone interview . Asked whether he acknowledges guilt in the other cases , Gomez said , `` Let me put it this way -- he wishes he had done things a little differently in his life . '' Still , she added , he appeared `` in good spirits . '' Authorities in Madison County , Nebraska , issued an arrest warrant for Harris-Moore last month on charges of burglary and theft by unlawful taking or deception . The affidavit supporting the warrant alleges the youth waged a crime spree . He faces charges in Washington state in the theft of an aircraft , and police have said they believe he stole a Cessna in Indiana and flew it to the Bahamas , where it was found in the shallows off Abaco Island . The teen had been on the run since he escaped from a juvenile halfway house in Renton , Washington , in 2008 . The FBI had offered a $ 10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest . Harris-Moore is called the `` barefoot bandit '' because he was without shoes when he allegedly broke into houses . He also was barefoot when apprehended in the Bahamas at the Romora Bay Resort and Marina by police responding to a reported sighting Sunday . The youth has amassed more than 80,000 Facebook fans . In December , Time magazine dubbed him `` America 's Most Wanted Teenage Bandit . '' Also , 20th Century Fox has purchased the rights for a film based on his exploits . CNN 's Ashley Hayes , John Couwels , Patrick Oppmann , Susan Candiotti , Tom Watkins and InSession Correspondent Jean Casarez contributed to this report .
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NEW : The hearing for Colton Harris-Moore will be held Friday . NEW : The 19-year-old had no legal representatives in court Wednesday . At Friday 's court appearance , he will be told of his rights and read his charges . In the Bahamas , he pleaded guilty to illegally landing a plane .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Michele Witte woke up about 1 a.m. on December 12 , 1997 , and went to change her son 's diaper . Then she rocked him and laid her 10-month-old back in his crib . Later that morning , she went into his bedroom to wake him and found his lifeless body . She immediately fell to her knees screaming . Witte 's son , Tyler , had gotten his neck stuck in a gap between the side rail and headboard created when a single screw had become loose . She called 911 , but her baby boy was cold , and she knew in her heart he was already dead . As her 2-year-old daughter came bounding into the bedroom , she grabbed her so she would n't see her brother . Witte , an English teacher in Bellmore , New York , said the coroner ruled the death an accident , but she and her family notified the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission . Thirteen years later , the commission voted Wednesday in favor of new proposed mandatory standards for cribs . The new rules , likely to go into effect next year after a final vote by the federal commission , would render many cribs in the country as not up to code , regardless of whether the crib style and model was ever considered unsafe , and essentially would ban the manufacture and sale of drop-side cribs . In addition to eliminating drop-side cribs , the new rules will mandate better mattress support , sturdier hardware and better quality wood for crib construction . Between November 2007 and April of this year , there were 36 deaths associated with crib structural problems , according to Commission Chairwoman Inez Tenenbaum . Hazards in cribs include faulty hardware , dangerous gaps created from mattress support failures , and poor wood quality with crib slats that can be broken easily . The new standards aim to eliminate gaps where babies could become entrapped and suffocate , and to prevent babies from falling out of the crib . After Tyler 's death , Witte , now 36 , began to believe it was an isolated incident after a series of frustrating conversations and research . But in 2004 , Witte heard about another couple whose baby had died in a drop-side crib just miles from her Bellmore home . She was outraged that the accidents continued to happen and ramped up her advocacy efforts . `` The coroner said it would take 15 seconds for him to asphyxiate , '' she said , her voice quivering with the memory of Tyler 's death . `` My bedroom was close . I had the baby monitor on , but it 's the silent killer . If you ca n't breathe , you ca n't scream out . '' While Witte said she is happy about the latest developments , she is still worried about parents who have drop-side cribs . Since the accidents first started getting attention years ago , Witte said she 's heard of some parents who let their babies sleep in beds with them , which the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages . Others have used duct tape or lodged their cribs against a wall . `` What does that mean for cribs already out there ? '' she said . `` We need to have new safe cribs for people who ca n't afford it . '' Witte 's oldest daughter , now 14 , slept in the oak crib with steel hardware that kiled her baby brother . Since then , Witte has had two more children , a girl , now 6 , and a boy , 1 . Both have slept in a new stationary crib with no movable parts . In fact Witte said the current crib will only come apart now with a sledgehammer . `` The problem is of hardware . Whenever you have something you are moving , the hardware is bound to fail , '' she said . When Witte puts her son down to sleep tonight , she will face the same stress she has dealt with for years . `` The safest places for a baby is safe , securely built , stationary crib , '' she said , adding that she has a video monitor in her son 's room and gets up `` about 14 times a night checking on him . '' `` I 'm happy for the day when he 's out and in the bed , and we 're done with cribs . ''
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Michele Witte 's 10-month-old son suffocated in a drop-side crib in 1997 . The baby 's neck became stuck between side rail , headboard when screw loosened . Witte has been working to get drop-side cribs banned . Consumer Product Safety Commission approved standards that would ban drop-side cribs .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Andres Iniesta could miss Spain 's opening game at the World Cup after suffering a thigh injury in a warm-up match . The Barcelona midfielder set up two goals for Spain in their emphatic 6-0 win over Poland in Murcia on Monday , but was substituted after just 39 minutes . Iniesta missed a large chunk of Barcelona 's season with a thigh complaint , but team doctors insisted the injury was only minor . `` We substituted him because he had some discomfort in the back part of the thigh , '' Spain 's team doctor Dr Oscar Celada was quoted as saying by the UK Press Association . `` He did n't notice any tear and it has not got any worse . It was at the start of the match and as he was n't comfortable , we made the change - it 's a minor muscle injury . `` We will calmly carry out tests on Wednesday , but we can initially rule out any muscle tear . It 's a minor injury , but we have to take precautions , '' he added . Two of Spain 's other injury doubts , Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas and Liverpool striker Fernando Torres , both came on a substitutes against Poland -- and scored -- as they look to step up their fitness . It was Torres ' first action since playing for Liverpool against Portuguese side Benfica back in April . `` It was almost two months without playing since the Benfica game and I was really keen to come back , '' he said after the match . `` They have let me play for a while today and it was great to go out there and score . '' As for Iniesta , it remains to be seen whether he will play any part in Spain 's opening Group H game against Switzerland on June 16 .
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Andres Iniesta is a doubt for Spain 's opening match of the World Cup . Iniesta was substituted after 39 minutes in warm-up match against Poland . Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas both came on as substitutes as Spain won 6-0 .
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Paris , France -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- France 's lower house of parliament Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a ban on any veils that cover the face -- including the burqa , the full-body covering worn by some Muslim women . The vote was 335 to 1 . The measure must still go to the French Senate before it becomes law . The Senate is expected to vote on it in the week of September 20 . Amnesty International immediately condemned the vote . `` A complete ban on the covering of the face would violate the rights to freedom of expression and religion of those women who wear the burqa or the niqab in public as an expression of their identity or beliefs , '' said John Dalhuisen , Amnesty International 's expert on discrimination in Europe . French people back the ban by a margin of more than four to one , the Pew Global Attitudes Project found in a survey this spring . Some 82 percent of people polled approved of a ban , while 17 percent disapproved . That was the widest support the Washington-based think tank found in any of the five countries it surveyed . Clear majorities also backed burqa bans in Germany , Britain and Spain , while two out of three Americans opposed it , the survey found . The French Council of Ministers approved the measure in May , saying veils that cover the face `` can not be tolerated in any public place . '' Their approval sent the bill to parliament . The parliamentary vote is the latest step in France 's efforts to ban the burqa , niqab and other Muslim garments that cover a woman 's face . A panel of French lawmakers recommended a ban last year , and lawmakers unanimously passed a non-binding resolution in May calling the full-face veil contrary to the laws of the nation . `` Given the damage it produces on those rules which allow the life in community , ensure the dignity of the person and equality between sexes , this practice , even if it is voluntary , can not be tolerated in any public place , '' the French government said when it sent the measure to parliament in May . The bill envisions a fine of 150 euros -LRB- $ 190 -RRB- and/or a citizenship course as punishment for wearing a face-covering veil . Forcing a woman to wear a niqab or a burqa would be punishable by a year in prison or a 15,000-euro -LRB- $ 19,000 -RRB- fine , the government said , calling it `` a new form of enslavement that the republic can not accept on its soil . '' The measure would take effect six months after passage , giving authorities time to try to persuade women who veil themselves voluntarily to stop . The French Council of State has warned that the ban could be incompatible with international human rights laws and the country 's own constitution . The council advises on laws , but the government is not required to follow its recommendations . If the French bill is approved by the upper house and signed into law , it will be the first national ban in Europe on the burqa , a full-body covering that includes a mesh over the face , and the niqab , a full-face veil that leaves an opening only for the eyes . The hijab , which tightly covers the hair and neck but not the face , and the chador , which covers the body but not the face , apparently would not be banned by either law . However , a 2004 law in France bans the wearing or displaying of overt religious symbols in schools -- including the wearing of headscarves by schoolgirls . The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life estimates that France has about 3.5 million Muslims , or about 6 percent of the population . France does not keep its own statistics on religious affiliation of the population , in keeping with its laws requiring the state to be strictly secular . CNN 's Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this report .
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NEW : Amnesty International condemns the vote , saying the ban violates religious freedom . Ban passes the lower house of the French parliament by a huge majority . French people overwhelmingly favor a ban , the Pew Global Attitudes Project found this spring . The bill still needs Senate approval to become law .
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-LRB- InStyle.com -RRB- -- From the humanitarian crisis in Darfur to art therapy and literacy programs , find out about the favorite charitable organizations and causes of some of Hollywood 's biggest names . `` There is more hope and love on the cancer floor of the hospital than anywhere else in life , '' says Eva Longoria . Intensive care . When Eva Longoria visited Annie Martinez , their to-do list was simple : playing , reading books and talking . `` I told her to come live with me , '' says Annie , 6 , who spent last year at Children 's Hospital Los Angeles undergoing leukemia treatments that made her lose weight and her curls . Annie now returns monthly for `` pokies '' -- 6-year-old-speak for chemotherapy -- but she is considered lucky . She survived . `` There are reasons our children are dying at a faster rate , '' says Longoria , 32 , who notes that Latino children have a significantly higher cancer-mortality rate owing to factors like delayed diagnosis and the language barrier . To combat those odds , the Desperate Housewives actress teamed up with Padres Contra El Cáncer -LRB- Parents Against Cancer -RRB- , an L.A.-based organization that works with area hospitals to provide counseling , support and information for children with cancer . It assists about 750 families each year . Since stepping up as national spokeswoman in 2005 , Longoria has helped raise funds for children like Annie and their loved ones . `` It is too difficult , '' admits Annie 's mother , Elizabeth , who turned to Padres for assistance . Longoria has already recruited celebrity friends , including Mario Lopez , Wilmer Valderrama and her husband , Tony Parker , to bolster her efforts . Her next goal is to help the organization go national and hire hospital interpreters . Until then , she 'll continue her visits , bringing along toys , chocolates and the message that there is someone to listen -- in English or in Spanish . `` I am there to hear their story , to comfort them , '' says Longoria , `` to let them know that they are remembered and important . '' Hearts and crafts . A worn homemade Playbill hangs on the wall of the All Saints Health Care hospital room that David Anguiano , 17 , shares with his pet turtle and another patient . On the announcement Anguiano 's name is more prominent than that of his famous collaborator , Kirsten Dunst , and a fan letter from the actress hangs nearby . `` My dear David , '' it reads , `` I will always love you . Marry me , please -LRB- or at least consider it ! -RRB- . All my love . Your girl , Kirsten XOXO . '' `` He 's a witty little flirt , '' says a laughing Dunst , who met Anguiano last year during her first hospital visit for the Art of Elysium , an L.A. charity that pairs artists with young people battling serious medical conditions , like cancer and AIDS . The actress regularly does artistic projects with kids in the program , some of whom are limited by conditions requiring ventilators or tracheotomies . `` A lot of the kids ca n't communicate , but it 's amazing how much they say to you with their eyes , '' says Dunst . `` Their faces light up when they hear music or see dancing . '' The Art of Elysium offers many projects , from sculpture to jewelry making and sand art , to foster creativity in patients , no matter what their challenges . `` We bring the paint to their beds and finger-paint , '' says Dunst , who helps by opening their fingers and guiding them on the page . `` It is great for them to feel the paint on their hands , '' she says . `` It 's all sensorial . '' Last year she worked with more than 20 children to create a mural-size painting from overlapping handprints , which was then auctioned off at a fund-raiser . Dunst , who plans to contribute her own paintings to help raise money , has seen the group gain momentum during her weekly hospital visits . In 2005 the charity worked with 5,000 children ; last year it was 25,000 . `` It 's nice to be there to watch it grow , '' says Dunst , `` and to grow with it . '' Hope for Darfur . When Don Cheadle packed his bags for a January 2005 trip to Darfur , Sudan , where government-sponsored militia have killed 400,000 and displaced 2.5 million people , the last thing on his mind was personal safety . `` I was n't nervous about going , '' says Cheadle , 42 . `` I was nervous about what I would see . '' What he observed has stayed with him to this day . The villages he visited were deserted after attacks by the Janjaweed militia -LRB- whose tactics include fire , rape , murder and starvation -RRB- ; the shelters at refugee camps in neighboring Chad turned out to be little more than temporary tarps . `` People are living in dust , surrounded on all sides by terror , '' says Cheadle . He did his best to connect with the children in Darfur -- like juggling rocks to encourage them to play -- but `` the kids were drawing pictures depicting bombers , '' he says . `` It was heartbreaking because you could see their future , and it was bleak . '' He saw similar circumstances six months later , when he visited war-torn Uganda , where more than 30,000 children have been abducted and forced into a rebel army . `` My daughter listened to a 12-year-old talk about having to kill his best friend , '' says the actor , who visited shelters where children sleep for protection . `` It opened my eyes . What hope do people in Darfur have ? What hope do people in Uganda have ? '' Cheadle believes things will get better only when the international community demands change from elected officials . John Prendergast , senior adviser of the International Crisis Group , who traveled with Cheadle , says , `` Nothing is as powerful as citizens writing letters saying , ` This issue matters . If you do n't do anything , I 'm going to take that into consideration when I cast my vote . ' '' Until then the only assistance comes in the form of rescue workers . `` But they are down there with only courage and conviction , '' says Cheadle . `` And that does n't stop bullets . '' For more information go to Save Darfur Coalition . By the book . `` Who wants to hear a story ? '' Joan Allen asks a scrum of eager tykes all under the age of 5 as she plops down with them on the floor to read a classic tale . `` Then came the big Billy Goat Gruff . ` Trip , trap , trip , trap , trip , trap ' went the bridge , and the bridge creaked and groaned under him , '' she reads in a low , ominous voice . `` Who 's that tramping over my bridge ? '' Allen demands loudly , now sounding decidedly troll-like , as her listeners at Round-the-Clock Nursery , a Manhattan preschool , giggle and lean in closer . Several stories later , at the end of the reading hour , each child will go home with a new book of his or her own , courtesy of First Book , an organization that provides disadvantaged children with books . Allen , who has been a spokeswoman for them for the last five years , `` is someone who understands how powerful books can be for a child , '' says the group 's president , Kyle Zimmer . Allen became involved with First Book through her friendship with a children 's book publisher . In addition to raising awareness of the group 's work , she frequently visits schools to read to the students and willingly participates in First Book fund-raisers . But , says Zimmer , her commitment goes beyond using her celebrity to help the cause . `` She has even been to our dirty , dusty warehouse , carting out books and loading them into the trunks of people 's cars . '' For Allen , it 's simply part of fulfilling the group 's mission : getting books into the hands of children . `` These kids are in a situation where they always get secondhand things , but here they get new books to bring home and share , '' she said . `` It 's an esteem-building thing . '' Which certainly has been constructive . With the help of supporters like Allen , the organization has just given away its 50 millionth book , and that speaks volumes . A world of hope . When Lucy Liu visited the African nation of Lesotho in 2005 , the Unicef ambassador left her mark on the landscape . `` I planted a peach tree there , '' says the actress . `` The fruit is supposed to bring good luck and blessings . '' In truth , blessings are in short supply in many of the regions she has visited through Unicef , which offers global health and educational support for children . Taking inspiration from past ambassadors like Audrey Hepburn , Liu offered her services three years ago . Since then she has been on call for humanitarian trips to places in Africa and Asia and has made a habit of keeping her passport with her and her immunizations up-to-date . Last year she visited Balakot , Pakistan , after an earthquake left more than 70,000 dead . She arrived to find rubble and camps with `` 13 people sleeping in one very small tent , '' says Liu , who helped distribute warm clothes . `` The line kept going on for miles ; people were desperately trying to get shoes and socks for their young ones . '' More disturbing was the makeshift outdoor `` school '' next to a mass grave for children who had died in the quake . `` Everyone was sitting in a circle on the dirt for the class , '' says Liu . `` There was a grave a foot away . '' The message was clear to her : Life continues . Another unforgettable moment came when a student in a Lesotho school offered up her tight little fist . `` She opened it , and there was a nub of a pencil that she was holding on to for dear life , '' recalls Liu . `` It 's amazing how much they want to be educated . '' Schooling is just one step for the organization , which uses even the smallest donations to address needs like immunizations and basic health care that help to save more than two million children each year . `` Contribute 50 cents , a dollar or 10 cents , '' says Liu . `` It all adds up , and we know exactly where every penny is going . '' For more information go to UNICEF . E-mail to a friend .
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Some celebrities give from heart and self to help others . Don Cheadle admires courage of relief workers in war torn Darfur . Lucy Liu saw classes held next to mass grave for Pakistani quake victims . Joan Allen reads books to disadvantaged children .
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[[9036, 9124]]
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Celebrity chef Kathy Casey predicts two flavor trends in cocktails for 2010 will be fresh ginger and hibiscus . Casey is known around the world for her expertise in mixing food and drinks . Her company , Kathy Casey Food Studios ® - Liquid Kitchen , has been consulting with a new nightclub at the Fairmont Abu Dhabi about its food and beverage menu . While creating bubbly drinks in the Middle East , Casey substitutes sparkling date cider for apple cider . This mixologist , who knows how to stir up liquid fun , shares these two recipes from her latest book , `` Sips & Apps . '' Green-Eye Daiquiri . This special holiday variation of my Green-Eye Daiquiri gets a flavor boost from quickly flamed fresh thyme , which releases the herbal aromatics and adds a little holiday theatrics ! The recipe makes one drink . The `` flaming agent '' is green Chartreuse . With its extracts of 130 plants , it adds a sophisticated and unusual flavor . Please use caution and good judgment when crafting any flaming drink . 2 sprigs fresh thyme . 1/8 ounce green Chartreuse . 3/4 ounce simple syrup * -LRB- see recipe -RRB- . 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice . 1 1/2 - 2 ounces white rum . Garnish : fresh thyme sprig . Bend the thyme sprigs and curl into the bottom of a heavy heat-proof double old-fashioned glass . Drizzle or `` spritz '' the thyme with the green Chartreuse . Carefully using a long match or lighter , ignite the green chartreuse . Let it flame just for a few seconds until thyme gets a tiny singe on it . Be careful glass does not get too hot -- have something available to smother the fire if it gets too big . Then quickly add the simple syrup to extinguish the flames . It is important to make it in this order as the simple syrup will put out the flames . Then measure in the lime juice and rum . Fill the glass with ice and stir well . Garnish with a thyme sprig . * Simple Syrup : Bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil . Immediately remove from heat . Cool . Store refrigerated for up to two weeks . Adapted from a Recipe from Sips & Apps , © 2009 by Kathy Casey . Chameleon Club . I created this cocktail for the Fairmont Abu Dhabi 's new nightclub and bar , the Chameleon . which opens New Year 's Eve . This drink evokes updating classic cocktails with exciting twists . This one incorporates two of my flavor trends for cocktails in 2010 -- fresh ginger and hibiscus . Makes 1 drink . 1 small slice fresh ginger . 1 1/2 ounces gin . -LRB- I love this drink made with Plymouth gin , but you can always substitute with vodka if you prefer -RRB- . 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice . 3/4 oz Homemade Hibiscus Syrup -LRB- recipe follows -RRB- . 1 organic egg white -LRB- or 3/4 oz pasteurized egg whites -RRB- . Garnish : small piece of candied ginger on a pick . Place the ginger in the bottom of a cocktail shaker . -LRB- Do not add ice yet . -RRB- Using a muddler , press down on the ginger a few times , giving it some force but not too much muscle . You want to extract the essence of the ginger . Measure in the gin , lemon juice and Hibiscus Syrup . Add the egg white . Fill cocktail shaker all the way to the top with ice . Cap and shake very vigorously . You want to really foam up the egg white . Strain into a large martini glass and garnish with candied ginger on a pick . Hibiscus Syrup . 2 cups water . 2 cups sugar . 1 heaping cup dried hibiscus flowers . In a small sauce pan , bring the water , sugar and dried flowers to a boil . Let boil for one minute . Then remove from the heat and let steep for 30 minutes . Strain the hibiscus into a large container . Press the flowers well with a spoon to release all the juice . Discard the solids . Let the syrup cool and then place in a clean bottle or pitcher , cover and refrigerated up to two weeks . © 2009 by Kathy Casey Food Studios ® - Liquid Kitchen .
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Celebrity chef Kathy Casey predicts two new drink flavors for 2010 . She says hot cocktail flavors for 2010 will be fresh ginger and hibiscus . Mixologist adds thyme to her Green-Eye Daiquiri .
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Miami , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The `` barefoot bandit , '' teenager Colton Harris-Moore , was taken Tuesday from the Bahamas to Miami to face charges , the FBI said . Special Agent Judith Orihuela said he landed at 6:23 p.m. aboard an American Eagle flight on which the FBI was aboard , and will appear Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in federal court in Miami . The 19-year-old 's arrival occurred a few hours after he pleaded guilty in a Bahamian court to a charge of illegally landing a plane , paid a $ 300 fine and was ordered deported , his lawyer said . A federal law enforcement official said the $ 300 came from a program for U.S. citizens abroad who are strapped for cash . Harris-Moore 's lawyer , Monique Gomez , said her fee was being paid not by her client but by `` an anonymous donor . '' `` He seems to be very remorseful , '' the lawyer told CNN in a telephone interview from Nassau about her client , who attended the court hearing wearing white sneakers , shorts and a T-shirt bearing the word `` Bahamas . '' Harris-Moore was taken into custody on Harbour Island in the Bahamas early Sunday . He is sought in a string of home and airport break-ins in various U.S. locations along with thefts of vehicles . Asked whether he acknowledges guilt in the other cases , his lawyer said , `` Let me put it this way -- he wishes he had done things a little differently in his life . '' Still , she added , he appeared `` in good spirits . '' Authorities in Madison County , Nebraska , issued an arrest warrant for Harris-Moore last month on charges of burglary and theft by unlawful taking or deception . The affidavit supporting the warrant alleges the youth waged a crime spree . He faces charges in Washington state in the theft of an aircraft , and police have said they believe he stole a Cessna in Indiana and flew it to the Bahamas , where it was found in the shallows off Abaco Island . The teen had been on the run since he escaped from a juvenile halfway house in Renton , Washington , in 2008 . The FBI had offered a $ 10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest . Typically in extradition cases , the accused makes a first appearance in the federal court closest to where he was arrested , said Emily Langlie , spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney 's Office in the Western District of Washington . The Southern District of Florida , in Miami , is the closest jurisdiction to the Bahamas , said Langlie . In his initial U.S. appearance , he will be told of his rights and read an initial charge of interstate transportation of stolen property , Langlie said . The complaint , which was sealed until last week , was filed last December and stems from his allegedly stealing a plane in Bonner 's Ferry , Idaho , and crashing it outside Granite Falls , Washington , she said . U.S. marshals will then take him to the Western District of Washington in Seattle . Under the federal system , the case will then go to a grand jury . If an indictment is returned , more charges could be filed . The federal charge of interstate transportation of stolen goods carries a penalty of up to 10 years . Federal prosecutors are working with other states to determine the best way to go forward in this case , but the Washington courts will get him first since he was arrested on their warrant , she said . Harris-Moore is called the `` barefoot bandit '' because he was without shoes when he allegedly broke into houses . He also was barefoot when apprehended in the Bahamas at the Romora Bay Resort and Marina by police responding to a reported sighting Sunday . The youth has amassed more than 80,000 Facebook fans . In December , Time magazine dubbed him `` America 's Most Wanted Teenage Bandit . '' Also , 20th Century Fox has purchased the rights for a film based on his exploits . Romora Bay officials said in a statement Harris-Moore arrived on Harbour Island from the nearby island of Eleuthera in a 15-foot skiff . The marina 's security director , Kenneth Strachan , reported seeing him running down the dock about 2 a.m. Sunday , carrying a gun . The young man told him , `` They 're going to kill me , '' Strachan reported . He put out a call for help . Guards disabled the skiff 's engine , but the young man attempted to steal a second boat , according to resort manager Anne Ward . However , he ran aground in the shallow water . Authorities surrounded him and shot out the boat 's engines , Ward said . `` At one point , the boy threw his computer in the water and put a gun to his head , '' she said in the statement . `` He was going to kill himself . Police talked him out of it . '' Authorities loaded him into a resort work truck and took him to a police station , the statement said . Police said a gun and other items were seized from him . CNN 's Ashley Hayes , Patrick Oppmann , Susan Candiotti , Tom Watkins and InSession Correspondent Jean Casarez contributed to this report .
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NEW : Colton Harris-Moore has arrived in Miami , Florida . NEW : `` He seems to be very remorseful , '' his lawyer said . `` Barefoot bandit '' pleads guilty to landing plane illegally . Teen was sentenced to three months in prison or fined $ 300 .
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Houston , Texas -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For years , Kathy Broussard flew her single-engine Piper Cherokee across Texas , bringing critically ill patients to Houston for life-saving medical treatments . `` I would pick up patients and drop them off ... and they would call a cab , and that was how it was done , '' said Broussard , who was part of a group of volunteer pilots who flew in patients from all over Texas . In 1999 , one of her frequent-flyer patients , Eva , called Broussard and said she would n't be coming in . `` She started crying and says , ` Kathy , I do n't have cab fare . ' '' Houston , Texas , is home to many medical centers , including MD Anderson Cancer Center , one of the world 's premier cancer treatment facilities . But cab fare from Houston 's main airports to the treatment centers can range from $ 50 to more than $ 100 each way . For patients struggling financially , that expense alone can keep them from getting the treatments they need to stay alive . `` People lose everything . They lose their cars ; they lose their homes . They 're living with relatives . They would n't have cab fare . A lot of people would just stay home and die , '' said Broussard , 60 . `` And that 's just not acceptable . '' So Broussard started a group she called Houston Ground Angels , organizing volunteers to drive patients to and from Houston 's airports and treatment centers for free . Today , driving her red pickup along Texas highways , Broussard credits Eva -- who passed away in 2001 from colon cancer -- as the inspiration for the program . Do you know a hero ? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes . `` I said , ` Eva , I 'll drive you down . ' I put her in my truck and went downtown . And then , all of the sudden , it just popped in my head , ' I wonder if -LSB- other people in -RSB- Houston would be interested in this ? ' '' Broussard placed an ad in the Houston Chronicle calling for volunteer drivers , and the response was overwhelming . About 300 people called to sign up . At the time , Broussard was a single mother of five working full-time at an oil refinery . She spent her spare time coordinating the drivers , or `` ground angels . '' When pilots alerted Broussard that they were flying in a patient , she would arrange for a ground angel to meet them . `` I was on the phone all the time . I carried a spiral notebook with all the volunteers ' names and numbers in it , '' Broussard said . Ultimately , the pilots liked the program so much that they asked to join , and the organization became the Houston Ground Angels and Pilots . Today , the group includes nearly 50 pilots and 300 drivers . Patients contact the organization to request ground transportation from a Houston airport or a flight from their regional airport . Requests are posted on the group 's website , and volunteers sign up for each `` mission . '' Missions take place seven days a week . Rides are provided to patients who arrive into the Houston area on a commercial flight or who 've been flown in to a regional airport by one of the program 's pilots . The group also helps fly in patients from the Gulf Coast , Oklahoma and Arkansas by working with other volunteer flying organizations whose pilots cover part of the distance . Since 2001 , the group has completed about 6,000 missions -- most of them rides , along with hundreds of flights . Broussard says many volunteers are drawn to the group because they have lost loved ones to cancer . Cathy Laflen , 62 , has been relying on the group for eight years . After she was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2001 , the cost of treatment crippled her financially . Unable to work , she lost her home and her car . Laflen , who lives about 4 1/2 hours from Houston by car , was referred to MD Anderson Cancer Center but lacked the funds or transportation to get there . With the help of Broussard 's team , Laflen has been able to fly into Houston and get treated . She credits the volunteers with giving her hope . `` They 've saved my life , '' Laflen said . `` Anytime that I need to come up here , they do it . The ground angels have everything set up . I do n't have to worry . I would have died a long time ago , because they have nothing like this down where I live . '' Patients receiving transportation from Broussard 's group must submit proof of their medical need . Those requesting flights also must have a letter from their doctor saying that they need air transport and that they are well enough for it . Recently retired , Broussard is now a full-time volunteer . She and her team aim to make sure that patients coming into town for treatment travel without stress . `` There 's no worry , because there is going to be somebody that 's going to fly them , '' she said . `` There will be somebody that will pick them up . They 're not thrown to the wolves in the big Houston metropolis , of being afraid of where to go . '' Broussard -- who has also opened her house to patients who ca n't afford a place to stay -- said the program hits home the most when she sees patients thriving despite being told they had a limited life expectancy . `` They tell us all the time that they get their strength through us , '' she said . `` If they only knew it 's the other way around . '' Want to get involved ? Check out the Houston Ground Angels and Pilots website at http://www.houstongroundangels.org/ and see how to help . You can nominate a 2010 CNN Hero at cnnheroes.com .
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Kathy Broussard organized group of volunteer pilots , drivers to help patients get to hospitals . Many patients are too financially strapped to afford flights , cab fare . Houston Ground Angels and Pilots has completed 6,000 ground or air missions . Do you know a hero ? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Obama administration aims to cut the annual number of new HIV infections in the United States by 25 percent over the next five years , according to a nationwide HIV/AIDS strategy unveiled Tuesday . Federal officials are also seeking to combat a growing sense of complacency about the disease , partly by reducing the percentage of infected Americans who are unaware of their status . Specifically , the strategy focuses on three key areas : reducing the number of people who become infected , increasing access to care , and decreasing HIV-related health disparities . `` The actions we take now will build upon a legacy of global leadership , national commitment , and sustained efforts on the part of Americans from all parts of the country and all walks of life to end the HIV epidemic in the United States and around the world , '' President Barack Obama said in a memorandum sent to a number of federal departments and agencies . `` The question is not whether we know what to do , but whether we will do it , '' the president said Tuesday evening at a White House reception . `` Whether we will fulfill those obligations ... . to prevent a tragedy . '' The White House 's goal , Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius noted , is to make new infections rare while ensuring that those who are infected have an `` unfettered access to high quality life-extending care free from stigma and discrimination . '' Among other things , the strategy calls for an intensification of HIV prevention efforts among communities where the disease is most heavily concentrated . It highlights the need to steer federal grant money toward organizations dealing with high-risk groups such as gay and bisexual men and illegal substance users . It also cites the importance of greater education and `` scientifically proven biomedical and behavioral approaches '' to reduce the spread of the disease , including the use of condoms , abstinence , HIV testing , and access to sterile needles and syringes . While the spread of the disease has slowed since the 1980s , an estimated 56,000 Americans still contract HIV each year , according to White House Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes . Roughly 1.1 million Americans are currently living with HIV . Approximately 1 in 5 infected Americans is unaware of his or her status , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . The plan does not call for a major increase in the roughly $ 19 billion the federal government spends on HIV/AIDS programs , though administration officials on Tuesday cited new benefits provided by the recently passed health care reform law . One leading HIV/AIDS activist , however , was sharply critical of the administration 's strategy . Michael Weinstein , president of the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation , told CNN in an interview that `` when you see what this administration has done on AIDS , you have to give them very low grades . '' Obama has `` consistently underfunded AIDS '' programs , Weinstein said . The president `` did not mention the word AIDS for the first five months of his administration . This national AIDS strategy has been worked on for 15 months , -LSB- and -RSB- I think it could have been done in 15 minutes . There 's nothing new in it . '' Weinstein criticized the administration 's intention to redirect money to those groups at greatest risk of contracting HIV/AIDS . `` It 's not good to pit one group against another and it 's unnecessary , '' he said . `` The bottom line is that we should be seeking to get all sexually active people to get an HIV test . '' The White House announcement came less than a week after a group of scientists published a study saying they had made a key discovery that could help in the development of an HIV vaccine . Scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said last week that they had found three human antibodies that neutralize more than 90 percent of the current circulating HIV-1 strains . `` This is significant because we 've now found antibodies that are good templates for HIV vaccine development , '' said Peter Kwong , co-author of the study published last Thursday in the journal Science . More than 18,000 people with AIDS die each year in the United States , according to the CDC . More than 576,000 people with AIDS have died in the United States since the epidemic began . The World Health Organization says AIDS accounted for an estimated 2 million deaths in 2008 , and more than 33 million people are living with HIV worldwide . CNN 's Alan Silverleib and Dick Uliano contributed to this report .
