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(CNN) -- With the blockbuster success of "Fifty Shades of Grey," many people are curious about dipping their toes (not to mention other body parts) into more sexually adventurous waters. I'm always careful to make clear that while the adventures of Ana and Christian may make for a compelling erotic yarn, their story is by no means an accurate depiction of BDSM relationships (bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, masochism), nor is "Fifty Shades" any sort of guide book. For instruction on that topic, you'll need to turn to the works of true sex-positive educators such as Clarisse Thorn or Tristan Taormino and their books "The S&M Feminist" and "The Ultimate Guide to Kink," respectively. But there's no denying that "Fifty Shades" has sparked widespread interest in how to improve our sex lives -- and what better way to do that than via a good "how-to" book? If you're uncomfortable talking about sex to your friends, doctor, therapist or even your partner, such books can be an important resource, whether they impart new information, help you work through an issue, inspire you to become more adventurous or simply turn you on. So, in the spirit of sharing, I asked some of my favorite sex experts to pick their favorite sex books: . Debby Herbenick, a research scientist at Indiana University and the author of "Sex Made Easy:" "Hands down, I recommend 'The New Male Sexuality' by Bernie Zilbergeld. A classic in the field, it gives a rich picture of men's sexual lives including myths they're taught about sex and common problems such as erectile issues, communication blocks and rapid ejaculation as well as solutions for these problems." Joe Kort, a clinical sexologist and founder of the Center for Relationship and Sexual Health: . "I recommend Jack Morin's 'The Erotic Mind,' which helps remove the shame of sexual behaviors and fantasies by understanding what they mean in a nonsexual way. Morin addresses where fantasies and desires come from and how shame can be removed and replaced with healthy acceptance for individuals and couples." Stay-at-home dads are sexy . Amy Levine, sex coach and founder of Ignite Your Pleasure: . " 'Hot Sex: Over 200 Things You Can Try Tonight' by Jamye Waxman and Emily Morse is a fun, sensual, seductive, creative and tantalizing book filled with more than 200 ways to tease, play, entwine and explore. When I coach couples who are in a sex rut, I suggest they use this book as a tool." Laura Berman, sex educator, researcher and therapist: . "If I had to pick, I would choose either 'The Anatomy of Love' by Helen Fisher or 'The 5 Love Languages' by Gary Chapman. Both are extremely helpful for couples to understand how men and women are wired differently and to learn how to love one another in a way that lasts." Justin Lehmiller, Harvard University social psychologist and online sex columnist at The Psychology of Human Sexuality: . " 'The Technology of Orgasm' by Rachel Maines chronicles the history of 'hysteria,' a bogus female medical condition that led to invention of the vibrator. Maines' book is a meticulously researched, fascinating and humorous look at the origin of hysteria and the birth of the motorized sex toy. "I also adore 'Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex' by Mary Roach, which traces the history of how scientists have studied sexual arousal and orgasm in a very engaging way that refuses to take itself too seriously and never gets bogged down in jargon or technicalities. "On a personal level, 'Bonk' holds a special place in my heart for helping me realize how much fun a career in sex research could be." Megan Andelloux, certified sexuality educator and sexologist: . " 'America's War on Sex' by Marty Klein describes ridiculous sex laws and research that Americans are led to believe are true. It's a must-read book for anyone interested in sociology, psychology, sexuality education, law and parenting. "I'm also a fan of 'My Secret Garden' by Nancy Friday, which discussed women's fantasies well before erotica became truly popular." Are you too tired for sex? I've read and recommend many of these books myself, and this list is only the beginning of many exceptional works worth exploring and learning from. In my opinion, no list would be complete without Esther Perel's "Mating in Captivity," an excellent guide to integrating a sense of sexual mystery into long-term relationships. And on a personal note, in 10 years of writing sex books, my first, "She Comes First: The Thinking Man's Guide to Pleasuring a Woman," remains my most popular. At the time, I often mused that many men -- through no fault of their own -- knew more about what was under the hood of a car than under a woman's clothes or what was behind her orgasm. In writing "She Comes First," I am grateful to the Federation of Feminist Women's Health Centers and their book, "A New View of a Woman's Body" (unfortunately now out of print) and to Rebecca Chalker's excellent book, "The Clitoral Truth." Any man or woman truly interested in deepening their knowledge of a woman's full sexual potential should give this book a read. No matter where your sexual interests lie, you're sure to find something new on the shelves of your local bookstore. And if you're too embarrassed to shop in person -- well, that's the beauty of the Kindle, Nook and other e-readers -- no plain brown wrapper necessary! Any books to add to the list that have helped you improve your sex life? Tell me about them in the comments below. I'm always looking for a good read. Sexonomics: Putting your 'erotic capital' to work .

The blockbuster "Fifty Shades of Grey" has sparked widespread interest . Ian Kerner asks some of his favorite sex experts to pick their favorite sex books . Kerner says the list is only the beginning of many worth exploring and learning from .

