Datasets:

girrajjangid

/

mini-platypus

like 0

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- A 19-year-old prostitute working in an apartment that doubles as a brothel said she has up to eight clients a day. A woman awaits customers at a Beijing barber shop in 2008. Sex workers also ply their trade in barber shops. Working in the southern boom city of Shenzhen, a special economic zone just north of Hong Kong, she told CNN she worries about getting AIDS, but has her own prevention measures. "I always use condoms or take an injection. The medicine can prevent sexually transmitted diseases," she said. "Some girls do not use prevention measures, but we don't talk about that in public." This young woman, who would not give her name, is part of a group that Chinese and international health authorities are concerned could potentially spread HIV and AIDS in the world's most populated country, so officials have stepped up efforts to educate them about the virus and dispel misconceptions about so-called "injections" that can prevent infection. "I think sex work is probably one of the most important factors for the potential of HIV spreading in Asia and also in China. There is no doubt about it," said Bernhard Schwartlander, UNAIDS China Country Coordinator. "One of the things that we have seen in China is that knowledge about HIV/AIDS is very low in the general population and certainly also in the sex work industry. That is a big, big problem," Schwartlander said. It is estimated that some 700,000 people are living with HIV in China and there are about 50,000 new infections every year, according to the Chinese government and UNAIDS. The U.N. agency believes a significant number of those new infections include sex workers. Prostitution is officially illegal in China, but very loosely addressed by the government. It is estimated that there are between two and four million sex workers in China. As the country's economy has boomed, so has the sex industry, especially in prosperous cities like Shenzhen. Many clients flock there from Hong Kong which is just an hour away, some of them businessmen with money to spend. Condom use in China can range anywhere from about 20 percent to 80 percent, according to UNAIDS. "There are misconceptions. People think that they can avoid HIV infections by taking a pill. People think that they are not at risk for HIV infections because they don't know anybody (who has it), because you can't see it, you can't touch it. And clearly, this is something that we have to change very rapidly," Schwartlander said. Historically, HIV and AIDS have been taboo topics in China, another reason awareness can be so low. Prevention in the gay community has also been difficult because of traditional stigmas against homosexuality. But the Chinese government is now conducting educational campaigns to inform higher risk groups, including sex workers, about how to prevent the transmission of HIV. "After years of these campaigns, we found out through survey that condom use is constantly increasing, especially in urban areas, the condom use can reach 70 percent or even up to 80 percent," said Hao Yang, Deputy Bureau Chief of the Chinese Health Ministry's Disease Prevention and Control Bureau. But other areas are proving difficult. In rural parts of the country, the proportion of condom use among sex workers is less than 50 percent, Hao said. "When we go to investigate in rural areas, the proportion of people with this knowledge (of AIDS prevention) is still very low," he said. "In addition to that, the proportion of change in their activities is also very low, which means that the condom use rate is still low." About one in 200 sex workers nationwide currently has HIV, Schwartlander said. But in one part of Yunnan province in the country's far southwest, seven percent of the sex workers -- or as many as 14 in every 200 -- have HIV, according to UNAIDS. "The sex workers living in remote areas and rural areas have played an important role in AIDS spreading. We do not have a precise figure for the proportion that sex workers make up in it (the spread of AIDS), but we can say that they are making up a significant proportion," Hao said. The government has a long-term plan to educate the general public and to strengthen intervention in the high-risk populations, particularly sex workers, Hao said. When HIV initially began to spread in China, infections were concentrated among people who injected drugs, Schwartlander said. Campaigns among this group have been effective, while infections among other groups have risen. One of those groups, Hao said, was men having sex with men, which accounts for 5.9 percent of infections, according to the Chinese Health Ministry. A majority of the infections are concentrated among drug users, men having sex with men, and sex workers and their clients, Schwartlander said. "Society and communities have been able to curb the spread of HIV, also in sex work, and that is what we have to do," Schwartlander said. As China's economy grows, it is likely the sex industry will as well. Current estimates show that some 30 to 50 million people are at significant risk for HIV infection, Schwartlander said. "China is a society which is in quite a significant transition. There is a huge increase in disparity of income between the rich and the poor, and all these are very well-known factors that drive the sex industry forward," Schwartlander said. "Clearly, in China, I think that the sex industry is a rising industry. We will see an increase in the number of sex workers due to these factors in the future." A 22-year-old prostitute in Shenzhen, who did not want to give her name, said she knows the risk but needs the work. "AIDS is the number one killer for my job. I cannot let this disease destroy my life. This is only a short-term business. I don't have any relatives in Shenzhen and can't borrow any money. I can only rely on myself."

Some people in China believe injections or a pill can prevent infection . Some 700,000 people have HIV in China; about 50,000 new infections yearly . About one in 200 sex workers nationwide currently has HIV . As China's economy has boomed, so has the sex industry .

Washington (CNN) -- Texas GOP upstart Ted Cruz claimed victory Tuesday with a familiar tea party rallying cry. "Millions of Texans and Americans are rising up to reclaim our country, to defend liberty and to restore the Constitution," he told supporters. Cruz claims victory in Texas runoff . A 41-year-old, first-time candidate, Cruz walloped the well-funded Republican establishment candidate, Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, in Tuesday's GOP Senate primary runoff. He did so by vowing to stand by his tea party principles. "Politicians cut deals; principled conservatives deliver," is the way a Cruz television ad summed up his message. Democratic Senate leaders reacted to Cruz's primary win with a warning: If he wins the general election in November, gridlock in the Senate will be even worse than it is now. "Anyone elected to the Senate who starts off by saying 'I won't compromise' isn't going to help us," Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin told CNN. The tea party movement is a good foil for Democrats, but the reality is Cruz's vote probably wouldn't make that much difference, because he's replacing Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison, and she votes with the GOP 90 percent of the time. Still, Democrats do have a point that Cruz, like any senator, would have a lot of power to grind business to a halt. "You know what the Senate is like," said Durbin. "One senator stands up and says no, we stop the train, until we figure out how to bring that senator around." And Cruz wouldn't be the only possible new senator willing to do that. In Indiana, Richard Mourdock beat veteran Republican incumbent Sen. Richard Lugar, vowing confrontation over compromise. Lugar's loss further polarizes Senate . "What I've said is, and what I continue to believe, certainly, is one side or the other must prevail. And I'm hoping this candidacy will help move the Republican Party forward to become a permanent majority," Mourdock said the day before his GOP primary win in May. The Senate was already bound to be a more polarized place next year because so many moderates chose to leave. Nearly half a dozen from both parties are retiring this year, including Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine; Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Connecticut; Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Nebraska; Sen. Kent Conrad, D-North Dakota and Sen. Jim Webb, D-Virginia. Snowe retirement a blow to Senate's 'sensible center' Still, it's an open question whether tea party rhetoric on the campaign trail translates into action in office. Ron Bonjean was a Senate Republican leadership aide for years, and he said history shows leaders can never be sure what rank and file firebrands like Cruz will do. "Ted Cruz is going to be a new voice, and he's going to be a variable that we don't know what to expect (from) yet," said Bonjean. "He can hold everything up if he wants to or he can go against the Senate Republican leadership." Two years ago, a handful of successful tea party-backed Senate candidates promised to hold their own leadership's feet to the fire to slash spending, shrink the government and protect civil liberties. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah; Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin; Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky; and others beat party favorites by vowing to shake up the Republican establishment once in Washington. But once they became senators, uncompromising demands were rare. Last year, Paul sounded off against his GOP leadership and held up Senate passage of a bill extending parts of the Patriot Act. But, by and large, the so-called tea party threat of halting business to make a point didn't often bear itself out. "If you look at conservatives across the board, in the past year or so, there hasn't been a whole sea change that we thought would happen," said Bonjean. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina, is a sort of tea party kingmaker. Much to the chagrin of his party leadership, in 2010 he helped defeat GOP candidates across the country that Republican leaders supported. That streak continues this year with Cruz. DeMint told CNN the political action committee he started and still advises gave Cruz $2 million in addition to critical help with the conservative grassroots. DeMint argues the more tea party movement-backed senators, the less gridlock. "(When) Ted Cruz comes in ... I think he can help empower some of the Democrats to make those hard decisions," DeMint told CNN. The South Carolina lawmaker believes the more staunch conservatives in the Senate, the more Democrats will be forced to compromise and come the GOP's way. "I think there are enough Democrats, if we have a strong mandate election, who will work with people like Ted Cruz and (Sen.) Marco Rubio and (Sen.) Pat Toomey and these senators here, in a sensible way to change the course of our country," said DeMint. "The good news is this: because the rest of the world is in such bad shape, if we make a few hard decisions about fixing our tax code, fixing our entitlements so that we're on a sustainable course, America could be the best place to do business overnight." One thing is clear: if the GOP succeeds in winning back control of the Senate, expectations will be a lot higher and pressure on the Republican leadership will be a lot more intense not to give in on the "stick-to-our principles" sensibilities driving voters towards tea party-backed candidates like Cruz. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is the man in charge of electing enough Republicans to the Senate to take the majority. In a Capitol hallway conversation, even he nodded and smiled in agreement with the notion that it's a lot easier to coordinate and control the caucus when you're in the majority. It's a problem he and Sen. Mitch McConnell, the current Senate minority leader, relish having.

Tea party favorite Ted Cruz won the Texas GOP Senate primary runoff Tuesday . Democratic Senate leaders: More tea party senators could cause more gridlock . On top of new fiscally conservative senators, several moderates are retiring . DeMint: More fiscal conservatives would force Democrats' hand .

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- America's top commander in Afghanistan warns that more troops are needed there within the next year or the nearly 8-year-old war "will likely result in failure," according to a copy of a 66-page document obtained by The Washington Post. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, right, arrives at a U.S. base in Logar Province, Afghanistan, last month. "Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term (next 12 months) -- while Afghan security capacity matures -- risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible," U.S. and NATO commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal said in the document, according to the Post. Bob Woodward of the Post -- who wrote the article -- called it "a striking thing for a general to say to the secretary of defense and the commander-in-chief." McChrystal "really takes his finger and puts it in their eye, 'Deliver or this won't work,'" Woodward told CNN's "American Morning" on Monday. "He says if they don't endorse this full counterinsurgency strategy, don't even give me the troops because it won't work." The document was "leaked" to the newspaper, but parts were omitted after consultations between the newspaper and the Department of Defense, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said. "While we would have much preferred none of this be made public at this time, we appreciate the paper's willingness to edit out those passages, which would likely have endangered personnel and operations in Afghanistan," Morrell said in a statement. President Obama is considering the assessment of troop levels completed by McChrystal over the summer, however, a review of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan won't be driven "by the politics of the moment," Obama said on Sunday. "Every time I sign an order, you know, I'm answerable to the parents of those young men and women who I'm sending over there, and I want to make sure that it's for the right reason," Obama told CNN's "State of the Union." The president put off questions about whether additional troops would be needed, saying, "I don't want to put the resource question before the strategy question." But he said Afghans need to show that they are "willing to make the commitment to build their capacity to secure their own country." The United States now has about 62,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, with NATO and other allies contributing about 35,000 more. The Pentagon is planning to add 6,000 troops by year's end, and some members of Congress say McChrystal soon will call for thousands more. The fighting has ramped up sharply in the past year as U.S. troops and a NATO-dominated coalition battle a resurgence of the Taliban, the al Qaeda-allied Islamic militia that ruled most of Afghanistan before the attacks. Washington poured an additional 21,000 troops into Afghanistan to provide security for its recent presidential election, which has been marred by allegations of fraud. In August, 48 U.S. troops were killed in the fighting, surpassing the previous high of 45 in July. And the war has spread into Pakistan, where Taliban fighters are now battling government troops in that nuclear-armed country. Obama said he has ordered "a soup-to-nuts re-evaluation" of the U.S. strategy, refocusing "on what our original goal was, which was to get al Qaeda, the people who killed 3,000 Americans" in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Watch Obama's views on the Afghan war » . "To the extent that our strategy in Afghanistan is serving that goal, then we're on the right track," he said. "If it starts drifting away from that goal, then we may have a problem." But support for the Afghan war hit an all-time low in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released last week. That survey found 39 percent still favor the war, compared with 58 percent who oppose it -- making it almost as unpopular as the Iraq war has become in recent years. And calls for more troops could be a tough sell in Congress. Sen. Carl Levin, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has argued that the allies should bolster Afghan forces before sending in more troops of their own. Watch what Levin has to say about Afghanistan » . "If we can get the Afghan army much larger, much better equipped, and if we can also get a plan, finally, for co-opting or reintegrating those lower-level Taliban people the way we did in Iraq -- if we can get that in motion -- that hopefully will have an effect on how many additional troops we need to go to Afghanistan," Levin told CNN on Sunday. Leading Republicans have called for McChrystal and Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in the Middle East and Central Asia, to testify publicly about their recommendations. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, told CNN that it was time for lawmakers to hear what McChrystal has to say. "We would like to see Gen. McChrystal and Gen. Petraeus come up to Congress, like they did during the Iraq surge and give us the information about what they're recommending," McConnell said. "We think the time for decision is now." But he added that if more troops were needed, "I think the president will enjoy a lot of support among Senate Republicans." Sen. Lindsey Graham, another Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said a decision on additional troops needs to be made soon. "I've been told Gen. McChrystal's ready to hit the send button in terms of how many more troops he needs, and the longer we wait the harder it is," said Graham, of South Carolina. Levin said hearings would be held "when we have a recommendation that is made to the president, and when the president makes his decision."

NEW: General puts heat on president, secretary of defense . U.S. commander in Afghanistan says more troops needed or war could be lost . U.S. has 62,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan; other allies contribute 35,000 more . Support for Afghan war hit all-time low in opinion poll released last week .

Editor's note: On CNN's "State of the Union," host and chief national correspondent John King goes outside the Beltway to report on the issues affecting communities across the country. Storefront after storefront are closed and buildings are boarded up and falling into disrepair in Selma. SELMA, Alabama (CNN) -- To cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge into Selma is to share a stage with history. And these days, it is to come face-to-face with a bleak present. Storefront after storefront is closed, and many of the buildings in the famous photos from the days of the historic March 1965 events have fallen into disrepair. "It is very depressing," Selma Mayor George P. Evans tells us during an evening walk down Broad Street in downtown. "People are not buying. People are not spending. Businesses are going out of business." This is the heart of Alabama's "Black Belt," and Selma is a reminder that a recession that has punished so many across America has hit hardest in places that were already struggling. "A double whammy," Evans says. "It does seem to be those cities with the largest population of minorities that has taken the biggest hit." Watch Mayor Evans talk about Selma's economic struggles » . Statewide, unemployment in Alabama has doubled in the past year from 4.5 percent to 9 percent. But here in Dallas County, it is 18.2 percent. In neighboring Wilcox County, is it more than 22 percent. That is staggering: One in five people you pass are unemployed. "I have been looking and most of the time you go to a place, they are saying: 'No jobs. No applications','' is how Beatrice Jackson explained a job search going on six months. "You have to go looking and you have to apply for jobs, but there ain't nothing really in Selma. So, you know, you just take one day at a time." Watch John King talk to Selma residents about the loss of jobs » . Jackson was one of more than 300 workers at a cigar factory owned by a company called Altadis USA. Harsh news spread there in November. On the factory floor, the word was that just shy of 40 workers would lose their jobs, based on seniority. Instead, the owner announced the entire plant was being shut down. "It was really shocking to us. It was shocking to everybody because we weren't expecting that," Jackson said. She had been back at the cigar factory for nine years, after another plant where she worked was shut down. She made about $400 a week -- with health insurance -- at the cigar factory. Her unemployment benefits run about $250. She has lived in Selma all her life and says it has never been this bad. "That is why most of the young people -- they are leaving," Jackson said. "They are leaving because there ain't no jobs here, and there ain't nothing for them to do, so they leave." Jimmie Coleman III sees the domino effect every day as he walks the aisles at his job. He is the director of the Calhoun Foods supermarket, a minority-owned chain whose meat section caters to the tastes of Selma's predominantly African-American population. The average shopping cart in the checkout line is down to $19 or $20, and customers Coleman says he would see several times a week not too long ago come in just once a week now. More economical family packs are the big sellers, and the traffic in other aisles is slowing dramatically. Calhoun Foods is losing sales of laundry detergent, canned goods, frozen foods, breakfast cereal and other household staples to the Wal-Mart on the outskirts of town. Last year, the meat department represented 35 percent of sales; this year, it is 50 percent. 'This is basically a meat store," Coleman says during a late morning walk through the Selma store. "We put all of our investment in our meat department." Looking to lure in more customers, the store this week had a giant promotion -- a truckload meat sale with prices slashed 40 percent or more. The slumping economy means revenues are down, but in an effort to avoid layoffs, Calhoun stores three weeks ago decided to trim back work hours. The work week for all hourly workers (managers are salaried) has been trimmed back to no more than 32 hours a week. There has been some grumbling from workers who in the past counted on overtime earnings or from workers who are now their household's only wage-earner because a spouse has lost a job. But Coleman says "we try to save everybody," and the alternative to cutting back hours is slashing jobs. What is striking amid all the bleak statistics and sad stories is a persistent strand of optimism. "I have never seen it this bad,'' Coleman says. "But I think it is going to get better." Adds Evans: "If you come back in two or three years, you will see a different city in our downtown area. I believe that." The mayor's vision of economic revival includes loft apartments in many of the vacant downtown storefronts and warehouses. He has an ambitious plan for a new riverfront development that includes restaurants, shops, parkland and a spacious amphitheater. It is a vision he pitches to every visitor, but it is a vision dependent on financial commitments that, so far, are slow to materialize. Selma would appear, in the short term, a perfect target for the Obama stimulus plan. Selma has a wish list of $40 million in projects, from street repairs and other infrastructure to help with the new riverfront development. But not a dime has reached here yet. "We have not gotten a response on it at this point," Evans says. "It is very frustrating. The entitlement cities with greater populations have gotten a lot of theirs, but the smaller cities like Selma have not gotten theirs yet. ... I believe we will get something. It is just -- it is just a long process."

Alabama's unemployment rate has doubled to 9 percent, Selma area's is twice that . Selma was struggling before recession hit -- a "double whammy," mayor says . Frustrated job-seeker: "There ain't nothing really in Selma" Selma was site of "Bloody Sunday," when police attacked civil rights marchers .

(CNN)The world's most famous commuter thought he was meeting friends for lunch Friday to close out a wild week in the spotlight. But James Robertson, whose 21-mile round-trip work commute garnered worldwide attention and more than $300,000 in donations, got more than just lunch. The 56-year-old is now the owner of a brand new 2015 Ford Taurus. Blake Pollack, who befriended Robertson 1½ years ago and has helped drive him to media interviews all week, helped pull off the surprise, suggesting they stop by a car dealership after lunch to pick up some brochures and start researching cars. Robertson and Pollack were joined by Evan Leedy, the college student who set up a GoFundMe page on Robertson's behalf. They walked into Suburban Ford in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and instead of brochures, saw a shiny red car topped with a big bow. "There must've been 200 people there to welcome him," Pollack said. "I though he was going to fall over." When asked if he liked his new car, which has already been insured, Pollack said Robertson was quite clear. "I don't like it," he said. "I love it." Before receiving his new wheels, Robertson had trudged the better part of a marathon each workday, taking buses part of the way -- rain, snow or shine. But he never thought it was any big deal. "I never thought anything I did would garner this much attention," Robertson said. After reading about Robertson's commute in a Detroit Free Press article that went viral, Leedy was moved. Like Robertson, the 19-year-old lives and works in two counties, so he spends a great deal of time commuting himself. But Leedy has a car. Leedy decided to set up an online fundraiser to buy Robertson a car. "My first car cost $3,000," Leedy said, "So I set the goal at $5,000. Within an hour, we'd raised $2,000." Leedy's fundraiser quickly blew past its original goal and had raised nearly $313,000 Friday evening. Leedy said he plans to stop taking donations on Sunday. Robertson, in a video message posted on the Free Press website, gave thanks. "Everybody calls me the inspiration, but to those who have been great enough to donate and everything ... it was really so welcome that I don't know what to tell you," he said. "You guys are the heroes." Comments on the page from people donating money suggested the story of Robertson's dedication to getting to work had tapped into a deep well of public feeling. "Thank you for inspiring me and hopefully tons of other people to persevere in the face of adversity," said a contributor by the name of Kevin LeMelle. "You are a true American hero." "We could use more men like James Robertson in this world," wrote a donor named Betty Blanchard. Pollack said he identifies with the strangers' words of support. Calling Friday's car presentation "absolutely amazing," Pollack remembered spotting Robertson during his own work commute 1½ years ago. "Climbing over snow banks, when it was pouring down rain in the summer," Pollack said, "Whatever the weather, he was there." Pollack approached Robertson, who told the financial executive his story. Pollack promised to give him a ride the next time he saw him. "Two to three months later, I saw him on a corner," Pollack remembered, "and I asked if he needed a ride to work." Pollack estimated he's given Robertson between 40 and 50 rides since then, and the two men from vastly different worlds have formed an unlikely friendship. The pleasure, Pollack said, has been all his. "I'm the lucky one," Pollack said. "Driving him around isn't a chore, it's a reward." Pollack said Robertson is inspirational and funny, adding that his work ethic puts anyone to shame. "I set our attendance standard by this man," Todd Wilson, plant manager at the engineering factory where Robertson works, told the Free Press. "I say, if this man can get here, walking all those miles through snow and rain, well I'll tell you, I have people in Pontiac 10 minutes away and they say they can't get here -- bull!" Robertson apparently has a perfect attendance record. He earns $10.55 an hour, not enough to save up to buy, insure and operate a car in the city, according to the newspaper. When the online donations rolled in, Robertson, Pollack and Leedy met together for the first time this week. "Now that [the effort] is so big, there's so much more to think about," Leedy said. There are people who want to take advantage of Robertson's newfound celebrity and his generosity, Pollack said. He put together a team that includes an attorney from a large law firm in Michigan, a CPA and a certified financial planner that he says will ensure the donation money is handled appropriately and in a way that best serves Robertson. "This money that is being given to him -- he earned every penny of it," Leedy said, just by his work ethic and his attitude. He's been making the arduous 21-mile commute between Detroit and Rochester Hills since his 1988 Honda Accord gave up on him, but not anymore. Before receiving the car Friday, Robertson said the addition of a car to his life would mean a lot more sleep. But he loves where he works, so he has no plans to change much else. "I can't imagine not working," Robertson said. "It's what I've always done." Robertson, in his message, said he never expected as much support as he has received. He encouraged people to look out for one another. "If this story will touch at least one person and inspire them to do something out of the goodness of their heart, I will be the happiest person alive," he said.

James Robertson walks 21 miles round-trip to work . His story sparks online donations surpassing $300,000 . Local dealership gives him a new Ford Taurus .

(CNN) -- For Christians, the wild celebrations of Mardi Gras come before the solemnity of Lent, a last chance to celebrate before the abstinence marking the 40 days to Good Friday and Easter. Muslims do it the other way around. First comes the month of daytime fasting during Ramadan, then the eruption of joy called Eid al-Fitr, marked with gift-giving, new clothes, donations to the poor, feasting and festivities. But as the sighting of a crescent moon officially marked the beginning of Eid on Tuesday, feelings are decidedly mixed for many Muslims. There's joy tempered with concern on Tahrir Square in Egypt, which saw a successful revolution topple President Hosni Mubarak this year. And there's optimism in Libya, where 42 years of rule by Moammar Gadhafi seem to be coming to an end. But emotions are much more muted in Syria, where the government is clamping down to prevent the Arab Spring from spreading, and there is a sense of gloom in Pakistan, wracked by violence and natural disasters. Egypt . Egyptians are putting a revolutionary twist on the traditional Eid greeting "Eid Mubarak," meaning "a blessed Eid," said engineering student Abdulrahman Khedr. "People are saying to each other 'Eid Mubarak without Mubarak,'" he said. Salma Hegab, an Egyptian student at the American University in Cairo, marked Eid in Tahrir Square, the symbolic center of the February revolution. "It was awesome seeing the Egyptian revolutionaries again with the same determination and enthusiasm," she said. But she noticed with some concern that the long-suppressed Islamist group, the Muslim Brotherhood -- which has emerged as a major force -- was absent from the square. She was struck by a puppet show Brotherhood supporters performed for children in one neighborhood. It was "full of political implications," she said. Traditionally, Eid prayers are a communal affair -- held in open fields to accommodate crowds too big to contain in mosques. But in the small village of Menofia, outside Cairo, the imam expressed concern the Muslim Brotherhood held its prayers separately, said Raghda Elkattan. The imam "mentioned that Islam should not be represented by the various views that started to take a political role in society," said the medical student at Cairo University. "My father talked with the imam who said that he meant to give this kind of speech because he didn't like how the Islamic groups are so many and different." Libya . Tripoli residents rang in the end of Ramadan with celebratory gunfire. It was "two times the celebration and two times the joy," said medical student Khiria El-Feghi. "I remember celebrating Eid for the last couple of years in Libya," she said. "People seemed to be happy that it was Eid, but I never saw this happiness deep in their eyes; I felt like there was a sadness deep down." But this year was different, she said. While Libyans mourned those who died battling the regime of Moammar Gadhafi, a sense of hope permeated throughout. "When a nation wants something so badly, they will make sure that they get it; even if means lots of death," she said. "Never underestimate the ability of a nation." Syria . Celebrations were in short supply in Syria where pro-reform demonstrators took to the streets after Eid prayers and were met by brute force, opposition activists said. Security forces violently broke up rallies in Daraa, Damascus and Homs, activists said. "There will be no happiness while the martyrs' blood is still warm," said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an activist group. In Daraa, a focal point in the nationwide wave of anti-government rage, Abu Abdu's three young children asked him, "Where are our new Eid clothes and sweets?" "Just pray to God," he replied. "All we're going to do is visit the cemetery -- that's our Eid," he said. Pakistan . Many residents of Pakistan said they are finding little to cheer about this holiday. In Karachi, where ongoing rivalries between three political parties vying for power have left dozens dead, Faisal Kapadia said Eid this year is a "hollow one." "Never have I felt the apathy and sadness I feel now at the death of so many of my brothers and sisters in this last month," said Kapadia, a writer and entrepreneur in Pakistan's largest city. Elsewhere in the country, rain-triggered flash floods have ruined crops and destroyed lives. "I know for a fact that this city and nation are amongst the most resilient on earth," Kapadia said. "But even we cannot just keep getting up from blow after blow of this magnitude." Zubaida Khan, a teacher in the capital, Islamabad, was envious of the protests sweeping throughout the Middle East. "We hate the rulers that have hijacked our country," she said. "We would love to have regime change in Pakistan, just like in Libya and Egypt." But she wasn't optimistic: "I don't think this Eid will bring about any positive change for Pakistan's future." However, the Arab Spring revolts have left many Muslims with a distinct optimism about the future. That's a marked change from the decades when Arabs living under autocratic rulers would bitterly quote a verse by Iraqi-born poet Abu Tayeb Al-Mutanabbi asking if Eid will "be the same and even more sorrow, or will you be the sign of a new day?" For years, many Arabs assumed the answer was more sorrow. But this year, many are saying Arabs should be proud of what they have accomplished since the last Eid -- and they hold out hope for even more happiness by the next one. CNN's Saad Abedine, Reza Sayah and Yousuf Basil contributed to this report.

Tuesday marks the first Eid al-Fitr since the Arab Spring . Egyptians put a revolutionary twist on the traditional Eid greeting, marking the toppling of Hosni Mubarak . Many in Libya celebrate the festival as never before and hope the rest of the Arab world will follow suit . Syrians and Pakistanis are much more pessimistic in the face of violence and disasters .

(CNN) -- Former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez is behind bars, accused of murdering three people. Long before he made national headlines, he was a standout athlete in Bristol, Connecticut, who came from a family described as a local sports dynasty. Hernandez left high school halfway through his senior year in January 2007 to join the University of Florida Gators. He entered the NFL draft after his junior year and was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round. By the end of the second season, he inked a five-year contract extension worth $40 million. But less than a year later, he was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Odin Lloyd. Two hours after his arrest on June 26, 2013, the Patriots dropped him from the team. Hernandez has also been charged in the slayings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, and some of his closest associates are facing serious charges in connection with the alleged crimes. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty and is expected to go on trial next year. Here is a primer on some of the names you might be hearing about ahead of his trials: . Inside the case against Aaron Hernandez . Odin Lloyd . Odin Lloyd was a 27-year-old semi-pro football player. He was found dead on June 17, 2013, less than a mile from Hernandez's home in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. He had been shot seven times. Lloyd met Hernandez while dating Shaneah Jenkins, the sister of Hernandez's fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins. Hernandez is charged with orchestrating Lloyd's execution. Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado . Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado were killed outside a Boston nightclub on July 16, 2012. Prosecutors say de Abreu accidentally bumped into Hernandez, spilling a drink. Later that night, Hernandez was driving an SUV and allegedly pulled up alongside de Abreu and Furtado's car near the nightclub and fired a .38-caliber revolver at them. Alexander Bradley . Alexander Bradley is a former friend of Hernandez who was allegedly with Hernandez on the night de Abreu and Furtado were killed. He is not facing any charges in that case, but he is jailed on unrelated charges. He is suing Hernandez for allegedly shooting him in the face in February 2013. Bradley claims Hernandez accused him of "disrespecting him" over a cell phone left in a Miami strip club. Carlos Ortiz . Carlos Ortiz, nicknamed Charlie Boy, is also charged with murder in the death Odin Lloyd and has pleaded not guilty. A law enforcement source said he cooperated with police and described the night of Lloyd's death. Ernest Wallace . Ernest Wallace, nicknamed Hobo, is also charged with murder in the death of Odin Lloyd. He has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors call him the "muscle man" for Hernandez. They say he was in the car with Hernandez, Lloyd and Carlos Ortiz an hour before the car is seen on video heading to the industrial park where Lloyd was killed. Shayanna Jenkins . Shayanna Jenkins is Hernandez's fiancee and the mother of his daughter. She is charged with perjury, allegedly lying to a grand jury about guns in their home. She has pleaded not guilty. Her sister, Shaneah, was dating Odin Lloyd at the time of his death. Shaneah Jenkins . Shaneah Jenkins is the girlfriend of Odin Lloyd. Her sister is Hernandez's fiancée. In court, the two sisters sit on opposite sides, Shayanna with the defense and Shaneah with the prosecution. Tanya Cummings-Singleton . Tanya Cummings-Singleton is a cousin of Hernandez. In her garage, police found the SUV allegedly driven by Hernandez and linked to the 2012 Boston double homicide. She was twice charged with contempt of court for refusing to testify before two grand juries despite immunity offers. She has pleaded guilty to obstruction in the Lloyd case. She is also suffering from cancer. Thaddeus Singleton . Thaddeus Singleton, husband of Tanya Cummings-Singleton, was killed in a car accident after Lloyd's slaying. Police say his speeding car went airborne and crashed. A source says police planned to interview him about his relationship with Hernandez. Shaquilla Thibou . Shaquilla Thibou is the sister of Odin Lloyd. Prosecutors say she saw her brother get into a car with Hernandez, Wallace and Ortiz before he was killed. Prosecutors say she received a text from her brother that night telling her he was with "Nfl," adding, "just so u know." Terri Hernandez . Terri Hernandez is Aaron Hernandez's mother. She is a school secretary. Dennis Hernandez . Dennis Hernandez was Aaron Hernandez's father. He had a close relationship with his sons and was deeply involved in their sports training. He died unexpectedly after hernia surgery when Hernandez was 16. DJ Hernandez . DJ Hernandez is Aaron Hernandez's older brother. He was a star high school athlete. He also was a standout athlete at the University of Connecticut and now is an assistant coach at the University of Iowa. Andrew Booker . Andrew Booker shared a jail unit with Aaron Hernandez. The two allegedly got into a jail fight, and Hernandez was indicted in Booker's assault. The prosecution . District Attorney Samuel Sutter is leading the prosecution against Hernandez, along with William McCauley and Patrick Bomberg. "Probably my career ... will be defined more by this case than all of the other things we've done," Sutter told CNN. The defense . Attorneys James Sultan, Michael Fee and Charles Rankin are handling Hernandez's defense. Rankin says "not one shred of evidence has been presented yet." He said he is confident Hernandez will be exonerated.

Aaron Hernandez expected to go on trial in 2015 . He has pleaded not guilty to three first-degree murder charges . Some of his closest associates are also facing charges .

(CNN) -- What is it like to be thrown behind bars when you're 16 and told you'll languish there for the rest of your life, all for a crime you adamantly maintain you didn't commit? Louis Taylor knows. He was convicted of arson in a fire that killed 29 people. But forensic experts now say they can no longer determine whether someone set the hotel fire on that cool winter day in 1970. And on Tuesday, in a Tucson, Arizona, courtroom, he pleaded no contest to the charges in a new hearing and was sentenced to time served -- almost 43 years. Taylor, now 59 with a shaved head, stood quietly during Tuesday's proceedings. But the son of one of the victims of the disastrous blaze at the Pioneer Hotel left him with a warning. "I harbor no feelings of ill will or vengeance against you, for my father is now gone and nothing can ever be done to change that fact," Paul D'hedouville II said. "Do as you choose, Mr. Taylor, but choose wisely and do not waste your new beginning at life. The eyes of this courtroom and those beyond these walls, in mind and spirit, will be watching you." Taylor spoke briefly to reporters after he traded his orange prison garb for a T-shirt and slacks and walked out of prison, saying, "It feels good to feel Mother Earth beneath my feet -- free Mother Earth." "It's a tale of two tragedies -- the Pioneer Hotel fire, and me getting convicted for it," he said. A vintage landmark burns . The Pioneer Hotel, built in 1929, was renowned for its gracious ballroom. At 11 floors, it was a protruding gem in downtown Tucson's skyline at the time. On December 20, 1970, the vintage hotel was filled with guests, and hundreds more were reveling in holiday cheer at a corporate Christmas party. Just after midnight, a blaze broke out. The landmark building's firefighting measures were badly out of date, and the Pioneer quickly transformed into an inferno. A morbid spectacle of human tragedy unfolded. Twenty-eight people died from smoke inhalation, burns, or, in some cases, when they jumped out of windows to escape. The fire wiped out whole families. Jake Crellin was the first journalist on the scene. "I still have flashbacks from time to time from some of the stuff I saw, flashbacks of people jumping out of windows to their death," said the former news director of CNN affiliate KVOA. He avoided looking at the scene with the naked eye, gazing instead through the viewfinder of a camera. "It helped make it a little easier to watch," he told the affiliate. A crowd of bystanders gathered and looked on in horror. Some hotel guests were able to knot bed sheets together to make ropes and rappel to safety. It was one of the deadliest tragedies in Tucson's history. A quick arrest . Within hours, police arrested a teenage boy, court documents said. It was Louis Taylor, who had been inside the hotel. He wasn't a guest and did not work there. And he had books of matches in his pocket. During police interrogations, the juvenile claimed to have seen someone set the fire. This was before anyone had suspected arson. But the young man changed his story multiple times. It made officers suspicious: Maybe it was arson; maybe it was Taylor who started the fire. Criminal witnesses . Journalist Crellin and KVOA kept up with the case. Taylor told him that "he had some very tough interviews with the police." He was innocent, he said, a stance he has always maintained. In an interview on the 25th anniversary of the fire, he told the broadcaster that the fire never goes out of his head. "I think about it all the time, because I know in my heart and God knows that they got the wrong person. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time." Prosecutors called two witnesses who were in juvenile detention with Taylor. They told the court that Taylor confessed to the crime to them behind bars. Later, one of the boys said he had been coerced into his testimony and that it was false, according to court documents. Experts for the prosecution and the defense testified that the fire, in their opinion, was caused by arson, though the details of their explanations differed. In the end, Taylor was convicted of 28 counts of felony murder. Judge Charles Hardy, who presided over the case, told Taylor that he didn't believe he meant to hurt anyone. But the punishment was stiff: "the rest of his natural life in prison," a sentence that at the time did not officially exist in the state of Arizona, a court document said. In hindsight . Decades later, people involved in the conviction and sentencing began to feel bad about the case. The CBS investigative magazine "60 Minutes" took up the case. The judge told the program that, looking back, he would not have voted to convict. The evidence, he said, was not strong enough. And if the then-teenager did set the fire, it was not Taylor's fault that the hotel was poorly suited to deal with any kind of fire. Lawyers from the Arizona Justice Project got involved. The non-profit reviews cases it feels don't live up to just legal standards. "It is our mission to help assure that Arizona's prisons are not housing those actually innocent of crime or otherwise victims of manifest injustice," reads the mission statement on its website. The lawyers encouraged the state to review the arson testimony in the original trial based on modern methods. Two review committees determined that there is no longer enough evidence available to tell whether arson was in play. They said that the experts in the original trial "used methods no longer valid in the science of today." One of the original trial experts, Cy Holmes, still a fire investigator four decades later, still stands by his testimony today, a court memorandum filed Monday said. But his testimony can't pin it on Taylor. CNN's Matt Smith contributed to this report.

NEW: "It feels good to feel Mother Earth beneath my feet," Louis Taylor says . The Pioneer Hotel in Tucson, Arizona, caught fire in 1970, killing 29 . Taylor, then 16, was quickly arrested and convicted of arson . Modern experts have called the evidence into question .

(CNN) -- Hollywood's A-list is a very tough club to crack, and membership is limited to stars of vast appeal with worldwide fame. Chris Pratt may soon get his invitation to join. "I think Chris is the biggest actor in the world, it's just people don't know it yet," said James Gunn, director of the new action-adventure movie "Guardians of the Galaxy," which features Pratt in the lead role. Pratt plays the film's wisecracking space cowboy Peter Quill (aka "Star-Lord") who is as deadly accurate with a one-liner as he is with his trusty "element gun." "He's got that old-time charm of Gary Cooper," Gunn said. "He's got the vulnerability of a very modern actor. He's a big masculine guy that can definitely beat the crap out of any other movie star out there. ... There's nobody else out there like him." Nobody else his age, perhaps. "We're seeing this new leading man that reminds me of someone like a Harrison Ford," said Benicio Del Toro, Pratt's co-star in "Guardians." At 35, Pratt is slightly less than half the age of Ford (72), another actor launched to stardom by a space opera -- "Star Wars" Pratt seems unfazed by all the fuss being made over him as Hollywood's potential Next Big Thing. "You know, I feel like, jeez, it's been cool, it's been really cool," Pratt stammered when asked about all the attention he's receiving within the industry. "I came to Hollywood expecting to do everything but not really knowing what that looked like," he told CNN. "So I was just as excited when I got my first commercial as I am now, you know what I mean? I have enjoyed this entire journey, the whole time I have been at this for 15 years. My enthusiasm has been turned up to 10 since about 2001 when I didn't have to be a waiter anymore." The tables have certainly turned since Pratt was waiting tables. His early credits came via television shows including "Everwood" and "The O.C." His career got a big boost in 2009 when he was cast on the NBC sitcom "Parks and Recreation," playing the daft but likeable Andy Dwyer. His movie roles were initially confined to supporting parts such as in 2009's "Jennifer's Body," 2011's "What's Your Number" (starring his wife, actress Anna Faris) and 2012's "The Five-Year Engagement." If starring roles eluded him, it may have been that he didn't have a classic leading man's physique. According to Entertainment Weekly, the 6' 2" actor's weight in the past five years has fluctuated between 220 and 295 pounds. EW dubbed him "portly." Pratt told the magazine he initially turned down the opportunity to audition for the Quill part in "Guardians." "I was probably scared and thought I was too fat to play a superhero," he said. "Guardians'" director James Gunn apparently agreed. "When (casting director) Sarah Finn first brought him up to me, I said, 'The chubby guy from "Parks and Rec"? Are you kidding me?' " Gunn said. "There was like no way." But Pratt had already demonstrated he could lose weight and firm up for a role -- to play a professional baseball player in "Moneyball" (2011) and a Navy SEAL in "Zero Dark Thirty" (2012). And Gunn was won over by Pratt's audition. "He came in and within 20 seconds, I knew this was our guy," Gunn said. "I just knew it in my gut." With the role his, Pratt set about reshaping his body. According to press notes compiled by the studio, Pratt "collaborated with, and was closely monitored by, a team of trainers and nutritionists, training for four hours a day, sticking to a strict diet, taking the right supplements and vitamins, all of which he continued throughout the five-month shoot." The results are plain to see on screen: Pratt bares his washboard abs in "Guardians" (although it must be said he's not the most muscular guy in the film; that honor would have to fall to former pro wrestler Dave Bautista, who plays the Hulk-like "Drax"). Of course it takes more than a hot bod to land on Hollywood's A-list. On screen, Pratt displays a rare ability to relate to audiences and an appealing naturalness that sets him apart from other actors. He's also been hitting all the right notes with fans lately, from french braiding an intern for "Entertainment Tonight's" hair during an interview to sharing the deeply personal story of how his son's premature birth in 2012 affected his faith. And despite his emerging star status, he comes across as both self-assured and modest in assessing what he brought to the role and what he needed to learn. "The comedy is something I can do," Prattt observed. "I have been honing in on that skill in 'Parks and Rec' for seven seasons. I have always prided myself in being a comedic person -- it comes kind of easily to me. ... But it would be like the suspense and the adventure stuff, like the big movie one liners, that to me -- I had a hard time wrapping my head around that. That was a challenge for me." Pratt's stock in Hollywood looks like it will continue to rise. He is filming "Jurassic World," expected to be a blockbuster next summer. A sequel to "The Lego Movie" appears likely (he provided the voice of the lead character, Emmet Brickowski) and Marvel has already ordered a sequel to "Guardians of the Galaxy." For now, Pratt appears to be keeping his newfound success in perspective. "This is just another nice exciting chapter... for me," he said. "It's exciting and I'm definitely enjoying the ride so far."

Chris Pratt is being touted as the "next big thing" He thought he was too fat for "Guardians" lead role . Pratt is currently filming "Jurassic World"

(CNN) -- No one ever handed her anything. She never had it made. Born in Iowa in 1905, an only child, she soon moved with her parents to Montana. As she grew up, she developed a love of reading and an interest in writing, and submitted stories to her small-town newspaper. She studied English at college in Montana; she briefly and unhappily married and then divorced. She worked whatever jobs she could find. Her husband had built up numerous debts, including gambling losses; she vowed that she would make good on all of them, and she did. She sold some stories to the Saturday Evening Post, using her full name as a byline: Dorothy Marie Johnson. She moved to New York, found work at the Gregg Shorthand Co., and eventually became the editor of a women's-interest magazine. But she was homesick -- and she yearned to write a different kind of story. In New York, she would go to the public library to read up on the saga of the West and would go to the movies to watch thrilling films on that same theme. She missed Montana, and what she most wanted to do was write Westerns. The authorship of Westerns -- tales of cowboys and rustlers and settlers and the rough-hewn world around them -- had traditionally been a men's club. Zane Grey, Max Brand, Owen Wister, Luke Short, Jack Schaefer, Louis L'Amour -- right up to today, those are the kinds of names most frequently associated with famous Western novels. There didn't seem to be much room for a Dorothy. She didn't care. She knew she was good enough to succeed. Here are six words for you: . "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." She wrote it. She changed her byline to Dorothy M. Johnson, feeling that Dorothy Marie sounded too frilly; she wrote the short story that was turned into one of the greatest Western movies ever made. A men's club? John Ford, the director of the 1962 film, and John Wayne, James Stewart and Lee Marvin, the stars, welcomed her into their own club. So did Gary Cooper, who starred in another movie based on one of her stories: 1959's "The Hanging Tree." And Richard Harris, who starred in 1970's "A Man Called Horse." Last Sunday's column, about the immortality that the highest level of artistry confers upon the artist, centered on the life of Vincent van Gogh, but it also mentioned some authors whose work will long endure. In between the names of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Philip Roth, I placed the name of Dorothy M. Johnson. A number of you asked who she was. I'm glad you did. I was kind of hoping you would. Because, in addition to the wonderful talent she possessed, she is a prime example of how, if you set your heart to it, you have a chance to accomplish just about anything. She died in 1984, at the age of 78. According to the obituary published in The New York Times, she wrote 17 books, more than 50 short stories and many poems and magazine articles. After she moved back West, she taught college writing courses. The Western Writers of America bestowed upon her their highest honors. Her writing was so clean, so spare -- she knew just how to draw her readers into a tale and keep them hanging on right up to the last word in the last sentence of the last paragraph. Westerns may not be as popular as they once were, but beautiful writing is eternal. Your public library, if you're lucky, has some Dorothy M. Johnson books; I think you'll find them a treat. KUSM, the public-broadcasting station in Bozeman, Montana, put together an affectionate 27-minute documentary on her life called "Gravel in Her Gut and Spit in Her Eye." If you'd like to see it, here it is. Because she seemed to enjoy putting unexpected twists into her plots, and because we're talking about "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," I'll end this with a story about the movie I think she might have liked. During my years of musical travels, I became friends with Gene Pitney, the singer whose hits included "It Hurts to Be in Love," "Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa," "Town Without Pity" and, of course, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." Once you hear that song, you never forget it. Pitney told me that he constantly heard two things from fans. Either they would say: . "I thought your song was one of the best parts of the movie." Or: . "I was watching 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' on TV last night, and they cut your song out of it. They must have had to edit it for time." Both sets of fans, Pitney said, were wrong. "I thought I was recording it for the movie," Pitney said. He was justifiably excited about the prospects. With that cast and that director, the film was destined to be a big hit. During the recording session, a friend of Pitney's left the studio, went outside for a few minutes and saw a marquee on a movie theater. The person came back, Pitney said, and broke the news to him: . "In the middle of the recording session, I found out that the movie had already come out." To say that made him a little depressed is an understatement. "Here's a movie with Jimmy Stewart, Lee Marvin and John Wayne -- and the song doesn't get into the movie," he said. But people continue to think they heard it there. For a long time, Pitney would gently set the questioners straight. By the time he died in 2006, though, he often just smiled and let them believe what they wanted to believe. He was living up to a line with which every Dorothy M. Johnson fan -- and every fan of "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" -- is quite familiar: . When the legend becomes fact, print the legend. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene.

Dorothy Marie Johnson yearned to break into the boy's club of Western story writers . Her story "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" was turned into a film with top Hollywood stars . Greene: She knew how to draw readers into a tale and keep them hanging until the end .

(CNN) -- In January 1999, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on live television that he was firing his defense minister, Yitzhak Mordechai. The minister, Netanyahu argued, had colluded with his political rivals and was aiming to undermine the Prime Minister's authority. Mordechai would go on to lead a centrist party and play a pivotal role in the victory of Ehud Barak and the Labor Party over Netanyahu. Fifteen years later, and Netanyahu has again taken to the airwaves, announcing the firing of two senior Cabinet members. Is history set to repeat itself? On Tuesday, Netanyahu accused Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, the main centrist leaders of his center-to-far-right coalition, of disloyalty and of undermining his authority, publicly criticizing his policies and conspiring to form an alternative coalition. As a result, Israel now heads to elections, tentatively scheduled for March. If you're scratching your head and wondering, "Didn't Israel hold elections recently?" then you're not alone. This Knesset, the 19th, will be one of the shortest serving parliaments in Israel's 66-year history. As a result, just two years after they last headed to the polls, Israeli voters and politicians are wondering aloud why these elections are necessary. But will the outcome of the elections resemble those of 1999, which prompted Netanyahu to take a hiatus from political life? Netanyahu is a leader with remarkably few confidants, and has never excelled at the art of personal politics. After three terms as prime minister, "Netanyahu fatigue" has set in across the political spectrum and even within his own party, and some have already suggested the election is effectively a referendum on the country's leader. And in some ways, Netanyahu really is vulnerable. Livni and Netanyahu had clashed over a "basic law" (akin to a constitutional amendment) to reaffirm Israel's status as the nation state of the Jewish people, a bill that attracted scathing critiques from, among others, President Ruvi Rivlin (of Netanyahu's own Likud party), and his predecessor Shimon Peres. Lapid and Netanyahu clashed over measures to deal with the politically explosive issue of the high cost of living and a growing wealth gap between Israelis. But perhaps most importantly, security issues -- especially the dramatic erosion of Israelis' sense of personal security over the past six months -- have undermined Netanyahu's position. After all, he has long prided himself on the relative calm during his years as Prime Minister. And, though hawkish, Netanyahu had been far more hesitant to go to war than some of his more dovish peers. Yet in the aftermath of the lengthy conflict in Gaza last summer, some Israelis were disappointed with Netanyahu's decision not to topple Hamas, which strengthened the political hand of right-wing leaders like Minister of the Economy Naftali Bennett of the Jewish Home party, a former aide of Netanyahu's who left the Prime Minister's office amid acrimony, and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, another former aide and ally of Netanyahu whose relations with the Prime Minister have seen several ups and downs. This has occurred against the backdrop of a wave of terrorist attacks against civilians, most notably a gruesome attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem, midprayer, which left five dead. A palpable sense of personal fear is apparent and, naturally, nothing motivates voters more. All this said, this is not 1999. When then-Defense Minister Mordechai left the Likud, he joined a cascade of respected, veteran leaders who had broken with the young, brash and inexperienced Prime Minister. Fast forward to today, and it is the veteran Netanyahu, a steady hand and a known commodity (for better or worse) who is firing a brash, inexperienced Lapid in the name of proper governance. The reality is that while public opinion currently holds Netanyahu at fault for the political crisis, it remains at a loss as to who might replace him. In general, in democracies, incumbents lose more than challengers win; when leaders are replaced it is usually because the voters are fed up with their reigning leaders. And yet, for a change of leadership, there must be a credible challenger there to pick up the pieces. Instead, today -- by attrition and political longevity -- Netanyahu has found himself seemingly alone as a major player in the political sphere. The challenge for the opposition is therefore formidable. The Israeli public has moved to the right and, with every terrorist attack, the hawkish camp solidifies its advantage. The most likely outcome, at present, would be a new Netanyahu government with a stronger right wing and religious base, including the ultra-Orthodox parties that were shunned from this coalition at Lapid's demand. Netanyahu may even bring weakened centrist figures back into the coalition, having lost their veto power in parliament. Indeed, even those dismissed this week by Netanyahu have so far refused to promise that they will not join another Netanyahu coalition. And yet, a Netanyahu defeat is not out of the question. He is the clear front-runner, but the campaign has barely begun, and party alignments are still unclear. Livni may well join forces with either Lapid or with Labor; a new party of former Likud minister Moshe Kahlon has yet to truly form but already shows considerable promise. In addition, several new entrants are expected in the political sphere as well, some of whom have impressive resumes in security, diplomacy and academia. It is by now a cliché to call an Israeli election the most important ever. Instead, it is most likely that the outcome will be a continuation, or even accentuation, of current Israeli policy. But with the dramatic challenges Israel faces, domestically, regionally and internationally, expect the sense of malaise in Israeli politics to deepen. These elections may simply be a prelude to a deeper political crisis.

Natan Sachs: Benjamin Netanyahu more vulnerable than he seems . Poll to come after Netanyahu fired two ministers . Growing concerns over security could hurt PM at poll: Sachs .

Editor's note: CNN.com has a business partnership with CareerBuilder.com, which serves as the exclusive provider of job listings and services to CNN.com. In a perfect world, C-level executives and employees on all rungs of the corporate ladder would communicate openly, honestly, conveniently and often. Companies, big and small, and their executives would boast of abilities to listen to feedback, answer questions and maintain close relationships with all employees. Like I said -- in a perfect world. While these relationships might exist in a few companies, it's virtually impossible with larger corporations. Lucky for them, that's why we have human resource (HR) professionals. "Human resource employees used to strictly work behind-the-scenes of a company, handling the administration of areas such as payroll, hiring and benefits," says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of Human Resources with CareerBuilder.com. "Now, HR goes beyond the tactical aspects of these areas and acts as a strategic player. HR is the liaison between employees and top executives, helping executives understand what their workers really need and how to maximize their potential." Overall HR employment is projected to grow by 17 percent between 2006 and 2016, estimating 1,015,000 jobs in 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Plus, as the need for good HR specialists and executives increases, so does their annual compensation, according to a survey by Watson Wyatt, a global consulting firm, in association with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). In 2007, the highest percentage increases in average salary were given to HR professionals with strong skills in knowledge of compensation, benefits, international HR and diversity. Other skills and qualifications for HR professionals include interpersonal capabilities, as well as a college degree. Most entry-level jobs require a degree in human resources or a background in business or liberal arts. An advanced degree is required for some jobs, as well as specific certifications. Think you've got what it takes to make a successful career in HR? Here are 10 common HR positions with increases in job growth, according to SHRM and the BLS. 1. Compensation supervisors oversee the pay practice area of compensation, including wage, salary, incentive and executive compensation. Average salary in 2007: $78,700 . 2006 employment: 49,000 . 2016 projection: 55,000 . 2. Employee benefits planning analysts deal with the company's employee-benefits program, usually creating its health insurance and pension plans. Average salary in 2007: $62,000 . 2006 employment: 110,000 . 2016 projection: 130,000 . 3. Professional and technical staff recruiters seek out potential job candidates, interviewing and screening them for job openings within the company. Average salary in 2007: $62,100 . 2006 employment: 197,000 . 2016 projection: 233,000 . 4. Human resource assistants maintain records of the organization's employees, such as their name, address, job title, earnings, benefits and tax withholding. They also perform general administrative tasks. Average salary in 2007: $36,600 . 2006 employment: 168,000 . 2016 projection: 187,000 . 5. Compensation analysts gather, analyze and prepare wage and salary data to smooth the compensation and management functions of the company. They also review and propose changes to salary structures and position classification. Average salary in 2007: $62,400 . 2006 employment: 110,000 . 2016 projection: 130,000 . 6. Employee benefits managers supervise employee benefits programs for companies. They create programs to insure employees against loss of income due to illness, injury, layoff or retirement. Average salary in 2007: $89,200 . 2006 employment: 49,000 . 2016 projection: 55,000 . 7. Human resources generalists handle tasks in all areas of HR; staffing, employee relations, compensation, training, employment, labor relations, safety, affirmative action and employment equity programs, and personnel research. Average salary in 2007: $55,900 . 2006 employment: 214,000 . 2016 projection: 250,000 . 8. Employee training specialists organize training activities for employees to maintain and improve their skill sets. Average salary in 2007: $55,500 . 2006 employment: 210,000 . 2016 projection: 249,000 . 9. Human resources managers oversee and contribute to planning, developing, recommending and implementing HR activities, policies and procedures for companies. Average salary in 2007: $80,700 . 2006 employment: 58,000 . 2016 projection: 65,000 . 10. Top human resources executives usually include director positions. The director of HR typically supervises departments like benefits, compensation, training and labor relations, all of which are managed by other supervisors specific to a certain department. Average salary in 2007: $170,000 . 2006 employment: 58,000 . 2016 projection: 65,000 . Employment projections provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics; Salary estimations provided by SHRM. E-mail to a friend . Copyright CareerBuilder.com 2009. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority .

Human resources jobs expected to grow by 17 percent over next decade . HR supervisors overseeing salaries make on average $78,700 . HR staffers who train employees earn around $55,500 . Biggest pay jump for dealing with compensation, benefits, diversity .

(CNN) -- In January, Carol Highsmith, 68, began a journey of threes. She had three milestones of 50 that she planned to reach by following three simple rules: . At 175 pounds, the 5-foot-1 Highsmith was at her heaviest weight. She vowed to lose 50 pounds so she could fit into a 50-year-old dress from high school. Determined to stun all her old classmates, Highsmith saw her invitation to Minnehaha Academy's 50th reunion as the catalyst to spark a lifestyle change. Voted "Most Mischievous" by her classmates in 1964, the Takoma Park, Maryland, resident was determined to reclaim some of her youth. "I wanted to go back [to high school] as I left," she says. "Still having fun in life... looking slim and feeling as good as I did back then." Looking back, Highsmith would never have predicted she'd have weight problems. "If I had seen a photo of myself as I look right now ... I would have died of embarrassment!" But though she was thin, her eating habits were far from healthy. "In my teens, I would go on all sorts of diets -- one time all I ate was hot dogs -- to make sure I fit into all my pretty dresses." Once she started her career, those bad choices began to take their toll. She started to travel a lot and it became easy to eat what she calls "road food" frequently. "I remember my first bite of a Krispy Kreme donut. It was heaven! I wanted more and many. One time I did a photo shoot at a Krispy Kreme place and they gave us two dozen donuts. I ate five in one sitting." Her poor eating habits caused her health to slowly deteriorate -- both mentally and physically. She began to feel so self-conscious about her body that she only wore polyester pants and would never tuck her shirt in for fear of showing just how much weight she had gained. When she received news of her upcoming reunion, Highsmith vowed to follow what she called the "WWW Plan" so that she could wear her favorite high school dress again. Her first step was watching what she ate. She tried to eat only 1,300 calories per day of almost entirely unprocessed foods. Step two was walking. She purchased a step tracker and made sure to log 10,000 to 25,000 steps per day, even if that required her to walk the halls and stairs of her hotel late at night. The last step was drinking lots of water. She began to drink five to six bottles a day to ensure she was staying hydrated in the midst of all of her walking. Complicating her mission, Highsmith knew she was going to be on the road during the months leading up to the reunion, working on a photography project for the Library of Congress, capturing photos of 21st century America for the Prints and Photographs Archive. She would also be staying busy with her This is America! Foundation, which she founded to capture and catalog hundreds of thousands of photos of "slices of American life threatened by technological change, rampant development and widespread cultural homogenization." She had to customize her weight loss strategy to her nomadic lifestyle. Although gas stations full of candy and other unhealthy snacks beckoned, Highsmith fought cravings by carrying unsalted nuts, canned baked beans, unsweetened Greek yogurt and fresh fruit. For breakfast, Highsmith would generally eat fruit, poached eggs, ham and a little milk and coffee. Protein was key for keeping her full well into the afternoon. Lunchtime was a less structured meal. Highsmith made a point to never eat lunch "just because it was lunchtime," but to wait until she genuinely felt hungry. Then she would eat some yogurt, fruit and nuts, or a fresh salad. For dinner, she usually ordered grilled fish, sweet potatoes and vegetables. Sometimes she would allow herself to splurge on a carefully measured pat of butter for her sweet potatoes. "Every time I thought about not walking all the steps or not drinking the water or having just one extra handful of nuts, I thought about how much fun it (would) be to go the Minnehaha Academy reunion and look like a million," says Highsmith. Between her healthy eating habits and being constantly on her feet, Highsmith watched as the pounds melted away. "Every day that I follow my weight loss plan I am thrilled," Highsmith wrote to CNN in the middle of her journey. "All of it helps me feel better about myself. When I look in the mirror and see a slimmer me, I am more confident and know I look good in my clothes." She was careful, though, not to get distracted from her main goal: her health. "I eat only when I am hungry, but if I get hungry, I need to eat," says Highsmith. "I am not on a starvation diet -- I am on a healthy, let me lose this weight and live longer journey. I never mention the word 'diet.'" When the day of her 50th high school reunion arrived, Highsmith was ready and eager to show off her new physique. Her classmates were stunned with her transformation. "I was very impressed," says former classmate Linda Bjorklund, who has stayed in touch over the years. "She was very disciplined about her food intake and her exercise. Carol usually does whatever she sets her mind to doing ... she always gives everything 115%." Highsmith's message to her classmates? "Find a way to turn back the clock and wake up feeling good every day." At 130 pounds, Highsmith's journey is not over. She plans to lose 20 more pounds by her birthday in May 2015, vowing to continue eschewing sweets, walking at least 10,000 steps per day, and eating and drinking properly. But she is in no rush to see the numbers on the scale go down. "I am not trying to lose it fast because I did not gain it fast," says Highsmith. "We are what we eat and I have decided for the rest of my life that if something goes into my mouth, it must be good for me."