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A leading AIDS activist criticizes the White House for underfunding HIV/AIDS efforts . The White House HIV/AIDS plan focuses on reducing infections and increasing access to care . Roughly 1.1 million Americans are infected with HIV/AIDS . AIDS accounted for 2 million deaths worldwide in 2008 , the World Health Organization says .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Editor 's note : Amy Gahran writes about mobile tech for CNN.com . She is a San Francisco Bay Area writer and media consultant whose blog , contentious.com , explores how people communicate in the online age . As AT&T and other wireless providers move away from offering unlimited data plans , many smartphone owners want to better understand their own wireless data usage to avoid racking up surprise charges . While you can log on to your wireless carrier account to check how much data you 've used so far during the current billing period , you often ca n't tell how much data each type of mobile activity consumes . Recently in Fierce Broadband Wireless , Cintia Garza of Maravedis -LRB- a wireless market research and analysis firm -RRB- offered a table of smartphone data usage by mobile activity . She estimates that if you generally send or receive 20 e-mails on your smartphone daily -LRB- no attachments -RRB- , that 's probably about 0.01 GB of data usage over the course of one month . Bumping that up to about 70 no-attachment e-mails sent or received daily uses about 0.04 GB per month . Viewing an average of 20 web pages on your smartphone per a day would consume about 0.11 GB in a month , according to Garza . Watching 20 minutes of mobile video per day uses about 1.14 GB per month . An hour of streaming mobile music per day uses about 0.86 GB per month . Garza 's benchmarks can help you plan a mobile `` diet '' that wo n't bust your budget . She based these estimates on data from AT&T smartphone users , and not all smartphones and carrier networks are created equally . But it helps to know which mobile activities generally are more data-heavy , so you know what to cut back on to keep your wireless bill under control . What 's a `` normal '' level of mobile data usage ? According to Garza , an average residential -LRB- non-business -RRB- smartphone user consumes about this much data per day : . • Fewer than 10 e-mails sent/received -LRB- no attachments -RRB- = 2.5 MB . • 1 e-mail with photo attachment = 10 MB . • 3 e-mails sent/received -LRB- with other attachment -RRB- = 12 MB . • 5 minutes of streaming music per day -LRB- about 2.5 hours per month -RRB- = 72 MB . • 5 web pages visited = 25 MB . • 0-1 applications downloaded -LRB- games/songs -RRB- = 60 MB . • 10 social media posts per day = 14 MB . • 1 minute of streaming video per day -LRB- about 30 minutes per month -RRB- = 60 MB . Over the course of a month , that adds up to 255.5 MB -LRB- about a quarter of a gigabyte -RRB- on average -- but that 's just for mobile content . Mobile access to data also entails considerable overhead , and consumers pay for that , too . The smallest of AT&T 's new data plans gives mobile users 200 MB of data per month for $ 15 . The `` DataPro '' plan gives people 2 gigabytes of data -- about 10 times more -- for $ 25 per month . `` Signaling traffic '' is how smartphones keep in touch with wireless data networks and move between cells . Garza explains that the growing problem of wireless network congestion comes mostly from smartphones constantly querying the network as they move among cell sites . This means that you 're racking up some data usage anytime your smartphone is on . According to Garza , `` While data traffic is also growing , signaling traffic is outpacing actual mobile data traffic by 30 percent to 50 percent , if not more . '' There 's not much that consumers can do to control the amount of signaling traffic from their smartphones -- aside from simply turning your phone off or operating it in `` airplane mode '' when you do n't need online access or incoming calls . However , mobile content usage is something that you can control .
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One expert 's benchmarks can help you plan a mobile `` diet '' that wo n't bust your budget . Garza : An average residential smartphone user consumes about 255.5 MB per month . Consumers ca n't do much to control the amount of signaling traffic from their smartphones .
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New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Four hundred Canada geese from Brooklyn 's Prospect Park were herded into crates and euthanized last week in an effort to reduce their number near New York 's airports , according to U.S. Department of Agriculture . Measures to lower the number of Canada geese close to John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia international airports have been in place since last summer , said Carol Bannerman , spokeswoman for the USDA 's Wildlife Services . New York City officials asked for federal assistance with solving the goose problem after US Airways flight 1549 was cripped by a bird strike and narrowly avoided crashing by successfully landing in the Hudson River in January 2009 . `` Our responsibility is to look at safety hazards and the Canada geese can represent a significant aviation hazard , '' Bannerman said . The round-up last week came to light in New York media on Tuesday . The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -LRB- PETA -RRB- issued a statement criticizing the euthanization and calling on authorities to use other methods to keep birds away from airports . `` Killing every goose within a seven-mile radius of an airport does n't fly -- it is n't humane , and it is n't a viable solution for either people or birds , '' PETA said in the statement . `` When geese are killed , more birds simply move in to use available resources , and the temporary spike in the food supply results in accelerated breeding . What follows is a vicious killing cycle that is cruel , expensive , and pointless . '' The group cited other methods including a radar system at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to detect flocks of birds , as well as lasers and pyrotechnics , as being better ways to change birds ' flight paths . The Brooklyn geese , which are molting at this time of year and can not fly , were herded into a fenced area , put in poultry crates and taken to a facility where they were euthanized with carbon dioxide , said Bannerman . The geese were later bagged and buried in a landfill , she said . Last month the radius from JFK and LaGuardia airports where Canada geese would be removed and euthanized was increased from five to seven miles and Bannerman said the new radius included Brooklyn 's Prospect Park . `` JFK and LaGuardia are between six and seven miles from Prospect Park border-to-border , '' she said adding that she understood that attachment that people in the area have to the geese . `` We made the process as least stressful as possible for the geese , '' she said . Ed Bahlman , who said he is 60 years old and has been going to Prospect Park most of his life , called the removal of the geese `` unnecessary . '' He said that he and his companion go to the park most mornings at around 7 a.m , and had started feeding a goose they called `` Beaky '' early last year . The goose had lost it 's upper beak to a fishing hook . `` On Wednesday all the geese were there , we fed Beaky and on Thursday they were gone . Beaky was gone , too , '' he said . Bahlman who said he found zip ties and rope in the park said that the authorities had accomplished nothing by killing the geese . `` They have done a lot of harm and we do n't believe they have done anything to help the public , they 've done more harm than good , '' he said . Peter Brown , who said he was a fireman who has lived in the area all his life and goes to the park regularly with his 10 year old son said that although he thought the geese were beautiful and understood that it had upset the neighborhood , he agreed with the decision to remove them . `` What 's more important , 200 geese or 200 people ? That 's the choice that has to be made , '' he said adding that he flies frequently . Bannerman said Canada geese were responsible for over 600 damaging airstrikes to U.S. planes between 1990 and 2008 , and that their population was rapidly increasing . `` The Canada goose population increased from 19,000 in 1981 to 250,000 in 2008 , making it a 12-fold increases in almost 30 years , '' she said . Bannerman said that 1,200 Canada geese were euthanized in 2009 in 17 New York locations .
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The geese were euthanized by carbon dioxide . The USDA say geese can represent a significant aviation hazard . PETA says euthanization `` is n't a viable solution '' for the problem .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- While the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has put accidental spills squarely in the national spotlight , one U.S. senator is warning of another possible threat : deliberate sabotage . Democrat Jim Webb of Virginia is calling on the Obama administration to develop plans to safeguard offshore platforms from attack by terrorists . The senator , a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee , made his case in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates , Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar . `` While Congress will continue to scrutinize BP and regulatory agencies , I write to urge you to also be vigilant against deliberate acts , such as an attack or sabotage , that could similarly devastate the region , '' Webb said in the letter , referring to the Gulf Coast . But he wants the security plans adopted for all U.S. coastal areas . While there are no oil derricks off Virginia 's coast , Webb , the state 's senior senator , favors oil and gas exploration in Virginia waters . He also backs a controversial moratorium in deepwater drilling ordered by the Interior Department , until risks and safeguards can be better assessed . Webb notes in the letter that the BP oil spill is the worst environmental disaster in the country 's history . He said that , `` With dozens of wells operating in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere , we must employ policies that mitigate all types of risk . '' The senator said that a lack of vigilance on security issues `` could leave the marine ecosystem , as well as certain areas of our national security , at great risk . '' He 's asking the federal agencies to assess how vulnerable offshore oil rigs are to attack and make recommendations to Congress for safeguarding them . The senator points out in his letter that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires that nuclear reactors be able to withstand plane crashes and said similar standards should be considered for the oil and gas industry . Webb 's request for security measures comes as he prepares for a possible rematch in 2012 with Republican George Allen , the incumbent he narrowly defeated in 2006 . Allen , a former governor , also supports oil and gas exploration off Virginia 's coast .
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Senator Webb of Virginia warns of terror threat to offshore oil rigs . Webb asks federal agencies to report on security measures . Webb says rigs must be protected , much like nuclear reactors .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An explosion and fire at a U.S. Steel plant in Clairton , Pennsylvania , Wednesday injured at least 15 people , an Allegheny County Emergency Management spokesman told CNN . Kevin Evanto said authorities got a 911 call shortly after 9:30 a.m. reporting the blast at the United States Steel Corporation 's Clairton Plant , which the company says is the largest coke manufacturing facility in the United States . `` It appears one of the coke ovens at the plant exploded , '' Evanto said . Most of the injuries are burn-related , he said , although one person was taken to the hospital with chest pains . Victims are being treated at various hospitals in the Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , area , Evanto added , with one person being transported by helicopter . `` At this point , we believe everybody is accounted for , '' the spokesman said . The United States Steel Corporation told CNN in an e-mail Wednesday it is investigating the incident . `` U. S. Steel 's Security & Fire Protection Services personnel are working with local emergency responders , '' wrote company spokeswoman Erin DiPietro . `` We will assess the extent of repairs and impact on operations at a later time . '' The plant has 12 coke oven batteries that produce approximately 4.7 million tons of coke annually , according to the United States Steel Corporation website . The ovens heat coal at extremely high temperatures to carbonize it so it becomes coke -- a fuel used for producing steel . Fire crews were still on the scene at midday , extinguishing remaining flames , Evanto said . Video from CNN affiliate WPXI showed ambulances and emergency crews in front of the coke plant . It also showed a side of the facility that was missing an entire wall , with cinder blocks strewn across a wide area . The plant is located about 15 miles south of Pittsburgh . CNN 's Mark Bixler , Stephanie Gallman & Mythili Rao contributed to this report .
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15 people were hurt in a coke plant explosion , an emergency spokesman says . Most of the injuries are burn-related . One person had to be transported by helicopter to a Pittsburgh-area hospital . Clairton Coke plant is the largest coke manufacturing facility in the United States .
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New Delhi , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- India successfully launched five satellites into orbit Monday , one of them a mini-spacecraft built by students , space officials said . The main payload was a remote-sensing satellite -- CARTOSAT-2B -- which the country 's space agency said would be used in infrastructure programs because of its capability to take high-resolution images of the Earth . Other smaller devices comprised satellites from a Canadian university , Algeria and STUDSAT , a light-weight rocket made by Indian engineering students , the Indian Space Research Organization said . Monday 's launch came two months after an Indian satellite powered for the first time by a home-made cryogenic engine failed in what was seen as a setback to the country 's space ambitions . ISRO spokesman S. Satish told CNN that scientists have identified the causes behind April 's misfire . India now aims to test the same domestically built technology within a year , he said . The South Asian nation has an expansive space program . In 2008 , India sent its first unmanned mission to the moon , called Chandrayaan-I . Chandrayaan-1 , meaning moon craft , dropped a TV-sized probe on the lunar surface , completed more than 3,400 orbits and met most of its scientific objectives in 312 days before vanishing off radars abruptly last year , according to the space agency . The satellite carried payloads from the United States , the European Union and Bulgaria . One of its aims was to search for evidence of water or ice and identify the chemical composition of certain lunar rocks . The Chandrayaan-1 mission came to be seen in India as the 21st century Asian version of the space race between the United States and the former Soviet Union -- but this time involving India and China . China launched a manned space flight in October 2003 , becoming the third nation in the world to put a person into orbit . India has not launched any manned space flights . Satish said the Indian agency also was planning to launch a second version of Chandrayaan in 2013 . India held its first rocket launch from a fishing village in southern India in 1963 . Now , the South Asian nation lists more than 60 events as `` milestones '' in its space program , which includes the successful use of polar and geosynchronous satellite launch vehicles . Indian scientists say their country has the world 's largest constellation of remote-sensing satellites.These satellites , according to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center , capture images of the Earth used in a range of applications -- agriculture , water resources , urban development , mineral prospecting , environment , forestry , drought and flood forecasting , ocean resources and disaster management . Another major system , or INSAT , is used for communication , television and meteorology .
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The payload ranged from a remote-sensing satellite to a student-built mini-spacecraft . Monday 's launch came two months after rocket failure . India also has launched satellite into lunar orbit . Aims to launch another lunar probe in 2013 .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police were watching for any further violence Wednesday after a third night of rioting in Belfast , Northern Ireland , that left one officer hurt , officials said . About 150 nationalist youths fired shots and threw petrol bombs and a pipe bomb at officers . They also shone high-powered laser pens into officers ' eyes . The Police Service of Northern Ireland said it was now investigating and hoping to identify those involved in Tuesday night 's violence . Burning barricades were set up in the Ardoyne area of the city , which has been a flashpoint of the recent violence . One vehicle was hijacked and set on fire , police said . Police used water cannons to disperse the rioters and the violence was over by 2 a.m. -LRB- 9 p.m. ET Tuesday -RRB- , police said . One officer was hurt , but not seriously , police said . Earlier there were reports that several had been injured . Trouble also flared in other parts of Belfast . The latest violence began after a decision to allow a Protestant parade to pass through a mainly Catholic neighborhood on July 12 , a day when Protestants march to celebrate the victory of England 's King William III over his ousted Catholic predecessor , James II , in 1689 . Known as The Twelfth , the holiday has previously been marred by violence and has been a source of tension between Catholics and Protestants for years . Police had to remove demonstrators who staged a sit-down protest to block this year 's march . Rioting erupted a short time later and more than 50 officers were hurt . The previous night , 27 officers were hurt , including three who were shot at close range by a masked man armed with a shotgun . Speaking at the House of Commons on Wednesday , British Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the `` completely unacceptable behavior '' of the protesters and praised the police as `` brave '' and `` restrained . '' `` Over 80 police officers have been injured after being attacked , including by petrol bombs , pipe bombs , and bricks , '' Cameron said . `` The police came under fire on Sunday night , and shots were again fired last night . The police have been forced to retaliate with baton rounds and with water cannons . '' Cameron said Northern Ireland 's police force is under local control , no longer governed by London , so `` there is no excuse for anyone not to cooperate with that police force . '' Journalist Peter Taggart in Belfast , Northern Ireland , contributed to this report .
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NEW : One officer was hurt in a third night of violence in Belfast . NEW : About 150 youths fired shots and threw bombs at officers . NEW : Police are now trying to identify those involved . NEW : Prime Minister David Cameron denounced `` unacceptable '' violence .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Spanish actors Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz tied the knot in the Bahamas earlier this month , the latter 's publicist told CNN late Tuesday night . The wedding took place at a friend 's house , said Cruz 's publicist Amanda Silverman , without specifying exactly when it happened . It was a small ceremony with just family members , Silverman said . Cruz wore a dress designed by her long-time friend , John Galliano . Both Bardem and Cruz are Academy Award-winning actors . Bardem , 41 , won the Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in the 2007 movie , `` No Country For Old Men . '' Cruz , 36 , won an Oscar in 2009 for her supporting role in `` Vicky Cristina Barcelona . '' The couple started dating in 2007 and appeared on screen together in the film . Prior to that , Cruz was linked to Matthew McConaughey and Tom Cruise . CNN 's Jack Hannah contributed to this report .
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Wedding took place in the Bahamas in early July . Publicist : It was an intimate affair with close friends . Both Bardem and Cruz are Oscar-winning actors .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Shahram Amiri -- a nuclear scientist Tehran claimed was kidnapped by U.S. agents -- told a state-run television station in Iran that he was abducted by U.S. intelligence officials and faced `` psychological warfare and pressure that are much worse than being in prison . '' State-run Press TV said Wednesday that Amiri spoke in an interview after his escape , telling the channel , `` I think I will be unable to get into details during this limited period of time and I will postpone it to when I am hopefully in my dear country Iran , so I can speak to the media and my own people with ease of mind and tell them about my ordeal over the past 14 months . '' Amiri has left the United States and is headed back to Iran , the country 's state-run media said Wednesday morning . `` Following the Islamic Republic 's efforts and with the effective cooperation of the embassy of Pakistan in Washington ... Shahram Amiri left the United States and will arrive in Tehran via a third country , '' the news agency , IRNA , reported -- quoting a foreign ministry spokesman . Amiri , who is a researcher from Tehran 's Malek Ashtar University , mysteriously disappeared in June 2009 while on a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia , according to Iranian media reports . On Monday , Amiri went to Iran 's Interest Section at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington and asked to be sent home . The Iranian government has accused the United States of involvement in Amiri 's disappearance , with Iran saying the researcher was taken to force him to give up data about Tehran 's nuclear program . In the Press TV interview , Amiri said he was kidnapped in Medina , Saudi Arabia , by three men in a van . `` Once I got into the van , the man who was inside said to me , ` Do n't make any noise . ' I was confused at the moment and had no idea what was happening , '' Amiri said Wednesday . According to Amiri , he was later drugged and transported to the United States in a plane . `` I was under very special circumstances for 14 months in the United States . I was not completely free , nor was I like a prisoner , that is , in shackles as viewers might think , '' Amiri added . `` I was in a completely unique situation which is very difficult to describe . '' Press TV reported that Amiri was offered $ 10 million in bribes to cooperate with the United States . A top Iranian lawmaker recently claimed that newly found documents back up Tehran 's claims that the CIA is responsible for Amiri 's disappearance , Iranian media reported Sunday . Javad Jahangirzadeh , a member of Iranian parliament 's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission , said Iranian officials had turned over the documents to the Swiss ambassador in Tehran . The U.S. State Department has denied that charge . A U.S. official , who is not authorized to talk to the media about such issues , told CNN last month that it would be `` ludicrous , absurd and even preposterous '' to claim an individual was kidnapped by the United States and held against his will . Last month , two videos surfaced on the Internet of a man claiming to Amiri , in which he said he had escaped from U.S. agents and was hiding in Virginia . That was the third time that videos allegedly showing Amiri had been circulated on the Internet . In one , he said he had been kidnapped by U.S. agents . Another contradicted that claim and said he was living freely and studying in Arizona . In one of the videos posted June 30 on YouTube and dated June 14 , the man again said that he was brought against his will to the United States and fears he will be discovered and re-arrested . `` I am Shahram Amiri , the son of the Islamic Republic of Iran , who with God 's help succeeded in running away from the U.S. security agents in the state of Virginia . I am -LSB- temporarily -RSB- at a safe place and I am trying to do this video but it is quite possible that I may shortly be again arrested by American security agents . '' He went on to say : `` I am not free here and not allowed to contact my family or other people . If I face any problems or if I do not return to my country soon , the government of the U.S. would be directly responsible for it . '' CNN could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos , nor the identity of the man in them . `` If he is who people think he is , the U.S. would be in contact with the person , '' a CIA official said last month . And if he were being held against his will , `` how would he have been able to produce any of the videos ? '' the official said . In the second video that surfaced June 30 and dated June 23 , the man claiming to be Amiri reassures his family about his well-being . `` I want to let my beloved family know that I am OK and they should not worry about my health , '' he says . `` With God 's help I shall return to my beloved country in the next few days . I want them to be , as always , strong and patient and to pray for my safe return . I hope to see you in our beloved country . '' Tehran blamed Washington for Amiri 's disappearance shortly after revelations surfaced that Iran has been building a second uranium enrichment facility near the city of Qom . After that , tensions over Iran 's nuclear program mounted . Iran claims its nuclear energy is solely for civilian purposes . But the United States has pushed the United Nations to punish Tehran for its nuclear ambitions . The Security Council recently slapped a fourth round of tough sanctions on the Islamic republic . It is unclear how much information Amiri was privy to in Iran . CNN 's Shirzad Bozorgmehr contributed to this report .
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The Iranian scientist is en route to his homeland . Shahram Amiri arrived at the Pakistani Embassy on Monday . Iran claims U.S. kidnapped Amiri to force him to give up data about Iran 's nuclear program . U.S. has denied charge but remains tight-lipped on whether Amiri defected .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When Youssef Boutros Ghali slipped into the role of Egypt 's finance minister in 2004 , the country 's economy was poised for rapid growth . Youssef Boutros Ghali is a strong advocate of economic reform in Egypt . After spending the previous ten years hovering around the four percent mark , gross domestic product -LRB- GDP -RRB- jumped to 5.6 percent -LRB- 2004/2005 -RRB- . By the end of 2007 , it had shot up to 7.1 percent . According to the International Monetary Fund , the end of 2004 marked the start of Egypt 's `` growth spurt . '' Between then and March 2007 , 2.4 million jobs were created , reducing unemployment to nine percent . Money from the Gulf flowed in , pushing up land prices and driving Egypt 's stock market to a record high . The benchmark index , the CASE 30 , rose 51 percent in 2007 and continued to climb in the first few weeks of 2008 . This year , Egypt topped the World Bank 's list of `` reformers '' : countries where it has become easier to do business . However , with growth has come inflation . In March 2007 , the Consumer Price Index -LRB- CPI -RRB- peaked at 12.8 percent . The government says it 's since fallen to around eight percent , but some analysts are skeptical of official figures , saying the real number could be much higher . Egypt 's also facing a groundswell of criticism from poorer members of society who say they 're not seeing any benefits from the economic boom . According to the World Bank , 17 percent of the population is living in poverty , surviving on less than one dollar a day . In the past few years , Egypt has started selling off state assets , partly to raise money for social programs . One of the biggest sales came in 2006 with the $ 1.6 billion auction of 80 percent of the Bank of Alexandria to Italian bank San Paolo . Charles Hodson spoke with Egyptian Finance Minister Youssef Boutros Ghali in London , and asked him whether there was still the political will within Egypt to continue with such large-scale privatizations . -LRB- YBG -RRB- : The political will is there . The question is , do we still have such large-scale privatizations ? What we have created is the momentum for a private sector presence in Egypt ; a significant , important dominant private sector in Egypt . We would like them to lead but we ca n't flood them with all sorts of assets that they may or may not want to buy . So we as the private sector is willing and we will provide them with the assets . But we 're pretty soon going to be running out of private assets to privatize . -LRB- CH -RRB- : The proportion of people who are living in absolute poverty in Egypt is approaching 20 percent . What kind of pressure does that impose on you as you formulate this kind of policy ? -LRB- YBG -RRB- : We are deeply concerned about those in Egyptian society that are not touched by the reform directly , and as you say there are people who are below the poverty line , reaching almost 20 percent . These reform programs will trickle down , but they will not trickle down overnight . We have complaints in Egypt . A lot of those who are less privileged are complaining . They are complaining very loudly . What makes it worse is that we feel for them . We know that they are right to complain , and we know that they deserve some of the fruits of the reform . -LRB- CH -RRB- : Take something like opening up markets , which is something you 've done . You 've earned praise from UNCTAD , the relevant UN body , and of course from the World Bank . But that is n't going to help the average Egyptian living in absolute poverty , or certainly not for a while . -LRB- YBG -RRB- : In Egypt , we have been blessed with an economy that is flexible , that responded quickly . As soon as we took the basic structure of measure of tax and tariff reforms the economy responded right away . Our investment , our foreign direct investment went from $ 450 million dollars a year to $ 11 billion in under three years . This is a quick response . Now we 're hoping that we will have an equally quick response in reaching to the underprivileged . -LRB- CH -RRB- : So reform is clearly a good word in Egypt , but so far only on the economic scale . Is there a feeling that it has to flow over into the political sphere , that there has to be political reform ? -LRB- YBG -RRB- : It already has spilled over into the political sphere . It has been spilling over in the political sphere for the past five , six , seven years . The dynamics are different in the political sphere . It 's a lot more difficult to get the political reforms we want than it is to get the economic ones . Both -- and I can state this with confidence -- both are equally important ; they just happen to move with different dynamics . E-mail to a friend .
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As Egypt 's finance minister , Youssef Boutros Ghali has pushed for reform . Egypt 's economy grew 7.1 percent in 2007 , inflation still a concern . World Bank : 17 percent of Egyptian population living in poverty . Ghali : `` We know that they deserve some of the fruits of the reform ''
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The stepmother of missing Oregon boy Kyron Horman attempted to hire a landscaper to kill her husband several months ago , CNN affiliates KGW and KATU reported Monday , citing sources with knowledge of the investigation . KGW reported that sources believe the woman , Terri Horman , approached the landscaper , who had been working on the family 's property in northwest Portland , Oregon , and offered the man `` a large sum of money '' to kill her husband , Kaine Horman . Investigators informed Kaine Horman of the murder-for-hire plot and said his wife may have tried to hire others as well , KGW reported , citing sources familiar with the conversation . Terri Horman said she was in a bad marriage and claimed that her husband had `` hurt '' her , according to the sources . The Oregonian newspaper , citing anonymous sources , reported that when detectives confronted her with the allegations , she denied the plot . KATU 's sources confirmed that report . News about the plot could explain why Kaine Horman abruptly moved out of the family home in late June , taking the couple 's toddler daughter with him . He then filed for divorce and was granted a restraining order . A few days later , Terri Horman hired a high-profile defense attorney , Stephen Houze . Calls to Houze by CNN Monday were not immediately returned . Terri Horman has been the subject of intense scrutiny during the investigation into Kyron 's disappearance because she was the last person with him before he vanished on June 4 . However , police have not called her a suspect in the case . She said she last saw the 7-year-old walking down a hallway toward his second-grade classroom at Skyline Elementary School in Portland , according to the police . Kyron 's family has publicly pleaded with his stepmother to provide the police with more information about the boy .
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Terri Horman attempted to hire a man to kill her husband , affiliate sources say . She is the stepmother of missing 7-year-old Kyron Horman . Terri Horman claims Kaine Horman hurt her , the sources say . Kaine Horman has filed for divorce and has a restraining order .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A European space probe headed toward its next target Sunday after sending back detailed images of an asteroid that scientists hope will increase understanding of how the solar system evolved . Pictures of the asteroid Lutetia from the Rosetta probe 's deep space fly-by Saturday are some of the most detailed ever taken , the European Space Agency said . The images , taken while the probe raced by at 15 kilometers -LRB- 9 miles -RRB- per second , show a deeply pockmarked , irregular rock -- possibly left over from the birth of the solar system . Holger Sierks with the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research described the asteroid as `` a very old object '' in a statement Saturday . `` Tonight we have seen a remnant of the solar system 's creation , '' he said . The surface of the asteroid , shaped like a big potato , has deep craters covering its 130-kilometer length . The Rosetta craft came within 3,162 km -LRB- 1,965 miles -RRB- of Lutetia , orbiting just beyond Mars . The probe spent several hours shooting images of the irregular shaped space rock , circling more than 450 million km -LRB- 280 million miles -RRB- out from the sun . The space agency says its OSIRIS camera was able to capture detail down to just a few dozen meters . The next stop for the Rosetta spacecraft -- named for the stone that helped decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics -- is comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko . If all goes according to plan , the probe will intercept the comet in 2014 . The two will travel in tandem for several months as the comet hurtles from near Jupiter 's orbit toward the Sun , with Rosetta finally touching down on the surface to take samples . CNN 's Brian Walker contributed to this report .
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Scientists say the asteroid Lutetia is a remnant of the solar system 's creation . Craft came within 3,162 km of the asteroid . Irregular-shaped rock has deep craters covering its surface . Comet is the next stop for European space probe .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- CNN 's global health show Vital Signs has teamed up with world renowned anti-aging experts to bring you an in-depth discussion on the search for immortality . Vital Signs host and CNN Chief Medical Correspondent , Dr. Sanjay Gupta will be joined by best-selling author Dan Buettner who has done extensive studies on the areas in the world people live the longest , healthiest lives , known as Blue Zones , and shares their formula for a long life . The other panelist is geneticist Dr. Aubrey de Grey , best-selling author of `` Ending Aging : The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs That Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime . '' He believes regenerative medicine could , in a matter of decades , extend life expectancy to 1000 years .
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Watch a LIVE webcast on CNN.com on November 30 , at 1200 GMT . Leading anti-aging experts will share their insights on the search for immortality . Send them your questions via soundoff , ireport and twitter .