Jining, China (CNN) -- Four months after he built a new, two-story brick house in his village in northern China's Shandong Province, Xiao Guoqiang was alarmed to find a huge crack on the living room wall. Having seen homes in neighboring villages sink, Xiao realized his long-held fears were coming true. "I knew the day was coming, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon," said Xiao, who has been forced to move from the land -- on which four generations of his family have lived -- as a consequence. Xiao's hometown, Jining, is one of China's "coal cities," whose mineral wealth helps light up the night skies of the world's most energy-hungry country. The land here is honeycombed with coal mines, which can form massive sinkholes that leave thousands of homes uninhabitable every year. Ten years ago, the area where Xiao lived was a vibrant farming community on the North China Plain. But sinkholes are devouring 20 million square meters (7.7 square miles) of land here a year, according to the Jining Land Resource Bureau, and have displaced an estimated 100,000 people, mostly farmers and their families, over the past decade. By 2090, the bureau predicts one third of the city -- an area as large as Los Angeles -- will fall into the earth, and an estimated 5 million people will have been forced out of the region by the problem. Those figures worry government-affiliated sinkhole researcher Gu Mei, who said tensions over migration may lead to social unrest. "Schools in some districts are overwhelmed with migrant students, while in other districts, classrooms are half empty," she told CNN. Sinkholes: Common, costly and sometimes deadly . In this low-lying area, most sinkholes quickly fill with water. "I am afraid the city is turning into the Venice of the East," former mayor Li Guangsheng told the Qilu Weekly, a local newspaper, earlier this year. When coal was discovered in the region in the 1960s, it proved a boon for the local economy. State-run miner YanKaung Group Ltd. grew from a local coal company to a multination-listed energy giant, employing about one of every two workers in town. Meng Lingjun, a coal company employee, remembers the city as an underdeveloped backwater thirty years ago. "When I was young, the town did not have a single factory, shopping mall or train station," he said. "Now we are one of the most affluent regions in North China." But that prosperity has come at a price. Each day, Meng passes hundreds of sinkholes on his way to work. Like many urban residents, he believes it is too late for the city to withdraw from the lucrative coal business. "We are nothing without the coal company," he said. "All we can do is keep mining and fixing the sinkholes." In recent years, local officials tried several creative solutions for the sinkhole crisis, transforming the gaping holes into water theme parks, fishing ponds and lakes. One has been turned into a wetland park, a major spot for bird watching in the northern part of the city; another is now a fish breeding pond powered by solar panels. But more than 50% of the subsided land remains abandoned, often polluted and emitting a pungent aroma. "The fund from central government for fixing sinkholes can barely cover expenses," government official Han Xizhong told CNN. While China's Mine Subsidence Compensation Act gives clear guidance for how much a coal company should pay displaced residents for damages, it fails to take into account the problems that follow, Han said. "The sinkhole issue is more complicated than removing a village and refilling the sinkholes," said another local official, who asked his name not be used because of the sensitive nature of the issue. "Many deep sinkholes have been sinking for over 10 years. You don't know the right time to treat them. Also communities removed from the subsidence area still need government support after moving to a new place." But government-affiliated researcher Gu Mei claims the government has done a poor job addressing the problem. "Local government would not consider filling sinkholes," Gu said. "Think about it. If you can easily turn a flooded subsidence into a water theme park, would you take pains to reclaim the land?" Some farmers have attempted to fill the holes themselves -- only to find the cost is too high. It costs at least US$15 per square meter to drain a hole and put in new soil. But according to Xiao Guoqiang, villagers only get compensated to the tune of US$5 per square meter from the coal company. The Yankuang Group declined CNN requests for comment, citing the sensitivity of mining-induced farmland losses and migration issues. For Xiao, the move to his new home has hit the family's dinner table as they can no longer raise their own pigs or grow their own vegetables. "The pork price is rising and we cannot afford it. Having fresh vegetables and meat had never been a problem before because we grew and bred what we wanted to eat," Xiao said. Another villager points out the lack of jobs in the new location. "Our new home is 20 miles (32.1 kilometers) from the nearest town. It is hard for us find a decent job," said Kong Jian, who operates a street noodle stand. "Young people flock to bigger cities, looking for factory jobs. Those who stayed are doing small businesses like operating noodle restaurants," Xiao said. "But for the next generation, nobody will know how to farm." The 50-year old gets emotional when talking about his old village. "As I get older, my nostalgic feeling for the old village grows stronger. I try not to think about it -- about the fact that it is a lake and the village only lives in my memory."

When cracks appeared in Xiao's house he feared the worse . Xiao's hometown, Jining, is one of China's massive "coal cities" He watched many of his neighbors' homes sink into the ground . Officials: Sinkholes devouring 20 million square meters of land here a year .

DECATUR, Georgia (CNN) -- Police quietly wait by the front door of the small, brick suburban Atlanta home as investigators tell 48-year-old Lajuana Robinson, a mother of nine, "I'm going to have to put you in handcuffs." Investigators take a woman from her Decatur, Georgia, home after her arrest in a truancy case. She's charged with violating her parole in a truancy case because three of her younger children have missed hundreds of days of school combined. While students have always suffered the consequences of playing hooky, parents in DeKalb County, Georgia, are facing one of the more aggressive anti-truancy programs in the country, one where punishment can include time behind bars. DeKalb's program is one of a growing list targeting truancy in U.S. schools, said Jodi Heilbrunn, senior research and policy analyst at The National Center for School Engagement. "Ten years ago, there weren't too many anti-truancy programs, but now they are springing up like rabbits," Heilbrunn said, and "they come in many varieties." In some communities, a single school takes on its own problem. In others, like Jacksonville, Florida, and Niagara Falls, New York, the battle is system wide. And New Jersey is about to institute a statewide system, targeting six cities with the worst truancy problems. The DeKalb County program, started in May 2006, was designed to get children from the age of 6 to 16 back in class. If a child has 10 or more unexcused absences from school, parents are referred to an intervention program where they sign a contract agreeing to make sure their children get to class. If they fail to do that, they face the judge. According the county solicitor general's office, around 300 families have gone to court so far. Watch how a Georgia mother ends up in handcuffs » . Most of the parents who are cited are charged with educational neglect, said DeKalb County Solicitor-General Robert James. Most of those charged plead guilty and get probation, he said. The probation usually involves parenting classes, counseling, and follow-up visits for progress and attendance reports. Parents who violate their probation run the risk of thousands of dollars in fines, and up to 30 days in jail per count. "We are putting parents in jail, or we are bringing them in orange jumpsuits not just because their children are not in school, but because they got a subpoena or summons to come to court, or to come to a diversionary program and they refused to do so. So this is more about accountability than anything," James said. James said it is critical in his county to keep kids in school. The Georgia Department of Corrections found that more than 60 percent of its inmates in 2007 didn't earn a high school diploma, and James quoted an internal survey that found 84 percent of inmates in DeKalb County's jail are high school dropouts. LaTara Tankersley-Jones and Craig Scott, investigators for the DeKalb County Solicitor-General's office, are tasked with locating "truant" parents and serving court-ordered summons. Jones and Scott, usually with assistance from local law enforcement, also must arrest parents who have not complied with a court-ordered probation or failed to show up to court in the first place. Scott said arrest is the least desirable option, but "the bottom line is, we have a warrant and even if the children are there, you're going to have to come with us." Robinson was no stranger to the investigators. The county had intervened on behalf of her children before, even providing Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas presents last year. The mother had been ordered to be sure her children went to school and to attend parenting classes herself. She had done neither, investigators said, earning herself a night in jail and a face-to-face with the judge the next day. Judge R. Joy Walker presides over the Educational Neglect courtroom. On a recent Friday in October, she handled each of the 80 or so cases before her in a fast, firm, and efficient manner. One by one, each parent, mostly women, has an opportunity to explain to Walker why they are in her courtroom. Investigators Jones and Scott are there as well. They say they hear the same excuses over and over again. "They can't get up, or they have so many things that are going on in their life that are preventing them from making sure that their kids go to school," Jones said. Walker agrees to probation for most of the parents in her court this day, including Angela Harris, who pleads guilty to 24 counts, one for each of the 24 days her child missed school. "I have never in my 48 years been in trouble, so this is all new to me," she tells the judge. "The state is offering you 24 months (of probation), but if you mess up I'm going to put you in jail," Walker replies. Walker has put 15 "truant" parents behind bars. Lajuana Robinson is released. But she'll have to return to court another day to explain why her children aren't in school. So far, the success of the DeKalb program has been limited. "We have seen some small results," James said. Attendance has increased by 2 to 3 percent over the past year. "I am not satisfied by that, but in a school system of over 100,000 kids, you are talking about 2,000 to 3,000 more children attending school than what we had the year before last," he said. James says that he has received some interest from neighboring counties about the program and he thinks it is only a matter of time before they adopt similar ones. "We have a lot of parents who feel we should not be intervening in family business, but it's the law. In Georgia, in DeKalb County, attendance is the law, and we plan to enforce it."