Carol Highsmith was determined to lose 50 pounds for her 50th high school reunion . She focused on watching what she ate, walking and drinking lots of water . Her former classmates were blown away by her transformation .

(CNN) -- President Franklin D. Roosevelt reacted with fury when major legislative pillars of his New Deal were declared unconstitutional by a Supreme Court anchored by four ideological conservatives. He lashed out at the justices, accusing them of practicing crass politics disguised as constitutional law. Seventy-five years ago last month, FDR proposed his ill-fated court-packing plan that would have allowed him to stack the court with new appointees sympathetic to the New Deal. Will history be repeated this term when the Roberts court decides the constitutional fate of President Obama's signature legislation, the Affordable Health Care Act? The justices will hear five-and-a-half hours of arguments over three days, March 26-28, on the healthcare law and deliver their judgment by the end of the term. If the court strikes down all or part of the law, Obama, like FDR before him, will almost certainly denounce the court's decision. After all, he has already had practice in publicly criticizing the court. At his 2010 State of the Union address, with the justices sitting directly in front of him, he accused the court majority in the Citizens United decision of reversing a century of constitutional law to open "the floodgates for special interests... to spend without limit in our elections." Besides the willingness of both FDR and Obama to criticize the court, there are other parallels between the two Democratic presidents. Both came to office as liberal reformers who envisioned a large role for the federal government in promoting the nation's welfare. But in defending their policies, they revealed their very different political styles and temperaments. During his first term, Roosevelt, a supremely confident, aggressive politician, proudly brandished his liberalism as a blunt instrument against his sworn conservative enemies in the business community, whom he labeled "economic royalists." For most of Obama's first term, the cool, controlled president has downplayed his liberalism, seeking to bring conservative lawmakers to the bargaining table, without notable success. Only in the past few months has he been willing to aggressively confront his political opponents. There also are notable parallels between the two chief justices, Charles Hughes and John Roberts, separated by 75 years of American history. Both were brilliant lawyers appointed to the court by Republican presidents. And both inherited formidable conservative blocs of justices whose judicial opinions demonstrated a hostility to the policies of the Democratic presidents in office. In the 1930s, the four most conservative members of the court, known as "the four horsemen," consistently voted to strike down far-reaching New Deal economic legislation. The Roberts court's most conservative justices, Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia, and Clarence Thomas, all appointed by Republican presidents, have voted together on polarizing issues (such as campaign financing in Citizens United) in favor of corporate interests. The conspicuous differences between FDR and Obama are matched by the leaders of the two courts, Chief Justices Hughes and Roberts. Neither Roberts nor, perhaps, anyone else who has served on the modern court, could rival Hughes in the breadth of his career. Hughes was appointed chief justice by President Herbert Hoover in 1930 after a distinguished career as a lawyer, investigator of special interests, reform governor of New York, Supreme Court justice and secretary of State. His only failure in public life was his narrow defeat as the Republican candidate for president in 1916 by the incumbent, Woodrow Wilson. More significantly, Hughes, unlike Roberts, could not be easily categorized by the interests he advocated. As a lawyer, he defended large corporate interests but also five Socialists who had been expelled from the New York legislature because of their political convictions. As chief justice, Hughes was a centrist, often appearing to split the difference between the two warring conservative and liberal factions on the court. He wrote opinions upholding some New Deal statutes, but also voted with the majority to strike down the National Recovery Administration and the Agriculture Adjustment Act. At the same time, Hughes burnished his longstanding reputation as a stalwart civil libertarian, writing groundbreaking opinions protecting freedom of the press and association. In contrast, Roberts earned a reputation as a fierce advocate on behalf of conservative causes before his appointment to the court by President George W. Bush in 2005. And as chief justice, he has aligned himself consistently with the most conservative members of the court. The balance of power on the Roberts court in closely divided constitutional cases has not resided with the chief justice, as it did with the Hughes court's centrists, the chief justice and Justice Owen Roberts. Instead, the pivotal vote has usually been cast by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who often, but not always, sides with his more ideologically conservative brethren. If the justices divide along conservative-liberal lines on the constitutionality of the federal healthcare law, Kennedy, not Roberts, will likely determine the outcome. Obama's recent boldness in confronting his Republican opponents, as FDR routinely did throughout his presidency, suggests that he, like Roosevelt, will attack the Roberts court if it throws out his major policy initiative, the Affordable Health Care Act. But however aggressive his attack, he is not likely to emulate Roosevelt in proposing a court-packing plan to add justices more to his liking. Most historians have rated FDR's court-packing plan as one of the worst mistakes of his presidency, a judgment that will not be lost on Obama, a careful student of American history. Even if the justices uphold the healthcare statute, the Roberts court may well be a central issue in the fall presidential campaign. Both Obama and his potential Republican opponents have said that the 2012 presidential election will be about the future direction of the country. The U.S. Supreme Court will play a prominent role in that future. The victor in the November presidential election may have the opportunity to appoint one or more justices to the Court (four justices are older than 70). If there are vacancies during the next presidential term, the president's appointments are likely to determine the future direction of the court and of the nation. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of James F. Simon.

Supreme Court will hear case on Obama's healthcare law this month . James Simon: Case recalls the furious battle between FDR and the court . In both cases, president's prime achievements came under judicial review . Simon: Supreme Court's future direction could be decided by November election .

Washington (CNN) -- Despite having CIA agents on the ground and Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's exit as stated policy, U.S. officials continue to say the NATO-led military mission in Libya is only for its authorized humanitarian purposes. The seeming discrepancy is part of a delicate diplomatic posture by the Obama administration on the complex overseas operation that involves a U.N. Security Council resolution, a multinational military force and the symbolism of presidential statements and actions. With the military mission shifting Thursday to a new phase of full NATO control after initial U.S. leadership, divisions among alliance partners and within Congress became more evident, exacerbated by the administration's differing military and political goals. President Barack Obama continues to insist that arming the Libyan rebels remained an option under consideration, while NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet ruled it out. At House and Senate committee hearings, Republicans grilled Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen on the U.S. role in Libya. "To say this is not about regime change is crazy," said Republican Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado. "Of course this is about regime change. Why not just be honest with the American people?" Obama has said the motivation for launching military action on March 19 was to prevent a massacre of civilians by Libyan military forces descending on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Since then, airstrikes carried out mostly with U.S. planes and missiles have taken out much of Gadhafi's anti-aircraft capability and destroyed ground forces and supply lines. While Gadhafi's forces have pulled back from Benghazi, they reclaimed territory from the rebels in recent days, leading to fears of a prolonged stalemate without stronger military support for the rebels. On Thursday, White House spokesman Jay Carney noted the United States turned over control of the Libya mission to NATO that morning -- 12 days after it began -- to fulfill Obama's pledge to the nation that U.S. leadership would end within "days, not weeks." While Carney said the United States and its allies would keep up pressure on Gadhafi's government, he acknowledged that it was impossible to say when the mission would end. Regardless of when, he said, "the scope of the U.S. involvement will be limited" and Obama continues to reject any possibility of sending in U.S. ground troops. At the same time, a former counterterrorism official confirmed the existence of a presidential finding that authorizes the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct operations supporting U.S. policy in Libya. A presidential finding is a type of secret order authorizing some covert intelligence operations, and a former senior intelligence official said such operations could include "advising on how to target the adversary, how to use the weapons they have, reconnaissance and counter surveillance." Top administration officials distinguished between the military mission charged with protecting Libyan civilians and the other non-military efforts -- including sanctions, freezing assets and CIA operations -- aimed at hastening Gadhafi's departure. "Does the United States have the capacity to unilaterally with military force produce regime change in Libya or another country? It probably does. We probably do," Carney told reporters. "Is that a desirable action to take when you have your eye on the long game here in terms of Libya's future, the future ... interests of the United States and the region? No." Obama's dual-track policy, with the military coalition protecting Libyan civilians while the United States pursues "as a political, diplomatic and economic policy" the end of Gadhafi's rule, is the best fit for the Libya situation, Carney insisted, citing the international backing for the military mission through a U.N. Security Council resolution and Arab League support. Critics complained that it is both dishonest and a mistake for the military objective to differ from the policy objective. At a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Rep. Chris Gibson, R-New York, said the mission's "military and political goals are not harmonized," while Coffman called it "just the most muddled definition of an operation probably in U.S. military history." On the Democratic side, liberal Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio challenged Obama's legal power to commit U.S. forces to a combat role without congressional authorization. "This is a clear and arrogant violation of our Constitution," Kucinich declared on the House floor. "Even a war launched ostensibly for humanitarian reasons is still a war and only Congress can declare a war." Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the unsuccessful Republican presidential nominee in 2008, warned that pulling U.S. forces back to a supporting role under NATO control undermined the military mission at a key moment. "For the United States to be withdrawing our unique offensive capabilities at this time sends the exact wrong signal both to our coalition partners as well as to the Gadhafi regime, especially to those Libyan officials whom we are trying to compel to break with Gadhafi," McCain said at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. "I need not remind our witnesses that the purpose of using military force is to achieve policy goals," McCain told Gates and Mullen. "But in this case, not only are our military means out of alignment with our desired end of Gadhafi leaving power, we are now effectively stopping our strike missions all together without having accomplished our goal." While Obama administration officials have described the continuing U.S. role in the military mission as supportive -- involving refueling, intelligence, surveillance and communications -- Gates said Thursday that U.S. strike aircraft such as A-10 and AC-130s could still be made available to NATO. However, he added that he believed NATO allies had the capacity to take out Libyan ground forces as necessary under the mission's mandate of protecting civilian populations. Appearing before both the House and Senate panels at separate hearings, Gates said the no-fly zone had been established and now needed to be sustained, but acknowledged "you could have a situation in which you achieve the military goal but do not achieve the political goal." CNN's Pam Benson, Elise Labott and Alan Silverleib contributed to this story.

NATO partners disagree on arming Libyan rebels . The president's Libya policy comes under congressional criticism . "Of course this is about regime change," a congressman says .

(CNN) -- The Syrian National Council, a prominent opposition group, elected its spokesman, George Sabra, as president at a meeting Friday in Doha, Qatar. A foreign policy spokesman for the group, Radwan Ziadeh, said Sabra -- the group's third president -- replaces Abdulbaset Sieda, who is now a member of the executive office. In all, 11 members -- men of various religious and ethnic backgrounds -- were elected to the executive office. "We hope the refreshment in leadership will reflect on the work of the SNC in the future," Ziadeh said. "No women were elected to the executive council but there is a seat for a woman that remains empty," he said, adding that no woman had run for the position. After the election, a new push on Syria . The news came on the same day that a group that organizes and documents anti-government actions announced it was breaking with the Syrian National Council. "Several attempts have been made by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria to push the Syrian National Council and its leadership to adopt a serious and effective general reform plan so that the SNC can assume its role as a political representative of the great people of Syria," the LCC said in a written statement. "It is clear to us now that the Syrian National Council is not fit to assume such (a) role, especially after the disappointing results (of) its restructure attempts." But Najib al-Adel, a member of the Idlib Revolutionary Movement, told CNN from Doha that some members of the LCC were sticking with the SNC. In addition, other opposition groups remained in Doha and were prepared to continue the talks, he said. The moves in Qatar came as rebels inside Syria claimed victory at a key border town after fighting drove thousands of civilians into Turkey. The battles between Syrian government forces and rebels raged in Ras Al Ain, across the border from Turkey. The fighting has pushed thousands more refugees out of Syria. By Friday, more than 11,000 Syrians had escaped into Jordan and Turkey and more than 400,000 had been registered or were awaiting registration as refugees, said Ron Redmond, the spokesman for U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Across Syria, 126 people were reported dead on Friday, the LCC said. Among them were nine childen and six women, it said. Read more: 'Children's bodies were maimed and burnt,' witness says . Syrian rebels reported key strides in their nearly 20-month battle against the Syrian regime, said Amer al-Hasakawi, a Free Syrian Army spokesman in Hasaka. He said several rebel brigades had been slugging it out with government security forces since Thursday morning. Fighters killed dozens of people and arrested others, he said. They seized government buildings, gained control of a border crossing with Turkey and took over border outposts. He said dozens of soldiers in those outposts defected. Clashes continued Friday with military forces shelling Ras Al Ain with artillery and firing rockets. Abu Ahmed, a rebel commander, reported major displacement of civilians because of the fighting and fears that government warplanes will bombard rebel-held neighborhoods. He said rebels were helping move some residents into Turkey and others have fled to nearby Syrian cities. "Thanks to God, none of the FSA fighters are martyred," said Sgt. Muahyman al-Taee, a rebel brigade commander. "We've killed big numbers from the regime's dogs. Soon we will announce the complete liberation of the city." Read more: Young Syrian amputee makes dangerous journey to find help . The Ras Al Ain fighting could be heard from over the Turkish border in the town of Ceylanpinar. The violence in Syria had Turkey's military on high alert. TV footage showed Turkish soldiers, wearing combat gear, taking cover along berms. It also showed Turkish soldiers picking refugees up from the border and organizing their border crossing. "The Syrians came right across the border wire," said Mehmet Saitavci, the mayor of a neighborhood in Ceylanpinar. Schools in the Turkish town were closed because of the fighting. "People here have a lot of relatives on the other side, and they are coming up to the border and the Turkish military takes them and brings them into Turkey," Saitavci said. "We were told we can have our relatives be our guests for a few days." Of the thousands of refugees, 71 were injured, the Turkish Foreign Ministry official said. Two died of their wounds. Most of the Syrians were sent to a Turkish camp in the town of Akcakale. The Turkish Anadolu news agency reported Friday that 26 Syrian military officers and 71 of their relatives had fled to the Turkish province of Hatay. But Turkey's Foreign Ministry denied the report. Read more: Who is arming the Syrian conflict? Before the new arrivals, the Turkish government had said it was hosting more than 111,000 Syrian refugees. As violence continued in border towns, battles between the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and opposition fighters raged elsewhere. The Syrian conflict has left more than 35,000 people dead and widespread displacement. The United States announced more than $34 million in humanitarian assistance for Syrians on Friday, bringing the amount of humanitarian aid it has allocated to more than $165 million. U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Kelly T. Clements made the announcement Friday at the Syrian Humanitarian Forum in Geneva, Switzerland. The money will be used for several purposes, including the purchase of blankets, heating of stoves and other goods for refugees in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon during the winter months. The aid also will target health care, including an immunization campaign for up to 1 million children in Syria to protect them from measles and other diseases. It will also be used to help wounded Syrians at the Lebanon-Syrian border get medical care. CNN's Raja Razek, Salma Abdelaziz, Gul Tuysuz, Hamdi Alkhshali and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.

LCC announces it is breaking with the Syrian National Council . Of the thousands arriving in Turkey, dozens are injured . Syrian government forces and rebels fought near Turkish border . United Nations says more than 11,000 Syrians have fled into Turkey, Jordan .

Chicago (CNN) -- Doctors who treat breast cancer patients are very excited about an experimental drug that presents a whole new way of knocking out cancer cells. The drug, trastuzumab emtansine, commonly referred to as T-DM1, appears to be superior to the standard treatment for women with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer. Researchers are presenting the results of a large three-year clinical trial Sunday at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago. It's a combination of the targeted drug trastuzumab (the "T" in T-DM1), better known by the brand name Herceptin, and a very powerful chemotherapy drug called emtansine (the "DM1" part). The drug is designed to work when Herceptin alone no longer can keep the cancer in check. New drugs may help immune system fight cancer . "It's a brand new way of treating HER2-positive breast cancer," said the lead study author, Dr. Kimberly Blackwell. "This will offer a very important therapeutic option for patients faced with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer." In this combination drug, Herceptin is delivering the chemo drug to the cancer cell. Blackwell likens it to being used like a carrier pigeon that delivers the DM1 drug, which is what kills the cancer cell. DM-1 is too toxic to deliver directly into the bloodstream like other chemotherapy drugs. So the Herceptin part of T-DM1 homes in on the cancer cells (sparing other healthy cells) and delivers the powerful DM1 chemo drug into the cell. About 20% to 25% of women with breast cancer have HER2-positive breast cancer, a particularly aggressive and deadly form of the disease that was very difficult to treat until the FDA approved Herceptin in 1998, revolutionizing how this type of cancer was treated. Herceptin is an engineered antibody that attaches to the surface of the cancer cell and blocks signals in the cell that tell the cancer to grow. It also boosts the patient's immune system to help fight the cancer. But in some patients, the cancer comes back, and Herceptin eventually stops working. That's when doctors prescribe a combination of the drugs capecitabine (brand name Xeloda) and lapatinib (brand name Tykerb), which has had its successes. In this clinical trial, nearly 1,000 patients were divided into two groups: One got the standard capecitabine plus lapatinib treatment; the other group got the experimental drug. Women getting T-DM1 had 9.6 months of progression-free survival, the time between starting the treatment and the cancer getting worse again, compared with 6.4 months in the standard therapy group. That's a median improvement of three months. This may not seem like a long time, but as Dr. Eric Winer of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston explains, it means a lot to the individual patient. "I've had patients on this drug for one, two, three years," he explained. Winer says that if a patient gets an additional three months before the tumors start growing again each time she goes through a treatment cycle, that can add up to almost a year. Some doctors don't know long-term side effects of cancer care . Blackwell says that after two years, 65% of women getting T-DM1 were still alive, compared with 48% in the control group. And even though this drug is not a cure, many oncologists call these trial results a "huge deal." That's because another significant benefit with T-DM1 was the lack of significant side effects and better quality of life. Women on T-DM1 did not suffer the usual and often grueling chemotherapy side effects seen in the other group: diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, painful hand-foot syndrome and hair loss. Blackwell said the types of side effects they did have were the kind only a doctor would notice. "It really changed their whole outlook on what it meant to be on cancer treatment," said Blackwell, who treats patients at Duke University. She added that seeing this benefit for her patients was incredibly rewarding as a breast cancer doctor. This is the first group of (breast cancer) patients where we have to worry about fixing their hair for media interviews. It's huge deal for these patients." "It's producing very promising results, and as someone who sees a ton of patients, what I'm really excited about is the side effect profile," said Dr. Jennifer Litton, who treats breast cancer patients at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston but who was not involved in the study. "It's significantly better than most chemotherapy drugs that we're giving. "This trial is showing pretty impressive results on the tip of the iceberg where immune therapy can take us," Litton said. Dr. Louis Weiner, director of Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, agrees, calling T-DM1 a "magic bullet." "It represents the fruition of a concept that was advocated more than 100 years ago by Paul Ehrlich, the famous immunologist and Nobel Prize winner, who dreamed of creating basically Trojan horses that would be welcomed into the cell but would be dragging something that is very bad for the cell. This is pretty much how T-DM1 works," he said. "It's a good drug. I think it will be used quite a bit," Winer said. Right now, only women participating in the clinical trial have access to this new drug, until it gets approved in the United States and other countries. Genentech, the company that developed T-DM1, says an application for potential approval will be sent to the FDA and the European counterpart, the European Medicine Agence, this year. It's unclear how much this new drug will cost, but other new cancer drugs can be very expensive, costing upwards of tens of thousands of dollars, sometime even around $100,000. "I hope it won't be priced at such a level that it that bankrupts our health care system," Winer said.

Researchers say drug combination is superior in fighting HER2-positive cancer . 20% to 25% of breast cancer patients have aggressive HER2-positive form . Study shows drug extended progression-free survival time, researchers say . "Very promising results" include better quality of life .

(CNN) -- It's hard to think of a better place for a mosque today than lower Manhattan, near to ground zero. To support the siting of a mosque there is not just deeply American--a declaration of the freedoms we stand for -- it is the continuation of a long and established New York tradition of mosque-building. In fact, by any historical measure it is absurd to see Cordoba House, a community center that will include a mosque, as a kind of hostile and exotic cultural invasion of the lower east side. Mosques have been part of New York's rich architectural and religious mix for over a century, and today hundreds of thousands of Muslims, many whose New York roots go back generations -- attend the city's more than 100 mosques in the five boroughs. The Muslims who built these mosques are New Yorkers, blameless in the events of September 11, 2001, and linked to other New Yorkers through the deep shared sense of loss and pain evoked that day. Their mosques, already part of our urban identity, bear witness to the strength of our freedoms, as will the Cordoba House center. It is likely that Muslims have prayed in New York City for much of its history, and particular buildings have been dedicated to Muslim prayer for over a century. Muslim slaves from Africa who lived in New York no doubt had places to pray as early as the 18th century, but the first mosque building in New York was likely the one belonging to the American Mohammedan Society in 1907 on Powers Street in Brooklyn. The Islamic Mission of America constructed its own mosque in 1939, and in 1947 purchased the brownstone where the Masjid Daoud can still be found today. The number of mosques in the city began to increase significantly in the 1960s after the ratification of the 1965 Immigration Act, which increased immigration from non-European countries with Muslim populations. Over time, they would range from modest basement prayer halls to elaborate architect-designed buildings. One small mosque in Brooklyn is composed of a dozen neighbors who take turns leading prayer. The first mosque of a new Muslim community in New York, for example, might simply be a suburban house, like the split-level in Richmond Hills, Queens that served as the Masjid Hazrat-i-abu Bakr in the 1990s. With time, the community might gather the funds to construct a more elaborate building, like Masjid Hazrat-i-abu Bakr's grander building today at the same location. Many mosques in New York City are built and financed by the community members themselves; some donate materials or work or money. The Ali Pasha Mosque in Astoria, and the Albanian Cultural center in Staten Island were completed in the 1990's with the help of the contracting and manual labor of their communities. A new mosque can result in the building up of a neighborhood. Fatih Camii was fashioned from an old building in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and a representative of the New York Police's 66th Precinct commented to me in the 1990's that the mosque had revitalized the neighborhood: "Since the congregation renovated the building and began to function, the entire neighborhood has profited." This is surely the case with the Masjid Malcolm Shabazz, a renovation of the former Lenox Casino in Harlem by architect Sabbath Brown in 1965. There the addition of dome marks the presence not only of a mosque, but a school and other community services that make it a beacon in the neighborhood. The mosque's community has been instrumental in constructing low income housing and supporting the economic revitalization of Harlem. Mosques as community centers all around New York provide day care, help with small business start up, rooms for events, classes in English and other languages, gyms and recreational facilities for their neighborhoods. New York's newly designed mosques are real products of American pluralistic culture. The first mosque in New York designed from the ground up was probably Masjid Alfalah in which the community collaborated with a local Korean-American architect William Park, in 1983. Such grand mosques as the Albanian Cultural Center in Staten Island, or the modernist Islamic Cultural Center on Manhattan's East Side (designed by the famed architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill) are monuments to the transformations wrought by Muslim communities: They are American mosques. Yesterday New York City's landmarks commission voted unanimously to deny historic status to the Park Place site, clearing the way for construction of Cordoba House, also known as Park51. The name Cordoba House, though, is particularly fitting -- an evocation of the rich interactions of Christians, Muslims and Jews in Medieval Spain. Medieval Spain was not often a paradise of tolerance and peace. But where peoples lived together, the understanding spawned by that coexistence gave the lie to the notion that Muslims, Jews and Christians must by nature be opposed, and created a more cohesive, fecund, peaceful and plural society. The Muslims who pray in New York's mosques are Americans who, like Catholic or Jewish immigrants before them, seek to be part of the city, part of this country. The more than 100 mosques of New York are visual signs, not only of the presence of these Muslim Americans, but also of the religious freedom that distinguishes the American way of life. By their very existence they defeat the hostile, polarized vision of Islam and America that the authors of the WTC attacks hoped to engender. If we wish to stand in defiance of the unspeakable death and destruction of 9/11, we could not do better than to welcome Cordoba House in the very neighborhood of lower Manhattan where those unspeakable acts occurred, as part of the city's long history tradition of mosque-building. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jerrilynn Dodds.

Jerrilynn Dodds says siting a new mosque in lower Manhattan continues long New York tradition . Muslims have prayed in city for most of its history, she says, likely starting with slaves . The number of mosques swelled in 1960s after immigration law passed; there are more than 100 . Dodds: Built by big architectural firms or community efforts, they reflect U.S. freedoms .

Washington (CNN) -- Hillary Clinton had to know she was going to have to talk about her wealth. The tightly orchestrated book tour for her new memoir has closely resembled a campaign -- with war rooms and surrogate coordination. So one would expect that Clinton was prepared to answer questions on any topic. But when the wealth question came, Clinton, the political heavy hitter, whiffed. Twice. The muffed answers have made trouble on their own for the potential presidential candidate by raising new questions about her ability to connect with average voters on economic issues. But they've also had another consequence. Prior to her book tour, she'd begun a pivot to the left. Many liberals had questioned her economic themes and coziness with Wall Street. In response, she stepped up her populist rhetoric. However, because of the blaring headlines on wealth, her outreach to party progressives has gone mostly unnoticed so far, possibly clouding her appeal to another important constituent. A day to forget . Clinton's first misstep came when she told ABC at the start of her book tour this month that she and her family "came out of the White House not only dead broke but in debt," adding later that her family had "no money" at that time. She wasn't wrong when she said the first family left the White House way behind financially. She said they were burdened by legal bills and still had to keep a roof -- actually two -- over their heads and send their daughter to college. But here's a mighty big difference between Clinton and the average person. For starters, she and her husband were obviously well positioned to quickly capitalize on the post-presidential custom of cashing in. She left that part out. Hillary Clinton had a massive book advance in the works and, along with the former president, the prospect of making millions. This is what fueled cries of hypocrisy. After quickly trying to clean up the comments, though, Clinton swung and missed again on Sunday when questioned about her own financial standing and wealth inequality in an interview with The Guardian. Clinton compared herself to others and noted her situation is different, too. "We pay ordinary income tax, unlike a lot of people who are truly well off, not to name names; and we've done it through dint of hard work," she said. One reason Clinton's two missteps on wealth are surprising is that questions about the issue are not new and shouldn't have come as a surprise. Liberal websites like Mother Jones began asking questions about her speaking fees -- upwards of $200,000 -- in early May. Republican groups like the Republican National Committee and America Rising, an outside anti-Clinton super PAC, had been probing the topic longer. The progressive connection. Sally Kohn, a progressive activist and Clinton critic, said she handled the wealth question poorly and "certainly has enough money to hire a better speaking coach." But she downplayed the mistake. "Why people do have a problem with her is not because of her personal wealth, it is because of her coziness with Wall Street. That is the problem," Kohn said. The monied elite is an anathema to liberals, who decry wealth inequality, the corrosive impact of too-big-to-fail businesses and, of course, the overwhelming power in America of the professional investor class vs. average people struggling to save. For much of Clinton's time on the paid speaking circuit, the former secretary of state has focused on bipartisan issues and kept some distance with hot political issues. But less than a month before questions about her wealth and understanding of the middle class started to define her book tour, Clinton departed from more bipartisan topics and stepped up her populist rhetoric in a May speech at the New America Foundation. She bashed George W. Bush, embraced material from the liberal playbook, and highlighted populist themes in her speeches. Clinton charged up her rhetoric, too. She blasted tight-fisted millionaires, decried the current economy as a "throwback to the Gilded Age," and dusted off old standbys about Republican trickle-down economics. The change in tone hasn't happened in a vacuum, and may have projected that Clinton and her aides expected criticism about her wealth, stature and ability to relate to everyday Americans. But because of the mistakes, her populist pivot has largely gone unnoticed. An exclusive club . Instead, it's Clinton's two tone-deaf statements about her family's wealth that have defined her book tour, so far. They have also begun to shine a light on Clinton's work as a constant fundraiser. Between her campaign for president in 2008 and her time as the head of a global foundation, she spent a considerable amount of time courting the money of millionaires and billionaires. Her foundation -- The Clinton Foundation -- has also become a bastion for corporate donors. Stephen L. Bing, the founder of Shangri-La business group; Tom Golisano, the founder of Paychex and Cheryl and Haim Saban, Democratic megadonors and the owners of Univision, have donated between $10 million and $25 million. Republicans have seized on it and are looking to portray Clinton as out-of-touch and someone who has spent too much time in the "bubble" and in other rarefied surroundings. They point to her gaffes as well as a comment from earlier in the year when she told a group of auto dealers that she hadn't driven a car since 1996. And while pro-Clinton Democrats have defended her, others in the party have begun to knock her -- some more subtly than others. They also say she's out of touch. Vice President Joe Biden, who may be running for president, appears to be getting in on the action. Biden said on Monday that he "makes a lot of money" as vice president. But he made sure to mention he was "listed as the poorest man in Congress" and said he has "no savings account." Key point: Biden stressed that he's been "really, really fortunate" compared to the way others have struggled. Bush is still Clinton's bogeyman . 6 times Clinton sounded, acted like a candidate .

Hillary Clinton has now misstepped twice on questions about her wealth . The wealth questions come at the same time that Clinton has stepped up her populist rhetoric . Democrats to the left question Clinton's economic ideas and coziness with Wall Street . Republicans are trying to create a narrative the Clinton is out of touch with most Americans .

Osh, Kyrgyzstan (CNN) -- Smoke rose over the streets of Osh and sporadic gunfire could be heard Monday as ethnic groups continued to battle in the strategically important Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan. An estimated 80,000 ethnic Uzbeks have fled the ongoing clashes against ethnic Kyrgyz, causing one aid official to describe the situation as a "humanitarian catastrophe," according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. At least 114 people have been killed in the clashes, and another 1,458 have been wounded, Kyrgystan's national news agency AKI Press reported Sunday. It is the most serious outbreak of ethnic violence in the former Soviet republic since 1990, when hundreds died after clashes between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in Osh, the country's second city. Refugees who fled the violence are desperate for food, a top European official said Monday. "People are screaming, 'We need food; we need food,' to those who are passing by," EU Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva said. The World Food Programme has emergency stocks in the country and can deploy food quickly, she said, but would then need to restock urgently. The United States committed over $800,000 for immediate humanitarian assistance to be provided through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), according to the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek. U.S. officials are working with the provisional government to determine how to best distribute another $200,000 in medical and emergency supplies. The United Nations says it is sending an emergency team to Uzbekistan to aid refugees who crossed the border. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees is airlifting aid from emergency stockpiles in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and sending logistics, operations and field officers "immediately," it said in a statement. U.N. Security Council President Claude Heller said the group condemns the "continued acts of violence in the Kyrgyz republic and notes the need to support the delivery of humanitarian assistance." He said the council is still assessing the situation in Kyrgyzstan and calls for "calm and a return to the rule of law" in the country. The Uzbek government estimates that 75,000 people have fled into the country since Friday, slightly below Red Cross estimates. The violence comes two months after President Kurmanbek Bakiev was overthrown after bloody clashes between police and protesters in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. Opposition leaders had accused Bakiev of corruption and consolidating power by keeping key economic and security posts in the hands of relatives or close associates. Kyrgyzstan hosts a U.S. military transport base that is vital for supplying its troops in Afghanistan. It also has a Russian military base and strategically important natural gas pipelines. According to one report, the death toll is much higher than official figures suggest. Local officials in Osh, the city worst affected by the violence, said that at least 500 ethnic Uzbeks have been killed, according to Ferghana.Ru, an independent news agency. And the situation seemed to be continuing early Monday as a Uzbek neighborhood in Osh looked grim. At least three bodies were on the street, buried in rubble. Goats and sheep had been killed and burned in yards. Some homes were vandalized with spray-painted signs proclaiming "get out of Kyrgyzstan." Red Cross representatives visited refugee camps Sunday in Uzbekistan where 30,000 adults, mostly women, have registered, spokeswoman Anna Nelson said. Each woman, Nelson said, has two or three children with her. Uzbek authorities are providing refugees with food and shelter, but camps are inundated by the flood of people crossing the border, Nelson said. Red Cross officials said they saw 250 injured people in the camps, including about 40 Uzbek men with gunshot wounds, according to Nelson. "We do not yet fully understand the true scale of the humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding in southern Kyrgyzstan," said Francois Blancy, deputy head of the Red Cross regional office in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The interim government worked this weekend to quell the upsurge of violence, imposing states of emergency in Osh, where fighting between ethnic Uzbek and Kyrgyz youths led to mass rioting, and in Jalal-Abad in order to keep the unrest from spreading there, it said. But the measures did little to calm the situation Sunday. Russia Today reported that the interim government has given police permission to shoot to kill rioters on the streets. Members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization -- comprised of Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan -- are to meet Monday to discuss the crisis, official Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reported. Turkey has established a crisis desk to help find ways to address the violence in Kyrgyzstan, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said. Turkey is sending two planes to are to help evacuate Turkish citizens trapped in the area. The United States is monitoring developments and is calling for a "rapid restoration of peace and public order in the city of Osh and elsewhere where it appears ethnic violence is occurring," according to a statement released Saturday by the State Department. A small group of expatriates from Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan demonstrated outside the White House on Sunday, calling for President Barack Obama's help in ending the crisis. About 50 people from the Uzbek Initiative Group carried signs reading "Stop the killing" and chanted "Bring peace to Kyrgyzstan." The group had sent a letter to Obama "urging the United States and the United Nations to assist in bringing a halt to the current ethnic unrest in southern Kyrgyzstan," describing the clashes as "the worst ethnic violence in the region since 1990 when hundreds were killed before the quick intervention of Soviet troops." CNN's Matthew Chance and Brian Walker and journalist Dalton Bennett contributed to this report.

NEW: U.S. commits $1 million in assistance, supplies . U.N. Security Council condemns violence . Refugees desperate for food, top European official says . Red Cross official describes situation as "humanitarian catastrophe"

(CNN) -- When the world first met Mickey Mouse, it was as a steamboat captain, a cowboy, a wizard's apprentice and in other roles that, while enduring, wouldn't exactly be considered tech-savvy to a 2013 audience. But before the famous mouse came along, Walt Disney created a character who possessed many of the traits of today's gadget geek -- and who maintains his technological edge over Mickey to this day. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit will be familiar by now to players of "Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two," released in November, and the original title in the series from Disney Interactive Studios. And his role in the innovative video game franchise might just be spurring a renaissance 80 years in the making for the long-forgotten character. In the original game, Oswald appeared as a spurned toon jealous of Mickey's immense popularity. He ultimately comes to see the famous mouse as a younger brother. (Oswald was created by Disney in 1927. Mickey appeared the following year.) But in their followup outing, they appear as equal partners. Becky Cline, director of the Walt Disney Archives, said despite being the older one, Oswald was much more into technology than his younger brother, Mickey. Early cartoons featuring Oswald portrayed him as a creative, mechanically inclined rabbit. "One of his early cartoons was called 'The Mechanical Cow,' where he builds a robot cow," Cline said. "The character himself is very innovative and clever. He winds up his own ears and makes himself into a helicopter, or he takes off an ear and uses it to row a canoe." In "Epic Mickey 2," the technology gap between the two characters remains. Oswald wields a radio device that allows him shoot electricity, create electrified fields and control robotic enemies. Mickey uses a magical paintbrush, allowing him to create using paint or destroy using thinner. In the game's story, the two combine their divergent powers to save Oswald's homeland from destruction (again). Light Years blog: Mickey Mouse spotted on Mercury? Creative director Warren Spector said Oswald's evolution in the franchise has been designed to reintroduce him to fans after being absent since 1951. His techie edge combines with physical and behavioral differences to set him apart from Mickey, Spector says. "In the second game, they start out as allies, as companions, as collaborators," Spector said. "They're still brothers, though, so there is still tension between them. Brothers always have tension, but that doesn't mean they don't work together to accomplish common goals." Spector said the differences between the more modern Oswald and the old-school Mickey is evident in their behaviors. He describes Mickey as "Boy Scout-like," "a good guy," "always doing the right thing." "Oswald is more modern in a sense, because he's a little bit less well-behaved, a little bit quicker to anger, a little bit, dare I say, edgier," he said. "I think it was appropriate that he was the one who adopted the technology." In the game, Mickey's paintbrush is better at dealing with other cartoon characters, while Oswald's high-tech gear more effectively takes on robots and other mechanical obstacles. "He's a vintage character, but he has such a modern sensibility to him," Cline says. "He's kinda cool. Kids, teenagers, young people and adults, they're all finding him appealing, and he's a really funny character. He's really kinda hip, actually." Spector said outside of the game, Oswald has caught on with fans quicker than he would have imagined. "I hope it is just a start for something bigger for Oswald," he said. "He is a great character and deserves a life of his own in games and not just as Mickey's sidekick." And none of it would have been possible if the animated techie hadn't once been swapped for a football announcer. Walt Disney lost the rights to his rabbit to Universal shortly after creating him in 1927. However, when NBC wanted to bring sports announcer Al Michaels to their Sunday night football games in 2006, Disney had an opportunity to bring home the wayward character. While there were many other parts to the deal, it is the Oswald-for-Michaels trade that people remember . "Oswald is definitely worth more than a fourth-round draft choice," Michaels said. "I'm going to be a trivia answer someday." Oswald also, for the first time, gets a voice in "Epic Mickey 2." Famed voice actor Frank Welker, who did the voice of Fred in the Scooby-Doo cartoons and was a voice double for Leonard Nimoy in "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," was chosen to be the voice of the Lucky Rabbit. "I think he's probably the greatest living voice artist in the world," Spector said. "When it came to Oswald, (begins to mimic Oswald's voice) I hear Oswald in my head all the time, and he sounds sort of like this (normal voice) and they said what do you think about Frank Welker, and I just said yes." For all his modern tendencies and techno toys, Spector wants people to just look at how "cartoony -- that's really the only word I can think of" Oswald is, a throwback to the old days of cartooning and cartoon characters. "People have a tendency to think of Disney cartoons as being more realistic or more grounded and less anarchic and crazy and cartoony than some other studios," he said. "Oswald puts the lie to that. In every way that matters, Walt got there first."

In "Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two," Oswald the Lucky Rabbit steps forward . Oswald was created by Walt Disney in 1927, a year before Mickey Mouse . Designers say while Mickey's a "Boy Scout," Oswald is edgier . Even in the 1920s, Oswald was a gadget-obsessed techie .

(CNN) -- The loss of native tropical forests accounts for more than 10% of the carbon emissions responsible for the changing climate, receiving much-deserved attention at the recent U.N. climate change conference in Warsaw. When forests are cleared and burned, the carbon contained in the trees and other vegetation -- roughly half of their dry weight -- is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. Most of the carbon dioxide emissions caused by human activity come from fossil fuels. But native tropical forests average about 150 tons of carbon per hectare, and millions of hectares are cleared and burned every year. Over the past decade, governments and industry have responded to growing pressure to reverse deforestation, sometimes committing to reducing it to zero. But with few exceptions, we've lacked the tools to assess accountability. This changed when Science magazine published a groundbreaking analysis of annual deforestation on the entire planet between 2000 and 2012. With the help of Google Earth and using advanced computing techniques, University of Maryland professor Matthew Hansen and his colleagues analyzed unprecedented amounts of satellite imagery at a 30-meter scale. Their work allows anyone with a computer, tablet or smartphone and a decent Internet connection to see clearly where the world's forests are growing and where they are being destroyed. Go to Global Forest Change and click on different regions. Use the pulldown menu to see the state of forests all over the world from 2000 to 2012, using several measurements. Go to the damage locations like the swath of the Alabama tornado, Siberian forest fires, palm oil plantations in Borneo, and many more. Distant regions are close at hand, the range of forests becomes easy to grasp, and the speed at which many of the forests are vanishing grows far more difficult to ignore. More than 60 governments have signed on to the World Wildlife Fund's pledge to achieve "zero net deforestation" by 2020. The pledge specifically excludes offsetting native forest loss with tree plantations, although regrowing forests on abandoned lands can be subtracted from any "gross" deforestation. With the new digitized maps and data available online, civil society watchdogs can and should hold governments accountable for making progress toward their targets. Similar zero-deforestation pledges have been made by corporate leaders, including the board of the Consumer Goods Forum, a mammoth private sector consortium that includes hundreds of companies with combined revenues of more than $3 trillion annually. Most tropical deforestation is driven by growing global demand for agricultural commodities like beef, soya, palm oil and paper. Members of the consortium have promised to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains for those products. Ensuring the transparent flow of information from analyses like the one published in Science last week will be essential to keeping the private sector accountable. It is now possible to track what's happening in the remote regions of Brazil, Indonesia or Africa (PDF) or in the forests of the Russian Far East. For the past 25 years, we've had this kind of data only for the Brazilian Amazon. Every year when the Brazilian Space Agency releases its numbers, scrutiny ensues in Brazil and internationally. Few governments have possessed the combination of information and candor about their forests that the Brazilians have exhibited for the Amazon. And until 2012, as reported in Science, the trend had been looking good in Brazil. But on the same as this new report in Science was published, the Brazilian government announced dispiriting news from the sidelines of U.N. climate talks in Warsaw: Deforestation in the Latin American nation had reached 5,843 square kilometers (2,256 square miles) between August 1, 2012, and July 31, 2013, up from 4,751 a year ago. Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira called this increase unacceptable and said the government would not tolerate any rise in illegal deforestation, calling it a crime. Already, the issue has become fodder for next year's presidential election. Teixeira and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff are accountable to their national climate change policy, passed by the Brazilian National Congress in 2009. That law included a target for reducing Amazon deforestation to 3,900 square kilometers by 2020, an 80% drop from the average rate of forest loss from 1996 to 2005. Many developing countries simply lack sufficient knowledge of their forests, and many use questionable accounting practices. In Indonesia, the Ministry of Forestry has insisted that no deforestation happens when plantations for pulp and paper production replace native forests. Following that logic, you could completely replace some of the most biodiverse, carbon-rich ecosystems on Earth with monoculture acacia farms and brand them as "zero-deforestation." When we say that knowledge is power, we mean that people with access to knowledge have power and those without it are powerless. Transparency is the democratization of that critical access. Without it, governments and corporations are unaccountable. Overall, Hansen and his colleagues report that the deforestation trend in the tropics is worsening. Brazil's success at reducing forest loss through 2012 was more than offset by increased losses in Indonesia, Malaysia, Paraguay, Bolivia, Zambia, Angola and elsewhere. These and other results and their interpretations will surely be scrutinized and may be improved upon, because they are freely accessible in digital form. While government and corporate leaders increasingly profess the virtues of transparency and accountability, the translation of their words into practice has often lagged. But with our new access to digital information, gaps between words and deeds can and should be quickly exposed, even in the most remote regions of the planet. This is good news for all of us concerned about the forests, the people who depend on them and global climate change. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Daniel J. Zarin.

Daniel Zarin: Loss of native tropical forests accounts for 10% of carbon emissions . Zarin: We have never been able to track how much and where trees are disappearing . Zarian: A new online interactive shows exactly where forests are vanishing and how fast . Countries now can be held accountable, he says, for "zero deforestation" pledges .

(CNN Traveller) -- Natural beauty, outdoor living and fine dining -- Wendy Saunt crams one week's activities into one memorable day. Sydney's Opera House is recognized instantly the world over, but there are plenty of hidden gems to be found. 08.00: Chinese food for breakfast might seem like something you would only do with a hangover, but yum cha -- think Chinese tapas on trolleys -- is a Sydney tradition. Head down to China Town in Haymarket and take your pick -- East Ocean (421-429 Sussex Street) is a favorite with Sydneysiders. 09.00: Walk off your breakfast with some shopping. You will see many international designers and a plethora of great home-grown ones too, from Sass & Bide to Collette Dinnigan. Sieve through the grand Queen Victoria Building (known as the QVB) and David Jones department store in town, then head east across Hyde Park -- stopping off at the art deco Anzac war memorial ­-- towards Oxford Street, where there are some great boutiques. Sydney is also a good place to buy opals and pearls. 11.30: Continue east to the chi-chi 'old Sydney' suburbs of Paddington and Woollahra, where you will find some of the city's most beautiful architecture. Here the wrought iron balconies and the palm trees of the Victorian terrace houses lend the city a seductive, New Orleans feel. Stop for a coffee in one of the many fine coffee houses, then make your way up back up to Oxford Street and jump on the number 380 bus to Bondi. 12.30: For the best view of Bondi -- the quintessentialSydney beach -- get off the bus as it comes down the hill. From here, it is a short walk to Icebergs restaurant. From its vantage point on the coastal cliffs at the southern end -- overlooking the sweep of Bondi beach, the raging surf, and the gleaming white of the outdoor pool -- Icebergs is Sydney at its best. Tables at this renowned restaurant are hard to come by, so book ahead (www.idrb.com). After lunch, do the Bondi-to-Coogee coastal walk, which traces three bays -- Clovelly, Tamarama and Gordon's (a great snorkeling spot) -- and affords cliff-top views before finishing up, an hour or so later, at Coogee, a beach to the south. Once there, take your weary self down to Wylie's Baths, an outdoor sea water pool that has not changed since its inception in 1907, and get an al fresco massage (www.massagebythesea.com.au. From $25). 16.00: The best way to see the city -- which is laid out along the contours of a vast and beautiful natural harbor -- is from the air. Depending on your budget, you can take in the views from Sydney Tower (100 Market Street, $24.50), climb the Harbor Bridge (www.bridgeclimb.com, from $179), or charter a helicopter (www.sydneyhelicopters.com.au, from $180). If you want to see it from the 'ground', charter a yacht and join the harbor's fray (www.eastsail.com.au, from $625). 18.00: After a quick change, head down to Circular Quay for sun downers at the Opera Bar. With the Harbor Bridge to your left and the grand old Opera House to your right, it is easy to see why it is the place for evening drinks. House Brut is a steal at AUS$34 ($32); the bucket-sized portions of fries a snip at AUS$7 ($6.50). Do not be late, though -- the view here at dusk is enough to make you want to stay in Sydney forever. 19.00: While in the vicinity, see what is on at the Opera House -- there is a huge program, from world music to musicals too.(www.sydneyoperahouse.com). If that is not your scene, it is still worth taking a tour of the iconic building -- the last one is at 5pm, though ($32). 21.00: With Sydney famed for its cuisine, dining options are not in short supply. Billy Kwong's is one of the city's foremost places, dishing up vast portions of fresh, light and ever-so-tasty Chinese food in a tiny Shanghai tearoom-style restaurant (355 Crown Street, Surry Hills). For a taste of modern Australian, take a taxi to The Bathers' Pavilion, a seafood restaurant in the western suburb of Balmoral (4 The Esplanade, Balmoral Beach). Finally, Tetsuya's -- with its famed $195 10-course degustation menu -- is ranked by Restaurant magazine as the fourth best restaurant in the world (529 Kent Street, Sydney). To sit at its hallowed tables, you need to book several months -- possibly even a year -- in advance. 11.00: Still standing? Then hit the late-night bars. The Loft by the water (3 Lime Street, Kings Street Wharf, Sydney), Arthouse Hotel in the CBD (275 Pitt Street, Sydney), Ruby Rabbit in city's clubbing district (231 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst) and The Tilbury in one of Sydney's smartest suburbs (12 Nicholson Street, Woolloomooloo) are all good choices. And if you are at the latter, finish off your night with a pie at Harry's Cafe de Wheels (Cowper Wharf Road) -- another Sydney institution. CLICK HERE to subscribe to CNN Traveller . COPYRIGHT © 2008 INK PUBLISHING AND CABLE NEWS NETWORK, LP, LLLP, A TIME WARNER COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED .

Chinese food for breakfast -- yum cha -- is a Sydney tradition . Climb the Harbor Bridge for great views of the city . Dine at Tetsuya, ranked by Restaurant magazine as the 4th best in the world .

(CNN) -- The art of portraiture, once reserved for the rich, the royal and the holy, has found a new mass appeal online. Matt Held is painting 200 Facebook photos and giving them to the subjects. Some avid social-network users are commissioning artists to create small digital images to represent themselves in the online world. Other Internet-savvy people use automated computer programs and Web sites to generate posterized likenesses of themselves. Matt Held, a 38-year-old painter in Brooklyn, New York, has gained Internet celebrity for painting peoples' Facebook photos and then giving them to his subjects. And some identity researchers are trying to take the online portrait beyond images of people's faces entirely. All of these efforts underscore the fact that tiny images, often no bigger than a postage stamp, have become stand-ins for peoples' identities online. On the Web, people can recreate themselves in any way they choose. Unlike in the real world, where portraits are largely reserved for museums and the mantels of self-centered celebrities, online portraits are either free or relatively inexpensive. They're also essential for effective Internet communication, said Judith Donath, a fellow at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society. "In the physical world, there's a lot of effort people make in terms of how they look when they go out to walk down the street. Some people spend two hours to get ready going to the grocery store," she said. "In the physical world, there's the actual self, so you're not entirely dependent on a portrait." On the Internet, though, people can create their appearance through images they choose to represent themselves, she said. Donath is working with a group of students from the MIT Media Lab to take online portraiture beyond realistic-looking faces. In the future, she says, people will create pictures of themselves with the data trails they leave online. Visit the "Personas" project and type in your name to see how this might work. Donath said many people online are drawn to the fact that they don't have to look like the person they are in the real world. But this is also a sticking point in the world of online portraiture, said Dan Schawbel, a personal branding expert and author of a book called "Me 2.0." People should brand themselves online with a single professional photo that they display on all of their social networks so that strangers will be able to identify them, he said. "Seeing the same thing again and again and again is going to make you remember it," he said, adding that photographs of human faces are more emotional and memorable than drawings or other obscured representations. Erika Peterman would disagree. The 39-year-old in Tallahassee, Florida, paid $100 for local artist Lee Bretschneider to draw a caricature of Peterman as a comic book hero. She uses that image on her blog and on Facebook. "I do think an illustration is a way to unleash some fantasy aspect of yourself or maybe the way you'd like other people to see you," she said. Peterman, who blogs about comics and has read them since she was young, said her stylized comic-book image says something about her and is more compelling than a standard photo. She said she's not trying to hide anything behind the drawing. "I look how I look and I'm not fooling anybody," she said. "If the artist had me looking like Halle Berry, that'd be ridiculous." Joel Watson, who illustrates an online comic book series from Dallas, Texas, said he's gotten so many requests from fans asking him to draw avatars for their online social networks that he can't keep up with the demand. He said some clients came back to him several times wanting new drawings because they had shaved off their hair or somehow changed their look. Each of these efforts cost $50 to $100, he said. Several free Web sites offer to posterize a person's Facebook or Twitter icons, or let users assemble cartoon versions of themselves. The latest to catch on in a big way is a spin-off of the AMC show "Mad Men." On a site called MadMenYourself.com, people create stylized images of themselves as sleek advertising executives from the 1960s, in keeping with the show's theme. Dyna Moe, the 31-year-old New York artist who created the character components for the site, said at first she was "creeped out" to see so many computerized versions of her drawings floating around social networks. On Twitter, where tiny square icons stand in for a person's identity, it also became difficult to tell who some people were because the Mad Men icons all started to look similar, she said. It had a "hall of mirrors feeling," she said. The Web site had 8 million viewers the first week it launched, she said. MG Siegler, a blogger at TechCrunch, said his fans and friends found it jarring when he took down a photo from his social networks and replaced it with a "Mad Men" avatar. "They're like, 'Oh, what's going on here? Is there some sort of life change that you switched up your icon for?' " he said. "It's kind of funny that people do very much pay attention to them. I think people start to associate your identity with your [Twitter] icon," he said. Held, the painter in Brooklyn, is completing a series of 200 Facebook portraits. He chooses his subjects from a Facebook fan page called "I'll have my Facebook portrait painted by Matt Held," where more than 6,400 people have signed up. The project struck a surprising chord with people and helped pull him out of a lull in his career, Held said. While people in his paintings can use the images online free, he sells the canvas works in galleries for $1,800, he said. "Portraiture in itself has always been there, but I want to bring it out to the masses," he said. "There are so many people out there with awesome photos and awesome stories who I feel need to be painted."

The portrait, a centuries-old art form, is finding new life with the masses online . Some people pay artists to paint their Facebook profile pictures and Twitter icons . Free Web sites generate cartoon pictures of people for use in social media . Researcher says portraits are necessary stand-ins for people online .

(CNN) -- Americans are in a war that pits the politically correct against Christmas carolers, some say. They say it's a battle that plays out in the halls of Congress, retail stores and public schools across the country, and it's one that's been raging for years. Republican Rep. Henry Brown of South Carolina introduced a resolution this month asking that the House express support for the use of Christmas symbols and traditions and frown on any attempt to ban references to the holiday. "Each year, I could see a diminishing value of the spiritual part of Christmas," Brown said. "It would seem like another group would go from the Christmas spirit to the holiday spirit." "What I'm afraid of -- if we don't bring some kind of closure to this continuous change, then in 20 years it will almost be completely different from what we see today ... and so we would lose the whole emphasis of what the very early beginnings of Christmas was all about." So far, the resolution has one Democrat and 72 Republicans as co-sponsors. The House hasn't taken it up, but the chamber adopted similar resolutions in the past. Barry Lynn, an ordained minister and executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, isn't keen on the prospect of congressional action. "Resolutions like this come up because there is this bizarre view by some members of Congress that there is a war on Christmas and that they have to be the generals in some responding army," he said. "My advice to the lawmakers would be promote any religion you have through your private acts, and don't try to 'help' the baby Jesus by passing a resolution on his behalf. It is arrogant and ridiculous at the same time," Lynn said. Christmas is in no danger of being ignored, Lynn said, noting that signs of the holiday emerge as soon as Halloween passes. "You would literally have to be living in a very deep cave not to understand that there is a religious holiday called Christmas that is soon to come," he said. In his view, some people feel a "false sense of some kind of attack on Christmas" if a school holds a winter concert instead of a Christmas concert, or if retailers declare "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." Time.com: Brief history of the war on Christmas . In California, Tea Party activist Merry Hyatt is trying to get support for a ballot initiative that would require that public schools give their students an opportunity to hear Christmas songs. (Parents could opt out for their children). Lynn said the move violates the principles of church-state separation. "It's not being anti-Christmas to recognize that most Christmas carols are really hymns, and a hymn is a prayer set to music." Mathew Staver, law school dean at Liberty University, a Virginia college founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, said, however, that some schools and businesses are going too far to "censor" Christmas because they don't know the laws. Staver founded the Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit litigation group dedicated to advancing religious freedom and conservative values. The counsel provides free legal advice and defense for government entities to ensure religious viewpoints on Christmas are not censored. One example Staver cited began in Oregon, where an elementary school principal replaced Christmas trees with snowmen and banned all religious symbols, saying Santa Claus fell into the category. Liberty Counsel sent the principal a letter telling her the law doesn't require her to "secularize" the holiday. The counsel also pointed out that by banning religious symbols for a holiday with secular components, she risked violating the Constitution by not being "viewpoint neutral," Staver said. Parents were upset as well. The principal eventually changed course and restored the tree and jolly St. Nick. Staver keeps a "Naughty & Nice" list that shows which retailers include references to Christmas in their advertising and which do not. When he started the list five years ago, both sides were about even, but this year the "nice" list is longer. "It's better this year than it was in 2005, but I think it's better this year because we and others have made a point to make sure that Christmas is not forgotten," he said. Peter Sprigg, a senior fellow for policy studies with the Family Research Council, which promotes Christian values, said the "pro-Christmas side" has made progress in recent years. In some circles, he said, "Political correctness is preventing people from even sayings 'Merry Christmas.' " He said it's important to defend the right of people to celebrate the holiday and noted that December 25 is a federal holiday the government recognizes as Christmas. "If we want to be concerned about the fact that we are a multicultural nation, then the solution is to allow everyone the freedom to celebrate what they want rather than stifling the celebration of the majority because it might be offensive to the minority," Sprigg said. In Washington, Republicans have taken up the war on Christmas as their own battle. "Republicans and conservatives have definitely gained a lot of political points by pointing out some of the silliest and more extreme examples of political correctness," said Tom Smith, director of the General Social Survey at the National Opinion Research Center. But Republicans also should worry about pushing it too far, he added, because the American people believe in "good liberal thoughts" like "diversity and different people all being treated the same." It's OK to attack political correctness, he said, but the GOP must be careful not to come off as "anti-minority or against diversity." The attack can backfire as well if voters think their representative is more committed to protecting Christmas than protecting jobs or economic stability, Smith said. For Staver, the campaign to save Christmas continues, and it's one he will never abandon. "What happens this year is not necessarily an indication of what will happen next year, so I think each Christmas has to stand on its own and I think each one is worth fighting for," he said. "I think we are winning a lot of the battles in the war on Christmas, but I don't think the war is done, and I don't think it ever will be."