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[[45, 177]]
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Gunmen targeted several areas in the Indian city of Mumbai on Wednesday , taking scores of hostages , killing dozens and taking over the Taj Mahal Hotel and Hotel Oberoi . A fire burns through the dome of the Taj hotel in Mumbai Wednesday . Below is a list of eyewitness accounts from news agencies in the area as well as blogs and Twitter postings . None of the accounts or sites below has been vetted for accuracy : . NDTV.com , New Delhi Television Limited . `` Me and my friend escaped down the fire exit , but I think they took more people upstairs . They tried to get to the roof ... -LSB- with -RSB- about 15 people , i think about half were foreigners . There were two gunmen , young boys , maybe 20 years old ... 25 . There was a lot of smoke , but they had two guns . They came from the restaurant and took us up the stairs . They had bombs . There was something , because there was a lot of smoke . They wanted anyone with British or American passport ... so I guess they were after foreigners . '' -- Rakesh Patel , a businessman from London who lives in Hong Kong , talking about being taken hostage . `` I was just sitting and reading the paper . ... I started seeing the sound was increasing and bodies started falling and all of the bloodshed . ... People were crying ; people were limping . We were frightened ; we started to run . I was trying to see if I could see anyone carrying a gun or anything , but I could n't . '' -- A witness in Mumbai . GulfNews.com . `` I was fortunate to have managed to escape the hostage situation at the Taj hotel located near the Gateway of India . ... I heard a loud explosion and the firing , and all those present at the hotel lobby were bundled into the hotel basement by the hotel staff . I had come down to Mumbai to meet a business client at the Taj hotel . There were people running everywhere . It was a panic situation . ... It went on for 15 to 20 minutes . After they caused an impact , the gunmen moved away , and that is when managed to escape with some others . '' -- Jacob Joseph Thuthanparambil , a Dubai - based Indian who was in Mumbai for a meeting , described the shooting and grenade-throwing as what `` you see in video games . '' Rediff.com -- Rediff India Abroad . `` At around 9 p.m. , all of us came to the ground floor to have dinner . When we were eating , we heard heavy firing . It was so rapid that I thought someone was celebrating with crackers . Then we heard huge blasts . The waiters told us that it seemed to be a terrorist attack . The senior staff then took all of us to the back of the hotel . We were in the swimming pool area and asked to lie on the ground . All the MPs and parliamentary officers were holed up there on the floor for some 60 to 80 minutes . We heard the sounds of firing without uttering a word . One injured foreigner was also with us . We were some 50 , 60 people , waiting to escape . We did n't know what was going to happen next . '' -- Bhupendrasinh Solanki , the Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament from Godhra , Gujarat , who was at the Taj Hotel . `` The taxi was shattered to pieces . Only the -LSB- tires -RSB- and the chassis were left . Three people died in the taxi . One victim 's head flew 10 feet onto the divider . You can not tell who the victims were or their age ; they were injured so badly . Flesh was all around . '' -- Bhaurao Kumbhar , a Vodafone employee , about an explosion in Vile Parle , in the Juhu region . SkyNews.com . Alex Chamberlain , a Briton who works for Indian Premier League cricket , was in the Oberoi hotel when the attackers opened fire . Chamberlain said that a group of about 40 people was `` marched up like sheep '' to the roof by a `` young guy with a submachine gun , who was about 22 or 23 . '' The gunmen then asked if any of the hostages were British or American , Chamberlain told SkyNews.com . `` My Indian friend told me , ` do n't be a hero ' and ` tell him you 're Italian ' and that kind of stuff , '' Chamberlain said . Chamberlain and another man sneaked out a fire exit . `` I phoned my girlfriend and told her I loved her and thought it would be the last time I would talk to anyone , '' he said . Chamberlain walked downstairs and smashed a window . `` The smoke was so thick , I thought we were going to suffocate , '' he told SkyNews.com . Flickr . A Mumbai-based photographer known as Vinu has uploaded dozens of photos of the attack to his Flickr account , showing chaos and destruction throughout the city . Twitter . `` Emergency '' can some one check if there bomb blast of some shootout in oberoi hotel of anywhere in Mumbai ? I am at inox inside '' `` I could hear noises outside hard to make out if it gun shootout . '' `` when I heard noise outside you could see people scared crying '' -- Twitter user Puneet updating the microblog from the Inox movie theater in Mumbai . `` I just heard a blast - confirmed mid-sentence by the reporter live on TV . grim situation . '' '' @ # $ % & * in bed trying to sleep ... just heard another blast ! 5:53 am '' -- Gaurav Sikka updating the microblog from an unknown location in Mumbai .
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NEW : Twitter user : `` in bed trying to sleep ... just heard another blast ! '' Man says he and friend escaped from men trying to take foreigners hostage . Dubai-based man said shooting , grenades like `` in video games '' No reports , sites have been vetted for accuracy .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Venus Williams is through to the final of the Madrid Open , where she will face Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai , after crushing Shahar Peer in straight sets on Saturday . The American , who will move up to number two in the world on Monday , behind her younger sister Serena , eased past Israeli Peer 6-3 6-0 to remain on course for her 44th career title . The victory also maintained Venus ' impressive form this year , with Madrid becoming her fourth final appearance in just six events . Looking ahead to the French Open , a tournament she has never won , Venus told the official WTA Tour Web site : `` I feel like I 've had a good career on clay courts . `` Ultimately the goal is to win the French -- I 've come close . I 'd like to take it one more step . But my mindset right now is just on this tournament , '' added the 29-year-old . Unseeded Rezai was handed an even easier passage to the final after opponent Lucie Safarova was forced to withdraw from the other semifinal through injury , after losing the opening set 6-1 .
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American Venus Williams is through to the final of the Madrid Open . Venus beat Israeli Shahar Peer 6-3 6-0 to secure her place against Aravane Rezai . Rezai secured her place after opponent Lucie Safarova retired through injury .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sen. Barack Obama 's choice for running mate will be announced to supporters in a text message Saturday morning , senior Obama campaign officials told CNN on Friday night , and a senior party official said it wo n't be Sen. Hillary Clinton . Sen. Barack Obama says he has decided on his running mate but is not yet ready to reveal the name . Obama called some people on his short list for the vice presidential slot Thursday night to tell them he had not selected them as a running mate , a highly placed Democratic Party source said . A senior Democratic official who had spoken with Clinton told CNN late Friday that the Obama campaign has communicated to her through private channels that she will not be Obama 's vice presidential pick . Also , sources close to Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine said he has been informed he was not selected . One source told CNN that Obama personally made the call to Kaine . Another source said Kaine has flown to Denver , Colorado , for the Democratic National Convention . See who 's in the running . It is not known who else may have gotten calls . However , late Friday two Democratic sources confirmed that Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh is also out of the running . Most of this week 's buzz had been around Bayh of Indiana , Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware and Kaine . The contenders kept a low profile and Biden has avoided any lengthy interviews . Rep. Chet Edwards said Friday that the campaign had vetted him but that he has n't talked to Obama . Watch panelists weigh in on top VP contenders '' Edwards , 56 , is a nine-term congressman representing the Central Texas district that includes President Bush 's ranch near Crawford . This month , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi touted Edwards as a dark horse contender for the No. 2 spot on the ticket . The presumptive Democratic nominee was working Friday in Chicago , Illinois , on his address for the convention . He will launch a string of rallies with his running mate on Saturday in Springfield , Illinois . Obama said Thursday that he had made his decision but declined to give further details . `` I wo n't comment on anything else until I introduce our running mate to the world , '' Obama said in Emporia , Virginia . `` That 's all you 're going to get out of me . '' Watch Obama say he 's made his choice '' Clinton re-entered the running mate conversation this week after a poll indicating that nearly half of her supporters have yet to embrace Obama . The Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll out Wednesday night said 52 percent of Clinton supporters said they will vote for Obama . Twenty-one percent favor Republican Sen. John McCain , while 27 percent are undecided or say they will vote for `` someone else . '' The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points . The former first lady was considered one of the top VP contenders shortly after she ended her White House run in June , but rumors of lingering tension between the former rivals and word that her name would be placed in nomination at the convention are partially to blame for political observers kicking her out of the top tier . Other big names thought to be in the running included retired Gen. Wesley Clark , Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut , Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska , former Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia , Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island , New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius . CNN 's Jessica Yellin , Candy Crowley , John King and Ed Henry contributed to this report .
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NEW : Supporters to get name of running mate in text message . NEW : Sen. Hillary Clinton is out , Democratic party source says . NEW : Sources : Virginia Gov. Kaine , Indiana Sen. Bayh out of running . Obama calling some of VP contenders , Democratic source says .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It certainly is n't your average help wanted ad . A publication in Denver , Colorado , is looking for a journalist to review marijuana dispensaries . `` Do you have a medical condition that necessitates marijuana ? Do you have a way with words ? If so , Westword wants you to join the ranks as our freelance marijuana-dispensary reviewer . '' The local `` burgeoning medical marijuana scene '' in Denver , Colorado , is growing and the weekly publication Westword wants to be on the forefront , said Joe Tone , the paper 's Web editor . `` We want someone who can get in and relay to our readers what it is like inside these dispensaries . '' It 's not exactly like a food critic job . The online-only reviewer wo n't be showing up anonymously and sampling the wares . `` They are to review the places , not the weed , '' Tone said . `` We ca n't have our reviewer be stoned all the time , '' he quipped . But , he said , the ideal applicant should have `` the ability to write and be in the position of holding a state medical marijuana card . '' The reviewer , he said , should know his or her way around dispensaries and be `` passionate about the issue of medical marijuana . '' Colorado is one of 14 states where medical marijuana is legal by state law -- federal law still bans its use . But this week , the Obama administration announced a new policy loosening the rules regarding prosecuting criminal activity associated with medical marijuana . The Justice Department now says that prosecutors can go after traffickers but not medical marijuana patients and their caregivers . Though Westword is no longer accepting applicants for its dispensary reviewer position , they are actively working through the 120 they received and have culled the list down to under 20 . The applicants run the gamut of 20-something stoners to well-educated engineers in their 50s . Some have even offered to work for free , Tone said , adding `` We wo n't accept that . '' The pay is `` meager , '' he said , but it 's legitimate .
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Weekly publication Westword in Denver , Colorado , marijuana-dispensary reviewer . Paper wants to cover `` burgeoning medical marijuana scene '' says Web editor . Colorado is one of 14 states where medical marijuana is legal by state law . Federal law still bans its use .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Anne Frank , the young Jewish girl who detailed her thoughts and her family 's life while hiding in an attic from the Nazis in Amsterdam , can now be seen in rare video that has been posted on the Internet . Anne Frank got a diary as a gift shortly before her family went into hiding from the Nazis . The only known footage of Frank , who died in a concentration camp weeks before World War II ended , can be seen on a special YouTube channel run by the Anne Frank Museum . The channel manager , Ita Amahorseija , said the virtual museum was created `` to not only give back to the people who know the story of Anne Frank , but to trigger people to want to know more about her story . '' In the silent black-and-white footage , the 12-year-old diarist can be seen as she leans out the window of her home to watch her newly married neighbor leave the apartment building on July 22 , 1941 . Watch the video '' That newlywed couple gave the film to Anne 's father after the war . Other videos show the chestnut tree that Anne saw every day from her window and the church bells that rang while she was in hiding . She mentions both of these in her diary . Otto Frank can be heard on the site , talking about his daughter 's diaries in a video excerpt made in the late 1960s before his death . He said she talked about and criticized many things , but he learned her real feelings only by reading her diary . `` I was very much surprised about deep thoughts Anne had , a seriousness , especially her self-criticism . It was quite a different Anne I had known as my daughter . She never really showed this kind of inner feeling , '' Otto Frank said . The video of the happy young Anne has had more than 2 million page views since its posting a week ago . That expansive reach has led other museums to use YouTube to reach a broader audience and to offer a taste of what 's available on their Web sites . The Victoria and Albert Museum in London , England , has one of the largest art and design collections in the world . On the V&A YouTube channel , you can see a master hat maker craft a haute-couture hat by hand , from start to finish , for designer Stephen Jones . Another of the museum 's videos shows a more whimsical performance piece called `` Moving Monsters , '' in which people in giant paper masks dance and move to music and sound effects . For science enthusiasts , there 's the Smithsonian 's National Museum of Natural History channel . Here , a scientist explains how flesh-eating beetles clean animal skeletons before they are put on display in the museum . A few clicks over , at the feather identification lab , we learn how feathers were examined and tested to find out that Canada geese were to blame for forcing US Airways Flight 1549 to land in the Hudson River on January 15 . If you 've ever wondered why Dorothy 's ruby slippers are red , you might want to visit the Smithsonian 's American History channel . The famous red shoes worn in `` The Wizard of Oz '' are in a display case in Washington , but you can also see them online . A videotaped curator shows how the shoes are placed on display and explains their significance in American history . So along with all the funny and musical videos on YouTube , you can also find glimpses of history .
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Rare film of Anne Frank is posted on YouTube by the Anne Frank Museum . The museum hopes to draw more interest to Frank 's story . Other museums have also set up special YouTube channels .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It 's been almost six months since the January 12 earthquake that devastated my beloved Haiti . Speaking for myself -- not for my organization Yéle Haiti -- I will say it : Speed is of the essence . I feel that progress is being made at the speed of a turtle . With the amount of money that has been raised to help our country , I was expecting to see construction projects . I was expecting to see thousands of heavy tractors and loaders lifting up rubble . I was expecting to see people relocated from tents and starting to get into temporary housing . And yet , during my last visit , just a few weeks ago , I saw very few , or none , of these . We need to work together -- no one organization or government can succeed without the help and cooperation of others . We need to work together for the people there who so badly need our help . The country needs to grow in all areas , from agriculture to health care . Many people have been working very hard with the recovery efforts since that terrible day . Many of us were there the day after the quake , and we 've gone back many times since , to deliver much-needed supplies and plan ways to rebuild -- and really just to try to help the people . Unless you 've been there yourself , you ca n't imagine the terrible conditions that still exist for so many . Impact your world : How you can help Haiti . At last count , about 1.6 million Haitians are still living in the tent camps , without enough food , or a sufficient supply of water , and certainly without any feeling of safety or security . All of these refugees are dependent on donations and have no means to support or sustain themselves . And this does n't even include the countless people who have been reluctant to leave their land and their destroyed homes , so they are living with very little shelter on their property , in tents they 've fashioned from whatever materials they could find . The unemployment rate of the country is tragic -- it 's between 70 and 80 percent . At Yéle Haiti , my wife , Claudinette , and I and the staff have been doing what we can . We recently met with Leslie Voltaire , Haiti 's special envoy to the United Nations , who is charged by President René Préval with facilitating the international community 's efforts to make sure there 's effective aid management and delivery through the offices of Bill Clinton , the U.N. 's special envoy to Haiti . So we brought Leslie to a property where we are working to show him what we 're doing . We showed him how we 've been serving water . We reviewed with him our plans for Yéle Kitchen , the sustainable kitchen project we are funding , which will provide hot meals for children in schools and orphanages , and which will also provide vocational training for its workers , who will be able to sell some of the food they cook . Then we showed him the most important project we 're working on : the temporary housing that we want to create that would become permanent homes . We 're proposing a city called Exodus . We could then start to relocate families who do n't have homes into this new place . We want to work with the government to rebuild , and we want to help get families into new homes . We suggest starting with a model ; the goal for Exodus is to eventually build 1,000 homes , which translates to housing for 5,000 people . We are working with the government on agreeing to a site in the area of Croix-des-Bouquets for building our first hundred units . If the government works with us in identifying people to relocate , Yéle would start with that piece of land , which has a great agricultural component to it . People will be able not only to live in the housing we 're planning to build , but also to plant on that land , grow on that land , then sell their crops from stands on the streets or to commercial markets . In this way , we wo n't just be giving these families shelter , we 'll be giving them a way to sustain themselves , either by growing their own food or -- ultimately , this is our wish -- growing enough so that they 'd be able to sell some of the produce and have an income . We need to bring business back to Haiti , we need to focus on jobs -- and , of course , education . As we reach the six-month mark , let 's make a renewed commitment to cooperate , collaborate , do whatever it takes to make sure the next six months are eventful in terms of real progress . Let 's do what we have to do to see things start to move more quickly . No more turtle speed ; let 's try to pick up the pace of Haiti 's rebirth . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Wyclef Jean .
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Haiti 's devastating earthquake happened six months ago . Wyclef Jean says many are working to help Haiti recover , but progress seems to be slow . More than a million Haitians are still living in tent camps and are badly in need of help , he says .
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NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- There is an industry in this country that is making billions in profit while average Americans are struggling to fill up their gas tanks . Glenn Beck says universities should share the wealth from the tax break on their endowments . It 's an industry that made an average profit of nearly 17 percent in 2007 while most Americans could barely keep up with inflation . It 's an industry whose members paid a grand total of zero dollars in tax on their endowments last year . Are you outraged ? Are you ready to call on Congress to investigate or demand that a `` windfall '' tax be placed on these egregious profits ? Well put down the phone because the industry I 'm talking about is Higher Education . And make no mistake , it is an industry . The top five college and university endowments reported a combined value of over $ 100 billion at the end of 2007 . That 's five funds , a hundred billion in cash . Not a nickel in tax . Not an ounce of outrage . Harvard University , which has the largest endowment in the country , has a total of $ 34.6 billion . To put into perspective just how much money that is , consider that the largest charitable foundation in the world , the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , has a total endowment of $ 37.3 billion . But while their financial statements may look similar , their missions are n't . The Gates Foundation is working to cure malaria , develop new tuberculosis vaccines , and stop the spread of AIDS . Most of our colleges and universities are only working to spread the radical political views of some of their professors . Let me be clear : I have absolutely no problem with Harvard or any other school having billions in cash . In fact , good for them ! I have no problem with Harvard posting an unbelievable 23 percent rate of return on their money last year . The truth is , I 'm jealous of it . I have no problem with the fact that if you project Harvard 's endowment out using their historical rate of return they would have over half a TRILLION dollars in 20 years . I do n't even have a problem with Harvard not paying one dime of tax on any of that money . What I do have a problem with -- and it 's a big one -- is how Harvard spends that money . Or , maybe it would be more accurate to say how Harvard , does n't spend that money . Schools with large endowments -LRB- at least $ 500 million -RRB- reported spending an average of 4.4 percent of their stockpiles in 2007 . Meanwhile , those same schools made an average of over 19 percent on their money . But I also have another problem , and that is how these sanctimonious institutions who are so good at complaining about the injustices of our government are nothing but really highly educated hypocrites . For what 's been estimated to be about $ 300 million a year -LRB- less than 1 percent of their endowment 's value -RRB- Harvard could completely waive tuition , room and board for every single one of their students . Instead , they announced an increase in those fees of about 3.5 percent for next year . Being a student at Harvard will now cost a staggering $ 47,215 a year . Does n't Harvard know how many millions of Americans are struggling to afford college ? Do n't they want to pay their fair share and help those who are less fortunate ? Some politicians in Massachusetts who ca n't stand to see so many billions dangling just out of their reach , have proposed a new tax on large university endowments . They do n't have a cute name for it yet , so let 's call it an `` endowment windfall tax . '' Under their proposal , all endowments over a billion dollars would be taxed at 2.5 percent , a rate any wealthy individual or corporation would salivate over . The tax would net the state over $ 1.4 billion a year , which is a lot of money considering that Boston currently receives about $ 1.8 million a year from the school . So how did Harvard , which is basically the Exxon-Mobil of higher education -LRB- minus the accusations of price-gouging -RRB- , react to that proposal ? In a word , conservatively . `` You 'd be taxing success here , '' Kevin Casey , Harvard 's associate vice president for government , community and public affairs complained in a quote that will soon be framed and hung in my office . `` Over time , this would put us at a real competitive disadvantage , which would drastically hurt the Commonwealth . '' No Kevin , you 're looking at it the wrong way . These politicians are n't trying to hurt you , they 're just trying to level the playing field . Greater Shrewsbury Liberal Arts Community Technical College for Women down the road is struggling and here you are making billions . If they could just redistribute some of your profits to GSLACTCFW then everybody would be happy . Does anyone else find it ironic that universities overflowing with liberal professors -LRB- a 2005 study revealed that 72 percent of professors view themselves that way -RRB- embrace conservative values only when it suits them ? As a conservative , I do n't believe in taxing anyone just because they have a lot of money or are an easy target . That applies to individuals , businesses and universities . I believe that taxing success discourages success , and that 's not what America stands for . But I also believe in something else : consistency and accountability . And that 's where most of our colleges and universities fail miserably . Besides , Harvard , you 're in the wealthiest 1 percent . Is n't it time to help those who are less fortunate ? The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer .
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Beck says he has a problem with how Harvard does n't spend its money . Universities run by highly educated hypocrites , Beck says . Beck says most colleges fail on consistency and accountability .
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Venice , Louisiana -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama on Wednesday proposed a package of measures that would provide at least $ 58 million in additional funding for oil spill relief efforts and raise the tax that oil companies pay to maintain an emergency fund . In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requesting congressional approval of the package , Obama said oil giant BP -- which owns the leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico -- was responsible for all cleanup costs . In addition , Obama said , the government would seek full compensation for all damages from BP . `` We can not allow the potentially protracted pursuit of claims to prevent us from swift action to help those harmed by this spill , '' Obama said in the letter . The proposals would increase by 1 cent the current tax of 8 cents a barrel that oil companies pay into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund , and also increase the amounts that could be spent from that fund on single incidents . Efforts to staunch the gusher continued Wednesday . The `` top-hat '' oil containment device has reached the sea floor and should be in position over the wellhead and operational by the end of the week , BP said . A larger containment vessel was unsuccessful in stopping the flow of oil from the gusher about 5,000 feet underwater . The spill is sending 210,000 gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico each day . The `` top-hat '' cofferdam , a 5-foot-tall , 4-foot-diameter structure , weighs less than 2 tons . The structure was deployed by the drill ship Enterprise . BP built the smaller dome after a much larger , four-story containment vessel , designed to cap the larger of two leaks in the well , developed glitches Saturday . Ice-like hydrate crystals formed when gas combined with water and blocked the top of the dome , making it buoyant . The new device would keep most of the water out at the beginning of the capping process and would allow engineers to pump in methanol to keep the hydrates from forming , said Doug Suttles , BP 's chief operating officer for exploration and production . Methanol is a simple alcohol that can be used as an antifreeze . Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said the success of this latest attempt to cap the well could be known in the next few days . `` On this Thursday , we should know whether or not this alternative top-hat cofferdam is going to work , '' Salazar said on CNN 's `` The Situation Room . '' `` And then the next key date is Saturday , because by Saturday they will have the diagnostics completed through X-rays and gamma rays and pressure ratings to be able to make decisions about what the next steps are . '' If attempts to cap the well fail , BP may try to plug the leak by shooting debris -- shredded tires , golf balls and similar objects -- under extremely high pressure into the well 's blowout preventer in an attempt to clog it and stop the leak . The blowout preventer has been partially successful in sealing the well , but did not fully close when the rig exploded and sank . Suttles said BP also is drilling a relief well to try to divert the flow to another pipe . `` That started about a week ago , '' Suttles said . `` That work continues . The well is at about 9,000 feet . '' It may take up to three months to reach the target area , and progress will slow the deeper the drill bit goes , said David Nagel , executive vice president of BP America . Federal investigators are still trying to determine what caused the explosion that sank the Deepwater Horizon , which was owned by BP contractor Transocean Ltd. . The oil rig exploded April 20 and sank two days later , about 50 miles off the southeast coast of Louisiana . BP is legally required to cover economic damages from the spill up to $ 75 million . But Florida Sen. Bill Nelson has introduced legislation that would raise the liability cap to $ 10 billion . iReport : Share images from the Gulf . `` If this gusher continues for several months , it 's going to cover up the Gulf Coast and it 's going to get down into the loop current , and that 's going to take it down the Florida Keys and up the east coast of Florida , '' Nelson said Sunday on CNN 's `` State of the Union . `` And you are talking about massive economic loss to our tourism , our beaches , to our fisheries , very possibly disruption of our military testing and training , '' he said . CNN 's David Mattingly contributed to this report .
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NEW : Obama also says U.S. will seek full compensation for all damages from BP . `` Top-hat '' containment device reaches Gulf floor . New device would allow engineers to pump in methanol and keep hydrates from forming . Interior secretary : Success of latest attempt could be known in next few days .
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New Orleans , Louisiana -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- BP has put off crucial `` integrity tests '' on the new stacking cap on its ruptured Gulf oil well so it can review testing procedures , a review expected to take place through the night and into Wednesday . The oil giant had expected the tests -- to check pressure in the well and determine if it can be sealed once and for all -- to get under way Tuesday afternoon . But late Tuesday night , BP announced that additional analysis of the well testing procedure was needed . The move following a meeting with Energy Secretary Steven Chu and his team of advisers . A source informed about BP operations told CNN 's John King that , `` There were some potential complications that might cause a delay -- some bad , some in the better to be safe than sorry category . '' It had been hoped that the integrity tests would show whether an end is in sight to the environmental disaster that has been unfolding for the last 12 weeks . But throughout the evening , cameras some 5,000 feet below the surface showed oil gushing from the well 's capping stack , indicating that valves had not been closed to begin the pressure tests . The massive custom-designed cap , which has a better seal than the last cap placed on the well , is some 30 feet high and weighs 160,000 pounds . It 's hoped that it might seal the well completely . But if it 's unable to contain all the oil , some could be diverted through riser pipes to ships on the surface . Under a worst-case scenario , however , tests might show there 's more damage to the well 's casing , meaning that capping the well would not stop the oil from flowing . Retired Adm. Thad Allen , who is leading the federal response to the oil disaster , says the well cap placement is part a `` very complex , nuanced and broad-based response '' to the rupture of the underwater well in April , an accident that killed 11 oil workers and caused worst environmental disaster in U.S. history . When they do take place , the integrity tests will measure pressure inside the well and will last anywhere from six to 48 hours . They will involve incrementally closing three valves on the new cap , a process that would allow BP to do its pressure measurements . Higher pressure readings would mean the leak is being stopped , while lower pressure indications would mean oil is escaping from other parts of the well . `` In this exercise , high pressure is good , '' Allen said . `` We are looking for somewhere between eight and nine thousand psi -LRB- pounds per square inch -RRB- inside the capping stack , which would indicate to us that the hydrocarbons are being forced up and the well bore 's being able to withstand that pressure . '' Allen was asked what he thought the odds were to the success of being able to shut the well with the new cap . `` I think we are very confident we can take control of this hydrocarbon stream and then slowly close all these valves and stop the emission of hydrocarbons . What we ca n't tell is the current condition of the well bore below the sea floor and the implication of the pressure readings , '' he said . `` That is in fact why we 're doing a well integrity test . '' The latest containment cap , while seeming to offer the best odds of success , was n't ready earlier . In addition , BP has learned from previous , unsuccessful containment efforts , CNN 's Ed Lavandera reported on `` The Situation Room . '' Allen said that if low pressure readings persist for around a six-hour time frame , that could signal problems with the new cap . If it 's determined that the cap ca n't seal the well completely , and some crude must be sent to the surface , the oil-gathering ship , the Helix Producer , in now in place . On Monday it joined the Q4000 , which was already active . And more vessels are planned . Allen said a four-vessel system that could recover 80,000 barrels a day could be ready by the end of the month . Meanwhile , in another development Tuesday , the Obama administration sent BP and other responsible parties a fourth bill relating to the oil spill . The new bill is for $ 99.7 million . It comes on top of a total of $ 122.3 million in the first three bills . The government says the parties are responsible for all costs associated with the spill , including stopping the leak , protecting the shoreline and long-term recovery efforts . The money will help replenish a $ 1.5 billion federal trust fund established to pay for damages associated with oil spills . Among those costs is skimming oil on the surface of the Gulf . Allen said authorities are on pace to have around 1,000 skimmers available by the end of the month . At this point , there are fewer than 600 . Work also has been continuing on the ultimate solution to fixing the problem , drilling two relief wells . But BP does n't expect the first relief well work to be completed until August . Scientists estimate that 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil have spewed daily from BP 's breached well and Allen cautions that even if the engineering containment efforts work , there is still a lot to be done in a disaster that has affected the environment and the livelihoods of people from Louisiana to Florida . `` There 's still a significant amount of oil out there , and the oil recovery and the impacts of this oil will probably extend well into the fall in terms of oil coming ashore , tar balls , beach cleanup , and then we will be moving of course at that point of the natural resources damage assessment trying to understand the long-term environmental ecological impact of the event , '' Allen said . And the presidential commission tasked with investigating the Gulf oil gusher and making recommendations about the future of offshore drilling continued its public meetings Tuesday . The National Oil Spill Commission has six months to determine what happened when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded April 20 -- and how to prevent something similar from ever happening again . A new moratorium on deepwater drilling issued by the U.S. Interior Department Monday has already played a prominent role in the hearings . CNN 's Campbell Brown contributed to this report .
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NEW : BP puts off crucial `` integrity '' tests to check effectiveness of new containment cap . NEW : Testing procedures are being reviewed , a process expected to go through the night . NEW : Move follows meeting with Energy Secretary Chu . Thad Allen ca n't put odds on success of the new cap .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- U.S. National Guard forces will begin deploying along the U.S. border with Mexico beginning in August and will be fully trained and deployed by the end of the month , government officials announced Monday . Some 1,200 Army and Air National Guard troops will be in place for a year to assist the Border Patrol in monitoring and capturing illegal immigrants crossing the border into the United States . They will served as a `` gap-filler '' while the Customs and Border Patrol agency hires additional staff to fill the demand in protection along the almost 2,000-mile long southern border with Mexico . The troops , from the four border states , will be fully trained and in place in California , Arizona , New Mexico and Texas by September 1 , according to Gen. Craig McKinley , commander of the National Guard . The Guard troops will not be involved in law enforcement activities such as arrests of illegal immigrants , but will assist the Border Patrol in looking for the illegal border crossers and smugglers as well as in intelligence gathering . The airmen and soldiers will be armed , but they will be limited by rules of engagement that allow them to shoot only to defend themselves , McKinley said . The deployment is part of President Barak Obama 's border plan announced in late May , when he also requested $ 500 million in supplemental funds to try to reduce the number of immigrants and smugglers crossing the border daily . Additionally , Customs and Border Patrol will move more aircraft to the Tucson sector of the border , where an increase in human smuggling and illegal border crossings have been occurring , Federal officials said Monday . Under President George W. Bush , a border deployment of the National Guard , called Operation Jump Start , ended in 2008 . The operation sent more than 6,000 troops to the four border states to repair secondary border fence , construct nearly 1,000 metal barriers and fly Border Patrol agents by helicopter to intercept illegal immigrants .
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1,200 National Guard troops will help patrol Southwest border . More Customs and Border Protection agents will be added . The additional manpower will be deployed starting August 1 .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The three friends pointed the nose of their 31-foot boat in the direction of the best fishing , near the oil rigs off the Louisiana coast . It was April 20 , a beautiful , calm morning . They caught a netfull . Hours passed into darkness . At around 9:45 p.m. , they looked out and saw what appeared , at first , like a flare . Bradley Shivers grabbed his binoculars . `` Man , this does n't look right , '' he said to his buddies Scott Russell and Mark Mead . Shivers then reached for the boat 's radio to phone another rig . But then , over the airwaves : `` Mayday , Mayday , Mayday ! This is the Deepwater Horizon ! We are on fire ! We are abandoning the rig ! '' Then a boom , an explosion . The fishermen were 18 miles away . `` It hit your chest , '' Mead recalled . `` It was like a plane flying real low , really fast , '' said Russell . `` It shook the boat . I mean , we knew it was bad . '' Shivers radioed the Coast Guard . '' ` Please , how many people can you hold on -LSB- your -RSB- boat ? ' '' he was asked . '' ` We do n't know , you know , maybe 20-25 , we 've never , basically ... this is a fishing boat . I mean , we 've never put that many people on it ... They 're like ` Please , please help ! ' Shivers threw the throttle down . As the Rambling Wreck sped toward the flames , they stowed their fishing gear and pulled out life jackets , floating pillows and rope . They put on life jackets . `` We knew people were in the water , '' Russell recalled . `` We had to be ready to jump . '' Mayday calls crackled on the radio . The 20 minutes it took the fishermen get to the rig felt like forever . What are we going to see when we get there ? Shivers thought . The men kept communicating with the Coast Guard , describing their coordinates and what they were hearing over their radio as they closed in on Deepwater Horizon . For a second , just a second , disbelief gripped them . Flames blazed across the water 's surface , jumping 500 feet . And the heat ... . People were flailing in the current , hurt , screaming . Others clung to life boats . `` We 've got friends that are missing , '' someone shouted . `` Please go search ! '' The Deepwater Horizon was enormous , its destruction so vast that the friends had to keep using their binoculars . `` You 'd see something floating in the water and we 'd go up and try to find out what it was . You know , is it a person ? '' Shivers recalled . It would turn out to be debris . The fire was so loud . They worried there was something under the boat . Shivers thought : Is the rig gon na explode some more and send debris our way ? Russell stood on the bow , and shouted to a man in a life boat . `` Who 's in charge ? What do we need to do ? We 're trying to help . We 've got to have some direction . '' He got no answer . There was only chaos . The Coast Guard was still not there . Time was compressed . Was it hours later ? It was . Crew and supply boats eventually arrived . When their job was done , the fishermen , wordless , exhausted , returned to shore . Months after the explosion , Mead is haunted by what he saw . A veteran deck hand , he had once experienced a fire on a charter boat . By comparison , Deeper Horizon 's was like an inferno . `` You do n't know the chills that went through me when I heard a Mayday ... a vessel in distress working on the water is bad enough , a Mayday -- that 's life and death , '' he said . `` Could we have done more ? '' Mead asks himself . `` There 's a sense of guilt even though we did all we could . '' When he got home after that night -- some 36 or 40 hours later -- he said he needed his wife . She 's all he wanted . He fell asleep crying in her arms . Mead , who is now working to clean up the oil , constantly thinks about those frantic hours . He wonders , What if they had chosen to fish closer to the Deepwater Horizon ? `` We could have been sitting under that rig , '' Mead said . `` We could have been on the victims ' list . '' He said he 's taking anti-anxiety medications and though he rarely fought with his wife , he says he 's gotten short with her lately . Only adding to the stress , Mead said , the BP oil spill has destroyed his charter ship business . All the friends are weary , just as anyone in the Gulf , added Shivers . `` We 've gone through Hurricane Ivan , Hurricane Katrina and failing economies , from collapsing real estate markets , and , you know , you 've got to deal with this ? '' he said . `` How much more do you have to put up with ? ... It really angers you , it really makes you just sick to your damn stomach . '' Even more insulting , the friends say , is that they have not received a reply from BP or Transocean after numerous attempts -- as early as three days after their heroic efforts -- to share what they witnessed with the companies . They have left messages with BP and Transocean 's hot lines and claims departments and sent e-mails to the companies , Shivers said . '' ` Hey guys , we were there . Can we tell ya what we saw ? Can we , you know ... I may have information that can help ya 'll out , ' '' Shivers said , describing his messages . `` Zero calls . Nothin ' . No one 's ever called us back . '' The men say they plan to sue BP for emotional distress . BP did not respond to attempts by `` AC360 ° '' to get a comment for this story . `` You know , those guys out there that night on the ... on the rig ... , '' said Russell . `` They thanked us , '' Mead said . The three men who have made their life in the Gulf , who know rig workers , want this : No one should forget the men who were killed that day . `` There 's 11 families that I assume do n't have a father , do n't have a husband ... '' said Mead . '' -LSB- That 's -RSB- not supposed to happen when you go to work . '' `` AC360 ° '' producer Ismael Estrada contributed to this report . Watch Anderson Cooper 360 ° weeknights 10pm ET . For the latest from AC360 ° click here .