Georgia county operates aggressive program to keep kids in school . 300 families have gone to court in truancy cases . Fifteen "truant" parents have faced time behind bars .

Los Angeles (CNN) -- A medical doctor in Vancouver, British Columbia, said Thursday that California arson suspect Harry Burkhart suffered from severe mental illness in 2010, when she examined him as part of a team of doctors. Dr. Blaga Stancheva, a family physician and specialist in obstetrics, said both Burkhart and his mother, Dorothee, were her patients in Vancouver while both were applying for refugee status in Canada. "I was asked to diagnose and treat Harry to support a claim explaining why he was unable to show up in a small-claims court case," Stancheva told CNN in a phone interview. She declined to cite the case or Burkhart's role in it. Stancheva said she and other doctors including a psychiatrist diagnosed Burkhart with "autism, severe anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression." The diagnosis was spelled out in a letter she wrote for the small-claims court case, Stancheva said. Stancheva, citing doctor-patient confidentiality, would not elaborate further, nor would she identify the psychiatrist involved in the diagnosis. Burkhart, a 24-year-old German national, has been charged with 37 counts of arson following a string of 52 fires in Los Angeles. The charges are in connection with arson fires at 12 locations scattered through Hollywood, West Hollywood and Sherman Oaks, according to authorities. Stancheva said the refugee applications by Burkhart and his mother were denied by the Canadian government, and she has not seen Burkhart since early March of 2010. "I was shocked and dismayed at what happened in Los Angeles, and it appears he was not being treated for his depression," she said. Burkhart was in court on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing. Prosecutors said his "rage against Americans," triggered by his mother's arrest last week, motivated his "campaign of terror" with dozens of fires in Hollywood and nearby communities. Burkhart kept his eyes closed and remained limp during most of his hearing, requiring sheriff's deputies to hold him up. The district attorney called his courtroom behavior "very bizarre." "This defendant has engaged in a protracted campaign in which he has set, the people believe, upwards of 52 arson fires in what essentially amounts to a campaign of terror against this community," Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Sean Carney said. "The people believe he has engaged in this conduct because he has a hatred for Americans." Carney told the court Burkhart would flee the country if he was allowed out of jail on bond, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Upinder Kalra said he had no choice but to set bail. To go free while awaiting trial, Burkhart must post a $2.85 million bond and surrender his German passport. It was revealed that Burkhart is also under investigation for arson and fraud in relation to a fire in Neukirchen, near Frankfurt, Germany. The worst arson sprees in the city's history began last Friday morning with a car fire in Hollywood that spread to apartments above a garage, but no new fires have happened since Burkhart was arrested Monday, Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley said. No one was hurt in the fires, but property damage costs are likely to reach $3 million, authorities said. Cooley called it "almost attempted murder," because people were sleeping in apartments above where Burkhart allegedly set cars on fire with incendiary devices placed under their engines. The criminal complaint filed Wednesday also alleged that the fires were "caused by use of a device designed to accelerate the fire," Cooley said. "If found true, the allegation could mean additional custody time for the defendant." "In numerous instances, the cars were parked in carports, resulting in the fires spreading to the adjacent occupied apartment buildings," a sworn affidavit from a Los Angeles arson investigator said. "The vast majority of these fires occurred late at night when the occupants of the apartment buildings were asleep." Investigator Edward Nordskog's affidavit detailed Burkhart's behavior a day before the fires began, when he was in a federal courtroom during extradition proceedings for his mother. "While in the audience, the defendant (Burkhart) began yelling in an angry manner, 'F--k all Americans.' The defendant also attempted to communicate with his mother who was in custody. Shortly thereafter, the defendant was ejected from the courtroom by Deputy U.S. Marshals," Nordskog wrote. Dorothee Burkhart was arrested a day before on an international arrest warrant issued by a district court in Frankfurt, Germany, said federal court spokesman Gunther Meilinger. The 53-year-old German woman is wanted on 16 counts of fraud and three counts of embezzlement, he said. The charges include an allegation that she failed to pay for a breast enhancement operation performed on her in 2004, Meilinger said. Most of the German charges, however, stem from phony real estate deals that Dorothee Burkhart allegedly conducted between 2000 and 2006. "It is my opinion that the defendant's criminal spree was motivated by his rage against Americans and that by setting these fires the defendant intended to harm and terrorize as many residents of the city and county of Los Angeles as possible," Nordskog wrote. A search of Burkhart's Hollywood apartment found newspaper clippings about the Los Angeles fires and articles from Germany reporting similar car fires in Frankfurt, Germany in September, 2011, the investigator said. "It is my opinion based on my experience that it is highly likely the defendant has a history of setting arson fires in Germany before he came to the United States," Nordskog wrote. Burkhart's mother is scheduled for another extradition hearing Friday, while he is due back in court for arraignment on January 24. Meanwhile, both Burkharts are housed in a Los Angeles jail.

NEW: A Canadian doctor says she was part of a team examining Harry Burkhart in 2010 . NEW: Diagnosis: "autism, severe anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression" Burkhart is also suspected in a German arson probe, officials say . Prosecutors believe the German national set a string of fires in Los Angeles .