There's a resolution in the House to frown on attempts to ban references to Christmas . Others say signs of the holiday are everywhere in public space; "war" over Christmas is not real . Some go too far to "censor" Christmas because they don't know the laws, Mathew Staver says . Attacking political correctness is a balancing act, survey research expert says .

(CNN) -- Unfancied Switzerland inflicted the first big shock of the World Cup by consigning European champions Spain to a surprise 1-0 defeat in Durban. It is a nightmare start for Spain, which arrived in South Africa ranked as the second best team in the world. It will surely now have to win its next two group games to avoid an embarrassing exit before the knockout stages. Gelson Fernandes' 52nd minute strike for the Swiss came completely against the run of play, and will hardly be remembered as one of the tournament's finest, but despite pouring forward in the game's dying stages Spain could not salvage a point. The Swiss now share top spot in the group with Chile, which produced an impressive display to beat Honduras 1-0 in Wednesday's early kickoff. Jean Beausejour grabbed the only goal of the game, bundling home a cross from Mauricio Isla, but Chile could and should have scored more after squandering a host of chances. Switzerland 1-0 Spain . A spirited rearguard action earned Switzerland one of its most famous victories at the World Cup as it held on for a 1-0 win over Spain. Coach Vicente del Bosque will have plenty of soul searching to do after Spain dominated possession but struggled to create any clear cut chances. In a labored opening half, it was Spain defender Gerard Pique who forced the first save of the match as he twisted free in the penalty area before having his shot smothered by Switzerland goalkeeper Diego Benaglio. Barcelona striker David Villa was next to get a sight of goal as he drew Benaglio before curling a chip wide of the post but the Swiss negotiated their way to the break without conceding. With the second half seven minutes old Switzerland shocked Spain by scoring with its first attack of note. Blaise N'Kufo released Eren Derdiyok who took a tumble over the onrushing Iker Casillas, but as the ball squirmed loose Gelson Fernandes prodded it into an empty net. Spain responded by introducing Liverpool striker Fernando Torres but it was Villa who had the next chance, racing onto a through ball from Andres Iniesta only to be thwarted by Benaglio. Then as Villa turned on the edge of the area the ball ran free to Iniesta, who struck the ball narrowly wide of the far post. Torres then blazed wide from just inside the area before Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso crashed a venomous shot against the bar from 20 yards out. As the Spanish launched numbers forward they left gaps at the back and Derdiyok nearly put the game beyond their reach as he wriggled past Carles Puyol in the box before prodding a shot against the foot of the post. Torres blasted a volley over the bar in the closing stages but Switzerland duly held on to claim three points and register its first ever win over Spain. Spain's defeat means it now has no margin for error in the next two games against Honduras and Chile. After the game Del Bosque told AFP: "We tried to play. They played very far back and tried to counter-attack. They defended very well. We were playing to win and this victory has escaped us. We may not have shown our true personality as a team. "It's not a good sign to start off in this way but we have an obligation to cope with that and face the next two games trying to win. That'll be our goal for the next two matches. "Of course, you can lose in football, but I feel we'll try to get even. We must really give everything. It's pointless standing there with our heads hanging low. The next matches will be good." Chile 1-0 Honduras . Chile kicked off its first World Cup campaign in 12 years with a comfortable 1-0 victory against unfancied Honduras on Wednesday, but needed a fortuitous first-half goal to triumph in South Africa. The South Americans, who qualified second from their region behind Brazil, dominated the Group H opener in Nelspruit against a 38th-ranked team who scraped the final place in the CONCACAF zone. But for all its silky skills and intricate passing, coach Marcelo Bielsa was left frustrated on the sidelines as Chile could not translate its possession into goals as Honduras -- playing at soccer's showpiece event for the first time since 1982 -- defended stubbornly. The breakthrough came in the 34th minute when Jean Beausejour bundled the ball into the net after a low right-wing cross by Mauricio Isla. The forward claimed just his second international goal in 28 appearances, though television replays suggested the ball went in illegally off his arm after deflecting off a sliding Honduras defender. The Central Americans had another slice of poor luck in the first minute after halftime when Gary Medel was brought down by Edgard Alvarez on the edge of the penalty area -- but the referee ruled it was not a foul despite the Hondurans' appeals for a spot-kick. Chile playmaker Alexis Sanchez should have made it 2-0 just after an hour, but screwed his shot wide after a superb burst through the defense had put him clear on goal. Waldo Ponce then inexplicably stooped to head the ball straight at Honduras goalkeeper Noel Valladreas from close range when it seemed easier to score, having been set up by a well-worked free-kick. Chile had the ball in the net again with 15 minutes to play, but Jorge Valdivia was ruled offside after teammate Sanchez clearly used his hand to set him up -- for which he should have been booked by referee Eddy Maillet of the Seychelles. On Tuesday, Honduras became the first nation to select three brothers in a World Cup squad, with striker Jerry Palacios called up to replace the injured Julio Cesar de Leon. He was an unused substitute against Chile along with the younger of the trio, Johnny, while midfielder Wilson started the game and was booked shortly before the only goal.

Switzerland inflict a shock defeat on one of the World Cup favorites Spain . Gelson Fernandes grabs the only goal in a match Spain dominated . Spain is now facing an uphill task to qualify from Group H . Jean Beausejour scores only goal as Chile beat Honduras 1-0 in Group H opener .

Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- Like most college students, Jake McCoy had to apply for several loans to pay for his education. After a rigorous check of his credit, he secured the loans and has been paying them back since graduating from Baylor University in May 2006. Then, in October 2008, he received a letter from Baylor with bad news: A laptop computer with his account information had either been stolen or misplaced. "They told me my information was on it, and that's pretty much it," McCoy said. "I assumed that my information was in good hands; it was so hard to get the loans that I figured surely they'd protect it very well." The university set up a credit monitoring service for McCoy, now a first-year medical student at Baylor. The service expired in a year, and McCoy worries that he's still at risk for being on the hook for thousands of dollars that someone using his identity could spend. "The biggest concern is always that you don't know what someone is going to do with your financial information," said McCoy. "I was really worried that someone out there was going to be ruining my credit and how big of a headache it would be to resolve it." And McCoy is not alone. In March, a portable media device with personal data for more than 3 million people was stolen from Minnesota-based Educational Credit Management Corp. It is believed to be the largest breach of its kind. The thieves who stole the USB drive, like in other cases, may not commit identity thefts themselves, according to Jonathon Giffin, a system and software security researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "They may sell the information to others who have the knowledge of making money from those identities," Giffin said. Most credit card companies and banks offer some recourse if a customer becomes the victim of internet fraud. But when personal information is lost because a company is the victim of crime, it is often unclear who is ultimately responsible. There are U.S. laws that hold companies accountable when major breaches occur, and new legislation is being considered. The Personal Data Privacy Act of 2009 would require companies to notify, in writing, anyone affected by a security breach. Under the act, which is still pending a vote in Congress, companies would also be required to notify major media outlets if there are more than 5,000 people affected by a security breach. The company that carried McCoy's loans simply provided him with a basic $15 credit monitoring service that lasted for one year. "For me, it's not a one-year ordeal," said McCoy. "If I had ruined my credit, it would have taken me forever to get back on track. One year was a nice gesture, but I definitely wish it would have been more than just a year." More than 350 million personal records at hundreds of universities, government agencies and businesses have been at risk because of data privacy breaches since 2005, according to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit group that publishes reports on cybercrimes. Sometimes, that's a result of simple mistakes, and other times, it's the result of a criminal act. Either way, Giffin says everyone needs to protect their personal identity. "We can encourage organizations to try to protect our data using mechanisms such as data encryption, so that if a USB drive or a laptop is stolen, the data is encrypted and cannot be retrieved," he said. "But we would be relying on companies to do that for us." Encryption causes a slowdown for companies. System users would have to encrypt and decrypt the data every time they access it, which creates extra work, and companies may not have an incentive to pay for safer data. New legislation could change the way companies look at data safety costs. The Data Accountability and Trust Act, which has been passed by the House and awaits a vote in the Senate, would protect consumers by requiring companies to take reasonable measures to protect data containing personal information. If a security breach occurs, companies would be required to provide nationwide notice. But even if the bill is enacted, it may not be enough. Many laws dealing with internet protection haven't always been able to catch up to evolving cybercrimes. But that doesn't mean there hasn't been any progress in the ongoing battle to protect personal data, according to Adam Palmer, the lead adviser on cybersecurity issues for Norton. "There are some very good, tough laws right now on both the state and federal level, and there's a lot of legislation in the pipeline to try to address some of these crimes," said Palmer, a former cyber-crime prosecutor. But new challenges exist for fighting crime in a virtual world. Palmer says cybercriminals often use sophisticated technology to launch attacks. "You can't go to a crime scene and take pictures and interview witnesses, so it's in some ways a very old crime that still relates to stealing money, stealing people's identities," he said. "It's done with such complexities, that makes it very difficult for prosecutors." Giffin says there has been a significant shift in cybercrime over the last decade, including new techniques such as "botnets," which are computers that can transmit viruses to other computers without the knowledge of the owner. Although cybercriminals continue to develop new methods of attack, there are no new ways for users to protect themselves other than what experts have advised for years: . • Maintain good security practices . • Exercise greater awareness of how your information could be used . • Check credit reports . • Tell your financial institutions to track your accounts . • Report any cybercrimes to law enforcement . But even in doing so, consumers -- like McCoy -- still face a potential risk when their personal information is in the hands of others. McCoy says he is more careful with his information, and he hopes that businesses take more precautions with their customers' personal data. "It still put that doubt in my mind about how easy it could be for businesses that I trust to lose my information or have it stolen," McCoy said. "I don't know why they were carrying around information on a laptop. I feel like they should be a little more protective with information than that."

Most credit card companies and banks offer help to victims of internet fraud . However, it's unclear who is responsible when the company is a victim of crime . A student loan company lost a laptop with Jake McCoy's personal data . "I don't know why they were carrying around information on a laptop," McCoy said .

Houston, Texas (CNN) -- In the hours after a 2005 refinery explosion that left 15 people dead, a BP executive suggested a holiday weekend and the national furor over a Florida woman's last days would eclipse the tragedy. With the oil company now battling to save an image tarnished by the worst oil spill in U.S. history, the lawyer who found that e-mail among a mountain of BP documents says nothing appears to have changed. "Their strategy is the same every time ... And it's always, first, damage control," Brent Coon told CNN. "And with damage control, they accentuate the positive, downplay the negative, tell everybody they're sorry, they're gonna fix it, they're gonna do better, and not to worry." Coon represented many of the victims of the March 2005 explosion at BP's refinery in Texas City, near Houston. The blast killed 15 workers and injured 180, with many of the survivors suffering severe burns, amputations and broken bones. During litigation that followed, Coon extracted about 7 million documents from the company, including the e-mail that discussed whether the upcoming Easter weekend would push the explosion off the public stage. SIU blog: Internal e-mail shows how BP handles a crisis . "Looks like injuries and loss of life are heavy. Expect a lot of follow up coverage tomorrow. Then I believe it will essentially go away -- due to the holiday weekend," BP America public relations chief Patricia Wright advised other executives. Wright added, "This is a very big story in the U.S. right now -- but the Terry Schiavo story is huge as well." Read the email . Schiavo was the severely brain-damaged Florida woman whose case became the centerpiece of a national right-to-die battle, and the controversy was reaching a climax just as the Texas City explosion occurred. Coon said the document made him "sick to my stomach." But he says the stacks of paper, e-mails and slides uncovered after the Texas City blast offer a rare insight into the culture of BP and may take on a new meaning in light of the massive Gulf spill. BP is now under fire for its failure to shut down a ruptured undersea well in the Gulf of Mexico, a spill that now dwarfs the 1989 grounding of the Exxon Valdez in Alaska's Prince William Sound. Critics say it has downplayed the scale of the disaster, underreported the amount of oil leaking and is trying to keep images of the gusher under wraps. With its stock plummeting and the environmentally friendly image it spent years cultivating taking a beating, the company has taken out full-page newspaper ads and aired television spots in which CEO Tony Hayward apologizes for the spill and vows, "We will make this right." But Coon said BP appears to be following "the same course of conduct" it did after Texas City. "I don't think there's a shred of evidence in BP's favor that shows that they've done anything to change their corporate safety culture," he said. BP has not responded to multiple requests for interviews with either CEO Tony Hayward or another executive familiar with the Texas City documents. At least four of the people included on Wright's e-mail are still working as spokespeople for BP, CNN has found. The Gulf spill began when the drilling platform Deepwater Horizon, owned by BP contractor Transocean Ltd., blew up and sank off Louisiana, taking 11 workers with it. BP, Transocean and oilfield services contractor Halliburton all have pointed fingers at each other in hearings in Washington and in New Orleans. Coon says the documents his law firm unearthed in the Texas City case showed BP employees warned that corners at the plant were being cut, and dangerous conditions were being ignored. "Quit waiting for a known possible disaster to happen before correcting the problem," one worker wrote. Another stated, "This company deliberately put my life in danger to try and save a buck." A third complained, "If this facility was an aircraft carrier, we would be at the bottom of the ocean." Read BP employees' comments . "What was shocking was that we didn't just find that smoking gun," Coon said. "We found an entire arsenal. You could have fitted an army with all of the smoking guns that we found in this." Also among the documents that turned up in the lawsuit was a guide to filling out incident reports, created by lawyers hired by BP, that urged workers to "avoid language that is negative, inflammatory or implies criminal intent or willful misconduct." Coon dubbed one slide from the BP presentation the "dirty words document," which tells workers to avoid terms like "reckless," "careless" or "incompetent." "They don't want to have anything in any of their reports or anything in writing that indicates that they did anything wrong," he said. The Texas City blast killed 15 BP contractors who were housed in a trailer near the site of the explosion, which originated with equipment used to boost the octane levels in gasoline. In 2007, BP pleaded guilty to a felony, agreed to pay $21 million in fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and paid another $50 million in criminal penalties in connection with the disaster. The plea agreement required the company to fix the problems that led to the explosion. But when that didn't happen, they fined BP again in 2009 -- an $87 million proposed penalty that would be the largest in the agency's history if upheld. BP is contesting those citations and the assessed penalties. Coon said the Texas City case shows BP "has a lot of systemic problems that they are never going to change unless somebody makes them change." "If they don't make them change, something worse is going to happen," he said. "And it won't be that long. And it did happen."

Documents show BP's concern over media coverage of deadly 2005 Texas refinery explosion . BP exec's e-mail says coverage of the explosion 'will ... go away -- due to the holiday weekend' BP is now under fire for failure to cap its oil well in the Gulf of Mexico . Lawyer says 2005 documents show BP's focus on 'damage control' hasn't changed .

(CNN) -- Late last month, school officials at Deborah Brown Community School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, sent 7-year-old straight-A student Tiana Parker home crying. Her offense? Wearing dreadlocks. The school's policy at the time said "hairstyles such as dreadlocks, afros, mohawks, and other faddish styles are unacceptable." Rather than change their daughter's hair to adhere to the school's policies, Tiana's parents, Miranda and Terrance Parker, instead made the brave decision to remove their daughter from the school. The charter school's board decided Monday night to change its dress code, but when I first learned about the story, and saw Tiana in tears, it reminded me of a time in my life when I yearned to have long, straight flowing hair. Hair that looked nothing like the hair that grew naturally out of my head. Hair that my mother would have to pay someone else to create through chemical processing. Hair that, when it was "done," still didn't look "did" -- at least not like the tresses that garnished the heads of all the little girls that other children and adults named "pretty." Hair that forever escaped me. Hair that, in its absence, made me cry. Whereas I spent most of my youth chasing beauty, at only 7, Tiana and her parents are simply seeking affirmation for a beauty that is the child's own; a beauty that would take me another 17 years to find. Seeing that precious little brown girl break down and cry in front of news cameras, I became instantly focused on her. And her spirit. And her self-reflection. And I wanted to do something for her. So I reached out to other women with dreadlocks -- more positively referred to as "locs" -- to create a care package, of sorts, to affirm a little girl's beauty; a digital book of photos and messages from 111 women and girls from all over the country and all over the world, all of whom wear their hair in locs, all of whom want Tiana to know that she and her hair are perfect. When a 7-year-old, straight-A student is removed from class and told that she cannot go to her school any longer simply because she wears her hair in a culturally specific hairstyle, there is a big chance that her reflection on herself, and perhaps even her culture, will be negatively impacted. Rather than run the risk that little Tiana might look in the mirror and see something wrong, I wanted to manually, if not emotionally, insert a positive reflection for her, one that I myself didn't get until I was well into my adult years. It wasn't until I was an adult that I learned about the politics of black beauty. We live in a society in which normative standards tend to reflect those ideals established by the dominant group. And in a racialized society such as our own, one in which the white ideal is constantly pedestaled as the ideal against which all other bodies are measured, black bodies are often regarded substandard -- "unacceptable" as is. For black women, our ability to be perceived as beautiful in this society depends upon our ability to emulate a white ideal for feminine beauty. The closer our features are to white ones -- straight hair, light skin and aquiline features -- the more likely it is that we will be regarded as beautiful. So when compared to a white ideal, natural hair is not beautiful, especially not dreadlocks. But the issue here isn't just one of beauty. Tiana was not asked to leave her school because her hair was judged "ugly." She was asked to leave because school officials opined that her hair was "faddish" and "unacceptable." The problem lies in perspective: On what grounds and on whose terms do we determine what is "acceptable?" Dreadlocks are rooted in our cultural history and are as old as humanity itself. Yet Tiana's African-American led school, one chartered by Langston University, a historically black university, didn't view her hairstyle in the truth of its own cultural significance. And therein lies the issue. Tiana's story is the one that made the news, but so many young girls question their beauty every single day. Our girls need constant affirmation. Girls need to know they are beautiful, even though there are people in this world that would have us believe that natural hair is "ugly" and "nasty." If they can't pick up a magazine in the checkout line of the grocery store, turn to any page, and see themselves reflected, then we as adults have to provide them that reflection. And affirmation. "A Care Package Full of Locs" is one such reflection -- my attempt to begin to ground Tiana and all the little Tianas in their own culture, and in their own norms, and in their own beauty, lest they be forced to compare themselves to others, lest they look in the mirror and find something wrong. Plus, I just want them all to know that they have an army of sisters, cousins, aunties, mamas, grandmothers and elders all over the world who support them. I sent the care package to Tiana and her family. When I spoke to them Sunday, they were extremely thankful for the outpouring of love and support. And when I asked Tiana how she was feeling, she responded, "Much better. Thank you." A few hours later she sent me a text to tell me her message to little girls -- "Believe in yourself." As I did back in December, after CNN aired its documentary "Who is Black in America?" and as I do often, I'm calling on everyone to join me in "singing a black girl's song," not only for Tiana, but for all the little girls who could benefit from the affirmation of their beauty and their value. An intimate weaving of past and present, memory and contemporary, their stories are our stories. Perhaps if they know that we truly understand, they can be encouraged to see themselves through our eyes; perhaps they will soon be able to see themselves for what they are: Pretty brown girls. No matter her hair texture, length, color or style, please, in some way, tell a little black girl that she is beautiful today. And every day. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Yaba Blay.

An Oklahoma student was told wearing dreadlocks was against the school policy . This week, the elementary school changed the dress code policy . Author Yaba Blay says people should affirm brown girls' beauty and value .

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- With South Korea returning to an uneasy calm down after a fatal artillery attack on an offshore island Tuesday, North Korean watchers in Seoul were scrambling to explain what may have been the thinking behind Pyongyang's fatal attack. Experts offered a range of opinions, saying that recent events could be a show of strength designed to bolster the reputation of the successor to the state's leadership, and suggesting that North Korea's recent actions fit into a predictable pattern of provocation. Others, however, warned that North Korea's military brinksmanship will continue regardless of who is in charge in Pyongyang, and warn that if South Korea does retaliate, it could ignite a potentially lethal --- and uncontrollable -- cycle of escalation. Read more CNN coverage on North Korea . Even South Korea's defense minister was drawn into the speculation. "Our judgment is that North Korea carried out the attack to consolidate the succession process in the country by showing off the leadership of Kim Jong Un," South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted Defense Minister Kim Tae-young as saying in a meeting with lawmakers. Kim Jong Un, the third son of ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, was named a four-star general just before a rare Workers Party Congress in September, and was named to the party's powerful military committee. He has since been seen widely alongside his father and senior generals, leading North Korea watchers to believe that a succession process is now under way, designed to place the younger Kim in his father's place on the latter's passing. South Korean pundits agreed with the minister. "The first reason for this attack is the instability of Kim Jong Un. That is the fundamental reason," said Young Howard, who heads the NGO Open Radio for North Korea, which maintains a network of contacts north of the two Koreas' demilitarized zone. "Constant military tensions help him to keep the support of his military, and to unite the North Korean people." Others suggested that it is the militaristic nature of North Korean society, rather than the current succession process that is the key to its behavior. "I think there is a danger in the West's tendency to interpret all North Korean actions in the context of topical events, in other words, by saying everything North Korea is doing is aimed at ensuring a smooth succession for Kim Jong Un," said Brian Myers, author of "The Cleanest Race," an authoritative study of North Korean propaganda. "This is implying that once Kim Jong Un is firmly seated in power, this behavior is not going to continue, and I think that is dangerous. If you are a military first regime, you flex your muscles; this is what North Korea is, and this is what it does." While some in the South had hoped that Kim Jong Il's successor might be reform-minded, recent events, and Kim's strong identification with the North Korean People's Army, suggests a continuation -- or possibly a buttressing -- of the regime's current Songeun, or "military first" policy. Still, the apparently calibrated pattern of recent North Korean provocations --- last week, it was revealed that North Korea had displayed a new and well-equipped uranium enrichment plant to visiting U.S. scientists -- is predictable, another expert said. "The North Koreans asked in late summer for a resumption of aid and essentially they were ignored, so now they are sending a message to South Korea --- by shelling an island -- and to United States --- with their uranium plant --- that they are not withering away, they are still here and still dangerous," said Andrei Lankov, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Kookmin University. "They chose the soft spots of both sides, so this is a way to a send a message to both the White House and the Blue House: "We are here, we are crazy, we are dangerous. And our last paycheck is long overdue." Read more from Andrei Lankov . The Blue House is the South Korean presidential residence. Alternatively, North Korea could have felt legitimately threatened, said another expert, citing the fact that Pyongyang had demanded the halt to a South Korean firing exercise off their shared coast --- the South Korean side refused to heed the demand -- before it opened fire. "The North Koreans sound like communist lunatics, and fanatics, when in fact most soldiers in the North Korea army are tending rabbits and farming crops," said Michael Breen, a biographer of Kim Jong Il. "There is good reason for them to be nervous: There is firing off their coast. They have to make a judgment call, so they start, and the whole world thinks they are bad guys, and that Kim Jong Un is strengthening its position, but it could have been a miscalculation." Tuesday's attack was the second time this year that the North Korea has introduced a weapons system that has been unused on the peninsula since the 1950-53 Korean War, South Korea says. In March, a South Korean warship, the Cheonan, was sunk in what a South Korean investigation says was a North Korean submarine torpedo attack. The North has denied sinking the warship. Tuesday's artillery exchange was the first such since an armistice, rather than a peace treaty, halted the fighting in summer 1953. While South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has demanded massive retaliation should North Korea repeat its actions, that raises a risk of dropping the peninsula into a potentially uncontrollable vortex of retaliation and counter-retaliation. Still, there are limits to the country's forbearance. "The South has been pretty tolerant, but how much can you tolerate?" asked Dan Pinkston, who heads the International Crisis Group's Seoul office. "I don't know what the red line is, but if you don't retaliate, this is giving a green light" to North Korea. Should retaliation take place, could it unleash Korean War II? "I think it is unlikely, I think it will cool off," Pinkston said. "But it is dangerous."

Opinions vary widely among North Korea watchers . Theories include a show of strength and a miscalculated reaction to an apparent threat . Another expert says the North is frustrated by being ignored diplomatically . Yet another theory: Pyongyang needs constant military tension to unite its people .

Washington (CNN) -- As with any State of the Union address, President Barack Obama this year had several audiences and there were multiple aims for the White House: To show that he understands the economy is still struggling and that he will do more to help the unemployed find jobs, and to portray a different side of himself than what was seen on Inauguration Day -- one willing to reach out to the other party. While the president did offer some new proposals -- including increasing the minimum wage and guaranteeing preschool -- many of the ideas he pushed were repeating what he had previously offered but went nowhere in divided Washington. And we saw a president trying to expand the use of executive power to help push his agenda. State of the Union brings out more of the 'same old, same old' Here are five things we learned Tuesday night: . 1. It's still the economy, stupid . It very well could have been a campaign speech given last year -- the president talking about the need for a balanced approach to deficit reduction, at least four references to protecting the middle class, the need to reignite "the true engine of America's economic growth." With the recovery still weak, unemployment at 7.9% and the nation's growth rate shrinking the last three months of 2012, the president and his team know much of his legacy may be dependent on helping reignite the economy. The president pushed for 15 manufacturing hubs to help spur high tech job growth. With $85 billion in automatic across-the-board spending cuts set to take effect on March 1, Obama pushed for a replacement of them because some economists warn they could lead to a recession. However, he did not give any ground on what he would accept as an alternative -- setting up the next major fiscal fight with Republicans. 53% of those watching speech give Obama thumbs up . 2. Mr. Bipartisan? Facing hundreds of members of the opposing party, Obama took a decidedly different approach than he did in his aggressive inaugural address. "They do expect us to put the nation's interests before party. They do expect us to forge reasonable compromise where we can. For they know that America moves forward only when we do so together and that the responsibility of improving this union remains the task of us all," the president said early on in the address. He even praised some Republicans -- he pointed to how Sen. John McCain, his 2008 opponent, worked with then-Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Democrat turned Independent, on climate change. He mentioned his 2012 opponent, Mitt Romney, and said we should try his idea of tying the minimum wage to the cost of living. GOP's Rubio rips Obama, says his plans will hurt middle class . While he talked about how chances are good for bipartisan approaches on tax and immigration reform, Republicans can be expected to say they haven't seen a different approach so far from the president on many key issues: He wants more tax revenues and more government spending on his priorities, which are non-starters among Republicans. Fifty-three percent of those surveyed in a CNN/ORC instant poll of speech-watchers said they did not believe the address would lead to bipartisan cooperation while 39% said they thought it would. Obama hearts Romney in State of the Union . 3. Show me the money . Proposals he floated would make high-quality preschool available to every child, provide tax credits for businesses to hire and invest, promote more scientific research and development, further shift cars and trucks away from gasoline, and invest in infrastructure. "Nothing I'm proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single dime." he said. "It's not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in broad-based growth." But White House officials refuse to put a price tag on the programs -- or to reveal how, in fact, they would be paid for. They promised more details when the White House's budget proposal is released in a few weeks. CNN Fact Check: Obama on fuel economy -- Your mileage may vary . 4. If they won't, I will . The president demonstrated clearly how he plans to aggressively use executive actions to push policy if Congress thwarts him and he announced action on climate change and cybersecurity. "If Congress won't act soon to protect future generations, I will," he said. "I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy." After efforts dealing with cybersecurity failed to pass Congress, the president signed an executive order to increase information-sharing and to help the private sector develop standards. These moves came after the president last month approved 23 executive actions dealing with gun control. Obama also used the speech to make his base happy by emphasizing such liberal priorities as climate change and equal treatment and benefits for gay Americans as well as announcing a bipartisan commission to improve the voting system and pushing for a hike in the minimum wage. CNNMoney: The impact of a $9 minimum wage . 5. Even presidents can't control the news . While the White House tried to build up suspense around what the president would say, as soon as news broke Tuesday afternoon that accused cop-killer Christopher Dorner was believed to be holed up in a cabin in the California mountains, much of the media immediately switched gears. What would have been hours of coverage of what was expected from the speech, what Obama's message might be and discussion of his agenda did not happen. Would this be another split-screen State of the Union similar to when networks flashed news of the verdict in O.J. Simpson's civil trial during Bill Clinton's 1997 address? That did not happen this time but as soon as Obama wrapped up most news organizations quickly updated viewers on the Dorner story. But the president might have gotten an unintended benefit from the other story of the day -- interest in Dorner might have helped boost the audience for the address. Opinion: Obama dares Congress to get the job done .

Obama's State of the Union address could have been a campaign speech from last year . While he did give a nod to the opposing party, some of his proposals are non-starters with GOP . Obama says proposals won't increase debt, but officials won't say how they'll be paid for . President made it clear that if Congress won't deal with issues, he'll do it by executive order .

(CNN) -- It's a warm day in West Des Moines, Iowa, a small town in America's heartland. Off a main thoroughfare, an unassuming gym sits in a strip mall. People come and go, passing a young woman sitting in a desk chair just inside the gym's front door, getting her hair and makeup done. She is Gabby Douglas, and when the women's gymnastics all-around gold medal was placed around her neck at the London 2012 Olympics, she became an instant superstar. When we met her at the gym her host family owns, she was busy smiling, jumping and posing for a photo shoot with Seventeen Magazine. Here, in the middle of Iowa, Douglas continues to work and train, and balance new-found celebrity with everyday life. One year after the 2012 Olympics, it is just one example of how everything and nothing has changed. The London event was heralded as "the Women's Games" and for good reason -- for the first time, every country and every event allowed women to compete. Exactly a century after the founder of the modern Olympics said "an Olympiad with females would be impractical, uninteresting, unaesthetic and improper," the International Olympic Committee, or IOC, celebrated the most equal Olympics to date. Some countries, like the United States and China, actually sent more women than men. And for the first time ever, Brunei, Qatar and Saudi Arabia had women on their national teams. Saudi Arabia was long seen as the last holdout, its hand eventually being forced by the IOC, which delivered an ultimatum: send women, or face a ban from all Olympic competition. In a country where women can't vote until 2015, can't play sports in public schools, and can't even drive, the Middle East country had to find female athletes to represent it. The search turned up two women -- Sarah Attar and Wodjan Sharkhani. Attar, a dual citizen of Saudi Arabia and the U.S., grew up in California. Normally a marathon runner, she was told less than two months before the Games began that she would be running the 800-meter race in London. "It was definitely a big thought process going into it," Attar told CNN's "An Uneven Playing Field" documentary in her first television interview since the Olympics. "It wasn't something that I'd been working for, for so long, which so many Olympians do, and essentially it came down to, how could I not go?" The sight of Attar on the running track dressed in leggings, long sleeves and a special head-covering brought international attention to an otherwise routine 800m heat. And while she finished dead last, she was celebrated around the world for her historic accomplishment. But not everyone was pleased with Saudi's compliance. Back in the kingdom, Attar and 16-year-old teammate Sharkhani faced criticism and threats. On Twitter, someone started the hashtag "prostitutes of the Olympics" in Arabic, and many wondered if Attar and Sharkhani -- who lost her first judo match in less than two minutes -- were truly trailblazers, or token entrants. "It really was a brilliant moment," says Alison Kervin, sports editor of The Mail on Sunday, and the UK's first female sports editor of a major British newspaper. "But when those girls went back to Saudi Arabia and all these other countries, whether that led to girls in their countries suddenly putting on trainers and throwing off their burkas and getting out on the running track, I'm not sure. "One Games, over two weeks, however wonderful it was, isn't enough to change the face of women's sport." While the IOC also admits more needs to be done, particularly in getting more women into leadership positions in sport, there is no doubt London 2012 was worth celebrating for most -- but not all. English athlete Samantha Rippington disputes the claim that all the events included women. She is a canoeist, competing at world championships but not at the Olympics -- because her sport is not included. The event of "canoe and kayak" is grouped -- allowing the IOC to say all events include women, when technically they don't. "It's very frustrating," said Rippington. "There's 36, 37 countries competing or developing women's canoe around the world, so I know there are athletes who are at standard, who want to race, and are very much capable of racing at the Olympics." It shines a light on another inequality at the Olympics -- the medal count. At London 2012, men had the chance to compete in 163 events, while the women had only 131 events. Some events, like boxing, had fewer weight classes available to women, even though women's international boxing recognizes more than the three chosen for the London Olympic program. Rippington filed a discrimination claim against the London Organizing Committee last year. And while she wasn't able to get women's canoe added to the London 2012 program, she continues the fight for the next Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016. But the women who did get their chance last year took full advantage. Many of the most memorable faces of the 2012 Games were females -- like the UK's Jessica Ennis, Douglas and her "Fierce Five" teammates, the U.S. women's football side and Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen. Despite the challenges that remain, London 2012 provided a foundation for gender equality in sport. It produced countless female role models, heroes, and champions -- and for 17 days in time, leveled the playing field. "It's the start isn't it," said Kervin. "Hopefully we'll look back in 20, 30 years and remember that first Olympics when it started and then go, 'Gosh you wouldn't imagine an Olympics not full of women.' "So it's just a start of a very big process, and it was a fantastic start."

A year on from the Olympics have attitudes towards women's sport changed? Women competed in every event at 2012 and were on every single team . Led to hopes the fight against inequality in sport could be transformed . Games produced countless role models, heroes, and champions .

(CNN) -- In Brazil, they use the expression "futbol arte" to describe the type of soccer which made the country's world champion team of 1970 so easy on the eye. But no longer -- football has changed, and Brazil has changed too. When it won the World Cup in 1994, the national team's style of play was dubbed "futebol dá força" -- a tougher, more pragmatic approach. And, after a year of violent protests, rubber bullets and tear gas, the romantic ideal of Brazil often portrayed in glossy travel magazines seems hard to imagine. Thursday marks the start of an opportunity for Brazil to redefine itself after a difficult 12 months preparing for arguably the world's largest and most popular event. So no pressure, then, on Brazil's footballers, who take on Croatia in the tournament's opening game in Sao Paulo, the recent epicenter of the unrest. Will the host team's expected progress, led by current hero Neymar, help ease the sense of injustice which has ingrained itself within the population? As if that wasn't a great enough weight on the shoulders of coach Luiz Felipe Scolari's team, there is the added pressure of Brazil's quest to exorcise the ghosts of 1950 -- which will begin 64 years after what is known as the country's "Hiroshima." When Uruguay defeated Brazil in the deciding match courtesy of Alcides Ghiggia's strike, it left an indelible mark on a country whose first love has always been football. And yet, after more than six decades of waiting for the tournament to return to their home country, the Brazilian people are otherwise engaged. Whereas football may still be a religion, its Brazilian congregation have slowly turned their backs on their deity. "This World Cup is not for the Brazilians," 59-year-old street vendor Maria Elza de Fatima told CNN. "It is for the foreigners and FIFA friends." While thousands of tourists flock to Brazil and media pack the streets to broadcast the action across the world, Sao Paulo has been brought to a standstill by metro workers striking over wages -- the latest in a series of protests against the government. An estimated $11 billion of public money has been spent on hosting the tournament -- much to the chagrin of the protesters, who argue that money might have been better spent on public services.. "I think the best moment to protest is at the end of the World Cup," says two-time World Cup winner Cafu, Brazil's most-capped footballer, who was speaking to CNN to promote the Castrol Footkhana skills challenge. "This will be the moment we can show ourselves that we can fight for our rights -- better education, better healthcare, better culture, better transportation," he told CNN. "This is the moment we can show the world we are capable of staging a well-organized World Cup. We will show we are a democratic country and (later) fight for our rights." Once the football starts, nobody will be more relieved than FIFA and its under-fire president, Sepp Blatter. The 78-year-old, who has held the position since 1998, was told Tuesday that he should not stand for a fifth four-year term by some of the organization's key European members within UEFA. However, at Wednesday's FIFA Congress in Sao Paulo, he told delegates "my mission is not finished ... I am ready to accompany you in the future." Just a fortnight after allegations of corruption during the 2022 World Cup vote was reported by Britain's Sunday Times, Blatter has been forced to endure one of the most difficult periods of his tenure. The newspaper claims to have unearthed millions of emails and other documentation which allege Qatar's former FIFA Executive Committee member Mohamed Bin Hammam used a multimillion-dollar slush fund to buy support for the bid. The claims have been strenuously denied by Qatar organizers, who in a statement released to CNN Sunday said they had been co-operating fully with U.S. lawyer Michael Garcia, who has been appointed by FIFA to lead an investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, awarded to Russia and Qatar. But president of the Dutch Football Association Michael Van Praag believes enough is enough. "I then said at the microphone: 'I like you a lot, there is nothing personal here, but the reputation of FIFA is today inextricably linked to corruption," recounted Praag of what transpired at Tuesday's UEFA meeting. "FIFA has a president. You are responsible, you should not stand again." Despite the barbs, Blatter appeared in bullish mood Wednesday when speaking at the world governing body's congress, insisting FIFA could be a force for positive change. While European nations have gone public about their opposition to Blatter, African and Asian members have backed the Swiss to continue in the role he has held since 1998. "The answer is easy and simple ... we must lead by example and we must listen to all voices, we must be responsible and upright in all that we do, we must do the right thing even if that comes at a cost," Blatter told the audience. "It's not always very easy to live up to this principle. But it's our duty ... if we do not do it, who will?" The bad news for Blatter is that the Sunday Times promises more revelations on Qatar, which suggests football might continue to play second fiddle to politics for a while yet. A successful World Cup and a Brazil victory might go some way to temporarily muffling the protests of both the Brazilian people and FIFA's growing critics. In Rio, the Christ Redeemer statue overlooks the Maracana stadium, where the World Cup final will be staged on July 13. In just over a month we will find out if Brazil 2014 has restored people's faith in football -- not just in the host nation, but across the globe. Are you looking forward to the World Cup? Have your say in the comments box below or continue the conversation at @WorldSportCNN and on Facebook .

The 2014 World Cup starts in Sao Paulo on Thursday . Host nation Brazil faces Croatia in opening game . 32 teams from across the world competing at tournament . Final to be held in Rio de Janeiro on July 13 .

(CNN) -- The bonds we renew in person between friends and family as we visit during the holiday season get reactivated online after we all go home. This is the time when feast and Facebook go hand-in-hand. And as it turns out, these two activities are more related than you might imagine. Two years ago, we published a study in the New England Journal of Medicine that showed weight gain could spread from one person to others in our real-life social networks. When we gain weight, so do people who are one "degree of separation" from us: our friends, siblings, spouses, and co-workers. The effect doesn't stop there. It also spreads to people who are two degrees removed from us, like our friends' spouses, or our siblings' co-workers, or our friends' friends. In fact, it even spreads to three degrees of separation, to our friends' friends' friends. Our social networks contain large interconnected clusters of people who gain weight in parallel. Several social processes might explain the appearance of such clusters. One reason might be a kind of social contagion, whereby behaviors or attitudes related to body size flow through the network. On the other hand, although a pair of friends might influence each other, they also might choose to be friends with one another because they were similar in the first place. Or they might both react the same way to something in their environment, like a new doughnut shop down the street. Teasing these effects apart requires the right kind of data. When we followed thousands of people and mapped their social networks over 32 years, we found that obesity can spread from person to person to person. Today, when people say "social network," they usually think of Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace, and not necessarily the kinds of real-world networks we studied. Connection and contagion are so fundamentally rooted in our evolutionary psychology that they carry over even to very modern aspects of our lives -- including e-mail, blogs, and social networking sites. Alas, our study only went up to 2003, before online social networks became so popular. So a natural question to ask was whether the same clusters of overweight individuals exist online and, if so, under what circumstances. We started following a group of over 1,700 interconnected college students on Facebook about four years ago. In addition to all of their personal information and daily status updates and wall posts, we also had a very important resource: their photos. Although we could not put each of these students on a scale, we could study their photos and develop a systematic way to estimate each student's weight. It's true that people tend to post only flattering pictures of themselves, but, since everyone does this, we can still get an idea of who is relatively heavier than whom. And, it turns out that roughly a quarter of the people in our study were overweight or obese, which is close to the figure for college students nationwide. At first, when we analyzed the whole Facebook network, we were surprised to find no evidence of clustering. There did not seem to be any relationship between your weight and the weight of your Facebook friends. But we soon realized that this makes sense. Our previous work showed that the social contagion of obesity only works between people who have close social relationships. Even though we may have 1,000 "friends" online, the very tenuousness of these relationships means they may not be as powerful as a single real-world connection. So, you probably won't gain weight if just any old Facebook friend does. But what about your Facebook friends who are real friends -- the old-fashioned kind you had over to dinner at Thanksgiving? Do they affect us? And how might it be possible to figure out which Facebook connections are also important, real-world connections? One idea we had was to use the tagged photos that people share with one another online. If you upload a picture of someone, the chances are good that you have a real-world connection with them. In fact, while the average student in our sample has over 110 Facebook friends, they have only six "picture friends," a number very similar to the number of "close" friends people list when asked in sociology studies. It turned out that when we restricted our analysis to "picture friends," we found evidence that overweight people cluster on Facebook. The results suggest that if one of your picture friends is obese, it increases the likelihood that you are obese by 11 percent. And, even more remarkably, if a picture friend of your picture friend is overweight, it increases the likelihood you'll be overweight by 4 percent. In other words, we find evidence that clusters of overweight friends extend two degrees of separation on Facebook. Many processes could underlie this clustering online, just as was the case in the offline world. Perhaps people are more likely to befriend others who resemble them in terms of body size. Perhaps groups of online friends share exposures to things that make all of them gain -- or lose -- weight in synchrony. Or perhaps when one of your close friends online gains weight, you follow suit. It is not yet clear which of these processes is occurring, but this is the first evidence we've seen that suggests the online world may be like the offline world when it comes to body size. Of course, picture friends and real-life friends are likely to be one and the same. In fact, the reason we looked just at picture friends is because we think it is these real-world connections that are most likely to be the paths through which emotions and behaviors are transmitted from person to person to person. Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter give us new ways to keep in touch, but in many ways our online networks are really just an extension of the real-world networks that we have all inhabited for hundreds of thousands of years. Online as well as offline, human beings connect with each other and influence each other, and this influence can spread in a social chain reaction in ever-more-modern ways. As you enjoy your festive meals this season, take a moment to consider how truly powerful a real social bond can be. The effect of friends and family on your life remains long after the last of the leftovers are eaten. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler.

Christakis and Fowler: During holidays, feast and Facebook go hand-in-hand. Authors' study found weight gain can spread via real-life social networks . Writers say Facebook and other online networks mimic those in real world . Study of "picture friends" on Facebook reflected same clustering of overweight pals .

Montevideo, Uruguay (CNN) -- The tiny faces pressed against the airport window stare in wonder at the aircraft waiting for them at the end of the sky bridge: this is the plane that will take them to a new life. Syrian refugee Nassar and his family - he has five sons and five daughters, aged from three to 22 -- fled their home in Idlib as the country's bloody civil war took hold. Now, after almost three years of fear and uncertainty, they are on the move again, flying more than 12,000km from their temporary base in Lebanon to a more permanent home on the other side of the world. "Returning to Syria is not an option," Nassar told CNN a day before he began the daunting 23-hour journey to Uruguay, where he and his children are being resettled at the invitation of the country's President Jose Mujica. "I'm excited to go to Uruguay but I'm also nervous. I'm going because I want my kids to continue their education," he said. "Traveling to the other side of the world to find a new chance to live, this is not easy," said Uruguay's Human Rights Secretary Javier Miranda, who accompanied the group, along with a CNN team. "They are very brave to choose a new destiny for their lives because they want to educate their kids with dignity. They deserve our help and they deserve the opportunity." Uruguay has offered to take in up to 120 refugees to help with the humanitarian crisis sparked by the conflict in Syria. Nassar and his family are among the first 42 - five families -- to make the move. A second group is expected to follow by February 2015. Together, they will live at Hogar San Jose, a Catholic home on the outskirts of the capital, Montevideo, for two months, learning Spanish and adjusting to a new culture before moving on. First though, they have to get there. It's a lengthy and life-changing journey - from Beirut, via Frankfurt and Buenos Aires - and one filled with mixed emotions. After one final briefing from Pierre King, operations manager at the International Organization for Migration, which has organized the trip, and a last medical check-up, they are cleared to set off. For most of the refugees, it is their first time on a plane, so there is an air of excitement as well as of apprehension about what awaits them on arrival in Montevideo. Nassar's eldest sons, Mohammed and Bassel are keen to learn all they can about their soon-to-be-adopted home, peppering me with questions when we first meet. "What is life like there?" "What is the nature like?" "How can we live there and adapt quickly? How can we make friends?" "What is the weather like there?" "Which places can we visit?" They are all too aware that their first challenge will be the fact that they don't speak Spanish, but both young men are desperate to continue their education, having been forced to abandon their university studies when they left Idlib. Inevitably, the conversation turns to football; the brothers say they are looking forward to playing and watching it in Uruguay. Their favorite players? Neymar, Messi, and -- of course -- Luis Suarez. As the plane makes its way across the vast South American continent, Nassar studies the flight's interactive map on a screen. "Hours have passed and we are still flying above Brazil!" he says in amazement at the size and scale of the countries passing below. After a brief stop in Buenos Aires - a chance for the refugees to stretch their legs after more than 19 hours flying - they are finally on the last leg of the journey, a short hop to Montevideo. The children, by now familiar with the in-flight entertainment system, keep themselves occupied as they near their destination. Two of their fellow passengers, Uruguayans, greet the children with hugs and kisses after realizing who they are. "We are very happy to welcome them to our country," they told CNN. Eventually, tired but with broad smiles on their faces, the enthusiastic group of refugees emerges from the Air France flight at Montevideo's Carrasco International Airport. They are greeted by President Mujica after their arrival. Mujica later told reporters he hopes more countries will follow Uruguay's example and offer homes to Syria's refugees. "We must insist that the world moves in this direction; we can't continue with statements on human rights and [saying] that we support human rights if later we don't put our words into action, above all for the children." According to the U.N., there are more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees like Nassar's family registered in Lebanon, while the country's population is just over 4 million people. Lebanon's Minister of Social Affairs, H.E. Rashid Derbas, and UNHCR's Representative in Lebanon, Ninette Kelley, recently called for renewed investment in Lebanese infrastructure to help the country manage the influx of refugees from the Syrian conflict. "Lebanon today faces an unprecedented challenge to manage both its own population and Syrian refugees," said Kelley. "The presence of over 1.5 million Syrians across Lebanon has directly affected the public and service sectors at the national scale," Derbas explained. "From Akkar all the way to the South, our towns and villages have been at the forefront of the humanitarian response to an incessantly escalating crisis. The inhabitants of these communities have opened their hearts and homes to the refugees. Therefore, the projects undertaken since 2011 have brought much needed breathing space to our communities and improved our lives and the lives of our Syrian kin." Walking from the plane towards his new home, one of the children proudly showed off his football shirt, bearing Suarez's number 9. At last, he and his family have reached their final goal: a new country and a new life, leaving memories of war behind.

Five Syrian refugee families have been flown to Uruguay to begin a new life there . The group are the first of up to 120 Syrians who will be resettled in the South American country . Father-of-ten Nassar told CNN he was moving for the sake of his children's education . "They deserve our help and they deserve the opportunity," said Uruguay's Human Rights Secretary .

(CNN) -- When Daniel Okalany bought his first computer at the age of 21, he was hooked. Just two years on, Okalany runs his own mobile gaming company called Kola Studios from an office in the Ugandan capital of Kampala. Okalany recalled how he was able to buy the PC as part of a government scheme to get more computers into homes. "It was a Tropix TT3," he said, "My mum paid half for it and I paid the other half. It was about 1.3 million Ugandan Shillings ($500)." Okalany soon went on to set up Kola Studios with two friends. "Initially, we started the business in my home," he said. "It's very common in Africa for people to play traditional card games and we make these games available on mobile." At first, the company developed a two-player app called Matatu, a digital version of an old Ugandan card game by the same name. Matatu proved a smash hit, with 20,000 people downloading the game through the Mac App Store, Google Play and the Windows Store. Today, Kola Studios makes educational games with a fun twist. The company's zombie spelling game, Zword, is designed to help children and adults improve their English language skills. In order to fight off hordes of zombies, the player must spell words correctly within a time limit. "The faster you type, the faster they die," reads the website's slogan. According to Unicef, over a quarter of the Ugandan population is illiterate and Okalany hopes games like Zword will help to tackle the problem. "It was just a concept that we were experimenting with," he said. "We wanted to put the app into schools to help kids to spell. There is a major challenge in the fight against illiteracy." Despite Kola Studios' meteoric rise, the developer runs on a small staff of just five people. Okalany said the company is starting to take on interns but recruiting workers with the right skills is proving difficult. After learning how to use a PC as a teenager and studying computer science at Makerere University, in Kampala, Okalany is just one countless budding entrepreneurs to start a tech business in Africa. The continent's burgeoning smartphone market is giving Africa's enterprising individuals the chance to launch businesses, create jobs and develop a skilled workforce. Okalany said: "Phones are more popular than computers in Africa. It's less than $100 now for a smartphone." And mobile games apps are spreading. Nigerian startup Maliyo produces games that reflect the lives of average Nigerians -- including "Okada Ride," in which the player weaves in and out of the pot-holed roads of Lagos, avoiding oncoming traffic. In February this year, South African developer Thoopid opened for business. The Cape Town-based company is one of many indie game designers springing up in Africa's largest economy. Just seven months after its launch, Thoopid released its flagship app, Snailboy. The game, which can also run on PC and Mac, features a cheeky garden mollusk as players go on a quest to find his shell, stolen from him by the sneaky "Shadow Gang." Thoopid co-founder RW Liebenberg said that Snailboy is attracting a wide audience and South Africa is fast becoming a hub for creative talent in mobile gaming. "It doesn't matter necessarily what country you're in. It's not specifically about what games people want, or what genre they like playing," he added. "If something is easily accessible, it's cheap and it makes me feel good then I want to play it." And Liebenberg's comments are reflected in the figures, with Snailboy performing well in far away Nigeria and Kenya. As well as a sequel to Snailboy, Thoopid is already planning to roll out two more games next year. Finding the investment . Despite the success of Kola and Thoopid, funding remains a problem for many African entrepreneurs, who struggle to get the financial backing to expand workforces and reinvest in their companies. Thoopid is fully funded by personal investments from staff while Okalany and his friends ploughed their own savings into Kola Studios to kick-start the company. "Eventually we got investment from the Savannah Fund," Okalany said. Based in Nairobi, Savannah Fund is a venture capital firm that provides $25,000-$500,000 investments in high-growth technology web and mobile startups in sub-Saharan Africa. Mbwana Alliy, managing partner at Savannah Fund, said: "People are doing more of their payments, work and lifestyle on their phone. Whether that's looking up directions, looking for a service or buying something online such as music or games." Alliy, who previously worked in Silicon Valley, said that Savannah Fund has nine investments spanning Africa from Kenya and Uganda to Nigeria and Ghana. "As Africa sees its middle class rising, we're going to see people who want to consume. If this fund was here 10 years ago, this wouldn't have been viable," he said. The fund aims to address skills and the experience gap of entrepreneurs in the region through its Accelerator Program, designed to help individuals build a company and launch products. But Alliy is keen to stress that the Savannah Fund is not a social project. "It's about building long-term sustainable businesses," Alliy added, "we're not trying to quick flip things. We're not trying to get the same growth as Silicon Valley. I'm not here to just make a quick buck. We're going to stick it out." With funding behind him and a growing team, Okalany wants to expand his gaming empire beyond Kenya and Uganda to more nations around the continent. The young entrepreneur believes Kola Studios can make a success of developing traditional African games, handed down from generation to generation, by moving them into the smartphone world. When asked about his ambitions for the future, Okalany said: "If we can have the most played game in Africa that would be really cool."

Africa's burgeoning smartphone market is driving growth in gaming apps . Kola Studios creates gaming apps, including zombie-killing game . Thoopid is one of a number of South African game developers . But African game makers often struggle for funding .

New Delhi (CNN) -- Indians want their version of the American Dream. Even the Chinese Dream will do. And so they have voted for a man who promises more for less: more development and growth, with less government and red tape. For India's 1.27 billion dreamers, their new Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a known commodity. His simple mandate is to do for India what he has done for the north western state of Gujarat in the last 12 years: conjure up Chinese-levels of growth and prosperity. But for Modi's counterparts in Washington, Beijing, and Islamabad, India's new leader is considered a wildcard. Will he be aggressive, or a dove? What is his foreign policy? Does he have a vision for India's place in the world? There's very little to go on. Modi has never addressed foreign policy at length; Indian campaigns rarely involve debates on world affairs. Few in New Delhi seem to have a clear sense of his plans. When I spoke with Arun Shourie, a former Indian minister now being touted as a top candidate to head the finance ministry, I got a telling response: "Anyone who says they know Modi's plans, doesn't really know anything. The ones who know won't talk." So let's start with the few signals we've received from the man himself. Reaching out to neighbors . Modi has certainly begun with a flourish, scoring a coup in getting his Pakistani counterpart to attend his swearing-in. On Monday, Nawaz Sharif became the first Pakistani Prime Minister in history to attend an Indian prime minister's inauguration. The two men were photographed exchanging a firm handshake. Modi later tweeted that Sharif had "shared some very emotional things" during their meeting. He elaborated with a story about how Sharif's mother became emotional when watching Modi's mother offering him sweets. (Read the series of tweets here) Modi's Twitter account also highlights his early attempts to strengthen ties with his new counterparts. After his election, he announced to his 4.38 million followers congratulatory messages from U.S. President Barack Obama, Israel's PM Netanyahu, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, France's Hollande, Russia's Putin, as well as leaders from New Zealand, Fiji, Qatar, Afghanistan and more. Japan got an especially lavish mention: "Personally, I have a wonderful experience of working with Japan as [Chief Minister of Gujarat.]," Modi tweeted. "I am sure we will take India-Japan ties to newer heights." Japan's PM Shinzo Abe follows only three people on Twitter -- Modi, of course, is one of them. Twitter diplomacy is not just about rhetoric -- there have been some early results, too. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse tweeted Sunday: "As a goodwill measure on the occasion of @narendramodi's swearing-in, President instructs officials to release Indian fishermen in custody." None of the above sheds light on what kind of vision Modi has, but it is indeed a refreshing marker of proactive engagement -- the opposite of India's foreign policy in years gone by. In an excellent essay in Foreign Affairs last month, Manjari Chatterjee Miller described how Indian foreign policy in the last 50 years has been characterized "more by continuity than by change" -- irrespective of the party in power. 'Non-alignment' India's relations with major powers have stayed stable. Broadly, there are two reasons behind this trend. One is India's historic pledge of "non-alignment": the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru founded the global Non-Aligned Movement, a group of states agreeing to not align with major powers. The other reason is India's neglect of foreign policy planning from the very top: civil servants get little-to-no instruction from the prime minister's office, and so have great levels of autonomy and wield significant power. The result is no clear vision from New Delhi, and a general stasis in India's relations with the world. It has often been pointed out that India has fewer diplomats than Singapore, a country with a population 1/250th the size of India's. India has consistently punched below its weight despite aspiring to be a global player. Will Modi change these trends? Again, it is difficult to read his mind. But turn again to what Modi has actually said. The writer Dhruva Jaishanker points out that Modi has repeatedly stated that foreign policy begins at home. This is not to suggest that Modi will be insular. Instead, his relations with other countries will be driven by business needs and a sense of realism -- perhaps similar, in theory, to China's relations with South Asian and African states. Many writers and commentators have expressed fears about Modi's foreign policy on two main fronts. First, that he will channel his brand of pro-Hindu nationalism into friction with Pakistan. Second, that he will use his prior history with Washington -- Modi's U.S. visa was revoked in 2005 over a never-before-used religious freedoms act -- as a reason to snub the world's biggest economy. On both fronts, we have no way of confirming those fears just yet. But with each passing day, we are witnessing an evolving Modi, a realist whose goal is to grow India Inc. and do business with anyone -- at home or abroad -- who can help achieve that goal. Modi's real test will be whether he can bring a longer-term vision to India's foreign policy planning. Will he keep New Delhi non-aligned? Will he pivot further East? Will he help fulfil Obama's prediction that India and the U.S. will form the 21st century's defining partnership? Only Modi knows the answers. But if Indian foreign policy has so far not been driven by the prime minister's office, I think we can now expect that strange quirk to change. For better or worse, Prime Minister Modi will take charge.

India's new prime minister has promised citizens growth and prosperity . What's less clear is how Narendra Modi will approach foreign policy . Modi has wasted no time connecting with other foreign leaders . In the past India's foreign policy has been more about continuity than change .

