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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Flamboyant and fearless , Roberto Cavalli is the peacock of the fashion world ; with his body-hugging clothes , he woos women the world over . Fashion designer Roberto Cavalli . But his clients are no dainty damsels : Cavalli 's women are Amazonian warriors and Grecian goddesses , whose armor is fashion and whose weapon is sex . His colorful creations are unabashed celebrations of the female form : dresses slashed to the hip or barely skimming the buttocks , necklines that plunge where no other designer dares . Cavalli 's woman knows she looks fabulous , and is n't afraid to show it : to her , it 's not just clothing , it 's an announcement that she 's arrived . Born in Florence in 1940 , Cavalli was immersed in an intensely creative environment from childhood . That influence came from his father , a tailor , and his artist grandfather , Giuseppe Rossi , whose work is shown in the famous Uffizi Galleries . Following in his father 's footsteps , Cavalli studied textile design at the local art institute . By the early 70s , he had developed an innovative technique for printing on lightweight leather , and his Florentine flair had led to commissions with Hermes and Pierre Cardin . In 1970 , he presented his first namesake collection at the Salon for Prêt-à-Porter in Paris . His trademark work with unconventional fabrics like embellished denim and leather , mixed with wild animal prints and exotic patterns , was embraced by the jet set and Cavalli opened his first boutique in Saint Tropez in 1972 . Cavalli married his wife , Eva Duringer , a former Miss Universe , in 1980 ; she is now his business partner and right-hand woman . His fondness for bright color , exotics , fur and bold prints -- which he designs in his factory on the outskirts of Florence -- have won him a name as the king of fashion excess . Beloved by A-listers and pop princesses , these are not clothes for the shy : this is old-school glamour , infused with power , wielded by women who have flounced and shimmied their way to the top . See Cavalli 's designs on the catwalk '' His main line is sold in over 50 countries worldwide , along with his diffusion lines RC Menswear and Just Cavalli , plus a children 's line , knitwear , accessories , eyewear , watches , perfumes , underwear and beachwear . He 's even ventured into Cavalli-branded vodka and wine . His collaboration with high-street fashion store H&M in November 2007 caused stampedes as his fans flocked to get their hands on his creations , desperate to capture some of that Cavalli magic at tiny prices . Some have asked whether his latest collections have taken a more gentle direction -- but the tiger 's inner fire still burns bright . Spring/Summer 2008 's bold flower prints and flirty feathered dresses were followed by Autumn/Winter 2008 's flowered dresses that at first glance appear dewy and fresh -- but look closer , and the hip-hugging cut belies their innocence . Cavalli is adored by his celebrity clientele , who flaunt his show-stopping creations on red carpets from Los Angeles to Sydney . Fans of his work include Halle Berry , Sharon Stone , Madonna , Jennifer Lopez , Gwyneth Paltrow , Beyoncè Knowles , Charlize Theron and Victoria Beckham . If anyone sums up the glamour and glitz of show business , it 's Cavalli : fashion as theatre , shameless decadence where the whole world is a stage . That 's underlined by his eponymous 133 ' 9 '' long yacht , built 2004 , and color-coordinated , naturally , with his helicopter and fleet of cars .
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Florence-born fashion designer Roberto Cavalli is known for his bright , sexy clothes . He is the grandson of Impressionist painter Giuseppe Rossi and the son of a tailor . His clothes are adored by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham . Cavalli 's extravagant lifestyle includes color-coordinated yacht , cars and helicopter .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Tanya Gray , 28 , works at a preschool in Florence , where she has lived for the last two years . She first moved to the city seven years ago from her home in Luxemburg , when she and a friend decided to travel to Italy 's cultural capital to enroll as students . `` Once you have seen the Duomo and some of the old buildings you ca n't really compare it to anywhere else . '' While there she fell in love , and over the following years she was either in the city or planning her next trip there . CNN : Hi Tanya . What were your initial impressions on coming to Florence ? Tanya : It 's a very beautiful city , it 's very young and there are always things to do : there 's always a party ; there 's always something going on . And that was very different from Luxemburg for me -- Luxemburg is a very small place and there 's not much going on , but in Florence there is so much energy . I was expecting something a lot more like Rome , a lot bigger . Florence is one of those places that is not too big , but it 's still a city , so wherever you go you meet different people , it 's not that everyone knows everything about you . But it 's small enough so that you can walk everywhere . I do n't have a car , and walk everywhere . I have been totally immersed in the Florentine way of life : I 'm married to a Florentine , I spend all my time with his friends . I did n't even know there was an English-language newspaper in Florence until very recently . CNN : What has made the city so special to you ? Tanya : That would have to be all the historic buildings and the architecture , because once you have seen the Duomo and some of the old buildings you ca n't really compare it to anywhere else . When you see the Duomo , it 's breathtaking . And there are various places in the city , such as the Piazzale Michelangelo , from where you can see the whole of the city , and it 's beautiful . You can just spend ages there , especially if you are an art enthusiast . CNN : If Florence were a person , what would they be like ? Tanya : They would be a really fun , enthusiastic , very lively and cheerful person . CNN : Is Florence a stylish place ? Tanya : Yes , of course . All the Italians kit themselves out when they go around the center of Florence , everyone is wearing the latest fashion -- even the mothers of 50 - and 60-years old have all got them . You get taken along with the current , even though in the beginning you think , `` No , I 'm not going to be like them , I 'm not . '' But in the end you just get taken along with the flow . Otherwise you just feel underdressed . A lot of American students who come to Florence -- and there are lots and lots of students in the center , most of whom are American -- are a lot less dressy than the Italians , and the Italians can spot them a mile away . CNN : Is it hard to find places away from the tourists ? Tanya : Oh no . The center is very touristy , but if you travel about a kilometer outside of the center it is actually hard to find someone to who speaks English . I live about three kilometers from the center of the city and round there it 's really tough to find someone who speaks English . You walk into a bakery and everything has to be said in Italian . Also , some of the clubs 10 minutes ' drive from the center are a lot less touristy than the clubs in the center . CNN : Where do you shop ? Tanya : Obviously there are lots of shops in the city , but there are also lots of markets , and many people shop at them . I definitely shop at markets because the shops in town are so much more expensive , especially for clothes . And they 're not just in the center , they 're also on the outskirts as well , which tend to be cheaper , because the ones in the center can rip you off if you 're a tourist , or if you look like one . CNN : Could you describe a typical Florentine 's weekend ? Tanya : On Saturday morning they would go for a walk into town and have a look at all the shops in the center . And then the Italians are very fond of aperitifs before they go out , and lots of the bars have these aperitifs put out . One of the bars in town is called Slowly and a lot of people go there and have their cocktail and their little things to eat , sausage rolls , crisps and all the different little things . Then they would go onto a club , a really good one is called Otel , it 's in the south of Florence , a ten minute drive from the center , and it 's a really nice club . You can have dinner , watch a show with comedians , live singing and dancing , and then it turns into a club after about 12.30 . On Sundays , lots of the Italian people , if it 's nice weather , like to go for a drive in the Chianti region : it 's beautiful . They might stop for lunch in one of these very quaint little restaurants . If it 's terrible weather they can go to the big shopping center , which is called Gilli . Sunday nights are very popular nights to have an aperitif , as well . It 's a big student town , and Thursday night is a big night to go out as well . Well , in the city center any night you can find people going out . There is constantly something going on . ... . Where have you found the `` real '' Florence ? Do you agree with Tanya ? Send us your comments in the `` Sound Off '' box below and we 'll print the best . E-mail to a friend .
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CNN spoke to Florence resident Tanya Gray about life in the Italian city . Florence is small enough to walk everywhere , big enough to stay fresh . Locals can spot the tourists -- they 're not as dressy as native Florentines . Florence has a good nightlife , with many clubs and bars open late .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Make the most of `` the world 's most livable city '' with these insider tips . Trump card The Copenhagen Card entitles you to free use of the city 's train , bus and metro systems , as well as free admission to 60 museums and attractions . There are two versions , valid for either for either 24 hours -LRB- 199 DKR -RRB- or 72 hours -LRB- 429 DKR -RRB- , which you can buy at tourist offices , train stations and some hotels -LRB- www.copenhagencard.com -RRB- . Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is well worth the journey . Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Make your way some 40km north of the city to this fascinating museum -- it 's well worth the effort . Set in a beautiful sculpture park in the coastal village of Humlebaek , Louisiana is a beguiling combination of nature , architecture and contemporary art -LRB- www.louisiana.dk/dk -RRB- . On the up Check out the district of Nørrebro for a taste of the ` other side ' of Copenhagen . Slightly grungy , defiantly hip and definitely up-and-coming , this area has had its share of social problems , but it also has an undeniable energy and is increasingly popular with Copenhagen 's young-and-trendy set . Pass the Post The Copenhagen Post is a weekly English-language paper , available from train stations and newsstands . It comes with the 16-page `` In & Out Guide , '' which has complete entertainment listings and is worth the cover price by itself . Route canal Take a load off and let a canal boat take the strain as it meanders through Copenhagen 's waterways . DFDS Canal Tours offers one-hour guided tours from Nyhaven and Gammel Strand , as well as a water bus service that allows you to board and disembark at any of its 16 stops -LRB- www.canaltours.com/DCT/EN -RRB- . Free museums Two of the city 's finest cultural treasures , the Statens Museum for Kunst -LRB- National Gallery -RRB- and The National Museum do n't charge for admission . A number of Copenhagen 's museums and galleries offer free entry on Wednesdays , including the excellent Ny Carlsberg Glyptoteket . ... . What are your tips for a great stay in Copenhagen ? Where have you found the `` real '' Copenhagen ? Send us your suggestions in the `` Sound Off '' box below and we 'll print the best .
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If you 're a bit of a museum buff then it pays to invest in a Copenhagen Card . Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is a superb combination of nature and art . Nørrebro is an up-and-coming area , with trendy bars , clubs and restaurants . Take a canal tour to get a different view of the city or try the water bus service .
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- One revolutionized women 's hair in the 1960s . Another brought fear to Middle Earth . Another is a champion golfer who now designs courses all over the world . Christopher Lee is famous for playing Count Dracula and his roles in `` Lord of the Rings '' and `` Star Wars '' films . Vidal Sassoon , Christopher Lee and Nick Faldo are among those recognized this year on Queen Elizabeth 's birthday honors list . Lee and Faldo will both receive knighthoods , meaning they can now be known as `` Sir Christopher '' and `` Sir Nick . '' Lee , 87 , is famous for his portrayal of dark villains , starting with Count Dracula in a series of movies from the late 1950s until the 1970s . He gained a new generation of fans in in the past decade through is role as the bad wizard Saruman the White in the the `` Lord of the Rings '' trilogy , and as the evil Count Dooku in two `` Star Wars '' prequels . World-famous golfer Nick Faldo holds six major championship titles -- three from the British Open and three from the Masters . He has the record for the longest streak of majors played -- 48 -- dating to the 1987 British Open , according to the PGA Tour . Faldo is now almost as famous for designing golf courses as he is for playing the sport . He also serves as a television commentator . A knighthood is the highest honor , and recipients may use the title `` Sir '' before their names . The equivalent for women is to be awarded the title of `` Dame . '' They recognize a `` pre-eminent contribution '' in any field . Next come CBEs , or Commanders of the Order of the British Empire , which recognize contribution to a slightly lesser degree . Recipients may not use the title of sir or dame but may use the initials after their names . Sassoon will be awarded a CBE for his services to the British hairdressing industry . It recognizes a lifetime of achievement for Sassoon , who as a young boy spent years in a London orphanage after his father left and his mother could not afford to care for him . Later , after his mother dreamed of her son being in a barber shop , she apprenticed him to a local barber . That began a career that saw him develop two classic hairstyles of the Sixties -- the Bob and the even shorter Five-Point Cut -- along with an eponymous hair care line , range of hair care tools , and chain of salons . Also receiving a CBE is Jonathan Pryce , a Golden Globe-nominated actor who has had roles in the `` Pirates of the Caribbean '' movies , `` Ronin , '' and the James Bond film `` Tomorrow Never Dies . '' He won a best actor award in 1995 at Cannes for his part in the movie `` Carrington . '' Actor Alan Cumming will receive an OBE , or Order of the British Empire , awarded for notable achievement in any field . He was recognized for `` services to film , theater and the arts and to activism for equal rights for the gay and lesbian community . '' A large number of artists and others in creative fields are featured on this year 's list . Andrew Motion , who was Britain 's poet laureate until he stepped down this year , will receive a knighthood , and several names in fashion will also receive awards . Fashion designer Jeff Banks will receive a CBE ; Frances Marie Corner , the head of the London College of Fashion , will receive an OBE ; and MBEs will go to Christopher Bailey , the creative director at Burberry , and Natalie Massenet , the founder of online designer shopping site Net-a-Porter . Honors lists are published twice a year -- once on New Year 's Day and once in June , to mark the queen 's `` official '' birthday . The queen 's actual birthday is in April but she celebrates it in June because the weather is better .
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Hairdresser Vidal Sassoon , golfer Nick Faldo honored by UK 's queen . `` Dracula '' star Christopher Lee knighted in Queen Elizabeth 's birthday honors list . Actors Jonathan Pryce and Alan Cumming also honored .
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-LRB- Entertainment Weekly -RRB- -- Punctuation promises comedy in `` The Informant ! '' as if the title subject is a cartoon secret agent -- maybe Agent 86 in `` Get Smart . '' Matt Damon , as a corporate turncoat , offers up secrets in `` The Informant ! '' But he 's not . The whistle-blower worthy of an exclamation point in this groovy-looking , chuckle-baiting , fact-based movie from protean director Steven Soderbergh is Mark Whitacre -LRB- Matt Damon -RRB- , a biochemist and well-placed executive at the agri-processing giant Archer Daniels Midland -LRB- ADM -RRB- in Decatur , Illinois . It 's the early 1990s . The company man is helping expose ADM 's alleged global price-fixing activities to the FBI , cooperating with the feds long enough to gather invaluable evidence . But what Whitacre does n't confide to his FBI handlers , and what his wheat-colored jackets , Dilbert ties , and weakling mustache hide , at least at first , is that this inside source is not completely trustworthy . Damon , fattened up to fit his boxy suits , wears Whitacre 's slack demeanor beautifully . The star -- who has quietly and steadily turned into a great Everyman actor -- is in nimble control as he reveals his character 's deep crazies . Watch why Damon gained 30 pounds for the role '' Soderbergh 's amused study of the highest-ranking corporate whistleblower in U.S. history is adapted from `` The Informant : A True Story , '' an amazing , deeply reported book by New York Times reporter Kurt Eichenwald . That book told the story without editorial eye-rolling . But somewhere between Eichenwald 's journalistic attention to detail and the bubbly , dialogue-besotted script by `` The Bourne Ultimatum 's '' Scott Z. Burns , Soderbergh has chosen to apply an attitude of arch whoopee , a greasy veneer of mirth over what is , no joke , a serious mess of malfeasance and mental instability . It 's tempting to laugh , but what 's the joke : Whitacre ? ADM ? The FBI ? The fashion trends of Decatur ? Smarty condescension lurks behind the suburban bushes . Had a '90s date and place card not been supplied , I would have remained in an honest muddle about the era depicted on screen . And since Whitacre is subliminally likened to bumbling , fictional Maxwell Smart , that 's probably as the filmmaker intended . The artistic choice is reinforced by a '70s - era `` Laugh-In '' aesthetic seen in everything from the smiley yellow novelty typography of the opening credits to the fancy rubber-chicken music served up in heaps of horns and whistles by essence-of - '70s composer Marvin Hamlisch . Sock it to me . Playing it straight and letting his Sam-Donaldson-meets-Spock hairdo suggest otherwise , Scott Bakula makes an appealing FBI agent with a deadpan grimace just this side -- or maybe it 's the other side -- of `` Dragnet 's '' Joe Friday . Comedian Joel McHale from E! 's `` The Soup '' plays the fellow agent who stares with big round eyes while his partner squints at Whitacre 's successive leakages of truth/lie / truth/lie . The always wonderful , huggable Melanie Lynskey , who stole the show in `` Away We Go , '' does more great wifely work as Ginger Whitacre , her husband 's biggest booster . A valued subset of Soderbergh 's audience is sure to dig iconic hipster comic brothers Tom and Dick Smothers in small roles . In fact , the wily pair would fit right in with an `` Ocean 's Whatever '' cast of coolios , enjoying some retro-style ensemble fun , regardless of whether the audience does . Soderbergh is as smart , stylish , and attentive a filmmaker as they come . And there are moments in `` The Informant ! '' when I can almost be convinced that the tonal feints he establishes at the intersection of joke and no-joke are seriously , thoughtfully meant to replicate the misaligned synapses in Whitacre 's own head . iReport.com : Damon 's latest worth checking out . But if that 's the intention , Soderbergh ultimately made the choice to abandon interesting , dispassionate empathy for the more quick-fix payoff of amusement . As Whitacre goes through his days , Damon recites interior monologues of distracted observation in voice-overs meant to demonstrate how his character 's unusual brain works . In `` The Informant ! '' , that brain -- screwy and yet capable of doing important undercover work -- free-associates like Ellen DeGeneres on a swing through Walmart . Cute , but as even Agent 86 would say in `` Get Smart '' : Missed it by that much . EW Grade : B . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. . All rights reserved .
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`` The Informant ! '' stars Matt Damon as corporate worker giving info to FBI . Damon 's character is an untrustworthy provider , and actor 's performance great . But movie plays situations too much for laughs , says EW . `` The Informant ! '' is directed by Steven Soderbergh .
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Bakuriani , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The 21-year-old Georgian luger who propelled to his death after sliding off the track during an Olympic practice run in Vancouver was laid to rest in his hometown Saturday . Some 4,000 citizens from every walk of life mourned silently as Nodar Kumaritashvili was buried in his hometown of Bakuriani . The mourners included President Mikhail Saakashvili , who was clad in a Georgian Olympics shirt to show his national solidarity . `` I wanted to throw a wedding feast for you , '' the athlete 's father , David Kumaritashvili , said in a eulogy . `` Instead we have a funeral . '' Kumaritashvili died during a practice run when he slammed into a steel pole near the end of the 4,500-foot-long course and was propelled off the track , according to the International Olympics Committee . A preliminary inquiry said human error caused the accident because he came out of a turn too late . But Nodar 's family and many Georgians do n't accept that explanation . There had been concerns from athletes about the speed of the record-setting track at the Whistler Sliding Center in Vancouver ahead of the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympics , according to a Georgian official . `` There were some questions asked by other athletes even before this tragic accident , '' said Nikolas Rurua , Georgia 's deputy minister for culture and sports , adding that there had been several crashes in the same area . `` But at this moment it would be premature for me to jump to any conclusions . '' Video of the crash shows Kumaritashvili lying motionless after being thrown from his sled and striking the pole when he was coming out of the course 's last turn . He was given cardio-pulmonary resuscitation by medical staff on site before being transported to a hospital where doctors were unable to revive him , the IOC said . The luge is often called the `` fastest sport on ice . '' Sliders use their legs and shoulders to steer small fiberglass sleds down an icy track , at times approaching or surpassing speeds of 90 mph , according to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Web site . They are positioned on their backs with their feet straight out in front of them and their heads back to be as aerodynamic as possible . A track speed record -- and world speed record -- was recorded at Whistler on February 21 , 2009 , when a single men 's luge athlete , Germany 's Felix Loch , topped 95 mph during competition . American luger Tony Benshoof held the previous world speed record of 86.8 mph set in 2001 . A somber seven-member Georgian delegation wore black armbands to the February 12 opening ceremonies , and a black ribbon was tied atop the Georgian flag in tribute to Kumaritashvili . The team received a standing ovation from the 60,000 spectators in attendance . Kumaritashvili 's death was the first time an athlete had been killed during the games since 1992 , when a Swiss skier crashed into a snow-clearing machine on a public trail while training in the closing days of the games , according to NBC News , the official broadcaster of the Vancouver Games . Journalist Eka Kadagishvili contributed to this report .
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Nodar Kumaritashvili killed during Olympics practice run in Vancouver . Preliminary inquiry says human error caused accident . Other athletes expressed concerned about the speed of the luge track . Kumaritashvili 's death was the first since 1992 Games .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Once again , thanks to everyone who made connections between Canada and the Ivory Coast . We were quite amazed at the links you found between two countries that at first glance appear to be worlds apart . We started the week by talking to Lonely Planet editor Tom Hall . He told CNN 's Max Foster that one of the most interesting links is that both countries have brilliant borders . Canada 's border with the United States is the longest land border in the world , Hall said . Meanwhile the Ivory Coast , which has five countries neighboring it and a sea coast , has a most unusual border . Ailish Coblentz in Toronto made another interesting point related to borders . The populations of both countries live near the periphery . Most Canadians live near the U.S. border , and likewise citizens in the Ivory Coast live around the edges . `` Jose Nagbe , '' like many of you , noted that a shared French heritage links Canada and the Ivory Coast . `` Philip Ideh '' connected the two countries by pointing out that both countries have great monuments . The Ivory Coast , for instance , has the largest church in the world . Ziebono Nagbe also linked the two countries by religion , saying that there are sizeable Catholic populations in both Canada and the Ivory Coast . We also interviewed Canadian author Yann Martel , the Booker Prize-winning author of `` Life of Pi . '' He told us about how Canada inspires and shapes his work . There were two main food-related connections that many made . `` Curt , '' a commenter on the blog , said the Ivory Coast is a major producer of coffee , and Canadians love coffee . Bob Nelmes pointed out that the Ivory Coast produces loads of cocoa -- and that Canadians love drinking hot chocolate , especially during the wintertime . We also took a closer look at the the cocoa industry in the Ivory Coast , highlighting some of the challenges farmers there face . `` Linda Sampson '' used sports fans to connect the two countries . Canadian fans of ice hockey and Ivorian soccer fans are both `` crazy and dedicated , '' she wrote on the blog . Please keep sending us your comments . The next set of countries we 're looking at is Turkey and China . Check out our quiz to see how much you know about these two countries , and if you make any links , leave us a message on the blog . As usual , we 'll investigate the best on Connect the World . Happy connecting !
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We highlight the links you made between Canada and the Ivory Coast . Food , religion and sports were all used to connect the two countries . Try connecting our next set of countries : China and Turkey .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The love-triangles , family feuds and paternity mysteries of Brazil 's telenovelas have commandeered the nation 's airwaves for decades and generated a fortune for Globo -- the powerful TV network that produces many of the genre 's most popular shows . Brazilian actress Carolina Dieckmann 's portrayal of life with lukemia prompted 23,000 marrow donations after the show was aired . But aside from lining the pockets of television executives , evidence is emerging that the telenovelas have had a surprising impact on the fabric of Brazilian society . From declining fertility rates and a growing proportion of divorcees , to an increasing awareness of social issues and taboo medical conditions -- it is claimed that the colorful dramas are responsible for a wave of ` social merchandising ' that has helped significantly alter Brazilian values over the years . Despite a religious culture that condemns modern family planning methods , birth rates in Brazil have decreased from 6.3 children per woman in 1963 to 2.3 in 2000 . This drop is of a similar scale to that seen in China , where the government has played an extensive and controversial role in controlling population numbers . Although such a change could be attributed to a range of factors , a new study reveals that there is a direct correlation between the availability of the Globo TV signal and low fertility rates across Brazil . This is accompanied by a similar pattern of increasing divorce rates , as well as the -LRB- albeit less remarkable -RRB- tendency for parents to name their children after popular characters . Novelas depict the `` small , healthy , urban , middle and upper-class consumerist family , '' says Alberto Chong , one of the study 's authors . `` They have been a powerful medium through which the small family has been idealized . '' The changing trends certainly resonate with an analysis of 115 Globo novelas aired between 1965 and 1999 . It showed that 72 percent of the main female characters had no children , and 21 percent had only one child . The influence of TV is particularly strong in countries like Brazil . Joseph Potter , a University of Texas sociologist who has studied the relationship between fertility and television in Brazil explains in a report : `` It 's not a literate society , it 's not a place where there are books and newspapers outside the upper 10 percent -- and television fills that space . '' But as well as fashioning lifestyle choices , the novelas contribute to an increasing awareness and tolerance of difficult social issues . Bruno Gagliasso is the star of one of the most popular novelas in Brazil . In it he plays Tarzo , a recently diagnosed schizophrenic fighting not only himself but the stigmas of mental illness . `` We 're showing a disease that people ignore , '' he tells CNN . `` And we 're able to expose it to society as a whole . '' Finding opportunities to insert health themes into novelas is described by some in the industry as ` social merchandising ' and its effects are quantifiably real . Globo executive Luis Erlanger says that one episode , which featured a young girl in tears as her head is shaved in preparation for chemotherapy , prompted 23,000 bone marrow donations in the month after it first aired . Despite this , Erlanger is quick to assert that Globo 's priority is always with entertainment and that social issues will never dictate plot . However Manoel Carlos , writer of novelas since 1978 , sees the inclusion of health themes and information as a personal responsibility . `` Novelas are used to sell cars and freezers , '' he tells CNN . `` So why not sell some good information ? ''
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Soap operas , known as telenovelas , encourage smaller families study finds . Birth rates in Brazil have fallen dramatically since the 1970s . Divorce and taboo health conditions are also now less stigmatized .
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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 , Soledad O'Brien tells users about her work with young people who videotaped their stories in post-Katrina New Orleans . From left : Shantia Reneau , Deshawn Dabney , Soledad O'Brien , Amanda Hill and Brandon Franklin . NEW ORLEANS , Louisiana -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Eighteen-year-old Amanda Hill sits on a plastic lawn chair in a gutted home , talking straight into a camera . She looks shell-shocked , as if she has survived a war , and in a way that is exactly what has happened . Amanda and her grandmother lost their home and their livelihood as a result of Hurricane Katrina . `` I know what it is like not to have the finer things in life , '' she says , `` and I do n't need that to be happy , but I wake up at 3 a.m. to hearing my grandma crying because she does n't know if she 'll have money to put milk in the fridge or bread on the table . '' Watch Amanda 's story . Amanda speaks these words on the very first tape she sends to us in February of this year . She is one of 11 New Orleans-area students , age 12 to 20 , who received cameras from me and filmmaker Spike Lee in January . Their mission : Take the cameras and tell us the story of your post-Katrina lives . For instance , Amanda tells us her grandmother , Dolores , has mentioned suicide . `` All I could say was it 's going to be OK , when in my heart I do n't think it is . '' Dolores has raised Amanda since she was 11 years old . That was the year her mother died from cancer . Since returning to St. Bernard Parish , east of New Orleans , Dolores has tried to support the two of them while working at McDonald 's . In early spring , 15-year-old Deshawn Dabney confides to his camera , `` I do n't want to be dead at 15 . I have dreams , a whole life to live . I want to be this huge entertainer ... and there is no way I can do that if I 'm dead . '' He has reason to be concerned . He is speaking just days after a neighbor , 17-year-old Anthony Placide , was killed by a gunshot wound to the head . The shooting happened only a few hundred feet from Deshawn 's front door . Watch Deshawn 's story . On another tape we get a few days later , Deshawn is interviewing Anthony 's 14-year-old brother , Jamell Hurst . `` I was shocked , '' Jamell tells Deshawn about his brother 's murder . By now , I 'm a bit shocked too , by the emotions these kids are sharing on these tapes . Seventeen-year-old Shantia Reneau talks about her inability to afford the college of her dreams , Southeastern Louisiana University . All of the family 's extra money is going toward rebuilding their damaged home in the 9th Ward . They 're living in a FEMA trailer in a parking lot . `` I really want to go to Southeastern , but if not , I 'll have to stay down here , '' she says while walking along her damaged street . `` I did n't want to . New Orleans has nothing to offer , nothing , not a thing . '' Watch Shantia 's story . Nineteen-year-old Brandon Franklin is looking outside New Orleans , too . He wants to go away to college to study to become a band director . But it may be a tough road for him . He is raising a 1-year-old with his live-in girlfriend , Ivorionne , and they have another baby on the way . `` I feel like we 're a little bit too young for the responsibilities we have , '' he tells the camera in a strong , confident voice . `` But I feel like I can do anything I put my mind to . '' Seeing and hearing him , you want to believe it . Watch Brandon 's story . Amanda , Deshawn , Shantia and Brandon are among the approximately 30,000 students who attend public schools in Orleans and St. Bernard Parish nearly two years after the storm , down from more than 75,000 before Katrina hit . On the day we distributed the cameras , Spike Lee told the kids to `` just go out and shoot , tape is cheap . '' With this cheap tape these kids have taught us all a powerful , infinitely valuable lesson that will stay with me forever . E-mail to a friend .
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Soledad O'Brien and Spike Lee gave kids cameras in January . One student 's neighbor was killed by a gunshot . Student may not go to chosen college as family 's money goes to rebuild home .
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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 , Soledad O'Brien takes users inside a jail where many of the inmates are mentally ill . An inmate housed on the `` forgotten floor , '' where many mentally ill inmates are housed in Miami before trial . MIAMI , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The ninth floor of the Miami-Dade pretrial detention facility is dubbed the `` forgotten floor . '' Here , inmates with the most severe mental illnesses are incarcerated until they 're ready to appear in court . Most often , they face drug charges or charges of assaulting an officer -- charges that Judge Steven Leifman says are usually `` avoidable felonies . '' He says the arrests often result from confrontations with police . Mentally ill people often wo n't do what they 're told when police arrive on the scene -- confrontation seems to exacerbate their illness and they become more paranoid , delusional , and less likely to follow directions , according to Leifman . So , they end up on the ninth floor severely mentally disturbed , but not getting any real help because they 're in jail . We toured the jail with Leifman . He is well known in Miami as an advocate for justice and the mentally ill . Even though we were not exactly welcomed with open arms by the guards , we were given permission to shoot videotape and tour the floor . Go inside the ` forgotten floor ' '' At first , it 's hard to determine where the people are . The prisoners are wearing sleeveless robes . Imagine cutting holes for arms and feet in a heavy wool sleeping bag -- that 's kind of what they look like . They 're designed to keep the mentally ill patients from injuring themselves . That 's also why they have no shoes , laces or mattresses . Leifman says about one-third of all people in Miami-Dade county jails are mentally ill . So , he says , the sheer volume is overwhelming the system , and the result is what we see on the ninth floor . Of course , it is a jail , so it 's not supposed to be warm and comforting , but the lights glare , the cells are tiny and it 's loud . We see two , sometimes three men -- sometimes in the robes , sometimes naked , lying or sitting in their cells . `` I am the son of the president . You need to get me out of here ! '' one man shouts at me . He is absolutely serious , convinced that help is on the way -- if only he could reach the White House . Leifman tells me that these prisoner-patients will often circulate through the system , occasionally stabilizing in a mental hospital , only to return to jail to face their charges . It 's brutally unjust , in his mind , and he has become a strong advocate for changing things in Miami . Over a meal later , we talk about how things got this way for mental patients . Leifman says 200 years ago people were considered `` lunatics '' and they were locked up in jails even if they had no charges against them . They were just considered unfit to be in society . Over the years , he says , there was some public outcry , and the mentally ill were moved out of jails and into hospitals . But Leifman says many of these mental hospitals were so horrible they were shut down . Where did the patients go ? Nowhere . The streets . They became , in many cases , the homeless , he says . They never got treatment . Leifman says in 1955 there were more than half a million people in state mental hospitals , and today that number has been reduced 90 percent , and 40,000 to 50,000 people are in mental hospitals . The judge says he 's working to change this . Starting in 2008 , many inmates who would otherwise have been brought to the `` forgotten floor '' will instead be sent to a new mental health facility -- the first step on a journey toward long-term treatment , not just punishment . Leifman says it 's not the complete answer , but it 's a start . Leifman says the best part is that it 's a win-win solution . The patients win , the families are relieved , and the state saves money by simply not cycling these prisoners through again and again . And , for Leifman , justice is served . E-mail to a friend .
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Mentally ill inmates in Miami are housed on the `` forgotten floor '' Judge Steven Leifman says most are there as a result of `` avoidable felonies '' While CNN tours facility , patient shouts : `` I am the son of the president '' Leifman says the system is unjust and he 's fighting for change .
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- David Prowse , who played Darth Vader in the original `` Star Wars '' films , has revealed he is suffering from prostate cancer but is still feeling `` fantastic . '' David Prowse signs autographs during the opening day of `` Star Wars Celabration IV '' in Los Angeles in 2007 . Prowse , who wore the black suit and helmet to play the Dark Lord of the Sith , told a British radio station he had been undergoing radiotherapy at a hospital in south London and was helping its fundraising appeal . `` I 'm involved with the Royal Marsden Hospital appeal because I 'm undergoing treatment for prostate cancer , would you believe , '' he told Absolute Radio . `` I 'm having my very last treatment this morning . '' `` I 've had two months ' radiotherapy treatment at the Royal Marsden . It 's the most fantastic hospital you could ever wish to go to . '' James Earl Jones did the voice for Vader , Luke Skywalker 's father , -LRB- and also for CNN promotional links -RRB- in the films as Prowse 's western English accent was thought to be unsuitable for the part . Prowse , 73 , added he was fighting the disease . `` The only thing I 've had is hot flushes and my wife tells me I 'm going menopausal , '' he said . `` It 's amazing what can be done so long as you catch it early . '' `` Every man over the age of 50 should have a PSA test -LRB- a blood test for prostate cancer -RRB- and that just gives you some indication of whether you have prostate problems . ''
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David Prowse , who played Darth Vader in `` Star Wars , '' has prostate cancer . Prowse says he is undergoing radiotherapy at hospital in south London . Actor said every man over 50 should have a blood test for prostate cancer .
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PHOENIX , Arizona -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` Always you have to run for your life , '' says Boo Htoo , who grew up in a refugee camp in Thailand just across the border from Myanmar . Boo Htoo and his family lived at the Maela Refugee Camp before being resettled in Phoenix , Arizona . Ethnic minorities still flee the repressive military regime in Myanmar , formerly Burma . Some 111,000 Myanmar refugees live in nine camps in Thailand , according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees . Htoo , now 29 , recalls making the long trek with his parents to cross the border when he was about 5 . '' -LSB- It 's -RSB- a very long way , '' he says . `` We do n't have a car , a plane . We do n't have a bicycle to ride . My parents just take what they can carry , and then we started walking across the jungle , sleeping in the jungle . '' Htoo and his family are now resettled in Phoenix , Arizona . Thanks to Carolyn Manning and her Welcome to America Project , they got a warm welcome to the big city , complete with furnishings and household items for their first apartment and toys for his two young children . `` That day that I have a lot of American friends in my apartment , '' recalls Htoo , `` this is the day that I feel very happy . '' For Htoo , it was a remarkable transition from `` a really hard life in the refugee camp . '' `` They have a wire fence around the camp ; they put soldiers around the fence , '' Htoo says . `` You are not allowed to go outside to work . You do n't have a chance to go to university even if you are willing to go . I can not express the feeling of how difficult it is . '' Watch Htoo tell his story '' According to the International Rescue Committee , about 2.7 million refugees have been resettled in the United States since 1975 , and 52,000 of those have been relocated to Arizona . Through her Welcome to America Project , Manning helps legal refugees being resettled to Phoenix by the United Nations . Since 2001 , she and volunteers have provided furniture , clothing and support to more than 550 refugee families . Nominate your Hero at CNN.com / Heroes . The first family Manning welcomed came to her attention in a local newspaper . Manning 's brother-in-law Terence had died in the September 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks in New York . The family in the newspaper was from Afghanistan and had lost a relative to the Taliban . Manning immediately saw a parallel . `` Knowing that Terence was killed innocently and then seeing the Afghan family who had someone killed in their family , I started to make a connection between myself and that family , '' Manning recalls . `` We lost a family member , too . The difference was we had a safe place that we lived -- and they had to flee their country . '' At a time when many Americans were putting up walls and shunning foreigners , Manning reached out to them . She and her family took up a collection of furniture for them -- and The Welcome to America Project was born . `` They 've been invited here , '' says Manning . `` Everybody has a right to find a place where they belong . I want the refugees to feel that this is their home . '' The families assisted by The Welcome to America Project typically have languished in refugee camps for 10-12 years , says Manning , and come from countries including Iraq , Myanmar , Liberia , Somalia , Sudan , Nigeria and Bhutan -- places where they were often persecuted because of their race , religion or political views . `` There are a number of different things they have to learn how to do when they first arrive , '' Manning says . `` They 've never seen buildings built like ours . They 've lived in huts literally made out of bamboo , with leaves on top . There 's a lot of transition for them . '' Watch Manning describe the refugees ' strikingly different backgrounds '' Over the last seven years , Manning says , she 's learned a lot from the refugees and finds herself looking at American customs from a new perspective . `` We brought a toaster into a family from Africa and they did n't know what it was , '' recalls Manning . `` The woman was very dutiful in watching -LSB- when -RSB- we tried to show them how to toast bread . But then through a translator her response was , ` Why would you want to ruin bread ? ' '' Manning says the refugees are resourceful and eager to start a new life , developing strong ties to their new communities , making active contributions , working hard and paying taxes . `` It 's not an ` us and them , ' '' she says . `` We 're all part of one humanity . And we 're trying to do what 's right , and what is fair . '' Watch The Welcome to America Project in action '' As word continues to spread -- the project is currently bigger than ever , says Manning -- The Welcome to America Project is nearing its 600th family donation . Manning says she is n't surprised the project has taken off . `` That 's how Terrance 's life was , '' she says . `` Every time he had an idea it was big and bold . He was a very , very generous person . I guess that 's the legacy we 're passing on with the project . '' Want to get involved ? Check out The Welcome to America Project and see how to help .
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Welcome to America Project helps refugees being resettled in Phoenix , Arizona . Carolyn Manning founded the group after relative died in September 11 attacks . Myanmar refugee Boo Htoo among 550-plus families the project has helped . Nominate your Hero at CNN.com / Heroes .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A strengthening El Nino is expected to bring torrential rain Thursday to parts of Southern California , including Los Angeles , and authorities warned of possibly severe mudslides in areas denuded by forest fires . The storm could dump 8 inches to 10 inches of rain on the Los Angeles area and higher amounts in the foothills , the National Weather Service said . Late Tuesday , Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa -- expecting a dangerous storm Wednesday -- urged hundreds of Californians to leave their homes . A torrential rainfall Tuesday unleashed flooding and spawned a rare tornado warning . Are you being affected by the storms ? Send your images , video . There has been some resistance to the advice , a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department said . The detective , who would n't give her entire name , said she did n't know how many people decided to leave . Flash flooding on California golf course . There was heavy rain Wednesday in San Francisco and Sacramento , California , but Los Angeles had little precipitation as of about noon . Driving by homes , businesses under water . A warm ocean current from the South Pacific is responsible for this week 's storms , said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers . With little vegetation to help contain the water , the vast expanses in southern California that were hit by wildfires late last summer are causing concern for officials . The largest of the fires -- known as the Station Fire -- charred 250 square miles of land last summer north and east of Los Angeles . `` If you are lower in elevation than where a fire happened earlier this year , you need to be very , very cautious , '' Myers said . Forecasters said several feet of snow would fall in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada through the rest of this week , as low pressure systems continue moving into the area .
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El Nino expected to bring torrential rain Thursday to parts of Southern California . Authorities warned of possibly severe mudslides in areas denuded by forest fires . Warm ocean current from the South Pacific responsible for storm .