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Three friends were fishing 18 miles from the Deepwater Horizon on April 20 . They arrived at the inferno before the Coast Guard . Someone shouted to them : `` We 've got friends that are missing . Please go search ! '' The men say they tried to tell BP , Transocean and received no response .
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New Orleans , Louisiana -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The verdict so far : generally good news but still some uncertainty about whether there 's a leak in BP 's well in the Gulf of Mexico , now fitted with a containment cap . That 's the assessment of the retired Coast Guard admiral overseeing the government 's response to the oil spill , more than 24 hours into a critical test checking the well 's ability to hold up under pressure . Thad Allen reported Friday afternoon that pressure is rising in the well , a sign that the well is holding and that the leak that had been spewing oil into the Gulf for nearly three months can be contained . But pressure readings have not reached the optimal level . Pressure was up to 6,700 pounds per square inch inside the well 's capping stack , he said . More than a day into the `` well integrity '' test , pressure above 7,500 pounds per square inch would indicate `` high integrity and low potential for a leak , '' according to Allen . What does 6,700 pounds per square inch mean ? Government scientists and BP experts are n't quite sure . It could be a leak , or it could simply be that so much oil has spilled out already , it 's taking a while to build up pressure . `` In general , as the president noted today , this is generally good news , '' Allen said . But he added , `` I think we 're at a point where there 's enough uncertainty about the meaning of the pressure that we 're seeing that we have to use due diligence moving forward . We do n't want to do harm or create a situation that can not be reversed . '' Allen said the government has told BP to proceed with the test but intensify monitoring of the well , by conducting seismic and acoustic tests and visual inspections of the sea floor using robots . In addition , a government ship is in the area , fitted with equipment for detecting methane gas , which would be an indication of a leak . The `` well integrity test '' began Thursday after two days of delays , first as government scientists scrutinized testing procedures and then as BP replaced a leaking piece of equipment known as a choke line . The oil stopped gushing out Thursday afternoon , the first time BP has been able to gain control since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded April 20 and triggered the catastrophe . All that was made possible by a new , tightly fitting containment cap . BP Senior Vice President Kent Wells said later in a telephone conference following Allen 's that two robots trolling the sea floor in the area of the well bore and two others capturing sonar data have not detected any breaching . `` At this point , there is no evidence the well bore has been breached , so that 's good news , '' he said . `` The current monitoring that we do shows no negative evidence . '' He said the well integrity test is proceeding as planned , and the pressure readings so far , while not optimal , are `` consistent with BP 's engineering analysis '' and `` do not give us any indication that we do not have well integrity . '' Wells said also said that work restarted Friday on the drilling of the first of two relief wells , seen as a more permanent way to plug and seal the breached well . They 're expected to be completed in August . One serves as a backup to the other . When they are ready , mud and cement will be pumped into one of the relief wells to permanently seal BP 's crippled well . Allen and BP officials initially had said that the test results would be closely scrutinized at six-hour intervals and that the integrity test could go on for 48 hours . But at this point , they 're focusing on each six hours , with no guarantee the test will last two days . When the test is wrapped up , valves are expected to be reopened to resume siphoning oil to two ships on the surface , the Q4000 and Helix Producer , as government and BP officials assess the data and decide what to do next . Two more ships are due to join them in coming weeks , bringing containment capacity to 80,000 barrels -LRB- about 3.4 million gallons -RRB- of oil a day , more than high-end estimates of how much oil had been leaking . But it 's possible some oil may be released into the Gulf again , before all the ships are ready . As results came in Friday morning , President Barack Obama spoke about the developments with a note of caution . `` I think it 's important that we do n't get ahead of ourselves here , '' he said . `` You know , one of the problems with having this camera down there is that when the oil stops gushing , everybody feels like we 're done , and we 're not . We wo n't be done until we actually know that we killed the well and have a permanent solution in place . '' The president expects to return to the Gulf Coast in the next few weeks . The White House announced that first lady Michelle Obama will return to the Gulf region next week to meet with Coast Guard personnel who 've been responding to the oil spill and to christen a Coast Guard cutter named in honor of Dorothy Stratton , the service branch 's first female commissioned officer . The visit will take place in Mississippi on Friday . Meanwhile , Gulf residents are happy simply that no oil is being released now . `` See the smile ? That 's my reaction , '' Jamie Munoz said . `` But it 's cautious optimism . Obviously , I 'm very happy . It 's been our goal for 88 days now . It 's been a long run . But , hopefully , we get it done right and begin the cleaning . That 's the most important part . Let 's clean up and get our fishermen back to work . '' BP also reported that it has paid more than $ 200 million in claims to 32,000 Gulf Coast residents . The largest groups of claimants include fishermen , who have received $ 32 million , and shrimpers , who have received $ 18 million , the company said in a news release . It said that about $ 77 million has been paid for loss of income to workers on ships , at seafood processing plants and other businesses . .
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NEW : BP official : No indication we do n't have well integrity . `` Well integrity '' testing proceeds past 24-hour mark . Pressure is still not at optimal level . Government tells BP to step up monitoring .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Vernon Baker earned a Medal of Honor for his actions during World War II . But because of what the U.S. government acknowledges was racism against African-Americans who performed heroically in the war , it took more than 50 years for him to get what he had earned . Baker , one of only seven African-Americans to receive the nation 's highest military honor from World War II , died Tuesday at his home in Idaho , according to his hometown police and coroner 's offices . He passed away after a long battle with cancer . His wife and members of his family were by his side . He was 90 years old . Baker was orphaned at the age of 4 , and was raised first by his grandparents and later at Father Flanagan 's Boys Town in Nebraska . He joined the Army six months before the Pearl Harbor attack and was part of the 92nd Infantry Division , the first unit of `` colored '' soldiers to see combat in World War II . He eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant and was leading a platoon against entrenched German machine gun nests near Viareggio , Italy , on April 5 , 1945 . His official Medal of Honor citation describes what he did : . `` When his company was stopped by the concentration of fire from several machine gun emplacements , he crawled to one position and destroyed it , killing three Germans . Continuing forward , he attacked and enemy observation post and killed two occupants . With the aid of one of his men , Lieutenant Baker attacked two more machine gun nests , killing or wounding the four enemy soldiers occupying these positions . He then covered the evacuation of the wounded personnel of his company by occupying an exposed position and drawing the enemy 's fire . '' After spending the better part of a day putting his life at risk to lead his unit , Baker was back in action the next evening : . `` On the following night Lieutenant Baker voluntarily led a battalion advance through enemy mine fields and heavy fire toward the division objective . '' Baker was originally awarded the Army 's Distinguished Service Cross for his action . But in the early 1990s , a study was done to find why none of the more than 400 World War II Medal of Honor recipients was black . The study found `` a racial disparity in the way Medal of Honor recipients were selected . '' Seven African American heroes from World War II were chosen to receive the Medal of Honor from President Bill Clinton . Four of them had died in the war , and two others had died in the time since the war . Only Baker was at the White House to have the iconic star and pale blue ribbon draped around his neck . During an interview with CNN before the White House ceremony on January 13 , 1997 , Baker spoke about the racism that delayed recognition of him and his fellow Medal of Honor recipients : `` As I look back on it , it really makes me feel sad that we did our job , we fought , but we were n't appreciated '' After the White House ceremony , Baker told CNN , `` I still do n't feel like a hero . I just feel I was a soldier and I did my job , and I think I was rewarded for it . '' Baker is survived by his wife , Heidy , and five children . He is expected to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors .
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Baker , who received the Medal of Honor more than 50 years after his heroic acts , dies at 90 . He took out several machine gun nests firing on his unit in Italy . The U.S. government admitted racism was a factor in Medal of Honor decisions . `` I just feel I was a soldier and I did my job , '' Baker said after the 1997 ceremony .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A car bomb killed at least four people in Ciudad Juarez , Mexico , authorities said . It was the first time a car bomb has been used to attack federal police , said the city 's mayor , Jose Reyes Ferriz . The incident happened about 8 p.m. Thursday in the city 's most violent zone . Juarez municipal police spokesman Jacinto Seguro said Friday that federal police were responding to a call that a police officer had been killed . `` When they went to check the car , there was a dead body in there , dressed up like a police officer , but it was n't one of ours , '' Seguro said . `` They put him in a civilian car but dressed him up in a municipal police uniform . That 's when the bomb went off . It 's like an act of terrorism . '' Two police officers , a paramedic and a civilian were killed , federal police spokesman Ramon Salinas said . Six people , including a local news cameraman , were injured in the blast , authorities said . Four people -- three paramedics and a civilian -- were still being treated for injuries , police said . It was unclear how severe the injuries are . Canal 5 video footage from moments after the blast captures seconds of confusion , followed by fires and debris scattered across the street . At one point , the cameraman shooting the video reaches for an injured civilian , and a police officer says , `` Grab onto my arm . Grab onto my arm . '' Although Mexican authorities say the attack was the result of a car bomb , a counterterrorism expert said there is `` some confusion '' about exactly what caused the car to explode . `` For this to be an improvised grenade attack , in some capacity , it does n't surprise me , '' said Fred Burton , vice president of intelligence at Stratfor , a privately owned global Intelligence service . But if this particular car bomb was manufactured to the level of sophistication similar to those used by terrorist groups like Hezbollah , then this is a significant event , Burton said . `` The devil is in the details , '' he added . Jose Marulanda , a security analyst based in Bogota , Colombia , called Friday 's bombing a `` turning point '' in Mexico 's drug war and found it remniscent of Colombia 's own battle with cartels and car bombs in the 1990s . `` Because if they decide to start using car bombs one against the other ... then the whole society , bystanders , innocent people could be affected , '' he told CNN . He said that while Friday 's car bombing did not appear very sophisticated , he noted that Mexican drug cartels are often advised by former members of Colombian cartels . He said the Colombian cartels are influenced by FARC , the guerrilla group which has waged war against the Colombian government for decades and `` has a lot of experience with explosives . '' `` We could expect more sophistication day after day if they decided to go on with these car bombs , '' he said . According to Seguro , the Juarez cartel claimed the deadly incident in a graffiti message found in downtown Juarez . In what appears to be black spray paint , the violent drug cartel wrote , `` what happened on September avenue will keep happening to all the authorities who keep supporting El Chapo . Sincerely - the Juarez cartel . '' The threatening message concluded : `` We still have car bombs . '' `` This is significant because usually it 's La Linea , the Juarez cartel 's operatives , that sign the messages , '' Reyes said . `` It 's as if to say , ` Now , it 's the big guys in charge , not the operatives . ' '' Salinas said the blast in the Mexican border city took place as authorities were responding to `` some sort of emergency . '' Earlier in the day , police announced the arrest of Jesus Armando Acosta Guerrero , believed to be a leader in the Juarez cartel -- one of two drug trafficking organizations operating in the area . There had been relative calm in the city since elections were held there July 4 . But Thursday 's explosion and an attack Sunday against Mexican federal police mark the third and fourth major incidents in recent weeks . On June 29 , a shooting between suspected drug traffickers and Mexican federal police left one officer dead . The shooting was seen as a watershed moment in the ongoing border drug war : Several bullets from that gunfight strayed across the border into Texas , hitting El Paso City Hall . There were no injuries reported on the U.S. side . On April 24 , six federal police officers were killed in a daylight shooting in Juarez . Hours later , a painted message found in the city , allegedly from members of La Linea , claimed responsibility for the attack . La Linea is an extension of the Juarez cartel , made up in part of former Juarez police officers , according to authorities . Assaults against federal police have increased since they took full control of security in the city from the Mexican military on April 9 . `` There have been at least a dozen , maybe 15 , attacks against the federal police since we took over '' security , Salinas said . The Juarez cartel and the Sinaloa cartel have been in a bloody turf war since 2008 . More than 5,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Juarez during the turf war , according to local authorities . CNN 's Nick Valencia and CNN en Espanol 's Gustavo Valdes contributed to this story .
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NEW : Analyst : Bombing could be a `` turning point '' in Mexico 's drug war . A man dressed as a police officer was found in the car just before it exploded . `` We still have car bombs , '' the Juarez cartel claimed in a message found downtown . A counterterrorism expert says there is `` some confusion '' about explosion .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Actor and director Mel Gibson appears to be at it again . This time the issue is not a tirade berating Jews and women in front of police officers . Instead , it 's an outrageous message that was apparently left on his girlfriend 's answering machine and likely was never supposed to come under public scrutiny . The despicable message ended with the voice of someone purported to be Gibson telling his girlfriend that her dress was so provocative , she was likely to be `` gang-raped by a bunch of n ***** s. '' The audio recording , one of several , appeared on the website RadarOnline . -LRB- CNN can not independently confirm the authenticity of the tapes . -RRB- . Let 's set aside for the moment whatever Gibson 's psychological issues may be . Of even more concern are what such `` behind the scenes '' remarks can tell us about ourselves and our culture . Americans , so anxious to believe that we have entered into a `` post-racial era , '' tend to ignore the one element needed to corroborate such a conclusion : a lack of racial animus . Clearly over the last 40 years , our laws have greatly mitigated once commonplace displays of racism . It is rare that the N-word gets dropped publicly in a racially charged situation ; again Gibson 's conversation was meant to be private . In America 's institutions , where there is great awareness of the legal implications , overt forms of discrimination are far less frequently seen than before . The country has made real progress . But it would be naive to imagine that racism has disappeared with the ascent of an African-American to the White House . The reality is that racism is very alive today . It has simply morphed into a more dangerous , odious and insidious form . In fact , 21st-century American racism looks and sounds precisely like the alleged Mel Gibson recording . Once upon a time a man with such evident racial prejudices would probably have owned slaves and used racial epithets publicly , with complete impunity . Moved by a combination of fear of legal action , political correctness and pure cowardice , the prejudiced have gone behind closed doors . In place of public promulgations and actions that would clearly identify someone like Gibson as the person he really is , a man like this conveys his innermost beliefs to his girlfriend . Instead of negative sentiments about African-Americans being expressed directly to a black man 's face , they 're expressed in private and taught to children , family and others who can be influenced to hate . This 21st-century form of racism is running rampant in our society and it is more difficult to combat than its 20th-century cousin . By day , the prejudiced cordially converse and interact with people of all backgrounds and ethnicities . But by night , they espouse racial hatred in closeted , private circles . In the past there was something liberating in at least being able to identify those who were the real racists . Please do not misunderstand . I am not longing for a return to the days of old America when African-Americans like Emmett Till died because they looked at another person on the street . However , today there are many of us who might rather have someone call us the N-word out loud than have them smile in our faces . So what am I looking for ? First , an acknowledgement that racism is still all around us . We can not fight a problem that we do not even believe exists . Second , and even more importantly , we must quickly acknowledge the modern era of race relations in America and build a new , comprehensive set of strategies and approaches to combat this different manifestation of prejudice . There are many in the military who acknowledge that the tactics used for 20th-century warfare are not effective against the threats in this century . Conventional weaponry can not succeed against determined terrorists who successfully melt into the civilian population . By analogy , we need to understand the profound metamorphosis of American racism and construct new `` weaponry '' to combat it . This reality has practical and policy implications . Just as we must convince people in Afghanistan of the virtues of a free society to stanch the spread of terrorism , we must focus on convincing the next generation of Americans that diversity is a great asset to be embraced , not a liability to be feared . Open discussions and dialogues about race are required . They must be built more frequently into the curriculums of our schools and promoted by reasonable minds and organizations . Leveraging the incredible strength of our nation 's diversity -- or failing to do so -- will not only have implications for our social justice and peace internally , it will also be the single most important element defining the United States ' global stature . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Blair Taylor .
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Blair Taylor says in recordings released , Mel Gibson purportedly had racially offensive tirade . The recordings , he says , should alert us to 21st century 's sub rosa racial hostility in U.S. Laws , societal pressure may have damped open racism , but it persists privately , he says . Taylor : Society must push back aggressively at racism by educating next generation .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin will announce on Friday his pick to temporarily fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd . Manchin has said he 'll push to hold a special election this November to fill the remaining two years of the term . The legislature is meeting in special session , considering legislation to do just that . Manchin , a popular two-term Democratic governor , told reporters this month that he `` would highly consider '' seeking the seat himself -- not surprising given Manchin was thought to be interested in running for the Senate in 2012 , when the election is currently scheduled . West Virginia law dictates that the governor has the power to name an immediate replacement for Byrd . Manchin says he does n't want to appoint someone who would serve for two-and-a-half years without the people 's consent . `` I believe in the power of the vote , '' Manchin told reporters . If the contest is held this November , it would add another possible Senate pick up potential for the Republicans and would help their odds at possibly retaking control of the chamber . The GOP needs to re-take 10 Senate seats to regain the majority . The state 's largest union , the West Virginia chapter of the AFL-CIO , has urged Manchin to name himself to the seat , but the governor has said he will not do so . Byrd was the longest serving member ever in Congressional history .
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Gov. Joe Machin will name a temporary replacement for the late Sen. Robert Byrd . Sen. Byrd died last month . Sen. Byrd was the longest serving member in Congressional history .
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-LRB- Mashable -RRB- -- It 'd be an understatement to say that this has been a terrible week for Apple , and we have n't even reached the halfway point . On Monday , Consumer Reports dealt a devastating blow to the iPhone 4 when it declined to recommend the device to consumers due to the antenna reception problem . Consumer Reports concluded from its tests that cell reception is indeed lost if you cover up the small gap between the two metal bands on the bottom left corner -LRB- as it 's facing you -RRB- of the phone . The media quickly picked up the story . Tuesday was n't any better for the tech giant . Consumer Reports slammed Apple for not providing a fix to customers at no extra cost . Some have even suggested that a recall was imminent -- an endeavor that would cost the company $ 1.5 billion . All of this news resulted in a sharp dive in Apple 's stock price , although it has since made a partial recovery . There are even class action lawsuits waiting in the wings . Apple has a nightmare on its hands , and no software fix will make the problem go away . The issue has taken on a life of its own . The situation is n't impossible for Apple to recover from , though . However , the company needs to take action , and it needs to do it quick . Here are what my top five priorities would be if I were in Steve Jobs ' shoes : . 1 . Acknowledge that the antenna problem is real . While you ca n't call the data conclusive , you can say that the data overwhelmingly points to one conclusion : the iPhone has an antenna problem . The iPhone antenna issue has been replicated in countless YouTube videos and by multiple media organizations , including us . Apple 's internal documents show that they know the issue is real . This is almost certainly a hardware issue , and it 's time that Apple stopped being coy and just admit that the phone does have an issue with its reception . The current string of denials and half-truths wo n't have any legs as the pressure mounts and the lawyers come knocking . The best thing the company can do is issue an open letter on the antenna issue , ideally from Steve Jobs himself . The key to making this go away is transparency . 2 . Go into the technical details . Once Apple acknowledges the problem , it needs to give up details , such as the science behind the antenna issue , why the company did n't catch it during testing , and different potential fixes . Do n't spare the public the complicated and scientific issues behind the iPhone 's design and how different grips affect reception -- anything less wo n't appease a critical public . 3 . Roll out the software update . Apple has promised a software update earlier this month to `` fix '' the formula used to calculate signal bar strength display , which the company pointed to as the root of the iPhone antenna problem . While we believe that the software fix was meant to be a decoy to the real hardware issue , the company has already committed to the software update , and it should roll it out as promised . Do n't keep trying to point to software as the problem , though : most people are aware that it 's not a software bug causing the antenna issue and treating it as such is just demeaning and condescending to iPhone users everywhere . 4 . Make the bumpers free . Out of all of my suggestions , this one is the key . Those iPhone bumpers may cost $ 29.00 in the Apple Store , but in reality the rubber and plastic mold only costs a fraction of that price -LRB- possibly around $ 1 per bumper -RRB- . Providing that accessory to customers for free solves the antenna issue , as bare skin has to touch the iPhone 4 's metal casing in order to drop signal . It 's not an ideal fix , but it 's far better than the other option : a recall . 5 . No matter what , do n't issue an iPhone 4 recall . Some have suggested that Apple should recall the iPhone 4 . That is n't a simple affair . In fact , most users would be more annoyed and upset than pleased with the Cuptertino-based company . Let 's play out the scenario . Apple performs a recall of its devices . Millions of people are annoyed as they either have to give up their device or keep a clearly defective one . Apple , already at peak production capacity , would take weeks -- if not months -- to replace the phones . Estimates place the cost of a recall in the billions . Here 's the truth : The iPhone 4 antenna issue is n't a hazardous one . It is n't exploding in people 's hands , it is n't cutting anyone 's palms randomly , and it is n't suddenly bursting into flames . Those are critical issues that would require a recall . The antenna issue , while important and a problem that Apple should have found and addressed before the product 's launch last month , does n't rise to that level . Recalls are meant only as a last resort . Do you think Ford is going to recall all of its cars for a faulty radio ? Apple , while it may be feeling the pressure , ca n't cave to it . There is a balance here . It has to be truthful with what 's actually wrong with the iPhone antenna and what is not . It has to keep its emotions in check as it discusses the antenna independent of the iPhone 4 's many other amazing features . And finally , the company has to give customers something to solve the issue . Free bumpers seem like the appropriate middle ground . A recall is over-the-top extreme and hurts rather than helps consumers in the end . © 2010 MASHABLE.com . All rights reserved .
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To stem the complaints and bad press over the iPhone 4 , Apple needs to take action quickly . Here are what my top five priorities would be if I were in Steve Jobs ' shoes . The company should acknowledge the phone 's antenna problems are real . Issue free bumpers to address the reception problem , but do n't recall the phone .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Barack Obama told reporters Friday he did not feel the earthquake that rattled parts of suburban Washington early in the morning . The rare quake , which struck about 5 a.m. , was centered about 20 miles northwest of the capital , the U.S. Geological Survey said . It had a magnitude of 3.6 -- relatively mild by earthquake standards but stronger than any other quake to shake the region in the past 35 years , the agency said . Steve Dolce , a CNN technical manager , said his house in Germantown , Maryland , `` vibrated slightly '' for about 10 seconds . `` I looked out the window ... wondered if it was a plane or something , then I checked my BlackBerry and saw a dozen e-mails alerting the small quake , '' he added . The earthquake was the first with a magnitude of more than 3 near Washington since 1974 , said Amy Vaughan , a geophysicist at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center . `` This is a significant event for the region , '' she said . About an hour after the quake , Vaughan said , more than 5,500 people had reported feeling it across Maryland , in nearby Washington , and in states including West Virginia , Virginia and Delaware . `` It was really loud , like a plane flying really low . I had never felt anything like it , '' said Anne Ngunjiri , 30 , of Gaithersburg , Maryland . `` I was jolted out of bed . All my neighbors woke up . After it passed , I thought it could be an earthquake , and lay in bed hoping there were no aftershocks . '' Judy Rudolph , 64 , said she was writing e-mails in bed in Rockville , Maryland , when her house started to shake . `` My first reaction was the noise ... I thought it was an explosion , '' she said . She said she 'd never felt anything like it in her 31 years living there . Until Friday , the largest earthquake recorded within about 50 miles of Gaithersberg since 1974 was a 2.7-magnitude quake in 1993 , Vaughan said . But geologically speaking , she said it was `` not completely unexpected '' for a 3.6-magnitude quake to hit there . `` Occasionally these things do happen even east of the Rockies , even though it 's not really on a plate boundary where we expect earthquakes . ... Faults do exist from when the continent was forming . There are small faults that do exist within this area , '' she said . Vaughan said major structural damage was unlikely , but people may experience aftershocks for the next day , or even a week or two after the quake . Washington 's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency said no injuries or property damage had been reported . The last earthquake in Maryland occurred on October 8 , 2007 , according to the USGS website . It was a 1.7-magnitude quake centered about 5 miles northwest of Baltimore . CNN 's Bob Kovach contributed to this report .
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NEW : President Obama says he did not feel the 3.6-magnitude earthquake Friday morning . U.S. Geological Survey says the quake 's center was near Gaithersburg , Maryland . USGS says the quake is the largest to hit the area since 1974 . Aftershocks may be felt , official says .
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LA CROSSE , Wisconsin -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Give Brad Williams a date , and he can usually tell you not only what he was doing but what world events happened that day . He can do this for almost every day of his life . Brad Williams has hyperthymestic syndrome , experts say , and remembers what he did on allmost every day of his life . Williams is one of only three people in the world identified with this off-the-charts autobiographical memory , according to researchers at the University of California-Irvine who gave the condition its name : hyperthymestic syndrome , from the Greek words for excessive -LRB- hyper -RRB- and remembering -LRB- thymesis -RRB- . Unlike most people whose memories fade with time , much of Williams ' life is etched indelibly in his mind . `` It 's just there , '' said Williams , 51 , who reports the news for a family of radio stations in La Crosse , Wisconsin . The California researchers are studying Williams and the two others with hyperthymestic syndrome , a man in Ohio and woman in California , hoping to gain new insights into how a superior memory works . The goal of the study is to find a way to help people with failing memory . Williams did n't realize how exceptional his memory was until his brother Eric told him about an article published two years ago in the journal Neurocase , describing a woman referred to by the initials , A.J. `` My brother in California saw this and said , ` She sounds like you . Why do n't we talk to the folks at Irvine ? ' '' Williams said . At Irvine , researchers quizzed Williams , as they have the two other hyperthymestics , about a series of dates , asking for the corresponding event , and vice-versa . `` The speed with which they do this is part of why I find this so amazing because it seems to indicate there 's no -- or not much -- intentional calculation going on . It 's boom , boom , boom , there 's the answer , '' said Larry Cahill , a fellow at the university 's Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory . `` Remember , these are questions they had no idea what we 're going to ask them . '' Now researchers are using an MRI to create three-dimensional pictures of the hyperthymestic brain . They want to see whether any brain structures differ in size , compared with the average brain . Cahill and his colleagues are still going over the results but it appears some structures in the prefrontal cortex are substantially larger in hyperthymestics . The prefrontal cortex sits at the front of the brain and has been associated with complex thinking , not learning or memory . Cahill said he hoped others with this extraordinary ability will come forward . `` I hope that we can identify as many of these people as possible because the more we identify and the more we study the greater the likelihood that we are going to really figure out fundamental new things about brains and memory that we would have never figured out without them , '' Cahill said . Flipping through a family photo album with him it was astonishing how much Williams recalled , going back decades . Asked about one black and white picture taken in the Badlands of South Dakota , he remembered exactly when it was taken : Tuesday , July 28 , 1964 , the same day as a trip to Mount Rushmore . He also remembered that the temperature reached 100 degrees and that they tried to keep Funny Face drinks cool in a Thermos in the back of the car . Cahill said Williams and the other hyperthymestics do n't do any better than average on standard memory tests , nor are they savants , a condition where one extraordinary mental ability is accompanied by deficits in other areas . In this age of instant information , what can you do with phenomenal recall ? `` I do n't really know . I 've thought about it for years , '' said Williams , the 1969 Wisconsin Spelling Bee champion . Williams appeared on `` Jeopardy! '' but finished second . For now , Williams said he is content knowing research into his memory might help others . `` That would be the ultimate goal . '' David S. Martin is a senior producer with CNN Medical News .
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Wisconsin man has extraordinary memory known as hyperthymestic syndrome . He remembers specific dates , days of week , events from decades ago . Researchers hope to gain new insights into how a superior memory works .
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BAGHDAD , Iraq -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Four thousand women are running for office in Iraq 's provincial elections Saturday , and many of them will be guaranteed seats under an electoral quota system . Iraqi women show off their ink-stained fingers after voting Saturday in Baghdad . Regardless of the votes their candidates receive , parties are required to give every third seat to a woman , according to a report this week from the International Crisis Group . The ultimate share of seats held by women will depend on the distribution of votes among parties , the report said . Some women candidates say these elections -- only the second provincial elections since the fall of Saddam Hussein -- are a chance to improve their standing in Iraqi society . Nibras al-Mamuri is a secular female candidate who argues that fundamentalists have taken over the country . She says it was the 2005 elections that brought them into power and tarnished Islam 's image in Iraq . Al-Mamuri , who is running for the Baghdad provincial council , says it 's time for a change . Watch how women are trying to bring change to Iraq '' `` Although a woman 's role in the Arab world is mainly that of a mother and child bearer , '' she said , `` I want to prove that women are just as capable as men when it comes to challenging arenas . '' At first , al-Mamuri said , she thought just participating in the elections as a woman was enough . But now , she says she is running to win in order to defy men who believe a woman 's place is in the home . `` I 've entered a battlefield where women have to prove they are competent , '' she said . `` I have to forget about fear . '' In recent years , Iraqi women have been targeted by extremists for a variety of reasons -- from not covering their hair to entering the political arena . Under Hussein , Iraq was one of the more secular Arab countries , but the 2003 U.S. invasion unleashed extremist militias . Now , many activists say women have been forced back to the Dark Ages , forced to be submissive , anonymous and fully veiled . Al-Mamuri said she believes Saturday 's vote can help women improve their position in society . `` An Iraqi woman can be an equal . She can participate in change , '' she told CNN . The image of a woman posing a public and direct challenge to fundamentalists and their beliefs was not seen in the 2005 vote . `` Iraqi women form the core of society , '' said Rissala Khalid , another female candidate in Baghdad . Passing out her campaign card , Khalid told young women that she will fight for their rights , and told young men that she will try to provide jobs for Iraq 's largely unemployed youth . CNN 's Arwa Damon contributed to this report .
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Female candidates seek to change women 's status in Iraqi society . Many will be guaranteed seats under electoral quota system . Candidate says she 's running to challenge fundamentalist beliefs about women .