(CNN) -- Each year, bright, optimistic Africans leave home to earn an education or seek a better economic life abroad for themselves and their families. With fewer opportunities in their home country, many never return home. The African Diaspora is broadly defined by the African Union Commission as "peoples of African origin living outside the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and nationality and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Union." Globally, Africans in the diaspora are spread out across the continents. In North America, there are 39 million from the African Diaspora; 113 million in Latin America; 13.6 million in the Caribbean; and 3.5 million in Europe, the World Bank estimates. The African Diaspora is not a monolithic group -- some were born and reared outside of their home country; many migrated to Europe, the United States and other parts of the world at a young age; while others arrived to attend college. No matter how they arrived in their adopted country, diasporans bring a distinct perspective to the discourse on Africa because they have experienced both worlds and can serve as a bridge in fostering greater understanding between the continent and their adopted country. Read this: Africa's most exciting photographers . My personal story is that I have lived most of my life as an African diasporan. I was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Yet, in my father's pursuit to attain a higher education and better career opportunities, my family moved to Japan, the United States, and then Liberia. I returned to the United States for my undergraduate and post-graduate degrees, and remained in the States to build my career. We live in an interconnected world. My life embodies this interconnection. I love my adopted country of America and all that it has to offer; and Africa is where my roots are and where my heart and passion live. With this duality, I try to marry these worlds the best way that I can in my daily life. The organization that I lead, The Africa-America Institute (AAI) has served as a bridge between continents for 60 years. As African nations were gaining independence from colonial rule in 1953, AAI was founded to build human capacity on the continent by providing opportunities for African students to pursue academic degrees at top universities in the United States. After receiving their degrees, more than 90% of our alumni returned home to become leaders in the public, non-profit, and private sectors in Africa, where they contributed to strengthening the foundation for African development. Read this: 'New wind of change is blowing through Africa' With 23,000 AAI alumni worldwide, we proudly count prominent alumni such as Wangari Maathai, the late Kenyan environmental and women's rights activist and Nobel Laureate; Prime Minister H.E. Nahas Angula of Namibia; and President Joyce Banda of Malawi, among other distinguished African leaders. Today, AAI offers rigorous professional development and leadership training programs through our African partner institutions to women and men who exhibit talent and leadership in key fields -- and who display a deep commitment to advancing to Africa's development. Indeed, Africans in the diaspora have so much to offer the continent, boosting one of the world's fastest-growing economic regions -- six of the 10 fastest growing markets in the world are in sub-Saharan Africa. By leveraging the skills, ingenuity and resources that the African Diaspora possesses, diasporans are uniquely positioned to contribute to boosting economic growth and prosperity in Africa. Firstly, diasporans can help dispel myths and stereotypes about Africa to change the narrative about the continent. All diasporans can serve as "brand ambassadors" to bring a new vision and inspiring ideas for Africa. By and large, the three "Ds" about Africa -- death, despair and disease -- still prevail in the minds of many people in the Western world. African diasporans, especially young people, can become the face of a "new Africa" -- educated, optimistic, and actively working to transform and shape Africa's future. Secondly, diasporans can help shape foreign policy. Since many in the African Diaspora still maintain strong connections to the continent, diasporans can help influence foreign policy priorities by offering informative analysis of on-the-ground realities in African nations and sharing under-reported success stories of progress taking place, as well as solutions to development challenges. Lastly, diasporans can bring their talent, energy, skills and technological know-how to furthering economic progress in Africa. Many Africans in the diaspora want to eventually go back home after living abroad. However, one of their biggest challenges is finding suitable employment once they return. The demand for talent is high in Africa, yet the wide skills gap is a sobering reality. A McKinsey Global Institute Report estimates that 122 million people will be added to Africa's labor force between 2010 and 2020, creating a burgeoning labor force of more than 500 million across the continent. Skilled professionals from the African Diaspora are recognizing the tremendous opportunities that exist in Africa and are repatriating home in greater numbers to fill top positions at multinational corporations and organizations on the continent. They are also investing in Africa's emerging markets and launching African-led businesses and enterprises to create well-needed jobs and spur economic growth. Harnessing the talents and expertise of the African Diaspora can help to bolster Africa's workforce development. Recognizing this tremendous asset, AAI hosted a Talent Summit where mid-career professionals from the diaspora learned about the challenges and opportunities of launching a career in Africa or at leading Africa-focused organizations in the United States. Attendees left the summit armed with information to plan a possible career transition. Mobilizing the full participation of Africans in the diaspora is a win-win for Africa, and can foster stronger connections between continents to accelerate Africa's social and economic development. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Amini Kajunju.

African Diaspora can boost continent's prosperity, says Amini Kajunju . They can dispel myths about Africa and help shape foreign policy, she says . Skilled diasporan professionals are investing in Africa .

Tokyo (CNN) -- Japanese regulators discounted concerns about damage to the still-potent spent fuel from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant's No. 4 reactor Thursday, saying high radiation levels reported earlier this week "most probably" came from outside debris. A high reading above the pool prompted the plant's owner, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, to take a sample from the spent fuel pool on Tuesday. But the radiation levels are far lower than they would be if there were damage to the fuel rods, said Hidehiko Nishiyama, the chief spokesman for Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Commission. "We need more analysis to identify the precise status of the spent fuel in unit 4," he said. Tokyo Electric said Thursday night that the sample was the first time they have taken a reading off one of the spent fuel pools. The water temperature in the No. 4 pool was 90 degrees Celsius, more than twice a normal reading, and more coolant water was poured into the reservoir on Wednesday. The company said it suspects the fuel rods were damaged due to insufficient coolant at some point since the crisis began, but could not clarify the timing. Nishiyama told reporters Thursday evening that the fuel rods have not suffered "any particular damage." Officials are still looking at the readings from that water sample before reaching a final conclusion, but said the radiation reading was "most probably due to debris" blown into the badly damaged housing around the No. 4 reactor. The Tokyo Electric Power Company reported a cumulative radiation reading above the pool at 84 millisieverts on Tuesday, about a third of the annual allowable dose for plant workers during the emergency. Water samples from the pool showed a concentration of radioactive iodine-131, the most commonly measured reactor byproduct, at 220,000 bequerels per liter -- more than 730 times the amount considered safe for drinking water in Japan. Outside observers have expressed concerns about the status of the spent fuel in reactors 1, 3 and 4 several times during the month-long crisis at Fukushima Daiichi, about 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo. Temperature sensors in those pools have been out since mid-March, and workers have been spraying water into the damaged housings of those reactors on a near-daily basis to keep them topped off. The battle began March 11, when the tsunami that followed Japan's magnitude 9 earthquake knocked out the plant's cooling systems. Tokyo Electric estimated the height of that wall of water at 14 to 15 m (45 to 48 feet) -- a level Nishiyama said would be the new standard for barriers around Japanese nuclear power plants. The sea wall around Fukushima Daiichi was 5 m. In the aftermath of the tsunami, the cores of three of Fukushima Daiichi's six reactors were damaged by overheating and resulting hydrogen explosions blew apart the buildings surrounding reactors 1 and 3. The vast amount of radiation released from the plant, largely in the first two weeks of the disaster, prompted Japanese authorities to rate the crisis at the top of the international scale that measures nuclear accidents. The Level 7 designation puts Fukushima Daiichi on par with the April 1986 Chernobyl accident in the former Soviet Union, though Japanese authorities say their plant has spewed only 10 percent of the radioactivity that was emitted from Chernobyl. Plant workers have been pouring hundreds of tons of water a day into the three reactors that were damaged in the aftermath, and at least one of the reactors, in unit 2, is believed to be leaking highly radioactive water. Radioactive contamination spread across a wide swath of land around the plant and into the adjacent Pacific Ocean, though data released by government ministries has shown a decline in radiation levels in recent weeks. Engineers have taken steps this week toward containing the disaster, pumping radioactive water from service trenches and tunnels into a storage reservoir for No. 2 reactor's steam condensers. And they are laying the piping needed to transfer an estimated 10,000 tons into a facility designed for treating low-level radioactive waste Tokyo Electric said Thursday. The company dumped more than 9,000 tons of less-radioactive water into the Pacific last week to make room for the more-dangerous fluid believed to be leaking from reactor No. 2 -- a move Japanese authorities described as an emergency measure, but one that enraged the country's fishermen. The government issued expanded evacuation orders Monday for several towns outside the 30-kilometer radius that was declared a danger zone in the early days of the disaster, warning that prolonged exposure to radiation levels there could pose a long-term danger to human health. And Japanese government data this week reported finding low levels of radioactive strontium, another reactor byproduct, in two of those towns in the days after the disaster. Strontium-90 is considered a health hazard not only because of its 29-year radioactive half-life but because a portion of it gets absorbed by bone if ingested, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. There is no acceptable standard for strontium under Japanese regulations, but Japan's science ministry said the reported figures were not high enough to pose an immediate danger to human health. The Japanese government has tried to limit the damage done to farmers in Fukushima and other prefectures where contamination from the plant has been found, lifting bans on farm products from surrounding areas if they pass three tests in three successive weeks. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, the government's point man on the crisis, announced Thursday that kakina, a leafy green, from Tochigi Prefecture was now safe for shipment. The move follows a ban on outdoor-grown shiitake mushrooms from 16 towns and villages neighboring damaged plant to the country's banned food list Wednesday. Asuka Murao, Gen Shimada and Susan Olson contributed to this report for CNN.

NEW: Radiation levels at unit 4 "most probably" came from debris, a Japanese official said . NEW: The March tsunami will set a new standard for Japaneses nuclear plants . Samples show high radiation levels in unit 4's spent fuel pool . Another vegetable ban lifted .

(CNN) -- It was supposed to be a celebration -- sun, fun and relaxation on a tropical island for recent graduates savoring the heady taste of approaching adulthood. But instead, the trip to Aruba by a group of Birmingham, Alabama, high school seniors ended in tragedy, as one of their members, 18-year-old Natalee Holloway, never returned home. Questions surrounding her fate are unanswered five years later. Now, Joran van der Sloot, the youth twice arrested and released in Holloway's disappearance -- seen by many as a privileged playboy who has displayed no remorse or concern over her whereabouts -- has been named a suspect in the bludgeoning death of a woman in Peru, allegations that hint at a chilling pattern. Van der Sloot was arrested Thursday in Chile following a manhunt. "It's fair to say that he's a pretty easy guy to point a finger at, a pretty easy guy to say, 'I'm confident suspecting him,'" said Joe Tacopina, who represents van der Sloot in the Aruba case. "And he's earned some of that and some of it he hasn't earned. He's been through the wringer. He's been detained twice in Aruba. There's been absolutely no credible evidence in that case whatsoever ... he was never charged with a crime there. Don't forget that." Holloway was last seen in the early hours of May 30, 2005, leaving an Oranjestad, Aruba, nightclub with van der Sloot and two other men, brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. She was visiting the island with about 100 classmates to celebrate their graduation from Mountain Brook High School in suburban Birmingham. Holloway failed to show up for her flight home the following day, and her packed bags were found in her hotel room. Van der Sloot and the Kalpoes were arrested and released in 2005 in connection with the case, then arrested a second time in 2007 after Aruba's then-chief prosecutor Hans Mos said he had received new evidence in the case. Van der Sloot, then attending college in the Netherlands, was brought back to Aruba. But judges ruled the new evidence -- which included an Internet chat the same day Holloway disappeared with one of the three youths writing that she was dead -- was not enough to keep them in custody. In the years since Holloway vanished, van der Sloot has consistently denied any involvement in her disappearance, police said. "He's just totally, totally dragged us all through hell," Holloway's anguished mother, Beth, has said. In 2008, a videotape surfaced on Dutch television. In it, van der Sloot tells a man he thought was a friend he had sex with Holloway on the beach after leaving the nightclub, then she "started shaking" and lost consciousness. He said he panicked when he could not resuscitate her and called a friend who had a boat. The two put Holloway in the boat, van der Sloot said, and he went home. The friend told him the next day that he had carried the body out and dumped it into the ocean. "I don't lose a minute of sleep over it," van der Sloot said. He later claimed the account was a lie, saying he told the man what he wanted to hear. A court ruled there was not enough evidence to re-arrest him. Aruba chief prosecutor Peter Blanken said the story was "unbelievable and not true." But it's been van der Sloot's cavalier attitude toward the case that has fueled criticism, as well as conflicting statements he's made. He told Fox News in a 2008 interview he sold Holloway to human traffickers for $10,000, then in a taped interview denied it. At the time his name first surfaced in the Holloway investigation, suspicion swirled around his parents, particularly his father, an Aruban lawyer training to be a judge. Paul van der Sloot was briefly taken into custody in 2005 on suspicion of involvement in the Holloway case. Authorities said he told his son that police had no case without a body. He was released after three days of questioning. Holloway's parents, however, have said they met with Paul van der Sloot and continue to believe he had the answers to questions regarding their daughter. "I remember the day I met with Paul at the prison," Dave Holloway has said. "And the thing that stuck out in my mind was I asked him all the questions, why he hid from the news media. And the last question that I had was, was he involved, and he said no. He said, 'Dave, I can understand your position, but you've got to understand mine. Joran's my son and I'll do everything I can to protect him.' And I believe it." Van der Sloot's mother, Anita, has said her son told her he was on the beach with Holloway but left her there because she wanted to stay. She has maintained her son's innocence. However, Tacopina said van der Sloot's relationship with his family has suffered in recent years. "Joran in the last several years has gone in a very different direction, has not behaved in a way that is acceptable to anybody," he said, referring to van der Sloot's being paid for versions of events in the Holloway case. "It border-lined on pathological, it really did, and quite frankly I think he hurt a lot of people." Tacopina cautioned against jumping to conclusions, saying that many times a new lead was thought to be the key to the Holloway case but didn't pan out. In March, for instance, a Pennsylvania couple told authorities a picture they took last year while snorkeling off Aruba showed something that looked like a skeleton. Authorities called off a dive team's search after two days, saying they found nothing that resembled the image depicted in the photograph.

Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway disappeared in 2005 on Aruba . Joran van der Sloot arrested twice, never charged . Critics see youth as privileged playboy . Has told conflicting stories in Holloway case .

(CNN) -- "Shh ... shh get back," the man with the walkie-talkie said. "We're filming." Contadora, one of Panama's Pearl Islands, draws visitors with beautiful beaches and excellent snorkeling. We had stumbled onto the set of a "Survivor"-like television show. But I'm getting ahead of myself. First let me tell you how we stumbled onto the Pearl Islands in Panama, and then I'll tell you how we came upon the Orange Tribe on the island of Mogo Mogo. Every year, my husband and I take my niece on a summer vacation. This year, we decided to go to Panama. Besides the canal, Panama has a lot to offer: There are mountains, beaches, colonial cities and rain forests. After we found a $158 round trip flight from Miami, Florida, the decision was made. My only fear was the weather; it was rainy season in Central America. After weeks of research, I was torn. We had enough time to visit one set of islands, and there were two island chains that I was having a hard time choosing between. The San Blas Islands are off the northeast coast of Panama in the Caribbean. They're also known as Kuna Yala and are home to the Kuna Indians. It would be a chance to see the Kunas up close, living as they have for centuries in grass huts along the water's edge. The other option was the Pearl Islands. The Archipiélago de las Perlas, less well-known than the San Blas, is off the southern Pacific coast of Panama. After an agonizing week of self-debate, I decided that our summer vacation would include a trip to the Pearl Islands. The flight was only 20 minutes from Panama City, but more importantly, I was told it didn't rain as much on the Pacific side. The sales pitch to my niece: "We are going to where the 2003 edition of 'Survivor' and 'Survivor: All-Stars' were filmed." I was referring to the popular American reality TV show, and I didn't realize that dozens of other countries had their own versions. I admit my destination choice was not as educational as a few days with the Kuna Indians, but I thought it would be better than being rained in with a bored teenager. After a short flight from Panama City in a puddle jumper, we were on the island of Contadora, one of hundreds that make up the Pearl Islands and one of three that can be reached by commercial flight. It's a tiny island with a handful of places to stay and even fewer places to get a meal. Golf carts, the primary mode of transportation, can be rented upon arrival. All of Contadora's entertainment is provided by the sea. It's a beach bum's paradise. If you are a beach bum and a reality TV fan, you can sit on the sand and watch props being built for the contestants' challenges. It's probably the best set shop in the world, or at least the one with the nicest view. But the Pearl Islands offer more than just an exotic TV set. For $30 an hour, you can go snorkeling and island hopping in a small but comfortable wooden fishing boat. We found Niño, our boat captain and guide, on Playa Larga, the beach in front of the Contadora Beach Resort. We did some of the best snorkeling I've ever done anywhere in the world. After a morning of fantastic snorkeling, I asked Niño where "Survivor" was filmed. "Close by. I will take you there," he said. Niño took us to Mogo Mogo, one of many uninhabited islands just off the shore of Contadora. As the island's white sandy beaches came into sight, we noticed a clearing where people were putting finishing touches on what looked like a game for contestants. Our boat captain told us it was for "Desafío" ("Challenge"), a Colombian version of the popular reality show. The word on Contadora was that a few countries (Bulgaria, Serbia and Israel, to name a few) were either finishing filming "Survivor"-type shows or starting new seasons. A representative for the Panamanian Institute of Tourism told me the government had limited information on the filming and could not confirm the word on the street. We jumped out of the boat, waded through the clear, warm blue water and onto Mogo Mogo, unacknowledged as work continued on the wooden set. Noticing a well-worn path, we decided to check out the rest of the island. We thought we were alone when we reached the beach on the other side. But as we walked down what we thought was a deserted beach, we spotted an orange flag in the sand. We knew the American "Survivor" was filmed on this island, but we did not expect to be standing in front of contestants in orange buffs, sitting on a log in the shade. This is when the man with the walkie-talkie shushed us because they were filming. The locals talk about the shows and the many countries they hail from, but they don't seem to capitalize on the "Survivor" fame. Contadora locals certainly make money off the film staff, medics and contestants, but evidently they haven't printed the T-shirts yet. The only shirts we saw were on the backs of others that identified them as "Survivor Crew." Perhaps a true fan could purchase a shirt directly off someone's back. The island is only so big, and you are bound to run into a crew from some country. One night, we were the only non-reality show customers in Gerald's restaurant, a popular place for beer and pizza. After our innocent but failed attempt at a guest appearance on "Desafío," we returned to the basic comforts on Contadora. That night, as we relaxed in a restaurant -- cold drinks in hand, a warm hearty meal just ordered -- darkness fell. The rain, as it often does in the tropics, started coming down in sheets. I leaned back and thought to myself, "If I was a contestant, tonight I would vote myself off of Mogo Mogo."

"Survivor" and similar shows have been filmed on Panama's Pearl Islands . The island of Contadora is a 20-minute flight from Panama City . Beaches and marine exploration are the main sources of entertainment .

(CNN) -- Ten years ago, Kayla McAlister was hiding under her bed to avoid going to rugby training with her father and her All Black brother. Today, she is the world's best women's sevens player -- an astonishing achievement given that she took up the sport as recently as late 2012. Now the former netball player has Olympic gold in her sights. "Rio is why I made the move," the New Zealander tells CNN. "I'd made our provincial team for netball but I was only on the bench that year and the following year I was cut. "Then the sevens opportunity came up. It wasn't quite a joke but it was a bit of fun. I was approaching my mid-20s and wasn't getting any younger, in a rut and this opportunity came up -- one door shutting and another one opening." It was her dad, Charlie, a former rugby league professional who played in England and Australia, that spotted New Zealand's Go4Gold campaign to lure women players to the sevens ranks with the 2016 Olympics in mind, and gave his daughter the nudge to follow in the family's rugby roots. "So I went along with another netball player to try out. We turned up and were put through an Army assault course. It was horrific," the 25-year-old recalls. "We were up at 5 a.m. and doing an obstacle course in -5 degrees in water. I remember at the time we were saying, 'What were we thinking, have we made the right decision?' " The decision paid off in some style. Last season, New Zealand were crowned IRB champions and McAlister was named player of the year at the end-of-season awards. This year, the Kiwis are top of the standings going into next month's deciding tournament in Amsterdam, after beating Australia in April's China final. McAlister is New Zealand's leading try scorer this season with 20 -- one more than the netballer she tried out with, Portia Woodman, who touched down a record 12 times in Guangzhou, including the clincher in the final. That McAlister has got to such heights so soon brought a wry smile to the face of her father and brother Luke, who now plies his trade with Toulouse in France after a six-year All Blacks career in which he earned 30 Test caps. "I was terrible when I was younger," she admits. "Luke was a bit older than me so he and Dad were always out training. "Dad would try to get me to train with them but I didn't want to. I wanted to hang out with my friends and that would have taken me away from my friends. "So I tried to get out of it however I could, like hiding under my bed so they wouldn't find me. "I'm gutted now as I wouldn't have had to work so hard on getting fit as a 25-year-old. I think they both laugh at me now." Quite how she never made the move before, she admits, is a bit of a mystery considering her genetics. But then the opportunities for female rugby players had generally been limited. Luke started playing for the All Blacks while Kayla was at high school, and she was aware of both the prestige and pressure of pulling on such a famous jersey. "I used to watch him and I've learned so much from him," she says. "When I used to watch I never really followed the rules properly though. I understood the basics but I've really struggled with somethings like the rucks. "I watch the game in a completely different way now. If I can emulate just a little of what he's achieved I'll be happy with that." McAlister's boyfriend Pita Ahki is also a promising star, having already represented the All Blacks sevens team and this year earning a place in the Auckland Blues' Super Rugby squad. The sport has turned her life on its head. Until recently she worked for the Justice Ministry in an administrative post she had held for five years. Her rugby commitments -- training every day from 9 to 12 plus travel to tournaments -- meant that increasingly that came too hard to continue with despite her understanding and adaptable bosses. So instead she has switched back to being a student -- studying part-time in childcare, in stark contrast to the rough and tumble of her fledgling rugby career. She describes herself and women's sevens as being on a "steep learning curve" globally. At home, recognition is growing steadily for the sport. "But abroad it's different," she says. "The All Black jersey carries so much weight wherever you go and it's then you realize how important and how prestigious it is. "It's great to be a part of that. Those guys are kings and obviously we're a little bit down from that but it's growing all the time. There's more rugby in high schools now and we've got schoolgirls coming into our squad now. It's exciting." Were sevens not in the Olympics, McAlister admits this would not be a path she would be pursuing, and that she might still be plying her sporting trade in netball. "I might go back to it one day, I don't know really but I don't miss it, I haven't had the chance," she says. "Also, there's so much freedom and room to move in sevens. I love that. I'm not sure I could go back to the confines of netball where you're so constrained by your movement on the court. "The Olympics is why you get up every morning and train. I remember watching it as a kid and loving the athletics and gymnastics in particular. To be able to be a part of that would be pretty special -- to aspire to gold would be amazing. "But it's so competitive right now and will be even more so come 2016. Between now and then, it's all about building with the girls."

Kayla McAlister is a new convert to sevens despite family's rugby heritage . She first showed sporting prowess in netball but quit to target 2016 Olympics . She was crowned 2013 world player of the year, marking a meteoric rise . The 25-year-old has quit her day job to focus on mastering the game .

(CNN) -- Real Madrid will head into a big week knowing the club's Spanish title bid is back on track and that one of its records will stand for at least another season. Carlo Ancelotti's team will be just three points behind Barcelona ahead of next weekend's "Clasico" at Camp Nou after the La Liga champion dropped its first points this campaign in Saturday's 0-0 draw at Osasuna. It was the first time in 64 league matches Barca had failed to score, despite the introduction of Lionel Messi midway through the second half. Second-placed Atletico Madrid then surrendered the division's only other 100% record, losing 1-0 at Espanyol to also fall one win short of the 1968-69 Real side's benchmark beginning. Ancelotti, meanwhile, was lifted by a 2-0 win at home to Malaga earlier in the day which lifted some of the building pressure on the Italian. "Today I am happy, we have to keep going and keep improving, but the team has done well today, the week has started well," the former Milan and Chelsea coach said. Angel Di Maria put Real ahead a minute into the second half with a speculative cross that bamboozled the keeper, and Cristiano Ronaldo sealed victory in time added on with a penalty after substitute Gareth Bale was brought down in the box. Marquee signing Bale is now in contention to face Juventus in the European Champions League on Wednesday, having impressed on his return from injury. "Bale has no problems and is another option. We will see now that we have three days of training before the next match," Ancelotti said. He backed Ronaldo after the Portugal forward -- who hit the bar in the first half -- apologized to fans for not scoring earlier in the match. "He was not happy because he wanted to score -- he had chances and I said that the today it was just not his day, but he showed a cool mind in scoring the penalty because when it is not your day, it is not difficult to miss a penalty," the 54-year-old added. Barca coach Gerardo Martino shrugged off his side's frustrating day ahead of Tuesday's Champions League trip to Milan. "We should have won given the chances we created. I'm pleased with the team's performance," the Argentine said. "We weren't accurate in front of goal. In the first half we were missing that final pass. We were off by centimeters. "I would be concerned if there had been a decline in our performance. We tied because that's how it had to be -- I don't think our level has dropped." Atletico's perfect run came to an end in the Catalan capital as Espanyol triumphed thanks to a bizarre own-goal from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who could only divert Juan Fuentes' 55th-minute cross into his own net via his outstretched foot. Atletico did breach the opposition's goal, but Mario Suarez was offside when he headed in Koke's free-kick. In Saturday's other La Liga game, Valencia missed a chance to stay in touch with the top four after losing 2-1 at home to Real Sociedad. Germany . Bayern Munich returned to the top of the Bundesliga after coming from behind to beat Mainz 4-1, with substitute Mario Gotze inspiring a second-half fightback. The 21-year-old set up Arjen Robben's equalizer and was also involved as Thomas Muller and Mario Mandzukic made it 3-1. Muller sealed the scoring with a penalty after Bastian Schweinsteiger was fouled. It extended the German and European champion's unbeaten run to 34 matches, two short of Hamburg's longstanding league record. Borussia Dortmund reclaimed second place with a 1-0 win at home to Hanover, thanks to Marco Reus' first-half penalty. It gave last season's runner-up a goal-difference advantage over third-placed Bayer Leverkusen -- whose controversial Friday win against Hoffenheim, courtesy of a goal that went through the sidenetting, will be reviewed on Monday. Fourth-placed Hertha Berlin, another seven points back, beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 1-0, while Schalke took fifth as Roman Neustaedter's injury-time goal earned a 3-2 win at bottom club Eintracht Braunschweig. Second-bottom Freiburg drew 0-0 at Werder Bremen, while it was 1-1 between Eintracht Frankfurt and Nuremberg. Italy . AC Milan notched a morale-boosting 1-0 win at home to Udinese, moving into the top half of the Serie A table thanks to Valter Birsa's first-half goal. Brazil midfielder Kaka came on as a second-half replacement after a month on the sidelines with injury, as severely-depleted Milan bid to put together a match-fit squad for Tuesday's home clash with Barca. Cagliari won 2-1 against 10-man Catania in the club's first match in 18 months at its renovated home stadium, joining ninth-placed Udinese on 10 points from eight rounds. Second-placed Juve will seek to cut the gap on leader Roma to two points by winning at Fiorentina on Sunday. France . Ligue 1 champion Paris Saint-Germain went three points clear with a 4-0 drubbing of Bastia, as star strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani scored twice each. Monaco can regain the lead on goal difference by winning at bottom club Sochaux on Sunday. Lille moved up to third with a 1-0 win at Montpellier, while Nantes beat Ajaccio by the same score to also go above Marseille -- defeated at sixth-placed Nice on Friday.

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid fail to equal Real Madrid's record start to season . Real three points behind leader Barca ahead of next weekend's "Clasico" clash . Bayern Munich extends unbeaten run in Bundesliga; Dortmund also wins . AC Milan picks up needed win; PSG moves clear at top of France's Ligue 1 .

Washington (CNN) -- President Obama began his second term with a "keeping it real" moment courtesy of youngest daughter Sasha. "You didn't mess up," she told the president after the oath was administered by Chief Justice John Roberts in the White House Blue Room. It all went off without a hitch compared to four years ago when a redo was required after flubs during the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol raised doubts about its legitimacy. With a sense of relief on Sunday the president declared, "I did it." Obama's address: Full text . But over the next several months, those words will be much more difficult as the president pushes Congress to embrace his priorities, from gun control to immigration reform to raising the debt ceiling. "We've had a pendulum of instability, arguing, fighting," said CNN contributor and Republican strategist Ana Navarro. Compromise was Washington's needle in a haystack, discovered often in the 11th hour. But now there's a tinge of optimism as the president gets to work in his second and final term. "I think we'll see it (pendulum) come back to the middle sooner rather than later," Navarro said. A tale of two terms: Obama's unfinished business and battles ahead . Gun control . The first big test is shaping up to be an issue that never came up on the campaign trail and wasn't even on Washington's radar. Gun violence came into sharp focus after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings that took the lives of 20 children and six adults. It sparked a heated debate and led to new measures the president plans to put in place through executive action or with congressional approval. Steps quickly assembled aimed at curbing gun violence, such as universal background checks and a ban on high-capacity magazine clips of more than 10 rounds. Four other priorities for Obama's next four years . "It's common sense" said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has been pushing for stricter gun laws. 'It makes sense. It's not a radical notion." But the National Rifle Association and other gun groups are ready for a fight, swinging with searing TV ads and a public rebuke of the administration's efforts. While polls indicate the majority of American's support the president's efforts, some political observers have doubts about Washington's ability to produce any meaningful change. "No one Democrat or Republican wants to deal with that issue. It's not popular," said CNN contributor and conservative activist Erick Erickson. "They want to just do something for the sake of symbolism." Obama in select company . Debt ceiling . The new term will also feature some old fights. The debt ceiling round two was shaping up to be another fierce fiscal showdown. House Republicans had insisted on spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. President Obama warned he was not going to negotiate. With the prospect of a default and the Treasury Department taking steps to bridge the gap, Congressional Republicans backed off a bit, with plans to vote next week on a three-month deal to extend the debt ceiling. It's not a long-term solution, but it takes some air out of a contentious battle the president would have faced immediately. "I understand the games the Republicans are playing, but the game the American people want them to play is play fair," said Democratic strategist and CNN contributor Donna Brazile, who argued the rich should pay their fair share and struggling Americans should not be "disproportionately hurt" by deep cuts. Gergen: Obama 2.0 -- tougher, wiser? Immigration reform . One large and important constituency will be watching the president's second term closely. They care about gun violence and fiscal matters but want to see quick action on immigration reform. Hispanics, who voted overwhelming for Obama, 71%-27% over Republican challenger Mitt Romney, had hoped for more progress in the president's first term. Amid record deportations, USA Today columnist Raul Reyes says there was a lot of anxiety in the Latino community. "It really seemed like he had forgotten about his promise on immigration." Biden on Obama at start of second term: 'In simpatico' The White House points to steps the president did take, like an executive order to stop deporting some young illegal immigrants who entered the country as children. That wasn't enough and the president admitted as much in his post-election news conference when he vowed again to deliver on his promise. "I'm very confident that we can get immigration reform done," the president said as he drew an outline of what that would look like: Stronger border security, penalties for companies hiring undocumented workers and a pathway to legal status for otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants. Some key Republicans have signaled a willingness to tackle this issue. "I found a commitment among many of the important Republicans, the leadership, many of the rank-and-file, who want something on immigration, Navarro said. "There have been a lot of things happening behind the scenes." Photos: Obama's face all over the place . Other key issues . The spotlight shines less brightly on environmental concerns, climate change and energy policies, but activists and others are working to keep these issues from being ignored in the second term. In his inaugural address the president is not expected to detail policy initiatives. Top advisers say he will touch on broad themes and put meat on the bones during his State of the Union address next month. The president will work to define his legacy in the second term and plans to aggressively engage the public to put pressure on Congress. His campaign grassroots organization is back in action as a nonprofit group to further his objectives. "We'll all work to help transform Washington from the outside" Jon Carson, the new executive director of Organizing for Action, wrote to supporters in an email. But reality lurks in the wings as many Republicans are still skeptical. "The president seems so fixated on demonizing Republicans that he is blinded to the opportunities as well as the obligations that he has to deal with big problems in this country," said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, on CNN's "State of the Union." Obama's inauguration: In the crowd .

After four years of partisan fighting and instability, will pendulum swing to the middle? Obama had full agenda before school shootings inserted gun control onto plate . Fiscal issues will be early test whether optimism of second term persists . Activists hope environmental issues and energy policies aren't pushed aside .

(CNN) -- David Beckham was always adept at curling the ball around a wall -- but when it came to the barrier of homosexuality in football, he broke straight through it. Former England captain Beckham, who announced his retirement from football Thursday, was the first superstar footballer to embrace his "gay icon" status, freely giving interviews to gay magazines and openly talking about his gay fan base. That attitude was the catalyst for a change, according to author and journalist, Chas Newkey-Burden. "What David Beckham did was break the long silence about homosexuality in football," Newkey-Burden told CNN. "Before Beckham came along, it was basically a taboo but he changed all that. "He openly courted his gay fan base, saying he loved being a gay icon and was happy for his wife to broadcast that around. "He was the first to give interviews to gay magazines -- before that, no footballer would have done that. "He also changed the way footballers were looked at. He was inherently good looking, but it was that he paid so much attention to his appearance that was unprecedented." In an interview with the BBC given in 2007, Beckham spoke of his pride at being tagged as a "gay icon". "Maybe it's things like (the fact) I like to look after myself, I like to look smart and presentable most of the time," he said at the time. "I always liked to look good, even when I was a little kid. I was given the option when I was a page boy once of either wearing a suit or wearing knickerbockers and long socks and ballet shoes -- and I chose the ballet shoes and knickerbockers." Once Newkey-Burden spent five months trying to organize an interview with the midfielder, only for the player himself to sanction the piece after reading one of the journalist's articles on football and homosexuality in Four Four Two magazine. "David read the piece I did about how far football had come in dealing with homophobia," Newkey-Burden recalled. "I know he was very moved by the fact I wrote how he had opened the door to change and that is what swung getting me the interview with him. "Look, there are 92 league clubs in England with each squad having around 20 players, so statistically, there must be some gay players, " added the journalist. "One day it will be common place for footballers to come out and David Beckham will have played a part in that. "He opened the door and it is the person who opens the door who makes the difference. "Beckham said to the world: 'I'm straight, I'm the England captain and I think it's cool people are gay.'" Despite Beckham embracing his "gay icon" status, football continues to struggle with homophobia. Last February, U.S. football star Robbie Rogers announced he was retiring from football after "coming out" -- leaving Swedish player Anton Hysen as the only openly gay player in Europe. Rogers might yet make a return given he has been training with Los Angeles Galaxy. Beckham was also key in footballers becoming fashionistas and attracting interest from the mainstream media, according to Newkey Burden. "Gay football fans don't want 11 neatly coiffured and manicured players to admire," said the journalist and celebrity biographer who has written books about Adele, Brangelina, Michael Jackson and Paris Hilton. "They're more attracted to the old-fashioned kind of player like Vinny Jones or Alan Shearer if I'm honest. "But Beckham was someone who was proud to be a gay icon and made it cool too. "Just look at the number of metrosexuals who have emerged since Beckham. "It's now OK for players to have silly, floppy hair and dress in the way they do. He did that." Players now try to trend it like Beckham more often than they try to bend it like Beckham. From wearing his wife's underwear to parading around in a sarong, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain man has never been one to shy away from experimentation. While former Spice Girl Victoria has gone on to establish herself as a leading fashion designer, it is Beckham who brought men into the 21st century with his eye for the latest trends. From his outrageous hair styles to his love of grooming and moisturizing, Beckham relaunched the notion of the metroxsexual along with his very own brand of cologne. Whether it was by provocatively modelng in his Armani underwear or being paraded in front of the press in another exquisitely tailored suit, Beckham set the bar high when it came to looking sharp. "Beckham was the antithesis to the godawful lad culture of the late Nineties," GQ.co.uk fashion editor Nick Carvell told CNN. "Being a footballer who was clearly motivated by fashion trends and absolutely loved clothes, he turned the idea of what it meant to be a stylish sportsman at the time on its head. "Sure he made some mistakes along the way (cornrows), but that's what made him a trendsetter -- he always led and never followed. "He was certainly one of the first celebrities to de-stigmatize grooming pursuits that were previously seen as girls-only (his early penchant for highlights comes to mind). "Lots of people would say that it helps he has an athlete's body, but there are plenty of sportsman who dress appallingly. "I think it's his willingness to try new things combined with a clear appreciation for a good tailor. "He might have worn the occasional eye-raising get-up when he was younger, but it always fitted perfectly." That infamous sarong, which he was pictured wearing in 1998, was certainly one "eye-raising item" but as Newkey-Burden explains, Beckham had no regrets. "When I interviewed him in 2006, I asked Beckham if he regretted wearing that 'dress'. He said: 'No, that's one of the things I'd do again!'"

Beckham 'opened the door' for it to be cool to be gay . Credited with changing the world of style for football players . Beckham insisted he would wear 'that dress' again .

(CNN) -- When a 'Yellow Dragon' roars, Beijing listens. The Forbidden City in Beijing was enveloped by floating sand and dust on March 18, 2008. These huge, sky-blackening dust storms sweep across Asia in March and April, bringing with them millions of tons of sand from inner Mongolia and depositing it in China and on across the Korean peninsula to Japan. During the past few years the storms have grown in ferocity and scale, and they are at the vanguard of an advancing Gobi desert that threatens more than 400 million people in the Chinese provinces of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia and Shaanxi. The economic toll has been estimated to cost the Chinese economy $6.5 billion per year. But desertification is not limited to China and it is fast becoming a serious global problem that will only be exacerbated by climate change. In the Chinese provinces of Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang the causes are reasonably straightforward, and in many ways they area is an exemplar of the situation in developing countries worldwide. Rapid population growth has put enormous pressure on agricultural systems that have been pushed towards unsustainable farming practices in order to cope with demand. In China livestock numbers have nearly doubled in the last 30 years, from around 200 million in the early 1970's, to 427 million in 2002. As a result huge amount of marginal land has been taken in as pasture, overgrazed to the point of exhaustion, and now farmers are being forced to watch the topsoil literally blow away on the spring winds. In Africa demand for water has shrunk Lake Chad by 95 percent since the 1960s, leaving only sand and scrub. In Kazakhstan desertification has meant that nearly 50 percent of cropland has been abandoned since 1980. The Sahara is advancing into Ghana and Nigeria at the rate of 3,510 square kilometers per year. In Iran, fierce sandstorms are believed to have buried more than 100 villages in 2002. But this is only expected to get worse. Across the world climate change is set to exacerbate problems where poor land use and population pressure is already putting an immense strain on finely balanced ecologies. Africa may only be able to feed 25 percent of its population by 2025, according to the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa. Many countries in the Mediterranean basin could face a future of significant food and water shortages as climate change bites and deserts spread. Already desertification is estimated to cost Spain US$200 million per year. Predicting the regional effect of climate change is always difficult, but some scientists are suggesting a four degrees rise in the Mediterranean by 2100, with an associated 10 percent to 40 percent drop in rainfall. A change on this scale would cause existing areas of desert to spread and exacerbate the problems associated with erosion, wildfires and the salinization of the water table. Already water supplies In Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia are at or close to 1,000 cubic meters per person per year, which is widely taken as a benchmark for water scarcity. Globally crop yields are likely to fall substantially as the area of desert grows across Africa, the Middle East, the United States and Europe and this, coupled with associated rising prices for key crops such as maize and soybeans, could threaten food security in some countries. Scientists also predict that water shortages could increase the risk of supply contamination and associated diseases such as cholera and dysentery. Because desertification is often caused by population pressure, effective control is hard to achieve and many solutions are focused on dealing with the symptoms rather than the root cause of the problem. The Chinese government is creating a forest belt stretching 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) to block the advancing sands of the Gobi desert and diminish the effect of the sandstorms. The African Union is seeking support to fund a similar "Green Wall" to hold back the Sahara. In Algeria officials hope that the inauguration of the 250,000 hectare Taghit National Park will slow the advance of the sands. But for such schemes to work they will need to take account of local context and build what Camilla Toulmin, director of the International Institute for Environment and Development, calls "a mosaic of local innovations." She cites the regeneration of trees around fields in central Niger, and the terraces for soil and water conservation in Burkina Faso as perfect examples. Many ecologists argue that it is small, simple, localized changes towards more sustainable patterns of land-use that will offer effective long-term solutions. For example, in many areas of the world the search for fuel for cooking fires puts enormous strain on the landscape: as trees are cut down, erosion increases and deserts spread. But the shift towards using cheap, fuel-efficient 'rocket stoves' and solar cookers could cut the amount of wood needed dramatically. Leguminous plants, such as beans, which 'fix' nitrogen from the air can be used to help restore fertility in already damaged areas. Belts of trees and grass can be used to reduce wind velocity and stop sand spreading, and provide a managed resource for local communities. In Spain, Sunseed Desert Technology, an organization that "aims to develop, demonstrate and communicate accessible, low-tech methods of sustainable living in a semi arid environment" has had enormous success renovating abandoned 1,000-year old Moorish irrigation systems. They believe that similar systems, alongside "appropriate technology" such as solar heaters and biogas producers, may offer a way to slow desertification in many other countries. What is becoming clearer year-by-year is that we can't fight the advancing desert - only by looking after the land can we expect it to look after us. E-mail to a friend .

Desertification is fast becoming a global problem . Dust storms affect 400 million people in China each year . Large-scale projects like 'Green walls' are touted as one way to solve the problem . Others say that sustainable and careful local land management is the best solution .

(CNN) -- Facing anger from families of Flight 370 passengers, Malaysia's Prime Minister said Thursday his government will release its preliminary report on the plane's disappearance. In a TV exclusive, Najib Razak told CNN the report will be available to the public next week. "I have directed an internal investigation team of experts to look at the report, and there is a likelihood that next week we could release the report," Najib said. Later in the interview with CNN aviation correspondent Richard Quest, he gave a more definitive statement, saying the report will be released next week. He also asked an internal investigation team to look into what other information may be released publicly next week, his office said. In the CNN interview, Najib discussed why he is not yet officially declaring the flight -- and the 239 people on board -- lost. The report has already been sent to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the U.N. body for global aviation, but not made available to the public. The ICAO told CNN about a safety recommendation in the report: Malaysia said the aviation world needs to look at real-time tracking of commercial aircraft. It's the same recommendation that was made after the Air France Flight 447 disaster in 2009. The Prime Minister's comments didn't convince Sarah Bajc, whose partner, Philip Wood, was a passenger on the plane. She accused Najib of "political maneuvering," shirking responsibility and deflecting blame in his interview with CNN. "I spent most of the morning with my jaw basically scraping the floor," Bajc told CNN's "AC360." "I'm just so astounded by this new shift that the Prime Minister is taking. ... He's reading from a script sheet that some qualified, professional PR person has put together for him." Malaysian authorities need to do a better job of communicating with the families and answering their questions during briefings, she said, rather than treating passengers' loved ones "as if we are the enemy, as opposed to an interested party in helping to solve this mystery." "Actions speak louder than words," she said. "The briefings are a joke. ... The patience level of the families group is just gone." Malaysia has insisted it has nothing to hide and is working to find answers. A committee representing some of the Chinese families have posted 26 questions on the Chinese social media site Weibo. Families plan to demand answers from Boeing . The missing flight is a Boeing 777. While pushing Malaysian authorities for answers, "we're also extending our reach now," Bajc said. Some of the questions the families have, including technical questions, "we will be bringing directly to Boeing. Boeing has a shareholders meeting next week. And if we're not getting information directly from Malaysia Airlines and from the Malaysian government, we might as well try to go directly to the source. "Boeing is a publicly traded company in the United States, and that puts them in a position of a little bit more fiduciary responsibility," she said. Asked for a response, Boeing sent CNN a written statement: "Our thoughts and deepest sympathies continue to be with the families and loved ones of those aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Boeing continues to serve as a technical adviser to the U.S. National Transportation (Safety) Board, and in that role we have been an active and engaged party to the investigation." Ongoing search . As an underwater drone keeps going up and back down, so do hopes that evidence of the plane may be found. A metal object that washed ashore in Western Australia and sparked the curiosity of investigators Wednesday turned out to be unrelated. And while the Bluefin-21 plunged into the Indian Ocean for its 13th mission Friday, no one was certain the drone would find anything new. The underwater probe has already scanned 95% of the designated search area, with no significant results. Friday marks day 49 of the search for the plane, which disappeared on March 8 on a flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing. What's next? Malaysian and Australian authorities are mapping out a long-term strategy for the search, which could go on for months or years. An expanded search area might include the last 370 miles (595 kilometers) of the plane's flight path, ocean search specialist Rob McCallum said. "If the idea is to go more strategic and investigate the entire aircraft flight path, maybe 15 miles or so either side, then you need a more strategic tool, and something like a deep-towed sonar that can provide a very large range indeed -- at the expense of resolution." The use of a deep-towed submersible device called the Orion is overdue, said Geoffrey Thomas, managing director of AirlineRatings.com. "That should be brought in as quickly as possible, again, from the United States." He said it may be time to go back and revisit the calculations of where the plane may be, although officials have already been doing that. "This is not an exact science," Thomas said. "We have to understand that." Why so private? Malaysia has not been known as a model of transparency. The same political party has ruled the country for the past 50 years, and the media is not completely free. For its part, the Malaysian Cabinet has agreed to have an international team investigate the disappearance of Flight 370, the country's acting transportation minister said. Hishammuddin Hussein said the names of the members will be announced next week. He also said the team will not be looking into the criminal aspects of the investigation, which remain under the Royal Malaysian Police. "The main purpose is to evaluate and determine the cause of the accident," Hishammuddin said. The question no one wants to ask: What if Flight 370 is never found? Inside a black box investigation lab . Sad, angry relatives in agonizing limbo . CNN's Sumnima Udas, David Molko, Catherine E. Shoichet and John Berman contributed to this report.

NEW: The Bluefin-21 has combed 95% of a search area with no significant results . Passenger's partner accuses Malaysian Prime Minister of deflecting blame . The PM asked an investigation team to see what other information can be released . Malaysia delivered a preliminary report to the U.N. but did not release it publicly .

(CNN) -- Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's stunning decision to sign a right-to-work law poses the question: Are these anti-union statutes, which make illegal any union contract that requires union membership or payment of dues a condition of employment, the future? During the last two years Indiana and Wisconsin have also passed laws that curb union strength and slash dues income. "If Michigan can do it, then I think everybody ought to think about it," asserts Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. Mix listed Alaska, Missouri, Montana and Pennsylvania, where Republicans enjoy large majorities in state legislatures, among the top contenders. The potential spread of right-to-work laws in the North, even in states where voters heavily favored President Obama for a second term, is a startling and ominous development. For decades, right-to-work laws were confined to the South or Mountain West, heavily agricultural states where new unions born during the Depression era evoked, among many employers and conservative politicians, the specter of Communism, race-mixing or both. These laws were almost all enacted in the years after the 1947 Congressional passage of the Taft-Hartley Act, which gave states the right to make illegal any collective bargaining contract that mandated union membership as a condition of employment. Opponents of unionism hailed these laws as insuring a "right-to-work" because they encouraged workers to take a job, even one where the wages and working conditions had been negotiated by a union, without paying the dues necessary to sustain the labor organization. To note that employers encouraged such free-loading would be an understatement. Then and now they denounced "compulsory unionism" and the "labor bosses" who sought to live high on the hog on member dues. In this imagining, it was the union, not the employer, who oppressed the workers. Opinion: A victory for right-to-work laws . In 1958, right-to-work advocates thought the time was ripe to invade the North. A sharp recession in the late 1950s had sapped union strength at the same moment that the Senate's McClellan Labor Rackets Committee investigation had uncovered unsavory links between Jimmy Hoffa, the Teamsters, and organized crime. Urged on by conservative Republican Sen. Barry Goldwater and financed by a newly created National Right to Work Committee, these anti-union activists put right to work referenda on the ballots of California, Ohio, Washington, Kansas, Idaho and Colorado. But with the exception of Kansas, all these initiatives went down in overwhelming defeat. That was not only because labor was still a powerful force -- in Ohio union density, the proportion of all workers in a union, stood at nearly 40% -- but also because the Democrats linked their fortunes to the labor movement and to the fight against right to work. As Pat Brown, the California gubernatorial candidate put it, right to work represented "a return to the ugly and destructive law of the economic jungle." The battle for the votes of African-Americans constituted one of the most remarkable features of these referenda. Right-to-work advocates pointed out, often quite accurately, that many American trade unions failed to adequately represent their minority members. If unions were weaker, minority workers might well get better jobs and promotions. But in Ohio and California especially that argument failed to persuade. The NAACP distributed a pamphlet entitled "Keep Mississippi Out of California," but even without this kind of propaganda most African-Americans and Latinos knew that an imperfect union was a better friend that a non-union employer whose power and prejudices ruled the workplace unchecked by any countervailing institution. Today, right-to-work forces are once again making a push to eviscerate unionism in its heartland. Thanks to Citizens United they have unlimited money. Thanks to globalization, slow growth, and corporate attacks, trade unionism is far weaker than in 1958. In Ohio union density stands at 13.4%, in Pennsylvania 14.6%, in Michigan, birth state of the once powerful United Automobile Workers, just 17.5%, a disastrous drop since the industrial union heyday in the 1950s. To staunch this anti-union assault, the Democrats have to make the defense of union rights and power a central, organic component of their message to American voters, office holders and workers -- both white collar and blue. Although Democratic legislators in Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio have bravely fought the Republican right on this issue, President Obama has been notably missing from the action. Obama denounced "right to work for less" in a post-election speech at a factory outside Detroit, but he was almost entirely silent on the issue both during the demonstrations that convulsed Madison, Wisconsin, in the winter of 2011, during the effort to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in the spring of the next year, and throughout the presidential campaign itself. Obama and his advisers undoubtedly thought that if they wanted to win right-to-work states like Virginia and Florida, they better keep quite about union rights in the North. But this was and is an exceedingly shortsighted and self defeating calculation. Trade unions stand at the core of the Democratic coalition. They are the last organizations remaining on the liberal side that can effectively appeal to white, working-class men in the Rust Belt swing states. Without the union organization and mobilization of blue collar Latinos in California, Nevada, and New Mexico those states would be almost as red as Texas. When Obama declared his support for gay marriage, he helped consolidate a growing national consensus in favor of that right. The president and other national Democrats need to use the same bully pulpit to defend trade unionism in its hour of need, not only because their destruction threatens the living standards of our working middle class, but because these institutions are the living embodiment of democracy, interracial solidarity and personal dignity in the world of work. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Nelson Lichtenstein.

Nelson Lichtenstein: Will more states pass right-to-work laws like Michigan? Lichtenstein: The potential spread of the laws in the North is startling and ominous . He says opponents try to paint the union, not the employer, as oppressors of workers . Lichtenstein: President Obama need to defend trade unionism in its hour of need .

Editor's note: On CNN's "State of the Union," host and chief national correspondent John King goes outside the Beltway to report on issues affecting communities across the country. Pope McLean Jr. tells CNN's John King that a lot of farms are hurting because of the global recession. LEXINGTON, Kentucky (CNN) -- Crestwood Farm is tucked into the rolling hillsides of Kentucky's legendary bluegrass country. Kipling and Unbridled Energy are among the stallions critical to the reputation -- and the bottom line -- of the McLean family business. And just how do the stallions prove their value? "When their progeny does well on the race track," Pope McLean Jr. said. "Can't bluff that. That's when they prove what they are worth." Pope McLean Sr. got into the horse business in college and took over Crestwood Farm in 1970. His son worked on the farm while growing up. After college he took a job in the financial sector, but in 1991 he returned to Crestwood. His brother Marc returned a few years later, and their younger sister Grandison joined after she graduated from college. "It's been pretty much a family business since that point," Pope McLean Jr. said during a tour of the 1,000 acre property. Kentucky is to horse racing what Michigan is to the domestic auto industry. Racing and breeding thoroughbreds is a multibillion-dollar business in the state and the source of some 100,000 jobs. But "The Sport of Kings" is hardly exempt from these painful economic times, and in fact is taking a severe blow in the global recession. "It's truly an international industry, so we have people, a lot of buyers, from Europe come in. And they have dialed back," McLean said. "Domestic buyers have dialed back their participation, as well. The good horses are still bringing decent money, but everyone has to lower their expectations." At this year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which McLean calls the horse industry's version of the NBA draft, the gross was down more than 41 percent from last year, the largest year-to-year drop in the 66-year history of the auction. "The prices are down, and our production costs increased with commodity prices going up and so forth, so it definitely puts a squeeze on commercial breeding operations," McLean said. "A lot of farms are hurting. And then you have the credit squeeze that has hurt a lot of farms, too." McLean sees another lean year next year, and then hopes for a rebound because of an odd twist to the laws of supply and demand. In 2008, when the stock market was plummeting, 30 percent fewer mares were bred, so the supply of horses available at auction the year after next will be smaller. "I think people just decided to pull back," McLean said. "So the supply of horses available at auction will be reduced and that should start to help market conditions." At Crestwood, McLean predicts an "about even" year. "We're down at bit," at the moment, he says. "I feel pretty sure there will be quite a few farms that will go out of business." Out of business is an all too common theme in Hazard, a coal country town in Eastern Kentucky's Appalachia region about 120 miles away from Lexington and horse country. Statewide, the unemployment rate in Kentucky is 11.1 percent. Hazard is the county seat in Perry County, where the jobless rate has been on a steady climb and is 12.7 percent. On Main Street, a clothing and novelty store is closing down, along with an adjacent print and copying shop. Fallout, locals say, from the closing of a uniform plant that had employed more than 140 people, and then a Weyerhaeuser lumber facility that employed 180. Joanne Caron knew there were problems when Weyerhaeuser canceled weekend shifts, "but we didn't think it would be that drastic." The bad news came suddenly in March when workers were told their jobs were being eliminated immediately. "They called us in the conference room and said due to market conditions, you know, they had to shut us down." Caron has been looking for work for seven months. Nothing. Her unemployment check is $746 every two weeks. She cashed in her Weyerhaeuser 401(k) and, despite the long-term risks, allows herself a small slice of that money every month, as well. "My daughter likes to eat, and she likes clothes," Caron said with a shrug. "And we like heat and air conditioning. That's the choices we have to make." Her 19-year-old is enrolled at the local community college, where Joanne also plans to take classes in hopes of improving her job prospects. Two older daughters completed college over the past two years, one in Florida and other here in Kentucky, but neither has been able to find work. "So everything I told them as they were growing up: go to college, get a degree so you can get a good job, it's just not working out that way." Caron tries to keep her spirits up, dryly joking that "you get to see everybody during the day because nobody's at work." But the long search can be demoralizing. "I worked all my life and now I'm collecting an unemployment check. I feel real uncomfortable about that, but there's no jobs available." When Caron returned to the Weyerhaeuser plant for the first time, it made her feel sad. "The last shift I worked was 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Twelve hour shifts," she said as she looked through the fence, chained and padlocked shut. "Sad to see it like this," Caron said. "I made a lot of good friends working there. We had good times working in there. It wasn't a glamorous job, but we had fun and we got along, and I miss seeing those people every day."

Horse racing industry is the source of some 100,000 jobs in Kentucky . Domestic and international buyers have dialed back participation, horse farmer says . Unemployment rate in Kentucky is 11.1 percent . Kentucky resident jokes, "You get to see everybody ... because nobody's at work"

Altinozu, Turkey (CNN) -- Mazen Hajisa has a secret. Amid the olive groves of Turkey just a stone's throw away from the Syrian border, he has hidden away several Styrofoam boxes. Their contents are deadly: a dozen unexploded antipersonnel mines. He took one out and brushed dirt off its green molded plastic case. It was about the size of a soup bowl and stamped with Cyrillic letters. Hajisa pointed at a raised black cross on the top of the device. "If you put pressure on this trigger," he said, "It will explode." Hajisa's deadly stash of booby-traps are just a fraction of more than 300 similar devices he claimed he and several other Syrian volunteers dug up from the border between Syria and Turkey over the last two months. Turkish authorities said the Syrian army began planting mine fields along stretches of the border earlier this winter. The landmines appear to be part of an effort to close the widely-traveled smugglers' trails that criss-cross this long Middle Eastern frontier. The new measure has added another potentially lethal obstacle to the already perilous journey that has been made by thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing to Turkey. More than 17,000 Syrians are currently living in Turkish refugee camps, with hundreds of new arrivals coming every day. Rami Bakour knows the new landmine threat all too well. The 25-year old Syrian refugee lay mutilated in a hospital bed in the Turkish city of Antakya. All that was left of his right foot was a stump covered by a bandage. "I didn't know there were land mines," he said, while recalling the fateful afternoon earlier this month, when he tried to flee with his family across the border to Turkey. "I didn't feel anything under my foot. I didn't feel that I stepped on something. Then I heard a very big explosion," Bakour said. "I didn't know I had been hit until I saw my shoe with my foot inside it laying close to me." Turkish doctors were scheduled to operate on Bakour's stump once again on Thursday, to clean fragments from his maimed limb. Turkish officials say at least 10 Syrian landmine victims have been treated in Turkish hospitals in recent weeks. "Any use of antipersonnel landmines is unconscionable," wrote the New York-based Human Rights Watch, in a report published earlier this month on new Syrian minefields buried along the borders of both Turkey and Lebanon. An international convention banning the use of antipersonnel mines has been signed by 159 countries. Syria, the United States and Russia are not signatories. Human Rights Watch researchers who examined the landmines retrieved by Hajisa identified them as Russian- or Soviet-made PMN-2 antipersonnel mines. Though the Syrian minefields were new, at least some of the landmines appeared to have been manufactured decades ago during the Cold War. "The PMN-2 antipersonnel landmine was produced in state factories of the Soviet Union," wrote Mark Hiznay, a senior researcher in Human Rights Watch's Arms Division. "The examples we photographed had stamps on them that indicated the explosives were loaded into the mines in 1982." According to Human Rights Watch, it was impossible to ascertain when the mines were sold to Syria. But possibly as long as three decades after production, the Soviet landmines were claiming new victims. "That is the insidious nature of the weapons," Hiznay wrote in an e-mail to CNN. "They wait for their victim. It's why 159 countries have banned them." Typically, de-mining operations in conflict zones are carried out by experts wearing armor and using specialized equipment. But the Syrian activist Hajisa and his colleagues had none of these resources and virtually no training when they began the dangerous work of clearing smugglers' trails. "Activists informed me that the regime planted mines that exploded under pressure," said Hajisa, who had some prior experience working with other models of landmines while doing his mandatory military service in the Syrian army five years ago. "So I conducted an experiment. I dug in a big stick next to a mine, tied a rope to it, and went 20 meters away from the mine to pull it out. When I saw the mine didn't explode, I discovered that you have to step on it to detonate it." From that moment, Hajisa said he and several other volunteers started opening up paths through the minefields. His de-mining tool of choice? A foot-long metal kebab skewer. "The mines are typically buried 5 to 6 centimeters underground," he explained, while demonstrating how he probed the dirt with the skewer. "You can find them because the earth around them is a different color, after the Syrian soldiers buried the mines there." Asked why he was risking his life digging up hidden explosives, Hajisa had a simple answer. "It's my duty," he said. "If I don't do this, how will the refugees escape from the regime? They face two choices, either be killed by snipers and tanks, or be killed by landmines. The refugees must have a safe place to escape to." A crackdown on protesters by the Syrian regime has been going on for more than a year. The United Nations estimates as many as 9,000 people have been killed, while activists put the toll at more than 10,000. The violence has forced thousands from their homes, many of them seeking refuge in Turkey. After showing CNN his boxes full of landmines, Hajisa gingerly carried them back into the underbrush where he had stored them. The volunteer de-miner did not know how to defuse the deadly little devices. He said he didn't know of any official to whom he could turn over the mines, seeming not to trust the Turks. "I hide them here because I don't know where else to put them," he said. Journalist Omar al Muqdad contributed to this report.