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OXFORD , Iowa -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Brianne Leckness stares into the camera , a crooked smile spread across her face . It 's the epitome of youth -- a young girl with bows in her hair ready to tackle the world . A dog scampers behind her in a blur . Brianne Leckness is one of 100 people featured in a new book called `` The Oxford Project . '' But then you learn her story and how her life has changed since that day in 1984 when photographer Peter Feldstein took her picture in Oxford , Iowa , a town of about 700 people . You may pause . You may even cry . `` My mom left me at a church when I was 3 . She used to travel with the carnival , and the carnival ended up going broke in Iowa . When my mom and my stepfather had a hard day , they 'd take it out on me . So she left me at this church with our dog Freddy , '' she says . `` She pinned a note to my shirt that said , ` Please take care of her . We ca n't any longer . ' '' Brianne 's story is one of 100 captured in a new book called `` The Oxford Project . '' It combines black-and-white portrait photographs -- one from 1984 , a second 20 years later -- with oral histories to give a mosaic of a small town , of hopes and dreams , of triumphs and tragedies , of life and death . `` Old hippie '' works hard , parties hard ; meet other townfolk too '' Intimate details are shared : Pat Henkelman was the last in town to learn her husband of 45 years was cheating ; Hunter Tandy says his second cousin , Ashton Kutcher , once visited with Demi Moore and stayed in the Super 8 ; Jim Hoyt Sr. breaks his silence and describes being one of the first four U.S. soldiers to liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany during World War II . Feldstein began his project in 1984 with a simple idea : Snap photos of all 676 residents of Oxford . He typed up letters in April that year and delivered them to every home , most of the time taping the notes to the back door . `` The sessions will take about 5 minutes and of most importance is that you feel comfortable . We would like you to dress ` as you are , ' not as you might look in your Sunday best , '' he wrote . By summer 's end , the University of Iowa arts professor had photographed 670 people , six shy of the whole town . He displayed the photos at the American Legion , but then tucked them away . The prints were destroyed in a flood ; the negatives were stuffed in boxes . See photos of how people changed '' Two decades later , Feldstein set out on a new quest -- to rephotograph as many people as he could find from 1984 . But this time he brought along Stephen G. Bloom , a University of Iowa journalism professor , to interview the residents and record their life histories . `` I learned secrets . I learned things that some of them had n't even told their spouses , '' says Feldstein , a resident of the town since 1978 . `` More than anything , I learned about my neighbors more . '' Watch no `` Hallmark questions '' here '' Many stand in nearly the exact same pose as two decades before , their shoulders drooped with age . Children are now men ; girls are now mothers . Bloom , with Feldstein present , interviewed each person separately , and the townspeople revealed their innermost feelings . Now , Feldstein traces his finger along cracks on the wall where residents stood for the photos the second time around . The cracks look like varicose veins breaking through plaster . `` The wall has changed just like the people have changed , '' Feldstein says . Bloom says journalists these days too often talk to the nation 's power players and too few times to working-class people . `` The idea was not to talk to the decision makers , but talk to the people whose lives are affected by the decision makers , '' he says . `` My job in Oxford was to talk to the voiceless , to people who do n't have any voice who are the backbone of America . '' On a recent Sunday , Oxford residents flocked to St. Mary 's Hall for the big debut . Books were sprawled out on 1960s-style wooden tables . Residents snatched them up and began signing each other 's copies , as if it were a high school yearbook signing . Learn facts about Oxford '' Kathy Brack clutched her book to her heart . `` I 've been hugging it ever since I got it , '' says the schoolteacher of 34 years . `` There were things in there that the gossip line did n't know about ! '' Nearby , one of her former students , Ben Stoker , held his copy . In 1984 , his father , Dave , held his boy proudly for Feldstein 's camera . The father 's arms are outstretched , his newborn son asleep in his hands . A gentle smile can be seen from beneath his dad 's thick beard . Ben 's mother , Darnell , was photographed a couple of weeks before . She 's dressed in a plaid maternity outfit , pregnant with Ben . `` When I was 10 , my dad died , '' Ben Stoker told Bloom and Feldstein . `` Pretty much I think about my dad every day . I remember feeling his beard against my face . I remember his hands -- they were soft and warm . `` Two years ago , when I was 19 , my mother died of cancer . She was my guiding light . '' In a corner of the hall this day , Kevin Somerville -- a large man in overalls , a bushy beard and a boisterous laugh -- sits with his wife , Mary , and grown daughter , Kristi . They say they thought they knew everything about everybody in town , until they got ahold of the book . Everyone seemed to spill the beans -- to two `` East Coast Jews , '' as Feldstein puts it . Why would residents of an entire town open their hearts ? `` People will talk if you 're willing to listen , '' Kristi Somerville says . `` They 're not small-town stories . They 're human stories . '' Her mother adds of Bloom 's at-ease style . `` He said , ` Tell me about your life . ' How often does somebody ask you that : Tell me about your life ? '' Brianne Leckness , now 30 years old , shows up with Blanche Smith , her foster mother during her years in Oxford . Blanche has taken in more than 500 foster children over the years . But she still remembers that day when she gave up Brianne to another foster home . She was raising three teenage sons and could n't handle a young girl in grade school . `` Yes , '' she says , crying when asked if she wished she had kept Brianne . Later in the day , about three dozen Oxford residents make the 16-mile trek to Iowa City . Hundreds of Iowans pack the Englert Theatre for an on-stage performance of The Oxford Project . Sixteen local Iowans read the stories of the Oxford residents as told in the book . Only one person tells her own story . It 's Brianne Leckness . `` When I was 9 , Blanche said to me , ' I really ca n't be your mom any longer . ' In my next family , the mother would put my hair up . But I was a tomboy , and it drove them mad . I went to three or four other foster homes after that . '' '' ... On my 18th birthday , my mother blew into town . She wanted us to go on ` The Montel Williams Show ' and say how she really never wanted to give me up . '' She ends with : `` Nothing for me has been normal , so why should now be normal ? '' Brianne is a mother now , determined to raise her own children and not to make the same mistakes her mother made . As the night drew to a close , she stood with the 16 others on stage to raucous applause . She smiled and took a bow . She was a portrait of courage . A model of a small town . A real American . Afterward , she said it felt good to `` relive part of my past that was a good experience . '' `` It was nice . It was really nice . '' What are we to make of stories like these ? `` I walked away from this knowing that life turns on a dime , '' Bloom says . `` I realized that life is really dependent on moments , and you do n't know when those moments are going to take place when you wake up . And sometimes when you go to sleep at night , you do n't realize those moments have taken place . '' `` The story in Oxford really is n't about Oxford , Iowa . It 's about any small town in the United States -- anywhere in the world . ''
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Peter Feldstein set out in 1984 to photograph everyone in Iowa town . He then rephotographed them 20 years later and recorded their oral histories . Feldstein 's colleague Stephen Bloom : `` My job in Oxford was to talk to the voiceless '' Resident : `` There were things in there that the gossip line did n't know about ! ''
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Federal investigators have found salmonella bacteria in chicken feed and in barn and walkway areas at Iowa farms at the center of the nationwide outbreak , officials said . The feed or feed ingredients could have become contaminated after they went through heat treatment that was sufficient to kill salmonella , officials from the Food and Drug Administration told reporters . Produced at a mill at a Wright County Egg Co. facility , the feed was given to pullet chickens at both Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms , which between them recalled more than a half-billion eggs since the salmonella outbreak . The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a total of 2,403 cases of Salmonella enteriditis had been reported in the United States between May 1 and August 25 . Normally , 933 cases would be reported in that time period . The dramatic difference of 1,470 cases may be linked , at least in part , to the outbreak and the tainted eggs , a CDC spokeswoman said . Officials indicated in a conference call that this is the largest Salmonella enteriditis outbreak since tracking began in the mid-1970s . Testing at Wright County Egg farms in Iowa showed the presence of salmonella in the food mill and in manure at two locations , said Sherri McGarry of the Food and Drug Administration . She said investigators are still drawing samples at Hillandale Farms . '' Feed were the sources -LSB- of the salmonella -RSB- , but perhaps not the only sources , '' McGarry said . The feed could have been contaminated in a number of ways , including by birds , rodents and people 's shoes or boots , officials said . Wright County Egg , in a statement issued later Thursday , said it will `` work with FDA as they expand their review of feed ingredients purchased from outside vendors for our farm , as well as for their ongoing review of our farms . '' `` FDA while on our farm tested meat and bone meal that is provided by a third-party supplier as an ingredient for our feed . The ingredient is held separately in an overhead bin that was tested by FDA officials prior to being mixed in with our feed . `` This finding obviously is of great concern to us . As part of our internal investigation and in response to FDA 's initial consideration of feed as a possible source , on August 23 we pulled and sent samples of all ingredients used in our feed for further SE -LSB- Salmonella enteriditis -RSB- testing . In addition , today we provided FDA with information about our third-party supplier and immediately notified that supplier of the testing results . ... `` We have received from FDA three positive environmental SE tests . It 's important to understand that a positive environmental test does not mean eggs from that barn would have SE . '' Wright County Egg spokeswoman Hinda Mitchell said the third-party supplier and manufacturer is Central Bi-Products . A call to the company was not immediately returned Thursday night . Thursday 's update by federal regulators came amid rising questions of how the companies monitored their facilities and the speed of the government response . Rep. Bart Stupak , D-Michigan , announced a House subcommittee will hold hearings September 14 on the safety of the nation 's food supply . The subcommittee has requested inspection reports and notices of any violations , among other documents , from Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms . `` We are working right now to respond to the Committee , and we will approach it in the same forthright manner as we have in our cooperation with FDA to date , '' said Mitchell , confirming that owner Jack DeCoster has been invited to appear . Hillandale Farms founder Orland Bethel also has been asked to attend , said spokeswoman Julie DeYoung , who likewise said the company is cooperating with officials . Dr. Jeff Farrar , the associate commissioner for food safety at the FDA , said it took weeks to trace the clusters of salmonella reports to contaminated eggs . Officials did n't believe a massive early recall made sense , nor did they want to wait for confirmed laboratory results , he said . `` We have to strike a balance between being timely and accurate , '' Farrar said of the FDA 's move August 11 to ask the companies to do a voluntary recall . Iowa does not have an egg quality assurance program , McGarry said . `` We are not sure how and when this feed could have been contaminated , '' she said . FDA officials said new producer egg safety rules , which took effect in July after the outbreak began , will greatly reduce the possibility of a similar salmonella outbreak in the future . More people are likely to report becoming sick because of the two to three weeks it takes for salmonella to manifest itself , said Dr. Christopher R. Braden , acting director of the Division of Foodborne , Waterborne and Environmental Diseases at the CDC . No deaths have been linked to the outbreak , regulators said . Braden said elderly people living in nursing homes have not fallen sick , as they might have in past outbreaks . Increased egg safety procedures in restaurants , along with pasteurization and thorough cooking , have put a dent into the outbreak , he added . Egg consumers had two new brand names to search for in their refrigerators . Wright County Egg , which was responsible for 380 million of the 550 million recalled eggs , said 60-egg cases sold under the Cardenas Market brand in California and Nevada were being recalled . Eggs included in the recall are labeled with plant number 1026 and date codes ranging from 136 to 228 . Dates and codes can be found printed on the label . The plant number begins with the letter P and then the number . The Julian date follows the plant number , for example : P-1026 228 . In addition , Trafficanda Egg Ranch released a statement saying it was doing a voluntary recall of Wright County-supplied shell eggs . The Trafficanda Egg Ranch-branded eggs were distributed to grocery stores and food-service companies in California in 12-egg cartons , 20-egg over-wrapped packages , and 60-egg over-wrapped packages with date codes ranging from 136 to 229 and plant numbers 1026 , 1413 , 1720 , 1942 and 1946 . According to a spokeswoman for the Egg Safety Center , the two newest `` subrecalls '' do n't add to the total number of eggs recalled ; both the Cardenas Market and Trafficanda Egg Ranch eggs were counted already as part of Wright County Egg 's 380 million . New regulations went into effect July 9 requiring egg producers with more than 3,000 hens to take measures designed to prevent the spread of salmonella . While FDA inspectors typically did n't inspect farms until after an outbreak of illness , Farrar , the associate commissioner for food safety at the FDA , said that under the new rule , `` We will be beginning routine inspections of egg farms throughout the United States . '' While the recall involves hundreds of millions of eggs , they represent less than 1 percent of the 80 billion eggs produced in the United States each year , said Krista Eberle , director of the food safety program at the Egg Safety Center . But even that risk level is too high for some restaurant patrons in Michigan , the most recently added state on the list of those receiving tainted eggs . `` It makes you not even want to order or buy the eggs , '' Audrey Karas , a customer at a Big Boy in Warren , Michigan , told CNN affiliate WDIV . Big Boy uses eggs unaffected by the recall . `` It makes you uneasy about buying eggs , even if they are supposed to be safe . '' CNN 's Phil Gast and Senior Medical Producer Caleb Hellerman contributed to this report .
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Wright County Egg issues statement mentioning outside vendors . Testing showed contamination in food mill , in manure samples . New egg rules are the key to prevention , federal officials say .
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ATLANTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An advisory panel is recommending a major step up in protection for health workers dealing with patients suspected or confirmed to have H1N1 influenza . One expert says that based on current knowledge , N95 respirators offer health workers the best protection . The Institute of Medicine said Thursday , in recommendations requested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , that loose paper masks are inadequate because the workers could still breathe in the virus . Instead , health workers should switch to N95 respirators that form an airtight seal around the nose and mouth . If properly fitted and worn correctly , N95 respirators filter out at least 95 percent of particles as small as 0.3 micrometers , which is smaller than influenza viruses , the report notes . The institute provides independent , evidence-based advice to policymakers , health professionals , private entities and the public . It is one of four groups that make up the National Academies . The study released Thursday was requested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration . `` Scientists do not know to what extent flu viruses spread through the air or whether infection requires physical contact with contaminated fluids or surfaces , '' a summary of the report says . It calls for `` a boost in research to answer these questions and to design and develop better protective equipment that would enhance workers ' comfort , safety and ability to do their jobs . '' `` Based on what we currently know about influenza , well-fitted N95 respirators offer health care workers the best protection against inhalation of viral particles , '' said committee chairman Kenneth Shine , executive vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Texas in Austin . He is a former president of the institute . `` But there is a lot we still do n't know about these viruses , and it would be a mistake for anyone to rely on respirators alone as some sort of magic shield . '' Health care workers should use several strategies to guard against infection , such as innovative triage processes , washing hands , disinfecting , wearing gloves , getting vaccinated and using antiviral drugs , Shine said . The institute was asked specifically to evaluate personal protective equipment designed to guard against respiratory infection , and therefore the committee focused on the efficacy of medical masks and respirators .
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Panel recommends health care workers wear N95 respirators for H1N1 patients . N95 respirators form an airtight seal around the nose and mouth . They filter out at least 95 percent of particles as small as 0.3 micrometers . Report says it is not known to what extent flu viruses spread through the air .
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So ill he could not move , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart supposedly sang parts of his final masterpiece , `` Requiem , '' from his deathbed . Two centuries later , the exact cause of the Austrian composer 's premature death , in December 1791 at age 35 , is still a mystery . This portrait by painter Johann Georg Edlinger , showed Mozart not long before his mysterious death in 1791 . Theories abound . It 's known that his entire body was so swollen he could n't turn over in bed ; some say jealous rivals poisoned him , while others suggest scarlet fever , tuberculosis , or lethal trichinosis from undercooked pork . Now , new evidence points to an altogether different conclusion : Mozart may have died from kidney damage caused by a strep infection , possibly strep throat . Health.com : Ca n't stop coughing ? 8 causes of chronic cough . Dr. Richard H.C. Zegers of the University of Amsterdam and his colleagues analyzed data from Vienna 's death registry . Researchers had not previously analyzed the daily death registry -- begun in handwritten script in 1607 and maintained until 1920 -- for clues to Mozart 's death . Zegers and his team looked at information for 5,011 adults who died during three consecutive winters starting in 1790 , as well as eyewitness accounts of Mozart 's death , according to the study published this week in Annals of Internal Medicine . `` By looking at the patterns of death during Mozart 's time and combining them with the signs and symptoms of his final disease , we have not one but two pillars on which our theory is built , '' said Zegers . `` Although we ca n't be 100 percent conclusive , I 'm convinced that we have come very near the exact reason he died . '' The researchers found that there were more than 500 deaths related to edema , the swelling caused by fluid in the body 's tissues . Edema was the third most common cause of death at the time , after tuberculosis and malnutrition/cachexia , a physical wasting-away that was possibly caused by cancer or diabetes . Health.com : Your nutrition needs in your 30s , 40s , and 50s . During the winter of 1791 , there was a spike in edema-related deaths among younger men , possibly because of an epidemic of strep throat , according to Zegers . He and his colleagues suspect that the epidemic 's origin was the local military hospital , since crowded quarters are more conducive to the rapid spread of airborne bacteria such as group A Streptococcus , which can cause strep throat . Strep throat can progress to rheumatic fever , which can lead to heart valve and joint damage ; scarlet fever , which is characterized by a skin rash ; and poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis -LRB- APSGN -RRB- , a condition that causes fluid buildup throughout the body because of kidney damage . Health.com : How one doctor helps patients avoid kidney problems . Strep bacteria 's serious side effects are why today 's experts recommend testing and prompt antibiotic treatment of strep , which causes a fiery red throat , severe pain and a high fever . However , most present-day throat infections are caused by viruses -LRB- in which case antibiotics are useless -RRB- , and they often go away without treatment or serious complications . Dr. Martin Schreiber , the head of the nephrology and hypertension department at the Cleveland Clinic , in Ohio , said that the researchers might be on the right track . `` Is this plausible ? Yes , '' said Schreiber . `` But is it definitive ? No . '' Contrary to previous theories suggesting that Mozart died in extremely rare circumstances , the new study does have a more reasonable conclusion based on what was happening in the community , Schreiber said . `` Using the most credible sources available from that period , they 're relying upon deductive reasoning . I 'm not sure if there 's a more scientific approach to doing this , '' he added . Even though the death registry 's data helps shed light on Mozart 's cause of death , significant gaps still leave doubt . Many people witnessed the composer 's final days , but most of those accounts were published decades after his death . Historians have found no written accounts by Mozart 's physicians , and have relied largely on medical reports by a doctor who was familiar with the case -- but did n't treat the composer . Other sources used in the study include a biography written by the composer 's wife 's second husband , Georg Nikolaus von Nissen , and an eyewitness account given by Mozart 's sister-in-law , Sophie Haibel , 33 years after his death . Dr. Stephen Gluck , a nephrologist at the University of California , San Francisco , finds some faults with the new theory : There are no accounts of Mozart suffering from a sore throat in the last weeks of his life ; nor were there reports of high blood pressure or blood in his urine . All are telltale signs of APSGN . Gluck adds that APSGN now occurs mainly in children and is nonfatal in most cases . Mozart 's cause of death is listed on the city 's official registry as hitziges Frieselfieber , or miliary fever , a condition whose symptoms include a high temperature and rash . Zegers suggested this guess was made by a layperson instead of a medical authority because it was a term widely used to describe symptoms instead of an actual medical diagnosis . Although a rash is a symptom of scarlet fever , which is also caused by strep bacteria , it 's more likely that Mozart 's death was due to strep throat , Zegers said . None of the people who were with him during the last weeks of life reported that he had a rash , suggesting that he had the rash only at the time of his death . Scarlet fever 's rash shows up the first or second day after you get sick and then subsides within six to nine days , said Zegers , so that condition is unlikely to have been the cause of death . Health.com : Four things you did n't know about natural medicine . What 's more , Mozart was reported to have had a fever in the fall of 1791 , which may have been caused by the initial strep infection , the researchers say . Some strep complications can occur weeks after the initial infection , and it 's possible that Mozart had a sore throat before or at the time of his death and it was n't recorded . Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com . Copyright Health Magazine 2009 .
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Exact cause of Mozart 's death , at age 35 in 1791 , is still a mystery . In 1791 , edema-related deaths among younger men increased due to strep throat . But there are no accounts of Mozart having sore throat in his last weeks of life .
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DENVER , Colorado -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A former hospital employee may have exposed hundreds , or even thousands , of surgical patients to hepatitis C after taking their fentanyl injections and replacing them with used syringes filled with saline solution , authorities say . A hospital worker has admitted to secretly injecting herself and using unclean syringes for patients . Kristen Diane Parker , who worked at Rose Medical Center in Denver , has admitted to secretly injecting herself in a bathroom and using unclean syringes as replacements for patients , investigators said . She had hepatitis C , which she believes she contracted through using heroin and sharing dirty needles while she lived in New Jersey in 2008 , authorities said . She was a surgical technician at Rose from October 2008 to April 2009 . Nine patients who had surgery there during that time have tested positive for hepatitis C. Investigators are looking into whether they contracted the virus from Parker . According to an affidavit filed by an investigator with the Food and Drug Administration , Rose Medical Center knew Parker tested positive for hepatitis C . She was counseled on how to limit her exposure to patients . Parker quit after she was found to be in an operating room where she was not allowed to be . She subsequently tested positive for fentanyl . Hospital officials then contacted the DEA . Parker is in federal custody facing three drug-related charges . If she is found to have done serious harm to a patient , she could face up to 20 years in prison . If a patient dies because of her actions , she could face life in prison . In a statement to police , Parker said , `` I ca n't take back what I did , but I will have to live with it for the rest of my life , and so does everyone else . '' Her attorney could not be reached Friday . Rose Medical Center is contacting 4,700 patients who had surgery at Rose during the time Parker was employed there . However , hospital officials do not believe that many patients were exposed . `` We are taking a very conservative and cautious approach by contacting everyone who had surgery during this broad time period , '' a statement on the hospital 's Web site said , adding , `` It is likely that most of the patients who receive letters will not have been exposed to hepatitis C. '' An additional 1,200 patients may have been infected between May 4 , 2009 , and July 1 , 2009 , when Parker worked at Audubon Ambulatory Surgical Center in Colorado Springs . Audubon is also contacting patients . According to the Centers for Disease Control , hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer .
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Kristen Diane Parker believes she contracted hepatitis C from sharing dirty needles . She was a surgical technician in Denver from October 2008 to April 2009 . Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pakistani civilians were given a brief window on Friday to flee the ongoing fighting between government forces and Taliban militants in the country 's north , according to military officials . Pakistani civilians pack a bus leaving Mingora , the capital of the troubled Swat Valley . The Pakistan army is trying to push the Taliban away from regions within the troubled Swat Valley . A curfew was relaxed until 2 p.m. local time Friday in Kabal , Kanju and Mingora -- in the Swat Valley -- and in Malakand Agency , which is a separate district . The government provided an estimated 150 vehicles to evacuate people , as private cars are not allowed to enter Mingora . The Taliban have been concentrating forces there -- digging trenches , laying mines , taking positions on rooftops , according to strategic expert Reva Bhalla of Stratfor , a firm that describes itself as a global intelligence company . `` The Taliban are concentrating forces in Mingora -- digging trenches , laying mines , taking positions on rooftops , '' said Bhalla . `` It is not clear if the Pakistani military is trained and even equipped to go into a situation like that , '' she said , adding that even the United States military `` would have to think twice '' about such an offensive . She estimates there are 5,000 Taliban fighters in the area . `` The question is : Are they going to try to stand and fight , or try to regroup ? '' she asked . With a government offensive against the Taliban nearly three weeks old , a spokesman for Pakistan 's army said the military intends to drive the Taliban out of the contested area . `` The whole resolve of the government and the military is to once and for all finish the Taliban from the Valley of Swat , '' Pakistani military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas told CNN 's Reza Sayah . The Pakistani military is trying to push the Taliban away from the heavily forested and mountainous regions of the Swat district toward the south , so the army can encircle the militants , Bhalla added . According to the chief minister of Pakistan 's North West Frontier Province , some 1.5 million people have been displaced by 10 months of fighting between the military and Taliban militants along its border with Afghanistan . The number of people at the Yar Hussain displaced-persons camp in Swabi district is expected to reach 2 million , Amir Haider Hoti said . The military announced earlier this week the number was 1.3 million . The huge refugee camps that the conflict is creating could be `` the perfect recruiting grounds for the Taliban to prey on , '' Bhalla said . Meanwhile , the United Nations ' top official on refugees told CNN Thursday the world must launch a `` massive international effort '' to care for the refugees , or it will be `` absolutely impossible '' to provide for them . Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani , in a speech to parliament Thursday , called the refugee crisis a massive and unprecedented predicament . `` They are our own people and their children are my children , '' Gilani said .
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Curfew relaxed from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. local time in Swat Valley , Malakand . Taliban `` digging trenches , laying mines '' in disputed western city , expert says . Pakistan wants to push Taliban south so it can encircle militants , expert says . Some 1.5 million people have been displaced by 10 months of fighting .
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COLOMBO , Sri Lanka -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Five members of the Sri Lanka 's Civil Defense Force -LRB- CDF -RRB- were killed in a suicide blast in Sri Lanka at a church outside the capital of Colombo Sunday morning , police said . Sri Lankan police officers investigate Sunday 's suicide bombing near Colombo . Eight other CDF officers and two civilians were wounded , police said . Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the blast , but police suspect the bomber was a member of the Tamil Tiger rebels . There was no immediate response from the Tamil Tiger rebels to the incident , which , police said , occurred at St. Anne 's Church in the Colombo suburb of Wattala , located on a roadway to the country 's only international airport about 15 kilometers -LRB- 9 miles -RRB- north of the capital . The attack happened during a weekly festival that usually draws a large crowd shopping for vegetables and household goods . The suicide bomber walked into an area where CDF officers were stationed and detonated his explosives , police said . Investigators suspect the bomber targeted the area because 150 police officers who help patrol the road to the airport are billeted there . Government forces have engaged rebels in heavy fighting for more than a year in the Kilinochchi region , once the center of political power for the Tamil Tigers . The 25-year civil war between ethnic Tamil separatists and the Sri Lankan government has left more than 65,000 people dead . The Tamil Tigers were founded in 1976 , and the U.S. State Department designated the group a foreign terrorist organization in 1997 . The rebels , formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam -LRB- LTTE -RRB- , are fighting for the creation of an independent nation , citing discrimination by the country 's Sinhalese majority . Earlier Sunday , Sri Lanka 's navy said it had destroyed a Tamil Tiger rebel boat allegedly attempting to smuggle in military supplies through the northern coast . Commander D.K.P. Dissanayake , a navy spokesman , told CNN that four rebels were killed in attack after the boat was engulfed in fire . He said the incident occurred just after midnight Sunday but gave no other details . There was no immediate response from the Tiger rebels to that incident . CNN could not independently verify the government 's claim because media is debarred from Sri Lanka 's battle zones . In the past , both sides in the conflict have exaggerated accounts of military operations . On December 20 , the Navy said it destroyed a similar rebel boat trying to smuggle military supplies through the coast near the northeastern coastal village of Mullaitivu . However , a second supply boat was caught on Air Force aerial surveillance cameras unloading along the coast . `` They included assorted ammunition , artillery shells , mortar shells and other items , '' a senior Air Force official told CNN . He spoke on grounds of anonymity since he was not authorized to speak to the media .
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NEW : Attack coincided during a weekly festival that draws a large crowd . NEW : Police suspect the bomber was a member of the Tamil Tiger rebels . No immediate response from Tiger rebels on church blast , destroyed boat . Four rebels killed in boat attack after midnight Sunday , Navy says .
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WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered its inspectors to make sure regional airlines ' training programs are in line with federal regulations , authorities announced Tuesday . Regional airline Colgan Air 's Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo , New York , on February 12 . `` It 's clear to us in looking at the February Colgan Air crash in Buffalo that there are things we should be doing now , '' FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said . `` My goal is to make sure that the entire industry -- from large commercial carriers to smaller , regional operators -- is meeting our safety standard . '' Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo , New York , on February 12 , killing all 49 passengers and crew members aboard . One person on the ground was also killed . Federal investigators held hearings on Capitol Hill last month on the cause of the crash but have not concluded their inquiry . Several shortcomings of the crew came to light during the National Transportation and Safety Board hearings when it was revealed that Colgan Air Capt. Marvin Renslow failed to reveal two pilot exam failures in his job application . Testimony at the hearings also revealed that fatigue apparently contributed to the failure of Renslow and First Officer Rebecca Shaw to save the plane as it approached Buffalo Niagara International Airport . USA Today newspaper reviewed the safety board 's accident reports over the past 10 years and found that in nearly every serious accident involving a regional airline during that time , at least one of the pilots had failed multiple skill tests . `` In eight of the nine accidents during that time , which killed 137 people , pilots had a history of failing two or more ` check rides , ' tests by federal or airline inspectors of pilots ' ability to fly and respond to emergencies , '' USA Today reported Sunday . `` In the lone case in which pilots did n't have multiple failures since becoming licensed , the co-pilot was fired after the nonfatal crash for falsifying his job application . '' In addition to reviewing regional airlines ' training programs , Babbitt and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood have called on representatives from major air carriers , their regional partners , aviation industry groups and labor to participate in a `` call to action '' in Washington on Monday , according to a U.S. Department of Transportation news release . The review will address pilot training , cockpit discipline and other flight safety issues , the release said .
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FAA to examine training at regional airlines to make sure it meets federal standards . NTSB investigation into fatal crash in Buffalo revealed pilot exam failures . USA Today inquiry found pilot test failures in eight of nine regional airline crashes .
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-LRB- WIRED -RRB- -- Hackers who commandeer your computer are bad enough . Now scientists worry that someday , they 'll try to take over your brain . Scientists can use brain signals to control computers -- hands free . In the past year , researchers have developed technology that makes it possible to use thoughts to operate a computer , maneuver a wheelchair or even use Twitter -- all without lifting a finger . But as neural devices become more complicated , and go wireless , some scientists say the risks of `` brain hacking '' should be taken seriously . `` Neural devices are innovating at an extremely rapid rate and hold tremendous promise for the future , '' said computer security expert Tadayoshi Kohno of the University of Washington . `` But if we do n't start paying attention to security , we 're worried that we might find ourselves in five or 10 years saying we 've made a big mistake . '' Hackers tap into personal computers all the time . But what would happen if they focused their nefarious energy on neural devices , such as the deep-brain stimulators used to treat Parkinson 's and depression , or electrode systems for controlling prosthetic limbs ? According to Kohno and his colleagues , who published their concerns July 1 in Neurosurgical Focus , most devices carry few security risks . But as neural engineering becomes more complex and more widespread , the potential for security breaches will mushroom . `` It 's very hard to design complex systems that do n't have bugs , '' Kohno said . `` As these medical devices start to become more and more complicated , it gets easier and easier for people to overlook a bug that could become a very serious risk . It might border on science fiction today , but so did going to the moon 50 years ago . '' Some might question why anyone would want to hack into someone else 's brain , but the researchers say there 's a precedent for using computers to cause neurological harm . In November 2007 and March 2008 , malicious programmers vandalized epilepsy support Web sites by putting up flashing animations , which caused seizures in some photo-sensitive patients . `` It happened on two separate occasions , '' said computer science graduate student Tamara Denning , a co-author on the paper . `` It 's evidence that people will be malicious and try to compromise peoples ' health using computers , especially if neural devices become more widespread . '' In some cases , patients might even want to hack into their own neural device . Unlike devices to control prosthetic limbs , which still use wires , many deep brain stimulators already rely on wireless signals . Hacking into these devices could enable patients to `` self-prescribe '' elevated moods or pain relief by increasing the activity of the brain 's reward centers . Despite the risks , Kohno said , most new devices are n't created with security in mind . Neural engineers carefully consider the safety and reliability of new equipment , and neuroethicists focus on whether a new device fits ethical guidelines . But until now , few groups have considered how neural devices might be hijacked to perform unintended actions . This is the first time an academic paper has addressed the topic of `` neurosecurity , '' a term the group coined to describe their field . `` The security and privacy issues somehow seem to slip by , '' Kohno said . `` I would not be surprised if most people working in this space have never thought about security . '' Kevin Otto , a bioengineer who studies brain-machine interfaces at Purdue Universty , said he was initially skeptical of the research . `` When I first picked up the paper , I do n't know if I agreed that it was an issue . But the paper gives a very compelling argument that this is important , and that this is the time to have neural engineers collaborate with security developers . '' It 's never too early to start thinking about security issues , said neural engineer Justin Williams of the University of Wisconsin , who was not involved in the research . But he stressed that the kinds of devices available today are not susceptible to attack , and that fear of future risks should n't impede progress in the field . `` These kinds of security issues have to proceed in lockstep with the technology , '' Williams said . History provides plenty of examples of why it 's important to think about security before it becomes a problem , Kohno said . Perhaps the best example is the Internet , which was originally conceived as a research project and did n't take security into account . `` Because the Internet was not originally designed with security in mind , '' the researchers wrote , `` it is incredibly challenging -- if not impossible -- to retrofit the existing Internet infrastructure to meet all of today 's security goals . '' Kohno and his colleagues hope to avoid such problems in the neural device world , by getting the community to discuss potential security problems before they become a reality . `` The first thing is to ask ourselves is , ` Could there be a security and privacy problem ? ' '' Kohno said . `` Asking ` Is there a problem ? ' gets you 90 percent there , and that 's the most important thing . '' Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2009 Wired.com .
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Scientists can use thoughts to operate computers , wheelchairs and Twitter . As tech develops , risk of `` brain hacking '' become more real , scientists say . Neurosurgical Focus article says risks are slim now . But security `` should proceed in lockstep with the technology , '' expert says .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Diprivan is a powerful I.V. anesthetic drug used for patients undergoing certain surgeries and diagnostic procedures . Patients undergoing surgery may receive Diprivan to keep them sedated during the procedure . The drug is making headlines with the claim from a nurse who worked for pop icon Michael Jackson that the singer , who died June 25 , had repeatedly asked her about the drug . Nurse Cherilyn Lee told CNN that Jackson had brought up Diprivan about three months ago , saying he needed it for insomnia and that his doctor said it was safe . `` He said , ' I am so sleepy . I can not sleep . I want to have at least eight hours of sleep , ' '' Lee told CNN 's Anderson Cooper . The medication , whose generic name is propofol , renders the patient unconscious for as long as doctors deem necessary . The patient wakes up almost immediately after the infusion is stopped , experts say . But treating sleep disorders is not an approved use of the drug . The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says Diprivan should be given only by people trained in the administration of general anesthesia and who are not involved in the conduct of the surgery or diagnostic procedure . Watch Dr. Gupta explain when and how propofol -LRB- Diprivan -RRB- is used '' The general anesthetic has the effect of making patients feel well-rested when they wake up from it , said Dr. Hector Vila , chairman of the Ambulatory Surgery Committee for the American Society of Anesthesiologists . Vila gives the drug to all of his patients who are getting office procedures in areas such as urology , dentistry and gynecology . It is also the most common anesthetic for colonoscopies , he said . `` I have never heard of anyone using it for the treatment of a sleep disorder , '' he said . There have been cases of health care professionals self-administering the drug and abusing it , however , said Vila , who has examined deaths from Diprivan in Florida . Other deaths from the drug have occurred when administered by non-anesthetist professionals , in settings such as ophthalmology , gynecology and plastic surgery , he said . Diprivan appears white and milky , and is usually run as an I.V. drip . In addition to surgical applications , it can be used in the intensive care unit for someone who may be intubated on a ventilator . The drug itself does not provide pain relief , experts say . The principle risks of Diprivan come from improper monitoring of the patient 's breathing , Vila said . When a person 's breathing slows down , not enough carbon dioxide gets removed from the body , and not enough oxygen enters . This could lead to cardiac arrest , he said . Still , when used properly , Diprivan is not a dangerous drug , he said . `` It 's very safe in a properly trained physician 's hands . '' The drug has been used in the past to treat prolonged epileptic seizures . A small MayoClinic study in 2008 found that Diprivan was associated with a higher risk of cardiac arrest and deaths in patients with a condition called refractory status epilepticus . Side effects of Diprivan may include dizziness and lightheadedness . Balance , coordination and judgment may be affected for up to 24 hours , so patients should not drive cars , play sports or sign contracts in that period , Vila said . Patients may also experience a euphoric feeling upon waking up , Vila said . This is distinct from older anesthetics , which caused nausea and vomiting , he said . The FDA also issued a warning to health care professionals in 2007 about patients who experienced chills , fever and body aches shortly after receiving the drug for sedation or general anesthesia . Doctors consider sedation a continuum , where relaxation is on the mild side and general anesthesia is at the other extreme . There may be complications of Diprivan if the patient is also taking prescription pain medications , experts say . Patients should tell their health care providers about any allergies they have before taking this drug , doctors say , including eggs , soy products , sulfite , benzyl alcohol and any medications . CNN 's Stephanie Smith contributed to this report .
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Diprivan renders the patient unconscious for as long as doctors deem necessary . FDA has not approved it for treating sleep disorders . The drug has the effect of making the patient feel well-rested upon waking up . People with food or drug allergies should alert their doctor before taking it .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Lindsay Spencer was two years out of college and facing one of the biggest decisions of her young life : what to do with those Facebook friend requests from people she met through her job . Blurring work and personal friendships is prompting Lindsay Spencer to maintain separate Facebook pages . `` There 's nothing on my personal page that 's horrible , '' says the 24-year-old communications coordinator for the National Peanut Board in Atlanta , Georgia . `` It 's just that there are some things that are not work-appropriate . '' Many of the job-related friend requests came after meeting people at conferences . Eventually they would find her by searching on Facebook and request to be `` friended . '' Initially Spencer decided to ignore the requests . After all , does a virtual stranger really care what her favorite movies are ? Do they really benefit from learning details about her weekend leisure time ? Spencer 's answer was to create a second Facebook page , which she devotes to work-related information . This means she now has her `` friend friends , '' about 400 of them , and then she has her `` work friends , '' four , so far . Spencer 's modern dilemma is becoming more common throughout the world , experts say , as friendships with co-workers extend to our lives spent online after work hours . Simultaneously , our computer time at the office is becoming an extension of our personal life , they say . ` Work takes place in more places now ' This is n't necessarily a bad thing , says Paul Levinson , professor of communication and media studies at Fordham University in New York . `` No one ever forces us to go online -- we can shut it off , '' he says . `` What this is really all about is an increase in information sharing . '' And with the popularity of smartphones and other handheld devices , many people carry their work into their homes and are never separated from e-mail . They also have the ability to stay in constant touch with their favorite social networking sites . `` There is increasingly less difference in work life and personal time , '' Levinson says . `` We are coming from a time when there were very clear boundaries . That comes from an older expectation . Work takes place in more places now . '' And again , Levinson does n't think it 's a bad thing to have access to all this information about work and co-workers . Spencer , who has friended her manager but not her big boss , says she likes to think her co-workers are sensible enough not to put out too much information -- especially photographs -- on social networking sites . And so far , so good . There have been no embarrassing images of drunken escapades , no status updates erupting with emotional outbursts . Social networking sites have both good and bad uses in the business world , says Dr. Lynn Friedman , a clinical psychologist and adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins University . Face time vs. Facebook time . People can use the sites to make new acquaintances outside their departments and groups , and users can extend their networks beyond the traditional workplace , she says in an interview by e-mail . `` It 's a way to enter new professional galaxies . '' But people can use the sites too much and as a consequence give less time to meeting with co-workers in person . `` In most businesses , it 's optimal to mix social networking with real-life face-to-face interaction , '' she writes . `` However , social networking can provide a springboard for identifying kindred spirits with whom one might want to do something old-fashioned like , say , having a cup of coffee . In an ideal world , it 's best to relate to others in both cyber and real space . '' Paula Pile , a psychologist who practices in North Carolina , says you need to be careful to make sure that social networking sites are n't encroaching on your office time . More than an hour a day is excessive , she warns . Worse , spending too much time on the sites can disrupt your balance between work and private time . It can also take you out of your family time with your spouse or children . `` If you are spending two hours at home on them each night , you are not available to your family , '' she says . Set boundaries . Both psychologists advise setting boundaries between yourself and the people you work with , as well as your online `` friends . '' Friedman also suggests setting goals for using social networking sites and telling others about your limits to avoid hurt feelings . She uses an example of someone who lets people know , `` I do n't do those things at nights or on weekends so I can have my time with family . '' And Pile says to consider who you 're corresponding with during your work time . If they are n't people you would talk to in `` real life , '' she says , you probably are wasting time .