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ANCHORAGE , Alaska -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin 's boast to have opposed the infamous `` bridge to nowhere '' is a staple of the Alaska governor 's stump speech , but her record is more complicated than the one-liner . Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin canceled work on the Gravina Island bridge in 2007 after initially supporting the project . She repeated the line Tuesday in Lebanon , Ohio , telling supporters , `` I told Congress , ` Thanks , but no thanks ' for that bridge to nowhere up in Alaska . If our state wanted a bridge , we were going to build it ourselves . '' But Palin originally supported construction of the bridge , which would have linked the city of Ketchikan with its airport on sparsely populated Gravina Island . `` I 'm not going to stand in the way of progress that our congressional delegation -- in the position of strength that they have right now -- they 're making those efforts for the state of Alaska to build up our infrastructure , '' Palin said during a debate shortly before her 2006 election as governor . `` I would not get in the way of progress of this project or other projects they 're working so hard on . '' Her office canceled work on the span in 2007 after it became a symbol of congressional `` pork-barrel '' excess , but kept money that Congress had appropriated for the project , using the funds instead for state transportation projects . Palin has n't faced reporters since Sen. John McCain tapped her as his running mate . A former aide said Palin turned against the $ 223 million Gravina Island bridge when the original price nearly doubled . Watch an ex-aide defend Palin 's position on the bridge '' `` It was a different bridge when she was a candidate than the bridge when she became governor , '' Meg Stapleton said . Stapleton said Palin `` knows that we can do it for far less , and she knows the state can handle it . '' In a statement announcing the cancellation of the Gravina Island project , Palin complained that public opposition to the bridge `` is based on inaccurate portrayals of the projects here . '' `` But we need to focus on what we can do , rather than fight over what has happened , '' she said in the statement . Campaign aides also have had to explain the fine print on another applause line from Palin 's stump speech -- that she put the luxury jet her predecessor purchased for state travel up for sale on eBay . Although the jet was for sale on the online auction site , it failed to draw sufficient bids and was later sold at a loss through an ordinary aircraft brokerage . Democrats also are trying to exploit a gap between McCain 's famous opposition to congressional earmarks and Palin 's efforts to obtain those appropriations for Alaska during her time as governor and as mayor of the Alaskan town of Wasilla . Palin has sought about $ 450 million in earmarks from the state 's congressional delegation since becoming governor , and about $ 27 million for Wasilla during her second term as mayor from 1998 to 2002 , according to state records and documents from the Washington-based watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense . `` All the things that John McCain says -LSB- are -RSB- bad , she lobbied to get , '' Sen. Barack Obama , the Democratic presidential candidate , said Monday . `` When it came to the bridge to nowhere , she was for it until everybody started raising a fuss about it . '' Obama added , `` You ca n't just make stuff up . You ca n't just recreate yourself , you ca n't just reinvent yourself . The American people are n't stupid . '' The bridge was backed by the senior members of Alaska 's congressional delegation -- Rep. Don Young , the former chairman of the House Transportation Committee , and Sen. Ted Stevens . Tom Schatz of Citizens Against Government Waste said Palin gets credit for taking on her fellow Republicans over the issue . `` Anyone who takes on Ted Stevens and Don Young when it comes to transportation is taking on two very powerful interests in Washington , '' Schatz said . Young is fighting to hold the seat he has occupied for more than three decades against Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell , a Republican challenger Palin supported against the veteran congressman . Stevens , who also is trying to be re-elected this year , has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of lying on his Senate ethics disclosure forms and is pushing for a trial before November 's election . While Democrats have questioned her campaign claims , some Alaskans see Palin as a modern-day Robin Hood who has returned money to taxpayers . The rising price of oil has bolstered the state 's balance sheets , allowing Alaska to sock away $ 5 billion in savings -- in large part because of an increase in the tax on oil companies that Palin supported . The state 's Permanent Fund is now worth more than $ 35 billion , and Palin approved payments of $ 3,269 to every Alaska resident this year -- a $ 1,200 increase in the annual dividend each resident receives . `` She has helped to balance our budget . She has done a very good job , '' Alaskan Kim Brink said . `` She gave , she fought to get us a little bit of extra money in these hard economic times . '' Watch a look at Palin 's fiscal priorities '' But state spending has increased under her tenure . And while she has used her line-item veto to cut funds for some government programs , her critics in Alaska complain she has the wrong priorities . `` For a drop in the bucket , every single kid in the state could have health insurance , '' said state Rep. Les Gara , a Democrat from Anchorage . `` For a drop in the bucket , we do n't have to be one of the worst states in terms of high school graduation rates . '' CNN 's Jessica Yellin , Brian Todd and Peter Hamby contributed to this report .
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Gov. Sarah Palin repeats claim she opposed Alaska 's `` bridge to nowhere '' Though she canceled the project in 2007 , she had previously supported it . Ex-aide : Palin opposed bridge after price doubled . Democrats point out Palin 's efforts to obtain other congressional earmarks .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A man and woman suspected of kidnapping a 5-year-old boy from Missouri were arrested Tuesday afternoon in Phoenix , Arizona , an FBI spokesman said . The boy -- Devon Denman -- was found unharmed Monday in the back seat of a stolen vehicle after a high-speed police pursuit in New Mexico ended with Elizabeth Denman and Mark Cochran fleeing when the vehicle 's tires were punctured by police stop sticks , according to Lt. Eric Garcia of the New Mexico State Police . Authorities had been searching a 200-mile area around Gallup , New Mexico , west of Albuquerque , for Elizabeth Denman , believed to be the boy 's mother , and Cochran , a registered sex offender , Garcia said . The couple were arrested Tuesday without incident at Indian Bend Wash Park in the Phoenix metro area at 12:50 p.m. -LRB- 3:50 p.m. ET -RRB- , according to Manuel Johnson , an FBI spokesman in Phoenix . A handgun was also found at the scene of their arrest , Johnson said . During Monday 's car chase , several shots were fired at police , according to Garcia . It was not immediately clear how Denman and Cochran traveled to Phoenix -- about 300 miles southwest of Gallup , Johnson said . The couple are being held at the Maricopa County jail pending a court appearance , Johnson said . CNN 's Amanda Watts and Melanie Whitley contributed to this report .
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Devon Denham , 5 , was found unharmed in New Mexico on Monday . The couple fled from police in New Mexico after a high-speed pursuit . They were arrested without incident Tuesday afternoon . Elizabeth Denham is believed to be the boy 's mother ; Mark Cochran is a registered sex offender .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The French National Assembly has just done a huge favor to those elements in the Muslim world that thrive on anti-Westernism . By voting to ban the veil in public places -- a move that brings a draft bill closer to becoming law -- it has transformed a minor social irritant for a section of the French public into a major political issue . In doing so , it is feeding worldwide Muslim resentment against the West almost on par with the occupation of the Palestinian territories and the invasion of Iraq . This act is seen throughout the Muslim world as a deliberate provocation and may bring about equally provocative responses . It is also seen as a clear signal that most French and indeed most Europeans believe that some Islamic social mores , even if practiced only by a very small fringe element of Muslim women , as in this case , are incompatible with European `` values . '' It also makes European advocacy of human rights , especially women 's rights , ring hollow by making it clear that in this instance it is used in the service of racism . In short , it bears out the `` clash of civilizations '' thesis propagated by the likes of Islamic scholar Bernard Lewis and political scientist Samuel Huntington on the one hand and Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri on the other . The symbolic value of the banning of the veil in France and related attempts to do so in Belgium , Spain , Italy and elsewhere in Europe goes far beyond the immediate impact of such legislation on the lives of a very tiny minority of Muslim women in Europe who choose to cover their faces in public . It comes at a time of increased European antagonism toward Muslim immigrants in their midst , as demonstrated by the increase in popularity of right wing anti-immigrant parties in countries such as the Netherlands and Austria . It also comes in the context of increasing resistance , especially by Germany and France , to Turkey 's membership in the European Union . Turkey is predominantly Muslim . Before the French ban proposal , nothing signified Europe 's fear of `` Islamic contamination '' more than the obstacles put in the way of Turkey 's progress to EU membership , especially when contrasted with the incorporation into the EU of former Soviet satellites with questionable democratic traditions and fragile economies . For most politically conscious Muslims , the ban on the veil and the snail 's pace on Turkey 's bid for EU membership , have merged into one mammoth display of European bigotry . It is now clear that many , if not most , European elites , especially the leadership in France and Germany , are engaged -- despite their secular protestations -- in protecting `` Christendom '' from both the enemy without -LRB- Turkey -RRB- and the enemy within -LRB- the Muslim immigrants -RRB- . Everything else , including talk about the rights of Muslim women , is just rhetoric that nobody in the Muslim world takes seriously . I would like to add to this discussion a post-script in the words of the well-known legal philosopher Martha Nussbaum . According to Nussbaum , a prominent argument in favor of banning the veil or the burqa is that it `` symbolizes the objectification of women -LRB- that they are being seen as mere objects -RRB- . '' The `` glaring flaw in the argument is that society is suffused with symbols of male supremacy that treat women as objects . Sex magazines , nude photos , tight jeans -- all these products , arguably , treat women as objects , as do so many aspects of our media culture . And what about the ` degrading prison ' of plastic surgery ? ... Is n't much of this done in order to conform to a male norm of female beauty that casts women as sex objects ? Proponents of the burqa-ban do not propose to ban all these objectifying practices . '' The obvious answer to Nussbaum 's rhetorical question is that none of these latter practices that she lists are remotely connected with Islam . The target of the veil ban is not female objectification and male domination ; it is a product of an irrational but visceral fear of Islam and Muslims in Europe : The Muslims are coming , therefore ban the veil and prevent Turkey from entering the EU . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Mohammed Ayoob .
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Mohammed Ayoob says French plan to ban veils is gift to those that push anti-Westernism . It makes European human rights advocacy hollow by using it in this case for racism , he says . Ban is sign that Europe trying to protect `` Christendom '' from Muslims . Ayoob : Veil-ban is not about women as objects , but about irrational fear of Islam in Europe .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- More than 5,000 people have been arrested and nearly $ 10 million seized in an operation targeting alleged illegal soccer gambling in Asia during the World Cup , Interpol reported Friday . The international police agency said it coordinated a month-long operation codenamed SOGA III , targeting activities linked to organized crime . Police raided `` 800 illegal gambling dens in China , Malaysia , Singapore and Thailand . The agency said the dens handled more than $ 155 million worth of bets . `` The results we have seen are impressive , not only in the number of arrests and seizures made across the region in just one month , but in terms of the police cooperation which made this possible , '' said Jean-Michel Louboutin , Interpol 's executive director of police services . `` As well as having clear connections to organized crime gangs , illegal soccer gambling is also linked with corruption , money laundering and prostitution , and Operation SOGA III will also have a significant long term impact on these serious offenses as well , '' Louboutin said . The operation ran during the World Cup period from June 11 to July 11 . Cars , bank cards , computers and mobile phones were seized , and the information will be reviewed to see whether other people or entities are involved . `` The experience and expertise developed in each of these types of operations provides an even stronger base from which police can work , not only in targeting the organized crime networks behind illegal soccer gambling , but in combating all types of criminal activity which require a regional or international response , '' Louboutin said . Interpol , based in Lyon , France , coordinated the operation with its office in Bangkok , Thailand . Interpol said it was the third of its kind . All totaled , the three separate operations resulted in 7,000 people arrested , $ 26 million seized and illegal gambling dens that handled more than $ 2 billion closed . Governments have released details of these latest busts in their respective countries over the month , such as Hong Kong in China . Hong Kong police , which dubbed its local operation `` Crowbeak , '' said on Friday it arrested 235 people , seized $ 361 million in betting slips , and arrested males and females ranging in age from 16 to 79 years . Hong Kong police worked with their counterparts in Shenzhen and Guangdong to bust two `` significant cross-boundary '' operations . `` Officers of the Police Technology Crime Division are currently examining the computers and server seized during the operations to investigate the identities of bookmakers , agents and punters , '' police said . Punters are people placing bets . Police engaged in an anti-illegal bookmaking efforts and created an anti-illegal bookmaking webpage . `` Illegal bookmakers had used mobile phones and the Internet as platforms for receiving bets . With wider use of the internet and the increasing number of internet users , police believe that more criminals will take advantage of this platform to commit crimes and police will adopt appropriate measures in combating such crimes . '' Hong Kong police have started financial probes in order to recover money and cut the incomes of `` criminal gangs . '' `` Police also discovered that bookmakers and agents had continued to operate on a number of levels . Agents at lower levels , after receiving bets from punters , had referred bets to bookmakers at higher levels or even official betting companies , so as to reduce their risks or gain commission . Some bookmakers even used others ' bank accounts to receive bets and handle crime proceeds in order to cover up their own identities , '' police said . Last month , China 's state-run news agency Xinhua reported that police in the northeastern city of Shenyang broke an illegal soccer gambling ring ahead of the World Cup .
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More than 5,000 people were arrested in Asia . Operations were in China , Malaysia , Singapore and Thailand . The operation occurred during the World Cup period .
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New Orleans , Louisiana -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Equipment that the oil company BP was using to help stop the massive oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico is leaking -- another setback for the beleaguered company in its hope of stopping this disaster . The company will need to fix the leak before it can run crucial tests that could show whether an end finally is in sight to the environmental disaster , the company said . There was no timetable for when the leak was to be fixed , a company spokesman said early Thursday morning . Earlier , BP was proceeding with the critical test of its crippled well in the Gulf of Mexico . The U.S. government had told BP Tuesday to proceed with the `` integrity '' test on the well in the Gulf of Mexico , and BP had begun the process of shutting off valves on its new capping stack , to see whether the well can hold the pressure . It 's hoped the tests , whenever they begin , will show whether the well can be contained -- either by closing the 30-foot , 75-ton cap stack or siphoning off oil to the surface . That could signal a beginning of an end to the catastrophe that began when the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded April 20 , killing 11 workers and launching the relentless oil spill . But even if the well is contained , the cleanup could take years . Retired Adm. Thad Allen , who is heading the government 's response to the oil spill , announced Wednesday the test had been given a green light , after it was delayed for a day so that procedures could be scrutinized . He said that after intense consultations with Energy Secretary Steven Chu and other scientists involved , `` At this time we 'll be releasing an order to BP to proceed with the well integrity test . But we gave them some additional direction to make sure we were are taking due care and in some cases an overabundance of caution , to make sure we did n't do any irreversible harm to the well as we proceed . '' Allen said the officials `` sat long and hard about delaying the test '' and it was `` not easy '' to decide to delay . He said they wanted to make sure they 're `` getting this right '' for this `` significant event . '' Allen added the earlier delay was not prompted by the White House . `` We advised the White House that we decided to take a 24-hour break . It was us advising them that we thought it was the right thing to do . We briefed them , '' he said . BP 's Senior Vice President Kent Wells reported shortly after Allen spoke that the middle valve of the three-valve stack had been closed . That 's an initial step in the complicated process of closing off the well and checking pressure to see how it 's holding . A key question was whether shutting the well was worth the risk , or whether it might damage the well bore . Allen said the test would be a stop-and-go process . It involves incrementally closing three valves on the new cap while testing pressure , a process that could unfold could over two days . Higher pressure readings would mean the leak is being stopped , while lower pressure indications would mean oil is escaping from other parts of the well . It was not clear early Thursday if the new leak was discovered by a lower pressure reading . The massive cap , which has a better seal than the last cap placed on the well , is about three stories high and weighs 160,000 pounds . If the well ca n't be shut off completely , oil could be diverted through riser pipes to ships on the surface . The Helix Producer and Q4000 currently are at the surface , but it might take several weeks before two more ships can be brought in to contain all the flow . Allen said a four-vessel system could recover up to 80,000 barrels -LRB- 3.3 million gallons -RRB- a day , more than the high-end estimates of the well 's flow rate . Scientists estimate that 35,000 to 60,000 barrels -LRB- 1.4 to 2.5 million gallons -RRB- of oil have spewed daily from BP 's breached well . Wells said the Helix Producer is ramping up production and recovered about 9,200 barrels -LRB- 386,400 gallons -RRB- on Tuesday . The test is called an integrity test because it is aimed at ensuring the well bore has enough integrity to hold the pressure in the well when it is closed . `` In this exercise , high pressure is good , '' Allen said . `` We are looking for somewhere between 8 - and 9,000 -LSB- pounds per square inch -RSB- inside the capping stack , which would indicate to us that the hydrocarbons are being forced up and the well bore 's being able to withstand that pressure . '' Allen said that if low pressure readings persist for around a six-hour time frame , that could signal problems with the new cap . Meanwhile , two relief wells are seen as the ultimate solution to the oil disaster . They 're expected to be completed in August . Wells had said Tuesday that work on the relief wells was being delayed while officials prepared for the integrity test , noting that `` it 's a good precaution to take . '' But Allen said Wednesday in his briefing the government has n't ordered BP to halt work on the relief wells . `` They are going very slowly . They have n't stopped , '' he said . He did say that operations on the second relief well were temporarily suspended at a depth of 15,963 feet to ensure there is no interference with the first relief well . The second relief well is a backup to the first . When the relief well does intercept the crippled well , heavy mud and then cement would be pumped in to seal it permanently . Allen cautions that even if the engineering containment efforts work , there is still a lot to be done in a disaster that has affected the environment and the livelihoods of people from Louisiana to Florida . `` There 's still a significant amount of oil out there , and the oil recovery and the impacts of this oil will probably extend well into the fall in terms of oil coming ashore , tar balls , beach cleanup , and then we will be ... trying to understand the long-term environmental/ecological impact of the event , '' he said . CNN 's John King , Jamie Morrison , Vivian Kuo and Scott Thompson contributed to this report .
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NEW : Leak puts a stop to tests on ruptured oil well . NEW : No timetable for when leak will be repaired . U.S. officials gave BP additional direction for tests .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A former State Department analyst was sentenced to life in prison Friday for spying for Cuba for almost 30 years . His wife and partner in spying received a sentence of six years and nine months , but will get credit for more than a year already served . Kendall Myers , 73 , pleaded guilty last November to conspiracy to commit espionage and wire fraud . His wife , Gwendolyn Steingraber Myers , 72 , admitted to one count of conspiracy to gather and transmit national defense information . Kendall Myers ' life sentence does not include the possibility of parole . In a prepared statement , Myers said he and his wife never wanted to harm Americans . `` We wish to add at this time that we acted as we did for 30 years because of our ideals and beliefs , '' he said . `` We did not seek nor receive payment for our work . We did not act out of anger at the United States or from a feeling of anti-Americanism . Nor did we ever intend to hurt any individual Americans . Our overriding objective was to help the Cuban people defend their revolution . We also hoped to forestall conflict between the two countries . '' `` We share the dreams and ideals of the Cuban revolution , '' he added . `` We are equally committed to helping the struggling people of the world , whether they are here at home or abroad . '' As part of their sentences , the couple also agreed to pay the government more than $ 1.7 million , a figure matching Kendall Myers ' estimated salary over the years while working for the U.S. government and secretly spying for Cuba . The two were arrested in June 2009 after meeting several times with an undercover FBI agent to whom they admitted their activities on behalf of Cuba . Those meetings were captured on video and audio tape . Court documents painted an intriguing picture of a couple motivated by admiration for Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution . They used code names . Kendall Myers was known as Agent 202 . Gwendolyn Myers used the names Agent 123 and Agent E-634 . They used a shortwave radio to communicate from their District of Columbia home with their Cuban handlers . The couple also admitted they met Cuban agents on overseas trips to various places , including Trinidad and Tobago , Jamaica , Mexico , Brazil , Ecuador and Argentina . Kendall Myers worked at the State Department 's Foreign Service Institute and later at the department 's Bureau of Intelligence and Research . He received a `` top secret '' security clearance in 1985 . According to court documents , Myers told the undercover FBI agent he usually took information from the State Department by memorizing it or taking notes , and upon occasion he actually took classified documents home . Gwendolyn Myers said she would process the information to be delivered to their Cuban intelligence handlers . At the request of the defense , U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton agreed to recommend the Myerses serve their time in facilities near one another to make it easier for family members to visit them . The Bureau of Prisons will make the ultimate decision on that .
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Kendall Myers says he never wanted to `` hurt any individual Americans '' Myers is sentenced to life ; his wife is sentenced to more than 6 years . Both were accused of spying for Cuba for almost 30 years . They also agreed to repay the government more than $ 1.7 million .
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New Orleans , Louisiana -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Encouraged by results so far , BP and the government agreed Saturday to another 24 hours of testing of the recently recapped Gulf well . BP 's 48-hour window for pressure testing expired Saturday afternoon with no reports of flowing oil or evidence that the giant sealing cap caused further damage . The testing will now go into Sunday afternoon . Retired Adm. Thad Allen , the government 's response manager , said once testing is eventually stopped `` we will immediately return to containment , using the new , tighter sealing cap with both the -LSB- vessels -RSB- Helix Producer and the Q4000 . '' Pressure was still rising Saturday though it had slowed considerably as expected , BP Senior Vice President Kent Wells said earlier in the day . Officials are looking at the testing in six-hour windows . `` The longer the test goes the more confidence we have in it , '' Wells told reporters in a conference call Saturday . `` There 's no evidence we do n't have integrity . '' Higher pressure means oil is not leaking out from another source in the well . Lower pressure would indicate otherwise . A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration sonar ship has been brought in to monitor the sea floor around the well , Allen said in a statement . `` The pressure in the capping stack continues to increase very slowly and we want to continue to monitor this progress . '' The latest pressure reading inside the well was 6,745 psi -LRB- pounds per square inch -RRB- , Wells said . That falls short of the optimal 8,000 to 9,000 psi needed in order to conclude without doubt the well is not leaking . `` Based on the data and pressure readings compiled to date , the test has provided us with valuable information which will inform the procedure to kill the well and a better understanding of options for temporary shut-in during a hurricane , '' Allen said . Allen said Friday that the rising pressure readings were generally good news . But he added , `` I think we 're at a point where there 's enough uncertainty about the meaning of the pressure that we 're seeing that we have to use due diligence moving forward . We do n't want to do harm or create a situation that can not be reversed . '' Reopening the valves would allow oil to once again flow into the Gulf and recovery operations from the surface to resume . No oil has gushed out since Thursday when BP closed all the valves in a new custom-made cap that was lowered into place earlier in the week . The undersea video images of a quiet ocean sprouted new hope in the hearts of Gulf Coast residents devastated by three months of disaster . Still , they remained cautiously optimistic , as did officials including Allen and President Barack Obama , until BP is able to announce conclusive test results . Engineers and scientists intensified monitoring of the well , pouring over images and data collected by robots , sonar scans and seismic and acoustic examinations . A government ship is in the area , fitted with equipment for detecting methane gas , which would be an indication of a leak . The well integrity test began Thursday after two days of delays , first as government scientists scrutinized testing procedures and then as BP replaced a leaking piece of equipment known as a choke line . The oil stopped gushing out Thursday afternoon , the first time the energy giant has been able to gain control since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded April 20 and triggered the catastrophe . All that was made possible by a new , tightly fitting containment cap . Meanwhile , BP restarted work on drilling two relief wells . Wells said Saturday that the first relief well is now about five feet away from the ruptured Macondo well and an intersection will occur by the end of July . BP then plans to pump mud and cement down to kill the ruptured well . `` We are feeling very good at this point on how the well is lining up , '' Wells said . When they are ready , mud and cement will be pumped into one of the relief wells to permanently seal BP 's crippled well . In the coming weeks , BP also plans to bring in two more oil collection ships in addition to the two already in the Gulf , bringing containment capacity to 80,000 barrels -LRB- about 3.4 million gallons -RRB- of oil a day , more than high-end estimates of how much oil had been leaking . But it 's possible some oil may be released into the Gulf again , before all the ships are ready . The skimming vessel `` A Whale , '' which underwent extensive testing , was found unsuited for the task and will not be deployed , Adm. Paul Zukunft said . President Obama spoke about the developments with a note of caution . `` I think it 's important that we do n't get ahead of ourselves here , '' he said . `` You know , one of the problems with having this camera down there is that when the oil stops gushing , everybody feels like we 're done , and we 're not . We wo n't be done until we actually know that we killed the well and have a permanent solution in place . '' The president expects to return to the Gulf Coast in the next few weeks . He took some heat from some corners on Saturday for taking a vacation in Maine instead of heading to revisit oil-affected areas . First Lady Michelle Obama is slated to return to the region Friday to meet with Coast Guard personnel who 've been responding to the oil spill and to christen a Coast Guard cutter named in honor of Dorothy Stratton , the service branch 's first female commissioned officer .
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NEW : Government , BP encouraged by well pressure testing . Testing will continue ; pressure is still rising , though slowly . Scientists are pouring through undersea images and data . No oil has gushed into the Gulf since Thursday .
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-LRB- Mental Floss -RRB- -- As you will be reminded countless times , when you cast your vote in Tuesday 's presidential election , you 're not taking part in a nationwide popular vote , but rather helping decide who your state 's Electoral College delegates support . Despite its name , the Electoral College never actually convenes as a unified group . There are all sorts of arguments for and against using this system rather than picking a winner based solely on the national popular vote , but for the moment , it looks like the Electoral College will be sticking around for a while . So what do you need to know about the least-fun college this side of the Catholic Church 's College of Cardinals ? What are the Electoral College 's admissions policies ? Different states choose their electors in different ways . Some states have nominations for electors during party conventions , while others choose their electors in primaries . In Pennsylvania , the campaigns choose their own electors . The only real things that can disqualify you from being an elector are holding a federal office or having engaged in some sort of insurrection against the U.S. government . Chosen electors are generally loyal party members who can be counted on to cast a ballot that 's in line with their state 's popular vote . Where 's the Electoral College 's campus ? It does n't have one . Although the name might make you think that all the electors meet in a centralized location to cast their ballots , the Electoral College never actually convenes as a unified group . Instead , the chosen electors all meet at their respective state capitals on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December to cast their votes . The votes are then counted in a joint session of Congress on January 6 . What if no one gets a majority of the Electoral College 's votes ? If no candidate can grab a majority -LRB- currently 270 -RRB- of the Electoral College 's votes , the House of Representatives meets immediately to pick the new president . In this situation , each state 's Congressmen get together and pick a candidate among the top three vote getters in the Electoral College balloting . Each state 's delegation then casts one vote . This process keeps going on indefinitely until a single candidate receives a majority of the states ' votes . The House of Representatives has picked two presidents : Thomas Jefferson in 1800 and John Quincy Adams in 1824 . Mental Floss : Adams vs. Jefferson : Birth of negative campaigns . Since electors also ballots for Vice President , the same situation can arise with that office . In these cases , the Senate immediately goes into session to pick a Vice President , although each Senator has his own vote . The Senate votes until a candidate receives a majority of the cast votes . This sort of contingent election has happened just once . In 1836 Martin Van Buren 's running mate , Richard M. Johnson needed 148 votes to win the Vice Presidency , but Virginia 's electors refused to vote for him . As a result , he ended up stuck with 147 votes , and the Senate had to hold a contingent election , where Johnson cruised by Whig candidate Francis P. Granger . Can the electors change their mind ? They can , but they then become what are known as `` faithless electors . '' Technically , states make their electors pledge to vote in a certain way , and 24 states have laws that punish electors who decide to get cute and switch things up . However , with a few exceptions like Michigan and Minnesota , votes cast by faithless electors still count in the final tally . Yeah , but that never happens , does it ? Faithless electors have actually popped up fairly frequently in American electoral history . One notable instance of faithless electors rearing their head occurred in 1972 . Roger MacBride , the treasurer of the Republican Party of Virginia , was a pledged elector for Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew . Instead , he cast his ballot for the Libertarian ticket . While this vote put him firmly on the outs with the state GOP , he became something of a Libertarian folk hero . In fact , Libertarians were so enthused by his vote that he won the party 's presidential nomination in the 1976 election . Although most switcheroos do n't benefit small-party candidates like this one did , they 're not all that uncommon , and not a recent trend , either ; Abraham Lincoln 's winning total in the 1860 election included four electors who were pledged to Stephen Douglas . Although Ronald Reagan won sound victories in 1980 and 1984 , he also received a single electoral vote in 1976 . Mike Padden , a faithless elector from Spokane , cast his vote for Reagan instead of Gerald Ford , as he 'd pledged . Mental Floss : Brief history of endorsements . It 's winner-take-all for each state , right ? Yes , for most states , the winner of the popular vote gets all of the state 's electors . However , Maine and Nebraska allocate their electors a little differently . Because each seat in Congress is roughly analogous to one vote in the Electoral College , these states let each congressional district pick its own candidate . The state 's remaining two electoral votes , which correspond to the state 's two Senators , go to whichever candidate wins the popular vote within the state . Technically , this system could result in a state 's electoral votes being split between two candidates . In practice , though , all of the districts tend to vote the same way . Although Maine and Nebraska have been using this system since 1972 and 1992 , respectively , neither state has ever split its presidential votes . What happens if a president-elect dies ? The national election takes place Tuesday , but the Electoral College wo n't formally meet to cast their votes until December 15 . If a candidate dies or becomes otherwise unfit to take office in the interim , a thorny issue pops up . Some states , like Virginia , legally bind their electors to vote for the candidate whose name was on the general election ballot . Other states , though , are more flexible and would allow their electors to vote for the ticket 's vice-presidential candidate or other agreed-upon candidate . Luckily , this scenario has never happened with an election winner . In 1872 , though , Democrat Horace Greeley died just over three weeks after Ulysses S. Grant thumped him in the election . Because the Electoral College still had to meet to elect Grant , electors who would have voted for Greeley simply spread their 66 votes among other Democratic candidates . As a result , Thomas Andrews Hendricks actually came in second in the election with 42 electoral votes despite not campaigning for the presidency ; he was busy successfully running for Governor of Indiana . Three electors actually voted for Greeley even though he was dead , which probably tells you all you need to know about the health of the Democratic Party during Reconstruction . Mental Floss : SNL political quiz . If the President elect dies after the Electoral College 's voting but before the inauguration , the Twentieth Amendment states that the Vice President elect becomes President . For more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright , Mental Floss LLC . All rights reserved .