Syria began mining its border with Turkey a few months ago, Hajisa says . Mazen Hajisa says it's his duty to help refugees flee the Syrian regime . Rami Bakour's foot was blown off by a mine explosion .

Juba, South Sudan (CNN) -- South Sudanese wept openly as they celebrated their independence Saturday, cheering, whistling and dancing down the streets in a ceremony fitting for the birth of a new nation. "We are free at last," some chanted, flags draped around their shoulders. A man on his knees kissed the ground. The red, white and green flag of the newborn nation, readied at half-staff the day before, was hoisted over the capital of Juba. Among the world leaders bearing witness on this historic day: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and South African President Jacob Zuma. "This is liberation, a new chapter," said Abuk Makuac, who escaped to the United States in 1984 and came back home to attend the independence day activities. "No more war. We were born in the war, grew up in the war and married in war." South Sudan's sovereignty officially breaks Africa's largest nation into two, the result of a January referendum overwhelmingly approved by voters. The referendum was part of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war pitting a government dominated by Arab Muslims in the north against black Christians and animists in the south. The war killed about 2 million people. Amid the independence celebrations, some residents paid tribute to relatives killed in the war. "It is very emotional. I'm excited, but I'm also thinking of all the people who died for this to happen," said Victoria Bol, who lost dozens of family members. Salva Kiir Mayardit, a former rebel leader who is South Sudan's first president, said his people cannot forget years of bloodshed but must now forgive and move forward. He vowed his people would never again be marginalized. "As we celebrate our freedom and independence today, I want to assure the people of Darfur, Abyei and South Kordofan, we have not forgotten you," he said referring to three conflict-mired regions. "When you cry, we cry," he said. "When you bleed, we also bleed. In Washington, President Barack Obama issued a statement recognizing South Sudan's sovereignty. "Today is a reminder that after the darkness of war, the light of a new dawn is possible," Obama said. "A proud flag flies over Juba and the map of the world has been redrawn." There were shouts of joy, big hugs and hearty handshakes at South Sudan's new Washington embassy on Saturday. Others cried as a colorful new flag was raised. "This day means a lot to me because we achieved our victory. We got our own country," says Anai Aluong. "We are a new nation now. We are very happy because God answered our prayer." Aluong said she lost her father, brother, sister and friends during the decades-long civil war. British Foreign Secretary William Hague told the dignitaries gathered in Juba that his nation has opened an embassy there and appointed an ambassador. Al-Bashir stood with his former enemies from South Sudan and congratulated them on their new homeland. He said he believed a united Sudan was still the best option but supported the dream of the South Sudanese. The gracious tones sparked a ray of hope that the two sides would get past a bitter relationship to forge ahead. That journey will hardly be easy as many challenges await. South Sudan is among the world's poorest, with scores who fled the long conflict coming home to a region that has not changed much over the years. The infrastructure is still lacking -- with few paved roads in the new nation the size of Texas. Most villages have no electricity or running water. South Sudan sits near the bottom of most human development indices, according to the United Nations, including the highest maternal mortality and female illiteracy rates. Although the north has flourished, the South has not changed much over the years, said South Sudan native Moses Chol. "They have schools and clean water, and their children are not dying of simple diseases," Chol said, referring to the north. "In the south, people still drink stagnant water. They have nothing." There is also the threat of renewed fighting between the two neighbors. Clashes have erupted recently in the disputed border regions of Abyei and South Kordofan. And despite the 2005 peace deal brokered by the George W. Bush administration, forces aligned with both sides continue to clash. Abyei was a battleground in the brutal civil war between forces of both sides. A referendum on whether the area should be part of the north or the South has been delayed amid disagreements on who is eligible to vote. The two countries look set to divorce in name only -- they have not reached an agreement on the borders, the oil or the status of their respective citizens. The U.N. Security Council, which voted to send up to 7,000 peacekeepers and 900 uniformed police to South Sudan, is expected to meet Wednesday to discuss U.N. membership for the new nation. As dignitaries gathered in the new capital to celebrate the new nation, world leaders warned of a tough road ahead. "Their economic prospects are dim unless the two sides can come to agreement on how to share precious resources, cooperate in other economic areas and together promote the viability and stability of each other," the U.S. special envoy to Sudan, Princeton N. Lyman, said in an editorial to CNN. Lyman, who attended the ceremony, said both sides want food, education and security for their families. "They want the freedom to be able to express their opinions, choose their leaders and become active participants in political and social life," he said. South Sudan natives such as Makuac admit there are challenges ahead. However, she is pushing those thoughts to the back-burner for now. "We have waited so long to get here ... I will worry about that later," she said. "This weekend, we celebrate." CNN's Nima Elbagir reported from Juba, South Sudan, and Faith Karimi reported from Atlanta. CNN's Jennifer Rizzo and Moni Basu contributed.

NEW: Flag raised at embassy in Washington . Leaders of north and the South strike a conciliatory tone . "We are free at last," cheering crowds chant on the streets . South Sudan's sovereignty breaks Africa's largest nation into two .

(CNN) -- In the fall of 2011, Jen Corn was the heaviest she had ever been. At 5 feet 6 inches, Corn weighed more than 300 pounds. Her mother and aunt had just offered to pay for her to have weight-loss surgery. But Corn knew the price tag was hefty: around $15,000. "I told them no," said Corn, then 39, recalling the exact moment. "I felt like I was not worth that." Her mom, Jean Corn, said the two older women knew something had to be done since diabetes runs in the family. "We were just desperate," Jean Corn said. "We (also) knew her heart wasn't going to be able to carry this weight forever." Corn's rejection of the offer devastated her family. But Corn had made up her mind to take matters into her own hands to lose the weight. "If I was going to do this, I (was) going to do it the right way. I (was) going to do it the healthy way, and I (was) not going to rely on somebody else," she said. In denial . Corn's weight problem had begun in high school in Woodstock, Georgia. She played sports, which helped her feel like she hid some of the weight, but she said she ate everything in sight. "There were a lot of self-esteem issues growing up, which of course only added fuel to the fire to make it worse," she said. She wouldn't address her weight with anybody. She got into fights with her mom about it; at one point, she told her mom never to mention it again. She avoided shopping, scales and mirrors. "As long as I didn't see it, it wasn't true," she said. In 2011, she realized she couldn't walk from her front door to her mailbox, a distance of 30 feet. "I'd get to the mailbox sounding like I smoked 12 packs a day," she said, recalling how she complained about pain in her knees, back and feet. "It was ridiculous." She thought about joining Weight Watchers again. In 2008, Corn had tried the program, an attempt that lasted six months. She had also failed at other diets -- Nutrisystem, the South Beach Diet and Sugar Busters among them. But this time, her resolve to get healthy was strong. 'A snowball effect' Corn joined Weight Watchers shortly after the talk with her mom and aunt. This time around, her mind-set was different. She had made a commitment to herself to go to the meetings, pay attention and adhere to the plan. She had heard the plan would work if she followed it precisely. Shortly after joining the program, Corn saw something at the doctor's office that would end up changing her life. She went to see the doctor about her foot hurting. A note written on her chart classified her as morbidly obese. Corn was not even sure what the term meant. "He told me it was because I was heavy and offered me tips on what to do for my foot but not about how to lose weight," she said. Corn persevered. She attended her weekly Saturday morning meetings without the dread she had in her 2008 attempt. Instead of focusing on her goal of losing 150 pounds, the Bradenton, Florida, resident attempted to achieve smaller goals like 5, 10 and 25 pounds. The first six months of her weight-loss journey, Corn focused strictly on her diet. After she had lost about 40 pounds, she started walking the neighborhood in addition to using her treadmill at home. "It was kind of like a snowball effect," she said. "I was losing more weight, which caused me to exercise more." Corn also slowly overhauled her diet. "Before I knew it, I was not eating as much food as I used to," she said. "It was a slow process, so my body had time to adjust to less food." Her daily diet before had been filled with fast food, fried chicken and little vegetables. Now it's all about high-protein and high-fiber foods, salads and healthy snacks. And, of course, lots of water throughout the day. "I do allow myself a piece of chocolate here and there, some ice cream here and there, as long as I pre-arrange for it in my mind," she said. "I would feel deprived if I couldn't have those, and then that's usually when I go completely off the rails." One step at a time . Corn hit her goal weight of 163 pounds in March. Now, almost three years after the start of her journey, Corn weighs 161 pounds. She struggles every day, keeping healthy snacks around her at all times. She blogged about her weight-loss journey, which she refers to as her "road trip." "To me, it's not about being skinny, it's about being healthy," she said. Corn has a message for others facing their own weight problems. "First, you don't have to have a movie-star budget to do this," she said. "It won't be easy, but it's your life you're dealing with, and there's nothing more precious on this earth than your own life." An avid power walker, Corn walks five miles a day. Her goal is to walk a half-marathon in Sarasota, Florida, in March. Her self-confidence has also increased as a result of the "new" her. "I'm still kind of shy, but I'm not afraid to walk up to somebody and talk to them, as opposed to standing back and waiting for them to come talk to me," she said. And her mother couldn't be prouder. "This was a person (who), if I would have paid her $1,000 to step on a treadmill, she wouldn't have done it," Jean Corn said. "This is a person (who) doesn't have a personal trainer, (who) doesn't have a chef, (who) doesn't have makeup artists. She is living proof that there is no gimmick, no magic pill; it's absolutely take one step at a time."

Jen Corn weighed more than 300 pounds in the fall of 2011 . She started watching her diet and power walking to lose weight . Since she started her "road trip," Corn has lost 150 pounds .

(CNN) -- Central Texas, especially that sweet spot halfway between Dallas and Austin where small swaths of the legendary old prairies remain, is an earthly paradise. Blowsy live oaks spread their heavy limbs beneath cloud-spattered skies, while creeks and rivers—most prominently the meandering Brazos—ripple alongside gently rolling pastures gilded with waving grasses. These natural glories are precisely what led Laura and George W. Bush to choose the area for their Prairie Chapel Ranch, the retreat they completed in 2001, just after he became the 43rd president of the United States. Occupying some 1,600 acres near the flyspeck town of Crawford, about 25 miles west of Waco, the property is anchored by a strong but relatively modest home that quietly honors its location. During the eight years Mr. Bush was in office, the ranch served as the Western White House and welcomed numerous heads of state—from Russian president Vladimir Putin to Saudi king Abdullah bin Abdulaziz—some of whom were coaxed to join the leader of the free world as he raced along the property's 40-mile network of bike trails. And, of course, there are the well-known stories of the president spending his vacations clearing brush, often in searing heat, sometimes encouraging aides to join him. Architectural Digest: Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen's Custom Chateau . These days the Bushes live in Dallas, also home to the George W. Bush Presidential Center, which opened last year on the campus of Southern Methodist University. But they regularly make the trip south to Crawford, where the former president is just as likely to be found handling a fishing rod or paintbrush as he is a chain saw. The ranch remains an essential getaway for the couple, a place to unwind and spend time with their daughters, Barbara Bush and Jenna Bush Hager, as well as Jenna's family, and to entertain close friends like Deedie and Rusty Rose, prominent cultural leaders in Dallas. In fact, it was Deedie Rose who helped the Bushes find their architect, David Heymann, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin's School of Architecture. "Deedie and Rusty love the way David sites buildings," says Mrs. Bush, relaxing on a shady terrace that overlooks a shimmering lake where her husband often casts lines for bass. (The largest caught to date, the former president reports, was a ten-pounder.) "So when we bought this property, Deedie told me, 'I have your architect,' and, of course," she jokes, with a slightly arched eyebrow, "I always do what Deedie says." (Rose was a member of the committee that selected Robert A.M. Stern to design the Bush center.) Architectural Digest: Ralph Lauren Shows Off His Incredible Car Collection . The former first lady notes that when she was growing up in Midland, Texas, her father built spec houses—"one story and low to the ground, a style you saw a lot in the '50s and '60s." She and Mr. Bush had a similar type of residence in mind for Crawford, mainly, she explains, "because we wanted the house to fit into the landscape." And she means fit literally. Heymann's design carefully nestled a single-level, three-bedroom limestone structure and an adjacent two-suite guesthouse into an almost imperceptible rise amid an existing grove of live oaks and cedar elms. Wrapped by deep roof overhangs—some up to ten feet wide—that serve to deflect the region's broiling sunlight and torrential downpours, the dwelling features tall windows that add a romantic transparency to its unpretentious countenance. "We wanted to see and enjoy the beauty as much as possible," says Mr. Bush. To answer the couple's desire for indoor-outdoor living, many of the windows are also doors that open to covered terraces and walks, buffalo-grass lawns, and the tree-shaded swimming pool. When the doors are flung wide, the home becomes a veritable pavilion, capturing passing breezes and filled with birdsong. The configuration also reduces the need for internal corridors—often the Bushes navigate the place by strolling out one door and in through another. "It's slightly motel-ish, but we love that," Mrs. Bush says lightheartedly. Architectural Digest: Bette Midler's Jaw-Dropping NYC Penthouse . The former first lady worked closely on the project with Heymann, who found her to be a highly perceptive accomplice. "She has a lot of experience from seeing the carefully organized houses that her dad built, and she has a very, very good eye," he says. Early in the construction process Mrs. Bush pointed out that the masons' work on the Texas Lueders limestone that clads the exterior (and some interior) walls of the residence was absolutely perfect—and thoroughly wrong. The Bushes wanted to have a subtly rustic, handcrafted look, and Heymann had deliberately chosen to use the so-called rough-back pieces that were traditionally thrown away in the trimming process rather than smoothly finished blocks. "We had to take away their levels," the architect recalls, adding that the stone was relaid the old-fashioned, slightly irregular way, with taut string and appraising eyes. Architectural Digest: Radical Houses Around the World . An advocate of sustainable design, Heymann incorporated into the compound a number of green features, including a geothermal energy system for heating and cooling. Rainwater runs off the house's standing-seam metal roof and into a gravel-filled moat, where it filters into a 42,000-gallon cistern concealed beneath the rear terrace and is recycled to irrigate the lawns. See more photos on ArchDigest.com . Reprinted with permission of Conde Nast.

During George W. Bush's presidency, world leaders visited his Texas ranch . The Bush family regularly makes the trip from big-city Dallas to small-town Crawford . Mr. Bush frequently fishes and paints to unwind on the ranch . The design's green features include a geothermal energy system for heating and cooling .

Los Angeles (CNN) -- While Oscars go to those who do makeup, design costumes and mix sound for movies, those who crash cars, fall from tall buildings and blow things up can't get an Academy Award. Stunt coordinator Jack Gill has broken his back twice and his neck once during his 32-year career. He's hit a brick wall for the past 20 years trying to convince the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to honor his profession. "I think it's the acknowledgement that we all want for our efforts, because we are a big part of the movie-making industry and we see all of our other department heads getting these Oscars," Gill said Friday. An Academy committee meets on June 14 to again decide if a new Oscar category will be created for best stunt coordinator in a movie, which GoldDerby.com editor Tom O'Neil says is "one of many areas the Oscars overlook and shouldn't." When the Academy governors voted five years ago against a stunt Oscar, it appeared that the development of computer-generated imagery (CGI) would reduce demand for live stunt performers in movie production, Gill said. "But in reality, the stunt person has evolved into a different type of stunt person," he said. "He is now an integral part of the CGI aspect of it and we employ as many stunt people now as we did in the past." This year's blockbuster "Fast Five" was noteworthy for its real stunts, said Gill, who worked on the action film as a stunt coordinator. "We're going back to real physical stunts because the audience can now tell the difference and once an audience member can tell the difference between what's real and what's fake, it takes him out of the element and he doesn't believe that he's part of that action scene," he said. Gill, who started his career jumping ditches with the "General Lee" on TV's "Dukes of Hazard," said the stunt business is getting more dangerous, not less. "They want bigger and better," he said. "They want to push the envelope. They want to get to a point to do things that nobody's ever seen before." "Fast Five" required Gill to figure out how to pull a 10-ton bank vault with two cars. "You're always doing things that tax your ability and you have to try to get in there and figure it all out and that's what a stunt coordinator does," he said. Even movies without crashes, blasts and falls need stunt coordinators to "keep actors safe and to make sure that all the action works," he said. "Avatar," which was completely computer-generated, had a stunt coordinator "who designed all the action," Gill said. While quite a few of the leading actors do their own stunts, it is the stunt coordinator who must decide which stunts they can and can't do, he said. "Because, as you know, if the actor gets hurt in any way, say he even breaks a finger, you're shut down for three months, and they look at you and say 'Why did you stick him in something where he can get hurt?' " "They're the ones that have to tell them, 'When you stand in this spot right now your life is in my hands and I'm telling you that you're safe in this spot, when the cars come sliding around the corner, they are not going to hit you. If you stand five feet over here, it's going to kill you,'" Gill said. Despite the support of Hollywood A-listers such as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Martin Scorsese, Jessica Lange and others, the politics are against the campaign for adding an Academy Award for best stunt coordinator, according to O'Neil, a journalist who has closely covered the issue. Pressure to keep the annual Oscar telecast entertaining and on schedule means there is a "zero chance" a best stunt Oscar will be handed out in the live ceremony, O'Neil predicted. Gill suggested, though, the clips of the nominated stunts would liven up the telecast. "We don't even care if we're in the ceremony," Gill said. "We just want to get that Oscar in our hands." But the governors who represent the makeup, animated shorts and sound mixing peer groups would be unlikely to vote for awarding a competitive Oscar category off-air, O'Neil said. It would create a precedent that could pave the way for their Oscars to be taken out of the telecast's limelight, he said. "It's the embedded and entrenched politics of this ancient group that is so hard to move," O'Neil said. The basic problem is that it would require addition of a stunt coordinators peer group to the 16 already existing, he said. It would add three governors to the Academy's board, which with nearly 50 now is "just a nightmare," he said. There is "very little payback" for the Academy to add a stunt coordinator Oscar because "these are unknown people to the viewers at home that watch the show, he said. Stunt people are not the only overlooked movie workers, O'Neil said. Voice actors don't have "a shot in hell" of winning a Oscar for their performances in blockbuster animated films, he said. Casting directors should also be honored, he said. Stunt actors are not completely snubbed by industry award shows, though. The Screen Actors Guild added a "stunt ensemble" SAG award. O'Neil said the category has been "warmly received." Gill, who was recently set on fire for an episode of TV's "True Blood," said he's hoping the Academy governors will also see the light and see that "without a stunt coordinator most of these big films would never be made." "I worked very hard on 'Fast Five' trying to make those physical stunts look real, and I think it paid off in what the audience came and saw, and I'd really like to be a part of the Oscar ceremony next year," he said.

Movie stunt coordinators want Oscar consideration for their work . An Academy committee meets June 14 to consider their request . Adding a 25th category could lengthen the already long Oscar telecast . Real film stunts are in demand despite digital effects, a veteran stuntman says .

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Would you still watch your favorite television program if you had to cycle for an hour before you could view it? A computer-generated image of Club Watt, Rotterdam's human-powered club. Couch potatoes will be horrified, but fresh advances in human-powered technology -- where users power appliances through their own motion -- could one day see a 'workout-to-watch' scenario become reality. Human power is rapidly gaining in popularity worldwide as businesses seek 'greener' methods of operating. The profile of the technology is set to receive a further boost this month when a human-powered gym opens in Portland, Oregon, and again in September when the human-powered 'sustainable dance club', Club Watt, opens its doors in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Human power is already being used to run the 'California Fitness' gym in Hong Kong, and to power the recently opened 'Club Surya' in London. iReport.com: Can you predict what the future will be like? Beyond all of this, further concepts have been developed for human-powered 'river gyms' for the waterways of New York. But, how does your sweat and strain turn into power for lights, music and machines? The general concept is known as energy harvesting, which simply refers to the gathering of energy from one source and applying it to power an object. Italian inventor Lucien Gambarota, who designed California Fitness's method of storing energy and using it to power lights and music in the gym, told CNN the concept is straightforward. "One of the oldest types of energy used by people is muscular energy -- so this is nothing new." Gambarota said machines such as exercycles created a load, used as a counter-force by means of a resistor. "I disconnected the resistor and started storing the energy into a battery... that is then used as power. It was a way to show there can be very simple solutions. It doesn't always have to be high-tech," he said. Portland's 'green' gym will have spinning bikes connected to wind-generator motors. The users should generate enough electricity to power the gym's music system or run personal DVD players on the machines, the gym's manager Adam Boesel predicts. While harnessing the energy from people working out at a gym seems logical, utilising the movement of clubbers at dance clubs is a little more complex. Two methods have developed -- the first of which is piezoelectricity, used by Club Surya, where crystals in blocks under the dance-floor rub together with the assistance of dancers on the floor. This generates an electrical charge which is then fed into batteries. A second method using wheels to generate energy under a slightly moving floor will be used at the soon-to-be-opened Club Watt. This model involves coils and magnets which move under the dance-floor to create a charge. Vera Verkooijen, spokeswoman for Sustainable Dance Club, the company which is behind the floor for Club Watt and produces smaller, portable floors, said the human power would be enough to power about 30 percent of the club's requirements. Verkooijen admitted the first floors were not very efficient, and said the designers were already working on new models to improve the amount of energy captured. "This is just the first version. We are willing to take it further," she said. At Club Surya the power shortfall is made up by solar panels and a wind turbine. Putting the current buzz aside, how far could this human-powered technology develop? And how widely can it be applied? Verkooijen told CNN she already had some indications of where the technology was heading. "We receive a lot of requests from other companies for people who want to use the floors. We get many of these for bus and train stations -- places where there are lots of people." Lights and display boards at those spaces could be powered applying the same concept as that being used in Club Watt, she said. Evert Raaijen, technical director of energy conversion company Exendis, felt the technology could have a number of different applications. From pedal-powered computers on bicycles, to self-powered soldiers in militaries, Raaijen predicted human power would be developed widely in coming years. "I think it's a science field which will be one of the future," he said. Gambarota believed there were ways human power could be brought into practical use in the home. He had generated an idea of using human-powered batteries for television or portable video game consoles. "With so many kids not exercising enough, a battery could be created for these devices so they had to create the energy to use them. The same could be done for television sets. "We could get the situation where people have to cycle so they can use it," Gambarota said. Despite these potential developments, human-power is attracting its share of criticism. Although he shows enthusiasm for the battery project, Gambarota, who now spends much of his time developing micro wind turbines, is sceptical about the future of human-power on a mass-scale. He raises doubts about the efficiency of human power and questioned its economic viability. The average amount of power one person could produce going about normal activities on any given day was about one kilowatt-hour (kWh), which only amounted to about € 0.10 worth of electricity, Gambarota said. "It's a very good marketing tool for businesses, but in terms of economics it does not make sense at all." The main reason it was being used was because companies wanted to "look green, taste green and smell green", he said. Raaijen, who was consulted on the Sustainable Dance Floor project, agreed that opting for human-powered technology at present was not a financially-based decision. "The project (dance floor) in itself doesn't save a lot of energy. It's more of a statement than anything." Observing recent trends, the sustained drive for 'green energy' should continue to push human-powered technology forward, and despite the limitations to development, human-powered gyms, dance clubs, and maybe even video game consoles are likely to feature strongly in our immediate future.

A Hong Kong gym and London dance club are part powered by human power . Italian inventor Lucien Gambarota says human power is simple to use . The concept could be taken to busy places like train stations or into homes . There are some questions about the economic sense of human power .

(CNN)We devote one day of every year to celebrating our presidents and the other 364 to complaining about them. But what if this year, on Presidents Day, we realize something else: . We have an unhealthy obsession with presidents as the sole movers of American politics. For too long, Americans have understood history primarily through the lens of the presidency. School textbooks and media accounts all suggest that everything that is good and bad can be understood as the result of a president's skill, personal foibles and decision-making ability. If only President Bill Clinton, who critics called "Slick Willie," wasn't so willing to sell out traditional Democratic principles! If only President George W. Bush had a better understanding of the complexity of foreign affairs! If only President Barack Obama would be more willing to wheel and deal on Capitol Hill! Lyndon Johnson is the prime example of a president who has received both kinds of treatment, the person whose legendary political skill is held responsible for the Great Society and the villain who single-handedly dragged the nation into the quagmire of Vietnam. It is understandable why we focus so much attention on the president. After all, the president is powerful. Just as important, there is a simplicity to the presidency -- he is a single person, elected every four to eight years, and through his story, we can tell a clear narrative about the complicated processes of politics. There is a dramatic arc that can be used to describe the career of a president that serves as a crutch for many journalists and historians, lending itself to more exciting accounts of what happens in Washington than someone who digs deeper into the trenches of the messy political process. But presidents don't act in a vacuum. On Presidents Day, we should spend some time thinking the huge range of factors that affect the success or failure of the commander in chief. Congress is among the most important. As anyone who has served in the White House knows, the House and Senate have immense influence over what a president can do and how they go about doing it. The moments when there have been the greatest legislative breakthroughs, such as the New Deal or the Great Society, have come at times when the presidents were fortunate to find legislative majorities that were willing and able to push through big policy agendas. Without congressional support, that has been hard to do. When the forces of obstruction are strong, even the savviest president -- such as Franklin Roosevelt after the 1938 elections or LBJ after the 1966 midterms -- can't do much to make Washington work. The electorate plays a huge role in giving presidents the kind of Congress that they need or taking that kind of Congress away. Although Americans are often cynical about the differences that elections can make, the truth is that big landslide elections, when voters make a statement at the ballot box, have been able to create sizable majorities favoring a president's agenda. Other elections, usually midterms, can strengthen the president's opponents. President Obama thrived after the 2008 election, when strong and impassioned Democratic majorities, feeling the momentum of the historic election, moved as series of landmark bills that included health care, financial regulation and an economic stimulus. Grassroots activists also have a big influence on the outcome of a presidency. The moments when there have been significant shifts in public opinion about certain political issues have often revolved around the hard work of grassroots activists, upon whom a president can rely. During the 1930s, the vibrant and growing union movement offered the foundation for FDR when he pushed for many of his programs, including the Wagner Act of 1935 that created the National Labor Relations Board and legitimated unions. Public opinion in the 1960s shifted to the side of civil rights because of the intense mobilization of movement activists. During the 1980s, Ronald Reagan's message resonated with the electorate in large part as a result of how the conservative movement had helped shift public opinion over the decade. At other times, grassroots movements can create great problems for a president. This was the case when the anti-war movement gradually strengthened public opposition to Vietnam, causing huge problems for Presidents Johnson and Richard Nixon. Even the national security policies of a given period are not all the result of what a president does or does not do. The reality is that presidents operate within a thick institutional environment inhabited by military officials, defense contractors and bureaucrats who play a big role in creating boundaries for the options that a president can employ. Presidents are also profoundly affected on foreign policy by what they inherit. President Johnson had to deal with Vietnam, an area where Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy had already staked out a role for the United States. Most recently, President Obama has found it difficult to shift course on of the majority of President Bush's counterterrorism programs and on his expansive vision of the president's wartime authority. Once policies are in place, presidents often have to respond to them rather than shape new directions. Political interests and sentiment also grow around existing policies that make it hard for presidents to fundamentally change them. Finally, there is the political process. If we don't look at the rules of the game, our stories about given political periods are thin. For the 1930s to the 1960s, it is impossible to understand American politics if one does not deal with the immense power of committee chairmen within Congress, upon whose authority legislative power depended. Today, the influence of private money, donors and lobbyists helps explain as much as anything President Obama does in the outcome of many policies, such as the decision to pass financial regulation legislation at the height of the economic crisis that was written in a way that provided multiple opportunities for Wall Street firms to circumvent the laws. None of this is to say that presidents are not extraordinarily powerful and important. But we need to do a better job putting presidents into context, celebrating them and criticizing them with a full understanding of the constraints that they face and the factors upon which they depend. If we don't, we'll continue to have unrealistic expectations about what the next president will do, and will surely be disillusioned, as we miss what exactly it has taken for the great presidents to succeed.

Julian Zelizer: America tends to exaggerate the impact of its presidents . On Presidents Day, remember that there are many other people who can make a president succeed or fail, he says .

(CNN) -- Syrian tanks and helicopters opened fire and killed at least two civilians as the military advanced through a series of villages in northwestern Syria Thursday, a push that sent residents running for the hills, a villager told CNN. "They attacked the old church," said Mohamed Smail, a farmer who fled his home and spoke to CNN from the hills around Al Bara. "We are calling on international organizations to protect our ruins. They are destroying our cultural heritage." Syria has been engulfed in violence during more than three months of anti-government discontent. The crackdown on anti-government protests in the Jabal Zawiya region of Syria's Idlib province comes just days after Syrian authorities allowed a historic opposition conference to be held in the capital, Damascus. Helicopters swept in and dropped commandos into the area from ropes Thursday morning. Tanks and helicopters bombarded ancient Byzantine ruins in Al Bara, the site of a famous "dead city," a destination for tourists fascinated by fifth-century Byzantine churches, monasteries, and an intact pyramid-shaped burial chamber. Smail also said Syrian military units attacked and destroyed the home of a local man named Mohamed Khalife, killing him and his infant son. "His 1-year-old son, named Hasan Mohamed Khalife, was in the house and we couldn't save him," Smail said. Smail said Syrian troops and plain-clothed Shabiha militants had blocked escape routes to nearby Turkey. CNN could not independently confirm the man's account. The number of Syrian refugees fleeing to Turkey each day has dropped dramatically as Syrian troops have moved into border regions, after days of protests and unrest. The Turkish prime minister's office released a statement Thursday saying that five Syrian refugees had crossed the border during the prior 24 hours. More than 15,000 Syrian refugees fled to Turkey to escape the government crackdown in recent weeks. Nearly a third of those refugees have voluntarily returned to Syria in recent days, according to the Turkish government. Elsewhere, in the large city of Aleppo, 20 busloads of what an activist called "government thugs" attacked marchers with batons and knives. The attack caused the demonstrators to disperse, and a number of people were injured, but there was no word of deaths. Video surfaced on the internet of what activists say was unrest on Bab Nasr Avenue in Aleppo, and it showed a panicked crowd fleeing down the street. Syrian forces later intervened, pushed the "thugs" back, and a peaceful demonstration ensued, an activist said. Another activist, contacted by telephone by CNN, said the street was the site of a Thursday confrontation between protesters and government forces. Rami Abdelrahman, of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said anti-regime demonstrations occurred Thursday in Aleppo's Bab Al Faraj, Al Masharqa and Bab al Hadid neighborhoods. Hundreds of demonstrators participated in them, he said. Some pro-regime demonstrations occurred in the same areas, with demonstrators clashing and a number of injuries resulting, he said. At the United Nations, Western diplomats exchanged harsh words with the Syrian ambassador in the Security Council, where China and Russia have threatened to veto a pending resolution condemning the violence in Syria on the grounds that they do not want to get involved in Syria's internal affairs. "This council should send a clear message underlining our collective concern," said Philip Parham, Britain's deputy ambassador to the United Nations. "They have met legitimate demands for reform with brute force." "I would hope that this esteemed council would focus on the real issues instead of meddling in internal affairs," said Bashar Jaafari, Syria's ambassador to the world body. "Some member states will not cease to use the Security Council as a tool to pass its own policies." Meanwhile, an American congressman who traveled this week to Syria, where he met with President Bashar al-Assad and opposition leaders, said the situation is "dire." U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, said he is working to end the violence. "I appealed to President Assad to remove his forces from the cities. He told me he would, and today we learned that he has begun to do just that." "A process of national dialogue is now beginning. This process is unprecedented in Syria and should not be dismissed as mere window dressing, because until now there has been no window for people to view what democracy in Syria would look like." He said he has talked to "many Syrians who said the overthrow of Assad -- without knowing who would take his place -- will add to the instability and make things immeasurably worse, and they want him to deliver on the reforms." "President Assad has communicated directly to the opposition, and to me personally, that he is prepared to do that, not as a ruse to stay in power, but as a step towards the natural path to Syria's progress and development. We must be mindful however of the actions of extremists who are using this time of transition as an opportunity of cover for their own anti-democratic agenda." Kucinich said he traveled to Syria at the request of his Arab-American constituents and not in response to an invitation from Damascus. He met with government and opposition figures, including people who had been imprisoned by the regime, and said the situation doesn't "simply involve two players: the government and the opposition." "It is an extremely complicated and explosive condition involving, among other elements, a historically closed government with an awful human rights record, caught up in demands for democracy sweeping the region; security forces which went out of control killing innocent protesters; sectarian interests which have longed to overthrow a government which has protected religious minorities; violence against minorities; guns flowing across the borders with refugees on the move," he said. "Too many people have already died in Syria. It is imperative to act to end further deaths." CNN's Kamal Ghattas and Yesim Comert contributed to this report .

NEW: Harsh words between Syrian and Western diplomats at the United Nations . Villager: 2 dead during military push . Protesters are roughed up in Aleppo . A U.S. lawmaker says the situation is "dire"

(CNN) -- The recent smartphone video of Marines urinating on the bodies of slain Taliban should trouble all Americans. It is troubling even if allowances are made for young men -- recently released from the high pressures of combat and in the euphoria of being successful and still being alive -- doing dumb things. It should trouble us even allowing for the inevitable dehumanization of the enemy that often accompanies conflict. Keeping the human aspect of an enemy in mind is more than just a moral imperative, though. It makes good operational and strategic sense. And in this, intelligence has a special role. One of the first briefings I gave President George W. Bush as deputy director of national intelligence was on Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the fiendishly brutal head of al Qaeda in Iraq. I began with Zarqawi's upbringing: "Raised on the mean streets of Zarqa, jailed as a teenager, he turned to religion in prison ..." I was less trying to humanize him than to understand him, but the effect was largely the same. And even duly "humanized," Zarqawi remained our highest priority target in Iraq until we killed him the next year. Recognizing this human aspect of an enemy takes on even greater significance when a belligerent decides that it's time to negotiate with an adversary, when it's decided (or reluctantly accepted) that you will not be able to simply impose your will on him. This, by the way, is different than concluding that someone with whom you are still engaged in combat is no longer your enemy, as Vice President Joe Biden recently did when describing the Taliban. But it does mean that you are willing to recognize that he has legitimate political interests and you are willing to talk about them. Under any circumstance, talks with the Taliban will be a difficult task. For one thing, the pressure we can bring to bear on our negotiating partner diminishes daily as American troops leave Afghanistan based on an accelerated timetable rather than on battlefield conditions. A recent survey of national security wonks like myself had a full three-quarters of respondents either opposing these talks or saying they are likely to fail. So this is going to be tough and, as in many difficult undertakings, intelligence will be expected to play an important role. Taliban has met with U.S. officials, won't negotiate with Karzai . At the most basic level, intelligence will be asked what are the Taliban's interests or more precisely what is it they think they are. Intelligence will work to steal secrets: What are their demands, their going-in positions, their true red lines? In this case, negotiators will also want to know whether their Taliban interlocutors actually speak for the whole. Can they deliver on an agreement? I recall during the Bush administration, in one of our periodic crises with Syria, being asked by the president: "What does Assad want?" It was a question that went to the nature of the man. I responded with the often true but rarely useful, "I don't know." And I little helped the situation by meekly adding that I doubted that he did either. We did better during later negotiations with North Korea where, despite whatever negotiating strategy was being proposed, we stuck to the line that we saw little chance that Kim Jong Il would ever give up his nuclear weapons. We'll need the intelligence agencies to be equally accurate and equally firm in their judgments when it comes to the Taliban talks. Intelligence may be able to help in other ways since it has been routine for American intelligence officials to meet with and come to agreement with foreign counterparts, many of whom share little of our world view, our values or even our interests. A good thing, too, since one of the continuities between Presidents Bush and Obama has been the willingness to work with some unsavory partners such as President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen or several recent incarnations of Pakistan's ISI. I can recall many a meeting with counterparts where the common space where we might find agreement was challengingly small. In some of those sessions, my counterpart would depart the seemingly fact-based dialogue we had been sharing and launch into a series of conclusions based more on his culture's creation mythology than on any shared reality I could identify. For a time, I thought it sufficient to simply avoid signaling any agreement at these moments and patiently tolerate the excursion. Only later did I begin to ask myself what of my commentary had my counterpart judged to be American mythology rather than hard realism. Distinguishing and dealing with the differences will be important in the upcoming negotiations. Steve Kappes, who has served as deputy director of CIA for me and Leon Panetta, had to do as much when he earlier negotiated the end of Libya's WMD program with a regime as vile and erratic as the Taliban. This is not to suggest that intelligence officials will actually conduct negotiations in this instance. Marc Grossman, U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, brings as much talent, hard work and knowledge to the problem as anyone could. But I am suggesting that if these talks go forward, we will need a very deep understanding of the people across the table from us, people who when last in power imposed a hellish regime on their countrymen and who today have the blood of innocents on their hands. Much of this will be distasteful, but even if the Taliban aren't simply contemporary manifestations of J.R.R. Tolkien's darkest characters, is there enough common ground to get us to a conclusion we might not ideally desire but is at least what David Petraeus has described in other circumstances as "Afghan good enough?" Frankly, I don't think there is, and intelligence agencies will have to have the courage to say so if this is the case. But we have decided to try and, if we are to have any chance of success, deep understanding of the human beings across the table from us, understanding anchored on near exquisite intelligence, will be essential. Follow CNN Opinion on Twitter . Join the conversation on Facebook . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michael V. Hayden.

Michael Hayden says talks with the Taliban are going to be difficult, unlikely to succeed . He says it's crucial to know as much as you can about the enemy in talks like these . Odds of success in talks with Taliban are diminished by U.S. plans for withdrawals, he says .

(CNN)The city of Los Angeles is expecting more than 40 million visitors this year. If you're among the inbound, you're going to need to do a lot more than leave the heavy coats at home and drop a few "dudes" into your repartee if you don't want to be mistaken for the latest Hollywood wannabe to drop off a turnip truck. Follow these tips and you just might pass for a local. If your deception goes well, you can bring your suave Angeleno persona home from vacation and try it out with your locals. Just don't push it. Having "I Love L.A." as a ringtone is a little much. 1. Don't mention the weather . The wonderful monotony of not-too-hot, low-humidity days and mild nights is taken for granted. Weather isn't a topic of conversation -- unless something really weird is happening, like, you know, rain. 2. For God's sake, don't order a Corona . Corona is the sort of bland corporate bilge a Budweiser drinker graduates to when he gets his first good job after college, so have a Bohemia or a Negro Modelo instead. And unless you're auditioning for the role of village idiot, don't ask "when is Cinco de Mayo this year?" That's been known to happen. Really. 3. In Venice Beach, don't be nonplussed by anything . If every day is like an R-rated variety show overseen by an LSD aficionado -- and in Venice Beach it is -- you deal with it. You don't go slack-jawed when you see a five-legged dog relieving himself on a square of grass while mustachioed women and men with elaborate facial tattoos full of typos look on. 4. In Hollywood, show your cool . If you wangle an invitation to a "screener" -- a showing of a completed but unreleased movie for industry types and critics -- be early. There aren't any trailers. Seven p.m. means the feature starts at 7 p.m. Don't be demonstrative or loud. You're there because you have something to do with the film industry. This is your job. Be cool. 5. Eat at a food truck . The food truck scene is amazing and getting more so. Example: Get Toasted, a truck featuring superb Filipino-Mexican hybrid comfort food, comes along, and its originality and excellence don't even stand out. 6. Honor the local deities . There are popular Angelenos, there are admired Angelenos. And then there are the Angelenos who might as well be secular gods, they're so beloved. The first is warm, witty Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, who has been announcing the team's games since 1950, when the franchise was in Brooklyn. Scully manages to be funny and insightful without ever being mean. He's like family to millions of people. Scully used to be alone on this island of extreme L.A. esteem. Now he's been joined by Magic Johnson, the sunny former Lakers superstar turned AIDS activist and business tycoon. Magic is so gracious that he almost seems too good to be true. He's true. In a city full of phonies and in a sports world full of arrogant jerks, he easily connects with everyone. Don't diss Magic. Or Vin. Unless you want people to think you're from San Francisco. 7. Have an opinion on Shaq and Kobe . If you live in L.A., especially if you're a male able to breathe, you have to have a considered take on Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, the testy NBA duo that brought three consecutive NBA titles to the Los Angeles Lakers. Their snippy, contentious 1995-2004 run with the Lakers amounts to the "Citizen Kane" of real-life sports psychodramas. You can be pro-Shaq: Kobe didn't want Shaq to win a fourth NBA Finals MVP in the 2004 matchup with Detroit, so he wouldn't pass to Shaq even though Shaq was being covered by a midget, costing the Lakers the title. You can be pro-Kobe: Bleep Shaq. If he cared as much as Kobe, the Lakers would have won the Finals every year. You can be down on both: Shaq coasted on raw physical dominance more than any athlete ever, and yeah, Kobe works hard, but in his heart of hearts, he is me-first. But for God's sake, don't say, "You know that Shaq and Kobe? They were sure something!" At least if you're a male able to breathe. 8. Be discreet about celebrity sightings . If you're eager to see someone famous, that defines you as a non-Angeleno. But if you really want a celebrity story to take back home, you can get one a lot more discreetly than by hanging around Nobu or Chateau Marmont and gawking at the patrons. Instead, go to the fancy Pavilions grocery store on Heathercliff Road in Malibu. On a Saturday morning, you can't throw a rock without hitting someone who's at least been a regular on a network TV show. But you might not recognize him or her -- because at Pavilions, unlike Nobu, the celebrities aren't wearing copious makeup. Chris Reed moved to Los Angeles County in 1990 and has been a Southern California journalist ever since, writing for such newspapers as the Los Angeles Daily News and Orange County Register and appearing dozens of times on "The John & Ken Show" on KFI AM 640 and "AirTalk with Larry Mantle" on KPCC-FM, a PBS affiliate.

Dying to be part of the L.A. scene? No? Good, you're already half local . Venice Beach is a freak show; that doesn't mean you should freak out there . Author says drinking Corona marks you out as a newbie . If you see Vin Scully, bow down before him. Or just listen to him call Dodgers game on the radio .

(CNN) -- There is a lot to be said for modesty mixed with self-deprecation when faced with overwhelming odds, but despite his best efforts Louis Nicollin ended up displaying neither of these fine qualities. Last November, when the president and owner of Montpellier -- an unglamorous, unfancied, mid-table team that had shocked itself by leading the French league despite never having troubled the upper echelons before -- was asked about the prospects of his team staying the course, he was incredulous to say the least. "Montpellier champions? Impossible," scoffed Nicollin, who made his money in the refuse industry, in an interview with French sports daily newspaper L'Equipe. "If I were at PSG (Paris St. Germain), Lyon, Lille or Rennes, and Montpelier finished as champions, I'd want to stab myself in the backside with a sausage. "What a disgrace that would be!" Last weekend Nicollin's "disgrace" was complete. His Montpellier players were crowned champions of France after a 2-1 victory over Auxerre, fending off PSG -- now one of the richest teams in the world after being bought out by the Qatar Investment Authority -- to secure the club's first ever league title. The victory was remarkable for a number of reasons. For one, Montpellier had never come close to threatening the dominance enjoyed by the likes of Lyon, Marseille or PSG. The last time the club enjoyed any silverware was the French cup 22 years ago. The team was also purchased on a shoestring budget. While PSG could afford to blow €40 million ($51.26 million) on Argentine playmaker Javier Pastore and hire Italian legend Carlo Ancelotti, the biggest outlay by Montpellier's former France under 21 coach Rene Girard was €2 million ($2.56 million) for defender Henri Bedmino. "It's unbelievable," midfielder Younes Belhanda told CNN after the game. "I think they will stay here until tomorrow night! It's good for us, the fans, the president and the city of Montpellier. We are happy. We came from the academy and we win the league with a low earning club." Montpellier's entire budget -- €33 million ($42.29 million) -- was less than Pastore's transfer fee. Given their title odds of 80-1 at the start of the season, with a team of journeyman players, no one gave Montpellier a chance. But a 2-2 draw with PSG -- expected to sweep all before them thanks to the club's Middle Eastern money -- at the start of the year changed the complexion of the title race. The team's success -- much like European football's other fairytale league success, for Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona in Israel -- was built not on money but on nurturing young players in the academy, building team spirit and spotting talent and value in footballers previously discarded by everyone else. "There is an opportunity (in France) for small, well-run clubs (to do well)," said French football analyst James Eastham, who explained that France has had four different champions in four seasons, which gives opportunities to less well off teams. "Montpellier have had the same president for decades, invested in youth and haven't spent a lot." Take John Utaka, the Nigerian who scored the winning goals against Auxerre. He had experienced such a disastrous spell at Portsmouth that no club in England wanted to touch him. France-born Moroccan playmaker Younes Belhanda, the outstanding player in this Montpellier side, has been with the team since he was 13 years old. Striker Olivier Giroud worked his way up through the lower leagues before Montpellier saw him playing for second division Tours. He cost €2million. This season he was the top scorer in the French league. Yet despite the incredulity of the president, the team continued to win until -- like in the English Premier League and Italy's Serie A -- the title race came down to the last game of the season. But still Nicollin didn't entirely believe. He instead offered to have his hair cut in a B.A. Baracus-style mohawk if his team won the title. Sure enough Montpellier passed the final test and Nicollin celebrated by having a drastic new hair cut: a mohawk sprayed orange and blue, the club's colors. Nicollin is 68 years old. "We had to be strong mentally and to stay focus," striker Giroud told CNN. "The game wasn't easy. We stayed in the game and thanks to John (Utaka) we won. Everybody made a contribution this season. It's the title for a team, a squad and a region." Yet the "impossible," as Nicollin had claimed, had become possible. Not only that, the success of Montpellier -- a team described as French football's "ugly ducklings" by coach Girard -- in one of Europe's top leagues gives hope that in the era of big money in football even the smaller teams have a shot at the biggest prizes. Some think this will be the last time an unfancied team could hope to win the league, given PSG's unlimited funds. But even PSG took notice of the way that Montpellier operated. "There were a lot of changes, players and coach. It is not easy to shape a team's identity," Ancelotti told Reuters of the upheaval at PSG since his arrival last year. But he was magnanimous in defeat, vowing to follow the blueprint set by the team that shocked France. "We must look for continuity. There will be no revolution ... Montpellier won the title thanks to a style of football they had been building for years."

Montpellier win the French league for the first time in club's history . Beat Auxerre 2-1 to beat second placed Paris St. Germain to the title . No one expected the unfancied club to win; coach called them his "ugly ducklings" PSG bought by Qatari investors; one player worth more than entire Montpellier team .

(CNN) -- "It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future" is an aphorism attributed to the great baseball player Yogi Berra. But one topic where pundits, politicians and prognosticators of every persuasion don't have any problem about making pessimistic predictions is terrorism. The Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, was an Olympic-level example of this. In the lead-up to the Games, the airwaves were filled with glum predictions that Sochi would be the 1972 Munich Olympics on steroids. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee, told Fox News, "There's a high degree of probability that something will detonate, something will go off. ... But I do think it's probably, most likely going to happen outside the 'ring of steel' at the Olympic Village." Similarly, Michael G. Grimm, co-chair of the House Russian Caucus, issued a press release headlined, "Sochi Olympics Cannot Become a Benghazi Nightmare." The New York Republican warned, "We cannot sweep these threats under the rug, like we did with Benghazi or the warnings from Russia on the Tsarnaev brother behind the Boston Marathon bombing. Each time we fail to recognize these threats, we not only risk the lives of innocent Americans, but appear weaker and vulnerable in the eyes of the enemy." Bill Rathburn, who directed security for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, in an interview with Yahoo News predicted of Sochi, "It's not a matter of whether there will be some incident, it's just a matter of how bad it's going to be." No wonder that two days before the Sochi Olympics, more than half of Americans believed a terrorist attack on the Games was likely, according to a CNN/ORC poll. Now cue up the swarms of "black widows" descending on Sochi to kill themselves along with many Olympic spectators. And then the Games were held and ... nothing happened . It turned out that the most terrifying image from Sochi was the look of disgust on the face of American figure skater Ashley Wagner when she learned of her lower-than-expected score. Sochi is only the most recent example of the hyperventilating hyperbole of the doomsday terrorism prognosticators. Because so many folks were caught flat-footed by 9/11, some seem to overcompensate by keeping up a steady drumbeat of dire terror warnings. In November, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Michigan, told CNN that al Qaeda "poses a bigger threat to attack inside the U.S. right now than it did before 9/11." Rogers' statement defies common sense. Before 9/11, al Qaeda had an entire county, Afghanistan, as a safe haven; its training camps there churned out thousands of militants every year; it had access to funding substantial enough so that it could spend several hundred thousand dollars on the 9/11 plot. It was a formidable enemy. Now al Qaeda's safe haven is long gone; the group hasn't mounted any successful attack in the States since 9/11 or, for that matter, anywhere in the West since the London transportation system bombings in 2005. On 9/11, the United States had never used armed drones in combat. Since then, the CIA has launched 370 drone strikes at suspected militant targets in Pakistan. During President Barack Obama's tenure alone, those drone strikes have killed more than 30 of al Qaeda's leaders in Pakistan. Not only that: The United States is a much harder target than it was on 9/11. Then there were 16 people on the U.S. "no fly" list. Today there are more than 20,000. In 2001, there were 32 Joint Terrorism Task Force "fusion centers," where multiple law enforcement agencies worked together to chase down leads and build terrorism cases. Now there are 103. The U.S. intelligence budget also grew dramatically after 9/11. In 2010, the United States spent more than $80 billion on intelligence collection and other covert activities, much of it directed at terrorist groups -- more than three times what the country spent in 1998. At the time of the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the National Counterterrorism Center and the Transportation Security Administration all didn't exist. All these new post-9/11 institutions make it much harder for terrorists to operate in the United States. The gloom and doom about terrorism becomes much worse when the specter of terrorists deploying chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons is added to the mix. Graham Allison, the respected political scientist and founding dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, published a book in 2004 titled "Nuclear Terrorism, which garnered considerable attention with its prediction that "on the current path, a nuclear terrorist attack on America in the decade ahead is more likely than not." Of course, now we are a decade later, and nothing of the sort has happened. Indeed, a striking finding of a database of every jihadist terrorism case in the United States since 9/11 maintained by the New America Foundation is that not one of the more than 200 individuals who were indicted or convicted of a jihadist terrorism crime acquired, manufactured or deployed chemical, biological or radiological weapons, let alone a nuclear device. It's relatively easy to say the sky is always falling. Indeed, given the human capacity for evil, bad things are, indeed, going to happen. But when the sky doesn't fall, which is much of the time when it comes to terrorism, the doomsday prognosticators are rarely held to account. In any event, they are too busy warning of the next catastrophe.

Before Sochi Olympics, predictions of terrorist action were rampant . Peter Bergen says the Games were unaffected and predictions turned out to be wrong . He says such forecasts fit into a long history of "sky is falling" warnings . Bergen: Statements that al Qaeda represents big threat to U.S. now are off base .

Washington (CNN) -- Bill Cosby sits in the shade of his own shadow, a large mural painted in his likeness on the wall outside Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington D.C. Cosby's still got a sharp mind and a sharper sense of humor, but he's starting to show his age: It's hot outside, and despite the sticky August weather, Cosby is wearing white socks with his brown leather sandals. The 76-year-old comedy legend has been visiting the D.C. eating establishment since 1958 and is perhaps its most famous patron -- so when the restaurant decided to celebrate its 50th anniversary, it was fitting that Cosby hosted the festivities. Today the restaurant turns 55, so it's no surprise he's back. Before Cosby takes the stage, though, local politicos step into the spotlight and celebrate in the way politicos do -- promising resolutions and issuing declarations and proclamations. A highlight was a letter read aloud from President and Mrs. Obama, who promise to return for a spicy meal soon. But before Ben's Chili Bowl received the keys to the city, before the president took his first bite of a chili dog, and before Cosby put Ben and his family on the map, Ben's Chili Bowl was a humble food joint founded by an immigrant from Trinidad and his young wife. Trading mops for menus . Ben Ali had moved to America for college and according to his wife, Virginia, had worked his way through school climbing the restaurant ladder -- eventually trading mops for menus as he transitioned from cleaner to maitre d'. After several years in the business, he decided to try his hand at owning a restaurant instead of just working in one. He and his wife settled on the U Street location, taking over an old pool hall and transforming it into what it is today -- the landmark Chili Bowl. "If you were going to open a restaurant in Washington and you were African American in those days, there was one place to really go, and that was this very vibrant community right here," on U Street, says 79-year-old Virginia, sitting in the back room of the restaurant beneath a painting of her late husband. In the late 50s and 60s, U Street was fondly known as "Black Broadway" due to the jazz clubs, theatres and African-American owned business found on the street. MLK and Duke Ellington . According to the restaurant's website, "it was not uncommon to see such luminaries as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole, Redd Foxx, Dick Gregory, [or] Martin Luther King Jr." at the restaurant. "We've always treated all people the same so it doesn't matter if you are the president or MLK or if you are just the guy from the corner," says Virginia. "We like the diversity that we have here. We just kind of try to provide a family atmosphere because we believe so much in family." Cosby, too, frequented during his time in the Navy and even brought his now-wife Camille on dates. According to Virginia, Cosby was always a gentleman and was always funny. "He wasn't famous, but he was always funny. He was just great fun to be around," says Virginia. "He's been coming since '59 and he's been the most ardent and faithful supporter all these years. As he grew, he kind of took the chili bowl along with him." According to Virginia, when Cosby's show was rated No. 1 for five years, NBC asked him to do a press conference in Washington. After agreeing, he was asked where he'd like to do it. "Bill could have done it at the White House, but he said at Ben's," said Virginia. "And it wasn't a great neighborhood then ... because after the riots of 1968 many middle class African Americans moved away, businesses that were looted and burned and never reopened." The turbulent '60s . Following the assassination of King, riots caused many businesses to close due to curfew restrictions placed in D.C. Ben's Chili Bowl should have been one of them, but civil rights activist Stokley Carmichael wouldn't hear of it -- he convinced local authorities to keep Ben's open past the street's evening curfew, one of the only establishments in the area to be able to do so. Despite the curfew, though, the restaurant still faced threats in the streets and the owners worried about the safety of their workers. "We took some crayon and wrote on the window 'Soul Brother' to identify the business as an African American business," explains Virginia, who adds that the restaurant was fortunately spared from destruction. Following that turbulent period, the African American middle class moved to the suburbs, causing the neighborhood to deteriorate and ultimately inviting the drug dealers to the street corners. Virginia explains that it was a difficult time, but the restaurant's troubles didn't end there. In the 80s, the construction of the Metro's Green Line closed every store on the street. Ben's stayed open, though, fighting through the boarded up buildings and thin customer base. They survived by employing one person at that time and eventually catering to the construction workers. Mean something to the city . On the restaurant's 40th anniversary, Virginia and her husband were in Trinidad when their son called them and told them they were going to host a small celebration. He later called them back, urging them to return to the United States because the party was going to be "a little bigger" than he had planned. When Virginia and her husband arrived, they were blown away by the sheer amount of television crews and people who had shown up in support. "What was really profound for me was that people came from this city, from this community, and stood in line for hours just to come in and buy a hotdog," says Virginia. "I just felt, wow, this is Washington, this is our community. Maybe we really mean something to this neighborhood. Maybe we really mean something to the folks of this city."

Comedy legend has been frequenting Ben's since the late 1950s . The restaurant has seen it all in its 55 years -- good times and bad . President Obama on list of luminaries past and present who've eaten at Ben's .