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Do job-related Facebook friends really need to know details of your personal life ? Facebook user decided to separate her `` friend friends '' and her `` work friends '' Expert : More than one hour per day on social sites is too much . Set goals for how you use sites and make your friends aware of them .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Cindy Goodman was having dinner with a group of girlfriends one night when the conversation took a surprising turn . Summer at the beach may seem like fun , but more Americans are afraid to take time off . Goodman asked her friends where they planned to go this year for their summer vacation . Nowhere , they answered . They were afraid to take time off because they did n't want to risk losing their jobs , she says . `` It 's going to be an interesting summer , '' says Goodman , a Miami Herald business columnist . `` The people who still have a job are really feeling overwhelmed and overworked . They 're afraid to take vacations , but at the same time , they need them more than ever . '' The bad economy is n't just depleting bank accounts . It 's cutting into people 's vacation time . Americans typically take time off and kick back during the summer . This year may be different . People are worried that a temporary vacation could lead to permanent time off , Goodman says . `` I do n't think anyone is going to be fired for taking two weeks off , but they might think that they 'll think of another way of doing my job without me , '' says Goodman , who wrote about people 's vacation fears for her blog at http://worklifebalancingact.blogspot.com . How to take time off without guilt . Americans had a difficult time taking vacations even before the economy slumped . Numerous articles and studies draw the same conclusions : Americans do n't know how to pry themselves away from the workplace . This year , Expedia.com , the travel reservation company , conducted a survey that compared Americans ' vacation habits with their counterparts in other countries . The survey said about 34 percent of Americans do n't take all the vacation time they earn each year . In contrast , 22 percent of French citizens and 24 percent of Germans do n't take all the vacation allotted to them . Japanese workers are the least interested in using all of their vacation days , according to the Expedia survey . About 92 percent of Japanese workers do not take all of their vacation days . Christine Louise Hohlbaum , author of `` The Power of Slow : 101 Ways to Save Time in Our 24/7 World , '' says even when Americans manage to take vacations , they still do n't completely leave their office , because of technology . `` You can take a BlackBerry on vacation and still have a conversation with clients anywhere else in the world , '' Hohlbaum says . `` It 's wonderful for innovation , but not so great for leisure . '' But workers who do n't take vacation hurt themselves and their companies , Hohlbaum says . Overworked employees get sick more often and place themselves at risk for long-term illnesses such as heart disease . Companies suffer because their employees are too tired or ill to be productive , she said . Workplaces are full of exhausted employees who have already checked out in their cubicles , Hohlbaum says . `` If people are overworked , they 're surfing the Internet , '' she says . `` They 're not contributing to the bottom line . '' Hohlbaum says she talked to a computer technician who found a way to take more time off but be more productive . He started a walking group for his colleagues during lunch hour . He and his colleagues were transformed . `` It was an amazing experience , '' Hohlbaum says . `` They bonded . It helped people relax and when they got back to work , they were much more productive . '' She suggests that other workers follow his example . Explain the upside of the idea to the boss : The company benefits from well-rested workers because they 're more productive . Set performance goals with your boss to prove taking time off will allow you to thrive and will result in greater productivity , she says . Some workers , however , find that their biggest skeptic may be internal ; they do n't know how to take it easy anymore , Hohlbaum says . `` If you 're so used to being purposeful , make leisure time your purpose , '' Hohlbaum says . Alternative ideas . Goodman , the Miami Herald columnist , offers some of her own tips for taking time off . If you 're too afraid to ask for an extended vacation , plan four-day weekends or time off around holidays . Goodman says she 's going to take a four-day vacation around the Fourth of July . But there was a time when she traditionally took two-week vacations during the summer . `` I have the same kind of fear that everyone else has , '' Goodman says . `` I want to take time off , but I do n't want to miss too much work time . I want to keep my column in the paper every week . ''
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People fear that vacationing in recession could lead to permanent time off . Blogger says stressed-out workers need vacations more than ever . Poll : 35 percent of Americans do n't take all the vacation they receive in a year . Expert advises how to explain to your boss why you should have a vacation .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Albert Einstein is often quoted as saying , `` In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity . '' Planning a road trip is hardly nuclear science , but perhaps the professor had learned that a well-chosen overnight stop can yield treasured memories . Here are four midway suggestions that may brighten a tedious road trip from one region of the nation to another . I-95 between Massachusetts and Florida : Follow Lincoln 's footsteps . Like Abraham Lincoln in 1865 , why not take a walking tour of the former capital of the Confederacy ? `` Very few people know that Lincoln visited Richmond with his son near the end of the Civil War , '' said Mike Andrus of the Richmond National Battlefield Park in Virginia . Map this trip and three others . Richmond remains a very walkable city in this area , from the James River to the Confederate White House to Capitol Square . Civilwartraveler.com offers free downloadable podcasts to guide you on a 90-minute walk in Lincoln 's footsteps . Near the square is St. Paul 's Episcopal Church , where Confederate President Jefferson Davis in 1865 learned the troubling news that his troops were no longer able to defend the city . During your walk , stop for lunch at one of the many restaurants in Shockoe Bottom , which once served as a market for slave traders . Near there , see Richmond 's Slavery Reconciliation Statue , a 15-foot , half-ton sculpture unveiled in 2007 that remembers and offers regret for Virginia 's role in the African slave trade . Looking for a special breakfast or lunch ? Try the internationally recognized Perly 's , where you can enjoy homemade biscuits , made with what longtime owner Gray Wyatt calls his secret ingredient . Located in the city 's Monroe Ward district in a 1930s-era building , Perly 's has a `` real retro feel to it , '' said Wyatt . In addition to traditional breakfast fare , the lunch menu offers Brunswick stew , chicken salad and signature sandwiches . Customers include Gov. Tim Kaine , a former Richmond mayor who 's quoted as saying more business gets conducted at Perly 's than in most of the offices downtown . I-75 between Michigan and Florida : ` Paradise ' and a murder scene . At the southern tail of the Appalachian Mountains , about 90 miles north of Atlanta , lies Chattooga County , Georgia -- home to a world renowned artist , an attorney who inspired a TV series , and what may be a haunted house . Almost every day , attorney Bobby Lee Cook can be found enjoying the food at The Brass Lantern in Summerville . Cook is said to be one of the inspirations behind 1980s TV defense lawyer Matlock , who was portrayed by Andy Griffith . `` They had to pick somebody I guess , so they picked this country hooligan , '' joked Cook . The Brass Lantern offers American cuisine `` with a little French twist , '' he said . `` It reminds me of country restaurants in the South of France . '' Looking for a taste of Southern hospitality ? Cook recommends Dillard 's B&B as a fine place to hang your hat during your visit . Summerville also is the home of the late Howard Finster , a self-taught folk artist whose work was embraced in the 1980s by musicians such as REM and the Talking Heads . His home has been transformed into a fascinating and sometimes bizarre world he called Paradise Gardens . Finster 's home celebrates a unique era of Appalachian culture that 's quickly fading , said Tommy Littleton , chairman of the nonprofit group that owns the gardens . The fame that Finster gained in the '80s can be fleeting , he said , `` but the niche he created and its influence now on two generations of artists means that the gardens really are a part of art history . '' For three decades Finster used the four-acre property as a canvas , painting sidewalks and buildings and using `` found materials '' to decorate walls and various objects throughout the grounds . He built `` display houses '' for all of his art , which included a huge collection of mosaics . Finster 's work hangs in museums around the nation , including the Smithsonian and museums in San Francisco , California , and Baltimore , Maryland . Finster 's gardens are open only from Thursday through Saturday , so check the Web site for times . More adventurous travelers might ask local residents to help them find the ruins of a destroyed country estate called Corpsewood Manor , where two men were murdered in 1982 . A pair of killers was sentenced to life in prison for the notorious crime -- which spawned rumors about devil worship and satanic rituals that continue to echo on the Internet . I-84 between the Pacific Northwest and Utah : Opulence and flying fury . The area along the Oregon-Idaho border has a lot to offer travelers looking for a memorable experience between the Northwest and Utah . The amazing Geiser Grand Hotel in Baker City , Oregon , often attracts guests who are en route to regional ski resorts . Those who renovated the Geiser in 1997 aimed to restore it to the opulence it enjoyed when the German-Swiss Geiser family first built it in 1889 -- complete with ornate , decorative stained glass fittings , said owner Barbara Sidway . `` Everything that could be preserved was preserved and everything that could n't was lovingly replicated , '' she said . `` It 's like stepping back in time with its intimate feel and rare level of glamour and opulence . '' The cast of the 1969 film `` Paint Your Wagon '' -- including Hollywood tough guys Clint Eastwood and the late Lee Marvin -- were pampered guests at the Geiser . according to Sidway . Surrounding the hotel is Baker City 's historic district , including more than 100 buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places , said Sidway . Special holiday events held each Friday in December include rides on a horse-drawn sleigh to the nearby Powder River , where guests are invited to gather around a blazing bonfire and sip hot spiced cider . Inside the hotel , enjoy high tea amid the glow of a spectacular Christmas tree set in the center of the Palm Court dining area . About two hours down I-84 , Nampa , Idaho , you 'll find a pair of Hollywood stars you may have seen without realizing it . The Warhawk Air Museum is home to two rare Curtiss P40 World War II-era fighter planes , which appeared in 2001 's `` Pearl Harbor '' and 2008 's `` Valkyrie , '' said museum co-founder Sue Paul . On the set of `` Valkyrie , '' star Tom Cruise turned to Paul , took her hand , and told her , '' ' I want to thank you so much for the honor of using your beautifully preserved historical airplanes in this movie , ' '' recalled Paul . `` Never before had anyone on any of the films we 've worked on recognized the historical significance of these airplanes . '' For nightlife , drive 20 miles down I-84 and visit the pedestrian-friendly downtown district of Boise , Idaho , with its vibrant bars and eateries . For decades , locals have been enjoying the classic dishes at Angell 's Bar & Grill , on 9th Street , and the central pedestrian area , where visitors can stroll and peruse local shops . I-80 between California and Utah : Basque food oasis . For generations Reno has been well-known as Nevada 's `` Biggest Little City in the World , '' but road-trippers with a taste for good food often talk about a tiny town about 2 1/2 hours northeast along I-80 . The Basque community that settled in Winnemucca 's high desert in the mid-19th century is still going strong , offering a little taste of Europe at several of the town 's restaurants and hotels . The fare at the century-old Martin Hotel is repeatedly praised by foodies on Chowhound.com . Chefs at the Martin serve tasty meals , including Basque lamb dishes and traditional pork loin solomo , say fans . Established as a rooming house for traffic along the nearby Southern Pacific Railroad , the hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places , according to the hotel Web site . `` The lamb shanks as a main are awesome , '' wrote Chowhound.com poster nvcook in July . `` I also like their halibut and their ribeyes . '' Another Chowhound poster extolled the lamb shanks served five blocks down Melarkey Street at Ormachea 's Dinner House , which is another highly touted Basque eatery in Winnemucca .
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Clint Eastwood , Lee Marvin stayed at century-old Geiser Grand Hotel in Oregon . Folk artist Howard Finster turned Georgia home into living museum of found objects . Follow in Lincoln 's footsteps through historic downtown Richmond , Virginia . Basque-American cuisine offers succulent surprises in Winnemucca , Nevada .
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Burlington , Vermont -LRB- Travel + Leisure -RRB- -- On a recent afternoon along Church Street in Burlington , Vermont , young aspiring actors recited passages from Shakespeare 's Henry V as jugglers , break-dancers , and blowers of didgeridoos displayed their skills nearby , creating a visual and aural cacophony . Just another day in a thriving college town -- this one happening to be home to the University of Vermont . There are notable distinctions between college towns and other American cities . In the student-centric spots , bicycles seem to outnumber cars . Affordable restaurants serve up authentic cuisines from all around the world . The streets are densely packed with businesses , making for a highly pedestrian-friendly environment . Nature is usually accentuated : the shimmering Lake Champlain , backdropped by a sawtooth silhouette of peaks , forms the western edge of Burlington . Madison , Wisconsin , is situated on an isthmus between two lakes that draw hordes of hikers and bikers . Boulder , Colorado , is an outdoor enthusiast 's dream . And do n't forget the bars . Each of these locales offers plenty of opportunities for imbibing , many of them ideal for both people-watching and soaking in the scenery . It 's hard to beat sunset cocktails at Austin 's Oasis , where tiered decks jut from a 450-foot-high cliff over Lake Travis . These attractions are mainly geared toward the students , naturally , but they can be readily enjoyed by those with no homework assignments or college connections . After all , few sports experiences can top the rafter-shaking raucousness in Chapel Hill , North Carolina , during a Tar Heels basketball game . Many schools benefit from world-class art collections in glittering facilities designed by marquee architects ; Chapel Hill 's Ackland Art Museum , featuring a wing by Polshek Partnership , tempts visitors with Warhols , Titians , and Dalís in a way that many university-less cities can not . The performing arts also abound . Most campuses host an array of dance , theater , and performing arts to rival a season at Lincoln Center . Not to mention rock . This fall , for instance , the Boulder Theater , near the University of Colorado , will host the Psychedelic Furs , Aimee Mann , and Dinosaur Jr. . So , as students zip up their backpacks for a return to the classroom , it 's a good time for any traveler to pack up a trunk and visit one of these bustling campus locations . Just do n't count on peace and quiet if you go to bed early . Oxford , Mississippi -LRB- University of Mississippi -RRB- . On autumn Saturdays when Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is packed with 65,000 whooping fans , it may be tough to associate Oxford with anything but football . But in a place named for a scholarly English city and that is home to William Faulkner 's columned retreat , Rowan Oak , paperbacks take precedence over quarterbacks , especially at Square Books . Its tens of thousands of volumes include autographed copies of works by southern authors like Eudora Welty . When not reading , residents pedal the city 's fast-growing network of bike trails . `` I was surprised to learn Mississippi could be so progressive , '' says Kevin Stuart of Oxford Bicycle Company . Local taste : Act the southern gentleman on the upstairs porch at City Grocery by ordering a `` Just North of South '' bourbon mojito . Olympia , Washington -LRB- Evergreen State College -RRB- . State capitals and colleges fit together seamlessly in a number of locales -LRB- see Austin and Madison -RRB- . Olympia nicely mixes buttoned-up government workers and dreadlocked students . It 's hard to miss the Capitol Campus -- you can see the legislative building 's sandstone dome from almost anywhere in the city . Take a guided tour , and then stroll through the lovely conservatory and gardens . Every Earth Day , the Procession of the Species parade , with participants colorfully dressed as birds , turtles , killer whales and more , weaves through downtown -- near where Harlequin Productions draws theatergoers to its unconventional shows at the State Theater . Local taste : Though vegetarians are plentiful in Olympia , shellfish fans are , too ; find them slurping Fanny Bays , from the British Columbia bay of the same name , at the Oyster House . Charlottesville , Virginia -LRB- University of Virginia -RRB- . The music scene was fertile here B.D.M.B -- that is , before the Dave Matthews Band , which formed in Charlottesville in the early 1990s . These days , alternative rock , country , and reggae acts -- as well as , of course , jam bands -- get crowds moving at the Charlottesville Pavilion , the Paramount Theater , and even Scott Stadium , where U2 arrives in October . But the best performances may lurk along the brick sidewalks of the postcard-perfect downtown , in tiny venues like Miller 's , a former drugstore that 's now known for jazz and blues . When the music 's over , be sure to get a good look at the Thomas Jefferson -- planned campus and explore a Blue Ridge Mountain trail . Local taste : Matthews , who was born in Johannesburg , might enjoy the `` boerie burgers '' at the Shebeen , a South African restaurant . Austin , Texas -LRB- University of Texas -RRB- . Texas 's retro-stylish capital prides itself on turning out offbeat characters -- Willie Nelson and Matthew McConaughey , for starters . But for something truly batty , check out the Ann Richards/Congress Avenue Bridge , where 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats hang out -- quite literally . At dusk , from March through October , they flap off to chase insects . Viewed from a lawn below next to Lady Bird Lake , the swarm will blot out the sunset . Austin , the so-called live music capital of the world , turns into a music fanatic 's dream each March during the SXSW festival . Local taste : Go for some Texas barbecue at the low-key Artz Rib House , where for $ 16.99 you can get messy with a full rack of baby-back ribs . Sip alfresco drinks and take in the sunset at Oasis , where tiered decks jut out from a 450-foot-high cliff over Lake Travis . Burlington , Vermont -LRB- University of Vermont -RRB- . College towns do n't get more scenic than Burlington , where a 7.5-mile bike path on old railroad beds provides wind-riffled views of Lake Champlain . It 's understandable , then , that outdoor activities figure prominently here . Rent a kayak from Umiak to explore bays fringed with pines , or hike Burrow 's Trail to the summit of nearby Camel 's Hump , whose bald-faced 4,083-foot summit offers living-map panoramas . Local taste : Dine on local delicacies at the Green Room , which offers locavore favorites like Vermont lamb braised with green peppercorns . Boulder , Colorado -LRB- University of Colorado -RRB- . In a town that always pops up on `` healthiest cities in America '' lists , bike trails are abundant and outdoor options are endless . The Wild West begins along Baseline Road in Boulder , in the foothills of the Rockies known as the Flatirons , for their sharply angled faces . Rent climbing shoes from Neptune Mountaineering , whose in-store museum features dozens of ice axes and an early pair of Rossignol skis . Local taste : The Chautauqua National Historic Landmark , built in the 1800s as a Methodist retreat , now serves up salmon with salsa verde on a wraparound porch . The on-site summer-camp-type cottages provide eagle-eye views toward the flatlands . Berkeley , California -LRB- University of California -RRB- . If coffee shops define a good college town , Berkeley has the competition beat . Some host bands , others show art , many sell fair-trade blends , and most offer a space where it 's okay to relax for hours . `` It 's kind of a universal hangout place , not just for professors and students , '' says Erik Hvezda , a barista at Brewed Awakening . Many residents prefer the crackle of vinyl to MP3s ; pick up some LPs at the well-stocked Amoeba Music on Telegraph Avenue , Berkeley 's festive commercial strip . In the heart of campus , the 61-bell carillon provides the tunes atop 307-foot Sather Tower , which also offers stunning panoramas of San Francisco Bay . Local taste : For brunch , fit in with the crunchy crowd by ordering a tofu scramble at Venus . For some local suds , stop in for pints at the festive Pyramid Brewery . Ann Arbor , Michigan -LRB- University of Michigan -RRB- . If a town 's name references trees , it 's a good bet nature will figure prominently . At the lush , 123-acre Nichols Arboretum , gravel paths wind past blazes of yellow , pink , and white peonies and the occasional reclining student . The `` Arb '' is also frequently the setting for Shakespeare stagings . Slake your thirst amid more flora at Dominick 's , whose garden is ideal for enjoying any of the 10 local microbrews on tap . Local taste : Apart from the various Wolverines sports teams , the pride of Ann Arbor is Zingerman 's Roadhouse , where the rooftop vintage neon sign reads `` Really Good American Food . '' And that 's what you 'll get , of every type , from New Mexican chiles to oysters from Apalachicola , FL . Madison , Wisconsin -LRB- University of Wisconsin -RRB- . Like oases in deserts , college towns in the Midwest can be refreshing splashes of hustle and bustle amid the plains . The Wisconsin capital squeezes cafés , art galleries , and the César Pelli -- designed Madison Museum of Contemporary Art onto an invigorating pedestrian-only thoroughfare . In warm weather , the museum 's roof is the setting for concerts and films . Elsewhere are found lively neighborhood block parties , like the Atwood Summerfest , which annually offers rock bands on multiple stages . And there 's no shortage of aquatic fun : the city is located on an isthmus between a pair of glittering lakes . Local taste : L'Etoile Restaurant is the region 's slow-food mecca . Chapel Hill , North Carolina -LRB- University of North Carolina -RRB- . Yes , there 's a fine clutch of Georgian classroom buildings around a shaded , picturesque quad , but during the winter months , everyone 's attention is fixated on the Dean Dome , home to the powerhouse Tar Heels basketball team . Come November , tickets that have n't been snapped up by students are available to the public . Die-hards check out the 8,000-square-foot , year-old Carolina Basketball Museum , which doubles as a de facto shrine to alum Michael Jordan -LRB- old jerseys included -RRB- . Still , nothing beats game time , says ticket director John Miller : `` It 's really just electric . '' During the off-season , browse for art at Red Window , owned by Elizabeth Edwards , wife of former senator John Edwards . Local taste : Though the building 's a flyspeck , the long lines of cars at the drive-through window of the Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen testify to the restaurant 's celebrated sweet tea and fried chicken . Planning a romantic getaway ? Do n't miss Travel + Leisure 's guide to the World 's Most Romantic Hotels . Copyright 2010 American Express Publishing Corporation . All rights reserved .
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If coffee shops define a good college town , Berkeley has the competition beat . Check out the Carolina Basketball Museum -- also a shrine to Michael Jordan . Hang out at the Ann Richards/Congress Avenue Bridge , with 1.5 million bats .
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Editor 's note : Nick Taylor is the author of six books , including `` American-Made -- The Enduring Legacy of the WPA : When FDR Put the Nation to Work . '' He also has collaborated on five other books , including John Glenn 's memoir . Taylor worked in politics in the 1970s , including Jimmy Carter 's presidential campaign and a congressional run for John Lewis , and was a volunteer in Barack Obama 's campaign . Nick Taylor says Americans can learn lessons from the accomplishments of the WPA in the Depression . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Companies today are slashing jobs with a meat ax . Recession looms or is already here , depending on whom you ask . Some predict unemployment rising into double figures . We 've got a bad case of the economic willies , and are scared about what lies ahead . Lessons from the Works Progress Administration can give us guidance for the future . The WPA was Franklin Roosevelt 's response to massive unemployment during the Great Depression of the 1930s . It put more than 8 million Americans to work before the program closed when World War II drove unemployment close to zero . It helped people save their homes and feed their families in the short run , but the work they did benefited the United States long after the Depression ended . The WPA renewed the country 's infrastructure . Thirty years into the 20th century , with automobile use exploding , drivers in the United States still faced a road and bridge network dating to the 19th century . Farmers mired in the mud , salesmen and truckers made long detours to cross rivers . The WPA built farm-to-market roads in every section of the country . This not only eased farmers ' paths to market , but also gave everyone whose living depended on road transportation the benefit of more efficiency . Later , when the Second World War loomed , the WPA 's road and bridge work helped move troops and materiel among bases and to staging areas . See photos from Taylor 's book '' Large passenger airplanes were just beginning to appear , and airlines were seeking inter-city routes . Towns and cities turned to the WPA to build new airports and improve old ones with new and longer runways . Expanding the availability of air travel thrust America into the new age of civil aviation . WPA workers made the country healthier by modernizing water and sewage treatment facilities around the country , replacing countless outdoor privies with sanitary systems , and digging trenches and laying in new water lines . They built hospitals , courthouses , schools and libraries . Even before the war came , the program built armories and improved crumbling military bases , and as the fighting drew closer , it added new barracks and bases and even more airports for national defense . WPA workers also met a wide array of human needs . They fought floods and forest fires and cleaned up afterward , inoculated children , helped overstressed mothers get their kids to school , and made and served millions of hot lunches to schoolchildren . They even built swimming pools and golf courses . The WPA was the most controversial program of Roosevelt 's New Deal . Conservatives criticized its projects as unnecessary make-work and called its workers shiftless shovel-leaners . But those workers gave the country a new infrastructure to go with the new century , and much of this work endures today . And in no small way , one of the WPA 's gifts to the country was hope and confidence in a brighter future . In all of these areas , the WPA provides models that we can use in today 's economic crisis . The United States is not likely to become the primary employer of the jobless as it was during the Depression . But the landscape of needs is as great today as it was then , and cleverly targeted programs can use workers that might otherwise be jobless to meet some of our most pressing needs . Mayors and governors tell us we face an infrastructure shortfall that will cost trillions to repair . Our transportation network is again behind the times . Commuters spend hours getting back and forth to work . Suppliers often ca n't make on-time deliveries . Many passenger rail systems are decrepit . Airline travelers frequently endure bizarre delays . Attention paid to improving all or part of this interconnected system would pay dividends for many years to come . Workers would not all have to be employed building new roads or making other physical improvements to the infrastructure . Many jobs could be found that would reduce pressure on it and improve overall mobility , by promoting public transportation and charging drivers more for driving at peak times , for example . In either case , we would realize the benefits far into the future . Many have suggested the U.S. needs a `` green WPA '' to improve the environment and move the country toward energy independence . Again , rather than directly improving the infrastructure , job programs could reduce the stress on it . A new force of workers might not work at improving the electric grid , but they could survey urban rooftops for their suitability for installing solar panels , or take wind readings in promising areas for potential wind farms . They might install recycling stations in areas where they do n't exist . Harry Hopkins , who headed the WPA , said that government is the only entity that does n't count improvements to its physical plant on the plus side of the ledger . Government accounting notwithstanding , a WPA-like initiative could move the United States firmly into the 21st century , make it more efficient to do business and create a source of unity and national pride that will last far into the future . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Nick Taylor .
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Nick Taylor : The WPA was a Depression-era government jobs program . It upgraded transportation and other parts of the nation 's infrastructure , author says . Taylor : The WPA came to an end when unemployment vanished with World War II . A jobs program today could boost economy and save on energy , Taylor says .
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New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Bosnian-American who has been charged in an FBI terror inquiry `` provided very detailed information '' about his `` terrorist-related activities '' after waiving his right to a lawyer , federal prosecutors said . Adis Medunjanin , 25 , has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country and receiving military-type training from al Qaeda . Officials say he is an associate of Najibullah Zazi , who is accused of conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction on U.S. soil . In a letter to Judge Raymond J. Dearie , filed Friday , federal prosecutors said Medunjanin spoke to authorities three times about the `` terrorist-related activities of himself and others in the United States and Pakistan '' after he waived his right to a lawyer . `` Prior to questioning ... the agents read the defendant his Miranda rights , which he waived orally and in writing , '' the letter said . It described the first session with Medunjanin , which occurred in a hospital after he crashed his car on New York 's Whitestone Expressway . `` In addition , the agents specifically advised the defendant that they were aware that he was represented by an attorney , and asked the defendant if he wished to speak with them despite being represented . The defendant informed the agents that he was willing to answer their questions without an attorney , and added that he no longer wished to be represented by Robert Gottlieb , '' the letter said . All of the sessions occurred before Medunjanin 's January 8 indictment , according to the letter . Gottlieb had argued in a letter to the judge filed Monday that his client was `` intentionally and improperly hidden from his attorneys ... resulting in a coerced and invalid waiver of his right to our assistance as his longtime counsel . '' Gottlieb said he has represented Medunjanin since September . The attorney also asked the judge to sign subpoenas so that Gottlieb can file a motion to suppress alleged statements that Medunjanin made , according to the letter . `` It is our understanding that law enforcement obtained statements from Mr. Medunjanin ... -LSB- that -RSB- we expect the Government will seek to use in Mr. Medunjanin 's prosecution , and which we intend to ask this Court to suppress in a pretrial motion . '' He added , `` It is our expectation that the records and materials we seek by these proposed subpoenas will establish both the efforts taken by law enforcement to move Mr. Medunjanin and secret him from his attorneys and to obtain an unlawful purported waiver of his right to the assistance of his attorney , '' the letter said . In addition to speaking to agents from the Joint Terrorism Task Force in the hospital January 7 , Medunjanin was interviewed later that day at the FBI offices in New York , the federal prosecutors said in their letter . There , Medunjanin signed a waiver of his right to a speedy arraignment , the letter said . The waiver form included the charges against him and informed him of his Miranda rights , including his right to have an attorney present during questioning . Medunjanin signed the waiver , the letter said . The next day , Medunjanin again waived his Miranda rights orally and in writing , the letter said . `` The defendant continued to provide the agents with information concerning his activities and the activities of others , '' the letter said . After his indictment by a jury in the Eastern District of New York , federal prosecutors gave Medunjanin another speedy arraignment waiver , one that included an additional sentence , the letter said . `` Responding to a specific request from Mr. Gottlieb ... the government added the following language to the form ... ' I have been advised that attorney Robert Gottlieb has requested to speak with me , ' '' the letter said . As agents were explaining the form to Medunjanin and telling him that he had been indicted , `` the defendant expressed concerns about being charged with conspiracy to kill United States nationals abroad , '' the letter said . `` The defendant stated , in sum and substance , ` Maybe I should talk to Mr. Gottlieb , ' and indicated this on the form , '' the letter said . `` At this point , agents ceased questioning , '' the letter said . Medunjanin arrived in the United States in 1994 and became a citizen in 2002 . Gottlieb has said his client and Zazi attended the same high school and frequented the same mosque . Authorities say Zazi , who has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges , planned to use an explosive device in New York on September 11 , 2009 , the eighth anniversary of the U.S. terror attacks . Another man said to be linked to Zazi , taxi driver Zarein Ahmedzay , has pleaded not guilty to lying to a federal agent , according to his attorney , Michael Marinaccio . Ahmedzay and Medunjanin , residents of the New York borough of Queens , had been under surveillance .
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Suspect has given FBI `` very detailed information '' about activities , officials say . Bosnian-American pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder . Authorities say he is associate of terrorism suspect Najibullah Zazi . Lawyer has claimed client was `` intentionally and improperly hidden ''
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-LRB- Tribune Media Services -RRB- -- Mary Blilie had been at Big Sky Resort in Montana for just one day but had already snapped more photos of her kids than she had in a long time . Three minutes is considered a long lift line , Big Sky and Moonlight Basin fans say . That 's because when Blilie , now a Minneapolis engineer , was a kid her family skied here every winter , and after a 17-year hiatus , she was determined to create some of those same happy memories for her own two children , as well as her nieces and nephews who , along with their parents , had come along for the trip down memory lane . The resort might boast new lifts and base village buildings this season , but Blilie says that low-key vibe remains . `` No one gets too bothered about anything , '' she explains . And the skiing could n't be better -- some 400 inches of snow a year . Big Sky -LRB- www.bigskyresort.com -RRB- and neighboring Moonlight Basin -LRB- www.moonlightbasin.com -RRB- , in fact , boast the `` biggest skiing in America '' -- 5,512 acres with the Big Sky Resort-Moonlight Basin Interconnect that joins the two adjacent ski areas with terrain that 's guaranteed to satisfy every skier and snowboarder in your family , whether they want the steeps and deeps -LRB- like my kids -RRB- ; long , pristine groomers where , even on busy days , you might not see another soul -LRB- my pick -RRB- ; or wide , gentle runs ideal for beginners . `` My son does n't want to leave , '' said Sandy Itkoff , of Los Angeles , who was a guest at Moonlight Basin . Whatever your age , you ca n't help but be impressed by the sheer beauty of the place -- the huge rugged mountains , the snow covered trees , the vistas that seem to go on forever . If not for all the fresh powder , Moonlight ski instructor Jim Ackerman tells me we 'd see all kinds of animal tracks leading into the woods . Three minutes is considered a long lift line , Big Sky and Moonlight Basin fans say , and the kids ' ski schools guarantee small classes . The new Dakota lift expected to open this month at Big Sky will provide easy access to even more terrain . Another plus : Parents not only do n't worry about aggressive skiers and boarders running into little ones on crowded slopes , but marvel at how friendly everyone is . Grandmother Ellen Lord noted that when all of the family 's luggage got lost , Big Sky employees scrambled to find them all some clothes . The free apres-ski kids club at Big Sky gets thumbs up from parents too , enabling them to get a guilt-free break . Skiing here can be a good deal too , parents say , with kids 10 and under skiing free and adult lifts at Moonlight Basin -LRB- $ 51 a day -RRB- and Big Sky -LRB- $ 75 -RRB- less than at many other major resorts . -LRB- Consider that a daily ticket at Aspen this season is $ 87 -RRB- Junior tickets for tweens and teens are less as well . And there 's no pressure to dress to the nines on the slopes or off , adds Cecile George , winding up a ski week with her husband and kids . `` I 've been wearing the same pair of jeans all week and no one cares ! '' says the Memphis mom . `` We 're never going back to Vail . '' Consider that Big Sky and Moonlight Basin -- about an hour 's drive from Bozeman -LRB- and an hour 's drive from Yellowstone National Park -RRB- -- have more terrain than Vail but less than half the skiers . Locals joke that they 've got nearly twice as many acres than skiers because Montanans like their elbow room . That 's why on one of the busiest weeks of the year , I was able to ski down runs so empty I felt I was in the back country , especially with all of the fresh powder . -LRB- There are opportunities to try back-country skiing or ice climbing as well here with Montana Alpine Guides -LRB- www.montanaalpineguides.com -RRB- . `` It takes an extra flight to get here , but it 's so worth it , '' says Jim Caccavo , a Californian from San Diego whose wife and kids like Moonlight Basin so much they bought a second home here . `` This place is like a secret club , '' jokes Jeremy Collis , the New Zealander who is the director of Moonlight Basin 's small -LRB- just 47 instructors -RRB- ski school . And that 's double the size it was last year . Still , that enables Collis to keep his classes to five kids -LRB- or fewer -RRB- for grade-schoolers and three or fewer for preschoolers . Anyone who has ever checked a child in at a major ski resort over a holiday week knows how rare that is . Next door , Christine Baker , who oversees Big Sky 's children 's program , also promises small classes and something even more important to parents . `` A family feeling . She grew up skiing at Big Sky -- as did a half-dozen of her instructors . `` It 's nice to have that connection , '' she says . `` It 's pretty special . '' It 's also pretty quiet . There are only a few restaurants in the Big Sky base area and just one at Moonlight Basin : Others require a 15-minute drive or longer . For the most part , this is the kind of place where you want to ski hard , cozy up in front of a fire with your honey and your kids , eat spaghetti , watch the movies you never had time to see at home or play Scrabble . That 's what we did -- first at our ski-in/ski out log cabin in Big Sky -LRB- having our own hot tub was the best part -RRB- and then at a ski house at Moonlight Basin . `` This takes the experience back to an old-fashioned ski vacation when you made your own fun , '' observes Collis , himself the father of two young children . My daughters and I managed to rouse ourselves one afternoon after skiing at Moonlight Basin to go to the spa and one night to take a Sno-Cat ride two miles into the back country in the dark for an excellent dinner -LRB- tenderloin and mashed potatoes followed by chocolate fondue -RRB- in a big , heated yurt , courtesy of Moonlight Dinners . The kids sledded outside between courses -LRB- www.skimba.com -RRB- . One afternoon , we left the kids to test their mettle on the resort 's most challenging terrain and we leisurely skied back to our cabin door . By the time we got there , the kids were back and had a fire blazing in the fireplace . The hot tub on our back deck beckoned . We soaked , surrounded by snow and evergreens . There was n't a person in sight . We had no place to rush off to -- no homework , no work , no friends waiting , limited Internet access , no phone calls . There 's a lot to be said for old-fashioned ski vacations . -LRB- For more Taking the Kids , visit www.takingthekids.com , where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments . -RRB- . COPYRIGHT 2007 EILEEN OGINTZ , DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES , INC. . E-mail to a friend .
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Big Sky Resort in Montana gets some 400 inches of snow a year . Kids 10 and under ski for free ; ski school classes are small . There are only a few restaurants in the area , so cozy up in your cabin .
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-LRB- Budget Travel -RRB- -- Happy family cruises are all alike because they allow parents and kids to each be happy in his or her own way . A parent of a toddler , for instance , might be happiest with a cruise that provides trustworthy child-care services at flexible hours . Children , of course , have their own priorities . A teen , say , will probably want lots of activities for socializing after 10 P.M. Disney 's cruises top the list for families with younger children . We scoured the top cruise lines to find the best ones for children , grouping them by age group : infants and toddlers , kids ages 3 to 7 , ages 8 to 11 , and ages 12 to 17 . See our picks below . One thing : We have n't sailed every cruise available out of U.S. ports though we 're working on it . For activities we did n't have personal experience with , we relied on the knowledge of parents and teens with whom we 've talked about cruising , such as those who participated in our recent online chat about family cruising . Despite our connections , we may have overlooked some great activities . Let us know what we 've missed by e-mailing us at Letters@BudgetTravelOnline.com . Infants and Toddlers . 1 . Disney Cruise Line The fully equipped nurseries are a dead giveaway : Disney 's ships outperform every other major cruise line in offering services for children who are at least 12 weeks old and less than 3 years old . It 's the little details that count . Each Disney stateroom has a bathroom with a bathtub , for instance . And , as every parent knows , a bathtub is easier to use than a shower when caring for infants and toddlers . Yet most other cruise ships only offer showers in their rooms , unless you purchase one of their costly suites . Topping it all off , Disney 's Magic and Wonder each have pools with separate filtration systems that allow diapered tots to swim . Disney stands out in this regard from most rival cruise lines , which generally prohibit diapers in all of their pools . -LRB- The fine print : Disney 's nurseries charge a fee of $ 6 per hour per child . A tip : Reserve the hours when you 'd like to leave your little one in the nursery as soon as you embark . -RRB- . 2 . Carnival Cruise Lines This is one of the few lines whose youth counselors change diapers when necessary . Carnival also stands out because its youth programs accept kids starting at age 2 . In contrast , most programs elsewhere require that children be age 3 and fully potty trained . An added plus is that after 10 P.M. Carnival 's ships offers group babysitting for children under age 2 . You can even rent strollers . Group babysitting for those under age 2 costs $ 6 per hour for the first child and $ 4 for each additional child . These prices also apply for group babysitting of toddlers who are more than 2 years old . -LRB- See the Carnival section , under Children Ages 3 to 7 below . -RRB- Stroller rentals : All Carnival ships rent strollers -LRB- both single and double ones -RRB- on board . The fee is $ 6 per day on the three - and four-day itineraries and $ 25 per cruise for lengthier trips . 3 . Holland America Line No matter that its youth programming does n't admit children under age 3 . Holland America still scores points for encouraging toddlers and parents to play together in groups at scheduled times . What 's more , Holland America joins Disney in being one of the few cruise lines to offer private babysitting for an hourly fee . -LRB- Private babysitting costs $ 8 per hour for the first child in a family and $ 5 per hour per sibling . -RRB- Here 's another nice gesture : If you 're traveling with an infant or toddler , tell your agent upon booking and he or she will send you a detailed request form so you can order baby food , diapers , and wipes . For a fee , this unique service delivers the food and other items to your cabin along with a mini fridge so that you do n't have to haul baby supplies to the ship . -LRB- The fine print : Parents must fill out an infant services order form 30 days prior to a North American sailing or 60 days prior to other sailings . Baby supply service fees : diapers , $ 1 each ; a pack of 80 wipes , $ 5 ; jars of baby food , $ 1 each ; and refrigerator rental , $ 2 per day . -RRB- . Children Ages 3 to 7 . 1 . Disney If your kids enjoy Disney characters and movies , they 'll love this cruise line . In a much more intimate setting than the Disney theme parks provide , you and your children can enjoy free meals with costumed characters , including tea with Wendy -LRB- from Peter Pan -RRB- . You can also see elaborate stage shows , such as Disney Dreams , that showcase popular Disney characters , like Captain Hook and Snow White . 2 . Carnival A family welcome aboard party and a kids ' talent show are but two examples of the long list of familiy activities this cruise line offers . Upstaging other cruise lines , Carnival offers the most hours of youth programs . And after its free youth program ends at 10 P.M. daily , group babysitting is available for an hourly fee until 3 A.M. nightly . Younger kids also enjoy the enthusiastic youth counselors who , on some ships , even let children paint their faces . 3 . Royal Caribbean International Here you 'll find a youth program , called Adventure Ocean , that excels at offering age-appropriate , hands-on activities , such as art projects , science experiments , and drama classes -LRB- developed in partnership with Camp Broadway -RRB- . On two specific ships Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas outdoor water parks attract youngsters . Children Ages 8 to 11 . 1 . Royal Caribbean This fleet of ships offers rock walls -LRB- as opposed to boulders -RRB- . The kids are harnessed in , and trained staff members hold the ropes for kids when they need to climb down . Non-climbing options include miniature-golf courses and ice-skating rinks on Royal Caribbean 's biggest ships . -LRB- The fine print : Kids must be at least 6 years old to climb walls , and parents must sign a waiver . Children ca n't climb the same route on the wall at the same time as their parents . If they want to climb with their parents , they need to climb next to the route that their parents are climbing . -RRB- . 2 . Princess Cruises Older grade school children enjoy Princess ' hands-on science program , run with the help of the California Science Center . Some fun projects include dissecting squid and constructing replica roller coasters -LRB- as part of a lesson on centrifugal force -RRB- . The youth program also offers plenty of group games and crafts that are n't tied to science . 3 . Disney The cruise ship Magic recently added a room called Ocean Quest , boasting a ship 's bridge simulator , which kids can use to pretend they are navigating a ship . The room is also packed with plenty of video games for multiple players . On the Magic and Wonder , kids ages 8 and 9 can visit the Oceaneer Lab , which offers lots of hands-on activities , such as science experiments and mock forensics . Teenagers Ages 12 to 17 . 1 . Royal Caribbean The staff on this fleet wisely splits teens into two groups : ages 12 to 14 and 15 to 17 . Each ship has a dedicated teen room . And six ships -LRB- Freedom , Liberty , Mariner , Navigator , Sovereign , and Majesty of the Seas -RRB- have as many as three teens-only areas : Fuel nightclub , Back Deck for outdoor sunning , and Living Room for hanging out . Activities include high-energy teen programming , such as scavenger hunts and a mock assassin game , plus outdoor facilities -LRB- especially on the cruise line 's largest ships -RRB- for surfing and playing basketball . A new popular activity is on-board surfing . The Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas each have a FlowRider . Kids or adults can ride a continuous wave , created by a six-inch sheet of water that rushes up an incline to keep surfers in position . The FlowRider is the exact opposite of ocean surfing , where you move with the wave . It 's like wakeboarding , without the boots and the lines . 2 . Carnival Over the past few years , this cruise line has revamped its programs for kids ages 15 to 17 . As a rule , each of its ships has a dedicated room for teens called Club 02 . The 1,000 -- 1,800-square-foot room boasts high-tech sound and lighting equipment . The room also features video games and movies on large-screen plasma TVs . Carnival is the only cruise line that lets kids ages 12 to 17 participate in shore excursions as separate teen groups , which go ashore under the leadership of a teen counselor . The cost of the teen shore excursions in the Caribbean , for example , range from $ 40 to $ 80 , depending on the tour and the port . 3 . Holland America All of this cruise line 's ships -LRB- except for the small Prinsendam -RRB- feature The Loft , a dedicated teen area that resembles an artists ' loft and features the Dance Dance Revolution video game and karaoke machines . On all ships except Maasdam , Noordam , Oosterdam , Zuiderdam , Westerdam , and Prinsendam , there 's a special passageway that connects The Loft to The Oasis , an outdoor hangout space for teens , which features a waterfall , a wading pool , a juice bar , and lounge chairs . E-mail to a friend . Get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you and enter to win a free trip to Finland - CLICK HERE ! Copyright © 2007 Newsweek Budget Travel , Inc. , all rights reserved . Note : This story was accurate when it was published . Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip .
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Disney cruises top the lists for younger children . Royal Caribbean more popular with older kids . Carnival offers special shore excursions for teens .
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Where to twirl in the shadow of palm trees , city skyscrapers , or dramatic stone cliffs . Boston : Boston Common Frog Pond The nation 's oldest public park transforms its reflecting pool into an outdoor rink each winter . Chefs from the local restaurants Cheers and Hampshire House oversee the kid-friendly menu at the snack bar . Nov. 15 to Mar. 17 ; $ 4 , free for kids under 14 , $ 8 skate rental . Chicago : McCormick Tribune Ice Rink at Millennium Park The Windy City 's newest downtown park is a feat of landscaping that encompasses a Frank Gehry-designed concert space , an interactive fountain , a garden , a restaurant -- even room for art exhibitions , picnics , and , yes , outdoor skating . Nov. 14 to Mar. 16 ; free , $ 9 skate rental . Houston : Polar Ice Galleria Beneath a glass atrium inside Houston 's sprawling , high-end mall , this bi-level rink provides a well-deserved break from that other holiday sport -- shopping . Year-round ; $ 8 , $ 7 for children under 13 , $ 3 skate rental . Los Angeles : Downtown on Ice At the Pershing Square rink , surrounded by palm trees , skaters can join periodic hockey clinics run by the L.A. Kings or glide along to live swing , jazz , or country music during free concerts held Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon , Fridays at 8 p.m. , Saturdays at 1 p.m. , and Sundays at 2 p.m. Nov. 15 to Jan. 21 ; $ 6 , $ 2 skate rental . Minneapolis : Depot Skating Rink Housed in a former train shed at the historic Depot , the rink has an iron-truss canopy ceiling and giant glass walls looking out at downtown Minneapolis . Thursday to Sunday , Nov. 21 to Mar. 16 ; $ 8 , $ 6 for children under 18 , $ 6 skate rental . New York City : The Pond at Bryant Park There 's no shortage of Manhattan rinks , but the pond ringed by trees and gleaming skyscrapers gets kudos for its free admission and park perks : an old-fashioned carousel , a flower kiosk , and a holiday market . The rink shuts down early to make way for the white tents of Fashion Week , held each February . Oct. 26 to mid-Jan. ; free , $ 10 skate rental . Philadelphia : Blue Cross River Rink On the banks of the Delaware River , the rink hosts a free event each month : the crowd-pleaser Skate with Santa -LRB- Dec. 16 -RRB- , a New Year 's Eve Party on Ice -LRB- Dec. 31 -RRB- , a Healthy Kids Fest -LRB- Jan. 12 -RRB- , and a Sweet Treats weekend -LRB- Feb. 2-3 -RRB- . Nov. 23 to Mar. 2 ; $ 6 , $ 3 skate rental , $ 1 discount coupons available online . Sun Valley : The Sun Valley Ice Rink Cool mountain nights and a sun shade keep this outdoor rink open even in the dog days of summer . A part of the ritzy Sun Valley Lodge , the rink mounts annual ice shows with Olympic medalist headliners and sells gear and frilly skating costumes . Year-round ; $ 10 , $ 8.50 children under 13 , $ 4 skate rental . Washington , D.C. : Sculpture Garden Ice-Skating Rink The rink is strung with festive lights and set amid the National Gallery of Art 's outdoor sculpture collection , graced by the works of Joan Miró , Sol LeWitt , and Ellsworth Kelly . Nov. 17 to mid-Mar. ; $ 7 ; $ 6 for children under 13 , seniors , and students with ID ; $ 3 skate rental . Yosemite National Park : Curry Village Ice Rink Half Dome and Glacier Point make a spectacular backdrop for skating , one of Yosemite 's many winter activities -LRB- snowshoeing , skiing , snowboarding , tubing -RRB- for hearty souls . Refuel with hot apple cider and s'mores by the outdoor fire pit . Nov. 16 to mid-Mar. ; $ 8 , $ 6 for children under 12 , $ 3 skate rental . E-mail to a friend . Get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you and enter to win a free trip to Finland - CLICK HERE ! Copyright © 2007 Newsweek Budget Travel , Inc. , all rights reserved . Note : This story was accurate when it was published . Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip .