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What happens if no presidential candidate gets enough electoral votes to win ? What if president-elect dies after Electoral College votes , but before inauguration ? Roger MacBride 's electoral vote made him Libertarian Party folk hero . Electoral vote `` switcheroos '' played role in Lincoln 's presidential victory .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Some people lose their homes because they have lost their jobs . John Gowan , a Federal air marshal , says he 's losing his job because he is losing his home . The Transportation Security Administration this month notified Gowan , 43 , that it is firing him because his security clearance was revoked , a direct result of bank foreclosures on his home and two investment properties , and related debts . Federal rules require employees with security clearances to remain solvent -- or to disclose their debts -- so they will be free from the `` potential for coercion , '' or bribes . Aware of the rules , Gowan notified his boss in the spring of 2008 of his financial problems brought on by the real estate collapse and a divorce , he said . He again disclosed his money woes several months later during a routine five-year review of his security clearance , listing the pending foreclosures and other debts . His boss vouched for him , telling investigators that Gowan 's disclosure of his money problems would prevent someone from blackmailing him , records show . Gowan and his attorney say they believe the TSA is firing Gowan not because of concerns about his finances , as stated in government documents , but because of lingering doubts or anger agency officials may have about accusations from a former girlfriend , who accused Gowan of breaking into her home and of domestic violence . In February of 2009 , Gowan , a supervisor in the air marshal 's Orlando field office , went to his former girlfriend 's home to retrieve his possessions . He was accompanied by local sheriffs who he had requested to accompany him to serve as witnesses . The girlfriend accused him of unlawfully entering her home and violating an injunction for protection against domestic abuse . The injunction was later dismissed , a judge ruling that there was insufficient evidence against Gowan . Subsequently , the TSA said the allegations were not a factor in the decision to revoke Gowan 's security clearance . `` You provided documentation that mitigated the -LRB- ex-girlfriend 's allegations -RRB- to a level that does not adversely affect national security , '' the TSA 's Office of Security wrote . But financial concerns did merit the revocation of Gowan 's security clearance , the TSA wrote . `` I really think that John 's firing comes from a combination of things , and I do believe that a lot initially hinged on the domestic violence allegation that ultimately was n't proved truthful , '' said John Zielinski , Gowan 's attorney . `` Because that -LRB- domestic violence -RRB- has such a stigma on it , even if it was n't true , it put John in a negative light . And that has conveyed ever after . '' Zielinski said the reason cited by the TSA for Gowan 's pending dismissal -- financial concerns -- are meritless , saying they were known by the TSA long ago , but were invoked only after the February 2009 allegations from his ex-girlfriend . Zielinski and Gowan say they are particularly riled by the TSA 's findings that Gowan had failed to take actions to mitigate his debts , had taken on new debts , and had increased his mortgage delinquencies . The first two allegations are false , he said . Gowan said he lost $ 172,000 of his own money on the three properties , spending $ 70,000 to $ 80,000 trying to save the two investment properties from foreclosure . He said `` new delinquencies '' cited by TSA had actually been disclosed in 2008 , and did not result in his dismissal at the time . As for the `` increased in delinquencies '' cited by the TSA , Gowan said the increase is a direct result of his being placed on unpaid administrative leave . The TSA created a `` Catch-22 '' scenario , attorney Zielinski said . As long as Gowan remains suspended without pay , the TSA will be able to show that his delinquent mortgage payments are increasing , he wrote in court documents . `` The agency has helped to create additional delinquencies that now form the basis for its continued revocation of -LRB- Gowan 's -RRB- security status , '' Zielinski wrote . Gowan apparently is n't the only air marshal whose financial problems threatened their jobs , records show . In March of 2009 , the TSA issued a policy statement saying that in consideration of the `` current economic climate , '' foreclosures and bankruptcies would not automatically disqualify individuals from working with the TSA . Indeed , Gowan says he has records of seven other air marshals at the Orlando field office who have had their homes foreclosed or have suffered short sales of homes , some after voluntarily taking transfers to or from other TSA offices . But Gowan evidently is the only air marshal who lost his clearance , and is losing his job , because of financial concerns , he said . The TSA declined to discuss Gowan 's case , saying it does not comment on personnel matters . Nor would it release information about the number of air marshals who lost their security clearance or jobs for financial reasons . Gowan said he also believes the TSA pressed the case against him because of a confrontation he had with an Orange County sheriff while removing furniture from his girlfriend 's house . According to a TSA incident report , Gowan became `` unprofessional '' when told he could not remove any more furniture , twice sticking his hands out toward the deputies and stating `` Go ahead and arrest me , take me to jail ! '' Gowan acknowledges that he confronted the sheriff and made the statement , but denied being unprofessional , saying he was `` challenging the position he was taking with regards to the statute or the law . '' Gowan says he is appealing his firing , and his attorney said they are contemplating a lawsuit .
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An air marshal says he 's losing job because of financial problems . Disclosed his problems to TSA as required . Lawyer says TSA has created `` Catch-22 ''
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London , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Fugitive Raoul Moat , wanted for the shootings of three people in northern England last weekend , died early Saturday after shooting himself , police said . Moat , 37 , shot himself around 1:15 a.m. -LRB- 8:15 p.m. ET Friday -RRB- , Northumbria Police said . No gunshots were fired by police , and Moat was pronounced dead around 2:20 a.m. , they said . A spokeswoman at Newcastle General Hospital confirmed Moat died shortly after arriving there . His death brought to an end a week-long manhunt that had the small northern English town of Rothbury on lockdown and dominated national news headlines . Moat , released from prison last Thursday after serving time for assault , allegedly shot and wounded his former girlfriend and killed her new partner last Saturday . He allegedly shot and wounded a police officer the next day . Convinced Moat was hiding in the area , police launched a manhunt focused around Rothbury and found several sites where they believed he had been sleeping . British news outlets reported police found letters at those sites in which he made rambling threats to police . The large-scale search involved a number of police units across Northumbria in northern England , including specialist search teams , armed response units , helicopters and dog handlers , according to police officials . It came to a head Friday evening when police discovered a man fitting Moat 's description near a riverbank around Rothbury , said Chief Superintendent Mark Dennett of the Northumbria police . `` When he was discovered , he was armed , '' Dennett said . `` Expert negotiators were brought in to speak to him , and spoke to him extensively for several hours . '' Speaking at a press conference Saturday , Temporary Chief Constable Sue Sim confirmed Moat had died after a single gunshot . She said no shots had been fired by police , but that officers had fired a taser . `` Right up until that time police officers were striving to persuade Mr. Moat to give himself up peacefully . During this time , officers discharged a taser . However , this did not prevent his death , '' she said . Witnesses described seeing the man , believed to be Moat , with a shotgun-like weapon aimed at his neck while armed police gathered feet away to speak to him . Because police had contact with Moat before he died , the incident has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission , which is standard in such cases , Northumbria Police said . `` While the incident has been brought to a close , we must be mindful of the impact it has had on many lives , '' Sim said . `` Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those affected . '' British news outlets reported Saturday that police had asked for a media blackout during the investigation because Moat had threatened the public . Among the details they were asked to keep secret was the discovery of a four-hour dictaphone recording in which Moat complained about media coverage of the manhunt , shootings , and his private life . He threatened to harm a member of the public -- perhaps journalists -- for every piece of information he perceived to be inaccurate , CNN affiliate ITN reported . Police were concerned that reports could anger Moat and trigger further violence , the Press Association reported . Police also asked for stories already published about his personal life to be removed from news websites , the PA said . They included stories about Moat 's mother , Josephine Healey -- who had n't seen her son in years -- saying he would be `` better off dead , '' the PA said . In messages posted on his Facebook page after his release from prison , Moat said he was upset that his girlfriend was with a new partner , according to British news outlets . `` Just got out the slammer , '' Moat wrote Friday morning , according to Channel 4 News , which said it had been given access to Moat 's page . Eleven minutes later , Moat wrote , `` Lost my business . Kids to -LRB- social -RRB- services . Gon na lose my home and lost my mrs of nearly 6 years to a copper . How did a guy who had it all end up in this situation . '' Police later said the man Moat killed -- his ex-girlfriend 's partner -- was not a police officer . The most recent pictures police had of Moat were taken on surveillance cameras as he shopped at a building supply store on Friday evening . Moat 's ex-girlfriend and the wounded police officer remain in the hospital .
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Raoul Moat was wanted in the shooting of three people last weekend . He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at a hospital . Moat had been on the run for a week .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Utah Department of Workforce Services said Friday it has identified at least two employees believed to be involved in creating a list containing the personal information of a purported 1,300 alleged illegal immigrants . `` At this point we do n't think it was a very large conspiracy . We think it was two , maybe . We have suspicion of a couple of more people , a very small group , '' said Kristen Cox , the executive director of the Department of Workforce Services . `` Release of such private , sensitive information is deplorable , '' Gov. Gary Herbert said in a news release . `` We immediately took action to discover the origins of this list , and I 'm pleased with the hard work of the Department of Workforce Services . When someone does business with the state of Utah , they deserve to know that their private information will be kept private . '' Herbert told CNN 's John King on Friday night that the 1,300 people have Hispanic names and not all of them are in the state illegally . The two employees have been placed on administrative leave pending completion of the full investigation and other employees may be identified as the review continues , the news release said . The Utah attorney general 's office will review data from the investigation for possible further action . `` The people we 've identified certainly have some strong political opinions and seem to be frustrated with some of the issues around immigration , '' Cox said . `` Regardless of what their frustration is , they work for the Department of Workforce Services and for state government . They understand what the rules are . They understand the protocols . And if they want to go rogue , they need to quit the department . I think it 's immense hypocrisy to take someone to task for being illegal and doing so by breaking the law . '' The state focused on the Utah Department of Workforce Services , Herbert 's office said Thursday , because all of the information on the 29-page list -- including contact information , Social Security numbers and pregnancy due dates -- is contained within that agency 's database . Information from the investigation may be turned over to state prosecutors , a statement from the office said . The list was anonymously distributed to media and government offices across the state , CNN affiliate KSTU-TV reported . An accompanying letter from `` Concerned Citizens of the United States '' insisted that those on the list should be deported immediately . Thursday , a group of Latino activists told reporters that the list had sparked widespread fear . `` Our community is very concerned , very worried about it , '' said Tony Yapias with Proyecto Latino de Utah . `` I would say they have been terrorized , many of them . People are just afraid of what 's happening . '' Those named on the list are even more frightened , said Jesus Ramos with the Utah Coalition of La Raza . `` For these 1,300 people , unfortunately that fear has escalated , '' he said . `` There 's an arrest warrant out , essentially . That fear never goes away . '' Herbert said Friday , `` Some are scared and apprehensive . I understand that . I expect that comes with the status of being illegal . If I was in the country illegally , I would probably have fear and apprehension , too . '' Utah Minuteman Project co-chairman Eli Cawley told CNN affiliate KSL-TV that he had some concerns about privacy and how the names were procured , but he would have released a similar list if he could have . `` If it were a reliable list and it had come from a source that was acknowledged and vetted , then yes , I would absolutely support something like that , '' he said . But Herbert said Friday the information should n't have gone out to anyone , even the government agency charged with enforcing immigration law . `` It 's a violation of federal law to take this information and give it to ICE , whether it 's out there or not , '' the governor said , referring to the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency . `` If we have laws on the books , they need to be enforced and we 're enforcing it here on this breach of the law as it appears on disclosing confidential information , '' Herbert said . `` But I also believe the issue at hand , the underlying issue of illegal immigration , is something that needs to be addressed also . We know the frustration of the people out there because of the inaction of the federal government , in particular , in enforcing the law . '' Herbert has plans to bring together a `` spectrum '' of viewpoints , some `` diametrically opposed , '' for a roundtable discussion on immigration reform in Utah on Tuesday . `` We see what 's happened in Arizona . So Utah , like other states right now , are saying if the federal government is not going to do something , we will take steps to do something ourselves within the parameters of the law . It may mean creating new law , '' he said .
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NEW : Governor says some on list may have legal status . 2 Utah state employees believed involved in creating list with alleged illegal immigrants ' data . The data includes personal information about 1,300 alleged illegal immigrants . Gov. Gary Herbert calls the release of information release `` deplorable ''
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Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Fertility issues were at the center of former TV chef Juan-Carlos Cruz 's motivation in the alleged murder-for-hire plot to kill his wife , according to sources close to the couple . The former host of the Food Network 's `` Calorie Commando '' was charged Monday with attempted murder and solicitation of murder for allegedly trying to hire homeless men to kill his wife . Two sources close the couple , who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter , said their 20-year struggle to have a child overwhelmed them . After spending a lot of money on unsuccessful fertility treatments , Cruz 's wife , Jennifer Campbell , was `` very depressed and talked about suicide , '' one source said . The sources suggested she may have wanted to end her life but that as a devout Roman Catholic , she believed suicide was a sin . The failure to have a successful pregnancy was `` pretty overwhelming thing in their lives , '' the second source said . The source closest to Campbell said she still loves her husband despite his arrest . The source would not comment on whether she was aware of the alleged planning before his arrest . The source closest to Cruz , 48 , said he was `` nothing but a loving and devoted husband . '' CNN was unable to talk Cruz or Campbell directly . The prosecution and police would not comment on the case . Cruz , arrested a week ago , remained behind bars pending a $ 2 million bond payment . A preliminary hearing was set for June 23 . The criminal complaint filed Monday accused Cruz of trying to hire David Carrington and David Walters -- homeless men who go by the street names Little Dave and Big Dave -- to murder Campbell . It was not immediately clear who was Little Dave and who was Big Dave . If convicted , Cruz could get life in prison , a prosecution spokeswoman said . Assistant Deputy District Attorney Joseph Marcus would not talk about the case , but the homeless men allegedly solicited to carry out the hit spoke with celebrity news and gossip website TMZ on Saturday . One of them called Cruz `` very meticulous '' but `` very cheap '' in his planning . The plan fell apart when one of the men whom Cruz allegedly recruited told Santa Monica police , Sgt. Jay Trisler said . Trisler confirmed that the men interviewed by TMZ are the chief witnesses against Cruz . Little Dave told TMZ that he was approached first by Cruz , who asked him to kill his wife for cash , and he told his friend Big Dave . Big Dave said he told a Santa Monica police officer about the plot after he was arrested for loitering . `` We 're very fortunate that we have a relationship and rapport with some of the homeless and that they were able to give us information , '' Trisler said . Santa Monica police began their undercover investigation of Cruz on May 7 , Trisler said . Cruz was arrested at a dog park in the Cheviot Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon , he said . Big Dave and Little Dave got a place to stay while the investigation was under way . Santa Monica police put them in a hotel room to keep them out of sight , Big Dave said . `` They gave us two pizzas , a 12-pack of beer and a bottle of San Jose , '' he said . `` I love them . '' Cruz , a Los Angeles resident , was an overweight pastry chef at the Hotel Bel Air until he changed his focus to promote low-calorie recipes . He wrote `` The Juan-Carlos Cruz Calorie Countdown Cookbook : A 5-Week Eating Strategy for Sustainable Weight Loss , '' published in 2007 . The Food Network issued a short statement Monday saying Cruz `` has not been under contract or associated with Food Network for a number of years . ''
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Sources say inability to have child motivated alleged murder plot . Juan-Carlos Cruz is accused of trying to hire homeless men to kill his wife . Police say a homeless man came to them with information about Cruz . Cruz is former host of Food Network 's `` Calorie Commando ''
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-LRB- Mashable.com -RRB- -- Microsoft is announcing today that it has integrated Facebook and Windows Live Messenger into Outlook , bringing the streams of millions of Facebook users into inboxes across the world . Last year , Microsoft launched Outlook Social Connector , a plugin that syncs social networking feeds with your Outlook contacts , giving you immediate data on what they are doing and thinking . It started last year with LinkedIn integration , but soon the company announced MySpace and Facebook were coming . Today , Outlook completes the cycle with not only Facebook integration , but support for Windows Live Messenger as well . Not only that , but the company is releasing the plugin for Outlook 2003 and 2007 users as well , bringing Facebook , MySpace , LinkedIn and Windows Live Messenger to millions of business and personal inboxes worldwide . Last week , we got a sneak peek at the new Outlook at Microsoft 's headquarters in Redmond , Washington . Here 's what you can expect from the new Facebook integration , as well some features that you can expect in the near future : . Facebook + Outlook = Realtime Contact Data . Facebook and Microsoft worked together to get the launch of Facebook 's integration in Outlook Social Connector right . Facebook 's Strategic Partner Manager Rick Armbrust told us that they worked closely with the Office team to make the experience more social . One of the things he immediately highlighted was the pulling of Facebook profile pictures into Outlook . The entire experience is a step above the Outlook-LinkedIn integration , which itself was pretty strong . Not only does it pull Facebook profile photos so that you can associate a name to a face , but it pulls the news feeds of your contacts into your inbox . When you 're looking at someone 's e-mail , you 'll also get a glance at their status updates , picture uploads and wall posts , among other activities . When you combine that with LinkedIn , MySpace , Windows Live Messenger , and Outlook data , you get a very detailed history of your interaction with your contacts , as well as an at-a-glance look at their activities and interests . Knowing that a potential client just returned from a trip to Hawaii can be all that you need to have the upper hand against your competition . Microsoft Group Product Manager Paco Contreras told us that there 's another new feature to the Facebook integration : realtime updates . Thanks to a new update to the social connector platform , also being released today , updates from your contacts will automatically be pushed to your inbox . There 's no need to refresh anything : new Facebook status updates will pop up in realtime within Outlook . The Facebook integration does have limitations , though : except for friend requests , Outlook can only pull data from Facebook . There is no `` liking '' posts or updating your status via Outlook , at least right now . Microsoft says that the next step is to provide a richer social experience by integrating the ability to push data to other social networks , improving the look and feel of Outlook Social Connector , and adding other social networks from other regions . The Social Inbox . Microsoft has known for a while that social technologies are going to dominate the web . That was made evident by its $ 240 million stake in Facebook and its many partnerships and attempts at social media -LRB- some of which have bombed -RRB- . However , Outlook Social Connector has always felt like one of the company 's smarter social media plays . Facebook 's Rich Armbrust probably put it best : . `` What 's unique is that it 's bringing social elements and context from Facebook form your colleagues and your friends into the Outlook experience , which is pretty unique given that there are so many that use Outlook as their primary communiction tool . '' E-mail is n't inherently a `` social '' experience -LRB- it 's not a one-to-many platform -RRB- , and attempts at integrating social into the inbox -LRB- think Google Buzz -RRB- have mostly fallen flat . However , social data can be incredibly useful in the business world , especially when you need to understand what your client or colleague is thinking or doing right now . While we 'd still love to see Twitter integration in Outlook , Facebook is far larger and , in most cases , has far more useful information . Microsoft 's also learned a few lessons from the privacy fiascos Facebook and Google have undergone in recent months . Outlook will only pull data from e-mails connected to Facebook accounts . If your business e-mail is n't linked to your Facebook , your data stream wo n't appear in Outlook Social Connector . It gives users a choice , although most people do choose to add their work e-mails to Facebook in order to join their company 's Facebook network . If you want to learn more about the announcement , Microsoft has also released a short video articulating Outlook 's new features . © 2010 MASHABLE.com . All rights reserved .
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Outlook Social Connector syncs social networking feeds with your Outlook contacts . New Facebook status updates will pop up in realtime within Outlook . Outlook will only pull data from e-mails connected to Facebook accounts .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Lumpkin , Georgia police officer who repeatedly tasered a 57-year-old woman violated police policy but resigned before he could be fired , a city attorney said Thursday . Lumpkin City Attorney William Nesmith said an internal police investigation revealed former officer Ryan Smith inappropriately tasered Janice Wells earlier this year . The incident , caught on a patrol-car dash-camera tape that was released this week by Wells ' attorney , cost Smith and another officer involved their jobs . Wells called police on April 26 because she thought there was a prowler on her property in west Georgia , her attorney , Gary Parker said . Police officer Tim Murphy of the Richland Police Department arrived and found Wells at her home with a guest who had been visiting but was leaving , Parker said . The officer asked for the guest 's name , and when Wells declined to give it to the officer , he threatened to arrest her for obstruction of justice , Parker said . The police report of the incident has a slightly different take on the situation . According to the report , officer Murphy was responding to a call regarding an `` unwanted guest '' at Wells ' home . When the officer arrived , Wells said that she wanted the guest , a man , to leave her property , according to the report . The cop asked the man to leave , and then asked Wells what his full name was . She declined and he said he would arrest her . What ensued was that Murphy tried unsuccessfully to arrest Wells and called for backup . Smith , of the Lumpkin Police Department , responded and tasered the woman during the incident . Wells was `` peppered sprayed about four times and Tasered 11 to 12 times , '' Parker said . `` You can hear the -LRB- stun -RRB- gun going off , you can hear her screaming . '' `` Do n't do that , do n't do it ! '' Wells can be heard shouting on the dashcam video . On the video , it sounds as though she was stunned about four times . Despite the different versions of what led to the use of the stun gun , the police departments of Richland and Lumpkin were quick to move to discipline both officers . Murphy was fired , Richland County Attorney Tommy Coleman said . Smith , the officer who used the stun gun , resigned and went to another police department before receiving a termination letter written by Lumpkin Police Chief Steven Ogle , authorities said . `` She was a school teacher ; she had to teach the next day . She could n't make bond and she had to spend the night in jail , '' said Stewart County Sheriff Larry Jones . Jones , who knows Wells , arrived at the scene just after the stun gun incident concluded . `` When I arrived , Mrs. Wells was screaming ' I did n't do anything , I did n't do anything . ' She was seated in the car and she was screaming ` Larry help me , I had n't done anything . ' '' On the dashcam tape , Wells can be heard yelling as the sheriff described . `` When I saw the tape , I thought , ` This ca n't be true . ' You do n't do an animal like this . One time , maybe -LRB- with the Taser -RRB- . If she was physically fighting back maybe , but she was just sitting there , '' Jones said . `` He attacked her with that Taser . '' Reached by CNN , Murphy declined to comment . Efforts to reach Smith were unsuccessful . Wells was a teacher for 33 years who came out of retirement to teach third graders , her attorney said . The incident has made her withdrawn and anxious , he said . The Georgia Bureau of Investigation reviewed video of the incident and found no criminal wrongdoing and no one had requested that the agency investigate further , authorities said . In Session 's Mayra Cuevas contributed to this report .
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NEW : A city attorney says an officer violated policy when he tasered a Georgia woman in April . Janice Wells says a prowler was at the house , while police say she complained of an unwanted guest . A man who was there with her at the scene left . When she refused to give the man 's name , police tried to arrest her .
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San Diego , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Another player has entered the immigration battle as the Justice Department sues Arizona over its new immigration law . And the reason the fight is centered in Arizona is that reform has failed in Washington . Like the characters in `` Hot Tub Time Machine , '' reformers are stuck in 1986 . That 's when Congress passed , and President Reagan signed into law , the Immigration Reform and Control Act , which married border control and the legalization of millions of illegal immigrants . Reformers today are misguided to seek a similar `` grand bargain '' on immigration . History shows 1986 was an anomaly , and the desire to get everything for a controversial group typically gets nothing . But there 's hope : A few in the movement have begun to see that getting meaningful action will require small steps and `` mini-bargains . '' How did we get here ? The Immigration Reform and Control Act , the bill resulting from the 1986 grand bargain , proved to be a spectacular failure . Although it legalized 3 million people , the border and enforcement provisions were toothless . By 2009 , the Department of Homeland Security said there were 10.8 million illegal immigrants in the United States -- nearly matching the population of Ohio . Reformers today still try to link legalization of the vast majority of resident illegals with stronger enforcement mechanisms -- just as they did in 1986 . But the 1986 grand bargain taught today 's immigration restrictionists a simple lesson : Do n't make any more grand bargains . Many in Congress will not support mass legalization unless the enforcement mechanisms are proven to work . That could take years . Nearly all Republicans and many Democrats will vote against legalization because their most vocal constituents oppose benefits to those they see as morally unworthy . Illegals , they say , violated the law and American sovereignty , put American security at risk and then took American jobs . The way forward out of the stalemate should start the way all policy starts that benefits unpopular groups : Target the most deserving . Modern civil rights policy started small in a 1941 Roosevelt executive order : No discrimination against African-Americans working in defense industries . Big changes start with small steps . Similarly , immigration reformers must start with the strongest claims to legalization : students and soldiers . Hundreds of thousands of kids are undocumented because their parents brought them here . The best students in cities such as Los Angeles , California -- high achieving , polite and outgoing , and as accent-free as any suburban kid -- often turn out to be illegal immigrants . They did n't choose to break any law , but their legal status leaves them with no opportunities . Thousands more young people are willing to fight with the United States military , but can not . Sens. Dick Durbin , D-Illinois , and Richard Lugar , R-Indiana , introduced the `` DREAM '' act in 2009 to offer legal status to these young people who were brought here as children and finished college or two years of military service . Starting reform with DREAM would target the most deserving of the undocumented . Supporters of comprehensive reform and legalization worry that the DREAM act will take away the impetus for further reform and benefit only a fraction of the illegal immigrants in the United States . Yet the current strategy has benefited no one . Although it is true that the DREAM act will initially help only a few hundred-thousand , pro-Latino reformers should not forget the lesson of minority rights since the 1940s : Rights expand over time , covering more groups and more issues . After the students and veterans gain legalization , the next step would be their families . Family unification may be another sympathetic cause and political winner . Restrictionists point out that these students and soldiers will always be lawbreakers and should remain excluded . But they need to be reminded that 2006 's enforcement-only bill not only failed , but also provoked a firestorm of protest that makes the current demonstrations regarding Arizona 's new immigration law look like picnics . Border control and enforcement , like legalization , needs to move forward incrementally and be paired with a scaled-down sweetener : DREAM . Here , then , is the mini-bargain . Supporting the DREAM act is good politics for Republican restrictionists , who need to avoid appearing mean-spirited -LRB- which turns off independents -RRB- and anti-Latino for their electoral future . Legalization forces can get DREAM , but they must also support increased border enforcement . It is time to try something new . The pursuit of a 1986-style grand bargain is blocking the path of potential patriotic soldiers and is failing good kids -- as well as America 's future . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John D. Skrentny .
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John Skrentny : Immigration reformers must scale back ; they ca n't get everything at once . 1986 act tying legalization and border control failed ; wo n't work today , he writes . Skrentny says start with the strongest claims to legalization : students and soldiers . Author supports bipartisan DREAM act , which offers `` mini-bargains '' for legalization .
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Havana , Cuba -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro appeared on the island 's state-run television for the second time in less than a week on Friday , using the forum to again blast U.S. arms policy . `` The Yankees want to offer a world without nuclear arms , '' he said , adding that the United States wants to substitute conventional arms instead . But a world limited to conventional arms would leave the United States in a position of power , he said . The 83-year-old former Cuban leader cited as an example the power of a Trident submarine to launch `` in two minutes '' a missile made of a material stronger than steel that could travel at speeds up to 25,000 kmh -LRB- 15,000 mph -RRB- . Once it hits , `` nothing remains , '' he said . `` Everything disappears . '' He added , `` These are the conventional arms that remain -- what focus of resistance -LSB- could withstand them -RSB- ? If they use them on strategic locations , nothing remains ! That is the world without nuclear arms that they are offering . '' Asked about the possibility of a war against Iran , Castro grabbed a sheaf of newspapers from a pile and read aloud headlines warning of dire regional and global consequences . As he sat beside Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez , Castro took questions from the dozens of people who had crowded into a room at Cuba 's Foreign Ministry in Havana and answered them in the long-winded fashion that is familiar to any Cubans who remember his talks from before an illness sidelined him in 2006 . After largely staying away from the cameras for years , former Cuban President Fidel Castro has made five public appearances in less than a week . The elderly Castro attended a dolphin show at Havana 's aquarium on Thursday , according to the island 's evening newscast and daily state-run newspaper . The state-run newspaper , Granma , showed images of the aging Cuban revolutionary greeting aquarium employees and watching scuba divers interact with dolphins . Photos of the octogenarian at a scientific center were published last Saturday showing his first public appearance since his illness in 2006 forced him to hand the reins of power to his younger brother Raul . Fidel Castro was interviewed on Cuba 's evening television newscast on Monday , when he slammed U.S. foreign policy with North Korea and in the Middle East and warned of a potential nuclear war with Iran . He also appeared Tuesday at an economics institute . Friday 's latest appearance by the former Cuban leader comes on the heels of the first release of political prisoners to Spain . The group of seven dissidents railed against the Castro brothers and the condition of their imprisonment during a news conference in the Spanish capital on Thursday . The group is among 52 political prisoners expected to be released in coming months , in what would be the largest Cuban prisoner release in more than a decade . They represent roughly one-third of all known political prisoners left on the island and are the remainder of a group of 75 dissidents arrested in March 2003 during a crackdown on government opposition under then-president Fidel Castro . CNN 's David Ariosto contributed to this report .
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NEW : Fidel Castro accuses U.S. of wanting to replace nukes with super conventional weapons . NEW : `` Nothing remains , '' he says of such a weapons strike . `` Everything disappears . '' NEW : Castro warns against nuclear war in the Middle East . His talk follows attendance at a dolphin show .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered a temporary deployment Friday of National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border . The order reflects President Barack Obama 's efforts to secure the border , Schwarzenegger 's office said . Last month , the governor praised Obama 's proposal to deploy 1,200 National Guard personnel along the southwest border of the U.S. Of those troops , 224 would be deployed in California for up to one year . `` The military forces deployed in support of this request will not be employed in a direct law enforcement role , '' Schwarzenegger 's order said . The mission is scheduled to end on June 30 , 2011 . It 's not the first time Schwarzenegger issued a general order directing California National Guard personnel to the border . In June 2006 , the governor sent troops temporarily to support federal efforts to secure the border . Schwarzenegger 's office has said the governor believes more Border Patrol agents are needed to reduce illegal border crossings , human trafficking and the influx of narcotics .
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Governor responds to Obama 's call for more troops to U.S.-Mexico border . The deployment is scheduled to end in June 2011 . Governor 's office says more personnel would support counternarcotics operations .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Herb Brooks : On this day in 1980 , the former University of Minnesota coach led a hockey team of college kids in a 4-3 victory over the best national team the Soviet Union had ever sent to the Olympics . The squad from the USSR practiced 11 months a year . Brooks was coaching amateurs . According to the International Ice Hockey Federation , `` The Olympic Fieldhouse in Lake Placid , New York , hardly seemed like the place where hockey history could be made , but on one afternoon in 1980 , the greatest moment in international hockey took place . It was a moment that transformed the game in one country and , over time , around the world . It was a moment that came to define Olympic success . It was a moment that came to inspire dreams . After February 22 , 1980 , anything was possible . '' On this day 30 years ago , the `` Miracle on Ice '' stunned Olympic fans . In his famous pre-game speech , Brooks inspired his team by saying , `` If we played 'em ten times , they might win nine . But not this game . Not tonight . Tonight , we skate with them . Tonight , we stay with them . And we shut them down because we can ! Tonight , WE are the greatest hockey team in the world ! '' Two days later , the U.S. team beat Finland and won the gold medal . Brooks died in August 2003 , in a car accident in Minnesota . He was 66 . In 2004 , Kurt Russell portrayed Brooks in `` Miracle , '' the movie based on the victory . And on the 25th anniversary of the showdown , the arena in Lake Placid was named after Herb Brooks . Sunday in Vancouver , Team USA pulled off its biggest Olympic hockey upset since the Miracle on Ice , stunning Canada 5-3 to advance to the quarterfinals . International Ice Hockey Federation : ` Miracle on Ice ' is No. 1 story . Ron Paul : The Republican Texas congressman , a stalwart foe of government spending , won a blowout victory Saturday in the annual Conservative Political Action Conference presidential straw poll . With participants naming `` reducing the size of federal government '' as their top issue , the 74-year old libertarian hero captured 31 percent of the 2,400 votes cast in the annual contest . Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney finished second with 22 percent of the vote , ending a three-year winning streak at the annual CPAC gathering . Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin finished third with 7 percent of the vote , followed by Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty at 6 percent and Indiana Rep. Mike Pence at 5 percent . The announcement of Paul 's win , a surprise victory unlikely to have a major impact on the 2012 presidential contest , drew a volley of loud boos from the CPAC audience . According to his official biography , Paul was born and raised in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , graduated from Duke University School of Medicine , and served as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force during the 1960s . Paul ran for president in 1988 as a Libertarian and in 2008 as a Republican . CNN : Paul surprise winner of CPAC straw poll . Office of Rep. Ron Paul : Biography . Henry Cuellar : The Democratic congressman representing Laredo , Texas , has asked federal officials for a Predator drone aircraft to help protect the border between the United States and Mexico , from Brownsville to El Paso , Texas . The San Antonio Express reports that Cuellar , chair of the House Homeland Security subcommittee , has requested a meeting in April with officials from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Aviation Administration to discuss the possibility of using a drone to fight drug trafficking and possible terrorism threats . Predators are remotely piloted aircraft used for reconnaissance and target acquisition . The Predators used by the U.S. military are armed with Hellfire missiles . The Congressional Research Service says that drones are twice as likely to crash as manned aircraft , the Express reports . Drones have already been approved by Congress for border protection . Each Predator drone costs around $ 4.5 million . Rep. Cuellar , a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition , was elected to Congress in 2005 and is now serving his third term . His official Web site reports , `` With a total of 5 advanced degrees , Congressman Cuellar is the ` Most Degreed Member ' serving in the House . '' San Antonio Express-News : Aerial drones could patrol Texas border . Office of Rep. Cuellar : Biography . Roslyn Brock : The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , one of the oldest civil rights groups in the nation , announced the successor to Chairman Julian Bond on Saturday as the organization strives to prove its relevance and influence to a new generation . NAACP Vice Chair Roslyn Brock was selected to fill the seat left by Bond , a civil rights leader who has held the post since 1998 . Brock , 44 , the youngest person ever to serve in the position , has worked with the organization for more than 25 years in various roles , according to the NAACP . She is also a vice president at Bon Secours Health Systems in Marriottsville , Maryland . The NAACP selected Benjamin Todd Jealous as its president in 2008 . At 35 , Jealous was the youngest ever to hold that post at the NAACP . In an interview with Essence magazine , Brock said , `` To be at this place is truly a blessing . I never thought I could possibly lead this organization knowing that it is a male-dominated organization and only had three women prior to this time . The fact that only two African American women have served as chair really made it seem out of my reach . '' On CNN 's `` Sunday Morning , '' Brock said , `` It is our goal to extend a broader net , to encourage all Americans who believe in life , liberty and the pursuit of happiness to come and join us . '' CNN : New leader vows she 'll bring ` new generation ' to NAACP . Essence : Roslyn Brock youngest chair of NAACP . Mary Robbins : The 71-year-old retired military nurse from Colorado Springs , Colorado , died of cancer on February 9 . KKTV in southern Colorado reports that Robbins had signed a contract in 2006 with a cryonics company to have her head and brain preserved and frozen when she died . She agreed that $ 50,000 would be paid to Alcor Life Extension Foundation of Scottsdale , Arizona , for the procedure . Her daughter , Darlene Robbins , recently hired an attorney , because she says her mother changed her mind before she died . Attorney Robert Scranton told CNN on Sunday that Mary Robbins `` had a great interest in science and was very forward-thinking . '' She thought that she might be brought back to life one day , he said . But in December , the lump she had discovered turned out to be cancer , which had metastasized all over her body . Scranton said she did not want to be revived in that condition . KKTV reports that Eric Bentley , an attorney representing Alcor , says the nonprofit foundation wants to carry out Mary Robbins ' wishes . An all-day court hearing is scheduled Friday to decide in what condition Mary Robbins will be buried . Her body is at a funeral home . According to Alcor 's Web site , `` Cryonics is the science of using ultra-cold temperature to preserve human life with the intent of restoring good health when technology becomes available to do so . '' KKTV : Battle underway for head and brain of Colorado Springs woman . Alcor Web site . What makes a person intriguing ? There are people who enter the news cycle every day because their actions or decisions are new , important or different . Others are in the news because they are the ones those decisions affect . And there are a number of people who are so famous or controversial that anything they say or do becomes news . Some of these people do what we expect of them : They run for office , pass legislation , start a business , get hired or fired , commit a crime , make an arrest , get in accidents , hit a home run , overthrow a government , fight wars , sue an opponent , put out fires , prepare for hurricanes and cavort with people other than their spouses . They do make news , but the action is usually more important than who is involved in the story . But every day , there are a number of people who become fascinating to us -- by virtue of their character , how they reached their decision , how they behaved under pressure or because of the remarkable circumstances surrounding the event they are involved in . They arouse our curiosity . We hear about them and want to know more . What they have done or said stimulates conversations across the country . At times , there is even a mystery about them . What they have done may be unique , heroic , cowardly or ghastly , but they capture our imaginations . We want to know what makes them tick , why they believe what they do , and why they did what they did . They intrigue us .