(CNN) -- "The Nutcracker" ballet, as most North Americans know it, is about magic. A wooden toy transforms into a prince, mice and toy soldiers engage in battle, a little girl journeys to a sugar-coated paradise where she is treated to a series of decadent dances. But does it need more magic, Carolina Ballet director Robert Weiss wondered, prompting a search for ways to make his company's version of the classic George Balanchine staging of the ballet more "magical." "I've always felt the magic in 'Nutcracker' was rather bland, and that if we could get a real first-class magician to come in and help us figure out how we could enhance the show, it would really take the whole ballet and kick it up a notch," said Weiss. "The whole thing is about magic, it's Clara's dream, so the more magical we make it, the better," he said, watching a dancer attached to cables float across the stage of Chapel Hill's Memorial Hall during final rehearsals last month. From Russia to Raleigh with love: Teaching 'Nutcracker' in the South . It was no small feat, but after months of planning and rehearsing with Las Vegas illusionist Rick Thomas, the show opened earlier this month featuring a levitating ballerina, flying Drosselmeyers and a few other surprises. The company also invested in glittering new sets for the first time since its inaugural "Nutcracker" production in 2001. In a career spanning nearly five decades as a dancer, teacher and company director, Weiss has played all the male Nutcracker roles except Drosselmeyer. Therefore, he was sensitive to concerns that introducing special effects would turn the show into Las Vegas-style fare. Those concerns were put to rest as soon as rehearsals began, the dancers said. "They're not flashy tricks or people doing gymnastics. They're illusions that add to the story at just the right moments," principal dancer Melissa Podcasy said. "The story is intact, the choreography is the same, it just adds that element of visual wonder." As the cash cow that allows many ballet companies to pursue projects with less mainstream appeal the rest of the year, "Nutcracker" productions are constantly being refreshed and marketed in different ways to bring in larger crowds. Carolina Ballet's use of illusions might represent this season's most substantial modification of an existing production, but each company has its own means of reaching bigger audiences. National Ballet Canada continued its tradition of guest walk-ons during its Saturday performance with Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who dressed as a Russian Petrouchka doll and shot a cannon into the audience to begin the battle scene in Act I. The New York City Ballet's Nutcracker was broadcast Tuesday in movie theaters nationwide. Morning talk show personality Kelly Ripa hosted the live broadcast, which included backstage interviews and a visit to the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet and home to the young ballet students who perform in the production. A nationally televised broadcast followed on Wednesday evening on PBS' "Live from Lincoln Center." Other companies organize extra events and activities to enhance their "Nutcracker" experience. Attendees of the Pacific Northwest Ballet's production, a collaboration between choreographer Kent Stowell and illustrator Maurice Sendak, can also enjoy a family brunch or a "date night," take their pictures with characters from the show or meet the Seafair Pirates. Not everyone in the arts world regards "The Nutcracker" as a tradition worth embracing. In a 2009 Washington Post column, Sarah Kaufman wrote that "to those of us who despair of its pervading tweeness and wish ballet had something better to do at this time of year than endlessly reminisce like a sweet, whiskery auntie, it bears some bad news, too. 'The Nutcracker's' stranglehold is all but squeezing ballet dry." Regardless, companies in small cities like Raleigh rely on their adaptations of E.T.A. Hoffmann's book "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" to introduce ballet to audiences that wouldn't attend otherwise. Amid the country's economic slump, "Nutcracker" ticket sales have gone down each year, making each investment all the more crucial, Weiss said. "Ballet's still an esoteric form to many, and for many, they don't go to see Carolina Ballet, they go to see 'Nutcracker,' " he said. "Because we don't have money, every decision we make is that much harder. We have to take a hard look at what we gain," he said. "Do we spend an extra $5,000 to $10,000 on lighting to get it at its highest level, or should we get a new snow machine because it's not putting out as much as I'd like?" Weiss brought the idea of adding special effects to his board and convinced them that a little bit of magic was what they needed to get ticket sales back to pre-recession levels. He enlisted the aid of Thomas, a Las Vegas headliner known for incorporating tigers, birds and dancing into his long-running act. Weiss sent a video of the ballet with thoughts on where illusions could possibly fit in. From the start, he was firm that Thomas' stunts could not alter the choreography or the music. They ended up with a dancing doll who floats a few feet above a table and dancers who suddenly pop out of empty boxes. The key was to create illusions that were convincing but easy for someone who's not a "true magician" to pull off, he said. From there, the dancers had to learn to interact with the stunts and engage the audience. "I'm overwhelmed to see how great the show turned out and how far the dancers have come," he said. "People think you have to go to Las Vegas to see great talent but it's right here in North Carolina."

Carolina Ballet introduces levitating ballerinas, disappearing dancers into show . The company hired Las Vegas headliner Rick Thomas to coordinate illusions . Ballet companies are constantly looking for ways to draw bigger crowds . Toronto Mayor Rob Ford appeared in National Ballet Canada's Nutcracker .

(CNN) -- The midterm elections are around the corner. The big question will obviously be what happens to control of the House and Senate. But control of Congress is only one part of the equation. There are a series of issues that will shape the individual races that will tell us a lot about which way American politics is heading. Can mainstream Republicans take the party back? There are a number of House and Senate primaries where Republicans, organized through business-backed organizations, are trying to seize back control of their party. Former Ohio Rep. Steven LaTourette and the Main Street Partnership, a group with strong backing from the corporate world, are trying to counteract the power of the tea party, which they believe is damaging the standing of the GOP. "We want our party back," LaTourette explained to the The New York Times. In the 2nd District of Idaho, Rep. Mike Simpson is facing a strong challenge in the May primaries from Bryan Smith, a tea party Republican who has received support from the Club for Growth. Smith is challenging the eight-term incumbent by depicting him as an embodiment of Washington Republicans who refuse to stand firm for real budget cuts, a legislator who agreed to reopen the federal government even without what conservatives would consider a good budget deal. The Main Street Partnership has been fighting back. The most visible battle between a mainstream Republican and tea party Republican is taking place in Kentucky, where Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is facing a challenge from Matt Bevin in the primary. In Texas, the controversial right-wing Rep. Steve Stockman is running against Sen. John Cornyn. Can Democrats take advantage of Republican problems? Despite the fallout from the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, Democrats are hoping that they can take advantage of the turmoil facing the Republicans over the recent year, as the party's approval ratings have plummeted in light of the budget battles and the public's unhappiness with the party's growing extremism. There are certain must-wins for Democrats if they are to show that they are capable of taking advantage of this moment. In Florida's 13th District, Alex Sink, a well-known and well-respected Democrat, is attempting to win the seat of long-term Republican veteran Bill Young, who recently died, leaving open this highly competitive district. If Democrats can't win this special election on March 11, it will signal trouble. Democrats will also be looking for a win in Florida's 2nd District, where Gwen Graham is trying to defeat Rep. Steve Southerland in a test of whether the South has really softened as conservative territory. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has been pouring resources into the district to paint Southerland as a poster child for the House GOP. "Congressman Southerland's reckless plan to repeal the entire Affordable Care Act would mean 614,200 consumers in Florida would be left without health insurance rebates," said one party spokesperson. What effect will the politics of immigration have? After the 2012 election, many experts predicted that the immigrant vote would continue to flow toward the Democrats while Republicans will pay the electoral price for their obstruction. Now we'll find out if that's correct. In Colorado's 6th District, Republican Mike Coffman, a former opponent of immigration reform who changed his tune after redistricting brought an infusion of Latinos into his constituency, is struggling to hold on to his seat. Democrats are hoping that the sizable Hispanic population in suburban Denver will demonstrate their opposition to what the House Republicans have been doing by blocking legislation that would offer a path to citizenship. Which is the more politically potent issue -- opposing Obamacare or supporting the minimum wage? Both parties are putting forth national issues for candidates to run with in their districts and states. Democrats are honing in on the issue of economic inequality, stressing their campaign to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to over $10 by 2015. For Democrats, the risk is alienating Democrats from centrist constituencies who believe this will damage the economy. But they hope that the strong support in polls for the minimum wage boosts their candidates. Rep. Steve Israel, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, predicts that there are at least 12 seats where labor-based campaigns to raise the minimum wage will help Democrats. "The refusal to increase the minimum wage is just one of the ways House Republicans have inflicted harm on the economy and hurt people's pocketbooks," Israel said. For Republicans, the risk is they will be perceived as a party that is stuck in the mud, at a time that millions of Americans are starting to finally see benefits from the ACA rather than simply see the program as something abstract that threatens their families. In Arkansas, Republicans are counting on Sen. Mark Pryor's support for the Affordable Care Act as a useful target for Rep. Tom Cotton to unseat this incumbent. Republicans will do the same in Louisiana, where Sen. Mary Landrieu has a record of statements in support of the health care program. How much money should we spend on elections -- and where should it come from? This is the question now asked of every congressional and presidential election, but it is one we need to continue asking. On both sides -- the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Freedom Works, Club for Growth, and America Rising on the right and American Bridge and Priorities USA on the left -- independent organizations are ready to roll in an unprecedented effort. With each election we have been seeing the cost of campaigning rise and the need for candidates to court donors as more and more urgent. The Kentucky Senate race will probably be the most expensive ever. All of this fuels the power of private money in our political system, undermining trust in government and supporting gridlock. When the results become clear in November, we will know a lot more about the general tenor of the American electorate. Politicians in both parties will have a better read of the kind of electorate they will be facing as they move into the 2016 presidential election. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer.

As 2014 elections loom, there are questions beyond which party controls Congress . Julian Zelizer asks whether mainstream GOP can overcome tea party direction . He says which argument is stronger: against Obamacare, or for minimum wage hike? Zelizer: What impact will the politics of immigration reform have on the result?

LONDON, England (CNN) -- When Nina Temple was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2000, then aged 44, she quickly became depressed, barely venturing out of her house as she struggled to come to terms with living with the chronic condition. Sing for Joy is a choir made up of sufferers of neurological conditions plus friends, family and carers. "I was thinking of all the things which I wished I'd done with my life and I wouldn't be able to do. And then I started thinking about all the things that I still actually could do and singing was one of those," Temple told CNN. Along with a fellow Parkinson's sufferer, Temple decided, on a whim, to form a choir. The pair placed notices in doctor's surgeries inviting others to join them and advertised for a singing teacher. By 2003, with the help of funding from the Parkinson's Disease Society, the resulting ensemble "Sing For Joy" was up and running, rehearsing weekly and soon graduating to public performances. The group now consists of around two dozen singers, including sufferers of Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis, others recovering from conditions including stroke or cancer, plus their carers, family and friends. Led by acclaimed jazz performer Carol Grimes, the group's genre-defying repertoire ranges from Cole Porter classics to ethnic punk. Watch Sing for Joy perform » . "It's quite easy to get overwhelmed by the disease and having something that you do every week that makes you forget all your troubles and keeps you from feeling isolated is a great pleasure," says Temple. But singing also has physical and neurological benefits for the choir's members. A common symptom of Parkinson's disease and similar conditions is voice loss and each week the group begins its rehearsals with vocal exercises worked out with speech therapists. "All neurological conditions affect the throat because it has so many muscles," says Sarah Benton, another choir member with multiple sclerosis. "So singing, which makes you lift up your body and expand your lungs, is perfect for neurological diseases." While "Sing for Joy's" DIY-style music therapy has provided obvious social, mental and physical benefits for its members, there is a growing body of clinical evidence suggesting that music can play a key role in aiding recovery or helping sufferers cope with a broad range of brain-based conditions. Does music affect your mood or have particular physical or mental benefits? Sound Off below . Doctor Wendy Magee, International Fellow in Music Therapy at London's Institute of Neuropalliative Rehabilitation, describes music as a "mega-vitamin for the brain," capable of influencing and improving motor function, communication and even cognition. "When neural pathways are damaged for one particular function such as language, musical neural pathways are actually much more complex and much more widespread within the brain," Magee told CNN. "Music seems to find re-routed paths and that is why it is such a useful tool in terms of helping people with different kinds of brain damage because it can help to find new pathways in terms of brain functioning." Researchers in Finland have demonstrated that listening to music for several hours a day can enhance the rehabilitation of stroke patients. In another study, stroke patients who were taught to play the piano or drums made speedier progress in their general recovery than patients who received only traditional therapy. At Colorado State University, researchers have used musical and rhythmic cues as an effective tool to improve the movement and balance of Parkinson's disease sufferers and those with other degenerative diseases. Melodic Intonation Therapy, in which musical exercises are used to improve speech, has proved an effective treatment for patients with aphasia, a disorder that results from damage to portions of the brain responsible for language. Musical memories also seem to be more resilient to neural degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia, enabling therapists to use familiar tunes to cue memories which might otherwise have been lost. One American World War II veteran whose dementia was so severe he couldn't remember his own name and would barely acknowledge his own wife was brought alive through ballroom dancing and the music of Frank Sinatra, the sufferer still able to lead his wife through the foxtrot as if it was the 1940s. The power of music to enhance moods and emotions has long been harnessed by psychologists, but, as Dr. Lauren Stewart, director of a recently established course in Music, Mind and Brain at Goldsmiths University of London told CNN, "recent advances in neuroscience and brain imaging technology are now radically transforming conventional music therapy into a more rigorous and research-based clinical practice." Professor Michael Thaut of Colorado State University's Center for Biomedical Research in Music, who has helped pioneer a new research-based approach known as Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT), says recent developments amount to a "paradigm shift." "Therapists in all fields have been doing things for decades; now they're trying to figure out the research to support their work," Thaut told CNN. "NMT started as a science and now it's turning into a clinical field. And that's very exciting." For now NMT remains on the fringes of standard neurological rehabilitation. But Magee believes its application and a general move away from psychoanalytical approaches dominant in the past, could bring music therapy towards the mainstream and make it an ever more effective tool. "We are now starting to see the evidence for why we see things work. That also means we can fine tune what we do because we understand more about the neurological processing behind it," she said. "But we're still at the point where we need to build the evidence base and translate that evidence base into practice so we can convince funders that music therapy is an important part of rehab practice." For the members of Sing For Joy however, the proof of the therapeutic power of music is already self-evident. "There is something about coming together and making a communal sound," said Sarah Benton. "There is nothing like it and it's wonderful."

London choir is made up of sufferers of neurological conditions, friends and carers . Growing evidence that music has neurological, physical, psychological benefits . Music used to boost rehabilitation of stroke patients, improve motor function . New approaches to music therapy could bring field into mainstream rehab practice .

(CNN) -- They were elected to serve their small towns, but recently, mayors throughout Mexico have found themselves the targets of violent killings believed to be perpetrated by drug cartels. As the cartels face challenges from the military and rival cartels, many of the groups have sought to increase their influence over the towns in the areas where they operate. Not only do they traffic in drugs, but cartels have diversified into human smuggling, extortion, and even into public works. A typical drug trafficking organization has a network of lookouts on city streets, "tax" collectors who collect protection money, and hit men who enforce their will on populations. The result has been situations where the duties of mayors -- to collect taxes, provide security, and carry out public works -- have butted against the interests of the cartels, oftentimes with fatal results. Thirteen mayors have been killed so far this year in Mexico, in states around the country. The killings represent just a fraction of all the mayors throughout the country, but illustrate a disturbing new development in the drug war. The turf wars that the cartels are fighting are reflected in the office of the mayor, said Ana Maria Salazar, a television and radio political commentator in Mexico City. "These groups are demanding more from the mayors," Salazar told CNN. The cartels seek information, police protection and means of communication from the local governments, she said, adding that she was surprised that more mayors have not been killed. This year, the largest number of mayors -- four -- have been killed in the border state of Chihuahua, a hotbed of fighting between the Juarez cartel and the Sinaloa cartel. Killings have also been recorded in hot spots such as the state of Michoacan, home to the Familia Michoacana cartel. Also affected have been Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon, two border states where the Zetas drug cartel is battling an alliance comprised of the Sinaloans, La Familia Michoacana and the Gulf cartel. George Grayson, a Mexico expert and professor of government at the College of William and Mary, said that he sees the Zetas, who got their start as army defectors, as a force behind some of the killings. The Zetas have been on the defensive against the alliance that formed against them, as well as from the government forces. "They are trying to demonstrate they are still important players," Grayson said. "They want to regain the reputation they think they have lost as the most ruthless organization in the Americas." While the Zetas are not known for doing public works, some of their illicit activities -- collecting money for protection, for example -- shadow the responsibilities of the local government. "You are expected at least to turn a blind eye, if you are a mayor, especially," Grayson told CNN. Most of the violence against mayors has happened in small towns in drug cartel territory, where the leaders are more vulnerable than their big-city counterparts. One example is the small border town of Puerto Palomas, known locally simply as Palomas, in Chihuahua. A year ago this month, the mayor, Estanislao Garcia, was kidnapped and then found executed. Palomas, located across the border from Columbus, New Mexico, literally scrapes along the border with the United States. As a town, it is known as a staging area for immigrants looking to steal across the border, and lacks an industry of its own. "It's been a difficult challenge," Maria Lopez, the current mayor of Palomas, said of her position. But since that killing, things have been relatively calm. "I have not had any problems, thank God," she told CNN. At first, she says that she was not scared when she succeeded Garcia. Then, she restated her answer. "I first I was scared, why should I lie? But not anymore" No drug traffickers have come to negotiate with her on any issues, she said. Lopez says she doesn't know who killed Garcia, though speculation is that it was one of the cartels that work in the area. "It's sad. It's truly sad. I don't know what is behind it," she said. Garcia had been in a quarrel with local teachers at the time of his death, but she doesn't think they were the ones who ended his life. Other killings offer more clear evidence of cartel involvement. In September, in the town of El Naranjo in San Luis Potosi, witnesses saw four armed and hooded men exit a white truck in front of city hall in the early afternoon. Two men waited in front of the building while the other two went inside Mayor Alexander Lopez's office and shot him. Other killings have been even more violent. The mayor of Tancitaro, Michoacan -- Gustavo Sanchez -- was found stoned to death on the side of the road. An aide who was with him met the same fate. Being a mayor in Mexico these days requires great courage because they face intimidation, threats and bribes, Mayor Jaime Dominguez of Ascension, Chihuahua, told CNN. "As mayors we are under a lot of risk," he said. Dominguez says that he tries to focus on his job, helping the people of his community with infrastructure and water projects in his agricultural town. The only crime he is concerned with are local ones, such as robbery and domestic violence. Drug trafficking and murders fall to the state and federal authorities to investigate. "Our job is to work closely with the community," he said. "I feel safe, I feel secure. My hands are clean." Still, he wishes for more federal and state help for issues such as social development and security. "In a way, this (violence) was expected," Salazar said, referring to how cartels continue to push the limit to who they can kill. Before the mayors were targeted, cartels had been targeting police chiefs throughout the country. Grayson agreed. "I think the death toll will rise with the mayors." Could governors be next? A leading gubernatorial candidate in Tamaulipas state, Rodolfo Torre Cantu, was gunned down in June.

Thirteen mayors have been killed in Mexico this year . Most are from small towns where they are more vulnerable . Drug cartel operations sometimes clash with the work of mayors . The violence against them could increase, analysts say .

(CNN) -- At the age of 12, Stephen Wolfram was reading college physics textbooks and toying around with a computer roughly "the size of a large desk. With 8K of 18-bit words of core memory. And programmed with paper tape." By the age of 20, he had gotten his Ph.D. and was on his way to inventing his own computational system. But last year, at the age of 50, Wolfram launched what may be his most ambitious effort -- Wolfram|Alpha, a knowledge engine that answers users' questions on the Web by computing answers in real time with the help of a vast collection of databases. In a talk at the TED2010 conference in February, Wolfram outlined the potential of the Alpha engine and talked more broadly about using computing to understand physics and model the universe. Learn more about Stephen Wolfram at TED.com . He talked in greater detail about the development of Wolfram|Alpha by videoconference at the 50 Years of Public Computing at the University of Illinois conference at Urbana-Champaign on April 15. Here are excerpts from that talk: (A complete version is available here.) "A year ago, we launched Wolfram|Alpha. "It was quite tense. The culmination of about five years of work and 25 more years of previous development. An absurdly ambitious project that I hadn't been sure was going to be possible at all. "Our long-term goal was -- and is -- to make all the world's systematic knowledge computable. To take all the data, and models, and methods that our civilization has accumulated -- and set it up so that it can immediately be used to compute answers to whatever questions people ask. "There's a long, long history to this basic idea. [German mathematician Gottfried] Leibniz was talking about a version of it 300 years ago. And 50 years ago, when computers were young, it seemed like it wouldn't be long before it was possible. "But people mostly thought that it'd happen by computers managing to emulate brains -- and pulling in knowledge and processing like we humans do. Well, I myself am right now 50 years old... and, as perhaps I'll show you later, I'd actually been thinking about globally systematizing knowledge since I was a kid. "It was about 30 years ago when I first started thinking about making knowledge broadly computable. And at the time I concluded it'd require solving the whole problem of artificial intelligence -- and was way out of reach. But then I spent the next 25 years doing things that, as I'll explain, finally made me think: Maybe, just maybe this computable knowledge idea isn't so out of reach. "I must say that at first I still didn't know if it was only not out of reach in the 50-year-type time frame. Or the 20-year. Or the five-year. But I decided that we should give it a try. "It had all started with some abstract intellectual ideas. And now, in the end, it had turned into millions of lines of code, terabytes of data -- and 10,000 servers that we'd just been finishing assembling. "Some news had come out about our project, so there was a lot of anticipation. And we knew there'd be a big spike in people wanting to try out what we'd done. "We'd obviously done lots of testing. But we really didn't have any idea what would happen when millions of people actually started accessing our system. "But we thought: Let's let as many people as possible share the experience of finding out. "So we decided to do a live webcast of the moment when we actually made our system live to the world. "Well, actually, the day of the event I was thinking: this is going to be such boring TV. All that's going to happen is that at some moment we'll push a virtual button, and everything will go live. "Well, needless to say, it didn't stay boring long. "Early in the day, we had finally finished assembling all our servers -- and were able to switch them all on. And... oh my gosh... lots of stuff didn't work. "Well, at the appointed time we started the live webcast. And still things weren't working. There was a horrible networking and load-balancing problem. "We'd advertised 9 p.m. as our go-live time. We figured at that time on Friday evening most people wouldn't be thinking about us... so we'd have a comparatively soft launch. "Well, with perhaps 15 minutes to go, we'd finally solved the main technical problem. "You know, some people had said when you look at other peoples' control rooms they often have television weather and news playing. Perhaps we should have that too. "I said bah, we won't need that. This is just a computer thing. We don't care if it's raining. "Well, fortunately we did actually have good weather and news feeds. Because this was May in the Midwest. And as it turned out, with perhaps 30 minutes to go, there was another problem. Here, we can actually look at live Wolfram|Alpha to find out about it. [By typing in "weather champaign may 15 2009," a chart was generated of wind speed in Champaign, Illinois, for that date.] . "See that giant spike in wind speed just before 8pm? That was a tornado. Approaching our location. Well, we had backup generators -- and of course we had several remote co-location sites for our servers. "But still, we had a tornado coming straight for us. "Well, fortunately, at the last minute, it turned away. And the power didn't even go out. So at 9:33:50 p.m. central time on May 15, 2009, I pressed the button, and Wolfram|Alpha went live. "And our giant project was launched -- out of the starting gate."

Scientist Stephen Wolfram seeking to make world's knowledge computable . He developed a Web site that provides instant computation relying on massive databases . Wolfram is seeking to answer fundamental questions about the universe through computing .

(CNN) -- It's an odd pairing, really, the gadget-obsessed tech giant from Silicon Valley teaming up with hip-hop super producer Dr. Dre and music mogul Jimmy Iovine. But late Thursday, reports surfaced that a $3.2 billion deal was in the works for Apple to scoop up Beats Electronics, the world's most popular maker of headphones and, more recently, the company behind a highly regarded music-streaming service. Neither side has confirmed the deal, though Dre came dangerously close in a new video in which he declared himself "the first billionaire in hip-hop." For fans of Apple, Beats, or both, the main question here is obvious: If the reports are true, what will it mean for me, the consumer? Here are some educated guesses. Deal ... or no deal? First of all, analyst James McQuivey, who follows Apple and other tech companies for Forrester Research, isn't convinced that the deal will really go down. "Given Apple's historical tight-fistedness with the contents of its huge treasure chest, it wouldn't be surprising if the company backed away," he said in a blog post. But if it does happen, he speculates that it won't be simply about bringing the successful Beats under the Apple umbrella. Instead, Apple fans may get some new product no one is envisioning yet. "I'd like to believe that (Apple) would team up with Beats to do something totally amazing and world-changing," he said. "Because we need some world changing much more than we need Apple to return its hard-earned cash to investors in the form of more dividends. "So even if Apple doesn't buy Beats after all, the fact that the company is shopping encourages some of us to anticipate what it could spend its hard-earned money on next." Among projects McQuivey envisions are Beats being part of an Apple-created health-and-fitness monitor (considered likely after Nike essentially punted the future of its FuelBand) or providing the audio on a headset to compete with Google Glass. 'Smart' headphones . For audiophiles, the marriage would, in some ways, be an ironic one. Apple, whose iconic earbuds have been knocked for delivering subpar sound, could be joined by Beats headphones, which have received similar criticisms. "It is a fair assessment, and I lay the blame squarely on executive management," said Tyll Hertsens, editor at audio website Inner Fidelity, referring to Beats. "Their headphones had just way too much bass, as a general rule, and some models were particularly poor performers -- Solo and Solo HD. Build quality has gotten much better though; they're fairly well built headphones." How Beats headphones changed the audio world . Apple has worked to address quality issues with its earbuds, which had begun going straight into the garbage, or at least storage, at the hands of many new iPod and iPhone customers. When their new-generation EarPods rolled out in 2012, Engadget reviewer Joe Pollicino may not have been damning them, but he certainly offered faint praise. "The EarPods are possibly the best-sounding set of $29 earbuds you'll be able to find, but at the end of the day, that's not saying much," he wrote. Hertsens sees some things changing and something staying the same at an Apple-owned Beats. The well-established brand would remain intact to keep the "young and/or impressionable" buyers who are already fans. Meanwhile, Apple could tap into Beats' existing research and development and manufacturing knowhow to develop new products under the Apple name. He pointed to patents Apple has filed for things like biometric and spacial sensors in headsets, saying "smart headphones" from Apple could be on the way. "In other words, Apple has a bunch of cool new ideas about putting sensors in headphones," Hertsens said. "Beats gives them an instantaneous headphone development and manufacturing capability to kickstart the appearance of these new products." HD downloads . But for all the talk about headphones -- Beats' flagship product and an accessory used with every Apple mobile device -- another potential product may have caught the eye of folks in Cupertino. Beats Music launched in January, riding a wave of music-streaming websites and apps that have begun changing the way millions of people consume music. Pay-by-the-song digital music services like iTunes have been ceding market share to streaming services like Spotify and Pandora, which offer access to millions of songs, often for free. Why everybody is building a Web music service . Revenues for subscription streaming services were up 51% in 2013, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Meanwhile digital downloads from services like iTunes fell 2.1%, the industry group said in its annual report. Apple's entry into the market, iTunes Radio, has failed to make much of a dent in the Unites States, where Pandora remains the dominant streaming service. The mobile-oriented Beats Music is just a few months old, but it's gotten high marks for its robust suggestion engine that considers factors as detailed as which songs make the user crank up the volume. Michael Lavorgna, of AudioStream.com, said a major push into streaming could coincide with Apple also offering higher-quality, 24-bit downloads. Direct sales from iTunes could become a more specialized market, wherein users would get the same sound quality they're used to getting by streaming. "How many people will continue to pay for lossy (low-quality) downloads when they can stream millions of choices in the same quality for the cost of about one album download per month?" Lavorgna asked rhetorically. "This potential deal between Apple and Beats could very well spur Apple's move to HD downloads. If this deal happens, its safe to say we'll see a sea change in the market and a move away from lossy downloads. I say it's about damn time."

Apple is reportedly close to buying headphone maker Beats Electronics . The tech giant could incorporate Beats research into "smart headphones" Analysts predict Beats brand, popular with young buyers, won't go away . The deal would also boost Apple's music streaming potential .

(CNN) -- On July 20, many of us woke to the horrific images of the events that had unfolded in an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater where 12 people were killed and 58 wounded. In the wake of the tragedy, we don't simply wonder who or why, but also how? Soon after, President Obama gave a fiery speech, stating, "AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals. They belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities." While you might think such a statement indicated that the president was going to show some real leadership and fulfill his promises to reinstate the assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004, the White House later released a statement saying that gun control was not something the administration was going to push at this time. The president seems more concerned with making sure the American people know of his commitment to protect their Second Amendment rights than he does with protecting them from the danger posed by assault rifles in the hands of criminals. Opinion: When will America wake up to gun violence? No politician, including the most powerful man in the free world, wants to pull the trigger on solving the complex issue of gun control. The odds of political survival after such a move are worse than those in a game of Russian roulette. When he was governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney strongly backed gun control, dubbing assault rifles "instruments of destruction," and he signed the first comprehensive state ban on assault weapons like the AR-15, which James Holmes is accused of using in Aurora. However, now Romney does not "believe in new laws restricting gun ownership and gun use." Don't get me wrong, the Second Amendment is one of my favorites. In the military, I was an expert marksman who trained foreign militaries in counter-guerilla warfare, and I am an avid gun enthusiast. As a gun owner, I absolutely believe in the right to protect my family from anyone who threatens our safety. But I also know that when the Second Amendment was passed in 1791, the most lethal weapon was a single-shot musket. Arguing that you need an assault rifle to protect your family is like saying you need a blowtorch to light a cigarette. Within months of 9/11, new security measures were put in place at airports to ensure the safety of airline travel. In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, new laws were enacted to detect suspected criminals and new security measures were put in place at federal buildings. However, since 1982 we've had 56 incidents of mass killings involving firearms, many of which were semi-automatic handguns and assault rifles. Yet here we stand, 30 years later, no closer to resolution on even the simplest forms of stricter gun control. Such resolution is blocked at almost every step of the way by the juggernaut that is the National Rifle Association. There are no two cozier bedfellows than the NRA and politicians; if laws controlled guns the way the NRA controls politicians, America would be the safest country in the world. Frum: Fear drives opposition to gun control . The NRA makes more than $200 million a year. These earnings, coupled with its 4-million strong membership, has paralyzed any thoughtful discussion of the issue from politicians who are scared to even have an honest debate of where the proper lines should be drawn. One only has to look at U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Indiana, the two-time chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who after a 36-year career lost his primary race in the face of heavy campaigning against him by conservative groups, including the NRA, which criticized his support for a ban on assault rifles. It's political suicide to even propose safety measures like background checks at gun shows. President Obama and Mitt Romney are focused laser-like on the key swing states, which all have significant gun ownership. It's clear that both candidates are afraid of turning off these gun owners and the NRA. With 4 million members on its rolls and as many as 47% of all Americans reporting gun ownership, appearing sympathetic to the ideals of the NRA is a significant consideration for anyone running for public office. The NRA wields a carrot-and-stick approach to politics, doling out generous political backing to those who agree with it or to those who are simply running against someone who disagrees with it. The group also employs a rating system under which candidates are graded according to their votes on key issues. The NRA is always transparent about certain votes being graded, and as such candidates are always on notice before they vote. Until we face the power of the NRA and truly measure the length of its reach, the issue of gun control is doomed to stay exactly where it is -- stuck. Challenging such a powerful lobby, daunting as it appears, is paramount, because we can't allow special interests to run roughshod over the public interest. The issue of guns and how we as a country regulate their ownership and use must be addressed -- and soon. I am like many gun owners who, polls have shown, stand by both our right to bear arms and the responsibility to create safety measures that protect the public. Yes, we want to have our cake and eat it, too, and I firmly believe such a middle ground -- not a "flip-flop" a la Romney, nor an empty promise, a la Obama -- exists. But we need to jump-start the conversation -- and stay well clear of the fiery rhetoric. As it stands, a little more than a week after James Holmes gunned down 12 people, including 6-year-old Veronica Moser, who were enjoying a night out at the movies, we are left with some politicians' righteous indignation and a few photo ops. A dozen grieving families and a nation deserve more -- we deserve real leadership. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Charles P. Garcia.

Charles Garcia: Neither major party candidate seems willing to take on gun control issue . Despite dozens of mass killings, politicians remain in thrall to the NRA, he says . Garcia: After 12 died and 58 were wounded in Aurora, we must act on gun issue . He says Obama hasn't kept promise on assault weapons ban; Romney changed his views .

LONDON, England (CNN) -- He immortalized the "smell of napalm in the morning" in "Apocalypse Now," but Robert Duvall's first meeting with director Francis Ford Coppola was no indication of the fruitful relationship to come. Duvall starred in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather," "The Godfather: Part II" and "Apocalypse Now." It was 1969 and Coppola had parted ways with a lead character in indie film "The Rain People." He was stuck and 38-year-old Duvall was drafted in at the last minute on the suggestion of a friend. Despite slapdash beginnings, their work together has produced some of Duvall's greatest roles and many of Coppola's most critically-acclaimed films. Duvall started working in theater in the 1950s before moving into film in the early 1960s with roles like Boo Radley in "To Kill a Mockingbird." Things took off for him in 1970s when he starred in Coppola's multiple award-winning movies "The Godfather" and "The Godfather: Part II," But, it is his Oscar-nominated turn as indestructible, napalm-loving Lt. Colonel Kilgore in Coppola's Vietnam war opus "Apocalypse Now" that remains one of Duvall's most enduring roles. Duvall sits down with CNN's Revealed and talks about, "Apocalypse Now" and his relationship with the master movie-maker. Revealed: Can you sum up the impact Coppola had on your life, your career? RD: I would have had another career. He helped all our careers with "The Godfather." It was a kind of catalyst for all the actors in one and two. It helped me. I kinda designed my own career. Revealed: What's Coppola's approach to directing? RD: I think sometimes Francis works best amidst confusion and I mean that in a good way. He'll come in and say, 'Let's try something,' and then you rehearse. Like any good director he sees what you bring. He realizes it's gotta come from the actor. He's open enough ... of course, he'll give his opinion but he wants to see what you bring. Revealed: The problems Coppola encountered while shooting "Apocalypse Now" are legendary. What was it like working on that film? RD: There are things I won't go into! But it was pretty crazy. Sometimes we'd get one shot in a day, if that. Everything was in disarray. The hurricane came in and ruined the sets, s**t! Then they had to build them again, and we were there nine or 10 months. Dennis Hopper all doped up, not doing it Francis' way. Francis would do 45 takes, and then he said, 'Now, would you please do one my way," he'd say to Dennis. Martin Sheen got the heart attack, and they didn't know what they would do if they lost Martin. Francis said it was like warfare. Watch Coppola and others talk about the making of "Apocalypse Now" » . Revealed: You say that people constantly come up to you in the street and say the line, 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning.' RD: It is a pretty famous line. Everybody relates to that line. Scenes like that we had to get quickly because all that fire at the back of me was supposed to be the napalm. Sometimes when you work fast and under duress ... sometimes that's the best stuff you can get. Revealed: How did your life change after "Apocalypse Now," and the "Godfather" films came out? RD: It was kind of a landmark. I said we're in something pretty important here, as far as film goes and it was true, and I gained a lot of respect for Francis because I didn't know him that well on "The Rain People." It's Coppola's vision. It could have been made by Disney as long as he was directing it. Which one of Coppola's films would you put in a time capsule for future generations? Tell us below in the SoundOff box . Revealed: What is it about Coppola that makes him such a great director? RD: A guy like Coppola, you know, as a director, he wants to see what you bring, without dictating. He's not a dictator. He has a definite vision, but he's not going to get in there and say it has to be my way or the highway. He really wants to see what you bring. He'll say, 'Come on guys quit fooling around we gotta make a movie!' You branch off into laughing and making jokes, but that's good for the set and he knows that too. It's his own gift and it's his own way of working. Revealed: Coppola says now he wants to make small, intimate movies he has written himself. What's your take on that? RD: He's a big spender. Now he's making all the wine and everything else, he can go back to independent film. Why not? He said "The Conversation" was his favorite film. It was certainly one of his best, I think. Why not go back to what he started out as? In the 1970s it was as if the independent filmmaking community was within the establishment. Now it's back outside the establishment starting to make the kind of films he started out doing. Revealed: Can you describe Francis in a few words? RD: A talented maniac. No, no, not a maniac, but he's a talented, driven guy. He's a heavy hitter.

Actor Robert Duvall first worked with Francis Ford Coppola 40 years ago . He starred in Oscar-winners "The Godfather," and "The Godfather: Part II" Immortalized "I love the smell of napalm in the morning in "Apocalypse Now" Duvall on Coppola: "A talented maniac. No, not a maniac, a talented, driven guy"

(CNN) -- State officials pledged to help western Massachusetts residents rebuild Thursday, a day after at least two tornadoes tore through the region. "There was an extraordinary amount of destruction caused by these tornadoes, and yet it is remarkable that we've had four confirmed fatalities ... and not more," Gov. Deval Patrick told reporters. Officials said about 200 people in western and central Massachusetts went to hospitals with injuries sustained in the storms, which struck shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday in and around Springfield, about 90 miles west of Boston. Patrick and other Massachusetts politicians spoke in front of a church in downtown Monson, where a tornado ripped off the steeple and sent it crashing to the ground. No one was injured when the steeple fell, U.S. Sen. John Kerry noted, calling it one of the many "fortuitous" aspects of the devastating storm. "But for being at work, somebody would have been in their basement and crushed to death. ... There are a lot of 'but fors' in this, and I think all of us are really grateful for that," he said. But officials also recounted tragic stories Thursday of those who died when the tornadoes struck. A 39-year-old mother in Springfield was killed as she laid on top of her daughter in the bathtub, shielding her from the storm, CNN affiliate WCVB reported. "The house came down. The daughter lived and the poor mother didn't make it," West Springfield Police Chief Thomas Burke told WCVB. Nearby, 23-year-old Sergey Livchin died when a tree fell on the car he was sitting in, WCVB reported. "I heard somebody was hit by a tree. When I found out it was my brother, it was like the ground disappeared beneath me," his sister Irina Livchin told WCVB. Patrick and Kerry said officials touring some of the most heavily damaged areas saw significant damage: homes split in half, a flattened house whose owners had just sent in their final mortgage payment, a staggering row of sheered-off treetops that stretched for 15 miles. The magnitude and sweep of the storm were surprising, officials said. "In 45 years in public service I have never seen this kind of damage and devastation in Massachusetts," Kerry said. Patrick said someone found the checkbook register of a woman who lived in Monson, one of the hardest-hit areas, in Milton, more than 80 miles away. He told WCVB that the woman recounted the story to him as she sat on the front step of her home -- the only thing remaining after the storm. "We've got a real mess on our hands here, but we are all in this together," he said. More than 400 people were staying at shelters statewide -- mostly in the Springfield area, said Craig Cooper of the American Red Cross. "The devastation is not on the broad scale (seen in) Joplin, but the degree of damage and homes damage are just as severe. The disaster is just as real. We have seen some significant devastation. The way that has affected the families involved is very profound," he said. On Thursday, rescue workers went building-to-building searching for survivors. No one had been reported missing by Thursday afternoon, said Peter Judge, a spokesman for the state's emergency management agency. Damage assessment teams that included National Guard troops were still surveying the area, he said. Officials were investigating reports that at least two more tornadoes had touched down in and around Springfield, which is the third-largest city in Massachusetts. As many as 19 communities reported tornado damage, officials said. At least one person was killed in Springfield, two in nearby West Springfield and one in Brimfield, about 20 miles east, Judge said. The governor declared a statewide emergency Wednesday as the storm system that spawned the tornadoes moved east, prompting storm watches all the way to the Atlantic Coast. By Thursday, that state of emergency had been reduced to four heavily impacted counties, Judge said. Veronica Davidovich saw an ominous, dark cloud form in the sky Wednesday as she sat in her car at a bank drive-thru in Westfield. "It was really strange. There was a thickness in the air, like it shouldn't be happening," she said. "It looked like volcanic ash was just dropping. And I looked at the (bank teller) and said, 'That ain't right.'" At J.T.'s Sports Pub in Springfield, owner Keith Makarowski said he and 10 or so patrons initially went outside to watch the darkening skies, but then retreated as the storm blew into downtown. "There was a ton of debris flying around, lots of roof shingles and random siding," Makarowski said. Several century-old buildings were damaged -- "roofs torn off, facades ravaged, trees uprooted," he said. Residents were being warned to stay off the streets, many of which were impassable because of downed trees and power lines, overturned cars and debris from damaged and destroyed buildings. About 40,000 people across the state remained without power by Thursday afternoon after the storms downed power lines and blew transformers, Judge said. Hard-hit areas might not have electricity until the end of the week, said Sandra Ahearn, a spokeswoman for Western Massachusetts Electric Co. The damage came amid a wave of heavy thunderstorms that moved through the Northeast on Wednesday. Though not as tornado-prone as much of the Midwest or the South, Massachusetts has averaged two to three twisters per year since 1950, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In 1953, a massive tornado that struck Worcester and nearby towns killed 90 people, according to NOAA. The last tornado to hit the state was in 2008. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet, Jennifer Westhoven, Anna Gonzalez, Matt Smith, Leigh Remizowski, Julia Talanova and Sean Morris contributed to this report.

Report: A mother was killed protecting her daughter . The Red Cross says hundreds of people are in shelters . 4 people were killed throughout the state and about 200 were injured, officials say . Kerry: "I have never seen this kind of damage and devastation in Massachusetts"

NORCROSS, Georgia (CNN) -- Beneath seven flat-screen TVs and one large pulldown screen, members of the Racquet Club of the South gathered Monday to watch and celebrate one of their own. Members of the Racquet Club of the South erupt when Melanie Oudin beats Nadia Petrova. Melanie Oudin, 17, of Marietta, Georgia, has taken the tennis world by storm at the U.S. Open. The 70th-ranked female has upset some of the sport's biggest female stars, including Russian aces Elena Dementieva (No. 4 seed) and Maria Sharapova (No. 29 seed, who has been ranked No. 1 worldwide in the past). And on Monday, she beat 13th seed Nadia Petrova in three sets. Her latest win makes her the youngest American to make the quarterfinals since Serena Williams in 1999. "It's still so surreal," said Anne Keeton, player liaison at the club, before the match started. "She sort of wins no matter what happens. She's there going for it and not giving up." At this suburban club, co-owned and co-directed by Oudin's longtime coach, Brian de Villiers, articles about the local tennis phenom dot the walls. In the Grill, on a Bud Light message board above drink specials, are the words "Congratulations Melanie!" And a photo of her mixed in with other young players is posted near a downstairs fitness room. Blending in with others and not retreating to "a Melanie court" is part of what makes her special, Keeton said. When there was a flood on some indoor courts this year, she was down there squeegeeing with everyone else. "She so lovely and so accessible," Keeton said. "It couldn't happen to a nicer kid." The restaurant buzzed as tables filled with more than 80 onlookers who were courtside in spirit. They feasted on a spread laid out to mark the special occasion as the match started. Watch friends, family cheer Oudin on » . When Petrova took the upper hand, and the first set, fans erupted into applause with each of Oudin's hard-earned points and offered encouragement like "There we go!" When she pumped her fist in celebration, they did the same. And when a play didn't go her way, they groaned in unison. Her skills were apparent from an early age, said Turhan Berne of Norcross, a coach and tournament director who's known Oudin since she was 9. He watched her rake in wins, beating older kids and snagging No. 1 junior rankings in the country and world. "But you know when I knew she was going to be something?" he said. "She would play with anybody her coach had her hit with. ... She always gave back. She's very grounded. Her parents and coach did a great job not letting her fame and success change her into a different person." As Oudin came back for the second set, the crowd held its collective breath. With every point she earned, they hooted, hollered and exchanged high-fives. They booed when they saw Petrova losing her cool, banging her racquet against the net after losing a big point. "C'mon, Melanie!" people screamed as the tiebreaker began in the second set. When Oudin took that set, they rose to their feet, screamed, did happy dances and shared hugs. "It's awesome," said Kathleen Brady of Norcross. "We are so glad her opponent double-faults." "Bless her heart," Lisa Wells chimed in with a laugh, offering the Southern tagline to downplay any insult. Earlier in the day, John Sklare joked that the young pro learned something from him. Over the winter, the Alpharetta psychologist often played on the indoor court beside her. "I knew she was good, but I didn't know she was that good -- and that's what we're all finding out now," he said. He spoke about what a "great kid" Oudin is but then added that what he likes best about her is how quiet she is on the court. Sklare, a former writer for Atlanta Tennis magazine, said he called Sharapova "Screamapova." Oudin, on the other hand, is "like a stealth fighter," he said. "She's quiet, but you know she's there." Her overall attitude is as inspiring as her play, said Jeannette Latimer of Decatur, Georgia, whose 11-year-old daughter, Kelsey, has been playing for five years. "She shows the kids not to get upset on the court," Latimer said. "She's always so positive. If the kids learn nothing else from her, it's her mental toughness." But Kelsey has been more intent on studying Oudin's moves on the court. "I think she has a nice top-spin forehand," Kelsey said. "I think it's better than mine." With Oudin up 5-2 in the third set, anticipation hung in the air. "Both of them are pressing each other, but to see the 70 [ranked player] outplaying 13, that takes heart," Ernie Jensen of Woodstock said. Going into the match point, some rose to their feet. Together, the hordes clapped, carrying Oudin to the win. When she took the match, earning her first quarterfinal seat in a Grand Slam, the room exploded. They stood by and watched, smiling widely and some wiping away tears as Oudin gave her victory speech. "It's like something so big happening to all of us all at once," said Jennifer Silverberg of Alpharetta. "Watching her, it's like watching your own little girl. ... My heart's still going crazy."

Melanie Oudin, 17, moves into quarterfinals with latest win . Oudin caused hubbub when she beat former No. 1 Maria Sharapova on Saturday . Oudin honed her skills at the Racquet Club of the South in Georgia . Fellow members are as impressed by positive attitude as by her talent .

(CNN) -- Though soccer is the most played sport around the world, with governing body FIFA recognizing football federations in more than 200 nations, the beloved "beautiful game" has always struggled to be a dominant force in the United States. Attempts have been made to boost its support, first with the North American Soccer League (NASL) which kicked off in 1968, and more recently with Major League Soccer (MLS). The approach to break the grip of traditional sports in the U.S. has been different with both franchises. The NASL, which collapsed in 1984, favored big names and an adaptation of the rules, while the MLS has tried to supplement home-grown talent with foreign stars such as David Beckham, capable of taking the game's reach to more fans. However, the NFL, NBA and MLB remain the big attention-grabbers with the U.S. public as American football, basketball and baseball dominate. Though breaking this grip has proved a difficult task in most MLS expansions across America, Seattle is one of the few towns where the tide for the affection of the city's sports fans seems to be turning. Seattle first put itself forward as an MLS franchise at the league's inception in 1994 and, after several attempts, in 2007 the city was awarded a team thanks to the combined efforts of high-profile backers. Film producer Joe Roth, comedian Drew Carey and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, among others, combined to convince the MLS to accept the city's bid and to create the Seattle Sounders Football Club. The bid was helped by Allen's ownership of the 60,000 capacity Qwest Field, home ground to the NFL's Seahawks -- an arena built with intention of hosting an MLS team. Seattle Times sports columnist Steve Kelley was amazed that it took so long to found a team in a community that has a large soccer fanbase. "Seattle was a huge soccer market. It had a lot of success when the NASL was playing here in the 1970s and '80s. My question is: 'What took the MLS so long to get here?' I've always thought that this was a goldmine." "It's the most played sport [here]," adds Greg Mockos, co-president of the Emerald City Supporters (ECS) -- the Sounders' largest fan organization. "You can go around downtown Seattle at every park and every pitch, and there are hundreds of teams playing." The 2009 season was the inaugural campaign for the Sounders, and while the front office will be delighted with its on-pitch performance -- the side reached the Western Conference semifinals and won the U.S. Open Cup -- it has been the enthusiastic response of the city's soccer fans that could be providing most pleasure. Qwest Field set a league record with an average attendance of 30,897. This rivals that of baseball's Seattle Mariners, who in 2008 averaged 28,761 at the 47,116-capacity SAFECO Field and since 2004 have been watched by just over 30,000. While factors such as number of games must be considered, the Sounders' final playoff attendance of 35,807 indicates growing interest. Yet it has been the nature of the city's response that suggests this support is more than just a fad. "The atmosphere has been tremendous," explains Sounders coach Sigi Schmid. "Every time we walked on the field the atmosphere was great. The fans were behind us and they've got their chants for individual players. In that sense it's very European, very international." With their banners, flags and shirts, supporters have combined to create an atmosphere rare within professional American sports, and wholly typical of soccer. "A major problem with the atmosphere at typical American sports is the number of stoppages, there are too many times when tension is lost," explains Robby Branom, part of the ECS. "In addition there are no sections in any baseball or American football stadium where active fans can group together, making it impossible for any organized support." The process of attracting people inside and out of Seattle's existing soccer fanbase has come at a time when the city is still reeling from the loss of its NBA franchise (the Sonics) to Oklahoma City (now named Thunder). Despite its embracement of the Sounders, the timing of the soccer season means it ends in November just as the NBA is getting underway. For some, the quality of the MLS is not enough to make up for the Sonics' disappearance. "I've loved this year; it's been great to watch quality soccer," Kelley said. "But the NBA has the best players in the world, and they're gone now from Seattle. The MLS has a good league, but these aren't obviously the best players in the world. For some people the gap has been filled, but not for me." Despite this there is a confidence that MLS in Seattle is advancing well. "The Sounders have done everything right to placate and involve the soccer fans," Kelley said. "But I think there's still growth among sports fans. As the next couple of years progress, if the team gets better and I think because of management it will, then there's a whole bigger market out there." Schmid is certainly optimistic over his club's future. "We have to realize this was year one, so from a business standpoint we've got to continue to work as it its year one all over again and not pretend it's easy now. The main thing for us is we can't be complacent on the field or off it," he said. The Sounders will be absent from Sunday's MLS Cup final, held at Qwest Field, but Seattle's soccer fans will surely echo Schmid's sentiment. They will, however, be able to watch as English superstar Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy side takes on underdog Real Salt Lake .

Seattle was finally awarded a Major League Soccer franchise in 2007 . The Sounders debuted in the MLS in 2009, winning the U.S. Open Cup . The Seattle franchise also reached the Western Conference semifinals . The Sounders play at Qwest Field, and had an average attendance of 30,897 .

Rio de Janeiro (CNN) -- A massive crowd of demonstrators swelled around an iconic church in the heart of Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, shouting "down with corruption" and "I can live without the World Cup." CNN affiliate Band News reported that police used tear gas in some areas of the city as clashes erupted. Police initially reported tens of thousands of protesters in Rio de Janeiro but later said the crowds had grown to more than 300,000 people. One death was reported in Sao Paulo state, where a young man was run over by an SUV at an intersection during a demonstration, state police said. Outside the Candelaria Church, organizers called for protesters to march peacefully as they listed a wide variety of demands directed at the South American country's government. In the nation's capital, a group of protesters on Thursday twice forced their way into the foreign ministry building. Police repelled both incursions, but not before protesters lit a fire inside the building, state media reported. Large demonstrations in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Brasilia came a day after a movement that started as a protest against a 9-cent increase in bus fares scored a major victory. Both Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro agreed to roll back the prices on bus and metro tickets. But will it be too little, too late? The movement has galvanized people across the country who say they're fed up with high taxes and a lack of services -- such as health and education -- while the government spends billions on preparations for the 2014 World Cup. In Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, protesters held signs saying, "I'd swap 10 stadiums for one decent hospital in this country" and "I'd give up the World Cup for better education in my country." "Fundamentally, people are on the streets because they have very different demands, but they don't have a forum for expressing them and for being heard. And the bus fares were just one of these many many different things," said Alessandra Orofino, one of the protest organizers. Orofino said she hoped this week's protests will mark a turning point in Brazil, where democracy is still relatively young. "I think that what government hasn't understood is that there will be no single demand that will calm people down, per se. I think fundamentally, if they don't open up, if they don't become more transparent and truly welcoming of participation, people will continue to demonstrate," Orofino said. "It might be for now. It might be in the future, but this isn't going to go away until we have a democracy that works." Whom does the World Cup benefit? Protesters say the poorest are being short-changed while the government spends the large bills on new stadiums and glitzy infrastructure for the soccer competition Brazil is hosting next year and the Olympic Games coming in 2016. They complain that corruption is driving up the costs. 'The man who made a nation cry' The government responds . The country's investment in those projects includes money for health and public transportation, Deputy Sports Minister Luis Fernandes has said. "There is absolutely nothing contradictory between organizing a World Cup and investing in health and education," he said. An elite National Force, made up of specially trained firefighters and police officers, will deploy to states hosting the games, the Ministry of Justice said late Tuesday. The government has stressed that the force's mission is to mediate and not repress. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff told peaceful protesters Tuesday that their message was being heard. She praised them as active participants in democracy and said her government is committed to "social transformation." Police for the most part stood back, and the atmosphere grew festive and loud, with throngs singing and beating drums. Hidden in the peaceful multitudes were bands of rowdies who kicked down doors and broke windows, looted shops and tipped over cars and set them on fire. They left a trail of rubble down the protest routes. While asking police to back off from peaceful protesters, Rousseff has condemned "isolated and minor acts of violence," telling police to confront them "with vigor." In light of the protests, the Brazilian president has postponed a trip to Japan, the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency reported Thursday. Rousseff had been scheduled to travel to Japan on June 23-28, the government news agency reported, citing the president's communications secretary. A new date for the trip has not been announced, Agencia Brasil said. Weeks of protests . For nearly two weeks, tens of thousands of Brazilians marched through the streets night after night. Crowds originally protesting bus fares grew into multitudes decrying social injustice on Tuesday, as broad avenues filled to capacity for blocks. The protests come amid the soccer Confederations Cup tournament, a friendly array of matches, in which the host country, Brazil, plays against a small group of national teams from around the globe. The cup serves as a precursor to the World Cup. The majority of marchers are young and well-educated. Matheus Pires, a university student and one of the organizers, says public transportation should be free -- especially in expensive, sprawling cities such as Sao Paulo. "You can't go to hospital; you can't see your friends; you can't go to school; you can't go to work," he said, describing how much the city's residents rely on mass transit. Lowering fares, he said, would prove that the government was listening. But it's too soon to know whether it will bring an end to protests or fuel further and more far-reaching demands. Are you there? Share photos or video, but stay safe . Brazil wins Confederations Cup opener . CNN's Marilia Brocchetto reported from Rio de Janeiro. CNN's Shasta Darlington reported from Sao Paulo. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet, Gabriela Matute Urdaneta, Mariano Castillo, Michael Pearson and Ben Brumfield contributed to this report.

NEW: One death is reported in Sao Paulo state . Demonstrators list a variety of demands directed at Brazil's government . They chant "Down with corruption" and "I can live without the World Cup" Brazil's president has postponed a trip to Japan in light of the protests .

(CNN) -- The year Stacy London turned 11, she started wearing a turtleneck and long, corduroy pants every day, even in summer. For the next two years, that was her uniform. She was a long way away from being known as a fashion expert who guts people's closets. At the time, she felt like long sleeves and high necks were her only choice: She had woken up one morning with angry psoriasis scales covering her body from neck to toes. It taught her a painful lesson in self-consciousness. "When my skin disease was at its worst, I hated the summer sun. I was like Emily the Strange. I was like Wednesday Addams," she said. "It was so painful to live with something that there was so little I could do about and at the same time could inflict so much emotional damage. It made me feel like a monster." Hiding behind clothes and worrying about looks is "not about vanity when it is a question of identity," London said. "We're worried about it because we're worried about what kind of image we're putting forward, what people are going to think about us. "People want to be accepted and respected, approved of and loved." As a fashion expert on TLC's "What Not to Wear," which starts its final season on August 9, London and her colleague Clinton Kelly have seen some tragic attempts to hide what makeover clients see as flaws, whether it's extra weight around their waist or legs they think should be longer. For many, though, it's skin: Chronic conditions such as psoriasis, but also freckles, aging skin, poor circulation, stretch marks, scars and body hair cause skin shame, and make people want to cover up, London said. But how do you dress to suit that? Especially in summer? "When I was in my 20s, I loved summer clothes," said Naked Fashion Help image consultant Carmen Westbrook, from Atlanta. "I loved wearing short skirts and dresses and showing off my legs. And I'm glad I had that time in my life. "Now I'm in my 40s, my skin is aging. I don't enjoy summer clothes," she said. "I don't like showing off my skin." She joked that she might be a vampire, but had to accept it: "I'm white, that's who I am. I have really pale skin." Atop a bathing suit, she makes sure to add a fabulous hat and some jewelry, maybe even an elegant cover-up, "to make it more of an outfit," she said. As her clients try to hide their arms, knees, legs and even feet, Westbrook's plan is to focus on the positive and adhere to the advice she learned at the London Image Institute: Show your skinny bits. When ankles, wrists, lower arms and calves are exposed in tasteful ways, everyone looks longer and leaner, Westbrook said, while still covering up the parts of their skin that they don't want to show. "I tell clients, 'Let's accentuate what we like," she said. "Look in the mirror and focus on one good part. I hope everyone can at least do that." Clothes used to be the tool London used to hide her skin, but fashion helped saved her, she said. And now she hopes to share the secrets she has learned over the years. "When style is at its best, it's a wonderful source of confidence," London said. "It becomes a kind of armor." She teamed up up with AbbVie to launch the "Uncover Your Confidence" campaign this week. The website aims to help those with psoriasis, a chronic immune system disease that affects the skin, to feel empowered through fashion advice, empathetic personal testimonies and help finding dermatologists. Style and beauty products are supposed to help you forget about the parts of your body that you perceive as flaws, London said, even if only for a little while. London uses makeup, moisturizer and smart fabric choices to combat her skin troubles. "These are things that we can do, these little tricks of the trade. You put a shiny moisturizer or foundation on your decolletage area, which can get very wrinkly as you get older, more freckly, liver spotty. But the more shiny moisturizer you use, the more reflective it is, and you see less of those things." "Sally Hansen makes a leg foundation that I live by, because for most of my life, my skin has been discolored. If I don't put that on when I'm wearing a dress, it looks like I am wearing blue stockings instead of skin," because of poor circulation due to psoriasis. She finds ways to make fads work for her, too. With longer silhouettes strutted into spring and summer collections, maxi dresses, full midi skirts, floaty Bermuda shorts and even jumpsuits made of tissue-thin cotton are all trendy clothing options that look like deliberate fashion choices, but are in actuality cover-ups, London said. "All of your clothing still has to be chosen with fashion in mind," she said. "Look around you so you know what the trends are, not if they're going to work for you." "As I sit here wearing an Isabel Marant Etoile [jumpsuit,]" London explained, the outfit offers nearly complete body coverage, but because the fabric is cotton and ultra-thin, it's breathable. "Very, very easy to wear in the swamp-like weather we're having now in New York City, without having to show a lot of skin," she said. What else will London be wearing this summer? "I am all about cotton dresses," she said. "Particularly this season I am obsessed with white. And one of my favorite companies, Dolce Vita, makes these beautiful white cotton dresses. A bunch of their designs have three-quarter sleeves. They're so whisper-thin, the sleeves don't feel like you're in a straight jacket, and you can wear them in the hottest weather."

Summer fashion leads to anxiety for people with freckles, poor circulation and other conditions . Psoriasis once kept Stacy London wearing only skin-covering turtlenecks and pants . The "What Not To Wear" expert has fashion guidance for people feeling skin shame .