(CNN) -- This year marked the 50th anniversary of one of the most pivotal years in American history, from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to the historic "I Have a Dream" speech by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Those two events were monumental, changing and shaping the course of America for years to come. But 1963 witnessed other moments, both big and small, that had a lasting impact. The Boeing 727 took its first flight. The first push-button telephone was introduced. The "red phone" between Washington and Moscow, a hotline by the two superpowers to avert world crisis, was established. On the cultural front, instant replay was used for the first time when the Army-Navy game aired on CBS. Alfred Hitchcock's new movie, "The Birds," was released. And the Beatles burst onto the music scene. Here is a look back at some of those defining moments: . The Kennedy assassination . It marked the fourth time a U.S. president had been assassinated, the first since William McKinley was killed in 1901. Kennedy was visiting Texas amid controversy over his stance on civil rights. Yet the streets of Dallas were packed on November 22, 1963. Thousands greeted the president and first lady as the motorcade wound its way through the city. The nation came to a standstill shortly after shots rang out. Kennedy was declared dead at 1 p.m. -- a moment etched in television history when CBS anchor Walter Cronkite removed his glasses, paused and collected himself to deliver the news to the nation. 5 things you may not know about the JFK assassination . Hundreds of conspiracy theories would abound later as to whether gunman Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. But in the days and weeks afterward, the nation mourned together. Another iconic image emerged from that time, of Kennedy's son, John Jr., standing at attention next to the president's flag-draped coffin. One JFK conspiracy that may be true . March on Washington . Civil rights in the United States was pushed to the fore in June 1963 with a series of events: Kennedy addressed the nation to call for civil rights legislation; civil rights activist Medgar Evers was assassinated at his home in Jackson, Mississippi; and a defiant Gov. George Wallace stood in the doorway at the University of Alabama barring blacks from entering, until the federal government ordered him to step aside. Why some movements work and others wilt . Those events brought the issue of equality for all to Main Street and enlightened many Americans on the brutality faced by blacks in the South. It also emboldened civil rights leaders as they brought their message -- along with hundreds of thousands of supporters -- to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, culminating with King's iconic "I Have a Dream" speech on August 28, 1963. How much has changed since the March on Washington? 'I Have a Dream' almost didn't make it into the speech . The 16th Street Bombing . Just weeks after the March on Washington, the civil rights movement was thrust into the headlines again -- this time the result of unspeakable tragedy. A bomb went off on September 15, 1963, at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four African-American girls. So tragic was the event that one Southern editor wrote about how one of the grieving mothers held her daughter's shoe outside the bombed building: "In her hand she held a shoe, one shoe, from the foot of her dead child. We hold that shoe with her." One small shoe: A legacy of the Birmingham bombing . Many historians credit the horror of the 16th Street Bombing with turning the tide in Congress, resulting in the passage of the historic civil rights bill the following year. Siblings of the bombing . Letter from Birmingham Jail . In early 1963, King helped organize a massive protest in Birmingham, one of the most violently segregationist cities in the South. But the protests faltered because activists couldn't summon enough participants and were running out of bail money for those who had been arrested. King decided he needed to do something dramatic -- and provoked his arrest by leading a demonstration on April 12, Good Friday. In jail, King read an ad placed in a local newspaper by eight moderate white clergymen who called him an outside agitator and lawbreaker and counseled him to wait. King didn't take their advice. Scribbling in the margins of the newspaper or on whatever paper he could find, he unloaded on the clergymen. Writing only from memory, he cited Socrates, St. Augustine, the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber and the theologian Paul Tillich. He gave his writing to his lawyer, who smuggled it out of jail, had it typed up and copied. It was published by the Quakers as a pamphlet and appeared in the Christian Century, Atlantic Monthly and Saturday Evening Post. King's "Letter From Birmingham Jail" became a chapter in his popular 1964 book, "Why We Can't Wait," and is considered a classic defense of civil disobedience. How MLK became an angry black man . Beatlemania . It may seem silly to refer to the Beatles as the original boy band, but that's what they were in 1963. The release of the British band's debut album, "Please Please Me," on March 22, 1963, was the start of a cultural revolution that would change the music landscape for decades to come. In a single year, the Beatles went from relative obscurity to playing in front of 73 million Americans on "The Ed Sullivan Show." That year also witnessed the launch of other musicians who became icons, including the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. The lasting impact of their revolution influenced not just music, but modern art, design and fashion for decades to come. The Beatles, Bob and Mick: 50 years since the youthful revolution .

Kennedy's assassination, Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech marked 1963 . Fifty years later, 2013 offered an opportunity to revisit those events . Other civil rights milestones plus cultural touchstones made it a pivotal year .

Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) -- Arctic temperatures are not enough to cool pro-Western demonstrators' anger at Ukraine's pro-Russian president. Thousands of them refused to budge from Kiev's snow-covered streets, while the European Union's top diplomat made her way there to try to thaw the tensions. Security forces in riot gear tried to herd demonstrators away from government buildings but avoided a hard-nosed crackdown. That could be the result of pressure the West has put on President Viktor Yanukovych in the past two days. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden called Yanukovych on Monday to urge him to talk with the opposition and avoid violence. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso phoned on Sunday, as did U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who asked Yanukovych not to use brute force against protesters. A tense standoff appeared in the making early Wednesday as riot police gathered around Independence Square, where orange-hatted protesters have set up camp. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton traveled to Kiev on Tuesday, where she held a "substantial" meeting with Yanukovych and discussed "all relevant issues," her press service said on Twitter. She also met with opposition leaders. At a roundtable meeting with three former presidents of Ukraine, broadcast on state TV, Yanukovych said both police and protesters were responsible for violence that flared during a protest 10 days ago. He said he had asked the country's prosecutor general to find a way to free detained protesters who had not committed serious offenses. Civil disobedience . The protests started as a beef between Ukrainians keen to move closer to the West and their Russian-allied president over his refusal to sign an agreement that would strengthen cooperation with the European Union. But then baton-wielding officers triggered sympathy for battered protesters, causing more people to join the demonstrators' ranks in Independence Square and pack inner-city avenues with a show of civil disobedience. It became reminiscent of the uprising that swept Yanukovych out of office nine years ago during the Orange Revolution, when he was prime minister. The tensions between those who yearn to reap the benefits of an alliance with the West and those who want to stick close to Moscow are longstanding and would seem to be almost irreconcilable. They split the nation geographically between its western regions, where resentment of past Russian domination is higher, and its East, which was settled by Russians centuries ago. Russians make up Ukraine's largest ethnic minority group, and Russian is widely spoken across the country. Speaking at the roundtable, Yanukovych said he wants to keep good relations with both Europe and Russia, adding that Ukraine needs to protect its own interests. "I am strongly against opposing relations with Europe in favor of relations with Russia and vice versa. We need to find a way to reunite," he said. Opposition parties said they had not been invited to take part in the roundtable. Masked raid . Monday was tense, as police broke down barricades that protesters had erected after progressing to the presidential administration building. Security forces pushed them back toward Independence Square. Minor scuffles broke out, injuring 10 demonstrators, according to one opposition party. Two police officers were injured, state media reported. Masked men ransacked the opposition party's headquarters in a raid, party leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk said. The men, whom he accused of being special forces officers, destroyed the party's server room, Yatsenyuk said. "Equipment was destroyed, dragged out, across the entire premise of the Batkivshchnya Political Party headquarters," he said. Police denied involvement in the raid. At the same time, Yanukovych appeared to offer an olive branch. An announcement on his website said he would back a call for talks with his opponents to work out a compromise. Celebs, burning tires . Faced with temperatures near zero Fahrenheit, the protesters burned tires and sipped hot soup and tea to stay warm. Some played soccer or strummed guitars as they camped out in tents. The crowds often swell in the evenings as people leave work and join the rallies. Former heavyweight boxing champion Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko, who is famous throughout Europe, is also an opposition leader. He chatted with riot police, urging them to stay calm and "not break the law" should they be ordered to remove protesters. "None of us has either guns nor other objects; this is a peaceful protest," he said. East vs. West . Yanukovych's refusal to sign the EU deal represents a U-turn in the country's advance toward closer relations with the West. An EU agreement would have opened borders to trade and set the stage for modernization and inclusion, protesters say. They accuse Yanukovych of preparing to take the country into a Moscow-led customs union. Moscow has leverage that may have affected Yanukovych's decision to backpedal on the EU talks. Russia supplies Ukraine with natural gas, which is essential to keep people from freezing in the country's brutal winters. Moscow can increase Ukraine's energy bills and impose other trade sanctions. The EU is also pressuring Yanukovych to free his chief political opponent, Yulia Tymoshenko, who has languished in jail for two years after being convicted of abuse of power in 2011. The verdict was decried by the EU and other critics as a sham. The Orange Revolution that swept Yanukovych from office in 2004 also brought the pro-Western Tymoshenko to power. Many of the protesters have carried her picture in Independence Square during the rallies. Journalist Victoria Butenko reported from Kiev and CNN's Marie-Louise Gumuchian reported and wrote from London. CNN's Susanna Capelouto contributed to this report. CNN's Zarifmo Aslamshoyeva contributed to this report.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton meets with Ukraine's president, opposition . Viktor Yanukovych says both police and protesters are to blame for violence . President says he wants good relations with both Russia and Europe . Masked men raid opposition party's headquarters, its leader says .