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Rinks around the U.S. offer a variety of amenities . Some of the best Indoor rinks are in Houston and Minneapolis . Yosemite National Park provides great views while skating .
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[[3167, 3189], [3192, 3282]]
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Middle East may be awash with cash , but that did n't stop the region 's stock markets being swept up in the global gloom that engulfed investors around the world this week . Traders at the Kuwait Stock Exchange in happier times -- this week Kuwait 's main index fell four percent . The region 's share markets tumbled in a Mexican wave of selling that started in the U.S. and quickly spread to Asia and Europe . In the Middle East , the Saudi stock market suffered some of the biggest falls ; dropping ten percent in Tuesday 's trade , its largest one-day slump on record . `` It highlights the extent to which international investors have really come into the market during the course of 2007 , '' says Anais Faraj , Nomura 's Executive Director of Investment Banking for the Middle East . `` What you 're seeing now is that international investors who might have lost money in the sell-off in the U.S. and Europe cashing in where they 've made some profits to staunch their wounds . '' On Tuesday , the U.S. Federal Reserve shocked the market with its own measure to stem the sell-off . It cut interest rates by 75 percentage points to 3.5 percent , its biggest single cut in since October 1984 , and the first between scheduled meetings since the 9/11 attacks in 2001 . And it worked . Markets in the Middle East clawed back lost ground , but it also forced the hand of the region 's central bankers whose currencies are pegged to the dollar . Saudi Arabia , the UAE , Qatar , and Bahrain all cut key interest rates in tandem with the U.S. , and Oman was expected to follow . Despite having dropped its peg with the dollar last May , Kuwait also cut its benchmark interest rate for the first time in eighteen months . Kuwait Central Bank Governor Sheikh Salem Abdul-Aziz al-Sabah is quoted as saying : `` The measure aims at reducing any negative impact that could arise from unjustified high margins between the interest rate on the dinar and international currencies . '' While it may solve one problem , it only exacerbates another : Inflation . `` We are seeing a policy from the Fed , which is fully appropriate for the U.S. economy , being imported into the Gulf , '' says Marios Maratheftis , Regional Head of Research for Middle East for Standard Chartered . `` Unfortunately what is good for the U.S. is not good for the Gulf economy , '' he says . `` Inflation is already high and it 's already a concern , but something that concerns me the most is not so much the present inflation , it 's the inflation expectations we 're seeing . '' He says the Gulf governments need to act , and if they 're not prepared to drop their peg with the dollar , they must consider revaluing their currencies . `` The choice to proceed with a one-off valuation of the currencies would help to drain some of the liquidity out of the system . It would send a message to the economy participants in the region that there is a response to the inflationary pressures . '' While this week 's turmoil in the world financial markets may have been a curse for the Gulf economies , it could also be viewed as a potential blessing for the region 's sovereign wealth funds -LRB- SWFs -RRB- . As little as two weeks ago , they were in the market buying shares in leading U.S. banks Citigroup and Merrill Lynch . For them , the sell-off has created more buying opportunities . `` Where there is more risk and less certainty and less leverage available these guys are going to come in and support the stock market . From what we 've seen , they 're certainly ready to go out shopping , '' says Anais Faraj from Nomura . The chief of the Kuwait Investment Authority confirmed as much on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos , Switzerland . Bader Al Sa'ad is reported to have said he viewed the sell-off as a `` pure investment opportunity '' , citing the financial and real estate sectors as areas of interest . After much speculation , Saudi Arabia has confirmed it is considering launching its first sovereign wealth fund , a $ 6 billion investment pot accrued during the oil boom . However , the Vice Governor of the Kingdom 's Central Bank Mohammed Al-Jasser is reported to have said Saudi Arabia `` can live without one '' if there 's `` endless debate about abuses . '' Read more about calls for greater SWF transparency . Marios Maratheftis from Standard Chartered says the flow of funds from the Gulf to the West will help to correct the current imbalance in the global economy . `` There 's a shift of wealth . Asia and the Middle East are becoming richer and more important global powers . It 's a fact and it 's happening , '' he says . `` The surplus countries need to recycle their income into the deficit countries . These flows are being translated into the action of the sovereign wealth funds . In the current global environment it 's very natural for sovereign wealth funds from the East to be looking at investing in the West . '' E-mail to a friend .
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Mideast indices swept up in global stock sell-off as foreign investors bail out . Gulf central bankers follow lead from U.S. Federal Reserve , cut interest rates . Sell-off expected to create buying opportunities for sovereign wealth funds . Maratheftis : Flow of funds will help correct current global imbalance .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- My journey of faith began at age 11 when I began to study the Bible , inspired by Audrey Hepburn in `` The Nun 's Story '' and enamored of Jeffrey Hunter in `` King of Kings . '' I yearned for the passion and devotion of faith , as expressed Hollywood-style , to deal with my isolation as a child of mixed ethnicity in a black and white world . I did not fit anywhere , and the path of faith seemed to offer the greatest sense of belonging . My African-American father , a lifelong Methodist , and my Japanese mother , without a particular faith , insisted that my siblings and I attend church regularly -- even if they did n't . Because we were in the military , we were exposed to various religions : I explored Catholic and Protestant traditions , as well as Judaism . I had many questions and could not accept faith without understanding . Then , when I was 13 , my mother 's friend invited me to a Buddhist meeting . My mother warned me not to join anything , but I was moved by the beauty of the chanting of `` Namu Myoho Renge Kyo , '' known as the Odaimoku or sacred title of the Lotus Sutra . Naturally , because I was told not to , I joined . It was the beginning of a journey culminating in my ordination as a priest in the Nichiren Shu tradition . Within the Nichiren Order , I am the first woman of Japanese and African descent , the only ordained Western woman and the first female priest in the Nichiren Order of North America . Buddhism has been the mainstay of my life , enabling me to understand life 's reality and providing a practice of faith to deal with that reality . I have learned to release the past and not give in to imagination or the future . Buddhism taught me that there is only now , the present moment . Most people understand the law of cause and effect , or very simply `` What goes around , comes around . '' When I asked the question `` Why is this happening to me ? '' as I explored various faiths , I never received an answer that made sense . Buddhism taught me that my life is the result of causes made in the past and my future would be the result of causes made in the present . The Lotus Sutra , which outlines the path of the bodhisattvas , or those who forgo their own enlightenment to assist others on the path , helped me see that I made the cause to come into this life to fulfill a mission . My personal struggles in life provided me the experience and knowledge to be a bridge for others to find liberation . Buddhist practice around basic concepts has meant liberation from suffering discrimination , racism and even the loneliness of being the only one . Once I applied the concepts , I gained greater understanding that my suffering had purpose , and I could use that suffering to help others . I understood the impermanence of suffering and that being attached to my suffering only created more . My work within the prison system is a direct result of being able to see the Buddha nature within each person . Five years ago , sangha members and I -LRB- three women of color -RRB- encountered a group of white male inmates , some of whom were white supremacists . All of us were quite surprised , but slowly we developed loving , compassionate relationships through which all of us were able to abandon our preconceptions about each other . Today , our prison group contains people from African , Latino , Asian and European backgrounds , and our conversations touch on the issues of racism and prejudice as well as the development of faith . Society holds some people I 've met in contempt and hatred ; I have seen them grow and find value in themselves even as I grew to love each one of them . Of the seven released since 2005 , three are known to have continued in practice , and only one has re-offended . The practice of Buddhism has much to offer communities of color ; however , it may be difficult to find teachers and practitioners with the necessary experience . There is no national directory . We exist in myriad traditions and cities throughout the U.S. Ordination in many traditions is often difficult and expensive , and finding teachers willing and able to address issues relative to being African-American is sometimes impossible . Yet , progress is being made as we create sanghas within communities of color and assume the roles of clergy and lay teachers . It is definitely time for practitioners of color to step up and make ourselves known . Our communities need us to be present now . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Myokei Caine-Barrett .
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Lynda Caine-Barrett , of African and Japanese descent , was a spiritual seeker . Caine-Barrett found Buddhism at 13 and is now priest in the Nichiren Shu tradition . Buddhism is her mainstay , helping her understand the nature of reality and how to live . People of color who are practitioners need to make themselves known , she writes .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A lesbian couple have applied to adopt a child after Florida 's child advocacy agency announced it wo n't fight a court ruling that found the state 's ban on such adoptions unconstitutional . Jennifer Haseman and Hillary Jovi , who were unaware of Tuesday 's announcement by the state , called Family Services of Metro Orlando , central Florida 's child protective contractor , to begin the process of adoption . The couple believed they could make their dream a reality after a September decision by the Third District Court of Appeal that lifted Florida 's three-decade ban on gay adoption . `` We 've wanted to adopt ever since we discussed wanting a family , '' said Jovi , who said she has had a 12-year relationship with Haseman . `` We always wanted to have our own children and adopt . '' The couple , formerly from New York , had considered moving back there just for the opportunity to adopt a child . Both women have battled infertility . The Florida Department of Children and Families said any appeal by the state agency was likely to be unsuccessful following opinions from the appeal court and a circuit court judge in Miami , Florida . Gov. Charlie Crist ordered the department to stop enforcing the ban after the circuit court ruling . `` I do n't think for us it is about sexual orientation so much as it is about a kid that deserves a second chance with a good parent or parents , '' said DCF spokeswoman Carrie Hoeppner . The ACLU of Florida represented licensed foster parent Frank Martin Gill , who wanted to adopt two boys who had been placed in his care after the Department of Children and Families removed them from their home for neglect . He sued to have the adoption ban overturned . `` We are happy to hear that DCF wants to bring this case to an end and allow the Gill family to get on with their lives , '' said Howard Simon , ACLU of Florida executive director . But , the director says , the case is not yet final . `` What is needed now is a similar statement from Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum that will formally end this case and allow judges to decide -- on a case-by-case basis -- what is in the best interests of children . '' Ryan Wiggins , spokeswoman for McCollum , said , `` We appreciate the announcement , and look forward to a conversation with DCF about what the next actions will be . '' The attorney general office has until October 22 to file an appeal . Florida was the only remaining state to prohibit gay adoption . The state agency said Wednesday it has removed from adoption forms the question about an applicant 's sexual orientation . Jovi , an event planner and Haseman , a restaurant manager , said Monday they plan to attend an orientation class as the first step to become approved for adoption . Haseman said , `` I think it 's going to be a really , really , great thing to just be able to help a child that needs a place , a home and needs love . ''
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Couple file to adopt in Florida , hours after a state announcement on the issue . An appeals court recently overturned state 's ban on such adoptions . The state said Tuesday it would not appeal the ruling .
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In our Behind the Scenes series , CNN correspondents and producers share their experiences in covering news and analyze the stories behind the events . CNN 's Soledad O'Brien and Stan Wilson visited San Quentin for `` Black in America : The Black Man '' which rebroadcasts tonight at 8 p.m. ET . `` I want to have everything that an average American would want , '' said Chris Shurn who served time in prison . OAKLAND , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Chris Shurn walked out of San Quentin Prison in June after serving four years of hard time for possession of crack cocaine and a weapon charge . He joined at least 3,000 men paroled each year in Oakland , California , where the recidivism rate is more than 50 percent . When our documentary team first met Shurn inside San Quentin in 2008 , he considered himself one of the lucky ones . At 21 , he entered prison with a fourth-grade education , but left with a GED certificate and was only a few semesters short of earning an associate degree . Shurn told us there were few role models around him as a kid . He said his father left home before he entered the first grade , his mother was a crack addict and he was surrounded by a lot of violence . Ironically , San Quentin is where Shurn met the kind of role models he said he needed to break the cycle of incarceration . His hard work and determination to change caught the eye of Everett Highbaugh , who runs a program called Project Choice . Twice a week , Highbaugh goes into San Quentin with the goal of transforming men like Shurn from drug entrepreneurs to business entrepreneurs . Upon his release , Shurn replaced his dreadlocks and prison uniform with casual attire and a neatly manicured haircut . He said he felt relieved after the harsh conditions of prison life , but said he struggles every day in his Oakland neighborhood to resist the temptations of making easy money by selling crack cocaine . `` I want to have a family . I want to own a house . I want to have everything that an average American would want ; a good-paying job , a career , '' he said . But the odds are against him . Nearly 1 million black men are behind bars , an especially crippling blow to black communities , where one in three black men will have a prison record in their lifetimes . They leave behind communities filled with fear , broken families and a generation of vulnerable children . After Shurn left San Quentin , Highbaugh was in contact with him twice a week and helped him land a part-time job at Goodwill Industries . At Goodwill , Shurn spent 30 hours a week in a labor-intensive job , stacking goods and preparing them for shipment . `` I remember reading a lot of these very same books in prison , '' said Shurn as he was busy working . He was grateful to have a job , but frustrated because it paid so little , $ 7 an hour . That job lasted only a few months . When we caught up with him in January , he had been unemployed for a while . As he sat in Oakland 's Oracle Arena watching the inauguration of President Barack Obama , he wondered how he was going to help support his girlfriend and her daughter and earn enough tuition money to continue working toward his degree . Shurn has moved a few times , but is still hoping for success , still fighting against long odds , particularly in a severely debilitated job market . He 's hopeful that his hard work and the skills he learned through Project Choice will be a much better alternative than making easy money on the street -- a certain pathway back to prison . `` Every day of my life , with or without work , I feel vulnerable , '' said Shurn . `` Instead of waking up every day and going to a 9-to-5 ; I used to wake up and go outside and sell some drugs and have my money for a whole week . '' `` It crosses my mind , but I got to a point where I 'm disciplined and do n't need to venture into it . '' A few weeks ago , Shurn was hired as a courier for a local printing business . The job pays $ 9 per hour ; $ 2 more than his previous job . He says the new job wo n't be enough to pay all the bills , but his goal is to build a résumé so future employers will take a chance on an ex-convict who 's trying to recover from a mistake that cost him four years of his life .
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Chris Shurn served four years in San Quentin Prison . Shurn earned a GED and nearly completed an associate degree in prison . He currently makes $ 9 per hour as a courier and hopes to return to college . `` Every day of my life , with or without work , I feel vulnerable , '' says Shurn .
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Devecser , Hungary -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Rescue workers searched Wednesday for six elderly people missing at Kolontar , one of three villages in southwest Hungary that was hit Monday by a wave of toxic red sludge from an alumina plant reservoir that burst . Wearing chemical protection suits , the workers used metal sticks to poke through muck three-feet deep -LRB- 1 meter -RRB- for the presumed victims , reported MTI , Hungary 's official news agency . At least 116 people were injured , eight of them seriously , when the mishap occurred Monday afternoon , the agency said . Most of them were flown to hospitals in the capital , Budapest . The reservoir has been repaired and the flow from the pool has halted . But the material that flowed out of the reservoir continued to pose a threat . On Wednesday , more than 500 National Disaster Management Authority staffers and soldiers and employees of Hungarian Aluminum Production and Trade Company -LRB- MAL -RRB- , the company that owns the alumina plant 's reservoir , were trying to halt the advance of the sludge before it reaches the Danube River 's tributaries , said Jeno Lasztovicza , head of the defense committee , according to MTI . The sludge had already reached the Marcal River , which flows into the River Raba , which empties into the Danube . It was expected to show up in the Danube as soon as this weekend , said Imre Szakacs , head of Gyor-Moson-Sopron County 's defense authority , MTI said . Emergency workers were pouring plaster and fertilizers into the Marcal River in hopes that it would bind with the sludge and counter its alkalinity before it reached the Danube , the continent 's second-longest river , some 70 km -LRB- 43 miles -RRB- north , reported MTI . But the material will have been neutralized by the time it reaches the Raba , Interior Minister Sandor Pinter told reporters . Untreated , the sludge contains heavy metals , which cause burns and eye irritation , he said . Four people -- two children ages 1 and 3 , an elderly woman and a 35-year-old man whose SUV overturned in the sludge -- have been confirmed dead in the environmental disaster , which occurred 160 km -LRB- 99 miles -RRB- west of Budapest , near the town of Ajka . Residents were advised not to eat produce from gardens that were covered when the dam burst , releasing at least 1 million cubic meters of thick red mud . It was not clear when residents evacuated from affected areas in the villages of Kolontar , Devecser and Somlovasarhely would be able to return home , nor were the long-term consequences clear . A state of emergency has been declared in three counties , the State Secretariat of Governmental Communications said . In a statement on its website , MAL said it `` offers its honest condolences to the relatives of all of the victims who lost their lives in the catastrophe . '' CNN 's Nic Robertson contributed to this story .
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4 people dead , 6 missing , 116 injured in southwest Hungary . Workers use metal sticks to poke for more victims . Flow may reach the Danube River .
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LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Natalie Cole 's search for a new kidney ended this week when someone with a compatible organ died and their family asked that it be given to the singer , according to the organ procurement group that handled the donation . Natalie Cole received a kidney transplant Tuesday in Los Angeles . Cole , who underwent a successful kidney transplant at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles Tuesday , was `` responding well and recuperating '' Thursday , her publicist said . Cole had been on what she called `` a very long list '' of people waiting for an organ donation when she got word recently that OneLegacy , an organ procurement agency in Southern California , had a kidney that was a biological match . It was a `` directed donation '' from a deceased organ donor , according to OneLegacy CEO Tom Mone . `` Having heard of Ms. Cole 's need for a kidney , the family asked that one of their loved one 's kidneys be transplanted to Ms. Cole if they were a match , '' Mone said . Directed organ donations are rare , and rarer still are those directed to someone not related to or known personally by the deceased , he said . The donor will remain anonymous until the family gives permission for the name to be made public , he said . Cole 's need for a kidney donation was highly publicized , including with an appearance on CNN 's `` Larry King Live '' on March 31 . `` I 'm on a very long list , which is why we are looking to donors , '' said Cole , the daughter of legendary crooner Nat King Cole . Cole said her kidney troubles date to February 2008 when she was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. Cole said she attributes the Hepatitis C to her well-publicized struggles to stop using cocaine and heroin . Cole said she has been sober for some time now after two stints in a rehabilitation clinic . Cole said she underwent chemotherapy in an aggressive way to fight the virus . Within four months of getting chemotherapy , both of Cole 's kidneys failed . `` I could n't breathe . I -- I went into -- literally , my kidneys stopped functioning . They stopped , you know , processing the fluid that was starting to build up in my body . '' Since then Cole has been on dialysis three days a week and has been searching for a kidney , she told King in one of the first public interviews about the issue . Cole won six Grammys for her 1991 critically acclaimed album `` Unforgettable : With Love , '' a jazzy tribute to her father . She won a Grammy this year for her new album `` Still Unforgettable '' and another Grammy for her work on another album . Cole was still able to tour this year even with her kidney ailment . She canceled a planned show last week in South Korea because of her illness , which meant she was in Los Angeles when the organ became available . `` I have been on dialysis in Istanbul , Milan , Indonesia , Manila , London . It 's -- it 's amazing , '' Cole said . During King 's show , dozens of people sent e-mails to CNN telling Cole that they would get tested to see if their kidney could be donated . King handed a thick stack of paper to Cole . `` These are all e-mails from dozens -- dozens of people offering to be tested to see if they can match , who want to give you a kidney , '' King said . Cole stared at the papers for a moment . `` There are some great human beings out there . That 's all I can say , '' Cole said . Cole is expected to return to the tour after three to four months of recovery . CNN 's Denise Quan contributed to this report .
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Natalie Cole 's new kidney came from deceased fan ; fan 's family asked for Cole . Natalie Cole underwent kidney transplant surgery Tuesday . Singer received supportive e-mails when on CNN 's `` Larry King Live '' in March .
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Americans love beef ; we eat nearly 63 pounds per person each year . Although that 's a lot , the amount is down from our 1976 high of 89 pounds . When buying beef , we tend to stick to what we know , which may be why almost 60 percent of our beef dollars go for ground beef . Even as an experienced chef , I often brought home familiar cuts . But researching my book , `` Field Guide to Meat , '' led me to expand my repertoire to tasty , if less familiar , cuts like hanger steak and tri-tip . Soon you can do the same , knowing which cuts to choose for maximum flavor and nutrition . A 3 1/2 - ounce serving provides 27g to 30g of protein and is an excellent source of iron , zinc , and phosphorus . Beef Background . Humans began domesticating cattle , Bos taurus , about 8,500 years ago . Columbus first brought cattle to the New World , and by 1690 , descendants of Columbus ' cattle ranging in Mexico were driven north and became known as Texas Longhorns . Others arrived later with the colonists . America 's top five cattle breeds are Angus from Scotland , Hereford from England , Limousin from France , Simmenthal from Switzerland , and Charolais from France . More than 90 percent of the beef we buy originates in America , while most of the rest is Canadian bred . The beef we eat comes mostly from 18 - to 24-month-old steers , averaging about 1,000 pounds , and yielding about 450 pounds of meat . Each is divided for wholesale into eight primals -LRB- major portions -RRB- : the chuck -LRB- shoulder and upper ribs -RRB- , the rib , the loin , the sirloin -LRB- hip -RRB- , the round -LRB- upper leg -RRB- , the brisket -LRB- breast -RRB- , the plate -LRB- belly -RRB- , and the small flank . Organs like liver and kidneys are called variety meats . When evaluating your choices at the grocery store , here are a few key terms and facts to know : . • Grain-finished : Nearly 75 percent of U.S. beef comes from cattle fattened on grain -LRB- usually corn -RRB- for three to six months in feedlots . Since corn is not a natural part of a cow 's diet , cattle fed on it may experience stress and other ailments , so they are routinely treated with antibiotics . They also receive growth hormones to increase their size -LRB- and value , as beef is sold by weight -RRB- . Until recently , inexpensive corn has helped keep down the price of beef . • Grass-finished : Grass - or pasture-finished beef comes from cattle that forage on grasses and legumes . Their meat is lower in saturated fat , cholesterol , and calories than grain-finished . -LRB- Because it is quite lean , cook rare to medium-rare for juiciness . -RRB- Grass-fed beef has a distinct flavor , often described as bold , complex , and gamy . Many people believe that grass-fed cattle are a more sustainable choice . However , raising grass-fed cattle is time-consuming and requires large open spaces , variables that raise its price . Most is imported from Canada , followed by Australia , New Zealand , Argentina , and Brazil . • Aging : Dry-aging is the traditional process preferred by many steak lovers . The concentrated , intense flavor of dry-aged beef develops as it hangs in special temperature - and humidity-controlled rooms from 10 days to six weeks . The longer the aging , the better the flavor and tenderness , but also the more the shrinkage as water evaporates and a dark crust develops , which must be cut away . About 90 percent of American beef is sold as large vacuum-packed cuts . During the average seven-day period the beef spends `` in the bag , '' it ages in a process called `` wet-aging . '' • Processing and packaging : Until the 1960s butcher shops bought beef as half - or quarter-carcasses . Packers then began selling vacuum-packed beef , the same large cuts sold at warehouse club stores . Retailers refrigerated the boxes until needed , then opened the package and cut the meat into portions for sale . Next came case-ready meat , which precluded the need for skilled butchers on-site in markets . Leak-proof and easily stackable , case-ready packages are produced in USDA-inspected plants and have a longer shelf life . Packages covered with a sealed layer of clear plastic are modified-atmosphere packages , which have a gas-filled space inside to help preserve freshness and color . Nutrition . • Fat content : The USDA defines `` lean beef '' as having less than 10 grams -LRB- g -RRB- of total fat , 4.5 g or less of saturated fat , and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 3 1/2 - ounce serving -LRB- 100g -RRB- of cooked beef . Half of the fat is saturated and half is heart-healthy monounsaturated . There are 29 naturally lean cuts of beef , including many familiar to Cooking Light readers , such as tenderloin , flank steak , and sirloin , as well as five lesser-known cuts . Others , such as ribeye or chuck roast , naturally contain more fat , although it is similarly divided between saturated and monounsaturated . Because lean beef contains less fat , it 's best cooked to medium-rare -LRB- 145 °F -RRB- or medium -LRB- 160 °F -RRB- to optimize tenderness . If using fattier cuts , slice away the outer rim of fat and cut or pull out any pockets of fat before cooking . For larger cuts , allow the fat to baste the meat while cooking , then trim away before eating , or skim it from the surface of braised dishes or stews . • Other nutrients : A 3 1/2 - ounce serving provides 27g to 30g of protein -- more than half of the 50g recommended daily in a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet . All beef is an excellent source of iron , zinc , and phosphorus . In general , the redder the meat , the more iron it contains -LRB- beef liver has the most -RRB- . Beef also contains thiamin , riboflavin , and niacin and is a rich source of B12 , found naturally only in animal foods . CookingLight.com : Fat and Ground Beef . At the Market . • Inspection and grading : USDA inspectors examine all live animals and beef shipped out of state , which encompasses most of today 's supermarket beef . Grading is voluntary and done by the same inspectors . The more marbling -- the small white flecks of fat within the muscles -- the higher the grade . Three grades of beef are sold to consumers . Only three percent is highly marbled Prime , sought after by top steak houses and butcher shops . About 57 percent is moderately marbled Choice , the most common supermarket grade . The remaining 40 percent is lean Select . • Private labels : Supermarket chains and large food distributors also have developed private brands with their own specifications . The first such program began in 1978 with Certified Angus Beef , which must come from Angus cattle . Niman Ranch Natural Beef and Certified Hereford Beef are two others . • Natural and Organic : Beef labeled `` natural '' must not contain any artificial ingredients and can not be more than minimally processed , such as ground beef . `` Organic '' beef must come from cattle raised and certified according to the USDA 's National Organic Program . Organic cattle must be fed 100-percent organically and without antibiotics or hormones . Both natural and organic beef can be either grass - or grain-finished . Ways to Save . • Buy lean cuts . Often , leaner cuts are cheaper than fatty ones . And when the fat cooks away , lean cuts provide more meat for your dollar . • Buy in bulk . Large or family-sized packages cost less per pound than smaller packages . Divide into portions , and freeze the surplus . • Be your own butcher . Beef that has been presliced into steaks or made into patties costs more than less processed meat . Buy bigger cuts , and do some of the preparation work yourself . CookingLight.com : Beef on a Budget . • But do n't go overboard . Advice to buy a side or quarter of beef may seem sensible , but you 'll likely have more meat than you can store . Such a purchase may yield what one buyer describes as `` cheap steak and expensive hamburger . '' For more tips on making healthy taste great , try Cooking Light - CLICK HERE . Copyright 2009 Cooking Light magazine . All rights reserved .
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Humans began domesticating cattle , Bos taurus , about 8,500 years ago . Americans today consume nearly 63 pounds of beef per person each year . Most of us tend to stick with beef cuts we know .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Unlike al Qaeda , the Pakistani Taliban organization has shown little appetite for taking its brand of jihadism beyond the borders of Pakistan and Afghanistan . Maybe that 's changing . Certainly that 's the case if the messages from the organization 's leader , Hakimullah Mehsud , are to be taken at face value . `` From now on , '' he says in an audio message said to have been recorded in April , `` the main targets of our fedayeen -LSB- fighters -RSB- are American cities . This good news will be heard within some days or weeks . Today onwards , the direction of our jihad is American states and cities . Inshallah we are successful in this mission and objective . '' The Pakistani Taliban , also known as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan , or TTP , does not lack a motive to lash out . In recent months it has come under increasing pressure as the United States has intensified drone strikes and the Pakistani army has carried out offensives against the group deep inside its safe haven in Pakistan 's Federally Administered Tribal Areas . Officials are keeping an open mind about any link between the Taliban and the failed car bombing in New York last weekend . Within hours of the incident , an audio message purportedly from Qari Hussain Mehsud -LRB- a senior member of the TTP -RRB- claimed responsibility for the attack . `` This attack is a revenge for the great and valuable martyred leaders of mujahedeen , '' he said . At first intelligence analysts discounted the message -LRB- not least because of specious claims by the group in the past -RRB- , but as more information emerged about the incident , it has received renewed attention . Very occasionally in the past the TTP has made threats about launching attacks overseas . Before he was killed by a drone strike last year , the group 's then leader , Baitullah Mehsud -LRB- no direct relation to Hakimullah or Qari Hussain -RRB- told reporters : `` Very soon we will take revenge from America , not in Afghanistan but in Washington , which will amaze the entire world . '' And he added : `` The maximum they can do is martyr me . '' They did -- but not before Mehsud made an outlandish claim that the TTP was responsible for a shooting rampage in Binghamton , New York , that left 13 people dead . -LRB- A Vietnamese immigrant carried out the attack before killing himself . -RRB- . The question for counterterrorism officials now is whether the threat by Hakimullah Mehsud to attack targets in the United States is bluster or carries real menace . The TTP was officially formed in 2007 when a number of hard-line Islamist groups demanding the introduction of Sharia law in Pakistan came together in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas . They had already murdered scores of tribal elders to clear the area of rival authorities . The TTP 's ambitions were at first confined to the tribal territories bordering Afghanistan . But by 2009 it was challenging Pakistan 's heartlands and its establishment , with attacks on police academies , government buildings and army convoys as far away as Lahore and Rawalpindi . It has also cooperated closely with the Afghan Taliban and attacked NATO convoys and pre-positioned supplies on their way to Afghanistan . But it was the Taliban 's widening campaign against the state that led the Pakistani army to launch major offensives last year in the Swat Valley and South Waziristan . There has been just one documented example of the TTP showing more global ambitions . On January 19 , 2008 , 12 Pakistanis and two Indians were arrested in Barcelona , Spain . Ten were charged -- along with another suspect later detained in the Netherlands -- with involvement in a conspiracy to carry out suicide bomb attacks on Barcelona 's subway system . Several of the conspirators had arrived from Pakistan in the weeks before they were arrested . Soon after their arrest , U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said : `` The Barcelona cell appears to have ties to a terrorist training network run by Baitullah Mehsud . '' Several months later a TTP spokesman , Maulvi Omar , acknowledged in a video , `` The one in Barcelona was conducted by 12 of our men . They were under pledge to Baitullah Mehsud , and TTP has already claimed responsibility because of Spain 's military presence in Afghanistan . '' The 11 ultimately charged were convicted and sentenced to jail terms of eight to 10 years in December last year . Much of the prosecution 's case was based on an informant inside the cell who said he had been trained in the use of explosives in Waziristan , the TTP 's stronghold before the Pakistani army offensive . To date , the Barcelona case remains the only credible example of the TTP 's capability to take its fight overseas . But other Pakistani groups have shown an ability and desire to broaden their targets . Lashkar-e-Taiba recruited American David Headley to reconnoiter and plan an attack on the offices of the Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2005 . He was arrested on his return to the United States last year -- before any attack was carried out -- and pleaded guilty to charges connected to the conspiracy . Headley also confessed to involvement in reconnaissance for the Mumbai attacks by Lashkar in November 2008 . For its part , the TTP has developed both its alliances and capabilities closer to home , most notably joining forces with al Qaeda for the attack on a U.S. base in eastern Afghanistan that killed seven CIA employees and contractors last December . And last month it launched a complex but unsuccessful attack on the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar . Intelligence analysts believe that as the attempted car bombing in Times Square was so poorly executed , it would be surprising if the TTP were closely involved .
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Officials keep open mind about any link between Taliban and failed New York car bombing . Pakistani Taliban occasionally has made threats about launching attacks overseas . Just one example of global ambitions has been documented .
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Waveland , Mississippi -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Tommy Longo has had a rough year : both hips , a femur and a knee replaced . When he hobbles out of his truck to see how the new City Hall construction is going , he looks with every step like he just needs to sit down . His face is covered with perspiration in the afternoon heat , and he always seems to be headed to the next appointment . You might think the mayor of a town that disappeared would have little to do , and yet Longo seems to never stop . `` We lost our residential structures , lost our commercial structures , lost our governmental structures , '' he says . `` Every city building was gone . Our town was obliterated . We were wiped off the face of the earth . '' For all the attention focused on New Orleans each time the anniversary of Katrina rolls around , it would be easy to forget that the epicenter of the storm was over on the Mississippi Gulf Coast . And no town was hit harder than Waveland . Ninety-five percent of its homes were taken by the storm ; 100 percent of the town 's businesses . With virtually every road either broken up or piled with mountains of debris , it was difficult for recovery teams to find a starting place . And yet , Mayor Longo and a core of dedicated residents began rebuilding almost as soon as the storm passed , and for the past five years they have remained steadily at it . With $ 100 million in federal disaster aid as a launching pad , they 've repaired utilities , roads , schools , community centers and parks , and recovered 65 percent of the businesses they lost . Temporary churches , often erected on the ruins of their original houses of worship , proved crucial as meeting spots and places to organize volunteers . Now some of those congregations are finally moving into new , permanent sanctuaries . Most importantly , the people are coming back . Like the businesses , about two-thirds of the population has returned . The Kearney family , Charles , his wife Germain and their two small children , lost everything . In the immediate wake of the storm , Germain Kearney kneeled in the wreckage of her house , plucking ruined photographs from the wreckage . `` It 's just blowing me away , '' she told CNN back then . `` It really is . But this has happened to other people and they 've come back from it , so we 're going to come back from it too . '' They have done just that -- rebuilding , resettling not far from the empty lot where they used to live . Germain Kearney knows that remaining here means accepting challenges , maybe for many more years . `` I 'm not complaining , but it is harder to do what we have to do . School is not around the block , school is 10 miles away . '' The nearest grocery store is every farther . Charles Kearney says they talked about leaving , `` But where were we going to go ? This is home . '' Back downtown , Longo stops walking long enough to answer a basic question that he 's heard many times . With nothing left of the town , did it ever occur to you to give up , move away ? `` It never crossed my mind that we were finished . That we were done . Never crossed my mind . '' It 's more than just a commitment to a job . He is the father of seven children , all still living here . And they 'll all be on hand this fall , when for the first time since the storm , his town holds a popular festival it used to enjoy every year before the storm . In the high grass at their old lot , one of the Kearney kids calls out . `` I found something ! '' Even now , they discover bits of detritus tossed by the storm . His father takes a look and tells him it 's just part of an old yard trimmer . `` But it is still something , '' the kids say . And this town had saved itself on the simple belief , that you can build something from nothing . They 've done it .
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Five years after Hurricane Katrina , Waveland , Mississippi , regains what it lost . Mayor : `` We were wiped off the face of the earth '' Town has recovered about 65 percent of lost businesses since the storm . About two-thirds of the town 's residents have returned .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Actor Wendell Pierce 's biggest role today is running the Pontchartrain Park Community Development Corp. , which is hard at work trying to rebuild the New Orleans neighborhood devastated by Hurricane Katrina . Pierce was one of the stars of HBO 's `` The Wire '' and most recently played a jazz trombone player in `` Treme , '' HBO 's look at New Orleans after Katrina . He talked to CNN about what it 's like trying to revive `` the Park . '' Pontchartrain Park was featured in Soledad O'Brien 's `` CNN In America 's New Orleans Rising . '' CNN : Tell me about the neighborhood where you grew up . WENDELL PIERCE : Pontchartrain Park started in 1952 as a result of the civil rights movement . It was the only place where blacks were allowed during segregation to purchase post-World War II homes . Two hundred acres were given over to a golf course , with 1,000 homes around it , multidenominational churches , a university and schools . We refer to it as `` the Park , '' but I 've described it as the black Mayberry . Although separate but equal , my parents ' generation created something that was bucolic . It was great . It was an incubator for talent . ... It was not only an idyllic place to grow up , there were also high expectations . It was expected that everyone would go to college . In the middle of it was this wonderful golf course created by Joseph Bartholomew , who did most of the golf courses in New Orleans but could n't play on any of them . CNN : What was it like when you first saw Pontchartrain Park after Katrina ? PIERCE : It was devastation . We thought the neighborhood would never come back . And then I realized there was too much history . It was one of the most stable neighborhoods in the United States : 90 percent home ownership , less than 10 percent poverty in a city with 80 percent , no crime . I put out a call to action to people in my generation . Too many people suffered and protested and worked too hard to create Pontchartrain Park . We 're not going to let this one incident destroy it . CNN : How is your initiative to bring it back going ? PIERCE : It 's going great . Some movement is happening with transfer of properties to us . We stand in line to get something like 250 properties , and we are up to 20 or 25 now . We put up our model homes , which are geothermal and solar . We have 200 people in line to purchase homes , and that 's before any marketing . Getting the -LSB- rebuilding -RSB- money is what 's holding it up . We have the properties , the homes ; we have people qualified with the bank , and we are still trying to access the money . That 's the last difficult step . The money to assist people comes through the state . But they keep changing the rules and the qualifications and the goal-lines all the time . So it is n't appropriated . That 's because the state is hostile to the city and is trying to reappropriate the money to other parts of the state and not to the city of New Orleans . That 's the political fight that you have to constantly have . Three billion dollars has been appropriated -LSB- to rebuild after Katrina -RSB- and has n't been spent in five years and that 's because there 's an agenda supported by many that do n't want people to move back . CNN : What are the conditions in New Orleans now ? PIERCE : Right now in New Orleans , it 's worse than the week of the storm . We 're talking about people who own their property and who did n't receive any insurance . My parents had Allstate insurance , and they got $ 400 after paying premiums for 50 years . It was criminal , a criminal action . So you have people who own their property , like my parents did , whose insurance policies were not recognized . And there 's $ 3 billion to assist them to get back in their homes , and the state is not doing anything to help them out . Why has n't it been used ? Because it 's a concerted effort to reappropriate the money and keep the poor and black people out . Let 's put it this way . There is no large-scale redevelopment plan by any governmental entity in Louisiana , five years after Katrina . The only large-scale thing they did was to destroy public housing and get rid of a large population of minority people and the poor . There are no large-scale initiatives . Mine is one of the largest . We plan to do 550 -LSB- homes in the Park -RSB- ; compare that with the fact there are 30,000 to 50,000 blighted properties here . There is a concerted effort to redistrict the city , a concerted effort to keep thousands of people out , change the demographics of the city and hope people give up on a mass scale . In times of crisis like this , we see the best and the worst of people . It 's a reminder we are not far off from the days when the ugliest aspects of the country were made into law , so it can so easily go right back into it . CNN : So who 's moving into Pontchartrain Park ? PIERCE : We have everyone imaginable ; we have elderly , we have young couples trying to get in , we have 80-year-olds trying to get back into their properties . This is a close-knit community . Who 's moving in ? Look in the mirror , and that 's who 's in Pontchartrain Park . No matter who you are , young or old , it 's a diverse group of people , a predominantly African-American community that 's been stable ever since it was constructed . Meet some residents of Pontchartrain Park . CNN : The government 's not rebuilding New Orleans . Do you think grass-roots groups will bring New Orleans back ? PIERCE : While the government does not have a plan , it is the citizens who came to government and worked with them to lead them to reconstituting the neighborhoods . The Lower 9th and St. Bernard neighborhoods were harder hit ; they have further to go . This is happening all over the city . That 's the saddest part . What surprised me the most -LSB- when I began this -RSB- was the lack of skill and competence on the government 's part to know how to put this together , and how strong the effort to stop people from moving back to New Orleans is . CNN : What do you mean when you talk about `` onesies and twosies '' ? PIERCE : It 's no good to build one or two houses in a city that has 50,000 blighted properties . Like , this church group says `` We 're doing three houses right here , '' a business group says it 's doing two houses there , then `` I 'm a contractor ; I 've got three houses over here . '' We need large-scale development . My group is not put together to do a hundred houses . Our goal is 7,000 in the city , about 550 in the Park . CNN : Did the HBO show `` Treme '' capture the real New Orleans ? PIERCE : Well -- you ca n't tell all the stories ; there are so many , so you ca n't please everybody -- but there is an authenticity to our show . It 's true and real . Of all the shows about the city , this comes the closest to being authentic . CNN : You play a jazz musician in `` Treme '' and do lots of numbers . Do you really play the trombone ? PIERCE : Yes , I do play the trombone , but I play very poorly , so they turn my mic off , and my sound double plays . But I learned every song , and I 'm getting better !