Washington (CNN) -- In a dramatic slap at congressional authority, a divided Supreme Court has struck down a key part of a law that denies to legally married same-sex couples the same federal benefits provided to heterosexual spouses. The Defense of Marriage Act defines marriage as only between a man and a woman. The vote Wednesday was 5-4. "Although Congress has great authority to design laws to fit its own conception of sound national policy, it cannot deny the liberty protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment," said Justice Anthony Kennedy. He was supported by four more liberal colleagues: Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Read the ruling . The case examined whether the federal government can deny tax, health and pension benefits to same-sex couples in states where they can legally marry. At issue was whether DOMA violates equal protection guarantees in the Fifth Amendment's due process clause as applied to same-sex couples legally married under the laws of their states. The key plaintiff is Edith "Edie" Windsor, 84, who married fellow New York resident Thea Spyer in Canada in 2007, about 40 years into their relationship. By the time Spyer died in 2009, New York courts recognized same-sex marriages performed in other countries. But the federal government didn't recognize Windsor's same-sex marriage, and she was forced to assume an estate tax bill much larger than those that other married couples would have to pay. So, Windsor sued the federal government. A federal appeals court last year ruled in Windsor's favor, saying DOMA violated the Constitution's equal protection clause. "Today's DOMA ruling is a historic step forward for #MarriageEquality. #LoveIsLove," President Barack Obama's official Twitter account posted soon after the decision was handed down. Kennedy, in his opinion, used sweeping language to affirm the rights of gays and lesbians. "For same-sex couples who wished to be married, the state (of New York) acted to give their lawful conduct a lawful status. This status is a far-reaching legal acknowledgment of the intimate relationship between two people, a relationship deemed by the state worthy of dignity in the community equal with all other marriages," he said. "DOMA seeks to injure the very class New York seeks to protect." But Kennedy -- a moderate-conservative who proved once again to be the "swing," or deciding, vote -- made clear the ruling is limited: "This opinion and its holding are confined to those lawful marriages." Thirty-five states have laws banning same-sex marriage. Key quotes from the ruling . Under DOMA, Social Security, pension and bankruptcy benefits, along with family medical leave protections and other federal provisions, did not apply to gay and lesbian couples legally married in states that recognize such unions. In a thunderous dissent, read from the bench, Justice Antonin Scalia slammed the majority for its "exalted conception of the role of this institution" -- the Supreme Court -- "in America." "Few public controversies touch an institution so central to the lives of so many, and few inspire such attendant passion by good people on both sides," he said. "Few public controversies will ever demonstrate so vividly the beauty of what our (Constitution) framers gave us, a gift the court pawns today to buy its stolen moment in the spotlight: a system of government that permits us to rule ourselves." Scalia added, "Some will rejoice in today's decision, and some will despair at it; that is the nature of a controversy that matters so much to so many. But the court has cheated both sides, robbing the winners of an honest victory, and the losers of the peace that comes from a fair defeat. We owed both of them better. I dissent." Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito also dissented. Windsor was in New York when the ruling came down. She told reporters that she was overjoyed. "We won everything we asked and hoped for. Wow," she said. "I'm honored and humbled and overjoyed to be here today to represent not only the thousands of Americans whose lives have been adversely impacted by the Defense of Marriage Act, but those whose hopes and dreams have been constricted by the same discriminatory law." Marrying for the benefits . Windsor thanked the supporters who cheered her on throughout the case. "Because of today's Supreme Court ruling, the federal government can no longer discriminate against the marriages of gay and lesbian Americans. Children born today will grow up in a world without DOMA, and those same children who happen to be gay will be free to love and get married as Thea and I did, but with the same federal benefits, protections and dignity as everyone else," Windsor said. "If I had to survive Thea, what a glorious way to do it. And she would be so pleased." The Defense of Marriage law was defended in the high court by House Republicans, after Obama concluded the law was unconstitutional. Traditionally, that role would fall to the solicitor general's office. But president ordered Attorney General Eric Holder not to defend DOMA in court. That raised the question of whether any party could rightfully step in and defend the law. By striking down the DOMA provision, the court decided the standing question was not at play in this case, and it had jurisdiction to decide the larger questions. A bill known as the Respect for Marriage Act is working its way through Congress and would repeal DOMA. That law does not prohibit states from allowing same-sex marriages, but it also does not force states to recognize such marriages performed in other states. Most of the current plaintiffs are federal workers, who are not allowed to add their spouses to health care plans and other benefits. After historic rulings, what's next? The case is U.S. v. Windsor (12-307).

NEW: Edith Windsor, who sued the federal government, says she is overjoyed by the ruling . In a 5-4 decision, the high court says Congress cannot deny equal protection . "Today's DOMA ruling is a historic step forward," president's twitter account posts . Justice Antonin Scalia issues a thunderous dissent saying " the court has cheated both sides"

(CNN) -- Results for Republican candidates in the most high-profile 2013 races this year -- a resounding re-election win by Gov. Chris Christie in New Jersey and losses for Virginia governor and New York mayor -- stand as a reminder to party leaders that the civil war in their ranks remains a toxic turnoff to voters. A pattern has emerged: GOP candidates who wade into the hottest ideological fights -- such as the government shutdown or the attempt to defund Obamacare -- enjoy a burst of publicity and cheers from right-wing think tanks, conservative donors and media celebrities. But the same rowdy, combative style that delights audiences at tea party rallies tarnishes the party label among independent voters. That makes life politically difficult for middle-of-the-road Republicans. The pattern was on display in the recent races for governor. In Virginia, the GOP candidate, Ken Cuccinelli, narrowly lost a winnable race in no small part due to his longstanding affiliation with the tea party and with attempts to crack down on immigration and drastically limit the availability of abortions. In a showdown against Terry McAuliffe -- a former Democratic National Committee chairman with close ties to corporate leaders and ex-President Bill Clinton -- Cuccinelli tried to mute or distance himself from past stances on divisive social issues, but the damage was done. Women, blacks, Latinos, young voters and government workers -- the same coalition that twice delivered Virginia to Barack Obama -- were highly motivated to block Cuccinelli, who closed out the campaign accompanied by tea party heroes such as radio show host Mark Levin and Sen. Rand Paul. McAuliffe, by contrast, toured with Clinton and used his corporate ties to raise $14 million more than Cuccinelli. Exit polls showed Cuccinelli lost women, blacks and voters under 44. And finally, when totals rolled in from Fairfax County -- home to thousands of federal workers who weren't thrilled by the Republican-led government shutdown -- McAuliffe pulled ahead and won. On the same day, Republican Christie showed how a different path could lead to victory. Eschewing hard-line stances on the government shutdown or immigration reform, he reached out to New Jersey's independents, who outnumber Republicans or Democrats in the Garden State. Christie, who automatically becomes a Republican presidential contender, romped to a victory of historic proportions with a majority of women voters, half the state's Latino voters and 21% of black voters -- groups that are usually reliable parts of the Democratic base. In the hours before his victory, Christie explained to CNN's Jake Tapper why his efforts should be a model for Republicans. "I think the party cares more about winning the argument than winning the election, and if you don't win elections, you can't govern," he said in words that should be plastered on the door of every state Republican headquarters. The battle between Republican factions is deep-seated: Sociologist Robert Putnam tellingly described it as a fight between country-club and Sunday school Republicans. The country clubbers, according to Putnam, are mainstream party members concerned about business development and low taxes, while the Sunday schoolers care passionately about social issues such as abortion. The glue that long held the coalition together -- common opposition to abortion and homosexuality -- has weakened in recent years. A number of Republicans -- looking at polling and voter data -- have become supporters of same-sex marriage and abortion rights. Thoughtful young conservatives such as Ryan Sager and Margaret Hoover have been pointing out for years that the party's future requires moderating its thinking on same-sex marriage and abortion to keep the party relevant to young, live-and-let-live libertarian Republicans. Now a more aggressive response is coming from a Republican group, Main Street Advocacy, that is running ads attacking ultra-conservatives who keep losing elections -- and backing moderate Republicans against them. "We want our party back," says the group's founder, former U.S. Rep. Steven LaTourette of Ohio, who left the House after complaining about the polarizing elements in the GOP. It remains unclear who will win the Republican civil war; not everyone has drawn the same conclusions from this week's elections. Brent Bozell, for example, a nationally respected conservative who runs ForAmerica, an activist group, says the problem in Virginia is that the candidate and party weren't conservative enough. "The moderate branch of the Republican Party turned its back on Cuccinelli, and that hurt him big time," he told the Atlantic. "Politics is solidifying and mobilizing your base -- and the hell with the middle." That attitude among many national Republicans -- the hell with the middle -- helped doom the chances of New York mayoral candidate Joe Lhota. As the former deputy mayor under Rudy Giuliani, Lhota tried to run a candidacy similar to Guiliani's -- moderate or liberal on social issues while tough on crime and fiscally conservative. Lhota, in fact, opposed the government shutdown and is pro-same-sex marriage and pro-abortion rights. But voters never heard that message: At every turn, Lhota's Democratic rival, Bill de Blasio, simply associated him with tea party Republicans. In one of their final debates, Lhota turned to de Blasio in exasperation. "Where I don't agree with the national Republican Party is long and hard," he said. "Do not lump me with the national Republicans. It's unbecoming." The Republican civil war, decades in the making, will come to a head in the next 36 months, as we begin the run-up to the next presidential election. Expect Christie and other moderate candidates to point to Virginia, New York and other losses as missed opportunities -- the price for choosing to win arguments instead of elections. And expect the tea party to respond that pursuing politics without principles is no way to lead a country. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Errol Louis.

Errol Louis: GOP results -- win in New Jersey, losses in Virginia and New York -- reflect pattern . He says red-meat candidates draw big far-right cheers but turn off independent voters . He says Chris Christie correctly said that GOP wants to win argument but then loses race . Louis: GOP's "to hell with the middle" ideologues may have principles but will lose elections .

PHUKET, Thailand (CNN) -- Experts investigating the Thai plane crash have recovered the plane's flight data recorders, officials said Monday as survivors of the disaster recalled how their holiday jet careered off the runway and was engulfed in fire. Rescue workers examine the scene of the One-Two-GO Airlines plane crash Monday in Phuket. Sunday's crash left 88 people dead and investigators trying to determine just what caused the smash at the airport at Phuket in southern Thailand. Thailand's Deputy Transportation Minister Sansern Wongchaum said that results from the recorders would take around a week to come back. "Then we will analyze and then we will ... see what the real reason is of the situation here," he said. American crash investigators are likely to aid enquiries. The aircraft that crashed was a U.S.-made McDonnell Douglas MD-82, and the National Transportation Safety Board will assist the Thai government in the investigation, according to a statement on the NTSB's Web site. Only 40 of the 130 passengers onboard the flight survived as the plane skidded off the rain-soaked, wind-swept runway and smashed into a hillside in flames. As fire spread through the wreckage of the One-Two-GO jet, those who were able scrambled for the exits. Watch a survivor recall the fiery horror » . Erik Nihlen, a Swedish tourist who helped open an emergency exit door, told his mother that he and other passengers had feared the aircraft might crash as strong winds buffeted the plane during its second attempt at landing on Sunday. "When they were up in the air, they thought something was not right," Maria Nihlen said. "Before the second (landing attempt), they knew that they were going to crash and they formed into position for an emergency landing and, well, then it happened." She said her son -- who suffered minor bruises -- was stuck in his seat belt as passengers climbed over him to get to the exit door, which was still closed. "People were falling over him ... and then the shelf fell over him from above," she said. "But he and his friend managed to actually push hard away the people to be able to open the emergency exit door." John Gerard O'Donnell, an Irishman who spoke to the reporters from his hospital bed, said he escaped by climbing out an exit door onto the plane's wing. "I just can't get my head around what happened," said O'Donnell, whose face and arms were bandaged. "As the plane was landing, you could tell it was in trouble 'cause it kind of landed and came up again," he said. "Then the second time, it just smashed." He said the exit door was "kind of crushed, but we got to squeeze through and onto the wing." "My friend was outside, I seen him, he got out before me, and next thing it really caught fire then," O'Donnell said. "I just got badly burnt -- my face, my legs, my arms." He said he had arrived Saturday in Bangkok and intended to spend the week in Phuket with his friend, who underwent surgery for his injuries. William Harding, who witnessed the crash from another One-Two-GO aircraft that had landed just five minutes before, said he saw flames engulf the plane. "After about five minutes of burning, there was a small explosion that blew off the top of the plane," he said. "My friend (who also witnessed the crash) ... was saying that in that flight some of the crew jumped at the last minute and the plane kind of burst into flames." Flight 269 was carrying 123 passengers and seven crew members when it left Bangkok at 2:30 p.m. (7:30 a.m. GMT), a spokesman for the Thai discount airliner said. It crashed shortly after landing in the resort town of Phuket at approximately 3:50 p.m. (8:50 a.m. GMT), he said. Nationalities of the injured include British, Swedish, Iranian, Austrian, Australian, Thai, German, Irish, Italian, Israeli and Dutch, authorities said. Israel's Ambassador to Thailand, Yael Rubinstein, said at least two of the 10 Israeli citizens who were on board the flight are alive and were only lightly injured. The other eight Israelis are missing at this time, the ambassador said. The death toll climbed to 88 Monday as diplomats and investigators converged on the scene of Sunday's deadly crash. "At this time, the death toll is at 88, and salvaging of the plane is still going on and we expect that this will finish today," said Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont. "Now, the deputy director of the Airports of Thailand and the Minister of Transport are trying to find more dead bodies that may still be within the plane's debris." At least four Americans were killed in the crash, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok said. Piriya Khempon with Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said there are 40 known survivors, with two people unaccounted for. "We are trying our best to cope with the situation," he said, adding officials from the German, British, French, Israeli and Australia embassies had arrived on a ministry flight overnight. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Canberra was ready to help. "We are offering the Thai government the assistance of an Australian Federal Police disaster victim identification team," Howard said. "We have five police victim identification experts ready to go to Thailand straight away." Flights from Phuket International Airport were canceled following the crash and remained closed on Monday. Phuket International Airport is the second-busiest airport in Thailand, according to the airport's Web site. The airport is about 20 miles (32 km) from downtown Phuket. One-Two-GO's Web site says the four-year-old company had 13 aircraft and operated 168 flights per week in Thailand. E-mail to a friend .

Thai air crash kills 88 people, with 40 known survivors, officials say . America's NTSB sending an investigation team, flight recorders recovered . One-Two-GO airways jet was trying to land in Phuket in bad weather . Mother of survivor: 'They knew that they were going to crash'

Miami, Florida (CNN) -- Marie, a Haitian mother, couldn't have been more grateful. "Thank you God for TPS," she recently told an attorney helping her fill out forms that will protect her from deportation. She was referring to temporary protected status, which will allow her to work legally, help Haiti and support her two young children. It's the sentiment that we hear most these days. As longtime advocates, we at Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center were gratified when the Department of Homeland Security granted temporary protected status to unauthorized Haitian immigrants after the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti. Temporary protected status will allow perhaps 100,000 Haitians to legalize their status for the next 18 months. They'll be able get work permits and driver's licenses and send more money to loved ones struggling in Haiti's ruins. Such people-to-people help is one of the best forms of foreign aid. Remittances encourage Haitians to stay and rebuild Haiti, rather than attempt treacherous sea voyages that more often than not end in tragedy. Today, Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center and other pro bono groups are working furiously to help Haitians apply for temporary protected status and warn them away from "raketè," scammers who will rip them off. It's a mammoth job in South Florida, home of the nation's largest Haitian-born population. The six-page temporary protected status application includes complicated questions and must be translated for non-English speakers. Many Haitians also need help filling out work-permit and fee-waiver forms. Without a waiver, applicants ages 14 to 65 must pay $470 in fees and $50 for a younger child. Frankly, temporary protected status is the least our government can do after decades of denying Haitians just immigration treatment. No previous administration had granted temporary protected status to Haitians despite numerous occasions when deportees would have been unsafe due to political conflict or natural disasters, conditions that typically trigger temporary protected status. Indeed, we had been actively pushing for temporary protected status since four killer storms demolished 15 percent of Haiti's gross domestic product in late 2008. The history of discriminatory treatment goes back much further. Since Haitians started coming to U.S. shores nearly 50 years ago, they routinely have been denied the fundamental protections promised to refugees of virtually every other nationality. Finally more attention is being paid to the need to help the Haitians. As a key neighbor, the United States needs to prepare for a long-term commitment in which U.S. Haitians play a key role. Many of these Haitians wish to travel to support relatives in Haiti and contribute to reconstruction. But for Haitians with temporary protected status, those trips could lead to dire consequences. Though they may travel legally, some may face problems coming back home and, thus, should consult with an attorney before leaving. Many U.S. citizen and resident Haitians also are trying desperately to bring relatives here from Haiti, but some face daunting delays because of archaic immigration processes. Given the substantial moral and material help that Haitians in our country offer Haiti, Homeland Security should find solutions to permit travel and expedite relative reunification. We are hopeful, too, that Homeland Security will address concerns regarding Haitians who have arrived here since the earthquake with no or improper visas. One glaring example is the dozens of Haitians who were flown here on military planes after the earthquake, only to be detained. Many lost their parents, siblings and children; one of our clients lost his twin 9-year old daughters. Virtually all had U.S. citizen and lawful permanent resident relatives awaiting their release. Their prolonged detention only exacerbated the terrible trauma they suffered before fleeing Haiti. During their detention, most showed signs of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center's attempts to get permission for a psychotherapist to meet with the Haitians were repeatedly rebuffed. When everyone in the world was offering to help the Haitians, Immigration and Customs Enforcement kept our clients in detention for more than two months. They only released them after a front page New York Times story ran and the Haitians agreed to be deported whenever ICE wants. Haitian orphans also raise tough questions. While many caring Americans would like to adopt, there is real danger that Haitian children may be trafficked or improperly separated from their parents. For this and other thorny problems, no easy solutions exist in the midst of Haiti's crisis. This crisis in fact has exposed cracks in our deeply fractured immigration system. We know Haiti will not be ready for an influx of deportees when temporary protected status expires in July 2011 or for a long time to come. Frankly, this country wouldn't have large populations of immigrants who need temporary protected status if we adjusted immigration flows to meet the real demands of its families and our economy. The best solution would be for Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform that includes a legalization plan and future immigrant flows attuned to the needs of our labor markets. The path to legal status should be offered, not only to Haitians, but also to millions of unauthorized immigrants without criminal records, who pay taxes, raise U.S. citizen kids and have contributed to their communities for years. Reform that calibrates incoming immigration flows to labor needs and ensures workers rights would raise wages throughout the U.S. economy. Such immigration reform could add $1.5 trillion to the nation's GDP over 10 years, according to a study released in February by the think tanks Center for American Progress and Immigration Policy Center. Clearly, enforcement-only immigration policy is not enough. Piecemeal fixes have not worked. The United States needs a 21st century immigration system that will benefit all Americans. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Cheryl Little.

Cheryl Little says giving protected status to Haitian immigrants was wise . She says such status was not granted in earlier disasters . Little says further immigration changes would aid Haiti's effort to recover from quake . A comprehensive immigration reform bill would be a major step forward, she says .

(CNN) -- I was in Cairo three years ago when the revolution began. I had not thought the January 25th protests would lead to very much. But they did. Three years later, Egypt greets the dawn of the anniversary with bombs, police violence, and nihilism. The revolution has become a struggle in a way no one dreamed at the time. It seems to be almost a revolutionary act to simply reject despair. In this despondent phase of the Egyptian tale, there are very few good guys, far too many bad guys, and a plethora of ugly guys. On the 25th of January three years ago, the divisions in the population were more or less clear. The 'bad guy' was the regime of Hosni Mubarak, with all that implied. The corruption, police brutality, and overall degradation of human dignity in Egyptian society were clearly associated with his office. Certainly, there were sections of the population that supported him -- in the aftermath of the uprising, 79% of Egyptians said they supported the protests that led to Mubarak's departure. That left a sizeable minority which was uncertain of or opposed the protests. At the outset of the uprising, most Egyptians were unwilling to throw their weight behind the protests -- but they did not support Mubarak. They just did not see much of an alternative. Today, the divisions are far more complicated. That 79% has become fragmented in ways that few predicted. Those that backed the Islamist forces of the Muslim Brotherhood would feel great pride as confidence in its political party went from 15% in the aftermath of the uprising, to a high of 67% a year later. But they would also feel great disappointment: just prior to the June 30th ouster of Mohamed Morsy, Gallup polls and others showed the political force of the Muslim Brotherhood had lost most of its post-uprising popular support over its year in power. They are now designated as a terrorist organisation by the military backed interim government, albeit without conclusive public proof linking the group to terrorist attacks (a separate terrorist movement, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, has claimed responsibility). The Brotherhood's political strategy has gone from trying to enforce authority over the state from within, to engaging in continuous protests against it from without. Since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011, the military establishment has been the single most popular institution in the country. Popular conscription means that members of most Egyptian families have served in it; the educational system glorifies it, and most media in the country over the past three years has been at best lukewarm in its criticism of it. At its height over the past three years before Morsy's ouster, public confidence in the military was anything from 80% to 95%. Until Morsy's departure, the Muslim Brotherhood repressed disparagement of the army, and joined in its lionisation, identifying the army as supportive of Morsy's rule. After it, one imagines the popularity of the military dropped with the departure of Brotherhood support for it. Given the loss of popular support for the Brotherhood, and the overwhelming negative public media narrative about the same, it seems likely the military can still count on a majority of the population to back it. Other political forces have, generally speaking, decided there is a binary choice to be made: back the Muslim Brotherhood, or back the military. There was never much lost love between most other political forces and the Brotherhood. The latter already had enemies prior to coming to power, and alienated many potential (and existing) allies during the post-uprising period through its toleration of sectarian rhetoric, permissive attitude to vigilante violence, opposition to consensus building, and failure to enact reforms. It is difficult to describe most of these anti-Brotherhood forces as "liberal," let alone "revolutionary," however. The past six months have seen the largest number of civilian causalities at the hands of state forces in modern Egyptian history, as well as various other violations of civil rights. Most of these forces have either been silent or actively supportive of such efforts in Egypt's own "War on Terror," although they objected greatly to other abuses during Morsy's tenure. On the third anniversary of the revolutionary uprising, that leaves one group left to account for -- the group that sparked it in the first place, and continued to fight for it without regard for partisan political interest. Those original "Jan25 revolutionaries," made up of rights campaigners, civil society activists and others, had no plan during that 18 day uprising -- except to persist and persevere. They were joined by many others -- and no-one can now claim the uprising was theirs alone. The crowds that swept into the different squares of Egypt over those days were representative of Egyptian society in general -- not simply one sector of it. But that portion of society that sparked the protests, those who continued to agitate for fundamental change, and to criticise, irrespective of who sat in the presidential palace -- they've already realised that just as they were on the margins on January 25 2011, they're still on them in 2014. Three years later, many of them have been arrested for dissent against the current government. Many had gone into political parties, but they never reached critical mass. What they did have -- what they do have -- is this strange perseverance to continue speaking truth to power. On January 25 2014, some may go out to remember the uprising where so many Egyptians decided to join them. Mostly, however, they'll probably take a deep breath as they see most Egyptians fall prey to an ultra-nationalism on the one hand, and a sectarian partisanship on the other. Back to the margins they may have gone -- but into oblivion, they refuse to go. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of H.A. Hellyer.

Egypt's revolution has shown clear fault lines in society, says H.A. Hellyer . Muslim Brotherhood gained impressive support, and squandered it almost as quickly . Hellyer: Military remains popular, despite civil rights violations in Egypt's "War on Terror" Pro-revolution activists and rights campaigners on the margins, three years on .

(CNN) -- The diabetes drug Avandia is linked with tens of thousands of heart attacks, and drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline knew of the risks for years but worked to keep them from the public, according to a Senate committee report released Saturday. The 334-page report by the Senate Finance Committee also criticized the Food and Drug Administration, saying that the federal agency that regulates food, tobacco and medications overlooked or overrode safety concerns found by its staff. "Americans have a right to know there are serious health risks associated with Avandia and GlaxoSmithKline had a responsibility to tell them," said U.S. Senator Max Baucus, a Democrat and committee chairman. "Patients trust drug companies with their health and their lives and GlaxoSmithKline abused that trust." The bipartisan report also was signed by Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top-ranking Republican on the committee. GlaxoSmithKline rejected any assertions Saturday that the drug is not safe. "We disagree with the conclusions in the report," company spokeswoman Nancy Pekarek told CNN. "The FDA had reviewed the data and concluded that the drug should be on the market." Seven clinical trials on the drug prove that it is not linked to heart attacks, Pekarek said. "None of that data shows a statistically significant correlation between Avandia and myocardial ischemia or myocardial infarction [heart attack]," she said. Ischemia is a condition in which blood flow and oxygen are blocked from going to certain parts of the body. The Senate committee investigation stems from concerns that Avandia and other high-profile drugs put "public safety at risk because the FDA has been too cozy with drug makers and has been regularly outmaneuvered by companies that have a financial interest in downplaying or under-exploring potential safety risks," the report states. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said she is waiting for the recommendations of an advisory committee that will hear reports on the drug this summer. "Meanwhile," Hamburg said in a statement, "I am reviewing the inquiry made by Senators Baucus and Grassley and I am reaching out to ensure that I have a complete understanding and awareness of all of the data and issues involved." The Senate report was developed over the past two years by committee investigators who reviewed more than 250,000 pages of documents provided by GlaxoSmithKline, the FDA and several research institutes. Committee investigators also conducted numerous interviews and phone calls with GlaxoSmithKline, the FDA and anonymous whistleblowers. According to the Senate report: . • FDA scientists estimated in July 2007 that Avandia was associated with approximately 83,000 heart attacks since the drug came to market. "Had GSK considered Avandia's potential increased cardiovascular risk more seriously when the issue was first raised in 1999 ... some of these heart attacks may have been avoided," the report states. • GlaxoSmithKline undertook attempts to undermine information critical of Avandia. "GSK executives attempted to intimidate independent physicians, focused on strategies to minimize or misrepresent findings that Avandia may increase cardiovascular risk and sought ways to downplay findings that a competing drug might reduce cardiovascular risk," the report says. As an example, committee investigators say they found that GlaxoSmithKline experts verified an outside study showing the cardiac problem, but the company publicly attacked the findings as incorrect. • Two FDA safety officials sounded a clear alarm in October 2008 writing, "There is strong evidence that rosiglitazone [Avandia] confers an increased risk of [heart attacks] and heart failure compared to pioglitazone [rival drug on market]." They concluded and trials comparing the two would be "unethical and exploitive." Yet, the trial is still under way, the senators say. GlaxoSmithKline counters that the Senate report relies on outdated information. "In essence, the report is a compilation of information and events that took place years ago," spokeswoman Pekarek said. "There's no new data there." The FDA has evaluated at the drug, Pekarek said, and updated product labeling in 2007 to say information on Avandia's relationship to myocardial ischemia is inconclusive. "The FDA exists to ensure patient safety," she said. "That is their purpose." Avandia has been under scrutiny for years. The New England Journal of Medicine called the drug's safety into question in 2007. The Journal of the American Medical Association also questioned whether Avandia was safe in 2007. "Among patients with impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes, rosiglitazone use for at least 12 months is associated with a significantly increased risk of myocardial infarction and heart failure, without a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular mortality," the AMA journal wrote, adding that the "findings have potential regulatory and clinical implications." "Regulatory agencies ought to re-evaluate whether rosiglitazone should be allowed to remain on the market," the report said. "Health plans and physicians should not wait for regulatory actions. They should avoid using rosiglitazone in patients with diabetes who are at risk of cardiovascular events, especially since safer treatment alternatives are available." Read the report . In 2007, an FDA panel recommended by a vote of 22-1 that Avandia should remain on the market despite an analysis showing links to increased risk of heart attack. The vote was not binding, but a suggestion to FDA regulators. The panel also voted 20-3 at the same meeting in support of data that showed Avandia increased the risk of cardiac ischemia in patients with the most common type of diabetes. The Senate report does not address the issue of whether Avandia should be removed from the market. CNN's Lisa Desjardins, Saundra Young, Miriam Falco and Arthur Brice contributed to this report.

Avandia linked to heart disease, Senate committee report says . GlaxoSmithKline tried to hide risks from public, according to report . Company rejects reports conclusions, denies its drug causes heart problems . FDA "too cozy" with drug manufacturers, report says .

London (CNN) -- As the scandal over the discovery of horse meat in products labeled as pure beef widened, the European Union's health chief vowed Wednesday to put in place a plan to restore consumer confidence. "The issue before us today is therefore overwhelmingly one of fraudulent labeling rather than one of safety," Tonio Borg said in a statement after an emergency meeting in Belgium with authorities from France, Romania, Holland, Luxembourg and Britain. He noted that EU legislation allows horse meat to be used for the production of minced meat and meat preparations, "however, it has to be declared on the label." It is the responsibility of EU member states to check on whether a product presents a risk and complies with the law, Borg said. In the case of horse meat, the commission has checked on whether member states have complied with requirements about hygiene and residues of veterinary drugs, he said. "Analyses are under way to identify the possible presence of residues of veterinary drugs, especially where unlabeled horse meat has been found," he said. A meeting of the Standing Committee of the Food Chain and Animal Health is scheduled for Friday, he said. "This meeting will provide a forum to ascertain the precise state-of-play of the ongoing investigations in the member states, and enable discussions on a possible coordinated response," he said. The commission will recommend to the standing committee a plan that will include widespread testing "to restore the confidence of all European consumers," he said. The plan "should be communicated by member states by 15 April," he said. The plan will recommend that member states ensure that "any misleading labeling practices" be identified, and will ask, "as a preventive measure," that member states ensure that any residues of the veterinary drug phenylbutazone be identified in establishments handling raw horse meat "so as to unearth any related safety concern." The member states should then report their findings back to the commission, he said. The talks in Brussels came a day after British police and health officials raided a slaughterhouse and meat company as part of the investigation into how horse meat ended up in products identified as beef. The slaughterhouse, in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, is believed to have supplied horse carcasses to Farmbox Meats Ltd., a Welsh firm that then sold the meat as beef for kebabs and burgers. Authorities have suspended operations at both facilities and seized all remaining meat and company files, which include a client list. Neither company was immediately available for comment. "I ordered an audit of all horse-producing abattoirs in the UK after this issue first arose last month and I was shocked to uncover what appears to be a blatant misleading of consumers," Andrew Rhodes, Food Standards Agency director of operations, said Tuesday. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson called the revelations "absolutely shocking." "It's totally unacceptable if any business in the UK is defrauding the public by passing off horse meat as beef," he said. "I expect the full force of the law to be brought down on anyone involved in this kind of activity." In a written statement to parliament, Paterson said Wednesday that both the raided businesses had a legitimate trade in horse meat, "but investigations so far indicate that horse meat has been used in UK produce as though it is beef." Horse meat was discovered in products that are supposed to be 100% beef sold in Sweden, the United Kingdom and France. They included lasagna sold by frozen food giant Findus and spaghetti bolognese sold by UK supermarket giant Tesco, both made by French supplier Comigel. The industry was already reeling from a bombshell last month, when Irish investigators found horse and pig DNA in a number of hamburger products. Investigations are under way in France, Sweden and Britain. In Romania, Prime Minister Victor Ponta said Monday that the two slaughterhouses in the country that were initially suspected to have links to the horse meat scandal never had direct contact with Comigel and have done nothing illegal. "This tendency to throw the responsibility as far away as possible, eventually to the new members (of the European Union), to countries that might have a weaker PR policy, is something that bothers me," he said. Minister of Agriculture Daniel Constantin said there was no evidence of mislabeling in Romania. Comigel has not responded to CNN's requests for comment. But CEO Erick Lehagre told French news agency Agence France-Presse on Sunday that a French supplier "fooled" his company. "We were victims," he told AFP. This month, Britain's National Beef Association called for more specific labeling of meat products and asked that labels bear the words "United Kingdom origin." British food companies have been told to test their beef products for "authenticity" and report back to authorities by Friday. British supermarket chain Waitrose said Wednesday that it had "in recent weeks" removed from its shelves frozen meatballs labeled as beef after tests indicated that two batches may have contained pork. But tests revealed no horse meat in its meatballs or frozen beef burgers, it said. In the United States, Congress effectively prohibited the slaughtering of horses for human consumption in 2007, by denying the use of federal funds to inspect horses destined to become food, a 2011 Government Accountability Office report said. The legal maneuver does not preclude horse owners from selling to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico, and the GAO said in a report that many Americans have taken advantage of that opportunity. "From 2006 through 2010, U.S. horse exports for slaughter increased by 148 and 660% to Canada and Mexico, respectively," the report said. "As a result, nearly the same number of U.S. horses was transported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter in 2010 -- nearly 138,000 -- as was slaughtered before domestic slaughter ceased." CNN's Kat Kinsman in New York, Susannah Palk and Kendra Wates in London and journalist Liliana Ciobanu in Bucharest, Romania, contributed to this report.

NEW: EU's Tonio Borg says the issue is about fraudulent labeling rather than safety . European ministers hold talks on the issue of horse meat found in beef products . EU Health Commissioner Tonio Borg following the situation "very closely" UK officials raided a slaughterhouse and meat company Tuesday .

(CNN) -- There are stories you just wish weren't true, and for me, a mom of two young girls, this is one of them: media outlets counting the days until Kendall Jenner, one of the youngest members of the Kardashian clan, turns 18. The celebrity site TMZ posted a photo last week -- a very revealing one, at that -- of Jenner in short shorts and a bikini, with this headline: "Kendall Jenner 53 Days." Hmmm -- 53 days until what? A new TV gig? A new modeling contract? Until she announces college plans? Oh no, my friends. Below the headline and the supremely sexy photo was this: "Until she turns 18. Not that we're counting." It wasn't just TMZ. Another celeb site, HollywoodLife, tweeted the same photo and added this: "To all those wondering, Kendall Jenner turns 18 in 52 days." I wasn't wondering -- were you? And here's the thing: Something just doesn't feel quite right about the whole concept of a countdown for a young woman about to turn the age when she's legally viewed as an adult -- even a young woman like Jenner, who has spent much of her life on reality TV. No matter how much Jenner and her attention-seeking family pursue the national spotlight, and no matter how much Kardashian critics might question my spending time on this at all -- this story, let me be clear, is not about Kendall Jenner. It is about a child. Kylie and Kendall: Growing up Kardashian . After all, while no one is specifically indicating to what everyone is counting down, one can assume it's not that Jenner will soon be able to vote for the first time. "Maybe they are counting down the days until she is legally responsible for her decisions," said Dorothy Liu, a mom of a 10-year-old girl, on my personal Facebook page. If only that were the case! Too hot for tweens: Why some parents dread back-to-school shopping . "There is a countdown clock waiting for a girl to turn 18 so they can (ogle) her more inappropriately then they already do," Jodi Ferich said on CNN's Facebook page. "I think its a valid question about the appropriateness of waiting for a young lady to age so you can objectify her as a sex object." "I believe it's not fair game to count down to her being 18," said a reader via e-mail in response to a request for comments on CNN's Facebook page, adding that it can be looked at as "perverted, disgusting and just plain wrong." "Anyone who is watching this countdown waiting for this child to turn 18 needs a mental evaluation. 18 is still a CHILD in every way," said Krista Dawn Savoury, also on CNN's Facebook page. "Is nothing off limits?" said Sharon Rowley, a blogger and mom of six. "Yes, I know her family has 'sold out.' " Opinion: For strong daughters, stop with the sex stereotypes . It is that last point -- how her family has embraced the media in every way possible -- that led many others to believe counting down until Jenner turns 18 seems entirely appropriate. "Jenner is part of the Kardashian clan and they live for the camera," said Joni Hudson-Reynolds, a blogger, via e-mail. "They court the spotlight and when you make the choice to live this way, you live with the consequences, and know the consequences will be taped." Jodi Jill, a celebrity columnist in Los Angeles, questions "why all the eyebrow raising." "This would be different if the ladies didn't want this kind of attention, but they do," Jill said. "That's not to say this doesn't go too far, but if it was inappropriate like everyone is screaming about, the Jenner clan would have already stopped it. One call from a concerned mom (better known as Kris Jenner) would have pulled it down." Sadly, this is not the first time there's been a public countdown until a celeb turns the legal age. Years before Mary-Kate and Ashley Oslen turned 18, a number of Internet sites popped up, counting down the years, months and days until the big day. And it's not just a sexualization-of-girls thing. There was also a countdown until Justin Bieber reached the big one-eight, although one might argue this ogling until teens are "jailbait no more" seems to happen more for young women than young men. We know our kids grown up faster than ever, and we see that evidence just about everywhere we look, from the clothing options for our tweens and teens to the way their role models (or former role models) present themselves (think Miley Cyrus!) to the concerns about the photos they're sending each other online. Adult-inspired lingerie marketed for young girls . That said, can't we expect or demand that, as Sharon Rowley said, certain things should be completely off limits? Beth Engelman, a mom of one and co-host of the blog Mommy on a Shoestring, said, "I don't care for that family but ... still shame on TMZ for perpetuating the sexualization of this child." Like Engelman, I don't quite get why there is such a fascination with this family. So why is this story news? Because it seems, at least to me, completely outrageous to count down until a young woman turns 18, almost implying that once her 18th birthday approaches, she is fair game for sexual exploitation and objectification. As one reader said, "To be glorifying it is just wrong and teaches the wrong idea to people who don't have common sense." Or morals. Or respect for women. Follow Kelly Wallace on Twitter and like CNN Living on Facebook.

Some media sites are counting down until reality star Kendall Jenner turns 18 . Women across country say the Jenner countdown is inappropriate and gross . Some say it's fair game for a family always seeking the national spotlight . There were similar countdowns for the Olsen twins and Justin Bieber .

Cairo (CNN) -- As protesters battled supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy outside his palace, his chief of staff announced Thursday that the president would address the nation later in the day. The chief of staff, Refaa El-Tahtawy, said the speech would include important news but did not specify what that might be. The announcement came hours after demonstrations erupted into violence Wednesday night over Morsy's assumption of sweeping powers last month. Three of Morsy's advisers resigned Wednesday in protest of his edict, while demonstrators set fire to offices of the Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, in three cities. The unrest comes as Egypt lurches toward a scheduled December 15 referendum on a new constitution. Days of largely peaceful protests in Tahrir Square had preceded Wednesday's violence. But that all changed Wednesday. After Morsy supporters chased protesters from the grounds, pro- and anti-Morsy demonstrators threw rocks, fireworks and Molotov cocktails at each other. Late in the day, a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood called on protesters to withdraw from the area of the palace "and not to protest there again due to its significant symbolic position as the president's office." The Health Ministry reported four were killed and 271 were injured; state media reported earlier in the night that no one was killed. Dr. Mohamed Sultan, a spokesman for the ministry, said the injuries ranged from bruises to cuts, burns and fractures. More marches were promised for Thursday, said Rami Shath, a member of the Revolutionary Alliance and the Free Egyptian Party. "We hold opposition figures, namely Sabbahi & ElBaradei, fully responsible for escalation of violence & inciting their supporters," said the Muslim Brotherhood in a tweet, referring to opposition leaders Hamdeen Sabbahi and Mohamed ElBaradei. Morsy, Egypt's first freely elected leader, was a Muslim Brotherhood leader before winning office in June, when he resigned from the movement and the Freedom and Justice Party to represent all Egyptians, he said. Demonstrators were protesting his recent edict granting himself sweeping powers and the proposed constitution -- drafted by an Islamist-dominated council -- that they fear will give him even more power. "This is not what we asked for," one protester said. "It's a complete dictatorship." Other protesters vowed to remain in the streets until Morsy is forced to leave office. "He's not our president anymore," another protester said. The three advisers who announced their resignations said they had done so after failing to persuade Morsy to reverse his November 23 decree. "He has rejected all our suggestions and initiatives that may have avoided the cycle of violence we are witnessing today," Ayman al-Sayad, Seif Abdel Fattah, and Mohammed Esmat said in a joint statement. But the powerful Muslim Brotherhood called the protesters "thugs" who were trying to overthrow the president. "By the grace of God, the Egyptian people will be able to protect this legitimacy, its constitution and its institutions," the group said on its Facebook page. Ahmed Sobea, a spokesman of the Freedom and Justice Party, said the party's offices in the northeastern cities of Suez and Ismailia had been ransacked and torched by masked, armed men on Wednesday night. The offices were empty when the attacks occurred, Sobea said. State-run Nile TV broadcast pictures of the Ismaila office on fire and reported that other masked men had burned the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in the northeastern city of Zagazig. Opposition leaders are prepared to open talks with Morsy if he withdraws his edict and delays the referendum, said ElBaradei, leader of the liberal Constitution Party and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. But Vice President Mahmoud Mekki said the referendum will be held as planned. "Saying the referendum will be held on time is not being stubborn," Mekki said. "The president has backtracked from decisions before; he's not a stubborn character." Morsy's decree placed his decisions out of the reach of courts until a new constitution is approved. He said the move was designed to protect the spirit of the popular 2011 uprising that drove former strongman Hosni Mubarak from power. Critics call it a power grab. Egyptian judges and media outlets as well as liberal political groups have protested Morsy's decree and the proposed constitution, saying it goes against the goals of the revolution. How the struggle plays out could have repercussions across the Middle East and North Africa, regions already wracked by upheaval. In nearby Gaza and Israel, tensions remain high after last month's fighting. In Syria, a civil war has raged since March 2011. Wednesday's violence followed clashes Tuesday outside the palace, which has become the focus of protests by Egypt's liberal opposition. On Tuesday night, police fired tear gas after anti-Morsy protesters broke through barbed wire around the palace and hurled chairs and rocks at retreating officers. After the initial clashes, police withdrew behind fences and the demonstration was peaceful for several hours. Yassir Ali, a spokesman for the presidential office and the vice president, told reporters Wednesday that the presidential office had ordered the security forces at the palace "to protect the protesters and keep them safe." "The orders to the security forces were not to confront (them), (but) to preserve the lives of the protesters and to prevent any clashes between the security forces and the protesters," Ali said. CNN's Reza Sayah and Journalists Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Sarah Sirgany reported from Cairo, CNN's Michael Pearson, Joe Sterling, Saad Abedine and Yousuf Basil reported from Atlanta, and Sarah Brown and Laura Smith-Spark reported from London.

Morsy chief of staff says president's address will contain important information . The announcement comes after more than 200 people were hurt Wednesday . Masked men set fire to Muslim Brotherhood offices in three cities . Opposition leaders say they are prepared to start talks with Morsy if he withdraws his edict .

(CNN) -- China's young golfers mixed the rough with the smooth on an historic day at the China Open on Thursday. Ye Wocheng underlined China's prodigious golfing talent as he teed off to become the youngest player in the history of the European Tour at the age of 12 years and 242 days. It was also a day to remember for another of China's young talent pool as 16-year-old Dou Zecheng signed for an impressive two-under-par 70 in Tianjin. "I was bit nervous at the start, had a bogey on the third but then came back really well with four birdies," said Dou, who was joint 11th after the first day's play in a group including compatriot Bin Yan. "This is obviously by far the biggest event I have ever entered, so I am very excited to be part of it. "This is a very long, tough course for me. On a couple of the longer par fours, I need to hit my wood from the fairway to have any chance of reaching the greens. "I hit a bit of a top off the first tee and only carried it 230 yards, but it was okay because I still got a par." Ye also made a solid start on the back nine at the Binhai Lake Golf Club, holing a birdie at the par-four 14th to cancel out his dropped shot on the 13th to card a creditable 38 at the turn. But the schoolboy from the southern manufacturing hub of Dongguan lost momentum over the front nine, dropping five bogeys for a final seven-over-par score of 79. Ye, who balances his homework with his golfing career, now faces a battle to survive the halfway cut at the $3.2 million tournament. "It's the first time I've played with a baby!" said his 35-year-old Spanish playing partner Jose Manual Lara. "I think I was playing on the computer at 12, not playing in a big tournament on the European Tour. "He's definitely got something about him. He knows how to manage himself out on the course, and I'm sure he's going to go a long way in the game. "He hits it a long way for his age and he's got a very good short game. I was impressed with him." The 15-year-old Bai Zhengkai, who earned his place in the field after winning the China Junior Match Play Championship, finished the day on 11 over. They are following in the footsteps of Guan Tianlang, who drew global focus on China's young talent with his sensational Masters debut last month. The 14-year-old made the halfway cut as the youngest player to enter the prestigious major and finished as Augusta's leading amateur. Tianlang was invited to play at the PGA Tour event in New Orleans last week, where he also made the cut but then finished 71st -- bottom of the players who made it to the weekend rounds. Back at the China Open, Dutchman Robert-Jan Derksen held the first-round lead after a late birdie run took the 39-year-old to a six-under 66. Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin and Australian Brett Rumford were tied for second two shots further back. Former British Open champion Paul Lawrie was still in the hunt on 69 but Europe's new Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley finished four over for the day. Woods ruling . Meanwhile, golf's governing bodies have backed the decision by officials at the Masters not to disqualify Tiger Woods from last month's tournament even though the world No. 1 was found guilty of infringing the rules. Augusta's rules committee deemed Woods had violated one of golf's ball-drop rules during the second round and handed him a two-stroke penalty. But there had been calls for Woods to be disqualified from the tournament after he incorrectly signed for a round of 71. The 14-time major winner hit a shot on the 15th hole that ricocheted off the flagstick and bounced into a pond. Woods took a drop but later conceded he had not taken the drop at the same place as the original spot -- an infringement that warrants a two-shot penalty. At the time, officials determined Woods hadn't broken any rules and so did not disqualify Woods for signing an improper scorecard because it made its "initial determination prior to the finish of the player's round." It was only under further scrutiny from the television coverage -- prompted by an inquiry from a viewer -- that Woods was retrospectively punished, but was not penalized for the incorrectly signed scorecard. The R&A and the U.S. Golf Association supported the decision made at Augusta -- but stressed it should not set a precedent for future incidents. The joint statement explained: "In returning his score card, Woods had breached Rule 6-6d by returning a score (6) for the 15th hole that was lower than his actual score (8). "The penalty for such a breach of Rule 6-6d is disqualification. Under Rule 33-7, a committee has discretion to waive that penalty in 'exceptional individual cases.' The Committee elected to invoke that discretion and waived Woods' penalty of disqualification. "The Decisions on the Rules of Golf authorize a committee to correct an incorrect decision before the competition has closed, and they establish that where a Committee incorrectly advises a competitor, before he returns his scorecard, that he has incurred no penalty, and then subsequently corrects its mistake, it is appropriate for the committee to waive the disqualification penalty. "The Woods ruling was based on exceptional facts and should not be viewed as a general precedent for relaxing or ignoring a competitor's essential obligation under the Rules to return a correct score card."

Ye Wocheng becomes youngest European Tour player in history at the China Open . The 12-year-old finishes first round on seven over par and in danger of missing cut . Chinese 16-year-old Dou Zecheng signs for an impressive two-under-par 70 . Golf's global authorities back decision not to disqualify Tiger Woods at the Masters .

(CNN) -- A song about the joy of thrift shops put Macklemore & Ryan Lewis on the charts, but it's their musical attack on homophobia that's earning Grammy nominations. When the Recording Academy revealed nominations for the 56th Grammy Awards Friday night, the hip-hop duo was named in seven categories, including for best new artist, song of the year and album of the year. "Seven is unbelievable," Lewis told CNN. "We came here hoping for one." Only Jay Z's nine nominations topped them. A testament to their popularity came from rocker Melissa Etheridge, who won her first Grammy two decades ago. She became a Macklemore & Ryan Lewis fan when her daughter asked her to listen to their song "Same Love," which is now contending for song of the year. Etheridge was so excited to meet the duo backstage at the Grammy nominations show, she stopped her interview with CNN to chase them down and hug them. "I just had to tell them when something comes into the music scene, which then seeps into pop culture, you just can't take it away," Etheridge said. Check the full nominations list . English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, who was also nominated for best new artist, said in a CNN interview that he'd rather Macklemore & Lewis win the Grammy. "They've achieved so much this year in popular culture," Sheeran said. "They really changed things doing a song about homophobia." The other new artist Grammy contenders are English electronic music producer James Blake, hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar -- who is nominated for seven Grammys overall -- and country singer Kacey Musgraves -- who has four nominations. Noticeably absent from the best new artist category is Lorde, whose smash hit "Royals" did earn nominations for record of the year, song of the year and best pop solo performance. The 17-year-old New Zealand singer-songwriter's debut album "Pure Heroine" is also nominated for best pop album. Legendary producer Jimmy Jam, who is chairman emeritus of the Recording Academy, suggested that Lorde's omission was because she, in effect, "skipped a grade" by having such a successful debut song. "She is still very new," he told CNN. "Sometimes I think the Grammy voters like to say 'Well, let's see what else you have before we say you're the best new artist.'" Lorde's song, which carries a message criticizing the materialism of the pop music scene, spent nine weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart this year. She performed it live on the Grammy nominations telecast Friday. "She's pretty unstoppable right now," Jimmy Jam said. "She had a great performance tonight, which I think will resonate in people's minds. She's so young, but a great songwriter. I think the sky's the limit for her." He compared Lorde's situation to that of Katy Perry, whose "I Kissed a Girl" was a big hit five years ago. It earned her a best female pop vocal Grammy nomination, but she was passed over for best new artist. "Grammy voters felt that one single was really good, but let's see what else she has," he said. Perry proved since then that she is the real thing. Grammy voters nominated her "Roar" for song of the year and best pop solo performance this year. "Blurred Lines," the Robin Thicke summer hit with T.I. and Pharrell Williams, is up for song of the year and best pop duo/group performance. Their chances of taking home a Grammy might be hurt, though, by the legal battle with the heirs of the late Marvin Gaye, who argue it ripped off his "Got to Give It Up" classic. Pharrell Williams could still win in those categories because he's also nominated for other work in each. In all, he has seven nominations in four categories. Justin Timberlake is also up for seven Grammys. His "The 20/20 Experience" was passed over in the album of the year category, but it is nominated for best pop vocal album. He shares a nomination with Jay Z in the best pop duo/group category for the song "Suit & Tie" and his single "Mirrors" is nominated for best pop solo performance. Drake was nominated for five Grammys, including for best rap performance for "Started from the Bottom." The rapper canceled plans to perform at Friday's nominations telecast citing schedule complications. Daft Punk is up for four Grammys, including record of the year -- for their hit "Get Lucky" -- and album of the year for "Random Access Memories." Bruno Mars earned four Grammy nominations. His "Locked Out of Heaven" is up for record of the year and song of the year. Country crossover singer-songwriter Taylor Swift's "Red" is nominated for album of the year and country album of the year. She's also nominated for best country duo/ group performance and best country song. She performed on Friday night's show from Australia. Fantasia's latest album "Side Effects of You" brought the 2004 American Idol winner three Grammy nominations. The nominations list, which has 82 categories, has several legendary names on it with new music. Paul McCartney's "Live Kisses" is nominated in the best music film category. The former Beatle is competing for the best rock song Grammy against Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The best rock album Grammy competition reads almost like the billing from a 1970s rock festival with Black Sabbath, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Neil Young with Crazy Horse nominated. Queens of the Stone Age and Kings of Leon are the youngsters in the race. The Grammys will be handed out in Los Angeles on January. Most of them will be announced in a pre-telecast ceremony, but the top awards will be presented in a music-filled three hour broadcast on the CBS network.

Jay Z gets nine nominations . Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift also receive multiple nominations . Some of the nominees performed Friday night during a television special .

(CNN) -- A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti two years ago, sending an already struggling nation into a tailspin. Relief organizations estimate that more than 300,000 people were injured, nearly 5,000 schools were damaged or destroyed, and 1.5 million people were left homeless. The quake affected one-third of the country's population, according to USAID. A cholera outbreak confirmed in late October 2010 and flooding from Hurricane Tomas in November aggravated dire conditions. "This water now came by and washed away anything we had left," Leogane resident Charlie Simolien said. Recovery efforts have transitioned from relief to rebuilding, but more than half a million people still live in displacement camps, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. From the economy and education to health care and homelessness, relief organizations remain in Haiti, working to meet the ongoing needs of the Haitian people, and there are ways you can help. MFK fights malnutrition, creates jobs . Meds & Food for Kids (MFK) develops, produces and distributes "Medika Mamba," Creole for peanut butter medicine, and other nutritious foods to fight malnutrition. When the earthquake hit in 2010, MFK distributed more than 40,000 pounds of Medika Mamba to malnourished children and patients recovering from amputations and surgery. Today, MFK continues its nutrition programs across the country. A new factory opens this summer and will expand production tenfold. "What this means is we'll be able to treat all the children that suffer from malnutrition, but we'll also be able to make products that prevent malnutrition and supplements for pregnant and lactating women," MFK Executive Director Patricia Wolff said. The expansion also means more jobs. MFK's factory workers and managers are all Haitian and mentored by a small American staff. MFK purchases raw materials in Haiti when possible and provides training for local peanut farmers to improve agricultural practices and output. Visit MFK's website to make a donation. Professionals with engineering, technical, linguistic and managerial skills can contact MFK for more information on mentorship opportunities. Hope for Haiti rebuilds schools . Hope for Haiti has served Haitian children through education, nutrition and health care programs for 22 years. Before the earthquake, the organization supported children and teachers in 37 schools in Haiti's southern peninsula. In response to the disaster, Hope for Haiti distributed more than 1,000 emergency buckets to survivors and established a health clinic that served 10,000 displaced people at the Don Bosco IDP Camp. The organization installed solar panels at a damaged secondary school so classes could continue amid power outages. It built temporary structures at other damaged locations so school would not be interrupted during reconstruction. Hope for Haiti now supports 10 additional primary schools, helping approximately 10,000 students get an education. It provides teacher salary subsidies and basic materials to keep schools operational. Go online to make a donation to the education fund or to support another Hope for Haiti program. Partners in Health / Zanmi Lasante revitalize health care . Partners in Health (PIH) and its local sister organization Zanmi Lasante (ZL) started treating patients in a one-room clinic in Cange more than 25 years ago. The clinic is now a full-service hospital boasting 104 beds, and PIH/ZL has expanded its operations to 11 other hospitals and health centers in central Haiti. In the weeks after the quake, PIH/ZL cared for hundreds of thousands of Haitians who fled Port-au-Prince, organized volunteer medical staff and established health centers at camps for internally displaced people. The organization continues to expand the reach and depth of its health services throughout the country. PIH has hired and trained new medical staff, including 14 new psychologists and seven rehabilitation educators to serve earthquake victims, and will open a new teaching hospital in Mirebalais this year. "This hospital is the culmination of a dream dating back a quarter-century and underlines our commitment to the country and people of Haiti, which is stronger than ever after the earthquake," PIH co-founder Dr. Paul Farmer said. To make a donation to PIH's work in Haiti from various countries, visit PIH.org. Details about volunteer and internship opportunities are also available on the website. CAN-DO reshapes communities . CAN-DO is working to establish model communities and create jobs through its Community Revitalization and Orphanage Revitalization projects. The organization arrived in Haiti less than 48 hours after the earthquake. Over the next six months, CAN-DO distributed 250,000 gallons of water, 8,000 pounds of medical supplies and 11 tons of food to orphanages and others in need. As part of its ongoing revitalization projects, CAN-DO is constructing and repairing schools, orphanages and medical clinics based on needs identified by local communities. CAN-DO also formed a team of Haiti workers called the Nou Kapab Crew made of skilled masons, electricians, plumbers, painters and laborers. Members of the crew are hired to work on CAN-DO and other reconstruction projects, helping Haitians get back to work and help rebuild. "It's all about getting the community fired up and back on their feet, but they're the ones that are doing it," CAN-DO founder Eric Klein said. "We just bring them the resources. They're going to get the job done." To support CAN-DO's projects in Haiti, go online or text "CANDO" to 85944 to make a $10 donation. American Express card holders can donate membership rewards points to CAN-DO.

Two years after massive quake, organizations are helping Haiti get back on its feet . MFK and PIH/ZL serve health needs, create jobs, train workers . Hope for Haiti helps schools rebuild and educate more students . CAN-DO aims to establish model communities, create more opportunities for work .