(CNN) -- Recent events have left Syria watchers near breathless: government loss of control of border crossings into Iraq and Turkey, rebels temporarily holding portions of Damascus, the unexplained movement of some of Syria's extensive arsenal of chemical weapons, and fighting spreading to the streets of the traditional Alawite stronghold of Aleppo. Most dramatic though was the bombing of a National Security Council meeting in the heart of Syria's defense establishment, the Levantine equivalent of a bomb going off in the White House situation room. Among those killed was Assef Shawkat. Shawkat was Syria's chief of military intelligence during my time at CIA. The agency spent a great deal of time trying to work with him to get the Syrians to stanch the flow of foreign fighters through Damascus airport and onward into Iraq. The Syrians never offered more than token cooperation, a policy that many in Damascus may now regret as the routes they sponsored have been reversed with fighters now entering Syria from Iraq. Our assessment at the time that Shawkat was tough, professional and loyal has stood up. Married to President Bashar al-Assad's sister, he seems to have been providing a significant fraction of the regime's spine over the past year. No one who has met al-Assad has come away impressed with the man's leadership or decisiveness. If fate had been more kind, his elder brother Bassel would not have crashed his car and died in an automobile accident and al-Assad could have lived out his days in an environment for which he was much better suited: doing eye surgery in London, building a happy family with his thoroughly Anglicized Sunni wife. Personally ill-equipped to enact any of the "reforms" he sometimes called for, unable or unwilling to bend the Assads, Mahkloufs and other Alawite clans to a new direction, al-Assad is now doubling down on his father's violent response to opposition with none of Hafez Assad's skill or political sense. Opinion: Syria's chemical weapons threat demands response . I hesitate to call last week's events a tipping point, but Shawkatt's death (along with the other senior fatalities) will shake the Alawites to their core. Although some are irreversibly all in, there will certainly be others ready to cut their losses. And so, many observers are now focusing on endgame scenarios, particularly what a successor regime might look like. That question turns on what exactly is happening on the ground. The intelligence community has been continually asked to characterize the opposition -- its strengths, weaknesses, foreign influences. leadership, trustworthy personalities, untrustworthy components, political demands and overall intentions. But beyond these discreet facts, the intelligence community will also have to provide a narrative and identify compelling plot lines to help inform and shape policy. There are actually several plots lines affecting Syria today, all of them true and all of them relevant. In a curious way, at a macro-geopolitical level, we are seeing a resurgence of a broad East-West competition, with the Russians -- stung by what they view as the West's "bait and switch" U.N. resolution authorizing action in Libya -- joining the Chinese in blocking meaningful action through the United Nations. Similarly, the broad Sunni-Shia competition in the region has Shia Iran trying to protect its lone Arab ally by putting its thumb on the Syrian scale with arms and advisors while Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Sunni states arm and train the opposition. The most visible narrative is the one recorded on cell phone videos and broadcast daily showing a vicious, autocratic state using superior weaponry to gun down a determined and popular opposition. This is the plot line that has galvanized world opinion, igniting calls for intervention from a variety of sources. As true as this narrative is, it is also incomplete. Syria is a multi-ethnic and religiously plural society. The Alawites and other Shia remnants comprise about 13% of the population; for 40 years they have controlled the state and have not hesitated to brutalize the more than 60% of the population who are Arab Sunnis and who are now in the streets attempting to overthrow their persecutors. The rest of the population -- ethnic Kurds (10%), Druze (3%) and Christians (10%) -- remain largely on the sidelines, for now at least as fearful of a Sunni successor government as they are of continued Alawite control. Thus we should not allow the dramatic power of the most visible narrative, the struggle between oppressed and oppressor, to drown out the sad reality of another less noble story line -- namely that this is still, at least for now, a sectarian conflict. That this is the dominant narrative, the one that is most controlling and the one we should pay most attention to, is suggested by Vali Nasr's 2006 post mortem on Iraq. Nasr observed that we mistakenly "thought of politics as the relationship between individuals and the state" rather than recognizing "that people in the Middle East see politics also as the balance of power among communities." We would do well to keep that in mind as the Syrian end game approaches. We should accelerate work to get the minorities into the game against the regime, hastening its end and broadening its opposition. The Christian and Kurdish communities have historic ties to the West that should play to our advantage in this. We should also meter our support to the opposition based on its inclusiveness. Syrians before the Assads lived in relative religious and ethnic harmony under largely Sunni rule. It could be so again, but Lebanon and Bosnia offer examples where historic harmonies have fractured. The fall of the House of Assad is now as inevitable as it is welcome. But if this means a successor regime that is exclusively Sunni, trending fundamentalist and opposed by a third of the Syrian population, it could actually make things worse. And that would be a sad outcome indeed. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michael V. Hayden.

Michael Hayden: The endgame is approaching for the Syrian regime . He says bombing of a security meeting killed Assef Shawkat, a key member of regime . Bashar al-Assad lacks his father's skill or political sense, Hayden says . He says U.S. should back opposition elements but regime could be replaced by civil war .