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Wendell Pierce grew up in Pontchartrain Park , an idyllic community ruined by Katrina . He runs initiative to rebuild community but frustrated with government inaction . Pierce says holdup in funding housing is effort to keep poor , minorities from returning . Pierce : `` There is a concerted effort ... to change the demographics of the city ''
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- I am Shane Stanford . To my family , I am a husband of 20 years and the boastful father of three . To my congregation of nearly 5,000 , I am a pastor . To my readers , I am the author of nine Christian books . To my friends , I am one of the guys . And , to so many over the years who have known my story , I am a man in a race -- a race against illness , against fear , against discrimination . A race against my own body . A race against time . A hemophiliac since birth , I discovered my HIV status at 16 . It was life-changing news , the result of a contaminated blood supply . And , so , the race began . It has included many twists and turns : from the joy of marrying my high school sweetheart to the sorrow of being rejected by the first church to which I was appointed as pastor . Certainly , the race has never been easy . It is often long and difficult . However , the race now impacts me in so many ways . And , oddly enough , I would not trade it with anyone . Instead , the journey affords me a glimpse into the best of what each of us can become . The race has made me a student , and no day goes by that it does n't teach me a lesson . About time : A privilege afforded to us to make a difference in this world . About relationships : The most important things we do are not done alone . About simplicity : More , bigger , nicer , pale in comparison to gifts like sunsets and the laughter of children at play . About real meaning ... and about myself : Life is more a mosaic than a measurable frame of joys and sorrows , laughter and tears . Real meaning is discovered through the composition of life 's diversity . No color can adequately define a mosaic , any more than one hardship , failure or achievement can define a person 's life . The diversity of these images brought together unveil who I really am . No matter how I try to describe myself , I am more than the sum of what I can say . So , I run ... for those I love and , even , for those I have never met . I run to make life matter , seeking more than the right way to go , but actually going there and watching the race mean something .
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Shane Stanford is husband and father , author , and a pastor . He is racing against illness and fear : Stanford is an HIV-positive hemophiliac . Journey has shown relationships , simplicity , giving are most important . `` No matter how I try to describe myself , I am more than the sum of what I can say ''
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[[56, 117], [155, 170], [1861, 1885], [1888, 1930]]
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New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Who am I ? I used to think the simplest explanation was black and white . But I 've recently discovered that the truth is much more colorful . Because I 've spent most of my adult life being mistaken for everything but who I am -- Moroccan , Brazilian , mixed African-American and white American , Israeli , Palestinian , the list goes on -- the very question has inspired me to embark on a travel adventure back through time in search of answers . This is what I know for sure : Ethnically , I am a New York City born woman of Dominican parentage . I self identify as a Latina , Dominican-American and Latino-American , interchangeably . But racially , through the science of DNA testing and tracing my family 's own migration story , I 've begun to receive confirmation of what I 've always believed to be true not only for myself but many of the 47 million-plus Latino-Americans across the country : the subject of race in our community is kaleidoscopic , more complicated than what the census 2010 checkboxes offer . Last year , as part of a documentary project I began developing , my father and I took ancestral DNA tests . Our racial background had become somewhat of an urban myth in my family : are we Jewish , African , Spanish , aliens perhaps ? Instead of checking off the usual black , white and American Indian options I 've become way too comfortable with because of my racial ambiguity , I decided it was time to solve my familial puzzle and , at once , break out of the Other box . I found out through Bennett Greenspan , founder of the Houston based commercial genetic genealogy company , Family Tree DNA , was that who I am is `` the face of miscegenation in the New World . '' And the journey is just beginning . My mother 's mother 's mother 's direct maternal line is L3d , a subgroup of African descent , -LRB- we found matches in Guinea-Bissau -RRB- . My father 's maternal ancestry is Native American , from an `` extremely rare '' line of Amerindians . Finally , my father 's paternal lineage is Arabic , perhaps Berber , entering Spain through North Africa . With a growing number of Latinos becoming vested in discovering their ancestral roots -- a Tejana friend of mine from Austin , Texas , recently learned she belongs to a Central Asian group that reputedly descends from Genghis Khan -- the subject of race within our community will enable us to self-identify in ways our parents ' generation could only dream of . As our numbers grow to more than 130 million in the next several decades , so will the racial landscape of the nation shift radically . One may offer a convincing argument about health care and the economy being more worthwhile issues uniting and affecting all Americans . But race still matters . Couple anti-immigration hysteria and a 41 percent spike in hate crimes against Latinos over the past six years with a troubled economy , and one may find a pressure cooker waiting to explode . While the census form is supposed to help show the sociopolitical climate and composition of America , it only underscores how out of touch its architects truly are . From the reintroduction of the offensive term `` Negro '' that will undoubtedly put off many Latino-Americans , to the failed attempt at engaging the hip-hop generation with a cloying rap commercial , the U.S. Census Bureau is alienating the very people it 's spending millions of dollars trying to target . On the one hand , it 's important for every citizen to be counted because the information collected determines how $ 400 billion dollars of federal funding is allocated to public schools , hospitals , job training centers and more . However , the hotly debated question number 9 on the census only serves to prove that even after making history by electing our first African and white-American president , our society has only managed to place a `` post-racial '' Band-Aid over the subject of race in the United States . While we collectively continue to ignore the festering wound , I intend on honoring my ancestors on the census form by rejecting the term `` Negro '' and opting to identify my African , Amerindian and Arabic roots by filling in the blanks under `` some other race . '' I hope by the time the next census rolls around , we 'll realize the ideal of living in a post-racial society by recognizing that our citizens are more diverse than the flat picture that 's being drawn now . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Raquel Cepeda .
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Raquel Cepeda says she identifies as a Latina and a Dominican-American . She says genetic testing confirms her ancestory is a kaleidoscopic mix . She says census form shows that its architects are out of touch . We 're more diverse than the one-dimensional picture census draws , Cepeda says .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- My name is Anne Feeley . I am an American , a mother , a feminist , a baker , a wife , an atheist and a liberal Democrat . I am also a brain cancer survivor and an activist for brain cancer research and patient care . But when I fill out the Census , all it will reflect is that I am a 55-year-old white woman , and nothing about how I got to this point in life . When I was growing up in Newark , New Jersey , in the '60s and '70s , America was in a state of flux . Everywhere you looked , there were battles going on as traditional beliefs were being challenged . I knew I was an American , but I also wanted America to change . On television and in the media , men and women were arguing about their roles , whites and blacks were arguing about racism , people were demonstrating against the Vietnam War and wondering if God was dead . The very idea that everything can be challenged and changed is America to me . I suspect the sides I took in those early years define me . It was exciting , and a lot of good came of it , and also some bad . That 's the way of it . Always . After graduating from East Orange Catholic High School , I moved to Boston , Massachusetts . Seven years later , I attended Wellesley College as a continuing education student . This chance for later education , to change the direction of one 's life , is wonderfully American . While in Boston , I met my husband . When our daughters were 1 and 4 years old , we moved to Prague , Czechoslovakia . We always wanted to experience Europe , and we thought if not now , never . We lived in Prague for almost 15 years . The kids went to Czech schools and then to international schools . I opened and ran Bakeshop Praha . I was an American living abroad . Life was good . Then five years ago , I was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme brain cancer . The doctors told me the grim prognosis : I should prepare to die . My mother died when I was young , and the worst part of the diagnosis was thinking I would leave my daughters with that pain . I also wanted to be a good example . I wanted to live . I had surgery to remove the tumor . The week I got out of the hospital , I began exercising . While the staples were still in my head , through the radiation and chemotherapy , I exercised . I was so lucky that I was able to . Very slowly , I got stronger . That first year , I did a half-marathon . Not fast , but I did it . After the surgery and the radiation and the 2 1/2 years of chemo , I was pronounced `` in remission . '' During this time , as I split my time between homes in London , England , and New York City , I did several 10K races , indoor rowing competitions , and the UK Three Peaks Challenge . These events transformed my life physically , emotionally and spiritually . Brain cancer was a wake-up call for our whole family . The shock was n't that I was going to die , but that I had forgotten that I was going to die . We all are . Life is n't a dress rehearsal . I had been attending the American Brain Tumor Association 's Brain Cancer Walk in Chicago , Illinois , for three years when I realized that I had become a long-term survivor . And I realized I wanted to help change the statistics . Brain cancer patients need new , better treatments , and for that , we need more research . To help raise awareness and funds to battle brain cancer , I formed Brains on Bikes . The project consists of me and my trainer and friend Gundula cycling from San Francisco , California , across America to Washington , D.C. . We started Friday and aim to finish on July 15 . My very American life has taught me to try to change things that do n't work . I truly believe that together , we can outsmart brain cancer . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Anne Feeley .
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Anne Feeley grew up in New Jersey in ' 60 's , '70s ; knew she wanted America to change . She says she moved to Boston and pursued American option of later college education . She moved to Prague and opened a bakery ; later , she learned she had brain cancer . After surgery and remission , she formed Brains on Bikes to raise funds for cancer research .
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Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It is twilight at Dodger Stadium , and a small army of U.S. Census workers has gathered in the vast empty parking lot . Their mission this spring evening is to find and count the tens of thousands of homeless people who call Los Angeles home . Christina Coffey is one of the newly minted census workers who will be hitting the streets and gathering information . She will be helping the homeless men and women living on skid row and in shelters to fill out their census forms . Not everyone she meets will be agreeable , but Coffee says she does n't mind . `` I am very happy to have this job , '' said the 28-year-old Los Angeles native . `` I come from a great background , '' she said . `` I have a good résumé and a good education . '' But in the current economic climate , that did n't translate into a job . Coffey has been unemployed for the past two years , one of the millions affected by the recession . The nation 's unemployment rate still stands at 9.7 percent after some modest job gains this year . The economy shed 8.4 million jobs from March 2008 to April 2009 . But it has actually been a boon to the people responsible for compiling the 2010 census . The U.S. Census Bureau is hiring 1.2 million people to gather information for its once-a-decade headcount of the U.S. population . `` We have noticed , with the economy the way it is , the caliber of person we have recruited for this census is remarkably better than we have seen in the past , '' said James Christie , director of operations for the the U.S. census ' Western region . Christie believes that this year 's highly educated work force could make this census the most accurate in history . `` We have people with advanced degrees working as census-takers , '' he said . `` They may be overqualified , but they are glad to be working . '' Buashie Amatokwu is one of those `` overqualified '' workers . She has a doctorate in African history from Temple University . Now , her skills are directed toward getting an accurate count of African immigrants , residents from the Caribbean and African-American citizens . After college , Amatokwu had trouble finding employment , so she worked for a while selling financial planning services . But she was n't satisfied as a saleswoman . Her job as a census worker has given her a new sense of direction , she said . `` I like to say that I am called to serve , '' Amatokwu said . `` That is my calling . '' But her census job will end June 1 . Nevertheless , she believes the experience has prepared her to move forward . `` I 'm being groomed : How to handle the community , how to handle negotiations , how to handle dignitaries , '' she said . `` This has been a lesson . A big lesson . '' It 's a lesson that Amatokwu hopes will translate into employment in politics or the diplomatic field . Amatokwu 's census job has lasted about 18 months , but most of the 1.2 million census jobs will last only a few weeks . Even though the employment is short term , Coffey sums up the attitude of most of these temporary employees : . `` I 'm highly appreciative of every hour I am working and every paycheck . ''
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High jobless rate has been boon for U.S. Census . Caliber of workers `` is remarkably better than ... in the past , '' says regional director . Census worker Buashie Amatokwu has Ph. D in African history .
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[[1399, 1420], [1455, 1483], [1927, 1990]]
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- After dealing a walloping blow to Haiti , where at least six people died and a number of homes were destroyed , Tropical Storm Tomas weakened rapidly Sunday , the National Hurricane Center said . As of 4 p.m. ET , Tomas was located about 500 miles -LRB- 805 kilometers -RRB- south-southwest of Bermuda , forecasters said . It was downgraded to a tropical storm early Sunday . Its maximum sustained winds were at 60 mph -LRB- 95 kph -RRB- , but Tomas was not posing a threat to land . The storm was heading north-northeast at near 3 mph -LRB- 6 kph -RRB- . It was forecast to turn northeast or east-northeast and accelerate in the next couple of days , the Hurricane Center said in its last advisory on Tomas . Further weakening is expected , forecasters said . In Haiti , a nation still grappling with the effects of a killer earthquake and a deadly cholera outbreak this year , Tomas ruined houses and turned some streets into rivers . Six people were also killed by the storm , according to the Haitian Civil Protection Authority . January 's 7.0-magnitude earthquake killed 250,000 people and left 1 million more homeless . Many of those Haitians have been living in tent camps , and aid workers had been working in recent days to move the residents to safer housing , which was difficult to find . Aid workers were already struggling to keep up with the cholera outbreak , which has killed 501 people since the first cases were reported in October . An additional 7,000 are hospitalized . The bacterial disease causes diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to deadly dehydration within hours . In Leogane , west of Haiti 's capital of Port-au-Prince , residents waded in knee-deep water after Tomas . Box trucks got stuck in water , said relief worker Roseann Dennery of Samaritan 's Purse . While the flooding receded somewhat over the weekend , the threat of waterborne disease remained a concern . `` Samaritan 's Purse is moving quickly to set up cholera treatment centers in areas where there currently are n't any , and where new cases are appearing as the bacteria continues to spread , '' Dennery said . Mudslides also remain a risk because many of the nation 's mountains have been stripped of vegetation , which means rain can flow downhill relatively unimpeded , said CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf . `` We could see mudslides a week after the storm has passed , '' Wolf said . Tomas has also dumped more than 10 inches of rain in the Dominican Republic . Earlier , it caused extensive damage and killed 12 people on St. Lucia and also caused damage on St. Vincent . CNN 's Paula Newton contributed to this report .
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NEW : Storm is expected to weaken further . Tomas killed 6 on Haiti and flooded some areas . Earlier , Tomas killed 12 on St. Lucia .
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LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Katherine Jackson 's legal battle for some control of her son 's estate returns to court Monday in front of the same judge who is expected to award her permanent guardianship of Michael Jackson 's children . Katherine Jackson has accused the executors of her son 's estate of `` keeping her in the dark . '' Dozens of lawyers are expected to pack a Los Angeles courtroom where a judge will consider the Jackson family matriarch 's challenge of the lawyer and former music executive who were named as executors in Michael Jackson 's will . Katherine Jackson 's lawyers filed a petition last week accusing the men who now control the estate of being `` intent on keeping her in the dark '' about deals they 've made or are negotiating . Londell McMillan , Jackson 's lead attorney , raised questions about `` a suspicious circle of relationships '' involving John Branca , the singer 's longtime personal attorney , and John McClain , a music industry executive and longtime friend . Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff gave Branca and McClain temporary control of the estate until Monday 's hearing . Katherine Jackson is asking the judge to order Branca , McClain and others to answer questions under oath about their business agreements to determine if they are `` fit and able '' to administer the estate . The men also were served with a 19-page demand for documents . Branca has refused to let Katherine Jackson see Michael Jackson 's contracts with AEG -- the company that was organizing and promoting his planned concerts -- unless she agrees to keep them confidential . Branca 's lawyer argued in a court filing that he has no choice , since the contracts have a provision requiring confidentiality . Branca 's lawyers also argued that Jackson 's demand for documents was too broad and burdensome . `` Such measures will not be necessary if Mrs. Jackson is appointed a co-executor of the estate , '' McMillan said . McMillan , in an interview with CBS Thursday , estimated the Jackson estate was worth $ 2 billion , while the executors have estimated in court that its value is around $ 500 million . The will written in 2002 places all of Michael Jackson 's assets into a family trust benefiting his mother , his three children and unnamed charities . Judge Beckloff will consider at Monday 's hearing who will have permanent control of the estate . The judge is also expected Monday to finalize Katherine Jackson 's guardianship of her son 's three children . An agreement between Jackson and Debbie Rowe , the mother of the two oldest children , cleared the way for an uncontested custody hearing . Rowe , who was briefly married to Michael Jackson , agreed not to fight for custody in exchange for visits with the children as recommended by a psychologist . The agreement does not involve any financial payments to Rowe `` apart from the continuation of spousal support payments '' that Michael Jackson personally agreed to make to Rowe after their divorce , their lawyers said in a joint statement . Jackson 's children have been living with their paternal grandmother at her Encino , California , home since their father 's death . The oldest child -- Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. -- was born in February 1997 . A daughter -- Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson -- was born the next year . Details of how the children were conceived -- and who was the biological father -- have been closely guarded amid much public speculation . The couple divorced in 1999 with Rowe giving Jackson full custody while she got an $ 8.5 million settlement , according to court documents . Jackson later agreed to additional support . Rowe gave up parental rights to Jackson in 2001 , but she changed her mind more than two years later and sought temporary custody of the children . A California appeals court later ruled her rights were improperly terminated , opening the door to a possible custody battle . While the coroner 's report on what killed Michael Jackson has been delayed indefinitely , new evidence emerged that the singer shopped for a doctor who would give him the drug investigators suspect led to his death . Dr. Allan Metzger , whose name appeared on a search warrant served this week , refused Jackson 's request in April for the anesthetic propofol -- commonly known by the brand name Diprivan -- Metzger 's attorney said . Investigators suspect another physician , Dr. Conrad Murray , gave the drug to Jackson in the 24 hours before he died , according to a source , who asked not to be named because the individual was not authorized to speak to the news media . Metzger , who practices in West Hollywood , California , told Jackson during a visit to his Holmby Hills home that the drug was `` dangerous and potentially life-threatening and could not be used outside of a hospital , '' attorney Harland Braun said . Metzger 's medical records for Jackson , whom he treated until 2003 , have been given to the coroner , Braun said . He said Metzger prescribed drugs for Jackson under the alias Omar Arnold and Michael Jackson , which was not illegal since he used both names together . The doctor did that because he thought it was `` his duty to protect the privacy '' of his patient , Braun said . Omar Arnold is one of 19 aliases listed in the warrant used by Los Angeles police and federal drug agents Tuesday to search the Las Vegas office and home of Murray , a Texas-based cardiologist . The warrant also mentioned Cherilyn Lee , a nurse practitioner who treated Jackson earlier this year . Lee told CNN Jackson begged her for the propofol to help him get a good night 's sleep . She said she refused , telling the pop star that if he took the medicine , he might never wake up . The same warrant , signed by a Las Vegas judge , implied that investigators suspected Jackson was a drug addict . Dr. Deepak Chopra told CNN in a recent interview that when Jackson asked him for a narcotic , he told him absolutely no . `` I said to him , ` Michael , you 're going to die one day from this , ' '' Chopra said . During a world tour in the mid - '90s , sources close to Jackson told CNN , the pop star suffered from insomnia and traveled with an anesthesiologist who would `` take him down '' at night and then `` bring him back up . '' According to a report on a 2004 Santa Barbara police investigation , security guards in Jackson 's inner circle said he traveled the country getting prescriptions from doctors . The Los Angeles County coroner , who must rule on the cause of Jackson 's June 25 death , met Thursday with the Los Angeles District Attorney , who must decide if anyone will be prosecuted for his death . During the meeting , it was decided that an announcement of the coroner 's findings would be delayed indefinitely , according to a source close to the investigation . An official in the coroner 's office had previously indicated to reporters that the findings would be made public within days . CNN 's Randi Kaye contributed to this report .
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Katherine Jackson looking for some control of her son 's estate . Lawyers ' petition accuses executors of keeping Katherine Jackson `` in the dark '' Jackson wants executors to answer questions about business arrangements .
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LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- No deal has been reached between Michael Jackson 's mother and his ex-wife over the custody of the late singer 's children , according to a lawyer in the case . Debbie Rowe is the biological mother of Paris -LRB- left -RRB- and Prince Michael Jackson . Eric George , who represents Debbie Rowe , the biological mother of Jackson 's two oldest children , demanded Tuesday that the New York Post retract its report that Rowe had agreed to take $ 4 million not to challenge Katherine Jackson for custody . In a letter sent Tuesday afternoon to the newspaper 's editor , George said the report `` can only have been concocted with reckless disregard for the truth . '' `` There has been no agreement reached between Ms. Rowe and the Jacksons , '' George said . `` The Post stands by its story , '' New York Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan told CNN . While George said Rowe still has not decided if she will ask the court for custody or visitation , he said she will not try to get money from the Jackson family . `` Ms. Rowe has not accepted -- and will not accept -- any additional financial consideration beyond the spousal support she and Michael Jackson personally agreed to several years ago , '' George said . The couple divorced in 1999 with Rowe giving Jackson full custody while she got a $ 8.5 million settlement , according to court documents . Jackson later agreed to additional support . Jackson 's lawyer has not responded to requests for comment Tuesday . The Jackson family lawyer said last week that they were working to `` privately and amicably resolve '' the matter . A child custody court hearing , which had been set for this week , was delayed until next Monday at the request of lawyers for Jackson and Rowe , a court official said . Katherine Jackson gained temporary guardianship of the children soon after her son 's death last month . The New York Post , quoting an unidentified Jackson family source , reported Rowe had agreed to drop any custody challenge for a $ 4 million payment . Watch a discussion of the legal issues of the case '' `` Among the several contenders for overzealous and inaccurate sensationalism , the New York Post has now seized top honors , '' George wrote to the paper . `` It would be easier to identify those few background facts that are accurate than to catalog the number of blatant falsehoods in your story . '' Jackson and Rowe married in 1996 and their first child -- Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. -- was born in February 1997 . A daughter -- Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson -- was born the next year . The two met when Rowe was working as a nursing assistant in the Beverly Hills office of Jackson 's dermatologist , Dr. Arnold Klein . Rowe said in a 2003 interview , later obtained by ABC News , that she became close to Jackson in 1996 when she consoled him after his brief marriage to Lisa Marie Presley ended . `` He was upset because he really wanted to be a dad , '' Rowe said . `` I said , ` So , be a dad . ' He looked at me puzzled . That is when I looked at him and said . ` Let me do this . I want to do this . You have been so good to me . You are such a great friend . Please let me do this . You need to be a dad , and I want you to be . ' '' She told the interviewer they married only to `` prevent some of the taboo of a child out of wedlock . '' She gave up parental rights to Jackson in 2001 , but she changed her mind more than two years later and sought temporary custody of the children . A California appeals court later ruled her rights were improperly terminated , opening the door to a possible custody battle . Rowe claimed in the 2003 interview that she still had `` some influence '' over how Jackson raised the children , citing his practice of covering their faces in public as her idea . `` That was my request , not his , '' she said . `` I am the one who 's terrified . I am the one who 's seen the notes that someone 's going to take his children , '' she said . She said the children do n't call her `` mom '' because she did not want them to . `` It 's not that they 're not my children , but I had them because I wanted him to be a father , '' she said . Rowe , 50 , lives on a horse farm in Palmdale , California , about 60 miles north of Los Angeles . CNN 's Kay Jones contributed to this report .
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NEW : Debbie Rowe 's lawyer wants New York Post to retract report . Lawyer : Report that Rowe agreed to payment to drop custody challenge is `` false '' Rowe is mother of Michael Jackson 's two oldest children . Custody hearing scheduled for Monday .
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It was the stench . That was what really hit Danny Boyle the first time he went into a slum in India . In `` Slumdog '' a poor man wins a place on India 's version of `` Who wants to be a Millionaire ? '' `` There 's this smell you get first of all , '' recalls the British director . `` This incredible mixture of our excrement -- it belongs to all of us -- and then saffron . It 's just this mixture of sweet and sour . '' Boyle 's experiences shooting in the teeming , chaotic port city of Mumbai could also be described as sweet and sour . The director , who is renown for films like `` Trainspotting '' and `` 28 Days Later , '' had never even been to India before he and his crew traveled there to make the critically acclaimed Oscar contender `` Slumdog Millionaire . '' `` It 's pretty mad , '' admits Boyle . `` Everything is extreme . It 's too hot , the tea is too sweet ; everything is kind of too much . '' But , he adds : `` That 's wonderful for drama , absolutely wonderful . '' He and his crew threw themselves into shooting their drama in the streets and landmarks of India 's `` city of dreams '' using passers-by as extras . They also shot in the Dharavi -- Asia 's largest slum -- and Juhu slum which can be seen from the city 's airport . `` Slumdog '' is a classic rags-to-riches story about a young boy from the slums , Jamal Malik -LRB- played by British actor Dev Patel -RRB- , who beats millions of other Indians to bag a coveted place on the country 's version of TV game show `` Who Wants to be a Millionaire ? '' Through the timely story of the young `` slumdog , '' Boyle illuminates the contradictions of present day India -- the nuclear power that does not provide public sanitation for its population -- and Mumbai was the ideal city in which to do it . `` Mumbai is a city of extremes , '' Boyle explains , `` Life is raw . It 's incredibly powerful and rich because their economy is expanding , the richest men in the world are there ... but then there is also this enormous poverty as well . '' Do you think Danny Boyle has captured India in `` Slumdog Millionaire '' ? Tell us below in the SoundOff box . Boyle 's film shows these extremes with great realism . He takes the audience from the cheerfully money-grubbing micro-commerce of the slums where young boys charge slum dwellers to use filthy latrines , to Jamal 's job as a `` chaiwallah '' -LRB- tea boy -RRB- in one of India 's much-publicized call centers , and later , to the Indian game show phenomenon , `` Kaun Banega Crorepati . '' Boyle achieved this realism by immersing himself , his crew and actors in the Mumbai sprawl , and shooting as much as possible in real locations . `` I wanted to feel really involved in the city . I did n't want to be looking at it , examining it . I wanted to be thrown into the chaos as much as possible . `` There 's a period of time between about 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. where it all stops and just the dogs move around , but other than that , the place is just a tide of humanity . '' With limited time in India , Boyle made the decision to travel to the places he intended to shoot and film the cast 's rehearsals there . This was something the film 's star , Patel , found challenging at first . `` It 's daunting at first doing these scenes outdoors with loads of people watching , but they just warm to it and everybody is , like , laughing and they start clapping at the end of the scenes , '' Patel laughs . His co-star Frieda Pinto , who plays love interest Latika , was born and brought up in Mumbai and knows the city well . Watch Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto talking about the making of `` Slumdog Millionaire . '' `` You ca n't stop the bystanders in Bombay , '' she explains , `` It is something that you attract anyway , especially if you have a camera out there and a foreign crew and a song and dance . `` You are definitely going to attract a huge crowd and you ca n't do anything about it . The only thing you can do is enjoy it . '' For Boyle and the crew , on the other side of the camera , the energy and chaos was a pretty intense experience . `` You just do n't have any control in India , '' he explains . `` If you seek it , it will drive you insane . You 've got to go with it really and just see what happens . '' But they did have some tricks up their collective sleeve . Boyle and veteran cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle shot crowd scenes , like the chase through Juhu slum at the beginning of the film , using the people who happened to be passing by on the street for added realism . They wanted to draw as little attention to themselves as possible to keep the crowds looking natural . To achieve this feeling of being right in the middle of everything without disturbing the local communities too much , they used a variety of small digital cameras and digital stills camera . '' -LSB- We used -RSB- a Canon stills camera , which takes 12 frames per second . If people see a stills camera , they do n't think it 's recording live action , '' he explains . For Boyle , who believes his first film , `` Shallow Grave '' -LRB- 1995 -RRB- is still his best , because `` you have n't a clue what you are doing '' and `` you have n't learnt the tricks yet , '' he says , shooting in Mumbai was a way of recapturing that early originality . `` You arrive and you feel a bit vulnerable and naked again , and that 's a really good thing , because you are not tempted to just step in your own footsteps all the time . ''
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Danny Boyle had never been to India before shooting `` Slumdog Millionaire '' The British director shot the film in the streets and slums using passers-by as extras . Boyle on shooting in Mumbai : `` It 's pretty mad . Everything is extreme . '' `` Slumdog '' has been critically acclaimed and is hotly tipped for Oscars .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Ever since Robin Williams ' turn as the Genie in `` Aladdin , '' voice artists who specialize in character work for animated movies have been sidelined by celebrities , no doubt tickled to do something they can show to their children . Jack Black tackles the voice of an energetic panda in the animated feature `` Kung Fu Panda . '' DreamWorks Animation especially has invested in star power -- though the studio 's rationale must be to flatter an older , media-savvy audience . -LRB- After all , it 's the place that teamed Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese in `` Shark Tale '' and loaded the `` Shrek '' franchise with the dulcet tones of Mike Myers , Eddie Murphy , Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas . -RRB- Too often though , DreamWorks movies coast on lazy pop cultural references in place of the deeper story and character development found in Pixar productions . `` Kung Fu Panda '' goes a step further . It 's essentially an old-fashioned star vehicle , a virtual Jack Black movie that saves us the dubious pleasure of watching the real Jack Black doing the splits . -LRB- If you doubt that he could , check out the gravity-defying stunts an effects-enhanced Adam Sandler is capable of in `` You Do n't Mess With the Zohan . '' Or , on second thought , just take my word for it . -RRB- . Black is Po , a tubby panda who dreams of kung fu `` awesomeness '' but whose career prospects boil down to inheriting his father 's noodle stand . That is , until doddery turtle Master Oogway -LRB- Randall Duk Kim -RRB- baffles everyone by anointing Po the `` Dragon Warrior , '' a champion who will defend the valley from the wrath of mighty snow leopard Tai Lung -LRB- Ian McShane -RRB- . This inexplicable appointment not only threatens the safety of the entire community , it infuriates Oogway 's small ratlike lieutenant , Shifu -LRB- a petulant Dustin Hoffman -RRB- , who has dedicated himself to grooming a group called the Furious Five for just this task : Tigress -LRB- Angelina Jolie -RRB- , Monkey -LRB- Jackie Chan -RRB- , Mantis -LRB- Seth Rogen -RRB- , Viper -LRB- Lucy Liu -RRB- and Crane -LRB- David Cross -RRB- . iReport.com : Share your review of `` Kung Fu Panda '' How can a chubby novice such as Po compete with these fierce warriors , let alone his former protégé , Tai Lung ? Shifu puts Po through the wringer in the hope that he 'll see sense and quit , but along with his prodigious appetite for chop suey , it turns out the panda is also quite the glutton for punishment . In other words , this is a fortune cookie variation that heroic slacker Black has played many times before : Po may look out of shape , but what he lacks in strength , discipline and intelligence , he more than makes up for in gut -LRB- s -RRB- . You do n't mess with the Po , man . The action tends to blur into a whirlwind of slapstick chaos . Choreography of kung fu between a snake or a mantis and a leopard may be too anatomically mindboggling to animate in greater detail . Bruce Lee was fast , but at least he had hands . The highlight is Po 's breakthrough training bout with Shifu , a brilliantly inventive comic tour de force built around a solitary dumpling . Directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson , the film is brisk and businesslike , with an appropriately ersatz Chinatown look , but it does n't betray any personality beyond Black 's . Not that he is n't engaging , but it seems a waste of resources that Chan , Rogen , Liu and Jolie share about a dozen lines between them . `` Kung Fu Panda '' is fun as far as it goes , but unless you 're 12 , you 'll be hankering for something a bit more substantial half an hour after it 's over . `` Kung Fu Panda '' is rated PG and runs 95 minutes . For Entertainment Weekly 's much more laudatory take , click here .
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`` Kung Fu Panda '' is a virtual Jack Black vehicle , says reviewer Tom Charity . Animated film is about panda picked as chosen one to defend valley . Black has plenty to do , but rest of name cast wasted , reviewer says .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A key United Nations committee on Thursday condemned Myanmar 's human rights record while the secretary-general of the world body stressed the need for democratic reform . In a call to freed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi , U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emphasized the importance of a peaceful democratic transition and reconciliation process in Myanmar . Suu Kyi , a Nobel Peace Prize recipient in 1991 , has spent 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest for her opposition to authoritarian rule in the nation formerly known as Burma . She was released last week . `` The secretary-general told Aung San Suu Kyi that he was encouraged by the spirit of reconciliation emanating from her statements and appeals for dialogue and compromise following her release , '' the U.N. said in a statement . A U.N. General Assembly subset committee approved a draft resolution denouncing `` the ongoing systematic violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Myanmar . '' The resolution also slammed the nation 's recent elections and said they were not fair and inclusive . Susan Rice , the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. , welcomed the resolution and said it honored the commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights . `` The government of Burma continues to commit serious human rights violations , including arbitrary and prolonged detentions of its citizens , rape and sexual violence , discrimination and violence against ethnic minorities , and impose serious restrictions on freedom of speech , press association and assembly , '' Rice said in a statement . Suu Kyi and Ban vowed to pressure the nation 's military junta to release more than 2,100 political prisoners . `` They both stressed the need for the Myanmar authorities to release all remaining political prisoners so that all of the country 's citizens are free to contribute to advancing the prospects of national reconciliation and democratic transition in Myanmar , '' the statement said .
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General Assembly subset committee slams `` ongoing systematic violation of human rights '' U.N. chief emphasizes the importance of a peaceful democratic transition . Suu Kyi has spent 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest . Suu Kyi is a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize recipient .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The 103 Chadian children whom six French charity workers were convicted of attempting to kidnap will soon be reunited with their families , the United Nations ' children agency said Friday . Some of the 103 children who were nearly abducted by a French charity , pictured in Abeche in November 2007 . The children have been living in an orphanage in Abeche , in eastern Chad , since late October . Chadian authorities arrested the Zoe 's Ark aid workers as they earlier tried to leave the central African country with the children on a Paris-bound plane , the United Nations Children 's Fund said . The charity had said the children were orphans from Sudan 's war-torn Darfur region and were being taken to foster families in France . However , other charities determined that most of the children were from Chad , not Sudan , and had at least one living parent . Beginning next week , a UNICEF team will travel to Abeche , Adre and Tine to facilitate reuniting the 21 girls and 82 boys , aged 1 to 10 , with their families . Chad 's government has approved the move , UNICEF said . Interviews with the children indicated that the majority were from villages near the cities of Adre and Tine along the Chadian-Sudanese border , according to a November statement from the Red Cross , UNICEF , and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees . The kidnapping scandal attracted international attention , with French authorities reacting angrily to the charity 's trip , calling the group 's actions `` illegal and irresponsible . '' However , French President Nicolas Sarkozy intervened on the six 's behalf after a Chadian court sentenced the six aid workers to eight years of hard labor in Chad , and the central African nation handed them over to France to serve their sentences . In late January , a French court sentenced Eric Breteau -- the group 's leader -- Emilie Lelouch , Alain Peligat , Philippe van Winkelberg , Dominique Aubry and Nadia Merimi to eight years in a French prison . E-mail to a friend .
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The 103 children taken by French aid workers to be reunited with families soon . The 21 girls and 82 boys , aged 1-10 , will be handed over to relatives in Chad . They have been in orphanage in Chadian town of Abeche since late October . Six Zoe 's Ark workers were convicted on kidnapping charges in December .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Real Madrid and Barcelona remain on course to face each other in the final of the Spanish Cup after both claimed semifinal first leg victories on Wednesday . Karim Benzema scored the only goal of a tempestuous match to give Real Madrid a narrow 1-0 victory at holders Sevilla in the first leg of their semifinal . Meanwhile , a devastating first-half display set Barcelona on their way to a 5-0 home win over Almeria , leaving the second leg looking like a formality . Benzema , whose place in the Madrid side is under threat following the loan signing of Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor , settled the contest at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in the 15th minute , dribbling past one defender before cutting inside and curling home a left-foot shot . However , the home side were adamant they had levelled on the stroke of half-time when Luis Fabiano rounded goalkeeper Iker Casillas , only for Raul Albiol to clear the ball off the line . Sevilla players crowded the referee and his assistant claiming the ball had cross the line , but the officials waved away their protests and TV replays proved inconclusive . Both sides had chances to score after the break , notably Real when Mesut Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo combined to somehow miss from close range . The match finished amid ugly scenes with Casillas holding his head after being struck from a missile thrown from the crowd . The result proved a timely present for Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho on his 48th birthday and also edged the club closer to the final of a competition they last won in 1993 . Should Real avoid defeat in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu , they will almost certainly face old rivals Barcelona for the first time in a final since 1990 . Two goalkeeping errors handed Lionel Messi and David Villa early goals in the first half to give Barca a perfect start and some more Messi magic made it 3-0 by just the 16th minute . Pedro headed home a Xavi free-kick in the 31st-minute for their fourth goal and a flowing move resulted in Seydou Keita adding a fifth with just two minutes remaining . Elsewhere , Serie A leaders AC Milan are through to the semifinals of the Italian Cup after a 2-1 victory at Sampdoria . Two goals from Brazilian Alexandre Pato earned victory for the visitors , and ensured Milan striker Antonio Cassano made a winning return to Genoa , less than a month after being effectively sacked by Sampdoria after falling out with the club 's president . Pato struck twice in the space of five first-half minutes , both times being set-up by new Dutch signing Urby Emanuelson . The home side pulled a goal back early in the second half when Massimo Maccarone netted on his debut following his move from Palermo , but Milan held on to reach the last four of the competition . Milan were joined in the last four by holders and city rivals Inter Milan , who beat Napoli 5-4 on penalties , after 90 minutes and extra time went by without either side scoring a goal . Palermo secured their place in the last four on Tuesday , also going through on penalties against Parma , while Juventus and Roma will face each other on Thursday for the final remaining place . The semifinal line-up for the German Cup has also now been decided following Wednesday 's remaining last eight matches . Thomas Mueller scored twice as holders Bayern Munich cruised to a 4-0 victory at second division side Alemannia Aachen . However , there were shocks in the two other matches on Wednesday with second division Energie Cottbus and Duisburg putting out Bundesliga sides Hoffenheim and Kaiserslautern . Schalke sealed their place in the semifinals with a 3-2 extra time victory over Nuremberg on Tuesday .
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Real Madrid win 1-0 at holders Sevilla in their Spanish Cup semifinal first leg . Karim Benzema scores the only goal to give Madrid a crucial advantage . Barcelona thrash Almeria 5-0 in the other semifinal , scoring four goals in first half . City rivals AC Milan and holders Inter Milan both through to the Italian Cup semifinals .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Former world number one Justine Henin has confirmed her retirement from tennis for the second time , after failing to recover from the elbow injury she sustained last year . The 28-year-old Belgian -- the winner of seven grand slam titles in a glittering career -- initially quit the sport in May 2008 , but returned at the start of last year and subsequently reached the final of the Australian Open . However , she sustained an injury to her right elbow in last year 's Wimbledon tournament and -- despite playing through the pain to reach the third round at Melbourne this year -- Henin has now decided to call it a day after listening to medical advice . Women 's tennis will miss the elegance of Henin ... Confirming the news on her official website , Henin said : `` After my crash at Wimbledon last year I knew it would be difficult to come back -- but I had decided to give everything to overcome the injury . `` However , in these recent months I have rarely been spared from the pain and only returning to the tennis court would give me answers . `` Unfortunately I suffered a lot last week and every day gave me more and more pain . I have had tests on my injury and the results are clear -- my elbow is too fragile and damaged for me to continue playing tennis at the highest level , '' she added . Henin will go down as one of the greatest players of her era , although failing to win a Wimbledon title -- she twice lost in the final -- is the one missing piece in her impressive career that saw her win four French Open titles , two U.S. Opens and an Australian Open crown . Henin - count me out for Australian Open . She topped the world rankings for two years but off court problems , including a much-publicized divorce , were blamed for her sudden initial retirement from the sport after the 2008 French Open .
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Former world No. 1 Justine Henin confirms her retirement from tennis for the second time . The 28-year-old Belgian quits after failing to recover from an elbow injury . Henin sustained the elbow injury during last year 's Wimbledon tournament . She was top of the world rankings for two years and won seven grand slam titles .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The U.S. Embassy in Uganda is warning its citizens in the east African nation that regional terror groups `` remain actively interested in attacking '' American interests . `` We are particularly concerned about the month of February , '' the embassy , based in the capital , Kampala , said in a statement . Uganda is holding presidential elections next month . The embassy advises U.S. citizens to avoid large , public gatherings , `` especially those with large numbers of westerners and/or no visible security presence . '' It urges citizens to report any suspicious activity by calling 999 and keeping a charged cell phone at all times . The alert updates previous warnings related to the July 11 , 2010 bombings in Kampala , according to the embassy . More than 70 people died after a pair of bombings struck a restaurant and a rugby ground as patrons gathered to watch the World Cup final . Somalia-based al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attacks . The Islamic militants battling Somalia 's U.N.-backed transitional government have threatened attacks on Uganda and Burundi , which contribute troops to an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia .
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The embassy advises U.S. citizens to avoid large , public gatherings . A bombing in Kampala last July left more than 70 people dead .
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Dhaka , Bangladesh -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hundreds of hawkers and beggars , quite often seen on Dhaka 's major roads and at traffic stops , will be driven out next month ahead of the Cricket World Cup scheduled to begin in mid February , officials said Wednesday . Three South Asian nations ннн -- Bangladesh , India and Sri Lanka -- are jointly hosting the grand gala ICC World Cup 2011 and the opening ceremony is scheduled to be held at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on February 17 . `` No hawkers will be allowed in the streets and beggars will be evicted temporarily from many parts of the city , '' said Bangladesh Home Minister Shara Khatun . In Bangladesh , matches will be played in the capital of Dhaka and the southeast port city of Chittagong . Apart from six group matches , two quarterfinals will take place in Bangladesh , officials said . Sahara Khatun , junior minister for home affairs , and other top government officials Tuesday had a meeting to ensure fail safe security for the more than a month-long cricket event . The government is also working to give Dhaka a facelift ahead of the tournament , which will be played by 14 countries in two groups . The countries are Australia , Bangladesh , Canada , England , India , Ireland , Kenya , Netherlands , New Zealand , Pakistan , South Africa , Sri Lanka , West Indies and Zimbabwe . Officials said the beggars would be taken to government asylums for the time being from the first week of February . `` I 'm really upset . I do n't know what I 'll do for the living of my family in February and March , '' Mohammad Suman , who sells pirated copies of foreign books at one of the busiest traffic signals near the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka 's Karwan Bazar , told CNN on Wednesday . The minister said that they would also recommend making February 17 a public holiday in Dhaka . As a part of heightening security , the army would be deployed in many places , besides police and elite forces of the Rapid Action Battalion , officials said . The Bangladesh government imposed a ban on begging amid criticism two years ago , saying they would stop the practice within five years . According to the law , anyone caught begging in public places faces a maximum three months in jail . But begging is still seen in almost everywhere in Dhaka нн -- a city of ten million people , one third of whom are extremely poor and live in shanties . According to the World Bank and the United Nations , 40 percent of Bangladesh 's 140 million people live below the poverty level .