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Today marks 30th anniversary of ` Miracle on ice ' Olympic hockey game . Rep. Ron Paul wins straw poll at conservative conference . Court to hear battle over woman 's desire to have head and brain preserved after death .
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[[1777, 1785], [1863, 1974]]
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Power outages in Connecticut , rail service disruptions in Washington and warnings to conserve electricity in New York City mark the second day of the Northeast heat wave . As many as 9,000 customers of Connecticut Light and Power in Stamford were without electrical service Tuesday , according to the power company 's website . A heat-related transformer failure at a substation in Stamford caused the outage , according to a spokeswoman for the utility company . Temperatures reached 100 Tuesday in Stamford , according to the National Weather Service . In Washington , at least one rail line was delayed when Metrorail officials found a `` heat kink '' on the Red Line . A kink occurs in extremely hot weather when overheated tracks expand but ca n't be constrained by cross ties or ballast , and when a kink is found , train speed is reduced to ensure passenger safety , Metro said . Track inspectors will continue to monitor all conditions should other tracks become affected . New York residents -- advised by Con Ed Power to conserve electricity during the heat wave -- did just that , company spokeswoman Joy Faber said . `` No usage records were broken in the city or the state , '' she said Tuesday . Earlier in the day at a media briefing with reporters , a Con Ed official had feared that Tuesday 's usage rate would surpass the record of 13,141 megawatts set in August of 2006 . Faber said later that usage peaked Tuesday -- as New York temperatures hit 103 degrees in some places , according to the National Weather Service -- at 12 , 963 megawatts . Even without a record-setting day , residents were still being encouraged to cut back on electricity consumption , officials said . `` Postpone using large appliances , turn out lights , use fans instead of air conditioners , or if you have to use an air conditioner , set it at 78 -LRB- degrees -RRB- , '' said Con Ed spokesman John Miksad . `` This is a team effort , '' he said . `` We will get through this . '' As many as 400 cooling stations have opened in New York 's five boroughs , according to the Office of Emergency Management . OEM Commissioner Joe Bruno urged people to utilize the center , and advised neighbors to check on neighbors to make sure they are well . `` This is a significant health emergency as well as a heat emergency , '' Bruno said . The heat wave has claimed one life . A 92-year-old woman was found dead in her home in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , according to the medical examiner 's office . The woman , who was found by a neighbor , had opened a few windows in her home but did not have air conditioning , said a medical examiner 's spokesman . Heat advisories remain in effect through Wednesday evening for much of the Northeast , according to the National Weather Service , which also issued an additional `` excessive heat warning '' to be in effect until 8 p.m. Wednesday for Philadelphia ; Trenton , New Jersey ; and parts of Delaware . Weather service officials are advising people to stay indoors as the prolonged heat and humidity creates a `` dangerous situation . '' `` Be sure to check on your elderly relatives and neighbors . Coaches , trainers , camp counselors should remain alert for signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke , '' the weather service warned .
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NEW : Conservation calls being heeded in New York , Con Ed says . As many as 9,000 are without power in Connecticut , utility says . Heat kink '' forces delays on Metrorail 's Red Line in Washington . Elderly Philadelphia woman 's death was heat-related , medical examiner says .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Two Minnesota state lawmakers said Friday that they have reached a deal to compensate victims of the Interstate 35 bridge collapse that killed 13 people in Minneapolis last year . Thirteen people were killed and dozens were injured in last year 's collapse in Minneapolis , Minnesota . State Sen. Ron Latz and state Rep. Ryan Winkler told CNN Radio that the deal totals $ 38 million and will be presented to the Legislature for approval . Latz said the deal would expedite compensation to victims who chose to take their portion of the settlement and waive their right to sue the state . The plan addresses a key sticking point in negotiations : preserving a state liability cap on awards to individual victims , Latz said . Winkler said victims will be able to collect up to $ 400,000 and people whose damages exceed $ 400,000 will be able to pull from a supplemental pool of more than $ 12 million . `` There are a 182 potential claimants out there , '' Winkler said . `` There were 13 dead , and there were 12 catastrophic injury cases . '' Gov. Tim Pawlenty said he would welcome the deal for survivors and relatives if the Legislature approves it . `` I look forward to signing this legislation into law , '' Pawlenty said in a statement . `` It provides needed relief and support for victims and family members directly impacted by the I-35W bridge tragedy . I 'm pleased that Senator Latz , Representative Winkler , my office and others were able to work together to craft this legislation . '' The bridge collapsed during afternoon rush hour August 1 , sending dozens of cars tumbling into the Mississippi River . Photos of the scene showed cars , trucks and a school bus lingering on the bridge 's uneven remnants . The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating why the bridge collapsed . In January , NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker said investigators studying the bridge found that 16 gusset plates , which strengthen the junctions of steel beams , were fractured . The bad gussets were found at eight joints in the main center span . `` When one element began to fail , it 's like dominoes falling down , '' Rosenker said . But he emphasized , `` We have not yet determined the probable cause of this accident . '' The final report should be ready by the end of the year , he said . E-mail to a friend .
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Deal would expedite compensation for victims who waive right to sue the state . The deal , which totals $ 38 million , is on its way to Legislature for approval . Under proposed terms , victims can collect up to $ 400,000 . Those with damages more than $ 400,000 can pull from supplemental pool .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A 109,305-acre fire , mostly on the grounds of a U.S. Energy Department facility containing a nuclear fuel development complex , has been fully contained , according to the government 's InciWeb fire incident information website . The so-called Jefferson Fire , at the Idaho National Laboratory , about 40 miles west of Idaho Falls , had been burning since Tuesday afternoon , driven by winds up to 45 mph . The cause is still unknown . InciWeb had said as of early Thursday afternoon , the fire was 60 percent contained . Sarah Wheeler , a Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman , confirmed the fire had burned a few hundred acres more while crews contained the final 40 percent of the blaze . `` That 's hard to do working 10 miles of fire line , '' she said . The 142 personnel on site planned on patrolling , mopping up and monitoring the situation Friday , the InciWeb site said . About 80 percent of the charred land belongs to the Idaho National Laboratory , an applied engineering lab supporting the Energy Department 's missions in nuclear and energy research , science and national defense . During the fire , as a precautionary measure , the lab shut down power to the Materials and Fuels Complex , a nuclear research center , Wheeler said . That power has since been restored , she said . CNN 's Mark Morgenstein contributed to this report .
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Firefighters have fully contained the 109,305-acre Jefferson Fire in Idaho , government site says . The fire started Tuesday at the Idaho National Laboratory , a U.S. Department of Energy site . Power has been restored to the laboratory 's nuclear fuel development complex . Crews planned on mop-up work Friday .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A man was shot and killed Saturday in Oakland , California , during a confrontation with Bay Area Rapid Transit officers and Oakland police , police spokesman Jeff Thomason said . The incident occurred after Oakland police received a call about 8:15 a.m. -LRB- 11:15 a.m. ET -RRB- of an armed man walking toward the Fruitvale BART station , according to Thomason . Police notified BART officers , who also responded . BART officers were the first to reach the suspect , described as a Hispanic male between 30 and 40 years old , Thomason said . The BART officers chased the man from the station to the street , where Oakland police joined in the pursuit over four blocks in the Fruitvale area . Thomason said Oakland police tried to Taser the man twice , but to no effect . The man , armed with two knives , then attempted to charge at one of the officers , a police statement said . Multiple officers opened fire , killing him , the statement said . The man has not yet been identified , Thomason said . The shooting is under investigation by the Oakland police homicide unit , internal affairs and the Alameda County district attorney . `` Anytime there is a loss of life , it is a matter of great concern and sadness for us all , '' Oakland Mayor Ronald Dellums said in a statement . `` It is extremely important that we as a community continue to work together in order to provide a safe and secure environment . Therefore , a thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding this death has begun . '' BART police have also opened a separate , parallel investigation . The incident comes more than a week after a former BART police officer was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 shooting death of an unarmed black man on a train platform at the Fruitvale station . The January 1 , 2009 , shooting of 22-year-old Oscar Grant was captured on a bystander 's cell-phone video camera . The video was widely circulated on the Internet and on news broadcasts , and it spurred several protests in and around Oakland . The video showed former officer Johannes Mehserle pulling his gun and fatally shooting Grant in the back as another officer knelt on the unarmed man . Mehserle and other Bay Area Rapid Transit police had been called to the Fruitvale station after passengers complained about fights on a train . Officers pulled several men , including Grant , off the train when it arrived at Fruitvale .
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Officers were responding to a report of an armed man near the Fruitvale BART station . Police tried Tasering the man twice , but were unable to subdue him . The man turned on them with a knife , and police opened fire . The shooting is under investigation .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama and his family leave Friday for a weekend getaway to Maine , but along with a little rest and relaxation comes criticism that the president is taking it easy while oil continues to gush in the Gulf of Mexico . The Obamas plan to spend the weekend on Mount Desert Island , home of Acadia National Park . The trip marks the president 's third vacation since the oil disaster began in April . The Republican National Convention launched a website blasting what it considers Obama 's `` leisure activities or missteps '' during the oil disaster , like playing golf , attending concerts and vacationing in Asheville , North Carolina ; Chicago , Illinois ; and now Maine . Obama has also faced criticism for scheduling a trip up north , instead of vacationing in the Gulf , as he advised other Americans to do . `` Presidents are certainly entitled to vacation , just like everybody else , but there is a fine line as to when presidents should do it , what they should and where they should do it , '' said Brad Blakeman , a former member of President George W. Bush 's senior staff and the deputy assistant for appointments and scheduling . `` Presidents have to be cognizant of the fact that everything they do is going to be scrutinized , '' said Blakeman , who also is a professor for Georgetown University 's Semester in Washington program . Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons said the Republican criticism is `` galling , '' considering Bush 's frequent trips to Camp David and his home in Crawford , Texas . `` Barack Obama is working as hard as any president that we 've had in recent history and certainly harder than the most immediate previous president , '' he said . CBS 's Mark Knoller , who keeps track of presidents ' comings and goings , calculated that Bush spent all or part of 977 days at Camp David or in Texas during his two terms . Blakeman noted that visits to those locations were working trips and not getaways . Bush 's staff would travel with him , and work would continue as usual . The Crawford ranch was known as the `` Western White House '' because of the infrastructure there . As for calls that Obama should vacation in the Gulf , Simmons said , `` Where he chooses to take his days off should really be up to him . We do n't want to get into a situation where the president is making familial vacation decisions based upon polling or political maneuvers . '' Scott Stanzel , Bush 's deputy press secretary who often traveled with the president when he was away from the White House , said that changing locations provided a good opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of Washington . `` President Bush , on the weekends , would often go to Camp David because the size of the bubble you are in expands , so you can go out for a walk or bike ride without having to arrange security detail , '' he said . Stanzel was in Crawford with Bush for a number of crises that could not have been planned for , like the conviction of Saddam Hussein , the death of President Ford and the assassination of Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto . Bush was notified of Bhutto 's death immediately and delivered a statement to the press pool . `` It would have almost been like we were at the White House in terms of the teams that would convene and talk about the issues surrounding that assassination , '' Stanzel said . The problem for Obama , Stanzel said , is the visuals that could come out of his trip . A picture of Obama playing golf alongside images from the Gulf could send a negative message . Paul Begala , a CNN contributor and former adviser to President Clinton , said that vacationing or not , `` The president is the president wherever he is . `` I thought it was silly when people attacked Bush for going on vacation , so I 'll be consistent and say it 's silly when people attack President Obama for going on vacation , '' he said . `` Of all of the concerns that Americans may have , they do not need to worry whether President Obama is a hard-working man . They may agree or disagree with his policies , but there is just no doubt that the guy is busting his rear end . ''
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Obama and family going to Mount Desert Island , Maine , for the weekend . GOP criticizing Obama for vacationing during environmental disaster . Democratic strategist says criticism is `` galling , '' considering Bush 's frequent trips . `` The president is the president wherever he is , '' Paul Begala says .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Waters were receding Sunday as rescue crews conducted searches in the aftermath of flash flooding in eastern Kentucky that killed at least two people , a top county official said . Pike County Judge-Executive Wayne Rutherford confirmed the two fatalities Sunday , and estimated that 200 homes in the area were damaged or destroyed . Earlier in the day , another Pike County official , Charles Maynard , told CNN that there were three fatalities -- two males and one female . The names and details of the incidents were not immediately released , pending notification of family members . Rutherford said the county will send nine assessment teams Monday to gauge damage so a report could be submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for assistance . Several major roads and bridges in in the area were damaged , he said . Crews in Pike County worked throughout the night in boats to rescue people from homes after flash flooding in the area , officials said . `` Raccoon Creek in Pike County is probably the hardest hit , '' Emergency Management Director Doug Tackett said . `` It 's pretty much all devastation in that area and I think most of the mobile homes are n't there anymore , and some homes were completely washed away . '' Crews started door-to-door searches and welfare checks in the Appalachian county to look for anyone that may be injured or needs to be evacuated , and to make sure families are accounted for , Tackett said . There was no specific number of missing people , Maynard said , but searches in the Raccoon Creek area continued . About 5,000 people were affected , and there were a number of high water rescues and several evacuations , Tackett said . `` I know there were some people taken from cars in swift water , and a few folks were taken from roofs of their homes or from windows to be removed from their homes , '' Tackett said . As the water began to recede , the county faced another problem : One of the major water intake plants in the county was damaged and unusable . `` It looks like about 4,000 customers will be without water for about a week , so we 're setting up distribution centers for folk to make sure they have drinking water , '' Tackett said . CNN 's Rick Vincent and John Branch contributed to this report .
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NEW : Two people are confirmed dead . Rains Saturday result in flash flooding in Pike County , Kentucky . Rescue crews worked throughout the night to rescue people from homes . The Raccoon Creek area was the hardest hit .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police say a Camden , New Jersey , man had the audacity to return to the jail where he posted a $ 400 bond with counterfeit bills , demanding a refund . Ronald T. White was charged with shoplifting July 7 , but his bail was incorrectly written up . When he found out , authorities say , he returned to the Cinnaminson , New Jersey , jail the following week to demand his money back . White appeared in Burlington County Superior Court on Thursday , and this time his bail was set far higher . According to Cinnaminson Police Chief Steven Fowler , the department issued a warrant for White 's arrest after his counterfeit bail posting of $ 400 , but because he was a Camden resident , it was out of jurisdiction . Though Camden police were alerted to the claims , they were n't exactly banging down his door . `` Even though it was a $ 5,000 warrant for his arrest , they have bigger issues over in Camden , being the murder capital of the world , '' Fowler said . White had posted bail using at least two bills bearing identical serial numbers , police say , and the serial numbers also matched those on one of the bills found on him when he returned to the Cinnaminson jail to reclaim his extra $ 200 . Upon further inspection , Fowler said , the counterfeit bills White used to post bail were of poor paper quality , although the printing appeared very accurate . The duplicate serial numbers were the giveaway , he said . `` He was surprised that he was discovered , '' Fowler said . Burlington County prosecutor 's office representative Joel Bewley said that because White did not produce the counterfeit bills but merely attempted to purchase goods with them , the official charge was theft by unlawful taking . On Thursday , at White 's first appearance in Superior Court , his bail was set at $ 7,500 , because of outstanding charges from Camden County added on to the Burlington County charges . White 's case will be presented before a grand jury within six weeks . In the meantime , until he can post bail with legitimate bills , he will be held at Burlington County Jail .
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New Jersey police say man used counterfeit money to post $ 400 bail . On discovering error in bail , he returned to jail to ask for money back , they say . Bills ' identical serial numbers , poor paper quality were giveaway , police chief says .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A day after the Federal Elections Commission slapped Joe Biden with a $ 219,000 fine for spending violations during his failed presidential bid , a spokeswoman for the vice president is calling the ruling `` commonplace . '' `` Some repayment is commonplace after presidential campaign audits and the repayment ordered here is relatively small , '' said Biden spokeswoman Elizabeth Alexander . `` Payment is due to the Treasury 30 days after the FEC issues its formal ruling and ` Biden for President ' will comply with that . '' In a report released Friday , the FEC said a mandatory audit showed the campaign had accepted contributions above the legal limit , failed to adequately pay for rides on a private jet , and issued several checks that had never been cashed . Specifically , the FEC found Biden had not returned more than $ 106,000 in contributions that exceeded the legal limit of $ 2,300 per-person for a presidential candidate.The FEC also found the committee had not returned more than $ 1 million in over-the-limit contributions in `` a timely manner . '' The commission report also said the campaign failed to adequately pay for a ride three people received on a private jet between New Hampshire and Iowa in June of 2007 because the campaign reimbursed the owner of the aircraft at a significantly below-market rate . The reimbursement for the flight was based on comparable commercial first-class tickets . But because the plane was designated by the Federal Aviation Administration as a charter aircraft , the campaign underpaid by close to $ 27,000 , the FEC report says . The FEC report also found Biden owes $ 86,000 as a result of stale-dated checks -- that is , checks that the payees have not cashed . According to the FEC , if the campaign has issued checks that the payees have not cashed within a reasonable time frame , the campaign must reimburse the Treasury for the amount of the outstanding checks . `` Stale dated checks are where someone contributes over the allowed max and campaign sends back refund of overage , but the check is never cashed , '' said a senior administration official in the vice president 's office . `` This is common and obviously not in the campaign 's control . The excess contributions were less than 1 percent of the money raised ; the vendor errors were well under 1 percent -- one half of one percent . '' The findings are the result of a mandatory audit because Biden accepted taxpayer money as a result of opting into the public financing system . In all , Biden received $ 857,189 in taxpayer funds to run his campaign . Biden dropped his bid for president in January 2008 after a fifth place finish in the Iowa caucuses . CNN 's Suzanne Malveaux contributed to this report .
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Federal Election Commission hits Vice President Biden with $ 219,000 fine . Biden 's 2008 campaign accepted contributions beyond the legal limit , FEC says . Biden spokeswoman says the campaign will comply with the terms of the fine .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Unmanned aircraft patrolling the nation 's borders have an accident rate seven times greater than general aviation aircraft , and hundreds of times greater than the rate of jetliners , federal officials said Thursday in urging caution in expanding the use of pilotless planes . Unmanned aerial vehicles , or UAVs , have proven remarkably useful in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan , but are difficult to integrate into U.S. skies , the most complex airspace in the world , FAA official Nancy Kalinowski said in testimony before a House Homeland Security subcommittee . Kalinowski said the accident rates for Customs and Border Protection -LRB- CBP -RRB- aircraft are based on a relatively limited use of the planes -- only 5,688 flight hours . But because of the limited data , `` the FAA must make conservative decisions '' concerning integrating UAVs into U.S. skies , Kalinowski said . It is the FAA 's responsibility to ensure the safety of other planes in the sky as well as people on the ground , she said . Increasingly , government agencies , police departments and private businesses have pushed the FAA for expanded use of UAVs . CBP currently operates six UAVs and will get a seventh by the end of the year . The CBP accident rate is 52.7 accidents per 100,000 flight hours , Kalinowski said . The accident rate for general aviation aircraft is 7.11 accidents per 100,000 flight hours , and 0.149 accidents for commercial aircraft . Public operators of UAVs such as the government and universities must obtain a special FAA certificate of waiver or authorization before operating in U.S. civil airspace . Civil users can get permits for research and development , demonstrations and crew training , but commercial UAV operations are not permitted at this time .
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Unmanned aircraft have higher accident rates than regular aircraft . The FAA urges caution in expanding the use of pilotless planes in the United States . An FAA official told a House subcommittee that the agency must make conservative decisions on the issue .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama is facing great challenges as he takes office and may have made a hasty decision to close Guantanamo Bay without addressing all of the repercussions , Sen. John McCain told CNN 's Larry King Thursday night . Sen. John McCain says he thinks President Obama should have considered where Guantamao prisoners will go . `` When Franklin Delano Roosevelt came to the presidency , it was economic challenges . We clearly faced the rise of Hitler and fascism , but early on it was mainly domestic issues , '' McCain said . But President Obama has in front of him two wars , a crisis in the Middle East and a domestic economic crisis . `` This president faces domestic challenges and the national security challenges , so he 's got a big job , '' McCain said . Obama got to work from day one by ordering a halt to prosecutions of Guantanamo Bay prisoners , followed by an order to close the detention facility within a year and ban torture . But McCain told King he thinks the new president may have been hasty in the decision and should have taken the time to consider everything associated with closing the camp before forcing himself into a timetable . `` I think that it 's a wise move , '' McCain said about closing Guantanamo Bay . `` But I also think that we should have addressed this whole issue completely , because it did not address the issue of those who we have in custody and ca n't -- and no country will take them back . We should have addressed the issue of those who we know would pose a threat to the United States , but we do n't have sufficient evidence to move forward . '' Watch McCain talk about the problem with closing Guantanamo Bay '' McCain said instead of closing Guantanamo Bay outright , he would have first continued the military commissions , which `` after years of delay and obfuscation '' were finally moving toward trials . `` So , the easy part , in all due respect , is to say we 're going to close Guantanamo , '' McCain said . `` Then I think I would have said where they were going to be taken . Because you 're going to run into a NIMBY -LSB- not in my backyard -RSB- problem here in the United States of America . '' Along with the order to close Guantanamo , Obama also set up a task force to advise him on strategies to relocate its prisioners . McCain also expressed concerns over President Obama 's proposed stimulus package , saying from where he stands , it `` is more of a spending package than a stimulus package . '' `` I hope we can work together to , frankly , be a real stimulus package and not just a spending package that has every cat and dog and pet project that people have , '' he said . `` Because the object of a stimulus package is to stimulate the economy , not to just spend more and run up the debt to our kids and our grandkids . '' In addition to a real stimulus package , McCain said he believes the government should work to cut or eliminate payroll taxes . `` I think we should spend the money that we can immediately , but at the same time if we have a couple of quarters of positive GDP growth , then let 's start reducing and eliminating the huge , massive , unprecedented deficits that are going to accrue from these actions , '' he said . Despite some of their differing viewpoints on how to tackle the biggest problems the president will handle , McCain said he does plan to work with President Obama in any way he can . Watch McCain talk about working with Obama '' `` These are difficult times and whatever way I can assist and work with the president of the United States , I want to do it , '' he said . `` And again , the American people are tired of the bitter partisanship . '' `` There will be open and honest disagreements that the president and I had and -- but I hope that there are areas where -- I know there are areas where we can all work together . The American people are demanding it and they deserve it and they have n't been getting it . ''
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McCain : Closing Guantanamo `` wise move , '' but incomplete solution . Senator says decision made without considering where prisoners will go . McCain wants to see more of a stimulus package , less of a spending package . Senator says people demand , deserve bipartisanship and `` have n't been getting it ''
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NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Families of three U.S. hikers detained by Iran submitted a 2,500-signature petition to Tehran 's U.N. mission Thursday , appealing for their release `` as soon as possible . '' An undated family photo shows Sarah Shourd , one of three U.S. hikers detained in Iran since July 31 . Shane Bauer , Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal were detained July 31 after reportedly straying into Iran while hiking in northern Iraq . `` The families , friends and supporters of Shane , Sarah and Josh share the deep hope that the Islamic Republic of Iran will show compassion in this unfortunate case and release them as soon as possible , '' the petition says . It was signed online at freethehikers.org and at vigils held across the nation . Switzerland 's ambassador to Iran paid the three a consular visit last month and said they were in good condition , but they have had no direct contact with relatives , the families said in a news release . Switzerland handles U.S. consular matters in Tehran , as the United States and Iran have no diplomatic relations . President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran said last month that the Americans entered his country illegally , `` an act that is considered a crime everywhere . '' He insisted that he had no control over the case . `` The judiciary handles these cases . The judiciary in Iran is completely independent and no one can interfere with the process of the law and work of the judge , '' he told The Associated Press . However , he added , `` what I can ask is that the judiciary expedite the process and give it its full attention ... and basically look at the case with maximum leniency . '' Relatives of the hikers expressed gratitude for those comments . `` President Ahmadinejad said he sympathizes with our plight , and we appreciate that , '' said Cindy Hickey , the mother of Shane Bauer and a spokeswoman for the families . `` We urge the Iranian authorities to act on the president 's words and let our children return to us as soon as possible , '' she said . `` Our children have been detained for 11 weeks , and every hour they remain in detention brings us more heartache . The support we 've received from so many people who hope like we do that Shane , Sarah and Josh will be allowed to get on with their lives has been an extraordinary source of strength . '' The Americans entered northern Iraq from Turkey on July 28 during a planned five-day hike . Bauer and Shourd had been living in Damascus , Syria ; Fattal was visiting . They set out to hike in northern Iraq 's Kurdistan region with a fourth friend , Shon Meckfessel , who has said he had a cold and decided to stay behind that day . He also said his friends did not know they were near the border and made `` a simple and regrettable mistake '' by crossing into Iran . Relatives have said the three accidentally strayed into Iran across an unmarked border . Authorities in Iran charged the three with illegally entering the country , according to the semi-official Fars News Agency .
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Families submit petitions with 2,500 signatures to Iran 's U.N. mission . Shane Bauer , Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal were detained July 31 . Petition seeks `` compassion in this unfortunate case '' Signatures gathered at freethehikers.org and at vigils .
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Grand Rapids , Michigan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- I sat on my friend 's couch trying my best not to laugh . He was an associate pastor of the church I was attending , and he had taken it upon himself to introduce me to the ex-gay movement . I was in the early stages of coming out , and let 's just say he was n't very happy for me . On this particular night , my friend and spiritual adviser decided to show me a video featuring the keynote speaker at an ex-gay conference in one final attempt to `` save my soul . '' Mission accomplished -- just not in the way he had hoped . That 's because when the guy on the tape opened his mouth , I thought Big Gay Al from `` South Park '' had taken the stage . Now normally , I 'm not one who generally buys into stereotypes , but when he said he could n't wait to get home to make love to his wife , I had a difficult time keeping a straight face . Pun intended . It was then I knew it was better for me to join my brethren outside of the closet than soullessly antagonize them from inside , like the dude on TV . Seems like there 's always a dude on TV , does n't it ? You know , the anti-gay activist who is secretly involved in an apparent pro-gay activity ? Last week , it was discovered a former board member of the Family Research Council , George Rekers , recently hired a gay male escort to carry his luggage around Europe . The escort says Rekers wanted him to give him erotic massages . -LRB- Rekers denies he is gay -RRB- . But Rekers ' story is very similar to that of pastor Ted Haggard , whose story was like Sen. Mark Foley 's , whose story was like Gov. Jim McGreevy 's , whose story was like ... well , you get the picture . It 's as if being anti-gay is the new coming out . When I was younger , I used to jokingly dismiss the salacious `` gotcha '' moments Rekers , who recently resigned from the board of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality , now finds himself in . But when you consider the political , judicial and economic influence that he and those of his ilk have , and how they use that influence to selfishly impede social progress , derail justice and vilify an entire group of people , you understand why Kirby Dick named his documentary chronicling the double lives of folks like Haggard and Foley `` Outrage . '' When you really think about it , anger -- not laughter -- should be the reaction . In the black community , one of the worst things another black person can call you is an Uncle Tom . Based on the 1852 novel `` Uncle Tom 's Cabin , '' the name is given to black people who consciously turn their back on or undermine their own community in an attempt to appease and gain acceptance from the white community . One of my favorite rap groups , Public Enemy , summed it up on their 1991 song `` Nighttrain '' this way : `` Disgracin ' the race / Blowin ' up the whole crew / Wit ' some of them lookin ' / Just like you . '' The gay and lesbian community has plenty of Uncle Toms trying to blow us up from inside , but what we do n't have is our own word or phrase to identify them . Some call them `` closet cases , '' but there is a difference between someone who is unwilling to live openly and honestly , and someone who takes that a step further and hurts those who do . People in the closet warrant a level of sympathy because we all know how difficult it can be to embrace one 's truth . And I do not believe in outing people who are simply living in hiding . But I do believe in revealing the identities of these gay Uncle Toms . People like Rekers , a Baptist minister who was paid to testify against gay adoption and travel the globe preaching that therapy can `` cure '' gay people , do not deserve the same sympathy given to those who are afraid of losing their jobs . Not when they consciously morph from being victims of homophobia to attack dogs eating their young . Some of my Facebook friends suggested calling folks like Rekers and Foley `` Aunt Anita , '' a play on infamous 1970s anti-gay figurehead Anita Bryant . But she was never accused of soliciting sex from a same-sex police officer in an airport bathroom like Sen. Larry Craig was . A few on Twitter thought `` Uncle Roy '' could work . Roy Cohn was a prominent lawyer who joined Sen. Joseph McCarthy in targeting gays during the Communist scare of the 1950s . Despite being gay himself , he continued to oppose gay rights until his AIDS-related death in 1986 . That 's a good option , but the truth is , I really do not like linking this viral form of self-hate to warm and fuzzy names like `` Aunt Anita '' and `` Uncle Roy . '' I do n't want to call them anything that appears cute and harmless , because they are not . And they are more than just late-night punch lines . They are extremely dangerous individuals who are instrumental in the manipulation of religion , the legislating of discrimination and the overturning of equality . Sorry if I do n't sound very forgiving , but I 've never been big on coddling those who wish to use my neck as a stepladder . I prefer to see them as they are : the enemy within . I hope we all stop laughing at -LRB- and covering for -RRB- them -- and start calling them all out for what they truly are . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of LZ Granderson .