(CNN) -- Standing near the coffin of one of her closest friends, Patty Hill made a promise that would forever change her life. Patty Hill says losing 135 pounds through weight loss surgery still took discipline, planning and hard work. Her friend, Gail, had died from a blood clot just a week after undergoing gastric bypass surgery to make her stomach smaller. Hill was scheduled to have the same surgery and believed it was the only way to end her lifelong struggle with obesity. Tipping the scales at 280 pounds and standing 5 feet 5 inches tall, Hill says she was depressed, moody and always defensive. The 47-year-old mother from Weymouth, Massachusetts, was morbidly obese, and after her friend's death, she was beginning to lose hope. "That was the end of the gastric bypass for me," remembers Hill. "At her wake, I promised everyone that I would not go ahead with surgery." Hill wore a 26/28 dress size and had heart problems. Now, not only was she afraid that she couldn't lose the weight, but she was even more afraid she'd die, leaving her daughters, ages 23 and 14, to grow up without her. Just when she'd lost all hope, her cardiologist asked if she had ever considered Lap-Banding -- a less-invasive form of weight-loss surgery. Hill immediately started researching the procedure, in which an adjustable band is placed around the upper part of the stomach to restrict the amount of food the stomach will hold. According to MayoClinic.com, the band creates a small pouch opening to the stomach. The amount of food your stomach will hold is controlled by injecting or removing fluid from the band. Even though gastric banding restricts the amount of food, it does not reduce the absorption of calories or nutrients. In the United States, where two-thirds of the population is either overweight or obese, weight-loss surgeries have increased in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the surgeries are successful at helping people lose weight and reduce their risk for hypertension, diabetes and other chronic illnesses -- patients have to carefully weigh the benefits of the procedure with the serious risks, side effects and even death in some cases. Some of the more common side effects of weight-loss surgery can be difficulty digesting starchy foods and protein, which can lead to other physical conditions including hair loss, fatigue, swelling and muscle weakness. Once she did her homework on gastric banding, Hill says she knew the procedure was for her. She sought treatment at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. The program required six weeks of pre-operation behavior-modification classes and monthly support meetings. On February 28, 2005, Hill's Lap-Band surgery was a success. She immediately started losing weight, dropping 20 pounds the first month, and continued to lose 10 to 15 pounds a month. Six months later, at the end of August, she had dropped 75 pounds. As the second anniversary -- or "Bandiversary" -- of her surgery approached, Hill had lost 130 pounds and reached her original target weight of 150 pounds. CNN I-Reporters share their weight-loss photos » . That's when she began exercising and keeping track of her daily food intake via the Web site FitDay.com. "You don't realize how many calories you're taking in until you start keeping track," said Hill. Ultimately, Hill surpassed her original weight loss goal and lost another 10 pounds. She currently weighs 145 pounds and, after dropping 10 dress sizes, now fits perfectly into a size 8, she says. Despite the rapid weight loss, surgery wasn't an easy way out. Hill says she still has to plan her meals and eat properly, and one of the biggest downsides is that she has difficulty digesting some starchy foods. "I can't eat bread, potatoes, rice," says Hill. "I have to cut up everything into pencil eraser-size [pieces] and chew, chew, chew." Still, the surgery has restored her life, Hill says. One of the biggest perks of losing weight is traveling with greater ease. She doesn't have to ask for a seat belt extender and no longer feels like she's spilling into her neighbor's seat. "I went to Cancun last July, and I was able to go horseback riding without hurting the horse," jokes Hill. She's also discovered something else. "I'm actually petite," Hill says excitedly. "I can buy stylish clothes. Before surgery, I just bought clothes that fit me. Now I can buy clothes that look good on me." When she's shopping, Hill says, people make eye contact with her more often and wait on her right away. When she was obese, Hill says, she felt almost invisible, and even though she didn't want to believe it, people ignored her. "Men actually flirt with me; it cracks me up, but freaks out my daughters," says Hill. "I have a boyfriend with a Harley. I love riding on the back of [his bike]." The weight loss has also inspired Hill to take acting classes, and she's even appeared as an extra in several movies. Earlier this year, she attended her first Boston Red Sox game and was elated to discover that she could fit into the seats. Best of all, Hill says, she has a lot more energy and self-confidence, and she's healthier. She says the surgery is the best thing she's done for herself. "I am so happy with the way I look and feel," says Hill, "I never want to go back to the way I looked before. It sounds very superficial, but it's the truth." iReport.com: Have you lost weight? Share your story, tips and photos E-mail to a friend .

Patty Hill weighed 280 pounds at her heaviest and wore a size 26/28 . She lost 135 pounds and dropped 10 dress sizes with the Lap-Band . Hill says weight loss surgery is not easy, takes discipline and planning . Weight loss has restored her health, energy and self-confidence .