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Bangladesh is one of three countries hosting the Cricket World Cup . Officials say hawkers and beggars will be removed from Dhaka . An estimated 40 percent of Bangladesh 's population lives in poverty .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police in Albuquerque , New Mexico , released a composite image Tuesday of a young boy found buried beneath the sand of a local playground . Police released this composite sketch of the boy in hopes that someone can identify him . The boy was discovered on Friday by a passerby who saw a tiny black and lime shoe protruding from beneath the playground sand . It led police to the body of a boy , who had been buried there in a shallow grave less than 48 hours earlier . On Tuesday , police still had no answers as to what happened at Alvarado Park -- or even who the boy was . His name is unknown , though the community has dubbed him `` Baby Justice '' or `` Baby Angel . '' Nobody in the area has claimed his body , and nobody has reported a child of his age missing . Before the composite image was created , police were n't able to release a photo of the boy because his body was so disfigured by the sand 's heat . Police say the Native American or Hispanic boy was between 3 and 5 years old , 38 pounds , 38 inches in height , with brown eyes and dark quarter-inch hair . When he was found , he was wearing Arizona brand clothing , size 3T -- nylon black running pants with red stripes , a red shirt with a monster truck on it and black , gray and lime green Skechers sneakers . Police are n't sure how he died . Albuquerque Police Department spokesman John Walsh said a preliminary autopsy did n't reveal a cause of death . Walsh said there were no obvious signs of bruising on the boy . `` We have canvassed the entire adjoining neighborhood , '' Walsh said . `` We 're knocking on every door . We 've been broadcasting and pleading for tips from the community . But still , nobody has come forward . '' Though police have received numerous tips from the public , Walsh said nothing has come from them . Albuquerque police are working with other local , state and nationwide law enforcement officials to try to piece together what happened . Until then , members of the community have spent hours at memorials for the boy -- who none of them knew -- praying for him and raising money . French Mortuary , in the town , has offered to pay all funeral costs for the boy . Resident Rachel Lesperance told CNN affiliate KOAT-TV she spent her weekend collecting $ 3,600 for the boy . Her money , and the donations raised by others , will go toward a plaque at the park in the boy 's honor , buying extra lights for the playground and to a fund toward finding out what happened to the little `` Baby Justice . '' `` He does n't have a family , '' Lesperance told KOAT-TV . `` We 're his family now , and we want him to be taken care of like one of our own . ''
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Boy found Friday at Alvarado Park buried under sand in playground . Police say nobody has been reported missing , nobody has claimed body . Nobody knows name of boy dubbed `` Baby Justice '' or `` Baby Angel '' No cause of death for boy who may be Native American or Hispanic .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Al-Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Hajj arrived home in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum early Friday after nearly six years in the U.S. Navy prison camp at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . Al-Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Hajj at a hospital in Khartoum after his release from Guantanamo Bay . `` I was so happy that I cried , '' al-Hajj told the Qatar-based Arabic news network by phone from his hospital room , where he was taken after arriving at the airport . `` It is our right to be happy and to rejoice , but we also miss our brothers that we left behind and who live in very difficult conditions . '' An official with the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum said the transfer brought to an end a matter that the United States and Sudan considered to be `` of great mutual concern . '' Al-Hajj , a Sudanese citizen in his late 30s , was captured in Afghanistan in December 2001 by Pakistani intelligence officers and handed over to the United States , which accused him of being an `` enemy combatant . '' A senior Pentagon official confirmed the journalist 's release . Al-Hajj was held without being charged or given a trial , Al-Jazeera reported . The cameraman was on a legitimate assignment and carried a work visa at the time of his capture , the network said . It also reported that the U.S. plane that carried al-Hajj had about 20 other former detainees aboard who also had been released from Guantanamo Bay . The plane dropped off a Moroccan national , identified as Al-Saeed Bou Jaadiya , the network said . Al-Jazeera aired video showing a bearded al-Hajj being carried from the plane in Khartoum by U.S. military personnel and laid on a stretcher . He was transported to Al-Amal Hospital . `` He was brought in here by ambulance and entered to the intensive care unit on a stretcher , '' said Al-Jazeera Director General Wadah Khanfar from the hospital . `` He was exhausted and very sick , and he 's receiving the necessary care in the hospital . '' Khanfar said he was awaiting word from doctors on his medical condition . In a statement , U.S. Charge D'Affaires Alberto Fernandez of the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum said the transfer `` is a result of many factors and the work of many hands . An important one was the cooperation between the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum and the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Intelligence and Security Service . '' Al-Hajj had been on a hunger strike for more than a year and was being force-fed , said Zachary Katznelson , a lawyer who has worked on al-Hajj 's case since August 2005 and last visited him three weeks ago . `` Al-Hajj is remarkably thin , '' Katznelson said . `` He looks like an ill man . '' The journalist was conscious , but did not appear to speak to anyone as paramedics rolled his stretcher inside . Family members stooped to kiss him as the gurney passed . `` I would have hoped they were here with me now . I look forward to the moment , '' al-Hajj said told Al-Jazeera before being reunited with his family . Earlier , al-Hajj 's wife spoke to the network about his release . `` Now I can think differently , '' Asma Ismailov said . `` Now I can plan my life differently . Everything will be all right , God willing . '' Al-Hajj 's young son , Mohammed , said he would `` kiss his head '' when he sees his father . `` I 'll tell him that I love him and I need him . '' The Sudanese government told Al-Jazeera that al-Hajj faced no charges in Sudan and is a free man . The network also said the United States placed some conditions on al-Hajj 's release , including one that prevents him from any political activity . Reporters Without Borders , which campaigned for al-Hajj 's release , said in a statement that the cameraman `` never should have been held so long . '' `` U.S. authorities never proved that he had been involved in any kind of criminal activity , '' the worldwide press freedom group said . The organization said al-Hajj was accused of gun-smuggling for al Qaeda and running an Islamist Web site , although no evidence supporting those charges was produced . `` We are delighted that Sami al-Hajj can finally be reunited with his family and friends , '' said Joel Simon , executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists . `` But his detention for six years , without the most basic due process , is a grave injustice and represents a threat to all journalists working in conflict areas . '' E-mail to a friend .
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Sami al-Hajj arrives home in Sudan and is taken to hospital , network says . Pakistani intelligence officers captured him in Afghanistan in December 2001 . Al-Hajj was transferred to U.S. custody and held without charges or trial . Al-Jazeera said he was on an assignment when he was apprehended .
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Moscow , Russia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sent a strong signal Thursday that he has full hands-on control of his country . As part of his annual town hall forum , Putin spoke for four hours and fielded 80 questions out of 2 million-plus submitted on a live call-in program , `` Conversation With Vladimir Putin -- Continued . '' Responding to a question on whether he had any plans to retire and enjoy the life of an ordinary citizen , Putin tersely replied , `` Do n't count on that . '' And when asked whether he plans to run for the presidency again in 2012 , he said , `` I will think about it . There is plenty of time for that . '' Speaking of his `` tandem '' with President Dmitry Medvedev , Putin said he had `` known him for many years , graduated from the same universities , having been taught by the same professors . '' `` Those common principles allow us to effectively work together , '' he said , responding to the never-ending speculation about which one of the duo is more important and whether a rift between them is possible . Putin juggled a myriad of facts and statistics , giving instructions to subordinates along the way to fix problems , as he responded to questions mostly on Russia 's domestic issues . These covered pensions , medication prices , the overhauling of entire industries and Russia 's accession to the World Trade Organization , Amur tigers and hip-hop music , and everything in between . The program was broadcast live on government television and radio . It marked Putin 's eighth annual year-end `` town meeting , '' first launched in 2001 when he was president . This year 's forum was his second as prime minister . Representatives from all Russian industries as well as university students packed the auditorium in Gostiny Dvor , a large conference hall next door to the Kremlin , where Putin appeared . Putin took questions from the hall 's floor , with live cameras positioned in towns and cities across Russia , and he also responded to phone calls , e-mails and mobile SMS messages . He started off by addressing the issue of terrorism , coming nearly a week after the derailment of a luxury Moscow-St . Petersburg express train , which left 26 people dead and more than 100 injured . Russia 's Federal Security Service said an improvised explosive device , which unknown bombers placed beneath the railroad bed , caused Friday 's derailment . It was the biggest terror act outside Russia 's troubled North Caucasus region since 2004 . `` We did a lot -LSB- in recent years -RSB- to break the backbone of terrorism , but the threat has not been eliminated yet , '' Putin said . `` The entire society , each of us , should be conscious of this threat and be vigilant . '' Addressing the economy , Putin said the peak of the global economic crisis has passed , `` although turbulent trends in the global and , as a result , the Russian economy , are still in place . '' `` It will take time and effort to overcome the crisis , '' he said . The past year has been `` one of the most difficult '' for Russia in this decade , Putin added , saying the 2009 gross domestic product will shrink by 8.5 percent to 8.7 percent . The slump in the country 's industry will be even bigger , he said , around 13 percent , but the projected inflation for 2009 will be lower than in the past year , about 9 percent . The prime minister also cited what he called `` positive developments '' in the Russian economy . He said some industries , such as military hardware production and agriculture , are even growing . In the arena of international politics , Putin told a questioner that he and former President George W. Bush had a good relationship but have not been in touch . The prime minister described Bush as a `` very honest and nice person , '' saying that if the ex-U.S. leader wanted to continue their relationship , he would be glad to do so . Putin 's press secretary , Dmitry Peskov , said the wide range of issues on which Russians posed questions `` provides an excellent instrument for sociological study , and all questions that are being raised , are carefully studied . That -LSB- call-in show -RSB- gives a very reliable sociological survey . '' Putin 's popularity ratings at home demonstrates his political dominance in Russia . Confidence in the prime minister stood at 70 percent , as opposed to 59 percent for Medvedev , according to a recently published opinion poll conducted by Russia 's Public Opinion Foundation . While Putin had his town hall forum , Medvedev was holding meetings in Italy with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Pope Benedict XVI .
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Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin dismisses notion of retiring at town hall forum . Putin : `` Common principles '' let him , President Dmitry Medvedev work well together . Putin calls George W. Bush a `` very honest and nice person '' Putin says it will take time to overcome global financial crisis .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- More than 14 months after they fled fighting between rebel and government forces , park rangers who monitor mountain gorillas in war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo have returned to the reserve . Young gorillas play in Congo 's Virunga National Park in an undated photograph . It is a welcome sight at Virunga National Park , where around 200 of the world 's 700 mountain gorillas live . Samantha Newport , communications director for the refuge , told CNN on Friday that 70 rangers have returned to the gorilla refuge . They left when the sector was taken over by Laurent Nkunda 's Tutsi armed force , which is fighting Congolese soldiers and their militia allies . About 50 other rangers who fled after rebels seized the park headquarters last month also have come back , Newport said , and about 150 other rangers will be returning after being away for a month or two . Around 400 other rangers never left the nearly 8,000-square kilometer park , in which the gorilla reserve encompasses 250 square kilometers , Newport said . The gorilla section of the park lies in a strategically important area near the borders of Rwanda and Uganda . Newport said Nkunda 's rebels still control much of the park and the preserve , but efforts have been made by combatants to protect the gorilla refuge and not interfere with the park rangers ' duties . In a news release , Virunga Park Director Emmanuel de Merode said , `` It is a huge step that all sides have agreed that the protection of Virunga as a World Heritage Site and its mountain gorillas is of sufficient priority to transcend political differences . '' He added , `` Rangers are neutral in this conflict , and it is right that they should be allowed to do their job . '' The rangers will be conducting a census of the gorillas . There were 72 habituated and around 120 non-habituated gorillas in the reserve in August 2007 , when the last census was conducted . That number is expected to change because of births and deaths . Habituated describes those gorillas who are accustomed to contact with humans , and non-habituated refers to those who are not used to human presence , Newport explained . Virunga National Park is a UNESCO -LRB- United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization -RRB- World Heritage Site and Africa 's oldest national park . It was formerly known as Albert National Park .
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Fighting forced rangers to flee gorilla reserve in Democratic Republic of Congo . Some of the rangers fled some 14 months ago . `` Rangers are neutral in this conflict , '' park official says .
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WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The U.S. Navy has charged six guards accused of assaulting detainees in May at Camp Bucca in Iraq , naval officials said Thursday . U.S. guards patrol at Camp Bucca in Iraq in May . The Army Criminal Investigation Division investigated alleged incidents that left two detainees with minor bruises . The division also investigated an incident in which eight prisoners were confined overnight to a housing cell that had been sprayed with a riot control agent , the Navy said . The six guards will face courts-martial . Seven other cases have been resolved through nonjudicial punishment , according to a statement from the commander of U.S. Naval Forces-Central Command . The courts-martial are expected to start within 30 days at Camp Bucca , which is in southern Iraq near the Kuwaiti border . The guards accused in the case are assigned to Navy Provisional Detainee Battalion 4 .
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Navy guards accused of assaulting detainees at Camp Bucca . Eight prisoners were confined to cell sprayed with riot control agent , Navy says . Navy : Two detainees allegedly left with minor bruises .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Should celebrity chefs stick to stand-and-stir shows ? Self-proclaimed `` Kulinary Gangsta '' -LRB- no , seriously -- he has a tattoo and everything -RRB- and Food Network phenom Guy Fieri failed to catch fire with audiences in his prime-time major network debut . Variety reports that NBC 's `` Minute to Win It '' -- a distinctly non - `` kulinary '' game show that challenges competitors to master stunts like one-handed tissue-box emptying and re-stacking plastic cups -- `` did n't put up great overall numbers from 7 to 9 p.m. '' on Sunday but rallied slightly against other networks ' programming at the 8:30 p.m. mark . Lukewarm ratings might not relegate most shows to the trash bin , but given how this one underperformed after being so heavily promoted via pricey Winter Olympics commercial breaks , popular food blogs like `` Eater '' are already predicting the show 's cancellation . But it 's not just hard out there for a `` gangsta '' ; over the past decade , several notable chefs failed to bring the sizzle to the network spotlight . With NBC set to take another gamble on Chef Bobby Flay 's upcoming reality show , `` America 's Next Great Restaurant , '' network execs might wish to take a second look at a few star turns that flamed out fast . ` Kitchen Confidential ' -- Anthony Bourdain . `` No Reservations '' host and leather-jacket aficionado Anthony Bourdain steamed up bookstore shelves nationwide with his restaurant tell-all `` Kitchen Confidential : Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly '' in 2000 . FOX 's sitcom incarnation , featuring a defanged `` Jack Bourdain , '' played by Bradley Cooper , replated the book 's sex-drugs-and-rock - 'n' - roll soul as a sanitized snack of wacky kitchen hijinks and one-note characters . After four episodes , the network put it in the deep freeze , airing the remaining nine episodes online and outside the U.S. 'Em eril ' -- Emeril Lagasse . In 2001 , New Orleans ' Emeril Lagasse starred in a self-titled sitcom set behind the scenes at a fictional cooking show . Bereft of his essential `` BAM ! '' and `` Kick it up a notch '' catchphrases and scripted as a watered-down version of his charismatic bayou-blasting Food Network persona , Lagasse and co-star Robert Urich muddled their way through 11 bland , critically panned episodes before NBC pulled the plug . ` The Restaurant ' -- Rocco DiSpirito . Long before he danced with the stars and shilled for Bertolli , Rocco DiSpirito was an honest-to-goodness chef at an acclaimed Manhattan restaurant called Union Pacific . This rude , raw , reality show , however , was not set there . Rather , `` The Restaurant '' -- airing on NBC in 2003-04 -- documented DiSpirito 's fraught relationship with restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow as they made nasty hash opening a joint venture called `` Rocco 's . '' The show , stuffed to the gills with product placements , featured frequent clashes between front - and back-of-house staffs , diners , servers -LRB- hired on-air from a pool of more than 2,000 fame-starved applicants -RRB- , and DiSpirito and everyone but his sainted mother , who made the restaurant 's signature meatballs . While `` The Restaurant '' made it to a very short second season , a painfully public legal conflict between DiSpirito and Chodorow shuttered the restaurant and the show . Rocco has never cooked in a restaurant again . ` The Chopping Block ' -- Marco Pierre White . `` Hell 's Kitchen -LRB- UK -RRB- '' host and British tabloid staple Marco Pierre White popped across the pond to helm this competitive restaurant reality show for NBC in the spring of 2009 . Though mentorship of Gordon Ramsay and Mario Batali and a spicy biography entitled `` The Devil in the Kitchen '' established him as a culinary cult favorite , as the show 's host and head judge , White swapped his legendary scorching temper -LRB- he once allegedly set a young chef on fire for complaining about the kitchen 's temperature -RRB- for a tone so chill , it sent viewers nodding into their sorbet . After three episodes , NBC placed the show on a back burner , releasing the remainder of the episodes online .
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Food Network phenom Guy Fieri failed to catch fire with audiences on NBC . New Orleans ' Emeril Lagasse starred in a self-titled sitcom that lasted 11 episodes . `` The Restaurant '' only made it to a very short second season .
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-LRB- CNN Student News -RRB- -- January 26 , 2011 . Download PDF maps related to today 's show : . • Houston , Texas • Egypt • Moscow , Russia . Transcript . THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT . THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED . CARL AZUZ , CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR : Political protests in Egypt , the aftermath of an attack , and a music megastar who 's using his fame to raise awareness about a disease . All of it 's coming up in this Wednesday edition of CNN Student News . Hello , everyone . I 'm Carl Azuz . First Up : State of the Union . AZUZ : The place : Washington , D.C. . The event : An annual address to the nation steeped in history , and the response to it . U.S. President Barack Obama and U.S. Representative Paul Ryan , a Republican from Wisconsin , both took to the airwaves last night . CNN Student News brings highlights tomorrow . If you wan na watch the complete speeches , CNNStudentNews.com ! You 'll find 'em in the `` In Depth '' box . Click on `` State of the Union . '' Now , while we 're on the subject of State of the Union , we are breaking down the history of the speech for you right now . First stop : U.S. Constitution , Article II , Section 3 . `` The president shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient . '' Now , that 's what the Constitution requires ; there are a lot of things that are traditions that are not required by the Constitution . For one , this address does not have to be annual , though a yearly speech dates back to George Washington . It does n't need to be in person . In fact , our third president , Thomas Jefferson , had the speech delivered in writing to Congress . And the State of the Union does n't need to be made at a congressional session of both Houses , though that 's what we see every year , and what we saw last night . Here 's why the State of the Union address is delivered in late January or early February : the 20th Amendment . It was ratified in 1933 , and it specifies that congressional terms start on January third and presidential terms start on January 20th . So , it 's when everyone is seated in office that the speech is given in late January or early February . A little history for ya : President Coolidge was the first president to broadcast the speech over the radio ; that was back in 1923 . His nickname was `` Silent Cal , '' but he was n't silent then ! President Truman was the first on TV with the speech in 1947 . And this is around the time it started being called `` State of the Union '' instead of the president 's annual message to Congress , as it was known before that . And in 2002 , President George W. Bush became the first president to deliver the speech on the web . Congresswoman 's Health . AZUZ : The members of Arizona 's congressional delegation were all planning to sit together for last night 's State of the Union address . But they were going to leave one chair empty in honor of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords . She was one of the victims of a shooting we told you about earlier this month . She 's recovering from her injuries , and she 's getting a lot of support . CLASS , HOUSTON , TEXAS : Get well soon , Ms. Giffords ! AZUZ : Those well wishes came from students in Houston , Texas . A lot of people in that community were sending their best wishes and signing `` get well soon '' cards for the Arizona representative . She was transferred to a hospital in Houston late last week . Doctors say that Giffords is doing well and showing lots of improvement , but that she has a long road ahead of her . I.D. Me . TOMEKA JONES , CNN STUDENT NEWS : See if you can I.D. Me ! I 'm an African country that 's home to more than 80 million people . My national currency is the pound . I border two seas , the Mediterranean and the Red . I 'm Egypt , and my current president , Hosni Mubarak , has been in power since 1981 . Protests in Egypt . AZUZ : After the nearly three decades he 's spent in power , thousands of Egyptians are calling for President Mubarak to step down . In the U.S. , presidents can only serve two terms . But in Egypt , there are no term limits . That 's one reason why Mubarak has been president for so long . But protests in the African nation are taking aim at President Mubarak and his government . This YouTube video shows a crowd of protesters moving through the streets in the Egyptian capital of Cairo . The people who organized the protests said they 're trying to catch some of the momentum for political change that they saw in the nearby country of Tunisia . That nation 's longtime leader was recently removed from power . During yesterday 's demonstrations in Egypt , protesters fought with police . Both sides were throwing rocks and tear-gas canisters at each other . Other countries , including the United States , said they were keeping a close eye on the situation . Moscow Airport Bombing . AZUZ : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says that whoever is behind Monday 's suicide bombing at Moscow 's busiest airport will be found and will be punished . The attack killed dozens of people , injured more than 150 others . And sadly , this bombing is n't an isolated incident . Over the last decade , trains and planes around Moscow have been bombed at least four times . President Medvedev said that part of the blame for Monday 's attack is on the people who were responsible for the airport 's security . RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DMITRY MEDVEDEV -LSB- TRANSLATED -RSB- : What happened at Domodedovo shows that the airport lacked security . It 's unbelievable that such a huge amount of explosives was brought into the terminal . Those officials responsible for security at Domodedovo must be punished for their decisions . This is a terror attack , a grief , a tragedy . START Treaty Ratified . AZUZ : President Obama called President Medvedev yesterday to offer his condolences about the bombing . During that same call , he congratulated the Russian president on the progress toward a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty , or START . This would reduce the number of nuclear weapons in both the U.S. and Russia . Presidents Medvedev and Obama signed the treaty last April . Part of Russia 's parliament approved that treaty yesterday . The U.S. Senate did the same thing last month . President Obama calls the START `` the most significant arms control agreement in nearly two decades . '' Shoutout . JOHN LISK , CNN STUDENT NEWS : Today 's Shoutout goes out to Mrs. Sheets ' American History classes at Glades Middle School in Miramar , Florida ! What part of the human body produces insulin ? You know what to do ! Is it the : A -RRB- Liver , B -RRB- Kidneys , C -RRB- Pancreas or D -RRB- Lungs ? You 've got three seconds -- GO ! Your pancreas makes insulin , which helps control your body 's blood sugar . That 's your answer and that 's your Shoutout ! Educating Through Music . AZUZ : When someone 's body has problems controlling blood sugar , it could mean the person has diabetes . The American Diabetes Association estimates that more than 23 million Americans have some form of this disease . And that includes one member of the Jonas Brothers . Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows us how he 's trying to help other people who are living with diabetes . -LRB- BEGIN VIDEO -RRB- . DR. SANJAY GUPTA , CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT : The Jonas Brothers have been one of the most successful young acts for the past several years , having sold millions of records and entertaining audiences all over the globe . They just completed a world tour about a month ago , which took them from the United States to Argentina , Brazil , Europe and the United Arab Emirates . Now , shortly after the group signed their first recording contract , Nick , the youngest Jonas Brother , was diagnosed with Type I , or juvenile diabetes . NICK JONAS , JONAS BROTHERS : I was diagnosed in November of 2005 . So , I was about 13 . I lost 15 pounds in a total of about three weeks , which was a bit startling considering I only weighed about 105 pounds to start with . GUPTA : Nick was told his blood sugar was over 700 . A normal level is below 125 . JONAS : My commitment to myself when I was on my way to the hospital was that I would not let this slow me down . GUPTA : Nick has learned to live with his disease and has n't let it get in the way of the Jonas Brothers ' success . Two and a half years after his diagnosis , on a day when Nick says his blood sugar was a little out of control , he wrote a song about having diabetes . He says writing `` A Little Bit Longer '' was therapy for him , and fans have told him it 's helped them cope as well . JONAS : I think just the fact that I can say , look , you 're just like everybody else , you can do what you want to do , and you can do it with diabetes , that 's the best thing in the world . GUPTA : Jonas says he is thankful to be able to do what he loves and uses his fame to educate people about the disease . With the Jonas Brothers Change for the Children Foundation , Nick has been raising awareness and funds for diabetes research for several years now . JONAS : What we can do financially is great and I 'm always happy to do that , but if there is something that I can do personally to inspire or encourage somebody , that means the world . -LRB- END VIDEO -RRB- . Before We Go . AZUZ : Before we go , during a timeout at a women 's college basketball game , one of the school 's officials was randomly chosen from the audience to try a half-court shot . Mr. Showoff decides he 's gon na do it backwards . There 's no way this is going to work , right ? Bam ! Nails it ! He won a set of brand new tires in the process . Now , we could n't make sense of a pun about a backwards basket . Goodbye . AZUZ : I mean , we gave it a shot , but it just went over our heads . Gosh , we just never tire of this . All right , today 's sign-off line comes from Jay at Facebook.com / CNNStudentNews . Signing off for the next 23 hours and 50 minutes , this ... is ... Carl Azuz . Send us your sign-off line at Facebook.com / CNNStudentNews . I may just read it on the air . Have a great one !
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Explore some of the history behind the State of the Union . Learn about the reasons behind political protests in Egypt . Find out which pop star is raising awareness about diabetes . Use the Daily Discussion to help students understand today 's featured news stories .
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-LRB- EW.com -RRB- -- Jason Statham is the B-movie bruiser of the moment . He appears in the occasional Guy Ritchie gangster head game , but his genre of choice is the revved-up testosterone action film . The key to his charisma is that he 's so much more cutthroat smart and elegant , and so much more coolly British , than an actor from the crash-cars-and-ask-questions-later school needs to be . With his shaved skull and handsome you-talkin ' - to-me stare , he 's like a Bruce Willis mad-dog avenger crossed with a more sociopathic James Bond . As Arthur Bishop , the title character of `` The Mechanic , '' Statham is playing one of those super-stealth hitmen who can sneak into the most protected of lairs and slip away moments later with the target dead . The opening swimming-pool assassination is just clever enough to set you up for a hitman version of a heist thriller . But then Statham 's lone wolf is tricked into killing his longtime corporate associate -LRB- Donald Sutherland -RRB- . Feeling used , he tries to make up for his sin by taking Sutherland 's son under his wing -- a dissipated rich boy played by Ben Foster , who suggests a gnarled , hillbilly Justin Timberlake . How do Statham and Foster team up in this movie ? Simple : Statham , in about six minutes , teaches Foster everything there is to learn about being a master assassin . Before long , the apprentice is leaping off skyscrapers and wielding his weapon with fearless aplomb . The implausibility of `` The Mechanic , '' even on its own genre-movie terms , is jaw-dropping . Yet I might have forgiven that had the movie tried to involve us in some more elaborately sneaky contract murders . As it is , `` The Mechanic '' is ham-fisted pulp , like Robert Rodriguez 's `` Machete '' taking itself seriously . It 's enough to make you want to see Jason Statham take a break from B movies and become the A-list character actor he deserves to be . C . See full article at EW.com . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2010 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. . All rights reserved .
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Jason Statham is the B-movie bruiser of the moment . The key to his charisma is that he 's so cutthroat , smart and elegant . The implausibility of the film , even on its own genre-movie terms , is jaw-dropping .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- English Premier League club Liverpool have rejected Chelsea 's bid for Fernando Torres and insisted the Spain striker is not for sale . The Merseyside club confirmed on their website that a bid had been received -- reported in British newspaper the Daily Telegraph to be around $ 63 million -- but that it was dismissed out of hand . The 26-year-old striker , who was part of Spain 's World Cup winning squad in South Africa , has scored nine goals this season , including two when the Reds beat reigning Premier League champions Chelsea back in November . He has found the net three times since club legend Kenny Dalglish took over the managerial reins from Roy Hodgson , and the Scot is said to be insistent that his prize asset is not allowed to leave . Liverpool agree fee with Ajax for Luis Suarez . A statement on the club 's official website read : `` Liverpool Football Club have insisted Fernando Torres is not for sale despite the emergence of a bid from Chelsea . `` When presented with the story by the media on Thursday night , a LFC spokesman dismissed any notion that the Spain international was for sale . `` Chelsea have made a bid for Fernando which has been turned down , '' the spokesman said . `` The player is not for sale . '' Chelsea have also failed in their bid to sign Brazilian defender David Luiz from Portuguese club Benfica . A statement on the Benfica website read : `` Negotiations between Benfica and Chelsea over the possible transfer of David Luiz reached a conclusion today without the parties having reached an agreement . `` Contrary to reports in recent days , David Luiz never tried to force his way out of the club and is a model professional . '' The news comes just days after Spanish club Atletico Madrid reported they had turned down Chelsea 's $ 82 million bid for Argentina striker Sergio Aguero and 24-year-old defender Diego Godin , from Uruguay . At a press conference on Friday , Chelsea 's Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti refused to talk about transfers . He told reporters : `` I always speak just about my players and Torres is not my player . I have to respect Liverpool . It is the same with David Luiz . `` I know very well what my club is doing now but I do n't want to speak about it . The club is trying to do everything to improve the squad . ''
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Liverpool turn down an offer from English champions Chelsea for Fernando Torres . Spanish striker subject to bid of $ 63 million according to British newspaper the Daily Telegraph . Liverpool spokesman insists Torres is not for sale . NEW : Chelsea 's move for Benfica defender David Luiz has fallen through .
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WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan would be funded into early 2009 under a compromise plan approved Thursday by the U.S. House . The bill includes $ 165 billion to fund the wars in Afghanistan , above , and Iraq . The $ 165 billion measure puts no restrictions on money the Bush administration had requested to continue bankrolling the wars but includes money for key domestic priorities for House Democrats , namely more unemployment assistance for people who lose their jobs and an expansion of the G.I. Bill . The plan also includes more than $ 2 billion for disaster assistance for areas in the Midwest dealing with massive flooding . A first vote , on the war funding , was approved 268-155 . A second vote on the domestic money passed 416-12 . President Bush and many congressional Republicans had resisted extending unemployment benefits , but the compromise bill includes another 13 weeks of assistance . Democrats had been pushing for extending benefits to laid-off workers as unemployment rates continue to rise . Democrats also got Republican support for a college scholarships program for U.S. troops , known as a `` new G.I. bill . '' This program expands educational benefits for veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan to pay for full four-year scholarships . House Democratic and Republican leaders reached an agreement on the plan Wednesday , and Bush administration officials said they were satisfied with the compromise . Anti-war protesters in the House gallery shouted and chanted briefly during the vote , tossing what appeared to be slips of paper onto the House floor . They were removed from the gallery without incident . The two bills approved Thursday will be combined and sent to the Senate for approval as one measure .
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$ 165 billion measure puts no restrictions on war-money Bush requested . Measure pays for wars in Iraq , Afghanistan through early next year . Also attached are unemployment assistance and expanded GI Bill . Measure includes more than $ 2 billion to help flood-stricken Midwest .
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Jakarta , Indonesia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- International flights to the Indonesian island of Bali were canceled Friday because of volcanic ash , according to a transportation official . Mount Bromo in East Java has been erupting since late last year . Although the threat level was downgraded recently , it continues to spew out ash columns , according to the Indonesian Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation agency . East Java is in close proximity to Bali . A volcanic ash monitoring center in Darwin , in northern Australia , issued a Notice to Airmen warning that the ash could affect aviation . That prompted all international airlines to cancel flights . International flights of the airlines Cathay Pacific , Virgin Blue , Jetstar and Value were affected , said Bambang Ervan , spokesman of the Transportation Ministry . Domestic flights were not canceled , as the they may go through another air route that is deemed safer , officials said . `` Our team and also the -LRB- Bali 's -RRB- Ngurah Rai Airport team is still monitoring the conditions at the airport , '' Ervan said . Airlines are asking passengers to check flights before the scheduled date of departure for updates .
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An ash cloud has affected flights to the Indonesian island of Bali . Several airlines have canceled international flights .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Aid is getting to Haiti but it 's not as simple as getting a direct flight to the quake-battered nation . CNN followed one aid container from the headquarters of ShelterBox in Cornwall , England , to Port-au-Prince , Haiti , to see the hurdles aid groups face . Minutes after the earthquake struck on January 12 , the ShelterBox crew sprang into action . The international disaster relief organization is the brainchild of Tom Henderson , who was recognized as a CNN Hero in 2008 . `` If you 've lost everything as they have in Haiti , it 's all about shelter , warmth , comfort and dignity , '' says Henderson . `` That 's what ShelterBox is . '' A ShelterBox container -- containing relief supplies including a 10-person tent , water and blankets -- is designed to be easily carried by two people and stackable for easy storage . To get to Haiti from Cornwall , the box went on four flights and one overland trip over five days before being distributed to a mother and her newborn baby . Once in the Dominican Republic -- Haiti 's neighbor -- there were delays because of security concerns and a national holiday that meant local help was limited . The ShelterBox was one of 720 boxes eventually loaded into a four truck convoy in Santa Domingo for a U.N.-escorted drive to Haiti . The drive from Santo Domingo to the Haiti border took about 11 hours because of poor roads and a puncture . Twelve ShelterBoxes are being used to build an emergency field hospital at the airport , said Mark Pearson who is in Haiti for the charity . Each ShelterBox contains individual survival equipment like water carriers , a tool kit and a children 's pack containing drawing books , crayons and pens . By February 1 , Shelterbox hopes to have more than 7,000 boxes in Haiti , housing up to 70,000 people . But Henderson acknowledges there is much more to be done . `` There are thousands of people dying every day . That 's what drives us forward . This is not a job for us . It 's a passion . '' Want to get involved ? Check out ShelterBox 's Web site and see how to help .
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A ShelterBox aid box sent from England takes five days to reach Haiti . It went via Ireland , Canada , the U.S. and Dominican Republic . Box contents include tent , water , school kits and blankets .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- FBI agents have executed 40 search warrants throughout the United States as part of an investigation into recent coordinated cyber attacks targeting major companies , the agency said . The United Kingdom 's Metropolitan Police Service executed additional search warrants and arrested five people for their alleged role in the attacks , the FBI said in a statement Thursday . A group calling itself `` Anonymous '' has claimed responsibility for the attacks , the FBI said . The attacks were allegedly carried out by people who are active supporters of WikiLeaks , but are not affiliated with the website , a federal law enforcement source said . Late last year , the group launched take-down campaigns against organizations that have shunned the site WikiLeaks . Under the banner `` Operation Payback , '' the Anonymous group successfully crashed MasterCard.com and strained the websites of Visa and PayPal . Anonymous allegedly makes its attacks not through hacking , but merely by directing a giant traffic surge to the targeted website . That 's called a DDoS attack , short for distributed denial-of-service -- and it 's hard for most websites to defend against . `` The attacks were facilitated by software tools the group makes available for free download on the internet , '' the FBI said in a statement . Facilitating or conducting such attacks is illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison , the FBI said . CNNMoney 's Julianne Pepitone contributed to this report .
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The alleged attackers are part of a group that calls itself `` Anonymous , '' the FBI says . Source : The attacks were allegedly carried about by active supporters of WikiLeaks . The group makes tools available online to flood websites with traffic , the FBI alleges .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Thousands of people were protesting Tuesday outside the Romanian Parliament against an unpopular austerity plan presented by the government , the Romanian Interior Ministry said . Organizers and local police said there were about 5,000 people in front of Parliament . Romanian national police told CNN the crowd burned effigies of government ministers and that a crew of firemen had to put out the fire . Some 1,000 Romanian policemen were trying to keep the protesters from entering the building , the ministry said . The center-right Romanian government survived a confidence vote Tuesday in relation to the austerity measures by 8 votes , the Agerpress national news agency reported . CNN 's Laura Perez-Maestro in London , England , contributed to this report .
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About 5,000 protesters burned effigies outside parliament in Bucharest . Protesters demonstrating against planned government budget cuts . 1,000 Romanian policemen tried to stop the crowds entering the building .
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` This is an event in world history , '' is how Hollywood producer Avi Lerner hyperbolically proclaimed the news that Robert De Niro and Al Pacino were to star in his new film . De Niro and Al Pacino in a scene from their new movie `` Righteous Kill , '' out this fall . Lerner can , perhaps , be forgiven for getting a little carried away . After all , it 's not every day these two Hollywood greats appear together on screen . Lerner is fully aware that by getting De Niro and Pacino to pair up in his latest venture `` Righteous Kill , '' he has hit movie paydirt . `` They were in two scenes in ` Heat . ' In this movie , they are in the whole thing together , '' he tells Variety magazine . The pairing of heavyweight actors Pacino and Tribeca film festival founder De Niro is something which has tantalized film fans since their separate scenes in `` The Godfather Part II '' -- 34 years ago . With 115 films and three Oscars between them , the two stars first acted together in the 1995 thriller `` Heat , '' albeit very briefly in two unrehearsed scenes . So `` Righteous Kill '' is something of a coup for Hollywood director and producer Jon Avnet , who made 1996 's `` Up Close and Personal '' and 1991 's `` Fried Green Tomatoes . '' The longtime friends will star as two veteran New York City detectives on the hunt for a vigilante who may be one of their own . It is prime De Niro/Pacino territory , as Lerner acknowledges in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times . He says : `` They 're playing New York City detectives ; they are as New York as it gets . De Niro and Pacino the way you want to see them . '' `` They 're both very opaque , '' he adds . `` You do n't know whether they 're going to kiss someone or kill them . And that suspense is what makes their performances so intense in the moment . '' `` Righteous Kill '' is a remake of a hit French thriller , `` 36 Quai des Orfèvres '' -- the address of the French CID in Paris -- which also saw the pairing of Gallic cinema kings Gerard Depardieu and Daniel Auteuil . De Niro , 67 , said the film , to be released in September , came about because of their longstanding friendship and a desire to work on a longer project together . `` We are old friends , and he is a terrific person and great to work with and that was it you know , it was great , '' he told CNN 's `` The Screening Room '' at the opening of the Tribeca film festival in New York . `` Because the other movie that we did , we had one great scene . I loved the scene we had where we meet in the restaurant and then the end of the movie . `` And ` Godfather ' we were in the same movie but two different time periods , so we are in a movie now where we actually work a lot together . '' Pacino , who recently turned 68 , says their friendship enhances the acting experience . `` I love Bob , so it 's fun , '' he told Entertainment Weekly . `` I 've known him since I was a little boy . Bob wisely did n't want to rehearse our first scene together , on ` Heat . ' And I 'm glad he did n't . There 's a comfort level that 's very important . `` You can rehearse till the cows come home but that comfort level is what it 's about . '' Although the prospect of seeing Hollywood icons such as De Niro and Pacino on screen is one to savor for many fans , some have questioned whether this new film will be anything to write home about , based on the quality of their recent output . The two acting legends have come under fire for making questionable `` payday '' movie choices like Pacino 's critically panned `` 88 Minutes '' -- also produced by Lerner and directed by Avnet . Reviews for De Niro in films like `` Analyze That , '' `` Hide and Seek '' and `` Godsend '' have been similarly scathing . Some argue , perhaps unfairly , that their body of work has become so polluted by poor choices , that many have forgotten what made them so great in the first place . Perhaps this is what prompted long time collaborator Francis Ford Coppola , who directed Pacino and De Niro in `` The Godfather '' trilogy , to accuse them , along with Jack Nicholson , of lacking ambition and passion . Coppola was quoted in GQ magazine last year as saying : `` I do n't feel that kind of passion to do a role and be great coming from those guys , because if it was there , they would do it ! I mean , they 're all in a position to do it . '' Coppola later told reporters during the Rome Film Festival that the comments were `` obviously bent out of shape '' by the magazine . `` I was astonished because it was n't true , '' he said . `` I have nothing but respect and admiration for the actors . These are the three greatest actors in the world today , and they are my friends . '' However , his supposed views obviously struck a chord with others . In March , De Niro came top in a poll by the online edition of Entertainment Weekly to find `` the most shameless pay check role . '' He won for agreeing to play Fearless Leader in The Adventures Of Rocky and Bulwinkle in 2000 . While Los Angeles Times , film critic Patrick Goldstein accused the pair of `` becoming parodies of themselves , making payday movies that are hollow echoes of the electrically charged work they did on such films as ` Serpico , ' ` Dog Day Afternoon , ' ` Mean Streets ' and ` Taxi Driver . ' '' He added : `` If anyone has made more movies for the money than Pacino , it would be De Niro , who has largely abandoned serious dramatic work for a spate of forgettable horror and crime thrillers . '' Between them Pacino and De Niro have starred in some of best films ever made , and as they approach their 70s , it would be fair to say they have earned the right to slum it a little . And as Ryan Gilbey of the Guardian newspaper puts it : `` Do n't we all find the armchair that bit comfier as the years go by ? `` Why should De Niro be any different just because he made his name as one of the most visceral and searching of screen performers ? '' E-mail to a friend .
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Al Pacino , Robert De Niro co-starring in `` Righteous Kill '' Two actors have co-starred in movies , but rarely shared scenes . Some have questioned whether the film is worthy of their talents .