(CNN) -- For more than three decades, Concorde represented the pinnacle of business travel -- the ultimate status symbol for the jetset executive. Considered a marvel of aviation technology, the distinctive droop-nosed aircraft traveled at twice the speed of sound, flying from London to New York in about three and a half hours -- half the time of commercial airliners. But even before an Air France Concorde crashed in 2000, killing all 100 passengers and nine crew members on board, the luster was beginning to wane. Battling high operating costs and low passenger numbers, Air France and British Airways grounded their small, aging fleet a mere three years later. But the dream of supersonic flight has not disappeared. Aviation manufacturers such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Aerion are working on supersonic technology -- with the latter predicting it could have a supersonic business jet in service as early as 2020. Industry expert Joe Lissenden, the director of aerospace and defense consulting in the Americas for IHS Jane's, says it's likely that a next-generation supersonic commercial aircraft will emerge. High demand from passengers, historic profitability on the routes and significant technological improvements have combined to make supersonic flight all the more viable, he said. Read also: The air fare too good to be true . For Lissenden, the one challenge that remains is fuel cost. "Faster flights consume fuel faster which makes the flight more expensive," he said. "But this is a premium route, and premium prices will be charged." Crucial to the efforts to restore supersonic aircraft to the skies is the work of national aerospace programs such as NASA and Japan's JAXA. Peter Coen is the supersonics research project manager for NASA's fundamental aeronautics program. While the agency is not working on a specific supersonic aircraft, he said, "we are working on technologies we feel represent barriers to bringing back successful supersonic aircraft." Those barriers include high atmosphere emissions, noise produced when taking off and landing, and the sonic boom -- the sound associated with the shockwaves created when objects travel faster than the speed of sound, which has prevented supersonic aircraft from flying overland routes. See also: Air Force's hypersonic test fails . Coen said his division was concentrated on addressing the sonic boom issue first, because "if you don't have overland supersonic flight, there's never going to be a market for the supersonic aircraft." NASA has been collaborating with Boeing and Lockheed Martin on systems-level design studies, with each manufacturer producing models that have been subjected to wind tunnel testing to gauge their effectiveness. Coen said phase one testing had successfully validated the basic design techniques. Reshaping the aircraft, the designs -- Boeing's two-jet configuration with engines mounted above the wing, and Lockheed Martin's tri-jet configuration, with two engines below the wing and a third mounted in the tail -- had been proven to significantly reduce the sonic boom to a "thump," dropping the noise from Concorde levels to close to what is considered the level of acceptability. Coen said he expected to see a next-generation "son of Concorde" in the marketplace by around 2030, while a supersonic business jet "could happen sooner." "The boom is the barrier and if we can get past that, I think we'll see people giving supersonic flight a lot more serious consideration," he said. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) also hopes to develop a supersonic passenger aircraft that is quiet, economical and environmentally friendly, and expects to achieved it some time this century. Spokesman Masahisa Honda said that while the agency currently had no aircraft in specific development, along current projections it predicted a supersonic business jet to enter the market some time after 2015. Read also: 'Hidden' airline charges -- dirty tricks or customer choice? One of the frontrunners to do so is the Aerion SBJ, an 8-12 passenger business jet. "It will herald a return to supersonic civil flight without Concorde's environmental and economic drawbacks," said Aerion spokesman Adam Konowe. He said development of a joint venture with aircraft manufacturers to produce the SBJ had been slowed by the recession, but once a deal was struck he anticipated a six-year development program to bring the aircraft to market. "We believe the SBJ will be certified, and enter service around the end of the decade -- 2020," he said. But not everyone is convinced that a return to supersonic passenger flight is just around the corner. Chris Seymour, head of market analysis with aviation experts Ascend, was skeptical that there would be much progress before at least 2030. "I think there's so many issues to be considered that I certainly can't see it happening in the next 20 years," he said. Seymour believes that although technological barriers will likely be overcome, the key factor in whether it will become a reality is whether a market exists that is prepared to pay a premium for the ultimate status symbol in business travel -- particularly in an air-travel market that is focused on low prices. "Will you have enough passengers willing to pay higher fares to fly more quickly?" He said. "If you look at Concorde, that wasn't the case. It came along at a time when the 747 also came in, which carried more people for lower fares. That's where the market was." Peter Warth, director of Complete Aviation Solutions, also believes that a return to supersonic flight is further off than some are making out. "There seems to be multiple technological and commercial obstacles that will need to be cleared," he said. But he conceded: "I'm sure that when the original plans for Concorde, the A380 and the 787 Dreamliner were announced, the same questions about whether it could be achieved were asked. But they eventually delivered. I think time will tell."

The quest continues for a next-generation supersonic aircraft . Aerion predicts it will have a business jet in service by about 2020 . NASA is close to muffling the sonic boom that prevents overland supersonic flight . Some analysts question whether a market exists for expensive supersonic travel .

(CNN) -- Immediately after the September 11, 2001, terrorist acts, Sikhs came under attack. Mistaken for Muslims because of their beards and turbans, they became ripe targets for zealots seeking revenge. The first person murdered in retaliation for the 9/11 attacks was a Sikh -- a gas station owner in Mesa, Arizona, named Balbir Singh Sodhi who was shot five times by aircraft mechanic Frank Roque. In the intervening years, the Sikh Coalition, a New York-based advocacy group, reported more than 700 attacks or bias-related incidents. Belief Blog: Who are Sikhs? Some Sikhs had their houses vandalized; others were spat upon. In some extreme cases, Sikhs were set upon by groups of people and beaten. As the incidents waned, the community had hoped the worst was behind them -- until Sunday, when a man shot and killed at least six people at a Sikh temple outside Milwaukee, wounded a police officer and was himself killed by another officer's bullets. Wade Michael Page, 40, an Army veteran, was the gunman and was killed by an officer at the scene, police said Monday. Witnesses said the gunman had a 9/11 tattoo on one arm. Police have received information that the suspect "may have been involved in" the white supremacist movement, but that has not been confirmed, Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards said. While the shooter's motives are not yet known, what is clear is that the incident has dredged up the sense of shock and sadness Sikhs felt 11 years ago. Rajwant Singh, from the Maryland-Sikh Council on Religion and Education, said Sikhs growing up in the United States should not feel as though they don't belong. "Everybody should feel at home," he said Sunday. "This nation belongs to everyone." But little seems to have changed. The United States is home to about 700,000 Sikhs, nearly all of Indian origin. The men are easily identifiable by their beards and turbans, a tradition that's lasted for 500 years. Today, we are all American Sikhs . But the attire and appearance have also meant that they are often mistaken for Muslims, and are targets of anti-Islam attacks. "Our appearance looks like Osama bin Laden and those of Afghanistan," Suminder Sodhi, a friend of the Arizona victim, said at the time of the first attack. "But we are different people from Muslim people. We have different beliefs, a different religion." Because many of the incidents go unreported and because the FBI doesn't specifically list them -- instead lumping them as "anti-Islamic" crimes -- exact numbers are hard to come by. Earlier this year, New York Rep. Joe Crowley sent a letter to the Justice Department to begin tracking crimes against Sikhs. He asked that the FBI update its Hate Crime Incident Report Form (1-699), which does not have a designation for crimes against Sikhs as it does for some other groups. "The more information our law enforcement agencies have on violence against Sikh-Americans, the more they can do to help prevent these crimes and bring those who commit them to justice," Crowley said. Here are some instances from the long list of attacks that Sikhs have faced since 9/11: . -- September 15, 2001: Roque guns down Sodhi outside a Mesa gas station. Roque drives up to the station, fires five times and flees. He goes on to shoot at a Lebanese-American gas station clerk and fire into the home of an Afghan-American family later the same day. He is serving a life sentence. -- December 2001: Two men beat store owner Surinder Singh 20 times with metal poles in Los Angeles while they utter, "We'll kill bin Laden today." -- March 2004: Vandals scrawl the words, "It's not your country" in blue spray paint on the wall of the Gurdwara Sahib temple in Fresno, California. The temple was also vandalized a year earlier. -- July 2004: Rajinder Singh Khalsa is beaten unconscious by six men in New York City, after they taunt him and his friend about their turban. The beating leaves Khalsa with multiple fractures. -- August 2006: Iqbal Singh is stabbed in the neck with a steak knife in San Jose, California, while he is standing in the carport of his house. The attacker later tells police he wanted to "kill a Taliban." -- October 2008: Ajit Singh Chima is punched and kicked in the head while out on his daily walk in Carteret, New Jersey. The attacker does not take anything from Chima. -- January 2009: Jasmir Singh is attacked outside a New York grocery store, with men shouting racial slurs. Two years later, his father is attacked. -- November 2010: Two passengers beat Harbhajan Singh, a Sikh cabdriver, in Sacramento, California, with one of them calling him "Osama bin Laden." -- March 2011: Gurmej Singh Atwal and Surinder Singh are gunned down in Elk Grove, California, while out on their afternoon walk. They are not robbed and had no enemies, family members say. -- February 2012: A Sikh temple under construction in Sterling Heights, Michigan, is defaced, with graffiti on the wall depicting a gun and a Christian cross. Someone also scrawls "Mohmed," perhaps in reference to the Muslim prophet Mohammed. Sikhs react to the Wisconsin temple shooting . Sikhism, the world's fifth most popular religion, is a monotheistic faith that believes in equality and service to others, Sikh officials say. CNN's Julie In contributed to this report.

Mistaken for Muslims because of their beards and turbans, Sikhs have become targets . The first person murdered in retaliation for 9/11 was a Sikh . The United States is home to about 700,000 Sikhs . FBI doesn't specifically track bias crimes against the group .

(CNN) -- Zora O'Neill is heading to the Middle East next week. O'Neill, a longtime traveler and author of an upcoming Lonely Planet book on Egypt, is not dissuaded by the evacuation of the U.S. and British embassies in Syria, rumblings of possible Israeli airstrikes against Iran or rioting in Cairo. And it's not because she's reckless. She's heading to the United Arab Emirates and Oman for a month's stay to report on a book about Arab language and culture in the Middle East. After her work there, she'll head to Lebanon for more reporting. "They're totally out of the fray," O'Neill says. "Americans tend to think about the Middle East as all one big country, but each place is distinct and has its own issues." With violence in Syria and Egypt escalating and a new travel warning for Syria issued Tuesday, nervous American travelers will likely choose to avoid the entire Middle East right now. However, Middle East travel experts say that plenty of the region's diverse destinations are still open for business and welcoming foreign visitors. Know your tolerance level . Don't go if you're a worrywart and can't enjoy your trip. Knowing there are no guarantees, travelers who get nervous when a car backfires may not enjoy the Middle East. "If you want to live life at the fullest, you have to take chances," says Worldview Travel founder Ricci Zukerman, whether it's traveling to Israel or Bali or the Philippines. "Those who are afraid have to stay home and hope a plane doesn't fall on their house." Consider a country that's calm, such as the United Arab Emirates or Oman, where travel agent Lindsey Wallace continues to send clients. "We're sending lots of clients who switched their plans from Egypt and still want to go to the desert and have fun," says Wallace, president of Linara Travel in Eagle, Idaho. "Those two destinations are largely unaffected (from the recent unrest) or have even benefited from it." In addition to Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon, countries such as Jordan and Israel are relatively safe right now. (Morocco, though not part of the Middle East, is an Arabic-speaking nation and suffers from reduced tourism when there are difficulties in the Middle East. It is also considered safe for travel.) Israel is famous for not being loved by its neighbors, which means travelers there can expect a heightened state of security at all times, Zukerman says. From the time your bags are checked at the airport to guards checking your car at your hotel, everyone's senses are heightened. That can make travel there safer because everyone knows to call police when he sees a suspicious package or unusual gathering of people. "If your guide says don't go to Bethlehem today, don't be a smart guy and go anyway," Zukerman says. "Don't go. Most of the time it's a false alarm and that's OK." The payoff of visiting one of the world's holiest places is worth the heightened security, she says. "Jews come to see where it all started and Christians to feel holy," she says. "I hear the same thing over and over when people come home. 'I'm not the same person. It was a life-changing experience.' It's worth the little bit of insecurity." Safe doesn't mean easy . Whether you're going to Egypt to explore the pyramids without competition from other tourists or prefer to talk to locals about the emergence of democracy, O'Neill says it's possible to avoid that country's trouble spots. Traveling there last fall during the uprisings, she found herself sharing the pyramids with a scattering of Chinese and Egyptian tourists instead of the usual overwhelming crowds. "If you want to check out some serious archaeological, ancient stuff, it's a great opportunity to be in the middle of history," she says. Though violent protests continue in Egypt, O'Neill says most of Cairo is safe, as long as you don't get near the demonstrations. That means people wanting to travel to Cairo right now need to know the layout of the city more than those flying directly to Luxor to see King Tut's tomb. Or they need to hire a reputable tour operator who knows where to take them. Even without unrest, independent travel is a constant negotiation. Gone are the days when you could walk the streets of Cairo without concern for your wallet. Pickpockets are out and about, and O'Neill had a hard time avoiding vendors trying to sell her mini-replicas of alabaster pyramids and books about Nefertiti. "People are always wanting to sell you stuff, and that's true no matter when you go," she says. That's why travel agent Malaka Hilton prefers to have control of her guests' entire travel package from start to finish, knowing they'll be with guides and drivers she trusts. Hilton, an Egypt specialist who owns Admiral Travel International in Sarasota, Florida, is still booking clients to the Middle East, alerting them that they'll see bomb-sniffing dogs at hotels, armed guards and other security measures. If you are visiting a conservative religious country or section of the country, be aware of cultural norms and dress modestly. Don't be fooled by locals wearing Western-style clothing. It may be Western design but still modest in its coverage. Ask your travel agent about exceptions to the rule for beach resorts. "I do tell people from a dress code standard to be respectful of the religion," Hilton says. "Don't show shoulders and don't wear short shorts. You don't want the men or women to stare at you." Government travel warnings . Make sure you review and discuss relevant safety warnings with travel providers as you're booking a trip to the Middle East. The U.S. State Department lists its travel warnings online. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office offers detailed information and advice about threats to traveler safety in the region on its website.

Clashes in Syria and Egypt have some travelers worried about the entire region . Countries such as Oman and the United Arab Emirates are safe and calm, experts say . Some agents set clients up with trusted guides and drivers for extra security . The Mideast region may not be a good fit for nervous travelers, travel agents say .

(CNN) -- When clinging to life at sea, even a non-believer might be moved to pray for salvation. Imagine their surprise then, when on the horizon they see not only a rescue vessel inspired by Pope Francis, but Hollywood star Angelina Jolie. The glamorous actress was the unlikely guest at a naval base in Malta recently, meeting Syrian refugees who had survived deadly boat journeys to Europe. Among them were a couple from Damascus whose three children had died during the crossing, and a doctor from Aleppo whose wife and three-year-old daughter drowned. "We have to understand what drives people to take the fearful step of risking their children's lives on crowded, unsafe vessels," said Jolie, the Special Envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "It is the overwhelming desire to find refuge." As conflict rages in the Middle East, over 130,000 people have arrived in Europe by sea so far this year -- 2,500 of these dying while attempting to cross the Mediterranean, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency. Jolie is not alone in her mission to save them. A wealthy philanthropist couple has backed her campaign, saying: "The world needs to wake up to the scale of this crisis." Now they've put their money where their mouths are, launching a state-of-the-art rescue vessel -- inspired by the leader of the Vatican. Sea savior . Introducing the "Phoenix," a 40-meter converted fishing trawler owned by Chris and Regina Catrambone; a couple describing themselves as "social entrepreneurs," who make their money by running an insurance, emergency assistance, and intelligence company. Digging deep into their own pockets, they are spending $445,000 each month on the ship's operating costs. The boat has so far helped over 2,000 migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North African shores -- believed to be the first privately-funded vessel ever to do so. It follows the Pope's visit to the small island of Lampedusa -- where 366 migrants died in shipwreck last year -- where he criticized the "global indifference" to the refugee crisis. Just a few weeks ago another migrant boat sank carrying 500 people near Malta, in one of the worst wrecks in the region. "The words of the Pope, appealing to people to help with their skills, their ability, their free time -- we had to do something," said Regina Catrambone, originally from Italy and now living in Malta with her American husband and daughter. "When you see in the face of a seven-year-old child that they are safe on the boat -- there's no price you can put on that." While other ships celebrate their maiden voyage with a bottle of champagne, this hefty 483-ton boat was launched with holy water sprinkled by a priest. "We are normal people that are wealthy, but we are far from millionaires," said Regina, adding that the family choose to invest their money in human life, rather than making a profit. "It's a lot of time, and a lot of energy. But our belief and our faith is the big push." Reality check . The biggest wake-up call for the couple -- both in their 30s -- came while holidaying on board a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean last summer. "I saw a winter jacket in the water, and I said to the captain, who is also a retired coast guard of Malta: 'Look isn't it strange,'" said Regina. "And his face became very sad, and he told me: 'The person who was wearing this jacket is not with us anymore.'" The comment struck Regina like a lightning bolt --"it was like 'boom!'" she said. "Here we were in this nice boat, when the migrants, people like us, are attempting to cross because there's a war in their country." Mission improbable? If sending one boat to rescue hundreds of thousands of people seems naïve, the project -- called Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) -- comes with serious credentials. Director of operations, Martin Xuereb, is the former chief of defense of the armed forces of Malta -- the body responsible for search-and-rescue in the area. Along with a crew of 16, including two paramedics, the boat is equipped with two high-tech drones, a medical clinic, 1,000 liters of water, hundreds of life jackets, and food. "The primary aim is to prevent the loss of life, not ferry migrants," says the organization on its website. Once at sea, the Phoenix sends out drones equipped with camcorders to search for migrant boats. The MOAS team then reports back to the nearest authorities and awaits instructions and help. If necessary, it will offer life jackets, medical assistance, and evacuate refugees on board. Captain Filippo Marini, spokesman for the Italian Coastal Guard, would not comment on the merits of the Maltese-based mission, saying: ''They are a resource but it's not up to us to say if it's an appropriate initiative." The Maltese government was unable to provide a comment on the MOAS mission, despite numerous requests. After recently rescuing nearly 250 people -- including nearly 50 children -- from a leaking wooden boat, the Phoenix later transferred the migrants to an Italian navy ship, where they were taken to Italy and processed by authorities, they said in a statement . "They were Syrians and Palestinians," said Xuereb. "And talking to these people, one realizes they are fleeing from desperate times," he said. "There were doctors, teachers on board. These are people who, had the situation been different, would never have left their country." Could a Hollywood star and "Pope Boat" be the ones to save them? Perhaps...but their efforts are a drop in a very big ocean. Travel: Is it a bird... or a desert boat? Insight: Inside London's $67m superyacht hotel .

Angelina Jolie speaks to Syrian refugees at Malta naval base . Thousands of migrants drown crossing Mediterranean . Wealthy couple buy rescue boat inspired by Pope Francis . High-tech vessel cruises sea looking for migrants in trouble .

Washington (CNN) -- The interpretation of complex legal verbiage is the Supreme Court's bailiwick, but sometimes the outcome of a case falls upon the meaning of single word. The magic word in an appeal argued Wednesday was "personal," and whether it extends beyond humans to "artificial" entities like corporations. Telecom giant AT&T wants "personal privacy" protections applied to businesses, just as they have long been granted to individuals. At issue is whether corporate "personhood" extends to the Freedom of Information Act, which exempts the public release of government documents that invade personal privacy. The company wants material gathered by a federal agency during a consumer investigation to be kept secret. Several justices seemed deeply skeptical of the company's claims for relief. Citing "dozens and dozens" of examples in a study of government bureaucracy, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that "overwhelmingly, 'personal' is used to describe an individual, not an artificial being." "Can you give me any examples in common usage where people would refer to the 'personal privacy' of a corporation?" asked Justice Antonin Scalia. "It's a very strange phrase to me." But others on the bench were not willing to say personal privacy applies only to a single human being. The dispute began in 2004 when AT&T Inc. found out it may have overcharged the federal government for the E-Rate program, which provides affordable internet and telecom access for schools and libraries across the United States. The company voluntarily turned over documents to the Federal Communications Commission, the agency charged with investigating the matter. Months later, a trade group that included some of AT&T's competitors filed a Freedom of Information request for all correspondence related to the E-Rate probe. The material included AT&T memos, e-mails, invoices and employee names. The company said the material was exempt from public release, since it was collected strictly for "law enforcement purposes," according to court filings, and it argued that disclosure would cause an "unwarranted invasion of personal privacy." The FCC ultimately rejected the claims, saying the personal privacy exemption applies only to individuals. A federal appeals court reversed, finding for the corporation, and prompting the government's Supreme Court appeal. Wednesday's hourlong oral arguments featured several justices offering various examples of the extent to which "personal" privacy could ever be applied to the corporate theory. "For example, you could refer to personal jurisdiction over a corporation, couldn't you?" Justice Samuel Alito asked the Justice Department's lawyer, Anthony Yang. "I suppose families have rights of personal privacy, don't they?" added Chief Justice Roberts, extending the term beyond individuals. AT&T's attorney, Geoffrey Klineberg, told the court the issue is one of fairness. "All we are asking for and indeed all that Congress provided for is that the privacy interests be weighed against the public interest in disclosure. And what the FCC did here was to categorically exclude corporations from the protections" under federal law. Ginsburg was unconvinced. "How does the commission, unaided by AT&T, go through the papers and decide what would be embarrassing for an AT&T employee, as distinguished from the corporation?" Klineberg said e-mails could be exposed to public view showing corporate officers who "may engage in a frank exchange about the competence and intelligence of a would-be regulator of the corporation. Or disparaging comments" about a business competitor, something that should be protected under privacy laws. "Why does that relate to the corporation's privacy interest?" replied Scalia. "Anything that would embarrass the corporation is a privacy interest?" The AT&T lawyer ran into further trouble when he tried to mince words -- suggesting that because "person" is defined to include a corporation in the relevant federal statute, the term "personal" also must apply. "I tried to sit down and come up with other examples where the adjective was very different from the root noun," said John Roberts. "It turns out it is not hard at all. You have craft and crafty. Totally different. Crafty doesn't have much to do with craft. Squirrel, squirrely. Right? I mean, you have a pastor and pastoral. Same root, totally different. So I don't think there's much to the argument that because 'person' means one thing, 'personal' has to be the same relation." Beyond interpreting the meaning of personal privacy, the court may also have to wrestle with defining or redefining "corporate," either as an association of citizens with extended, shared rights, or as a state-chartered entity with its own separate, competing rights apart from those of its members. Such interpretation was key to the high court's controversial campaign finance ruling a year ago, in which the conservative majority gave corporations greater power to spend freely in federal elections, overturning a federal law that had imposed strict limits. The court said corporations had to be treated as "persons" when it came to campaign spending, with the same power as individual donors. Now the dispute is whether corporations enjoy similar protections in the privacy context. Liberal groups have complained that the Roberts court has been overly friendly to businesses in recent rulings, at the expense of individual consumers. They want a blanket rule exempting corporations from personal privacy protections. "Congress did not and could not imbue corporations with the dignity interests that FOIA protects when it shields living, breathing human beings from invasions of personal privacy," said Elizabeth Wydra, chief counsel of the Constitutional Accountability Center. "A corporate charter cannot blush or feel embarrassed by FOIA's policy of transparency," A number of media organizations have also filed briefs in support of the Obama administration, saying the Freedom of Information Act has been a powerful tool to hold governments and corporations accountable. Coalitions of business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable, are backing AT&T. Justice Elena Kagan is not participating in the case because she had handled the appeal as the administration's solicitor general before being nominated to the high court last year. The case is FCC v. AT&T Inc. (09-1279). A ruling is expected in the next five months or so.

The Supreme Court mulls whether a corporation has "personal privacy" AT&T says yes, as it tries to prevent release of documents gathered by a federal agency . Some justices seem skeptical as they hear oral arguments .

(CNN) -- He's terrified millions of children with his books, from "Welcome to the Dead House" to "Planet of the Lawn Gnomes." But R.L. Stine isn't ready to let his audience grow up in peace. With the 20th anniversary of his popular "Goosebumps" series comes Stine's adult horror novel "Red Rain." The book follows travel writer Lea Sutter into the middle of a devastating hurricane and out again with a pair of evil twins who will wreak their own kind of devastation on her family. Stine isn't the first young-adult author to venture into adult fiction. J.K. Rowling recently released a novel titled "The Casual Vacancy" that sold 157,000 hardcover copies in its first week of publication, according to Nielsen BookScan. Beloved "Sweet Valley" creator Francine Pascal has also moved into the adult world with her characters; Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield grew up in "Sweet Valley Confidential" and started their 30s in this summer's novella e-series "The Sweet Life." "Red Rain" isn't even the first adult book Stine has written. In 2000, he released a novel called "Superstitious" about a professor named Liam O'Connor who is the most superstitious man in the world, for good reason. Stine's publishers expected a best-seller, but book sales were mediocre for an author with such a big reputation. "It was too early to do an adult novel. No one asked about it. ... I've been waiting by the phone for 12 years," Stine joked. This time, his fans are ready. They've been hounding Stine on Twitter -- he has almost 60,000 followers -- asking him to write a book for them. "That's how I keep in touch," Stine said. "There are no kids on Twitter. It's all people (in their 20s, 30s) who read 'Goosebumps' and 'Fear Street' in the '90s. They were my huge audience." Stine has written more than 300 books that have sold a combined 350 million copies around the world. (At one point, he was churning out 12 "Goosebumps" books a year; now he's down to six.) At the recent National Book Festival in Washington, the author's autograph line seemed endless. "It was amazing. It was 7-year-olds, 10-year-olds, 20-year-olds, 30-year-olds. Half of them were like, 'I loved your books when I was a kid,' " Stine said. "It's great for my ego." Stacy Creamer, editor for "Red Rain" as well as the vice president and publisher for Touchstone, knows Stine's work well. Her 10-year-old son devours his books "like crack." "To see that kind of enthusiasm in my own son, it was easy to see if, you know, someone checked in with him 10, 15 years from now. ... I think he'd be pretty intrigued." Stine sent Creamer an outline for "Red Rain." The plot he wanted to tackle seemed so complicated, Creamer was a little nervous. But after receiving the finished novel, she said, she would have published the book even from an unknown author. Of course, having Stine's name attached added a bit of glamour. "I knew he had the chops to do it, because I think writers are writers," Creamer said. "But man, he just slammed it." There are pitfalls to having a children's author write an adult novel. Although Rowling's "The Casual Vacancy" is on track to become one of the best-selling hardcover novels of the year, it has received mixed reviews. "After all of this magic, what could we have expected?" professor Seth Lerer wrote for The Daily Beast. " 'The Casual Vacancy' may be a disappointment, but it is a natural one. For after having written books of magic for a magical age, Rowling has come out with a book of Muggle life for Muggles. Is this what happens when you grow up?" Pascal's "Sweet Valley Confidential" ended up on best-seller lists as well, but fans were outraged at the experiences Pascal crafted for her once-innocent teen characters. "I felt a 27-year-old woman (Elizabeth) was entitled to an orgasm," Pascal said with a laugh. "You would be surprised at how many responses I got that didn't feel that way. ... I had somehow maligned their hero, and it was not good." Pascal's idea for an adult novel came in a similar way to Stine's. Facebook was her inspiration; on the social media site, she said, everyone is looking for the kid they grew up with, the friend from elementary school, their high school sweetheart. "Strangely enough, even though these are fictional characters, they are real (to fans)," Pascal said. "I thought they would have a curiosity to find out what happened to these people they lived with." Curiosity seems to have outweighed outrage for the millions of Sweet Valley readers. "The Sweet Life" e-series was downloaded more than 40,000 times. A copy of all six novellas will be available in one hardcover book October 30. Stine won't have to wait long to see whether "Red Rain" is a success; the book is released Tuesday. If it is, he just might continue to give his grown-up fans goosebumps. "I'll wait by the phone, see if it's another 12 years," Stine laughed. "I'd love to do another one." Do you follow the authors you read as a child or young adult today? Share your favorites in the comments section below.

Stine has written more than 300 books that have sold a combined 350 million copies . "Red Rain" follows travel writer Lea Sutter into the middle of a hurricane . J.K. Rowling and Francine Pascal have also recently published adult books .

(CNN) -- If Monday's inauguration displayed the gushing, ceremonial aspect of American democracy, Wednesday revealed its more sober and confrontational side -- a Senate committee hearing. The hearing was Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vs. the Republicans on the painful subject of Benghazi, Libya. After a lot of anger from the senators and a surprising amount of emotion from Clinton, the final score was a draw. But some Republicans did better than others, and Clinton probably emerges with a healthier reputation than the administration that she's leaving. Moreover, the debate throws up some tantalizing "what ifs" about 2016. Is America ready for Hillary Clinton vs. Rand Paul? To take Clinton first, it's remarkable how much her role as secretary of state has transformed her. Five things we learned from the Benghazi hearings . To conservatives, she was once the Lady Macbeth of liberalism; the feminist power behind Bill Clinton's throne whose every utterance seemed calculated to upset the right. Her book "It Takes a Village" was greeted like a manifesto of anti-American collectivism -- so much so that Rick Santorum felt compelled to pen a response called "It Takes a Family." But secretaries of state often find themselves elevated from partisan politics in to the heavenly realm of "national interest" (think Henry Kissinger or Colin Powell), and therein Clinton has redefined herself as a competent and admirable public servant. Consider John McCain's first words at the Senate hearing: "We thank you for your outstanding and dedicated service to this nation and ... all over the world where I travel, you are viewed with admiration and respect." Given her extraordinary hard work and efforts to advance the rights of women and children, she has certainly earned that respect. It's found in ample supply at home, too. According to Gallup, the former controversialist is now America's "most admired woman." But even if Clinton did get through the hearing with her reputation intact, that doesn't mean that Benghazi doesn't leave scars on the administration. The critical -- and most electric -- round of questioning was started by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin. He demanded to know why Clinton didn't try to find out what was really happening on the ground sooner and why the administration persisted so long in refusing to label the Benghazi incident a "terrorist attack." Opinion: Benghazi blame-game is useless . Clinton's defense was similar to Obama's during the presidential election: something went wrong, we didn't want to interfere with ground operations and it took a long time to gather the intelligence to know what really happened. But Clinton lost her cool and summed up that position in a breathtakingly callous phrase: "What difference, at this point, does it make? It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, senator." All the difference in the world, I would imagine, to the relatives of the personnel who died. This rare loss of composure perhaps underlines the weakness of the administration's case. The White House seems to think -- as John Hayward at the Conservative website Human Events puts it bluntly -- "the game ends when they say the magic phrase 'I take responsibility,' and they win." But it does not. Part of "learning" from the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is admitting the basic errors that were made and providing the public with a clearer narrative of what really happened. But all we have at the moment are a catalog of errors that make up a very confusing story. It's obvious that the political situation in Libya is not more stable since Moammar Gadhafi was removed from office (just ask any Algerian), that insufficient security was provided at the consulate, that the administration fumbled its explanation of what occurred on September 11, 2012, that the rescue operation was delayed and that the CIA had some shadowy role to play in the whole mess. Clinton's assurance that "I do feel responsible" is not reason enough to stop asking these questions and just move on. Who then made the best case for the prosecution from the Republican side? Given that Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida was participating, it felt at moments like an audition for 2016 -- and Rubio's staff put the video of his questions up on his website with remarkable speed. Clinton lays out daunting security challenges in North Africa . But the most impressive performance by far was from Rand Paul. He delivered a cool, withering statement that climaxed in this devastating paragraph (and you have to watch it to get the full effect): "I'm glad that you're accepting responsibility. I think ultimately with your leaving that you accept the culpability for the worst tragedy since 9/11. And I really mean that. Had I been president and found you did not read the cables from Benghazi and from Ambassador (Christopher) Stevens, I would have relieved you of your post. I think it's inexcusable." This performance might be -- and should be -- remembered well by the Republican base when the primary campaign of 2016 starts. Ever since the last president election, Rand Paul hasn't set a foot wrong. From his bridge-building visit to Israel to his opposition to the fiscal cliff deal, he seems well placed to become the tea party candidate. And what an unusually satisfying choice Clinton vs. Paul would be. It would be a genuine contest between big government liberalism and small government conservatism: Clinton's internationalism and support for welfare programs vs. Paul's anti-interventionism and opposition to pork. The question of who could win such an unusual contest is difficult to answer. The Paul family has a tradition of winning votes from Democrats, but Clinton's new respectability could also pull votes away from the Republicans. One Kentucky poll found that in a head-to-head contest, she'd even beat Rand in his home state of Kentucky. It would be a campaign that any elections scholar would relish. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Timothy Stanley.

Timothy Stanley: Benghazi hearing with Secretary Clinton was emotional, confrontational . He says her strong reputation likely intact, but administration still must answer for incident . He says Rand Paul's blunt critique pointed up administration's obfuscation . Stanley: Paul vs. Clinton in 2016 is a compelling idea; could hearing be a harbinger?

(CNN) -- Several potential Republican presidential contenders are heading to Las Vegas this week, hoping to hit the jackpot. And that's before they hit the casinos. They hope the political payoff will come in appearances before some of the party's most influential donors attending the Republican Jewish Coalition annual spring meeting. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and current Govs. Chris Christie of New Jersey, Scott Walker of Wisconsin and John Kasich of Ohio will speak before the group, which seeks to promote Jewish causes among Republicans. Many of the nation's leading Republican fundraisers and donors are part of the organization. Some donors estimate about a third of the party's most important fundraisers are active in the coalition, so it's a major audience for the possible presidential candidates attending. Bush is getting a lot of attention because he has been tapped to speak at a private, VIP dinner with major financiers on Thursday night -- giving him top billing for the event and a major platform as he considers whether to seek the party's nomination. While he has said he won't make a decision until the end of this year and won't engage in further talk about the subject, Bush has recently picked up the pace with his political schedule, appearing in the past two weeks at fundraisers for Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, and Govs. Susana Martinez, R-New Mexico, and Brian Sandoval, R-Nevada, both running for re-election, as well as at an event for House Republicans helping him build a network of supporters if he needs one. "Jeb has something to prove at this meeting," one influential Republican donor who will be attending told CNN. "It is pretty significant" for him to come to the event because he has refused to tip his hand any more about his intentions, the donor said. "Jeb has to do a good job of handling that issue." Another party money man said the event is a "great opportunity for him" with decision-makers. "Showing up and speaking is showing 'I am taking this seriously,' " is how he put it to CNN. Bush, who served as Florida's governor from 1999 to 2007, is liked by many in this key group. During his tenure, and his father's and brother's time in the White House, they built good relations with the American Jewish community. Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton together again to talk education . Many eyes on Christie as well . Christie, who speaks on Saturday, is also known to many in this group. "Most of the people will be making a judgment on Christie" during his appearance, one of the donors told CNN. "We are not absent 'Bridgegate,' " referring to the scandal over the closing of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge last year in an apparent act of political retaliation by some of his aides. Christie has said he was not aware of the closings until they happened. "People are going to want to have the hallway conversations ... private meetings" to discuss where the controversy stands, the donor said. A different major party fundraiser said that Christie so far has emerged fine among many of the donors, who like his political accomplishments and policies. "I don't think in the long term this will harm him," the fundraiser said. As Christie travels around the country raising millions as head of the Republican Governors Association, he is building up support among the donor class. Besides their public appearances at the meeting, Christie, Kasich and Walker all can be expected to have smaller individual sessions with some influential attendees. Christie: Bridge scandal doesn't change anything about 2016 . Will Adelson tip his hand? The host for the weekend activities is Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, owner of the Venetian Casino where the meeting is taking place, and active in the Republican Jewish Coalition. Adelson and his wife gave $93 million to various groups and candidates in the 2012 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, making them the biggest individuals financiers of outside groups. The Thursday dinner will be at the airport hangar Adelson uses. While candidates and groups would love to have his support, several GOP donors said they doubt Adelson will tip his hand any time soon. One said he is "very hard to uncover ... he likes to support existing groups with real structure." Adelson did support the super PAC Winning Our Future that backed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in 2012 because of his pro-Israel stance, a majority priority for Adelson. Besides Adelson, some of the more influential Republican fundraisers include businessman Lewis Eisenberg, former ambassador Sam Fox, former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, and former ambassador Mel Sembler. Santorum 'very open' to another presidential run . All over the place . Unlike four years ago where most of these donors ended up supporting Mitt Romney, this go-around is expected to be much different. "You still have the donor groups all over the place," said one of the fundraisers while also emphasizing just how early in this process things stand. The amount of activity by the field of possible 2016 contenders reaching out to prospective financial backers is at about the same pace it was four years ago, several of those interviewed said. What is different, they said, is that the field at this stage appears to be shaping up to be much stronger than last time around -- meaning the battle for support among these key supporters will likely be intense. "I think the difference is in the quality of the candidates," the fundraiser said. CNN has learned Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who have been traveling the country as part of their official duties, met recently with some prominent Republican donors, but did not indicate their future plans. One of the most active Republicans considering a White House bid has been Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has met with donors and who has been working to broaden his appeal beyond his father's libertarian base. Desire to break glass ceiling big part of aura around Clinton .

Several possible 2016 candidates speaking to Republican Jewish Coalition . Many of the country's top Republican fund-raisers and donors will size up candidates . Jeb Bush was selected to speak at private, VIP dinner, giving him basically top billing . One donor said current field of Republican candidates much stronger than in 2012 .

(CNN) -- In this year's season of commencement speeches, these academic rites of passage have become the subject of fierce political controversy. Just over the past few months, several prominent invited speakers, including Condoleezza Rice, Christine Lagarde, and Robert Birgeneau have withdrawn following a campus backlash to news they would be coming to Rutgers, Smith, and Haverford, respectively. This trend is not entirely new, since college students have been protesting proposed speakers for many decades. But there is some indication that in the age of social networking and the Internet, where news spreads around campus and across state lines quickly, the controversies will continue to intensify. Regardless of what one thinks of the politics of any of the speakers at the center of this year's debates, these and other incidents could have the unfortunate impact of producing future invitations only to those who will not be controversial or say anything bold. Rather than big ideas or stimulating thought as a result of commencement exercises, we could head down a road where parents and students congregate to hear a few jokes and milquetoast comments before heading home with their degrees. This would be a loss. In fact, sometimes commencement speeches have been the venue to introduce bold ideas to the American public. Fifty years ago, toward the end of May 1964, President Lyndon Johnson -- just six months after becoming president following the assassination of JFK -- stepped up to the podium at the University of Michigan. On a bright sunny day, Johnson spoke to about 85,000 people who were packed into Michigan stadium, celebrating the class of '64, to introduce them to the idea of a Great Society, an idea that would guide a transformation in public policy that lives on today. The speech had been a long time in the making. For months Johnson had been struggling to come up with a concept that would describe his legislative agenda. Richard Goodwin, who had worked as a special counsel to the House Legislative Oversight Committee that had investigated the quiz show scandal in 1959 and who had worked as a speechwriter for President Kennedy, was given the task of solving Johnson's problem. Goodwin had kept a close eye on the growing ferment on the college campuses in the early 1960s, including the establishment of the left-wing Students for a Democratic Society which was committed to achieving civil rights and participatory democracy. Goodwin met with the best experts he knew to come up with a phrase that summed up Johnson's program. Princeton historian Eric Goldman, whom Johnson had recruited as an adviser, said that Johnson should focus public attention on issues other than economic growth. He mentioned the title of a book by the journalist Walter Lippmann, called "The Good Society." Goodwin shared the concept with adviser Bill Moyers who then used it in a number of smaller speeches for LBJ leading up to the graduation. On May 22, 1964, Johnson delivered his 20 minute commencement address, which was only finished the night before, to the exuberant students at Michigan. The speech was a smash hit. The students interrupted Johnson several times to applaud. Johnson told the students that the nation had the possibility of reaching beyond merely being a "rich" and "powerful" society to becoming a "Great Society" that delivered something more. He said: "The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed in our time. But that is just the beginning. The Great Society is a place where every child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and to enlarge his talents. ... It is a place where the city of man serves not only the needs of the body and the demands of commerce, but the desire for beauty and the hunger of community." "Will you join in the battle to give every citizen the full equality which God enjoins and the law requires, whatever his belief, or race, or the color of his skin? Will you join the battle," Johnson asked, "to give every citizen an escape from the crushing weight of poverty?" Richard Goodwin, who watched the speech from the White House, felt as "if I were hearing the words for the first time, experiencing the exhilarating revelation of suddenly widening horizons. ... I clapped for the president, and for our country." Johnson was exhilarated by the response. On Air Force One, he walked to the back of the plane to recap the key points with reporters so that they did not miss them for their stories. The speech provided powerful motivation to legislators and activists who struggled over the next few years to pass legislation that enhanced the power of the federal government to provide support for education, medical care, voting rights, environmental programs, housing support and more. Today, liberals can certainly look back at the speech for inspiration, finding a powerful set of arguments to use to justify government intervention through programs such as the minimum wage, health care, and green jobs. Johnson's vision in the speech was that the government could help make the quality of life better for all Americans and provide the tools that every citizen needed to become self-sufficient and independent actors. Some of the programs didn't turn out as well as he hoped. But others, such as Medicare for the aged and voting rights for African-Americans, proved to be stunning successes. The ideas that Johnson proposed were certainly controversial. At the time a powerful bloc of Southern conservative Democrats and Republicans controlled Congress and had little appetite for growing government. Republicans were about to nominate Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater as their nominee for the 1964 election, indicating that the right-wing was a growing presence in national politics. For every organization like the Students for Democratic Action there was another, like the conservative Young Americans for Freedom that saw the future through a much different lens. Commencement talks can be more than about celebrity, funny quips, and attention-gaining opportunities for colleges. They can be moments that truly inspire and change the national conversation. A little over 50 years ago, Lyndon Johnson was able to accomplish that in Ann Arbor.

Controversy led three speakers to drop out of commencement talks this year . Julian Zelizer: It would be a shame if colleges only invited those who give bland, inoffensive speeches . Commencement speeches can be an opportunity to introduce bold ideas, he says . President Lyndon Johnson made a stirring case in 1964 for his vision of a "Great Society"

(CNN) -- Last week, we clued you in to all the annoying things that couples must cease doing on Facebook. This week, we're taking a look at the other side of the coin. What should you do about all the digital remnants of a relationship when you're no longer flitting through fields, holding hands and weaving flowers Lady Chatterley's Lover-like into one another's various expanses of hair? (i.e., after you've broken up.) A quick story that's not specifically true but is likely true for many a person: Suzie has a new beau, Johnny, and they are, oh, so in love. Like, two straws, one milkshake in love. And Suzie detests sharing because she's an only child, so you know that's big. Naturally, the two become Facebook friends, because, well, the site has 900 million users and based on Lord Zuckerberg's official decree, you don't actually KNOW anyone until you click "friend." Suzie is happily clicking through Johnny's pictures and scrolling through his timeline when she notices a girl named Sally has commented on quite a few snaps and left wall posts with some quite explicit descriptions of what she wants to do to his sloped-shoulder physique. Suzie is thrown into a rage that only the most only of only children can make manifest, then she realizes that the posts are from two years back. The next time she and Johnny are slurping some frozen milk she asks for the story, and Johnny reveals that Sally was his old flame, a college sweetheart who has long since lost the sweetness and acquired a whip (the accessory of choice for anyone in her rather dominating profession). Suzie heaves a sigh of relief but still finds herself haunted by Sally's vinyl-swaddled ghost, wondering what Sal had that she lacks, and what macabre moves Johnny might be into. The couple splits over (banana) splits just weeks later. It's a science-proven fact (or, at least, there's a study supporting it): Social networks like Facebook increase jealousy, partly because information is much more accessible, and that information can often be ambiguous. Our lives are now on display for all the world to see, but often we're not there to explain ourselves when our most loved of loved ones are perusing. That's why we're suggesting this week that our readers do a little bit of a purge. You likely have years' worth of romantic failure riddled throughout your Facebook profile -- old pictures, wall posts, comments, messages -- and it's not really a good look. It's basically the digital equivalent of having a box of your ex's stuff, but instead of hiding it in your closet, you're displaying it in your living room for all visitors and cable men to see. And see it they will -- a recent study by Seventeen magazine shows that 60% of respondents look at romantic interests' Facebook profiles daily. We get that you might want to hold onto some of these memories. We wouldn't ask you to throw away every old love letter or snapshot in your closet, but there's a more discrete way to do so. Download your Facebook profile for safekeeping. That way you'll have a record of all photos, messages, wall posts and comments you may have received from a former beau. Once you have done so, it's time to wipe that slate clean once and for all. Here's how: . 1). Put your status in stealth . Don't go down the winding road that is "making it Facebook official" in the first place, even though most couples reportedly do. Not only is changing your status back after the breakup horrible and humiliating, Facebook Timeline makes it way too easy to scroll back and see activity like relationship reduxes. When it comes to what the sitcoms whimsically call "The Ex Files," let your mouth do the talking, not some post from June 4, 2011. Note: It's totally fine to change your status to "married," since that's likely not changing any time soon (we hope). However, apparently close to 50% of brides (of those surveyed) do so BEFORE the wedding, which we wouldn't recommend. Cold feet, anyone? 2). Untag, untag, untag . After you take any and all pictures of you and your former off of Facebook (this is kind of a given, why would anyone keep public pics of long-dead lip locks on public display?), untag pictures where the two of you look cozy from friends' galleries. You might even want to ask pals to take them down wholesale. As we said, you don't have to get rid of said pics (download your profile or particular pictures), but no one wants to see their new hand-holder holding hands with someone old. 3). Silence old comments . We're not suggesting that you go through every picture and post and purge your ex's exclamations, but perhaps deep six any lengthy epistles or outpourings of love. If your new squeeze is turned off by an errant comment on an early college snap in which you're sporting flared jeans and pigtails, s/he's probably too jealous anyway. And blind, apparently, because that rhinestone top you're wearing is the real mood killer. 4). Unfriend exes . Now this is a tough one. A lot of you out there purport to be friends with your ex. We believe you. This is totally possible. We've seen such cases with our own jaded eyes. But you are not, my friend, pals with each and every person you've ever dated, so why are they still hanging around on Facebook, liking your snaps and writing "haha" on your most witty of witty posts? Here's a good litmus test: Do you refer to these "friends" as "my ex so and so" or "my friend so and so?" If it's the former -- and you never actually hang with this person IRL -- it's time to kill this digital sham of a friendship.

Social networks like Facebook increase jealousy because information is more accessible . Study shows 60% of respondents look at romantic interests' Facebook profiles daily . First hint? Don't make your relationship official on Facebook at the beginning .

WEST POINT, Georgia (CNN) -- A community that seemed on the road to becoming a ghost town has taken a turn toward prosperity despite the recession, thanks to an automaker. A roadside sign in West Point, Georgia, expresses support for Kia's new factory. Korean car manufacturer Kia plans to open a sprawling automobile factory in tiny West Point, Georgia, by the end of the year. The boon has already spurred economic growth -- and just plain excitement -- among residents, said Mayor Drew Ferguson. "We jokingly call it Kia-ville," said Ferguson, a 42-year-old dentist helping to oversee expansion of West Point, population 3,500. The announcement is drawing workers and businesses to the community about 80 miles south of Atlanta. "The revitalization of the community is touching every aspect," Ferguson said. "We have infrastructure projects, new subdivisions going up, hotel professional services that are all needed to support the massive manufacturing." The plant, which will make Kia's Sorento sport utility vehicle, has hired 500 workers. By the time the factory opens, Kia hopes to hire 2,000 more. A smattering of Kia supply companies will eventually employ 7,500 additional workers. Watch the town's excitement about the new factory » . "A lot of people feel that we are the savior for this area, which I hope we will be," said Randy Jackson, director of human resources for the manufacturing plant. "We got 43,013 applications; 75 percent of those applications came from Georgia, and about 20 percent came from our neighboring state of Alabama." Some of those applications are coming from auto workers around the country, including Detroit, Michigan, Jackson said. Overall, West Point stands to gain 20,000 jobs as a result of the factory during the next five years, Ferguson said. Georgia's 9.7 percent unemployment rate reported in May is about the same as the June national average of 9.5 percent, according to federal statistics. The U.S. Department of Labor reported unemployment in a five-county region including West Point at 8.6 percent. To secure the $1.2 billion Kia plant, state and local officials helped assemble land from a former cattle farm to create a 2,200-acre industrial park. They also locked in about $400 million in tax breaks and other economic incentives. "We think the investment will pay off big time," Ferguson said. "We're already seeing it. But it's not only in the dollars, but in the hope and opportunity, and the ability to create new jobs." Ruthann Williams invested her life savings to buy and open the Irish Bred Pub on West Point's Main Street. Now she commutes to work 45 minutes a day from her North Georgia home. "I came here because of Kia," Williams said. "We jumped in with both feet and have not looked back one time." 'My little town was gonna die' Plans for the new factory have transformed a community that during the past ten years has been becoming a ghost town. Textile mills that once defined West Point shut down in the 1990s, leaving many out of work. Debbie Williams, co-owner of the popular Roger's Bar-B-Que, was worried her business would go under. "We'd go downtown and there was nothing there," Williams said. "I thought my little town was gonna die." Margaret McManus was laid off last year when the textile mill she worked for closed. The 52-year-old went back to school to study information technology. In April she landed a job as a trainer with Daehan Solutions Georgia, a parts supplier for Kia. McManus said she didn't think in a million years she'd be making car parts. "The job that I used to do for a long time, we thought we'd retire there," McManus said. "It feels good to go to work everyday and have something to do." The signs of transformation in West Point are everywhere. There's new construction, including the city's first new subdivision in 25 years. And businesses that once struggled are feeling the uptick. Williams recently replaced her restaurant floor because of all the new foot traffic. "We see a lot of people we don't know now. They want to see where the Kia site's gonna be built," Williams said. "We always say if we can get them in here one time, we can get them back, and they come. They're coming back." Tom Oswald, owner of West Point Shoe Outlet, said last year was his best year ever. "Once Kia announced they were opening we've sold mostly steel-toed shoes for construction workers," he said. "Now we're selling wingtips for men and heels for ladies." And Malcolm Malone, who runs M&M Car Wash, said business is booming. "It's been up at least 70 percent," said the 44-year-old West Point native. "It's like Christmas." Or perhaps a little divine intervention deserves credit, as a West Point sign pointed out: "Thank You Jesus For Bringing Kia to Our Town." New flavors . On Main Street, residents are sampling new flavors that have come to West Point since the announcement. Asian restaurants and businesses are popping up. The old Pizza Hut has transformed into a Korean Bar-B-Que, and the southern staple KFC is now a popular Korean eatery called Young's Garden. Resident Christy Magbee said West Point is starting to feel like a melting pot. "You got the culture coming in. You don't have to travel to Atlanta anymore. It's starting to come here," she said. "The old downtown is new again. It's an exciting time," Ferguson said. "For us there's a light at the end of the tunnel." CNN's Alina Cho contributed to this report.

Mayor: West Point, Georgia, could get 20,000 jobs resulting from Kia car plant . Before Kia announcement, business owner thought town was "gonna die" News spurs construction of West Point's first new subdivision in 25 years . Auto workers from Detroit, elsewhere applying for jobs at plant, mayor says .

(CNN) -- The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, set off a media kerfuffle this month when he spoke about his next reincarnation. Not a man afraid to surprise people, he told two German journalists that he didn't see a need for there to be more Dalai Lamas in the future. The German newspaper concluded that this meant he was not planning to return as a reincarnation. A French news agency announced that there would be no more Tibetan spiritual leaders. The Dalai Lama's office in India protested that he had been misquoted. Eventually, people began to listen to the original interview, where it was noticed that the Dalai Lama had clearly said "I hope and pray that I will return." End of palpitations for his loyal followers and Tibetan nationalists, who very much want him to come back. In fact, the Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising by Tibetans against Chinese rule, has often spoken about major change in the institution he embodies. He's said that there might be no more Dalai Lamas, that the next one could be elected rather than discovered, that it would be good if she were a woman, and even that he might not be the actual Dalai Lama anyway. But these are always marked as forms of speculation. His formal position on this question is quite clear. In 2011, in a rare "gal che'i bka' yig" or "Important Proclamation", he declared that he will make a decision on the future of the Dalai Lama lineage in around 2024 after consulting with other high lamas and the Tibetan public. If there is to be a successor, he announced, it will either be a child identified as a reincarnation after his death, or a person recognized as an "emanation," chosen by him while he is still alive. And, he added, "I shall leave clear written instructions" -- presumably to help journalists and others get the story right. Future . There are practical reasons behind the Dalai Lama's efforts to prepare people for systemic change. Reincarnation as a succession system can produce highly effective charismatic leaders, but it has a structural flaw: it takes several years for a new child to be found and identified, and then another 15 years or more before the successor can take up the work of leadership. In addition, the system is famously prone to interference, corruption, and power struggles, not to mention ridicule: In the 1870s, according to the scholar Melvyn Goldstein, a Lhasa street song had the refrain "Her Excellency Mrs Doring's ass is black with soot," in honor of a famous aristocrat who tried to entice a future Dalai Lama into her womb by burning incense under it. The Dalai Lama's decision three years ago to hand the running of his exile government over to an elected leader was partly designed to remedy these problems. But even without any official position, he still remains the most influential figure in the Tibetan world, and no-one has yet come up with a credible solution to the Tibetan-China dispute that does not depend on him. But there have been no official talks between the two sides for four years. President Xi Jinping is making his first trip to India since taking power, but at 79 years old, the Dalai Lama needs to push China urgently to resume dialogue with his representatives. He knows that China is determined to appoint the next Dalai Lama -- it passed a government regulation in 2007 declaring that henceforth only it is allowed to permit a lama to reincarnate. Hinting that he might not return is a reminder by the Dalai Lama to Beijing that time is running out if it wants to avoid a lengthy dispute once he dies. Imperial response . If the Dalai Lama's aim was to goad Beijing into a response, it worked. In one of history's more bizarre instances of role reversal, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman reprimanded the Dalai Lama for telling the Germans he might not return and called on him to respect the practice of reincarnation. "China follows a policy of freedom of religion and belief," she said, "and this naturally includes having to respect and protect the ways of passing on Tibetan Buddhism." This apparently doesn't include the Dalai Lama's ways of passing it on, because, it was explained, he "has ulterior motives, and is seeking to distort and negate history, which is damaging to the normal order of Tibetan Buddhism." The spokeswoman was right that history is a good place to turn to for solutions to this dispute. As she went on to say, China's rulers in the past issued titles to previous Dalai Lamas. But the details are important: Emperors only did that in some cases, they didn't try to interfere as to who was chosen, and the lamas held their titles whether or not they received imperial endorsement. Even as late as the mid-1990s, the Communist Party's practice was somewhat similar: They left decisions regarding reincarnations to local lamas and their followers and just rubber-stamped the choice once it was made. In the last two decades that Beijing has reverted to trying to control every detail of Tibetan religion, and at the same time blame all setbacks on the Dalai Lama. Neither of these approaches reflects Chinese history or custom towards Tibet. The lessons of the past would let Tibetans decide for themselves how to implement traditions, which Beijing could then confirm if it felt it needed to. The Dalai Lama's apparently offhand remarks to the German journalists and the Chinese put-down were thus a form of diplomatic push-pull in public. For that to ever lead to a solution, Beijing will need to think more about respect than about control, and the Dalai Lama will need to reassure Beijing about his intentions. Until that happens, expect more cryptic exchanges between the two via the world's media.

Dalai Lama's comments about his next reincarnation set off a media kerfuffle . Reincarnation produces charismatic leaders, but has structural flaws, says Robert Barnett . Hinting he might not return is a reminder to Beijing that time is running out . At 79, Dalai Lama needs to push China urgently to resume dialogue .

(CNN) -- On the off chance you've never been to Iceland's version of the White House, here's what that's like, courtesy of Foreign Affairs deputy editor Stuart Reid: . "There was incredibly little security," Reid told me, describing a 2013 visit for an interview with the country's President. "I took a taxi to the residence, and the taxi pulled up and I was like, 'OK, now what do I do?' And the taxi driver said, 'Oh, I think you just knock on the door' ... I just go up and ring the doorbell. A butler lets me in. "I think there was one of those metal check-point gates that can lift up -- that was on a road -- but if you really wanted to you could just drive around it on the grass." Was there a fence? No. Guards? No. Guns? Nope. And was the door locked? "I'm not sure whether it was unlocked or locked." At this point, you may be thinking Iceland's President is the most naive person in the universe, especially in light of the Secret Service scandal in the United States. But I don't see it that way, and neither does Reid. At a time when the U.S. Congress is lining up to take jabs at the Secret Service, which, among other legitimately scandalous things, failed to stop an intruder from making it into the White House East Room, Iceland's no-security state could be seen as a breath of fresh air -- a reminder, as Reid and others have put it, that the president is supposed to be one of the people. "This is really what the White House is all about. It's the 'People's House,' " first lady Michelle Obama says in a statement on the White House website. "It's a place that is steeped in history, but it's also a place where everyone should feel welcome." "Should" is the operative word here. I worry such openness won't continue in the wake of this scandal. A number of White House security "improvements" have been proposed by Congress, the news media and the public -- from making the fence around the residence taller to blocking off pedestrian traffic around the building. Currently, anyone can walk up to the White House's wrought iron fence and can see the building across a lawn. This is a popular spot both for tourist photos (I've taken them) and protests. Troublingly, 16 people are reported to have made it past the fence in the last five years, including one toddler. "While the Secret Service considers creating new fences, large buffer zones and checkpoints around the grounds, they are overlooking a simple, cost-effective solution -- bringing in the United States military," Dan Emmett, a retired Secret Service agent, wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post. The concerns are real. But militarize the White House? I find that shockingly reactionary. Perhaps I shouldn't, though. It is the history. When Andrew Jackson was inaugurated as president in 1829, he famously "opened up the White House and basically let the rabble in," said Jeffrey Engel, director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. Thousands of "people trampled through and they didn't even have to wipe their feet. There were reports about how much dirt they had to sweep out afterward." Since then, Engel told me, "there's no doubt that we have seen a steady increase in the limitations on public access. At this point (the White House) is a fortress." There are valid reasons for that. Assassination attempts and security breaches, like those seen this year, are, of course, cause for concern and precaution. But I find it comforting that there are still countries -- including Iceland -- where the president is allowed to remain part of the people. That's a sign of a healthy society. Look, I'm not arguing that the no-one-has-a-gun-and-we-trust-everyone-not-to-shoot-the-president approach that Iceland takes would function in heavily armed America. It wouldn't. Iceland is a country of 320,000 people, which makes it slightly more populous than Anchorage. Its violent crime rate is lower, and there likely are fewer people who would want to assassinate Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, the country's President. For one, he's super nice (he invited me for pancakes when I interviewed him in Maine in 2011). And he's not the most powerful person in the free world -- or arguably in his country. But -- but! -- as our country investigates the White House security breaches, and demands change, it would be wise of us to remember the White House belongs to the American people. The first family should be made safe, but not by raising fences and creating no-go zones around the perimeter of the people's house. I can imagine a dystopian future in which tourists peer through a thick window of yellowed glass -- like at Sea World or something -- to see the presidential residence from beyond a concrete barrier. I certainly don't want to live in that country. "In an open society, like the United States, or like Iceland, there's this idea that the president is one of the people. He comes from them and he is accountable to them," said Reid, the Foreign Affairs editor. "It would be a shame, in my opinion, if the Secret Service scandal resulted in closing off more public space in D.C. If you actually wanted to protect the president to a totally 100% degree, you would keep expanding the secure zone around the White House evermore. "But that would come at some cost to the fact that school kids can peer through the fence and see the White House and dream about being president." Great point. Lawmakers and the first family should keep those kids -- those dreamers standing at the White House fence -- at front of mind as they consider reforms.

Iceland's presidential residence doesn't have a fence or apparent guards . John Sutter talks with a magazine editor who visited the residence . Sutter: The U.S. shouldn't turn the White House into a fortress . Some have suggested making its fence taller or creating a secure perimeter .