Madison, Wisconsin (CNN) -- Protesters, Tea Partiers and now rock 'n rollers. Wisconsin's growing demonstration over a budget bill that supporters call vital and opponents label union-busting continues Monday with guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine fame planning to play for the protesters a day after Republican Gov. Scott Walker signaled no retreat on the measure. The growing crowds gathering daily in Madison, the state capital, over the issue exceeded 50,000 on Saturday, according to an official estimate, and shows no sign of abating. "History is happening in the streets of Madison, Wisconsin and I'm going to be there," said a statement by Morello, who will perform in his solo identity as The Nightwatchman. Calling the proposed budget law "unjust," Morello said he will join "teachers, students, firefighters, policemen, Green Bay Packers, nurses, steel workers, construction workers and religious groups that are filling the streets to protest." He referred to Walker as "the Mubarak of the Midwest" in reference to the Egyptian leader ousted by popular protest, and accused the governor and unnamed corporate allies of trying to "rob American workers of their fundamental rights." The Budget Repair Bill proposed by Walker to address a $137 million shortfall through June 30 would increase contributions of state workers for their pensions and health insurance benefits. It also requires collective bargaining units to conduct annual votes to maintain certification, a costly procedure, and eliminates the right of unions to have dues deducted from worker paychecks. Last week, 14 Democratic state senators essentially boycotted the legislature and went to Illinois to prevent a quorum from passing the bill. The measure's opponents say they won't allow a vote unless Walker negotiates on the plan to eliminate collective bargaining rights for everything but wages. Walker rejected such a deal Sunday in an interview on "FOX News Sunday." He called the Democratic complaint of union-busting "a red herring" and said significant changes were needed for budgetary reasons, but powerful public employee unions were able to block the necessary adjustments. "If we're going to ask our state and local workers who are doing a great job to pay a little bit more, to sacrifice, to help to balance this budget, we should also give them the flexibility saying that for those members, for those workers, who don't want to be a part of the union, if you don't want that deduction each month out of the paycheck, they should be able to get that $500, $600 or in some cases, $1,000 back that they can apply for their health care and their pension contribution," Walker said. Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of neighboring Illinois disagreed, saying that anyone who thinks the bill is only about money and the budget would also think that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was working only for African Americans to have access to restaurants. "There's a much bigger issue at stake here," Durbin said on the NBC program "Meet the Press," adding that Walker "is not setting out just to fix a budget; he's setting out to break a union." However, Republican Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said the events in his state are a microcosm of the budget pressure felt by governors throughout the country . "It just shows the point, all levels of government have been making empty promises to people," Ryan said on the CBS program "Face the Nation." "And these governors are telling people the truth." Walker said he hoped the Democratic state senators would return to Madison so that debate on the bill could ensue, but added that all options were on the table -- including a possible contempt proceeding -- if they don't. On Saturday, Tea Party activists supporting the bill brought a new dimension to the street demonstration. "Wisconsin is ground zero," said Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity. "I think it is going to determine largely whether the pampered nature of these public employees is finally reigned in." One of the missing Democratic state senators, Jon Erpenbach, said all state and local public employees -- including teachers -- have agreed to the financial aspects of Walker's requested concessions on paying more for employee health care and pensions. "In return they ask only that the provisions that deny their right to collectively bargain are removed," Erpenbach said. "This will solve the budget challenge." Walker, however, said it was necessary to change the collective bargaining rules because the alternative would be laying off thousands of state employees. "I can't have anybody laid off," he said on FOX. "I don't want a single person laid off in the public nor in the private sector, and that's why this is a much better alternative than to losing jobs." Until Saturday's counter-demonstrators appeared, the growing protests since Monday were largely made up of those against Walker's plan. They remained the clear majority of those marching, with of them on Saturday drawn by the arrival of Walker's supporters. There were no reports of major incidents or arrests by late Saturday afternoon, and authorities expressed their gratitude. "On behalf of all the law enforcement agencies that helped keep the peace on the Capitol Square Saturday, a very sincere thank you to all of those who showed up to exercise their First Amendment rights," Madison police said in a statement. "You conducted yourselves with great decorum and civility, and if the eyes of the nation were upon Wisconsin, then you have shown how democracy can flourish even amongst those who passionately disagree." White House Press Secretary Jay Carney addressed the continued protests Friday, saying President Barack Obama "is very understanding of the need for state governments, governors, state legislatures to reduce spending to make tough choices to be fiscally responsible." But he added, "He also feels very strongly that we need not to make this an assault on the collective bargaining rights of workers in any given state. "He understands public employees need to make sacrifices just like everyone else." Walker and other Republicans criticized Obama on Sunday for getting involved in the issue, calling it inappropriate. CNN's Gabriella Schwarz, Tom Cohen, Casey Wian and Chris Welch contributed to this report.

Rock guitarist says he'll play for protesters on Monday . Gov. Walker reiterates calls for missing Democrats to come back . Tea Party activists are bused in to support the budget bill .

(CNN) -- This time last year Jordan Spieth barely registered on golf's radar, now it seems merely a matter of time before he assumes the mantle of major champion. The 20-year-old will tee off at Pinehurst on Thursday as one of the favorites to lift the U.S. Open, a measure of his stellar rise over the past 12 months. Spieth became the youngest winner on the PGA Tour for 82 years when he bagged the 2013 John Deere Classic, underlining the potential encompassed in his swing. He briefly held the lead during the final round of the Masters before tying for second and was in contention at the Players Championship, eventually finishing fourth. So what price a maiden major championship in North Carolina aged 20 years and 10 months, roughly five months before Tiger Woods captured his first? "I truly believe I can win a major -- right now I think I'm ready to," the Texan told CNN. "Each and every week is about preparing for the next major championship. "The U.S. Open is a major which is what legacies are defined by. That's what Rory (McIlroy) says all the time, golf is all about winning majors. "To be able to go into this event with a lot of confidence, I feel like I'm going to embrace the challenge." Much has been made of the test Pinehurst will present, a markedly different one to 2005 when unfancied New Zealander Michael Campbell triumphed. It has since been reshaped by two-time major champion Ben Crenshaw and his business partner -- famed golf architect Bill Coore -- who have restored many of its original features. The pair have ripped out reams of rough and widened many fairways, but that won't necessarily makes things any easier. Sandy scrub, pine straw and wiregrass now flank the fairways, meaning any errant tee shots could lead to a lottery in terms of lie. The winning scores in three of the last four U.S. Open tournaments have been even par or less, underlining what a biting examination of a player's game it represents. But that doesn't phase Spieth -- it excites him. "I love the hardest challenge you can get," he explained. "The U.S. Open is the most difficult challenge in all of golf. That is exciting for us, it's awesome. "It's going to be really interesting at Pinehurst with no rough. Everyone who has been there has raved about the place. "Any time you can play golf's toughest test and try to test your game, if you can beat the golf course you really feel special after that round." Spieth has been feeling pretty special for most of the last year. His breakthrough victory at the John Deere proved he possessed the talent and temperament required to prosper on the biggest stage. After memorably holing a bunker shot to force his way into a playoff, Spieth secured victory on the fifth extra hole, defeating David Hearn and Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion. He recorded a pair of top four finishes in the FedEx Cup, including second place in the season-ending Tour Championship, before taking part in the USA's winning Presidents Cup encounter with their International counterparts. At 2014's first major, Spieth muscled his way into the final group at Augusta on Sunday, and at one point assumed the lead from playing partner and eventual winner, Bubba Watson. Spieth finished in a tie for second. Then at golf's unofficial fifth major, the Players Championship, Spieth was again in the final grouping before a late wobble saw him fall to fourth, playing partner Martin Kaymer, from Germany, taking top honors. But for someone whose goal at the start of the season was to thrust himself into contention at a major championship, it was very much mission accomplished. "I knew I was going to be in all four majors and it was about getting out there and contending because I knew it would be a different feeling than contending in any event I'd been in before," he said. "I wanted to see how I would perform and sure enough at that first one in Augusta I got off to the start I needed. "I had the right game plan that week. I knew how difficult the golf course was playing -- the weather made it firm and fast -- and I didn't let bogeys bother me. "I played my way into contention on Sunday, I had the lead. "I feel like I played some really strong golf with the amount of pressure I felt that week -- a bounce here, a bounce there then I might have been wearing the green jacket on my first try. "That's really cool looking back at that and knowing I accomplished one of my goals for the year." Spieth's preparations for Pinehurst have included calls to Crenshaw, to pick his brains as to the redesign, and strength and conditioning work in the gym. As well as repeating his "stay patient" mantra, Spieth has also been grooving his swing to make sure it stands up to the fierce examination of the closing holes in a major championship. "I feel like it's all falling into place," Spieth said. "I know from Augusta when you are in the thick of things and you're feeling that intense pressure the most important thing is making sure the most basic part of your golf swing stays the same. "It is tough staying patient, I'm not a patient person off the course at all so it's very hard, especially when emotions are so heightened. "I did a very, very good job of it at Augusta, and a very good job for a little while at the Players. "I've got a lot of confidence going in that I can put it together a little longer, just having been in the heat twice now in two of the strongest fields in the world that I've ever played against."