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LZ Granderson : There 's a long list of anti-gay activists caught involved in pro-gay activity . Family Research Council 's George Rekers hired a gay male escort for European trip . Granderson : Blacks call someone who undermines their own community an `` Uncle Tom '' LGBT community needs a name for similar hypocrites , he says ; they are the enemy within .
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Susan Craig 's brother Roger died of a pulmonary embolism in 2007 , at age 38 . Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in high school , he had been on antipsychotic drugs for years . At the time of his death , he was carrying 280 pounds on his 6-foot-4-inch frame . Craig , a public relations specialist who works at Columbia University in New York City , knew that Roger 's medications could cause weight gain . But she had never been told that the drugs he was taking might be harming his heart . `` We were never counseled by his psychiatrist or his primary care provider to watch for symptoms of heart disease or any risk of sudden death at all , '' Craig says . There 's no evidence that Roger 's medications caused his death , but his family might have been able to get him help sooner if they had known about the risks , Craig explains . New research published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that antipsychotic drugs are not risk free , and the study 's authors are urging much more caution in their use . The drugs are associated with a risk of sudden cardiac death , particularly at higher doses . Health.com 10 best foods for your heart . Craig 's brother was taking haloperidol , which belongs to an older class of drugs called typical antipsychotics , which have long been known to increase the risk of sudden death due to cardiac causes . He was also on risperidone , a member of a newer class of drugs called atypical antipsychotics , which had been considered safer . Doctors prescribe these newer medications , originally developed to treat schizophrenia , for a wide variety of problems -- from conduct disorder in kids to aggressive behavior in Alzheimer 's patients . In fact , they 've become so popular that three of them -- olanzapine , risperidone , and quetiapine -- are among the 10 top-selling drugs worldwide , with $ 14.5 billion in sales in 2007 . The new study suggests that among patients taking high doses of atypical antipsychotics , there are about 3.3 cases of sudden cardiac death per 1,000 patients per year , which an editorial characterizes as a risk that 's `` between ` moderate ' and ` low , ' but not ` rare . ' '' Health.com : Heart drug may be a cancer fighter . About 325,000 people in the United States each year die of sudden cardiac death , which has an incidence of 0.1 to 0.2 percent per year in adults . '' -LSB- The drugs -RSB- have potentially very serious side effects , '' says Wayne A. Ray , Ph.D. , the director of the division of pharmacoepidemiology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , in Nashville . `` So whenever a decision is made to use one , consideration of potential side effects needs to be made . '' Ray and his colleagues found that atypical antipsychotics doubled the risk of sudden death from heart-related causes , most likely by causing disturbances in heart rhythms . First introduced in the mid-nineties , atypical antipsychotics were praised for having none of the troublesome side effects of their predecessors , including frequent , involuntary movements of the face and mouth that were in some cases irreversible . But the new study shows that the increased risk of sudden cardiac death seen with the older drugs is nearly identical to that of the newer medications . There had been suspicions that the drugs were risky , especially when used in older patients , but the current study is the first to systematically investigate their association with sudden cardiac death . Ray and his colleagues reviewed data on Tennessee Medicaid patients , comparing 44,218 people using older typical antipsychotics and 46,089 taking the newer atypical antipsychotics to 186,600 people who had never used the drugs . People with schizophrenia may have a higher rate of cardiac problems , due to smoking and other factors . To account for this , researchers also compared antipsychotic drug users without schizophrenia to non-drug users who had characteristics -LRB- in most cases , mood disorders -RRB- that made them likely candidates for the drugs . Overall , people taking typical antipsychotics were at 1.99-times greater risk of sudden cardiac death , while the risk for those on atypical antipsychotics was increased 2.26 times . The increased risk was greater for people on higher doses of the drugs . People who had used the drugs in the past but stopped were n't at greater risk of sudden cardiac death . `` The drugs are still very effective for conditions that there 's proven evidence for , '' says Jeffrey A. Lieberman , M.D. , a professor and chair of psychiatry at Columbia University , in New York City , and the director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute , who was not involved with Ray 's research . `` They clearly need to still be able to be used . I think this -LSB- study -RSB- really underscores the need to be very judicious about how these medications are used and whom they 're given to . '' While atypical antipsychotics have been used to ease aggressive behavior for patients with Alzheimer 's disease , for example , they are not approved for this purpose by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ; in fact , in 2005 , the FDA issued a warning that these drugs increased the risk of death among elderly people , extending the warning to all antipsychotic drugs last year , notes Sebastian Schneeweiss , M.D. , Sc.D. , an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School , in Boston , who coauthored an editorial accompanying the current study . Health.com : How is depression in the elderly different from dementia ? Given the lack of better alternatives , these drugs are still widely used in patients with dementia despite the warnings , he adds . But while there 's anecdotal evidence that they will `` cool these patients down '' and reduce their aggressive behaviors , there 's no scientific evidence that they really help patients or their caregivers , Dr. Schneeweiss says . In his editorial , Dr. Schneeweiss and coauthor Jerry Avorn , M.D. , also of Harvard , call for patients to undergo an electrocardiogram before and shortly after being placed on atypical antipsychotics , to determine if the drugs are causing any heart rhythm disturbances . For people who must be on these medications , Ray says , it 's essential for their doctors to treat any other conditions , such as high blood pressure , that can harm the heart . `` Sudden cardiac death usually occurs when multiple risk factors are present , '' he explains . `` When you add one , it 's kind of like the straw that broke the camel 's back . '' `` Absolutely the lowest dose that works should be used , because we found a strong dose response , '' Ray says . Jamaison Schuler , a spokesperson for Eli Lilly and Company , the maker of Zyprexa , says , `` Although the study appears to have important limitations , it provides additional information for practicing physicians to consider as they decide how to treat very complex diseases such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder . '' The FDA has approved atypical antipsychotics for treating bipolar disorder , Ray adds . But the researcher recommends that physicians first try safer alternatives , such as the mood stabilizer lithium . `` That 's a very serious illness , and it has important consequences for patients ' quality of life and relationships , '' Ray notes . `` If the mood stabilizer does n't work , I think it 's very reasonable to consider an antipsychotic , but ... other drugs should be considered first . '' Finally , he says , a patient should never stop taking any drug without consulting his or her physician . Nevertheless , anyone taking an atypical antipsychotic for a non-FDA-approved use should consult his physician . `` I think off-label use should be undertaken very cautiously , and its frequency should be much less than it is currently , '' Ray says . Health.com : Superfoods that can save your health . For Susan Craig , the new research makes it clear that treating serious mental illness must go far beyond just prescribing pills . `` We need to be supporting these people in a better , more systematic way , '' she says . `` There 's no magic pill . It 's treating the whole person . '' Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com . Copyright Health Magazine 2009 .
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Atypical antipsychotic drugs associated with higher risk of sudden cardiac death . Atypicals were thought to be safer than older , so-called `` typical '' antipsychotics . Three atypical antipsychotics are among the 10 top-selling drugs worldwide . About 325,000 people in the U.S. die of sudden cardiac death each year .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday it is conducting a safety review of the asthma drug Xolair after data from an ongoing study suggested an increased number of heart attacks and strokes among patients who use it . The drug , made by Genentech and co-marketed by Novartis , was approved in 2003 . The study , which started in 2004 and is slated to end in 2012 , was mandated by the agency as part of its post-approval process . The data `` suggest a disproportionate increase in ischemic heart disease , arrhythmias ... cardiac failure '' and other conditions `` in patients treated with Xolair compared to the control group of patients not given the drug , '' the agency said . Xolair is approved for use by adults and adolescents -LRB- 12 and older -RRB- with moderate to severe persistent asthma who react to a perennial airborne allergen and whose symptoms are not well controlled with inhaled corticosteroids . The study that raised the questions is called `` Evaluating the Clinical Effectiveness and Long-Term Safety in Patients with Moderate to Severe Asthma '' -- EXCELS for short . It counted outcomes among some 5,000 Xolair-treated patients and compared them with a control group of about 2,500 patients who were not taking Xolair . The FDA did not recommend changes to the prescribing information and is not advising patients to stop taking Xolair . The agency said it is working with Genentech to get more information . It noted that the observational study is not a randomized trial , the kind that researchers consider to be the gold standard in determining cause and effect . In an observational trial , there can be differences in underlying risk factors for heart attack and stroke between the two study groups . The agency underscored the uncertainty it faces in deciding how to act : `` Posting this information does not mean that FDA has concluded there is a causal relationship between the drug products and the emerging safety issue , '' it said . `` Nor does it mean that FDA is advising health care professionals to discontinue prescribing these products . FDA is considering , but has not reached a conclusion about , whether this information warrants any regulatory action . '' In an e-mail , Novartis noted that the study was being `` conducted in a real-world setting '' so the two groups `` differed in their baseline characteristics . '' The patients being treated with Xolair , it said , `` had more severe asthma '' and related conditions . That , along with the focus of the study 's data collection , made it hard to determine whether the relationship to strokes and heart attacks was causal , it said . But patients and their doctors must cope with even more uncertainty than the FDA has faced , given that neither the drug company nor the agency is making public the data that sparked the alert . `` We 're not getting into numbers at this point because we 're still in that evaluation stage , '' said Genentech spokeswoman Tara Cooper . `` It 's premature to really get into the details at this point . '' The drug is used by 30,000 to 35,000 patients , representing less than one half of 1 percent of the eligible patient population , Cooper said . It is administered by injection every other week in a doctor 's office . The estimated annual cost of the drug to the doctor -- before it gets marked up for the patient -- is about $ 19,000 , Cooper said . Dr. Tom Casale , the executive vice president of the American Academy of Allergy , Asthma & Immunology , said he will recommend that his patients who are on the drug remain on it . `` These are the patients that are more likely to have -LRB- emergency room -RRB- visits , hospitalizations and more problems with their asthma , '' he said . Still , he said , he would like to see the data that the FDA regulators have seen .
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Study suggests increased number of heart attacks , strokes among Xolair users . FDA says results are from observational study , not a randomized trial . FDA is not advising asthma patients who use Xolair to stop . Drug is used by up to 35,000 patients with moderate to severe persistent asthma .
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Atlanta , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The H1N1 virus , also known as swine flu , may have killed as many as 17,000 Americans , according to new estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -LRB- CDC -RRB- in Atlanta . Though 2,498 confirmed deaths linked to the H1N1 virus had been reported to the CDC as of January 30 , the agency estimates that between 8,330 and 17,160 people actually have died from H1N1 . The overwhelming majority of the people who died -- between 6,390 and 13,170 -- were 18 to 64 years old , the CDC estimates . Between 880 and 1,810 children 17 years old and younger also died from this flu , according to CDC estimates . In comparison , the CDC says that in a regular flu season , about 36,000 people in the United States die from seasonal flu , with 90 percent of the deaths usually occurring in people age 65 and older . Since this new flu virus emerged in April 2009 , health officials have recognized that the reported numbers of people who have been hospitalized and died provide only a partial picture of the full outbreak . Underreporting of influenza cases and deaths is common , especially in the early weeks or months of an outbreak . By mid-July last year , the World Health Organization -LRB- WHO -RRB- no longer recommended that countries with known H1N1 transmission test everybody who had flulike symptoms , as laboratories were being overwhelmed . Patients were to be diagnosed based on symptoms alone , since nearly all of the circulating flu strains were H1N1 . Only severe cases of flu , which lead to hospitalization or death , were to be tested . The CDC adopted these recommendations for the United States , also . Despite the recommendation that deaths suspected to be from H1N1 be tested , the CDC is aware that many are not , and in many cases H1N1 might not have been suspected . The new CDC estimates are based on laboratory-confirmed cases , flu surveillance data and mathematical modeling , CDC spokesman Richard Quartarone told CNN . According to the report released Friday , the CDC estimates an average of 57 million people have been infected with H1N1 and an average 257,000 cases resulted in hospitalizations . Health officials continue to urge people who have n't received a vaccination to do so . `` The real tragedy is that people are still getting sick and we have a vaccine that will help prevent illness , '' Quartarone said .
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CDC estimates between 8,330 and 17,160 people have died from H1N1 . Between 6,390 and 13,170 -- were 18-64 years old , CDC estimates . In a regular flu season , about 36,000 people in U.S. die from seasonal flu . 90 percent of those deaths usually are people age 65 and older .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Budget airline Ryanair faces an investigation from the UK 's consumer and competition authority following allegations of misleading and unfair advertising . Ryanair has complained to OFT about its ongoing row with the UK 's Advertising Standards Authority . British advertising watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority has referred Europe 's leading low-cost carrier to the Office of Fair Trading after it failed to act on a series of previous warnings over code breaches . ASA had found the Irish airline guilty of seven transgressions in a two-year period , it said on its Web site . It said Ryanair had exaggerated claims about the availability of flights at advertised prices , and it advertised prices that did not include taxes and charges . The ASA was also unhappy with Ryanair 's `` misleading '' comparisons with competitors , and that it did not display restrictions that would exclude customers from taking up an offer or provide evidence to prove the claims it was making . `` It is very disappointing , but absolutely necessary , that we have had to take this course of action , '' said ASA director general Christopher Graham , whose authority last referred a company to OFT in 2005 . `` The ASA has given Ryanair every opportunity to put its house in order and ensure that its advertising adheres to the codes . Instead , they have continued to mislead consumers and denigrate competitors . `` We would prefer to work with advertisers within the self-regulatory system rather than call in a statutory body , but Ryanair 's approach has left us with no option but to refer them to the OFT who will consider appropriate action . '' Last week , Ryanair complained to OFT about its treatment by the ASA . It said in a statement on its Web site that the ASA had `` demonstrated a repeated lack of independence , impartiality or fairness where Ryanair is concerned by making factually inaccurate and untrue findings in response -LRB- in some cases -RRB- to totally baseless and unsubstantiated alleged complaints . '' Ryanair 's Peter Sherrard said the ASA had `` clearly confirmed its bias and blind determination to rule against Ryanair 's adverts . '' In February , Ryanair had to shut down its Web site and call centers for three days while it upgraded its reservations system . The airline said the move was necessary to make technical changes as it converts to a new system , but OFT indicated at the time that the shutdown was due to Ryanair 's failure to meet a deadline to list all fares on the site . A Ryanair spokesman said the airline was not forced by the OFT to shut down its system as a punitive measure . He said the Web site already complied with OFT requirements and simply required an updated system . The OFT said it took action last year against 13 airlines that did not include `` fixed non-optional costs '' in prices on their Web sites . It said 11 airlines amended their sites to make those fees clear , but Ryanair and Ireland 's Aer Lingus asked for extra time . Aer Lingus met the new deadline , the OFT said , but Ryanair did not . Ryanair has previously been in trouble over adverts , including one depicting French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni before their wedding , and another showing a scantily-clad schoolgirl . E-mail to a friend .
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Budget airline Ryanair faces investigation from Britain 's Office of Fair Trading . Irish low-cost carrier has been accused of misleading and unfair advertising . UK advertising authority referred Ryanair due to ongoing breaches of its code . Ryanair says it is being victimized by Advertising Standards Authority .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The captain of an Italian cruise ship foiled an attack by pirates off the coast of Somalia on Saturday by ordering his security crew to fire back , Italy 's ANSA news agency reported . Six armed pirates in a speedboat attacked the ship , which had about 1,500 people onboard , ANSA said . They fled after the security crew fired back . The cruise ship Melody , which is owned by an Italian company , was on its way back to Italy after a cruise , ANSA said . No one was injured in the attack about 180 miles north of the Seychelles . Piracy is rampant off the coast of Somalia despite the presence of foreign navies . The area hardest hit off the coasts of Somalia and Kenya , including the Gulf of Aden , is more than 1.1 million square miles -- four times the size of the state of Texas .
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Six armed pirates attacked cruise ship Melody in a speedboat . Captain of cruise ship ordered security crew to fire back . Cruise ship was on its way back to Italy when attack took place .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Eight weeks after an explosion uncorked a massive oil spill into the Gulf , BP still does not know whether its efforts to stanch the flow will soon succeed , its CEO will testify Thursday . `` We can not guarantee the outcome of these operations , but we are working around the clock with the best experts from government and industry , '' Tony Hayward says in prepared testimony to be delivered before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations . Hayward expresses regret over the disaster . `` The explosion and fire aboard the Deepwater Horizon and the resulting oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico never should have happened -- and I am deeply sorry that they did , '' he says in his prepared remarks . `` None of us yet knows why it happened . But whatever the cause , we at BP will do what we can to make certain that an incident like this does not happen again . '' Rep. Bart Stupak , D-Michigan , appeared underwhelmed at Hayward 's planned appearance before his committee . CNNMoney.com : BP 's Hayward to strike emotional tone . `` Look , he 's a corporate guy , '' Stupak said . `` At the end of the day , he 's going to put his best foot forward . It 's not going to ring true with me or the American public . And we 've got a mess on our hands , a disaster , a catastrophic disaster for our environment and those people who lost their lives . He 's just going to say , ` I 'm sorry , it 's not going to happen again . ' It 's not good enough . '' Stupak : Lawmakers going to take Hayward 's ` hide off ' But Hayward plans to say more than that . The drilling of two relief wells , `` which we believe represents the ultimate solution to stopping the flow of oil and gas from the well , '' has reached depths of 15,226 feet and 9,778 feet , respectively , he says , but they are not expected to be completed until August . `` We have spent nearly $ 1.5 billion so far , and we will not stop until the job is done , '' he says . Day 58 : The latest on the oil disaster . Though the company has accepted that it is the `` responsible party , '' Hayward adds a qualification : `` It is important to understand that this ` responsible party ' designation is distinct from an assessment of legal liability for the actions that led to the spill , '' he says . So far , more than 400,000 barrels of oily water mix have been recovered , and the company has paid more than $ 90 million on the more than 56,000 claims that have been submitted , he says . Additionally , about $ 16 million is expected to be paid this week to businesses , he says . In all , 32 walk-in claims offices are open in Alabama , Florida , Louisiana and Mississippi . Nearly 700 people have been assigned the task of handling claims , he says . How the oil-disaster flow estimates have evolved . Hayward adds that , though the cause of the disaster remains unclear , his company 's investigation suggests that the accident was caused by the apparent failure of `` a number of processes , systems and equipment . '' `` Investigations into the causes of the incident are ongoing , and issues of liability will be sorted out separately when the facts are clear and all the evidence is available . '' The transcript of Hayward 's planned remarks was given to reporters hours after he and other BP executives told President Obama that the company will set aside $ 20 billion in an escrow account to compensate oil spill victims . The fund `` will not supersede individuals ' or states ' rights to present claims in court , '' Obama said . BP , he asserted , will remain liable for the environmental disaster in the Gulf . BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said that the board of the oil giant has decided not to pay any further dividends this year . BP also has agreed to create a $ 100 million fund to compensate oil rig workers now unemployed as a result of closure of other deep-water rigs after the April 20 Deepwater Horizon explosion , Obama said . After taking a beating in recent weeks , BP 's stock price closed Wednesday at 31.85 , up 1.43 percent for the day . The Obama administration has tapped attorney Kenneth Feinberg to mediate the claims process . Feinberg played the same role in compensation for the victims of the September 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks . Anyone dissatisfied with Feinberg 's handling of their claim will be able to appeal to a three-person panel , then to the federal oil spill liability trust fund and then to court , said Carol Browner , the president 's point person on energy and climate change . BP has also paid roughly $ 70 million to the U.S. Coast Guard for cleanup operations , wire transfer receipts showed . Svanberg apologized to the American people for the disaster . He said he hoped the company could earn back the trust of the American people , because `` we care about the small people . '' A few hours later , he issued a statement apologizing for the remark . `` I spoke clumsily this afternoon , and for that , I am very sorry , '' he said . `` What I was trying to say -- that BP understands how deeply this affects the lives of people who live along the Gulf and depend on it for their livelihood -- will best be conveyed not by any words but by the work we do to put things right for the families and businesses who 've been hurt . Like President Obama , I believe we made some good progress toward that goal today . '' BP has been under intense political pressure to ensure that it can cover all costs related to the catastrophic oil spill , the largest in U.S. history and one that Obama described as an `` unprecedented environmental disaster . '' iReport : Share your views , solutions on Gulf oil spill . BP has been siphoning oil from a containment cap placed atop the ruptured well . The company said Wednesday that it has started collecting oil gushing into the Gulf through a second containment system attached to the ruptured well . The new system is connected directly to the blowout preventer and carries oil up to a second ship , the Q4000 . By the end of July , officials hope to be able to contain as many as 80,000 barrels of oil per day , said Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen . By that time , he predicted , there will be only `` minimal leakage '' around the wellhead . On Tuesday , government scientists increased their estimate of oil flowing into the Gulf by 50 percent -- to between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels per day . That translates into 1.5 million gallons to 2.5 million gallons per day . The government 's previous estimate , issued last week , was 20,000 to 40,000 barrels per day . Obama said Wednesday that BP assured him that recovery efforts should capture up to 90 percent of the gushing oil in the coming days and weeks . `` That is still not good enough , '' Obama said . `` We will continue to press BP and draw on our best minds and resources to capture the rest of the oil until the company finishes drilling a relief well later in the summer that is expected to stop the leak completely . '' The spill dwarfs the 11 million gallons that were dumped into Alaska 's Prince William Sound in 1989 when the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground , and oil in varying amounts and consistencies has hit the shores of Louisiana , Mississippi , Alabama and Florida .
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BP CEO releases testimony to be read to Congress on Thursday . No cap on BP 's $ 20 billion compensation fund , Obama says . BP chairman says board has decided not to pay any further dividends this year . A $ 100 million fund also will be set up to help unemployed oil rig workers .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- British media have leapt to the defense of beleaguered BP following attacks by the White House over its handling of the Gulf Coast disaster . President Barack Obama has taken a tough stance against the company and its response to the April 20 explosion , which killed 11 workers and has spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf , threatening livelihoods and wildlife . But now UK opinion formers have weighed in , attacking Obama 's approach , warning of the threat to pension funds and questioning relations with the United States . Barack Obama , David Cameron , to discuss BP . Cameron is told to `` stand up for your country '' by the Daily Mail , which backed the Conservative leader at last month 's UK election . It points out while `` British marines continue to die in Afghanistan -- fighting valiantly alongside their American colleagues , '' relations between the respective leaders means the phrase `` special relationship '' sounds increasingly hollow . In a leader column the newspaper says Obama 's attacks are `` rank hypocrisy , '' coming only weeks after the president advocated deepwater drilling . Elsewhere it highlights oil disasters off the UK coast involving U.S. companies , including the Piper Alpha oil rig explosion of 1988 , in which 167 people died . The Lex column in The Financial Times says that the manner in which the crisis is `` moving into the diplomatic sphere is surely a positive for BP -- providing a much needed counterweight to Mr Obama 's swinging boot . '' Meanwhile Philip Stephens , also writing in the same paper under the headline `` Some home truths for a president showing the strain '' , says that `` Deepwater is only there because the U.S. , with a twentieth of the world 's population , consumes one-quarter of world oil . '' The leader opinion in The Daily Telegraph points out that BP is a multinational company , 40 percent of whose shareholders are American . `` The long-term relationship between Britain and America should not be jeopardized by a presidential response that has been more petulant than statesmanlike , '' it continues . The Telegraph says it is disappointed that Obama , `` a politician whose reputation was built on his powers of persuasion should be so quick to inflame a difficult situation for his own political ends . We had thought better of him . '' Obama is told to `` stop ranting against BP '' by the Daily Express , which leads with the headline : `` Obama is killing all our pensions . '' Many British retirement funds , both public and private , invest in the oil company , which has seen billions wiped off its share price this week . `` Nobody disputes that an environmental catastrophe has taken place , '' the Express says . `` But BP is only one of three major companies involved . It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that it is being persecuted because its first initial stands for ` British ' and Britain should not put up with that . '' Malcolm Rifkind , foreign minister under the last Conservative government , asks in The Times whether `` the great British love-in with Barack Obama may be coming to an end . '' `` While there has been deep understanding of the environmental catastrophe that has struck the United States and of BP 's responsibility , there is also growing concern that the President 's angry rhetoric is going over the top and risks dividing the United States and the United Kingdom . `` Mr Obama must understand , '' continues Rifkind , `` that an American president does not just have a domestic audience . Whatever their political purpose for his own electorate , his words resonate throughout the world and , however unintended , can have serious and damaging consequences . '' In The London Evening Standard Chris Blackhurst wrote : `` There are three words to be thrown back at President Obama : Bhopal and Agent Orange . In both instances , the U.S. inflicted huge suffering on others -- and did precious little to remove the toxic pollution it left behind . '' Nearly 4,000 died in the Indian city of Bhopal in 1984 following the escape of lethal methyl isocyanate at a plant owned by Union Carbide India Limited -- the now-defunct local subsidiary of the American chemical company . Agent Orange was used as a defoliant during the Vietnam War -- but its toxins have been linked to thousands of deaths and illnesses . `` BP has not called itself British Petroleum for more than 10 years , '' adds Blackhurst . `` It 's not the only one to not use its full name . Barack Hussein Obama is another . ''
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UK media and politicians have criticized attitude of U.S. politicians toward BP . Several point out that U.S. companies have ppreviouslycaused environmental damage . UK Prime Minister David Cameron urged to be more robust in defense of BP . Analysts question the true value of the UK-U.S. `` special relationship ''
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[[400, 438]]
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Han Han is China 's rebel writer who has become the unofficial voice for his generation . As a teenager the 27-year-old began writing novels about angst-ridden characters that proved tremendously popular with China 's angsty youth . But it is his blog that has propelled him to celebrity status in China and earned him the accolade as one of Time magazine 's 100 most influential people of 2009 . He 's been touted as mouthpiece for the `` post-80 's generation '' ; China 's youth who have grown up during the country 's economic boom and are often characterized as apolitical and consumer-obsessed . Blogging about issues such as the Chinese government 's handling of the Sichuan earthquake of 2008 and recent spate of school stabbings , Han Han is savvy enough to know the limits of what he can and ca n't write about . `` Even though the Chinese government has improved on the freedom of speech front in recent years , writing is still rather dangerous , so it 's quite difficult to strike this balance , '' he told CNN . `` But I believe you still need to try despite these difficulties . The situation only improves when there are more people trying ; if no one is trying , it only gets more and more difficult . '' With boyish good-looks and a rebel 's cred -LRB- he dropped out of high-school and races rally cars -RRB- he 's become one of China 's more popular and recognizable bloggers , where the Internet is an increasingly popular forum for self-expression . For Jeremy Goldkorn , a China media commentator , Han 's attitude combined with his writing helps strike a chord with millions of China 's disaffected youth . `` What separates Han Han from the other popular bloggers is , I think ... he 's got attitude . He is provocative and he reflects some of the anxieties that young people feel about the way China is today , '' said Goldkorn . He may be outspoken but Han is not an activist in the vein of human rights and freedom of speech campaigner Liu Xiabao , who was jailed in 2009 . Coming from a different generation from Han sees himself more aligned with artists rather than political iconoclasts . `` I 'm not asking or requesting much -- I just hope that all the people in arts , all the literati , painters , and directors can work in an unregulated and uncensored environment , '' he said . `` But to be honest , the Chinese government and Chinese officials are n't as scary or as evil as what outsiders perceive . Their thinking process is a bit old-fashioned and stupid , but not evil . Except towards people who they believe might threaten the government , of course this relates mostly to many political events in the past . ''
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Han Han is an outspoken blogger who has gained celebrity status . Named one of Time Magazine 's most influential people of 2009 . Dropped out of school to write novels ; races rally cars .
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WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sen. Arlen Specter woke at 4 a.m. one day last week with an excruciating headache , a side effect of chemotherapy . Ninety minutes later , he was on the squash court , playing a partner less than half his age . That 's the way Specter faces cancer and chemo . Borrowing a phrase from Winston Churchill , he calls it the `` never-give-in '' approach . Sen. Arlen Specter on May 7 , early in his chemotherapy for Hodgkin 's disease . As he battles a recurrence of Hodgkin 's disease , Specter , 78 , a Pennsylvania Republican , plays squash nearly every day , as he has for decades . He calls the games `` deposits in the health bank . '' He also continues his rigorous work schedule . `` Doc , '' he told CNN 's Dr. Sanjay Gupta , `` I do n't have time to think about Hodgkin 's . '' Hodgkin 's disease is a rare but curable form of lymphoma . But the treatment feels , as Specter puts it , `` like a war of the worlds raging inside your body . '' Early this month , just after CNN was granted exclusive access to follow Specter 's treatment , his colleagues would stop him in Senate hallways to tell him how good he looked . He would always fire back : `` In a few days , I 'll be thin and pale and bald . '' Watch Dr. Gupta 's behind-the-scenes coverage of Specter 's battle with cancer '' His prediction is already coming true as he reaches the halfway point in his three-month-long regimen of weekly chemotherapy . Specter has been through one major health crisis after another over the past 30 years . At age 48 , he was told he had Lou Gehrig 's disease , an incurable degenerative condition . Several months passed before he was told that the diagnosis was wrong and that a mild case of childhood polio had produced a false positive . Then , in 1993 , Specter was told that he had a cancerous brain tumor and had just a few weeks to live . Another misdiagnosis . The tumor was benign and safely removed . It returned three years later and was removed again . Two years after that , in 1998 , he had heart bypass surgery , after which he nearly died in the hospital . Watch more from Dr. Gupta and Specter '' And then , in 2005 , after a stressful battle to win the powerful chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee , he began suffering from extreme exhaustion , fever and night sweats . Doctor after doctor told him he had a virus . Yet another misdiagnosis . Finally , after several months , a blood test indicated something more serious . Specter had Hodgkin 's disease , a cancer of the lymphatic system that 's diagnosed in only about 7,500 patients in the United States each year . Specter 's was in the most advanced stage . He beat it . But it 's back . Specter is 78 . But his oncologist , Dr. John Glick of the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania , stresses that chronological age is not the key determinant of how he 's treating Specter . Watch more on Specter 's treatment '' Because of Specter 's physical conditioning and his mental attitude , Glick found the senator to be a strong candidate for aggressive treatment . `` The same treatment we would give somebody half his age , '' Glick said . Watch more from Dr. Glick '' Specter 's continued hard work throughout treatment may be beneficial , his cardiologist says . Specter should `` keep on working as aggressively as he always has , says Dr. Howard Weitz of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . `` I think for the hard worker who ceases working , their stress level increases . '' Watch more from Dr. Weitz '' When Specter learned that his Hodgkin 's had returned , it was a different shock '' from the first time , he said . `` I knew what to expect , and I thought to myself , ` Oh , for Christ 's sake , I have to do this again ? ... And I said to myself , ` Arlen , what is , is . You got it . ' And on Week Two , I was dealing with it . '' Specter does not sugarcoat anything . Although he continues his squash routine , he notes that on the court `` my breath is much shorter , I 'm perspiring more , and I ca n't play as long . '' He adds , `` I think there 's a vitality in that which is healthy . '' And although he does n't cut back on work at all , he does retreat to his Senate hideaway office for extra naps . And given all the misdiagnoses he 's been given in his life , he has one more piece of advice : `` Get a second opinion . '' Michael Schulder is a CNN senior executive producer .
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U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter learned in April that his cancer had recurred . Specter has Hodgkin 's disease , a rare but curable form of lymphoma . Doctor : Specter 's great physical condition allows for aggressive treatment .
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