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Western cinema 's relationship with martial arts has been a rocky one . Like many genres , kung fu has drifted in and out of fashion , but it has never regained the same popularity as its glorious heyday in the early 1970s . There 's nothing funny about either Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris . And they 've got the fists to prove it . After breaking into the United States and Britain with TV hardmen like The Saint and The Green Hornet duffing up the occasional bad guy , the revolution really kicked in at the cinema . When Bruce Lee -- who had already made waves in America as the Green Hornet 's karate chopping sidekick , Kato -- appeared in the Chinese-made `` Jing wu men , '' or `` Fist of Fury , '' he established himself as the genre 's poster boy . Lee found initial success in his native China , but with his next movies , `` Meng long guo jiang '' -LRB- `` The Way of the Dragon '' -RRB- , which pitted him against U.S. karate champion Chuck Norris , and the classic `` Enter the Dragon , '' he became an international star . The plots of his films all followed a set structure : our gifted hero pursues a path of revenge or tough justice , accompanied by a stiff dose of morality . In this way his characters became representatives and protectors of the less powerful who have been unjustly treated . At the same time , the U.S. TV show `` Kung Fu , '' which started in 1972 , raised the profile of martial arts , and , through the lead character Caine , built an image of the patient , wise man , who uses his skills in combat as a last resort when reasoning fails , and again , is motivated entirely by his unshakeable morals . The reluctant hero is n't a new concept : he 's shared by the Far East and Wild West . The lone gunman in a western , too , tends to be loath to kill , and acts as the moral enforcer in a lawless place . But while the gunman in an isolated western town still commands the same respect from movie audiences as he lays down the law , our wise eastern mystic has almost entirely disappeared from Hollywood . The biggest martial arts stars today -- with the notable exception of Jet Li , who continues to take on a mix of serious art movies in China and gang-war films set on the streets of urban America -- are either laughed at or laughed with by western audiences . Kung fu superstar Jackie Chan has the impressive reputation of being almost indestructible . He does his own stunts and puts himself in some incredibly dangerous situations . But Chan is essentially a comedian . His stunts are used , in a very similar way to Chan 's cinematic hero Harold Lloyd , to amaze and amuse an audience . We are shocked that someone could do the things he does , hanging off moving buses with a walking stick , leaping across buildings . He is almost superhuman , but it 's done mainly for laughs . The other major kung fu stars have become figures of mockery . The Internet was awash with Chuck Norris gags pointing out just how strong he is -LRB- `` Chuck Norris does not sleep . He waits . '' -RRB- while Steven Seagal has done himself no favors by appearing in some of the worst films ever made . Hollywood does n't take them seriously -- and nor do we . Directors have also mocked the 70s obsession with kung fu that gripped the western world , with heroes from films such as `` Boogie Nights , '' `` Austin Powers '' and `` Starsky and Hutch '' fighting with cod seriousness while displaying laughable skills . So what has changed ? Kung fu is not inherently funny . No matter how many times you watch `` Enter the Dragon , '' it never ceases to be awe-inspiring . Perhaps the answer is simple : we Hollywood film junkies have grown cynical . There is no room in our modern world for an unexplained , almost supernatural power against pointlessly evil adversaries . Have we have lost our ability to suspend our disbelief ? So what can a real fan do ? Are we condemned to trawling the movies of the 1970s in order to get our kung fu hit , harking back to a time when Chuck Norris really was feared and respected everywhere he went ? The answer is no . While Hollywood seems to have dumped its one-time darling , kung fu is alive and flourishing in Asia , where it all started . Jet Li puts out some great offerings in China , and there is a rising star in the form of Tony Jaa , a Thai actor with amazing technical skill , whose films like `` Ong Bak '' have wowed audiences across the world . While Hollywood misses a trick and spends all its time laughing at its most skillful martial artists , the industry in Asia is doing what it has always done : bringing us all the high kicks , karate chops and spinning nunchucks we could ever want . E-mail to a friend .
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Kung fu has never regained its 1970s popularity in the West . The genre has been mocked in movies like `` Austin Powers , '' `` Starsky and Hutch '' But fans know the genre is alive and flourishing in Asia .
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Bad dubbing , angry men with extraordinary facial hair , balletic fighting and more blood than you can shake a nunchuck at : just some of the key ingredients to make a perfect kung fu flick . Tony Jaa may be the modern day Bruce Lee , and in `` Ong-bak '' he shows off his impressive skills . Whether it 's a traditional tale of ancient Chinese fighting mystics , or a slickly made , modern bloodfest , kung fu has always been a rich part of cinema . We 've compiled a list of 10 of the best . Do n't agree ? Think we 've missed one ? Share your views by using the Sound Off box below and we 'll publish the best . 1 . Enter the Dragon -LRB- Robert Clouse , 1973 -RRB- . Bruce Lee 's last movie before his untimely death , this is him at his very best . A man on a revenge mission , Lee travels to a mysterious island to fight in a deadly tournament hosted by an evil billionaire . Along with being technically amazing -- the nunchucks scene is jaw-dropping -- it 's the most stylish and iconic martial arts film ever made . 2 . Ong-bak -LRB- Prachya Pinkaew , 2003 -RRB- . Tony Jaa is a modern master . He has appeared in very few major releases , but has already made a huge impact . `` Ong-bak '' is the perfect showcase for his extraordinary skills : whether he 's fighting a roomful of people or taking part in the most exciting chase we have ever seen -- jumping through rings of barbed wire and sliding under moving cars while doing the splits -- he makes this film every bit the martial arts spectacle . 3 . Wong Fei Hung -LRB- Once Upon a Time in China -RRB- -LRB- Hark Tsui , 1991 -RRB- . Part Chinese history , part gripping kung fu movie , this eastern epic has Jet Li demonstrating his talents as the eponymous hero who stands up to invading foreign forces in 19th century China . Armed with a limitless arsenal of martial arts moves , Li takes on masses of gun-toting , badly acting opponents . A visual delight and Jet Li 's best work . 4 . Kill Bill 1 & 2 -LRB- Quentin Tarantino , 2003/2004 -RRB- . Quentin Tarantino is a movie geek -- specifically , a B-movie geek -- and kung fu has long held a place in his heart . `` Kill Bill , '' his tribute to the genre , ticks every box : revenge ; a powerful , all-knowing nemesis ; stylish fights , costumes and music ; and blood , lots and lots of blood . 5 . Wo hu cang long -LRB- Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon -RRB- -LRB- Ang Lee , 2000 -RRB- . Every eye-catching detail of this touching and beautiful film works . A love story with outlaws , witches and Shaolin monks is augmented by breathtaking cinematography and some fantastic performances from Chow Yun Fat , Michelle Yeoh and newcomer Ziyi Zhang . This visual feast tugs at the heart strings better than any karate chop could . 6 . The Karate Kid -LRB- John G. Avildsen , 1984 -RRB- . A simple but well-executed plot sees Ralph Macchio 's underdog work his way up an unconventional path to take on the mean and nasty establishment . It spawned a spate of copycat films , while thousands of children signed up to after-school karate ; everyone now knows how to defend themselves by waxing on or off and that the best fighting move is obviously The Crane . Hiya ! 7 . Ging chaat goo si -LRB- Police Story -RRB- -LRB- Jackie Chan , 1985 -RRB- . Jackie Chan is probably China 's biggest export to Hollywood , well-known for doing his own death-defying stunts . This is one of the films that got him noticed in the United States . When he fights , Chan is unstoppable : he uses every prop on the set and puts himself in enormous physical danger . Out and out fun . 8 . Shogun Assassin -LRB- Robert Houston , 1980 -RRB- . Referenced several times in Tarantino 's `` Kill Bill '' films , this forgotten classic must have set a record for the amount of blood spilt as our hero crosses the country on a revenge mission . Early on , Tomisaburo Wakayama says `` they will pay with rivers of blood '' ; he is n't wrong . Violent and wonderful . 9 . Siu lam juk kau -LRB- Shaolin Soccer -RRB- -LRB- Stephen Chow , 2001 -RRB- . Should this be in the best or worst list ? It 's definitely unique . Once described as `` the best kung fu football film of all time , '' this is one of the more ridiculous films of the genre . A group of down-and-out martial arts experts form a five-a-side football team to take on a group of evil , drug-taking clones . It 's as simple , and as silly as that . And it 's one of our guiltiest pleasures . 10 . The Matrix -LRB- Andy and Larry Wachowski , 1999 -RRB- . A sci-fi spin on the genre , this modern classic has all the key elements : our hero has superhuman powers ; the bad guys , led by the relentless Agent Smith , form part of a shady , all-powerful organization intent on oppressing humankind ; and the fight scenes are fantastically technical . Against all the odds , it appears Keanu really does know Kung Fu . ... . Do n't agree ? Think we 've missed one ? Read others ' comments and share your views by using the Sound Off box below . ... . And the mainstream films that lacked the killer punch ... Street Fighter -LRB- Steven E. de Souza , 1994 -RRB- . Jean-Claude Van Damme has made some good films , really he has . `` Kickboxer '' nearly made it into our top 10 . But this is , by a huge margin , his worst effort . Most depressing , though , is that this was the last major outing for Raul Julia -- not the way he should be remembered . Great game ; terrible film . The Karate Kid , Part III -LRB- John G. Avildsen , 1989 -RRB- . The franchise came out of part two with a little credibility intact , but this last installment -- unless you include `` The Next Karate Kid '' -LRB- which no self-respecting `` Karate Kid '' fan would -RRB- -- managed to kill off our last shred of enthusiasm . Where the original might have inspired you to take up karate , this would put you off the sport , and probably kung fu movies too . Bulletproof Monk -LRB- Paul Hunter , 2003 -RRB- . `` I 've got a great idea , let 's take a well-respected Chinese actor and pair him up with an annoying teen-film actor in a mystical kung fu movie ; it ca n't fail ! '' Unsurprisingly , this film was a disaster , shoe-horning silly fight scenes into a plot that spirals from implausible to disturbingly stupid . A frightful mistake , and one of our worst-named films to boot . Under Siege 2 : Dark Territory -LRB- Geoff Murphy , 1995 -RRB- . The first `` Under Siege '' was a surprisingly good film , and Hollywood 's best martial arts expert acquits himself well , but this follow up is laughable . Seagal still fights like the best , but has lost the ability to speak , and whispers his way through the dialogue . Considering the action takes place on a train , we were amazed his co-stars could hear him . Come on , Steven , you were so much better when you were just a lowly , lowly cook . Game of Death -LRB- Robert Clouse , 1978 -RRB- . Through no fault of his own , this is Bruce Lee 's posthumous contribution to the list . This tacky movie features fight scenes shot before Lee died , interspersed with material filmed using lookalikes and a cardboard cutout of the great man . The fights are impressive , but the rest of the film smacks of a cash-in -- they even use footage from Lee 's actual funeral . A desperate slur on Lee 's memory . E-mail to a friend .
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Iconic kung fu star Bruce Lee hits the top spot with `` Enter the Dragon '' Tarantino 's genre tributes , `` Kill Bill 1 & 2 , '' are stylish and bloody . `` The Matrix '' is a sci-fi kung fu movie with slickly made fight sequences . But Jean-Claude Van Damme 's `` Street Fighter '' lacks the killer punch .
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TEGUCIGALPA , Honduras -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Honduran soldiers shot out the tires of buses headed for a demonstration in support of ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya , a video obtained by CNN shows . This image from a cell phone video shows Honduran soldiers shooting out the tires of a bus . The video , believed shot within the past two days , shows a line of buses stopped on a road in what is reported to be the city of Limones . The city is about 70 miles -LRB- 112 kilometers -RRB- northeast of the capital , Tegucigalpa . A noisy , chaotic crowd is milling around the buses while soldiers move among them . Some slight pushing can be seen . `` The people united can never be defeated , '' many crowd members chant in unison . Gunfire is heard and the crowd grows quieter . More shots are heard and then the video shows soldiers shooting out the tires on a yellow bus . Air hissing from a tire can be heard and the video shows a flattened tire . Watch the soldiers shoot the tires '' The recording was made on a phone camera by Zelaya supporter Oscar Baron and made available to CNN . Another video of the same incident was posted on the Youtube Internet site Thursday under the title `` Golpe de estado en Honduras '' -LRB- Coup in Honduras -RRB- . CNN reporters in Honduras have received reports from Zelaya supporters who say troops have stopped buses bringing protesters from the countryside to prevent them from attending rallies in Tegucigalpa . Honduran military officials said they were unaware of any such incidents . `` I have not been informed of this incident . I can not confirm or deny it , '' Honduran Army spokesman Col. Ramiro Archaga told CNN by phone . The military 's main job is to protect the nation 's borders , Archaga said , `` not guaranteeing internal security . '' Hector Ivan Mejia , spokesman for the Security Ministry , said he had no information of buses being fired upon . `` Protesters will be arrested for vandalic acts but they will not simply be stopped on their way to protests , '' Mejia said . The military removed Zelaya from power Sunday and flew him to nearby Costa Rica . Congressional leader Roberto Micheletti was sworn in that afternoon as interim president . Pro-Zelaya protesters have skirmished with troops in some parts of Tegucigalpa , but the incidents have received little mention from Honduran TV stations . Instead , the stations have given wide coverage to large demonstrations in support of Micheletti . The United Nations and the Organization of American States have condemned the coup and demanded that Zelaya be reinstated . The United States and most countries in Latin America also have criticized the coup . The United States and the World Bank have suspended some aid and many nations have recalled their ambassadors from Honduras . In an emergency meeting late Tuesday , the OAS gave Honduras 72 hours to reinstate Zelaya or face suspension from the 35-nation hemispheric organization . That deadline expires Saturday and the OAS has scheduled a 1 p.m. meeting to discuss the situation . OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza arrived Friday afternoon in Honduras to notify `` stakeholders '' of the terms of the resolution , the organization said . Zelaya , a leftist who took office in 2006 , has said he will return to Honduras after Saturday 's deadline . Micheletti said Zelaya would be arrested if he returns . At the center of the dispute was a referendum Zelaya had vowed to carry out even after the country 's supreme court and congress found it illegal . The nonbinding referendum could have led to the creation of a constitutional assembly to modify the country 's charter to allow the president to run for re-election . Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez , a Zelaya ally , won a similar referendum this year and many Hondurans thought Zelaya was trying to maneuver a way to seek re-election in November . Zelaya has denied that was his intent . Zelaya narrowly won the presidency in 2005 with 49.8 percent of the vote to 46.1 percent for Porfirio `` Pepe '' Lobo . After 18 years of nearly uninterrupted military rule , Honduras returned to civilian control in 1981 . Since then , the military has not seemed interested in holding power in the nation of more than 7 million people , about 70 percent of whom live in poverty . Military interventions were once common in Latin America , but civilian governments have held sway since the 1980s . Before Sunday , the only other barracks revolt this decade was an unsuccessful 2002 coup attempt against Chavez , when the military displaced him but backed down days later and allowed his reinstatement . CNN en Español 's Krupskaia Alis and CNN 's Karl Penhaul contributed to this report .
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Video shows line of buses stopped on road in Honduras . Shouting is heard , some pushing takes place . Gunshots ring out , then video shows soldiers shooting tires . Honduras military says it has not heard of incident .
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Editor 's note : A renowned chef and restaurateur , Scottish-born Gordon Ramsay is perhaps best known in the United States for his television show `` Hell 's Kitchen . '' He writes here about witnessing domestic abuse as a child and what he 's doing now to make sure others do n't witness the same . He will appear on `` Larry King Live '' tonight at 9 ET . Chef Gordon Ramsay writes of seeing his father abuse his mother ; today Ramsay fights domestic abuse . LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- No child should ever have to live in fear in their own home . A home should be a place where you feel safe and loved ; when I was a kid , our home was anything but that . Growing up , my father was less than a perfect role model . I watched how he battled alcoholism and how he became terribly violent with my mum , to the point where she feared for her life . Every time he got violent , any present that my brother , sisters , or I had given mum would be smashed , simply because he knew it belonged to her . There were instances when the police were called to take him away ; mum was taken to the hospital while we kids were taken to a children 's home . As kids , my brother , sisters and I moved around to more homes and schools than I can remember . Dad would often have a fallout with someone at work and get fired , and because our home often came with his job , we would become homeless and have to move again . To this day , I will never understand why mum stayed with him . She deserved so much better and so much more ; it still pains me to remember how badly he treated her . I have four young children of my own , and I could never see myself behaving the way my father did when I was a child . I want to be a role model for my children and have them look up to me . With that said , my wife , Tana , and I are proud to be ambassadors of Women 's Aid , a national charity in England working to end domestic violence against women and children . Women 's Aid helps more than 320,000 women and children every year . It also supports more than 500 domestic and sexual violence services across England . Domestic violence is not identified solely by violent physical abuse ; instead , it is defined as physical , sexual , psychological , financial , or emotional violence that takes place in a relationship , intimate or family-oriented . Eventually , this develops into a pattern of coercive and controlling behavior . The statistics are staggering : 1 in 4 women in the UK experience domestic violence in their lifetime , and between 6-10 percent of women suffer from domestic violence in a given year . The problem is , less than half of these incidents are reported to the police . And even still , a phone call is made to the police every single minute in the UK to report a case of domestic violence . That means police receive an estimated 1,300 calls each day and more than 570,000 each year , according to Women 's Aid . I encourage everyone to help take a stand against domestic violence . My wife , Tana , and I ran the London Marathon for Women 's Aid for the past two years . As ambassadors , we are pleased to say that we have received more than # 5,000 in donations from friends , well-wishers and supporters of the charity . Just last week , Tana and I hosted a fundraising dinner and auction for Women 's Aid in Berkeley Square in London , which helped raise more than # 475,000 , more than double our original target for the evening . My father passed away in 1997 after a long battle with alcoholism . These days , my mum is still my biggest supporter -- she remains there by my side through everything , and for that , I am forever grateful . E-mail to a friend .
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Gordon Ramsay says his father battled alcohol and abused Ramsay 's mom . Ramsay says 1 in 4 women in the UK experience domestic violence . He tries to fight the problem by speaking out and raising money .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- South African rugby union stars Chiliboy Ralepelle and Bjorn Basson are free to play again after their bans for testing positive for a prohibited stimulant were scrapped . The pair were charged after South Africa 's test match against Ireland in Dublin back in November 2010 after testing positive for a substance known as methylhexaneamine -LRB- MHA -RRB- . Ralepelle and Basson were immediately banned from rugby and sent home from the tour . The supplement was supplied to them by the South African medical team . But at a hearing in Cape Town , their advocate Attie Heyns successfully challenged the ban on the basis that MHA had been downgraded by the World Anti Doping Agency -LRB- WADA -RRB- . Ralepelle told the official South African Rugby Union -LRB- SARU -RRB- website : `` Finally the facts are out there and people can see that we were not guilty and are not doping cheats , '' he said . `` We were only doing what the large majority of professional rugby players around the world do by using a supplement . `` Bjorn and I were the unlucky ones to be tested on the day and to have had to go through the trauma of the past two-and-a-half months . We 're both now just looking forward to playing again and closing this chapter once and for all . '' The South African team , known as the Springboks , has now changed its approach to supplements and will not be issuing any to team members . The chief executive of SARU Jurie Roux added : `` This verdict completely quashes any idea that either the players or the team were guilty of any attempt to cheat . No responsibility attaches to the players at all . `` The banned stimulant was in a supplement given to the players in the warm-up before the test against Ireland and is a product that has been used by the Springboks before -- without any adverse analytical findings -- and is used by other professional and national teams in both hemispheres . `` That the players subsequently tested positive for a banned stimulant was an enormous shock to the Springbok team , management and to SARU and I am most sorry that the players have had to endure the stress and stigma attached to a failed dope test . `` Hopefully this verdict will have laid to rest any idea of any wrong doing on their part . ''
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Chiliboy Ralepelle and Bjorn Basson free to play rugby for South Africa again . Pair have their bans for testing positive for a banned stimulant quashed . The supplement was given to them by the South African team 's medical department . Ralepelle says he is pleased the case is over and that he has been cleared .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A man has been arrested in connection with the shooting deaths of two Michigan women , including a mother who went missing shortly after her children left on the bus for school , authorities said . Investigators found the bodies of Amy Henslee , 30 , and Tonya Howarth , 36 , Friday morning . They had been buried and appeared to have died after receiving multiple gunshot wounds , Van Buren County Prosecuting Attorney Juris Kaps told reporters . Henslee 's husband told police she was missing Monday , prompting a police investigation in Hartford Township , Michigan . Authorities arrested an acquaintance of both women identified as Junior Lee Beebe , Kaps said . Beebe , 34 , is also Henslee 's husband 's cousin , Kaps said . Beebe faces murder charges in connection with both deaths , Kaps said . Amy Henslee was last seen in Hartford Township at 7:30 a.m. Monday , about 10 minutes after her two children , ages 8 and 10 , hopped on a bus for school . At 10 a.m. , her husband telephoned -- as he does every weekday -- but did n't get a response , according to police . After more unanswered calls , James Henslee left work for home to look for his wife . After finding the front door locked , he went in through an unopened back door and could n't locate her .
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Authorities find bodies of Amy Henslee , another woman . Police say that the mother of two left the home with only her coat and shoes . Man arrested in slaying is cousin of Henslee 's husband .
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English Premier League club Liverpool have agreed a $ 36 million deal with Ajax for Uruguay striker Luis Suarez . Liverpool have been haggling with the Dutch outfit over the fee for several days but both announced on their websites that negotiations had proven successful on Friday . The Reds have now been given permission to discuss personal terms with Suarez and will aim to complete the transfer before the European transfer window closes on January 31 . Liverpool reject Chelsea 's bid for Fernando Torres . A statement on the official Ajax website read : `` Ajax and Liverpool have reached an agreement over the transfer of Luis Suarez . `` He will make the move to the English club immediately . The deal is worth up to a total of $ 26.5 million -LRB- $ 36 million -RRB- . '' Suarez has n't played a league game for Ajax since November last year after he was banned for seven matches for biting an opponent . The 24-year-old was infamously sent off during the World Cup quarterfinal against Ghana in July after saving a goal-bound attempt with his hands . His switch would mark the first signing Kenny Dalglish has made since he returned to Liverpool as manager . The Scot previously won eight league titles as a Reds player and manager . Liverpool posted a statement on their website that read : `` Liverpool Football Club announced this afternoon that they had agreed a fee of up to $ 26.5 million -LRB- $ 36 million -RRB- with Ajax for the transfer of Luis Suarez , subject to the completion of a medical . `` The club have now been given permission by Ajax to discuss personal terms with the player and his representatives . '' The deal comes on the same day Liverpool revealed they had turned down a multi-million dollar offer from Chelsea for Spain striker Fernando Torres .
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English Premier League club Liverpool agree a deal with Ajax to sign Luis Suarez . Fee for the 24-year-old Uruguay striker is $ 36 million . Suarez will now discuss personal terms with Liverpool .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- He has been captured by bank surveillance cameras in four states , sneering and holding a pistol sideways during heists . The FBI is searching for this suspect , who they say has robbed at least 10 banks in the South . Now authorities hope to catch the serial bank robber by plastering his image on electronic billboards throughout the South . The FBI is searching for the suspect , who they say has robbed at least 10 banks in Kentucky , North Carolina , South Carolina and Tennessee . The brazen bandit has been captured in surveillance footage sporting the same close-cropped hairstyle and goatee in many of the holdups . He does not seem to make any effort to cover his face and sometimes is seen aiming a handgun sideways , showing his tattoos on both forearms as he gestures at bank employees . `` It is uncommon to come in to a bank and show his face like he does , '' said FBI agent Kevin Keithley . Watch how the FBI hunts bank robbers '' The FBI has tracked the bank robber 's path on a map that crisscrosses the southern United States . The billboards that went up Monday roughly follow the path that the bank robber took , the FBI said . The billboards are in Alabama , Kentucky , Georgia , North Carolina , South Carolina , Tennessee , Virginia and West Virginia , the FBI said in a statement . His odyssey has spanned more than 600 miles north , from Charleston , South Carolina , to Louisville , Kentucky , and about 500 miles east , from Knoxville , Tennessee , to Edenton , North Carolina . The robberies started in May and the most recent one was last week in Tennessee , Keithley said . The suspect is described as white , about 25 years old , 5 feet 9 to 5 feet 11 , 170 to 175 pounds . He has short , reddish-brown hair and an unshaven goatee , the FBI said . The suspect has not yet harmed anybody in the robberies but the FBI considers him extremely dangerous . `` This guy has made no effort to hide the gun , '' Keithley said . `` He has threatened the use of it in every bank robbery he has committed . He has put the gun in the faces of tellers , threatened to use the gun against them . So we want to get this guy in custody before he harms anyone . '' In surveillance video of a robbery in Fletcher , North Carolina , the suspect is seen talking into a handheld radio , said an FBI official involved in the investigation . In a South Carolina robbery , a wireless phone device is seen on his ear . `` That prompted us to look at the prospect of another suspect out there helping him , and we continue to look for that angle but have no leads into that as of now , '' the FBI official said . Authorities are also working with police agencies , corrections departments and others who use facial recognition technology , the official said , and are working with corrections departments on tattoo identifications , recorded by prisons in some states . Since the national billboard program began in 2008 , the billboards have been directly responsible for the apprehension of at least 20 fugitives , said Stephen Emmett , spokesman for the FBI 's Atlanta office . `` We try to reserve the billboards for the more mobile , more egregious , violent offenders , because we understand we 're pulling resources away from a corporate entity , and we try not to take advantage of that , '' he said . `` But they are a very valuable tool to law enforcement in these type of cases where the individual is highly mobile and very dangerous . '' The bank robbery suspect has distinctive tattoos on his forearms , Emmett noted . `` Somebody will recognize these tattoos . Somebody will recognize this individual . The remarkable thing about this serial bank robber is that he did not attempt whatsoever to disguise himself . The photographs from these cases are very good , very detailed . The public will know who this individual is . '' He said his past experience , as well as statistics , show that `` there are addiction issues with the majority of these bank robbers , and that provides a bad additional ingredient to this bank robbery scenario . You have an individual going into a bank with a gun , in a reckless manner , and now he might actually be on drugs and strung out on drugs . So that makes this even more imperative , to get this individual off the street before anybody gets hurt and to get him the help that he needs . '' Robbing banks is not as lucrative as the public might believe , he said , and `` with addiction-type motives by these robbers , they tend to get only enough money to get their next fix . '' It 's possible the suspect 's family members may not know of his activities , Emmett said . `` He 's an individual that we want off of the street in the worst way , '' he said , `` and we feel these billboards are a tool . We feel the photographs from the banks are going to make that happen . '' The FBI asks anybody who knows the bank robber or who has information in the case to call 423-282-8090 . A reward is being offered . CNN 's John Murgatroyd contributed to this report .
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Bank robbery suspect does not seem to make any effort to cover his face . Police say suspect has hit 10 banks in the South . FBI asks anybody who knows the bank robber to call 423-282-8090 .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Federal authorities have identified a suspect in the armed robberies of 10 banks in four states , crediting surveillance photos they posted on electronic billboards throughout the South . The FBI says this surveillance image shows Chad Schaffner , who they say robbed at least 10 banks this year . Chad E. Schaffner , who was released from Indiana 's prison system last year following an armed robbery conviction , was identified as the man on the billboards , making him a suspect in the robberies in Kentucky , North Carolina , South Carolina and Tennessee , the FBI said Thursday . Schaffner may have been in the Morristown , Tennessee , area this week , according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court . A woman believed to have had a brief relationship with him alleges he was in her Morristown-area apartment and threatened to kill her children if she told authorities he was there , an FBI special agent says in the complaint . The FBI posted photos of the robberies , occurring from May to last week , on electronic billboards in eight Southern states , in part because the robber made no apparent attempt to cover his face . Surveillance images showed a man with tattooed arms , close-cropped hair and a goatee pointing a pistol . The FBI posted the images as part of a partnership with owners of electronic billboards . `` This case is an emblematic example of the importance of public/private sector alliances in bringing criminals to justice in today 's information age , '' Richard Lambert , special agent in charge of the FBI 's Knoxville , Tennessee , division , said in a news release Thursday . No one was hurt in the robberies , but Schaffner , who turns 37 on Monday , should be considered armed and dangerous , the FBI said . `` This guy has made no effort to hide the gun , '' FBI agent Kevin Keithley said earlier this week , before Schaffner was named a suspect . `` He has threatened the use of it in every bank robbery he has committed . He has put the gun in the faces of tellers , threatened to use the gun against them . '' Schaffner is white and about 6 feet tall , weighs 200 pounds , and has brown hair , brown eyes and tattoos on his forearms , the FBI said . He may be driving a black 1994 GMC Jimmy pickup truck with Tennessee license plate 360 WLN or a red 1994 Chevrolet S10 pickup with South Carolina license plate EVE 177 , according to the FBI . Anyone with information on his whereabouts should call the FBI or local law enforcement , the FBI said . The last two bank robberies happened in Morristown and Jefferson City , Tennessee , on August 18 . On Tuesday -- a day after the billboards started showing images of the robberies -- a man told the FBI that Schaffner was in the Morristown area at the time of the last two holdups , according to the complaint filed in court . The man said he 'd known Schaffner for about two months , the complaint says . FBI agents also twice interviewed the Morristown-area woman this week , having heard she 'd had a two-week relationship with Schaffner , according to the complaint . During the first interview , she told agents outside her apartment that she did n't know him , the complaint says . The next day , she told authorities that she did know Schaffner , and that he had been in her apartment with her children while she talked with the agents outside , the complaint says . She said he threatened to kill the children if she told the agents about him , according to the complaint . She told authorities that after the agents left , Schaffner left the area in a vehicle , according to the complaint . A warrant was issued Thursday for Schaffner 's arrest . He has been charged in U.S. District Court in Tennessee 's eastern district with two counts of bank robbery and two counts of use of a firearm during a bank robbery . Schaffner was released from an Indiana prison in December , the FBI said . He was convicted of armed robbery in Indianapolis , Indiana , and sentenced in June 2008 . He has several other convictions in Indiana , including for burglary , armed robbery , resisting law enforcement and purchase of a handgun without a license , according to the Indiana Department of Correction .
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Chad Schaffner named suspect in 10 bank robberies in four states . Identification came after surveillance images posted on billboards in the South . FBI : Woman alleges Schaffner threatened to kill her children in Tennessee . Surveillance images from robberies show man with no mask .
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TOKYO , Japan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An American father jailed in Tokyo has been harshly treated , his attorney said Monday , while Japanese authorities said he is getting `` special '' treatment . Christopher Savoie is in jail in Japan after trying to get back his son , Isaac , and daughter , Rebecca . Attorney Jeremy Morley , in a statement released Monday , said Christopher Savoie -- accused of trying to kidnap his children after his ex-wife took them to Japan -- is being held without trial , interrogated without an attorney present and denied needed medical treatment for high blood pressure . Savoie has also been exposed to sleep deprivation , and denied private meetings with attorneys and phone calls to his wife , according to Morley , who said the way his client has been treated amounts to `` torture . '' He acknowledged that some of the claims are based on second-hand information from Savoie 's wife , Amy , saying she has communicated with people familiar with her husband 's case . Police in Yanagawa , a rural town in southern Japan where Savoie is being held , denied the allegations in Morley 's statement , saying Savoie gets regular visits by a physician and medicine as prescribed . A Yanagawa police officer , who declined to give his name citing departmental policy , told CNN that Savoie , like any other detainee , has a `` dim '' light in his cell for safety , and is assured to get 8 hours of sleep a day . Savoie is being questioned -- with an interpreter -- within the boundaries of Japanese law , which allows for suspects to be interviewed without the presence of an attorney , the officer said . The law also permits several rounds of questioning for hours on end , the officer said . The officer said Savoie is allowed `` frequent '' visits with his defense attorney in Japan and is generally given `` special '' treatment due to the nature of his case , the officer said . `` If you call this ` torture , ' what can we say ? '' the officer said . Savoie , 38 , a Tennessee native and naturalized Japanese citizen , allegedly abducted his two children -- 8-year-old Isaac and 6-year-old Rebecca -- as his ex-wife walked them to school on September 28 in Yanagawa . With the children , Savoie headed for the nearest U.S. consulate , in the city of Fukuoka , to try to obtain passports for them . Screaming at guards to let him in the compound , Savoie was steps away from the front gate but still standing on Japanese soil when he was arrested . Savoie and his first wife , Noriko Savoie , were married for 14 years before their bitter divorce in January . The couple , both citizens of the United States and Japan , lived in Japan , but had moved to the United States before the divorce . Noriko Savoie was given custody of the children and agreed to remain in the United States . Christopher Savoie had visitation rights . During the summer , she fled with the children to Japan , according to court documents . A U.S. court then granted Christopher Savoie sole custody . Japanese law , however , recognizes Noriko Savoie as the primary custodian , regardless of the U.S. court order . The law there also follows a tradition of sole-custody divorces . When a couple splits , one parent typically makes a complete and life-long break from the children . Complicating the matter further is the fact that the couple is still considered married in Japan because they never divorced there , police said . And , Japanese authorities say , the children are Japanese and have Japanese passports .
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Official in Japan denies `` torture , '' says dad is receiving `` special '' treatment . Japanese official : Dad gets regular attorney visits , interpreter for interviews . Christopher Savoie accused of trying to kidnap his kids after ex-wife fled to Japan . Savoie held without trial ; denied medical treatment , says attorney .
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HARRISBURG , Pennsylvania -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pennsylvania 's acting secretary of labor and industry has entered a rehabilitation program for at least two weeks after her arrest on a public drunkenness charge last week . Sandi Vito , Pennsylvania 's acting labor secretary , has entered a rehab program , the governor 's spokesman says . Just a few hours before her arrest , Sandi Vito backed out of a scheduled interview with a CNN correspondent about the state 's controversial use of debit cards to pay unemployment benefits . Vito , who was appointed acting secretary of labor and industry in February 2008 , `` has entered a treatment program for two weeks , '' according to Gov. Ed Rendell 's chief spokesman . `` The governor awaits her return before making any final decisions on her future , '' the spokesman , Chuck Ardo , told CNN on Monday . CNN had been invited to a public appearance that Vito was making in Allentown , Pennsylvania , on Wednesday , to ask her about the fees banks impose when people choose to receive their unemployment benefits by debit cards instead of checks . Watch how bank fees can surprise people on unemployment '' Those fees range from forty cents to check a balance by telephone , to $ 1.75 if the debit card is used outside the two free withdrawal periods banks allow . Approximately 925,000 Pennsylvanians were unemployed last month and most used debit cards to receive payments , Pennsylvania officials said . `` Arrangements have been made for you to interview Department of Labor & Industry Acting Secretary Sandi Vito in Allentown tomorrow at approximately 1 p.m. , to discuss our unemployment compensation debit card program , '' David Smith , a spokesman for the department , e-mailed CNN prior to the scheduled meeting . Yet when a CNN correspondent , accompanied by a camera crew , attempted to interview Vito , she said she did not have the time and ducked out the back door of an elementary school where the public appearance was being staged . An official from her department did give CNN an interview . Later that same night , Vito was arrested on a charge of public drunkenness at the Hilton Hotel in Harrisburg , Pennsylvania , according to Harrisburg Police Chief Charles Keller . News of her arrest did not become public until late Friday . `` I deeply regret that my actions earlier this week caused embarrassment to the administration and the commonwealth , '' Vito said in a statement issued to CNN by her office . `` I take full responsibility for those actions . '' `` This incident has had a profound personal effect on me , '' her statement continued . `` Today , I am entering an alcohol treatment program because it is the right thing for me to do . '' According to public records , Vito earns a salary of $ 136,120 annually . Her appointment as permanent secretary of labor and industry was to have been brought before the Pennsylvania legislature in a few weeks .
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Acting Secretary of Labor Sandi Vito charged with public drunkenness last week . Vito entering rehab for two weeks , Pennsylvania governor 's spokesman says . The same day as her arrest , Vito backed out of interview with CNN . Interview was to cover state 's use of debit cards for unemployment benefits .
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-LRB- Health.com -RRB- -- Electroshock therapy today bears little resemblance to its lurid depictions in Hollywood dramas like `` One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest . '' For decades psychiatrists have used shock therapy to treat cases of depression that have n't been helped by antidepressant medications , and in recent years the treatment -- now known as electroconvulsive therapy -LRB- ECT -RRB- -- has experienced something of a revival . Roughly 100,000 people in the U.S. now receive it each year . The future of ECT is in doubt , however . On Thursday , a Food and Drug Administration -LRB- FDA -RRB- advisory panel will meet to consider whether the machines used in ECT should be more tightly regulated than they are now . If the advisory panel votes for more oversight -- and if the FDA follows the panel 's advice , as it usually does -- some experts fear that access to the treatment will be curtailed . Health.com : Hysteria , demons , and more : depression throughout history . ECT machines are currently in a strictly controlled category of medical devices that includes pacemakers and prosthetic joints . As with prescription drugs , devices in this class must be approved by the FDA before they can be used on patients . But because ECT devices were already in use when the FDA put those rules in place about 35 years ago , they were exempted from the approval process . The FDA is now revisiting the status of the devices . The agency can leave ECT devices in their current class and require manufacturers to provide evidence of safety and effectiveness , which may entail new clinical trials and could temporarily limit the devices ' use . Or it can rely on existing evidence and reclassify the devices to a less restrictive category that includes ultrasound machines , motorized wheelchairs , and contact-lens solution . That option would give ECT devices a pass and ensure that they remain available to doctors . The impending FDA action has reawakened the debate surrounding this controversial treatment for depression and other mental disorders . More than 1,500 organizations and individuals have filed formal comments with the FDA . Health.com : 10 things to say -LRB- and not say -RRB- to someone with depression . The American Psychiatric Association -LRB- APA -RRB- and scores of individual psychiatrists have expressed support for permanently easing the restrictions on ECT devices , because they worry that manufacturers of ECT devices may lack the funds , time , or motivation to meet new FDA requirements -LRB- by conducting new research , for instance -RRB- . `` It may be a major disaster , '' says Max Fink , MD , a professor emeritus of psychiatry and neurology at Stony Brook University Medical Center , in New York , who researched and performed ECT for 45 years . `` If they want an extensive review of safety and efficacy , that means somebody has to pay for it . It becomes a very expensive proposition and there is nobody to do it unless the government supports it . The manufacturers are all small companies in the U.S. There 's no General Electric for ECT devices . '' On the other side , patients ' rights organizations and advocacy groups such as the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance -LRB- DBSA -RRB- have urged the FDA not to hastily reclassify ECT devices . Those groups argue that the treatment and the potential side effects -- such as memory loss and brain damage -- are serious enough to merit a thorough review . Health.com : 7 types of therapy that can help depression . And for good measure , the Church of Scientology and related anti-psychiatry groups have joined the fray , calling for an outright ban on ECT and flooding the FDA with comments that call the treatment `` barbaric , '' `` evil , '' and `` criminal . '' The evolution of shock therapy . ECT was first used on a human patient in Italy in 1938 , after preliminary experiments in dogs and pigs . The treatment involves delivering electric currents to the brain in order to induce a seizure , which , in turn , seems to alleviate depression . -LRB- No one knows exactly how ECT works . -RRB- . Early ECT treatments were more primitive than those used today , and in some cases they did cause harm to patients , including memory loss , burns from the electrodes placed on the patient 's skull , and bone fractures resulting from violent muscle contractions during the seizure . These grisly scenes are now a thing of the past , advocates of the treatment say , thanks to improvements in devices and protocols . `` We have not had an injury of any kind from ECT in years , '' Dr. Fink says . An ECT session generally lasts no more than 10 to 20 minutes , and the bulk of that time is spent waiting for the general anesthesia to kick in and wear off . The electrical current is on for a few seconds or less , and the seizure lasts for about 20 to 60 seconds , says D.P. Devanand , MD , director of geriatric psychiatry at Columbia University 's College of Physicians and Surgeons , in New York City . Health.com : What ECT feels like . The procedure is relatively drama-free . General anesthesia tends to shorten the seizures , and doctors now give patients muscle relaxants that reduce spasms and even `` visible movement , '' says Dr. Devanand , who ran Columbia 's ECT Service for 15 years . The placement of the electrodes has also been refined , making ECT much safer , according to William Narrow , MD , the APA 's associate director of research . `` ECT does not cause brain damage , '' Dr. Devanand says . `` Memory loss today is very limited in most cases , and the loss is patchy and primarily for events during and just before and following the ECT course . So the patient may not remember one of the nurses on the ward but will recognize the other nurses . '' The treatment is very effective in the short term , Dr. Narrow says . Roughly 80 % to 95 % of patients experience a full remission from their depression symptoms , he estimates , although some patients need repeat sessions to keep their severe depression from coming back . And unlike antidepressants , which can take weeks to kick in , some patients start experiencing improvement after their first one or two ECT treatments . Health.com : 10 surprising facts about antidepressants . A charged debate . In 2009 , the U.S. Government Accountability Office , which investigates and audits government agencies , urged the FDA to lift the grandfather clause that exempted ECT devices -LRB- and many other types of devices -RRB- from the FDA approval process . Disability and mental health advocates welcomed this development as an opportunity for ECT to receive a long-overdue review of its safety and effectiveness . If the devices are reclassified , on the other hand , `` the rigorous scientific safety investigation of these devices may never take place -- preventing patients from making informed choices about their treatment , '' the DBSA wrote in a 2009 letter to the FDA . But the APA and other supporters of reclassification claim that ECT has been researched enough to address these concerns . `` We have a growing body of evidence to support the fact that ECT is safe and effective , '' Dr. Narrow says . `` We think it would be a waste of money and effort to go through a new application process , because the amount of research that 's already been done in the past 30 years is so great . '' Nancy Koenigsberg , the legal director of Disability Rights New Mexico , one of many independent statewide disability agencies that have lined up against the reclassification of ECT devices , questions the quality of the existing research . `` There are concerns about who 's done -LSB- the -RSB- studies and whether they are , in fact , appropriate scientific studies or whether they 're pushed by the APA or pushed by manufacturers , '' Koenigsberg says . `` We 're calling into question ... whether the studies are , in fact , unbiased studies . '' The FDA 's neurological devices advisory panel is scheduled to discuss ECT devices on January 27 and 28 . An official decision from the FDA will come later . Copyright Health Magazine 2010 .
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Roughly 100,000 people in the U.S. now receive ECT each year . FDA meeting to consider whether machines used in ECT should be more tightly regulated . Critics say treatment and potential side effects are serious enough to merit review .
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Islamabad , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A young , female suicide bomber was behind a blast in Pakistan that killed at least 46 people and injured 105 others at a food distribution point , an official said Sunday . Zakir Hussain Afridi , the top government official in Bajaur Agency , Pakistan , said that the preliminary investigation into the explosion shows that a girl between the ages of 16 and 18 blew herself up . The determination was made from remains of the bomber that were recovered . The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for Saturday 's blast in that Asian nation 's tribal region . Azam Tariq , the central spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban , told CNN in a phone call that it targeted people who had formed what he called a pro-government and anti-Taliban group . The blast took place about 600 meters from a U.N. World Food Programme distribution point at a security checkpoint in Khar , according to Amjad Jamal , a spokesman for the agency . He said that more than 300 people were going through a security screening to get food and other items at the time of the explosion . Khar is the headquarters of Bajaur Agency , one of the seven districts of Pakistan 's tribal region bordering Afghanistan . Jamal said that those who had been internally displaced during military efforts in Bajaur Agency get a month 's supply of food and other goods . Afridi said that the suicide bomber was in a burqa , a traditional full-body covering worn by some Muslim women . He said she was stopped for a security check at a checkpoint , where she detonated herself . The official said it was the first instance of a female suicide bomber in Pakistan that he could recall , though various international news groups have reported at least one previous case of a female suicide bomber in the country . The New York Times reported a woman detonated explosives in Peshawar in 2007 , killing herself . The Pakistani Taliban denied that the bomber was a woman . `` We have thousands of male suicide bombers ready who are keenly waiting for their turns . Then why would we use a woman , which is against the traditions of Islam ? '' the Pakistani Taliban 's Azam Tariq said . Jamal said all staff members of the World Food Programme and its partner organizations are safe , but added that all four of the program 's food distribution points in Bajaur Agency have been temporarily closed for security reasons . Still , the U.N. agency will continue to provide services elsewhere in the country , Jamal said . U.S. President Barack Obama issued a statement condemning Saturday 's `` outrageous terrorist attack , '' which he called `` an affront to the people of Pakistan and to all humanity . '' `` The United States stands with the people of Pakistan in this difficult time , and will strongly support Pakistan 's efforts to ensure greater peace , security and justice for its people , '' Obama said . The blast took place a day after about 150 militants fired at five security checkpoints in Mohmand Agency -- another of the seven districts in Pakistan 's volatile tribal region along the Afghan border -- killing 11 soldiers . Security forces later killed 40 militants who were among the group , authorities said Saturday . The security forces pounded militant hideouts in Mohmand Agency with helicopter gunships , said Maqsood Amin , a senior government official in the area . Twenty-four militants were killed during retaliation Friday while 16 were targeted Saturday . CNN 's Chris Lawrence contributed to this report .
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An official says the suicide bomber was a teenager . President Obama says the `` outrageous attack '' is `` an affront ... to all humanity '' The Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility for the blast , which killed at least 46 people . A U.N. spokesman says more than 300 people were going through security to get food .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Top seed and world number one Rafael Nadal of Spain has been knocked out of the Australian Open by compatriot and `` friend '' David Ferrer . Hampered by a thigh strain from the start of Wednesday 's quarterfinal , the nine-time grand slam champion was visibly suffering as he went down 6-4 6-2 6-3 at Melbourne 's Rod Laver Arena to his Davis Cup teammate . Ferrer 's triumph -- his fourth over Nadal from 15 encounters -- will now see the 28-year-old play in just his second grand slam semifinal , following his appearance in the last four of the U.S. Open in 2007 . The world number seven will face Britain 's Andy Murray for a place in the final of the opening grand slam of 2011 , after the world number five beat unseeded Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov in the earlier match . Top 10 moments of the Australian Open first week . The result also means the end to 24-year-old Nadal 's quest to become the first man since Australia 's Rod Laver in 1969 , to win four consecutive grand slam titles . Nadal was clearly affected by a thigh problem during the match but , despite receiving off-court treatment after just the third game , refused to blame the loss on his injury . The Mallorcan was instead full of praise for his opponent , who broke serve in the opening game on his way to taking the first set , when his spoke to reporters after the match . `` For respect to the winner and to a friend , I prefer to talk about the match , '' Nadal said . `` It is obvious that I did n't feel at my best . I had a problem during the match , at the very beginning . I really could n't do more than what I did . He played at a very high level , and I was n't able to compete against him tonight . '' Nadal showed flashes of his usual brilliance but any chance of a comeback in the second set was suppressed by Ferrer , who after a 10-minute break in proceedings for an Australia Day fireworks display , secured a double break of serve to lead the match by two sets to love . Ferrer then raced to a 3-0 lead in what was to be the third and final set , before wrapping up the ultimately one-sided contest in just over two and a half hours . `` I just congratulate him and wish him all the best for the semifinal . I think he 's doing a fantastic tournament , '' Nadal added . `` If he keeps playing like this , he 's going to have a good chance . '' But Ferrer , who is unbeaten so far this season having won the Australian Open warm-up tournament in Auckland , New Zealand , said he could not be complacent if he wants to beat the in-form Murray . `` I played very consistently all the three sets and I was focused just in my game . I want to enjoy this moment , '' Ferrer told the official ATP Tour website . `` I will try to do my best , but I need to play very consistently , stay very focused all the match , because Andy 's a top player . '' Clijsters faces Zvonareva rematch in Australian Open semifinals . Murray dropped his first set of the tournament so far to world number 46 Dolgopolov , before eventually winning 7-5 6-3 6-7 6-3 . The 22-year-old Dolgopolov has been a revelation in Australia , defeating 2008 runner-up Jo Wilfred Tsonga and two-time French Open finalist Robin Soderling on the way to his first grand slam quarterfinal . `` I thought I dealt with his game well . It was just difficult to get into a rhythm . I did quite a lot of running , '' Murray said . `` He won a lot of free points off his first serve . It was a tough match . I thought I dealt with it pretty well . '' Murray is aiming to reach his second consecutive final in Melbourne after losing to Roger Federer in 2010 , and the third grand slam final of his career after also facing the Swiss in the 2008 U.S. Open final . But the 23-year-old , who is also trying to become the first Briton to win a major title since Fred Perry in 1936 , conceded that his quarterfinal opponent could prove a threat to him in future competitions . `` With his game style , he 's going to give a lot of guys problems . He might be a little bit inconsistent from time to time but when his game 's on , I 'm sure he 'll get deep into grand slams and the big tournaments just because of how tricky his game is , '' the Scot added . In the other semifinal defending champion Roger Federer will play third seed Novak Djokovic , after both made it through their quarterfinal ties on Thursday . World number two Federer is aiming to claim his 17th grand slam title , while the 23-year-old Serb is gunning for his second after winning in Australia in 2008 .
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Rafael Nadal loses in straight sets to David Ferrer in Australian Open quarters . Ends world No. 1 's hopes of winning his fourth consecutive grand slam title . Ferrer to play Andy Murray in semis after Scot beats Alexandr Dolgopolov . Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to contest other semi after wins on Tuesday .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As Natalie Portman and Darren Aronofsky 's controversial ballet-horror film `` Black Swan '' rolls out internationally , CNN 's arts and culture show icon steps into the world of pointe shoes and tutus . Monita Rajpal travels to St Petersburg , where iconic figures such as Nureyev , Ballanchine and Baryshnikov honed their art . The city is home to the famous Kirov Theatre and its lesser known rival the Mikhailovsky . And its here that a Russian Revolution is taking place as the renowned Spanish choreographer becomes the first non-Russian for more than a century to take command of a major Russian ballet company . He says he plans to brush the cobwebs off the old masters and drag Russian ballet into the 21st century . London is the home of the Royal Ballet and the famous ballet shoe manufacturer `` Freed of London '' which supplies 250,000 pairs of pointe shoes each year to ballet companies across the world . icon explores the relationship between shoe maker and ballerina in the company of one of the Royal 's principal dancers . George Ballanchine left St Petersburg to join Diaghalev 's famous Ballets Russes in France , but ended up in the U.S. where he formed the New York City Ballet and created scores of new works which have themselves become classics . Ballanchine himself appointed the brilliant Danish dancer and choreographer Peter Martins , who became the company 's Chief Ballet Master . Martins guides us through the development of one of the world 's most iconic ballet companies . Watch the show at the times -LRB- GMT -RRB- below : . Thursday 27 January : 1230 , 1830 . Saturday 29 January : 0730 , 1600 , 2330 , 0430 . Sunday 30 January : 0830,1930 .
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The first non-Russian for more than a century to take command of a major Russian company . Icon explores the relationship between shoemaker and ballerina . Icon is guided through the New York City Ballet by the company 's Chief Ballet Master .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A program on Iran 's government-backed Press TV recently took a woman convicted of adultery and murder back to her home in Osku `` to produce a visual account '' of the death of her husband `` at the crime scene . '' Press TV posted a story on its website early Friday morning explaining that the program `` Iran Today , '' which will air Friday night , would include interviews with -- among others -- Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani , who was sentenced to be stoned to death . Press TV 's release of still photographs of Ashtiani and her son from the interview , which took place on Sunday , fueled some speculation that they had been released , but there was no evidence or confirmation to support that conjecture . In a clip from the program that aired late Thursday , Ashtiani confesses to plotting to kill her husband . Her family , however , has denied she was involved in her husband 's death . Ashtiani was convicted of adultery in 2006 and sentenced to death by stoning . She became the subject of enormous international outcry over the summer when her sentence became public knowledge . Officials ranging from Pope Benedict XVI to the European Union 's top foreign policy official , Catherine Ashton , urged Iran not to carry out the sentence . Two German journalists who interviewed Ashtiani were arrested in October and charged with espionage . He son and lawyer also were arrested , but it was not clear on what charges . CNN 's Azadeh Ansari and Mitra Mobasherat contributed to this report .
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NEW : Press TV took Ashtiani to her home for a re-enactment of her husband 's death . NEW : Ashtiani confesses she `` made a plot to kill my husband '' in the interview . NEW : The release of photographs fueled conjecture she had been released .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Defending champion Roger Federer secured his place in the Australian Open semifinals on Tuesday after a straight-sets dismissal of Stanislas Wawrinka . Federer , 29 , moved into the final four at Melbourne Park for an eighth consecutive year thanks to a 6-1 6-3 6-3 triumph over his Swiss compatriot . Sixteen-time grand slam winner Federer took control of the match early after he broke 19th seed Wawrinka in his first service game , before the second seed wrapped up victory in one hour and 47 minutes . `` I think it was a good match for me really , '' Federer told the ATP Tour 's website . `` I started off well . Was able to serve and return really well . What are your top ten Australian Open moments ? `` I expected him to even serve bigger today because the ball travels faster through the air . For some reason I was able to return him well . '' The sights of magic Melbourne . The clash at the Rod Laver Arena -- which saw the gold medal winning doubles team from the 2008 Beijing Olympics go head-to-head -- was the first time two Swiss men had met in the quarterfinals of a major tournament . Wawrinka , the Chennai Open champion , admitted that Federer , who recently won the Qatar Open , was the better man on the day . `` For sure I 'm disappointed to lose , '' Wawrinka said . `` But I think he was just playing too good . For sure , you look at the match from outside you do n't see how good he was playing . `` But he was always giving me some answer , and he was just being really too good for me . '' Federer 's opponent in his semifinal will be third seed Novak Djokovic , who fired past Czech Tomas Berdych 6-1 7-6 -LRB- 7-5 -RRB- 6-1 . Serbia 's Djokovic , a champion in Melbourne in 2008 , had the upper hand in the opening exchanges as he wrapped up the first set in 38 minutes . Sixth seed Berdych rallied in the second set and took it to a tie-break , only to see his forehand shot clip the net and bounce out of bounds with the score level at 5-5 . Djokovic , 23 , won the tie-break and consequently the match to set up a rematch of the 2010 U.S. Open semifinal against Federer in the last four . `` I was trying to change the pace and put him out of his comfort zone , '' Djokovic , who beat Federer in the Flushing Meadows semifinal , told Australian broadcaster Seven Sport . `` I needed to put variety into the game . Second set I was lucky to win the tie-break . I had problems with the -LRB- contact -RRB- lens -LRB- during the second set -RRB- , it sometimes gets dry but it all got solved . ''
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Roger Federer is into the Australian Open semifinals after he beat Stanislas Wawrinka . The second seed is into his eighth consecutive semifinal at Melbourne Park . Novak Djokovic defeated sixth seed Tomas Berdych in straight-sets . The Serb will now face Federer in a rematch of the 2010 U.S. Open semifinal clash .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- World No. 3 Kim Clijsters remains on course to win a second consecutive grand slam singles title after overcoming a challenge from Agnieszka Radwanska to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open . The U.S. Open champion battled past 12th seed Radwanska of Poland 6-3 7-6 -LRB- 7-4 -RRB- in Wednesday 's quarterfinal to reach the last four in Melbourne for the sixth time in her career . The Belgian third seed will face world No. 2 Vera Zvonareva on Thursday for a place in the final -- a repeat of September 's title clash at Flushing Meadows . Zvonareva , runner-up at the last two grand slams after also losing to Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final , took just over an hour to dispatch of Czech 25th seed Petra Kvitova 6-2 6-4 . Top 10 moments of the Australian Open first week . The Russian second seed was full of praise for her 20-year-old Czech opponent , who knocked out home favorite and world number five Sam Stosur on her way to her second grand slam quarterfinal , matching her feat at Wimbledon in 2010 . `` At 6-2 3-0 I was trying to keep playing the same way I was playing , but she really lifted her game , '' the 26-year-old Zvonareva told reporters . `` She 's a very good player . She took that opportunity , that little chance I gave her , and used it to get back into the match . I 'm happy with the way I handled the situation during those moments , though . '' Clijsters , meanwhile , faced arguably her toughest test so far in world No. 14 Radwanska , who was playing in her first tournament for three months following a foot injury . But despite losing a 4-1 lead in the first set and going down a break of serve early in the second , the more experienced Clijsters closed out the match to make the semifinals in Australia for the first time since her brief period of retirement from the game in 2008 . `` I felt a little bit tired and heavy out there today , but I fought well and stayed really focused , and tried not to lose too much energy on getting frustrated , '' the mother-of-one told the official WTA Tour website . The 27-year-old admitted that she would have to improve in order to add the Australian Open title to the three grand slam singles crowns she has already won in New York in 2005 , 2009 and 2010 . `` Everything has to be better . The serving , the returning , the unforced errors -- everything . But I 'm in the semifinals and I do n't feel I 've played my best tennis , so that 's a good thing , '' she said . `` I 'm hanging in there . Sometimes it 's more of an achievement than winning your matches very easily . '' In Thursday 's other semifinal , world number one Caroline Wozniacki will play Chinese ninth seed Li Na after the pair both won their quarterfinal matches on Tuesday . Denmark 's Wozniacki is attempting to claim her first major title , while Na -- who also reached the last four in Melbourne last year -- hopes to become the first woman from her country to reach a grand slam final .
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World No. 2 Vera Zvonareva and third seed Kim Clijsters reach Australian Open semis . Belgium 's Clijsters beats Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in straight sets . Zvonareva of Russia also has a straight-sets quarterfinal victory over Czech Petra Kvitova . Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and China 's Li Na to contest other women 's semifinal .
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- They helped introduce the world to mop top haircuts , collarless jackets and yellow submarines -- now a British university is launching what it says is the world 's first ever masters degree in the Beatles . The masters degree will examine The Beatles ' contribution to modern society . Liverpool Hope University , in the Fab Four 's home city , says its Beatles , Popular Music and Society course will be a long-overdue examination of the band behind songs such as `` Help ! '' `` Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds , '' and `` Octopus 's Garden . '' `` There have been over 8,000 books about The Beatles but there has never been serious academic study and that is what we are going to address , '' says Miles Brocken , Hope 's senior lecturer in popular music . `` Forty years on from their break-up , now is the right time and Liverpool is the right place to study The Beatles , '' he adds . He said the course , expected to offer places to 30 students when it starts in September 2009 , had already received enquiries from overseas , including the United States . Brocken defended the course 's practical use , telling the Guardian newspaper that academic study of John , Paul , George and Ringo would put its students firmly on the long and winding road to a successful career . What do you think ? `` I think any MA equips people with extra study and research skills . MAs of any description are vital for the workplace , '' he said . `` You will find that once you have done a master 's degree it separates you from the pack . ''
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British university says its masters degree in the Beatles is a world first . Course supervisor says academic study of the Fab Four is long overdue . Lecturer Miles Brocken says Beatles MA will boost career prospects .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The president of Botswana has invited the internationally recognized president of Ivory Coast , Alassane Ouattara , for an official state visit , the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Botswana announced Wednesday . President Seretse Khama Ian Khama has discussed the visit with Ouattara , the ministry said in a statement , and the two leaders `` agreed that the visit should take place at a mutually convenient time . '' But it 's not clear when that time may come , since Ouattara is virtually blocked inside the Golf Hotel in Abidjan , Ivory Coast , by troops sent by Laurent Gbagbo , who claimed the presidency after the November 28 runoff . While an independent electoral commission declared Ouattara the winner , the country 's Constitutional Council invalidated the results in some provinces and proclaimed that Gbagbo , the incumbent president , had won . Gbagbo is refusing to step down . `` Botswana continues to support all efforts aimed at ensuring that Ouattara assumes the presidency in Cote d'Ivore , '' the ministry statement said , using the French name for the country . Immediately after the election in Ivory Coast , Botswana joined the African Union , the United Nations , the European Union and the United States in endorsing Ouattara as the winner of the disputed presidential elections . At the time , Khama 's government called upon all political entities , including the Constitutional Council of Ivory Coast , to respect the decision of the Independent Electoral Commission in declaring Ouattara the rightful winner of the elections . `` The government of Botswana is deeply concerned about African leaders who reject elections results that are not in their favour . `` Such actions not only deny people the right to have leaders of their choice , but also thwart efforts to maintain peace and security on the African continent , '' the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation says . Botswana took similar actions two years ago after controversial parliamentary and presidential elections in neighboring Zimbabwe , declaring that Robert Mugabe was not democratically elected and saying it would not recognize him as that country 's leader . Botswana officials also vowed not to attend any AU or Southern African Development Community -LRB- SADC -RRB- meetings if Mugabe was invited . However , the government of Botswana softened its stance after Mugabe and his rival , Morgan Tsvangirai , formed a national unity government to ease Zimbabwe 's economic and political predicament . Botswana also did not recognise the leadership of Andry Rajoelina , after he was sworn in early last year as the transitional president of Madagascar . The government of Botswana issued a statement saying the former disc jockey and mayor of Madagascar 's capital should hand over power to the constitutionally elected leader Marc Ravalomanana . Rajoelina and his military-led supporters forced Ravalomanana to step down , and although Rajoelina entered into a power-sharing agreement , it has yet to be implemented .
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Botswana recognizes Ouattara as the rightful winner of Ivory Coast 's election . The government is concerned the situation threatens peace and security in Africa . The leaders of Botswana also opposed the outcome of Zimbabwe 's elections two years ago .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As a comedic sidekick , Brian Fantana in `` Anchorman '' was golden -- the clueless ladies ' man who sex-panthered his way into fans ' hearts . Paul Rudd stars as Danny Donahue in `` Role Models , '' which he helped write . Some might say the same about the man who played Fantana , Paul Rudd , although this talented actor did n't need a secret cologne for his trip to stardom . From `` Anchorman '' to `` The 40-Year-Old Virgin '' to `` Knocked Up , '' Rudd has consistently played a hilarious second string . But he 's no longer just comedic backup in Hollywood . In his new movie `` Role Models , '' which opens November 7 , Rudd and Seann William Scott star as a pair of energy drink representatives who end up with a choice : jail time or 150 community service hours in a local mentoring program . As it turns out , the jail time might have been less painful . CNN talked to Rudd about the movie -- which he helped write -- how he chooses his roles and what he was like as a child . The following is an edited version of that interview . CNN : What attracts you to the roles you choose ? Paul Rudd : Well , you know , 99 percent of the time I just say I want to do it if I 'd want to see it . A lot depends on the people that are involved and if I feel there 's something I can connect with a character in some way . I kind of decided a long time ago that I was going to try to make a career work on my own terms as much as possible . I mean , you know you do n't always have the options you 'd like , but I just decided however long or bumpy the route was , I would do it doing things that I liked and was genuinely interested in and wanted to do . Watch Rudd talk about `` Role Models '' '' CNN : Have there been any characters in particular that have been your favorite or you 've felt you really connected with ? Rudd : There have been many that I 've really liked . Brian Fantana in `` Anchorman '' was a blast , just really , really fun . `` Role Models '' is the one that 's coming out that was really , really enriching and fun and personal in many ways , because it 's the first movie I co-wrote . I 've been really lucky to have enjoyed the experiences as much as I have , working on movies , because it 's not always the case . You never know how they 're going to turn out , but if they actually mean something to me -- if I think there 's something in it that 's genuinely interesting to me -- they 've , so far , turned out pretty well . CNN : Can you tell me about the process of writing `` Role Models '' ? Rudd : It had been around for a while in different forms , this film . I thought that the premise was really , really funny , and the script was funny , but there were certain things that were being changed . In talking with the producer , she wanted to know what was working and what was n't working ... and I was hired to be one of the writers . So I rewrote it , and then David Wain , who is the director , he came on board , and then he and I worked on it together with another guy named Ken Marino , who is also a friend of mine . It was really fun to work with friends , and it turned into a hybrid of a movie that 's unique and funny and absurd . It 's a commercial film , but for people who are familiar with David Wain 's style -- which is a very specific kind of left-of-center approach and not so , I think , commercially appealing -- it 's a kind of a weird marriage that works well . -LSB- Wain , a member of the comedy troupe the State , directed and co-wrote `` Wet Hot American Summer . '' -RSB- . It is a commercial film , but there are some jokes in it that you just do n't see in commercial movies . It 's got elements of a family film , but it 's way darker than a family film . It 's a hard R , bizarre family adventure . I do n't know how exactly to describe it . CNN : I have to ask , what was it like working with `` McLovin '' -LRB- Christopher Mintz-Plasse from `` Superbad '' -RRB- , who plays your mentor child in the movie ? Rudd : It was pretty great . That kid is seriously smart and funny . It blows my mind how much his life changed in the course of a couple years . We did n't necessarily write that part for Chris . I imagined that role to be younger , but he 's so good and kind of so perfect for it . And he liked it and was into the idea of doing it , so that 's how that happened . CNN : Is he as geeky in real life ? Rudd : No , the thing is , this is why he 's so good ; this is what impressed me about him . He knows what he 's doing . Michael Cera is like this , too . I 'm shocked at the kind of self-awareness of these kids , and they 're 18 and really talented . -LSB- They -RSB- know how to deliver a joke and do n't ham it up . CNN : This movie is all about role models , and as an actor , you are a role model to many people . What do you think the most important qualities of a role model are ? Rudd : To be an actual role model ? Oh , God , I would hesitate to say we should be anybody 's role models . Your role models are your parents . But , I always think a good rule of thumb is to treat people the way you 'd like to be treated ; let the rest take care of itself . You know , try to be nice to people , I suppose , and to treat people with respect and be polite . But I have n't figured out nearly enough stuff to be an effective role model . CNN : Do you have any personal role models ? Rudd : You know who 's a good role model ? Paul Newman . I just think he 's an example of somebody who came into this world , and left this world , as a contributor in ways that are so huge . Even though the world has a lot of problems in it , it is better off by a mile for Paul Newman having lived in it . He gave more than he got . He got a lot , but he gave way , way more . CNN : Do you do any volunteering yourself ? Rudd : I try , and I do , but I want to start doing more . It sounds so lame to say `` I want to start , '' but I 'm in the process to start setting up a foundation . And I do work with certain charitable organizations and I 'm on the board of a couple . It 's a daunting task for sure , but there are some things you just kind of have to make the time for . CNN : What were you like as a child ? Rudd : I had a pretty happy childhood . I loved goofing around in any way , shape or form . I loved speech classes and making videos and comedy stuff . I loved football . I was into being a kid . I did n't necessarily want to grow up . I remember that a lot of kids my age wanted to get older , and I think I knew as a kid that it was going to get harder .
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Actor Paul Rudd talks about his newest part in `` Role Models '' Rudd plays Danny Donahue in the comedic movie directed by David Wain . `` It 's a hard R , bizarre family adventure , '' Rudd says of the film . Rudd says he 's lucky to have enjoyed most of the roles he 's played .
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LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A boy playing with matches started a Southern California wildfire that scorched more than 38,000 acres , the Los Angeles County Sheriff 's Department said Tuesday . A firefighter talks on a radio while battling the Buckweed blaze on October 22 . The Buckweed Fire , which destroyed 21 homes on its rampage , began October 21 in the Agua Dulce community . `` Our arson explosive detectives , in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Fire Department investigators , immediately began their investigation , and during the course of the investigation , it led to a juvenile suspect , '' Los Angeles County Sheriff 's Deputy Tony Moore told CNN 's `` American Morning '' Wednesday . `` After talking with that juvenile , he admitted to playing with matches , and accidentally starting the fire in that area , '' he said . Watch what 's next for young suspect '' The boy , whose name and age were not given , is home with his parents , police said . The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County district attorney for possible charges . According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection , the Buckweed Fire burned 38,526 acres . Sixty-three structures , 21 of them homes , were destroyed , and three civilians and two firefighters were injured . The sheriff 's department said the fire forced the evacuation of about 15,000 people . As of Tuesday , 18 of 23 wildfires in Southern California were completely under control , and the remainder were at least 70 percent contained , according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection . The fires are blamed for 14 deaths and charred more than 508,000 acres , destroying about 1,600 homes . Five people were arrested in arson probes last week , and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Saturday vowed to `` hunt down '' people responsible for setting wildfires . Authorities said Saturday they were following 1,700 tips about a white Ford F-150 pickup seen near the origin of the sprawling Santiago Fire in Orange County . Witnesses reported seeing the 1998-2004 model truck with chrome tubular running boards on Santiago Canyon Road on October 21 at about the time the Santiago Fire started . Authorities said last week they had found evidence at the scene , although they declined to describe it . `` If I were one of the people who started the fires , I would not sleep soundly right now , because we 're right behind you , '' Schwarzenegger said , urging the culprits to turn themselves in . E-mail to a friend .
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`` He admitted playing with matches and starting the fire , '' says police report . Boy , whose name and age were not given , is home with his parents . Buckweed Fire burned 38,000 acres , destroyed 63 structures , 21 of them homes .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Floyd Mayweather Jr has exclusively told CNN that his WWE and dancing talents will be put away for the time being as he prepares for his comeback fight against Juan Manuel Marquez . Floyd Mayweather Jr will fight Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday . The Michigan-born fighter took part in reality television show Dancing With The Stars and also made several appearances on WWE but returns to the boxing ring for the first time since December 2007 with a non-title welterweight bout against Mexican Marquez . Mayweather , who has won world titles at five different weights and is recognized as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters ever , was in typically bullish mood ahead of the bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas . `` I loved doing Dancing With The Stars and also doing WWE but boxing is my love , something that I love do and something I enjoy doing , '' Mayweather told CNN . `` I want to come back and display my skills for all my fans . I missed being in the sport of boxing - the sport is still in me and on Saturday night I am going to be the best I can be . `` I was in the gym every day and so I thought why not get back in there and get serious again and get back into boxing . '' Mayweather is confident that if he is able to box to his strengths then he will overcome Marquez who boasts a record of 50 victories , four defeats , one draw with 37 knockouts . `` Marquez is a solid opponent who is tough and he is going to be at his best and the main thing is just to be me , be focused , be smart , be sharp and go out there and execute the game plan which is to relax and be Floyd Mayweather , '' he said . `` He is going to bring his best , if he plays to the crowd then he can caught in the exchange but I know he is going to come to the fight . `` He is not one of those types of fighters that are going to come and lay down . I am going to go out there and be at my best and bring my best and give the fans all over the world their moneys worth . `` He is a guy that I can not overlook . Just like me he came from small weight classes and won titles at every weight class and has dominated . He had a few of knockdowns in a row but he is a solid opponent and one of the best guys in the sport so I have to be Floyd Mayweather and do what I have to do . '' Mayweather also played down talk of an inevitable showdown with Manny Pacquiao and insisted he concentrating on the task in hand . He added : `` My main focus is Marquez and I 'm not thinking of another fighter . We take one step at a time . Negotiating opponents is for my advisors and team Mayweather . Me ? I just beat the opponents they put in front of me . ''
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Floyd Mayweather talks to CNN ahead of his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez . Mayweather will put his dancing and WWE interests aside for the fight . The contest will be Mayweather 's first fight since his defeat of Ricky Hatton . Mayweather is recognized as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters ever .
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Arnold Palmer , one of the greatest players in the history of golf , has exclusively told CNN that the Olympic Games could help to revive the recession-hit sport . Golfing legend Palmer believes an Olympic golf tournament would be a welcome boost for the sport . With golf being hit hard by the recent downturn in the global economy , Palmer believes the sport needs all the help it can get if it is to come out the other side of the recession . Palmer said : `` The downturn in the economy has affected many golf clubs and I hope we 've reached the bottom on that . `` It is probably being felt most severely in America . I 'd like to see that stop and for players to return to the golf course . It 's tough right now but I 'm sure things will improve . `` Golf has changed so much from when I thurned professional . My main goal was always to increase the awareness of golf and that has happened . `` In places like India , China , Japan and South and Central America , people are becoming avid golf fans because the climate is perfect for the game . `` Golf is now an international competition and it is bringing people in from all around the world . `` But if golf gets accepted by the Olympic Committee it would be a wonderful thing for the continuing growth of the game . Bringing people together on the course is one of the most important things we can do . '' It has been over a century since golf was an official Olympic sport , with George Lyon of Canada claiming the last gold medal in 1904 . Europe 's 2010 Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie made a presentation to the International Olympic Committee 's executive board in Lausanne on June 15 as golf tries to earn a spot in the 2016 Games . The IOC will vote on the existing 26 sports on the program -- and the inclusion of two more -- at its session in Copenhagen in October . Golf is vying with karate , squash , rugby sevens , roller sports , baseball and softball for the two spots on offer .
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Legend Arnold Palmer believes that golf would benefit from being in Olympics . Palmer thinks recession-hit sport would get a boost from an Olympic inclusion . The sport of golf has been hit hard by the recession and downturn in economy .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Saudi Arabia 's King Abdullah will fly to the United States on Monday for treatment of a herniated spinal disc and a blood clot that is causing him back pain , the country 's health minister said Sunday . `` The medical team recommended that that he leaves to the U.S. to visit a spine-specialized medical center in order to complete medical examinations and for follow-up treatment , '' Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabeeah said during an interview with Saudi state television . `` But I assure everyone that he is in a stable condition , and that he is enjoying health and well-being , and God willing , he will be back safe and sound to lead this proud nation . '' Doctors performed tests on the 86-year-old monarch Friday after he complained of back pain and had more tests on Sunday , the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported . His doctors have advised him to rest , but he took calls from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in which the regional leaders wished him a speedy recovery , the news agency reported . Crown Prince Sultan is expected to return to Riyadh while the king is overseas , the Saudi Press Agency said . But there are also questions looming about the crown prince 's health : He has lived in Morocco for much of the past year and a half after surgery for an undisclosed ailment in February 2009 . The top three figures in the kingdom -- Abdullah , Sultan and Prince Nayef , the country 's interior minister and second deputy prime minister -- are all sons of King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud , who founded modern Saudi Arabia in 1932 . But the health of senior members of the royal family is `` one of those things that is rarely discussed in the media in Saudi Arabia , '' said Christopher Boucek , a Saudi Arabia analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington , . `` They 're a little bit more open about this stuff , but this is n't something that 's widely speculated about in the Saudi press , '' he said . Abdullah has ruled the oil-rich kingdom since 2005 . But he ran most of the kingdom 's affairs for a decade before that on behalf of his ailing half-brother , King Fahd . Since coming to power , he has sought to establish new rules and procedures for many Saudi institutions , giving him a reputation as a reformer in the highly conservative nation . Among his changes has been the creation of a new body to formalize rules of succession and to determine whether a monarch is healthy enough to remain in power , Boucek said . Should Abdullah die or step aside and Sultan takes the throne , that new body -- known as the Bayat Council -- would choose the next crown prince , he said . Nayef is currently seen as a successor to the crown prince , but that position is `` not exactly set in stone , '' Boucek said . Abdullah has recently passed authority over the Hajj , the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca , which is in Saudi Arabia , to Nayef . But he also has turned over command of the Saudi Arabian National Guard , the royal family 's own security force , to his son , Prince Mitab bin Abdullah , Boucek said . CNN 's Matt Smith contributed to this report .
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NEW : Saudi King Abdullah is healthy and in stable condition , minister says . Abdullah is scheduled to leave for the United States on Monday . The 86-year-old king underwent tests Friday after complaining of back pain .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- World number one Rafael Nadal battled back from a set down to finally topple American Andy Roddick in an epic clash at the ATP World Tour finals . The Spaniard looked out of sorts in the opening set but slowly returned to form as the game progressed to secure a 3-6 7-6 6-4 victory in two hours 30 minutes . After a near five week break from the game due to injury , Nadal was rusty during the opening set and lost his opening service game as Roddick opened up a 3-0 lead . Nadal struggled to recover from his slovenly start and Roddick held his serve to close out the first set 6-3 in just 49 minutes . The second set saw Nadal broken again early on but the Spaniard finally made inroads into Roddick 's booming serve to square the set at 2-2 . After that both players held firm on serve before Nadal took the tie break and his first set at the O2 Arena in London . The deciding set went with serve until the sixth game when a passing winner handed Nadal a precious break . Roddick ensured Nadal would have to serve for the match and he duly obliged to seal a marathon battle . Afterwards Nadal told Sky Sports : `` I started the match nervous , without rhythm . Andy is a very aggressive player and it was very difficult . He can rally from the baseline and from the net , it 's very difficult to pass him . `` The atmosphere here is fantastic , I 'm very happy to win . For me its a very important victory . '' Novak Djokovic made an impressive start to his assault on the ATP World Tour Finals title with a straight sets victory over Tomas Berdych . The world number three , who won the season-ending tournament in Shanghai in 2008 , made light work of his Czech opponent , winning 6-3 6-3 in just one hour 28 minutes . The tone was set in the very first game , when Berdych served two double faults and Djokovic sealed an important break . In front of watching soccer legend Diego Maradona -- former player and coach of Argentina -- the Serb pressed home his advantage to wrap up the opening set in 43 minutes . Djokovic then broke in the third game of the second set to kill off his opponent , who made 19 unforced errors in the match . `` I could n't ask for a better start of the tournament , '' Djokovic said . `` I was trying to focus on my game and do the things that I planned to do tactically with my coach . I think I did well . `` You have to be really on the top of the game in order to win , because these players who are taking part in this tournament are the best players in the world . There is no easy match -LSB- or -RSB- easy opponent . ''
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World number one Rafael Nadal beats American Andy Roddick at the ATP World Tour Finals . Nadal clinches epic match 3-6 7-6 6-4 to win for the first time at London 's O2 Arena . Novak Djokovic beats Tomas Berdych in his opening match . World number three from Serbia wins 6-3 6-3 in just 88 minutes in London .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Jenson Button 's opening two wins of the Formula One season will stand after motorsport chiefs ruled on Wednesday that the aerodynamic diffuser fitted to the rear of his Brawn GP car is legal . Jenson Button 's victories in the opening two races of the F1 season were on the line . The FIA Court of Appeal said that the rear diffusers used by the Brawn , Williams and Toyota teams `` comply with the applicable regulations . '' The FIA panel sat for eight hours in Paris on Tuesday to hear evidence and their decision backs up the stewards at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix that the controversial aerodynamic devices were within the rules . Four rival teams , led by Ferrari , had lodged an official appeal against that decision and if had been successful the results in Australia and Malaysia would have been altered to their advantage . Brawn GP chief Ross Brawn had mounted a robust defense of his position . `` We did n't consider this to be a radical new design . It was an innovative approach of an existing idea , and Formula One is all about innovative design . It 's a cornerstone and objective of the sport , '' he told Press Association . In a statement released after the decision , Brawn added : . `` The FIA technical department , the stewards at the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix and now five judges at the International Court of Appeal have confirmed our belief that our cars have always strictly complied with the 2009 technical regulations . `` The decision of the International Court of Appeal brings this matter to a conclusion and we look forward to continuing on the track the challenge of what has been a very exciting start to the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship . '' The third round of the F1 season takes place in Shanghai this weekend with other teams now having to play catch-up on the all-conquering Brawn . After a 1-2 in Australia with Button and Rubens Barrichello they lead the constuctors ' championship ahead of Toyota . In the title race , Button has 15 points , five more than Barrichello . Toyota pair Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock are next . The Brawn GP team was rescued from the brink of bankruptcy by Brawn and Nick Fry after Honda withdrew from Formula One at the end of 2008 due to the economic downturn . Button 's victory in Melbourne capped a remarkable reversal of fortunes for the team , but the legal wrangling threatened to dampen their celebrations before Wednesday 's conclusive ruling . Ferrari reacted coolly to the decision with team principal Stefano Domenicali sayng they would have to re-design their car . `` Unfortunately this decision forces us to intervene on fundamental areas of the car 's design in order to be able to compete on an equal footing with some of the teams , '' he told the Press Association . `` We will now double our efforts to get the team back to the highest level of competitiveness . ''
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FIA Appeal decision goes in favor of Brawn GP , Toyota and Williams teams . Jenson Button has clear lead in F1 championship heading into Chinese GP . Rival teams led by Ferrari claimed their rear diffusers gave an unfair advantage .
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Marjah , Afghanistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Foreign and Afghan forces encountered stiff resistance Saturday as their offensive in southern Afghanistan entered its second week , and a civilian was mistakenly shot dead . `` It is moving slowly but surely . The Marines are making some headway , '' said CNN correspondent Atia Abawi , who is embedded with U.S. Marines in and around Marjah in southern Afghanistan . `` The Taliban are putting up quite a resistance . '' She said the militants , who usually operate in squads of 10 to 14 fighters , do n't have the weaponry and technology that the U.S. troops have , but they are able to put up a tough fight from fortified compounds and even civilian homes . `` The firefights have been going on all week long , '' Abawi said . Operation Moshtarak , aimed at ousting the Taliban from their stronghold in Helmand province , is being conducted in and around the Marjah area by predominantly American and Afghan troops . British troops and their Afghan partners have been concentrating in the Nad Ali district . Troops are working to oust the Taliban and establish Afghan control . Abawi said Marines have been creating a forward operating base `` to prove to the people of Marjah as well as to the Taliban and insurgency in the area that they 're here to stay '' and hope to bring `` normalcy '' to the area . NATO 's International Security Assistance Force said on Friday the battle against the Taliban remains `` difficult '' in the northeast and west of Marjah , and insurgent activity is not limited to those areas . British forces say Taliban resistance has increased in recent days , and that has slowed progress , despite strides . On Friday , British officials said more than two-thirds of the Moshtarak clearance phase is completed . But British Maj. Gen. Gordon Messenger said with that effort , `` resistance in that area has increased . We did expect the enemy to up the level of resistance , and that has happened . `` ISAF and Afghan forces are being directly targeted more now than they were before , but the enemy is still uncoordinated . '' Messenger said providing extra security to key roads between Nad Ali and Lashkar Gah , Helmand 's capital , are high priorities . `` Freedom of movement is vital so that locals can go about their business without fear of IEDs on the road and so we can bring key supplies into the area , and so the Afghan governors can get out to do their business , '' Messenger said . Watch why some call the operation a publicity stunt . Foreign and Afghan forces have taken pains to avoid civilian casualties in the operation . Civilian deaths and injuries during the Afghan war during airstrikes , raids and so-called `` escalation of force '' confrontations at checkpoints have undermined NATO efforts to get Afghans on their side . But despite such efforts , such casualties have occurred in Moshtarak , with the latest coming on Friday , when coalition troops shot dead a man they mistook for a militant . ISAF said the incident occurred in Nad Ali on Friday when an ISAF patrol thought he might have been carrying a bomb in a box . `` The patrol warned the individual by waving their hands , providing verbal warnings , and firing small pen flares into the air . The man dropped the box , turned and ran away from the patrol , and then for an unknown reason turned and ran toward the patrol , at which time they shot and killed him , '' ISAF said in a news release . Later , troops discovered that there was no bomb material . Troops will meet with local leaders to discuss how to avoid such incidents , and a condolence payment will be offered to the victim 's family . `` This is truly a regrettable incident , and we offer our condolences to the family , '' said Navy Capt. Jane Campbell , ISAF Joint Command spokeswoman . Afghan President Hamid Karzai addressed the issue in parliament on Saturday , acknowledging efforts to improve but stressing that more has to be done . `` Regarding the civilian causalities in airstrikes and operations , the NATO and coalition forces have tried to conduct their operations carefully and responsibly to avoid civilian casualties , '' he said . `` As a result civilian casualties have decreased . Our goal is to completely avoid the civilian casualties . ''
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Squads of 10-14 militants engage U.S. and Afghan forces in firefights . U.S. Marines set up forward base to send signal to local civilians . NATO troops kill unarmed civilian mistaken for militant . Troops trying to avoid civilian casualties , Afghan president tells parliament .
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