Jordan Spieth tells CNN he is ready to win his first major golf championship . The 20-year-old tees off at the U.S. Open in Pinehurst as one of the favorites . Spieth tied for second place in his first appearance at the Masters in April . He became youngest PGA Tour winner for 82 years in 2013 .

(CNN) -- When Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon, he uttered unforgettable words. But the next visitor to roam the lunar landscape may send back e-mail instead. One of the teams competing in the Google Lunar X Prize is considering this rover concept for the mission. Welcome to a new kind of space race, where the earthly guest will be a machine and the goal is as much exploration as seeking out new business ventures. The quest is part of the Google Lunar X Prize, which will put $20 million into the hands of the first privately funded team that can land a rover on the moon; have it travel on the surface for 500 meters or more; send back data, photos and video; and do it all by December 31, 2012. The prize drops to $15 million after that date and goes away altogether after 2014. One of the main requirements is to have as little government involvement in the project as possible. "We believe that space should be open to anyone and everyone, especially those people who want to go," said Becky Ramsey, the X Prize Foundation's director of communications for space projects. "The government has accomplished amazing things ... but we think that we can do it less expensively." The idea grew out of conversations between X Prize Chairman Peter Diamandis and Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. "We thought it would be a good fit," said Tiffany Montague, technical program manager at Google and the company's main representative for the Google Lunar X Prize. "Many of us here are interested in space as a hobby, or we came from space backgrounds." Google, which is paying the main prize purse -- $30 million total, including bonus prizes -- hopes the competition will result in education, "interesting new content" and inspiration, she added. "What I think this prize is really about is inspiring young minds and inspiring the global population to compete for a dream," Montague said. 'Garage bands' of space exploration . There are 13 teams officially competing in the race, but the X Prize Foundation expects that number to grow to about 25. The multinational lineup includes Americans, Italians, Romanians and a "mystery team," which can hide its identity until July 20, 2009, under the rules. See photos of the teams and their rover concepts » . The competitors include university scientists, business people, engineers, robotics experts and even students. Ramsey said all of the teams are considered serious contenders, but not all of them are expected to be able to complete the task. "I liken our teams to the garage bands of the space exploration world," she said. "These are the people who have a dream, who have a passion, who have the knowledge and ability and the drive, and they think they can do this. So we're giving them the opportunity." The teams face a number of daunting tasks, including figuring out how and where to launch, designing a craft that can complete the journey and making sure it can execute a required "soft landing." "The craft has to alight on the moon a little like you'd expect an insect or a bird to land here on Earth, and it means that you can't impact or crash into the surface at high speed," said Red Whittaker, chairman and CEO of Astrobotic Technology, one of the teams competing for the prize. Once they land, the rovers must be ready to cope with extreme conditions. Whittaker listed a vacuum environment, radiation, temperature extremes and soft terrain as some of the special challenges of the lunar landscape. Expensive mission . Another big obstacle is the money. Reaching for the moon -- literally -- is an immensely pricey endeavor, and the mission is likely to cost much more than the $20 million first prize, a fact the sponsors freely recognize. "I think what's important to keep in mind is that this is an incentive prize and is not meant to cover the costs of development," Montague said. "Instead, it is meant to be a catalyst to shake up industry and inspire breakthrough." To help finance their plans, the teams are seeking out investors, partners and sponsors. Celestis, a company that launches cremated human remains into Earth's orbit, recently announced that it has reached an agreement with two of the teams, Astrobotic and Odyssey Moon, to carry human ashes to the moon. NASA could also be a customer for the teams, whose craft could carry scientific payloads, Ramsey said. The agency believes that there's potential for collaboration, but there's nothing formal in the works, said David Steitz, a spokesman at NASA headquarters in Washington. He added that NASA is giving a thumbs-up to the competition. "We're excited about anyone who's excited about space. We don't claim to have a monopoly on exploration," Steitz said. The business of the moon . Many of the teams regard the race as just the start of a long-term business plan. Astrobotic envisions a dozen lunar missions, scouting sites and offering payload services to businesses and governments, Whittaker said. Odyssey Moon CEO Robert Richards said his team also plans to keep coming back. "We are absolutely committed to an enduring presence on the moon," Richards said. Watch Richards demonstrate rover designs » . "If we don't win the prize, we will certainly cheer those who do, and we will continue with our efforts to provide a permanent, established mechanism for humanity to reach the moon in a very frequent and cost-effective way." But with so much money at stake, would it be possible for anyone to fake the mission in order to win the Google Lunar X Prize? Both Ramsey and Montague insisted that could not happen. "[The teams] have to file a mission plan with us," Ramsey said. "They have to send back images and video from the moon. I don't think in this day and age that it would be possible to fake this signal coming back."

Google Lunar X Prize goes to the first team that can land a rover on the moon by 2012 . Rover must travel on the lunar surface for at least 500 meters, send back images . There are 13 teams officially competing in the race; number is expected to grow . The mission will probably cost much more than the $20 million first prize .

(CNN) -- Q: This week the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued preliminary guidelines for ovarian cancer screening. It recommends against routine screening saying that the risk of false positive diagnoses outweighs the benefits. How can this be and why is it so hard to find a good screening test for ovarian cancer? A: The U,S. Preventive Services Task Force is a group of medical experts who assess the scientific literature on an issue, such as ovarian cancer screening, before making a recommendation. They do influence how doctors practice medicine. The statement recommends against routine ovarian cancer screening because they find the evidence of harm associated with screening is greater than the evidence of benefit. Unfortunately we do not have a good screening test for ovarian cancer, the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women. We need something as effective for ovarian cancer screening as pap smears are for cervix cancer screening. It is a surprise to many that a screening test could be considered more harmful than helpful. The problem is routine ovarian cancer screening starts a cavalcade of medical procedures associated with harms that are greater than the ultimate benefits. Importantly, it is not that there is no benefit to ovarian cancer screening. The problem is there is not a "net benefit." The blood test CA 125 is elevated in about half of women who are known to have ovarian cancer. If effectively treated by surgery or chemotherapy, the CA 125 level in the blood goes down. It has been used for nearly three decades to follow progress in treatment. This test was suggested for screening in the late 1980s. Screening is doing a test in asymptomatic patients who are not suspected of having the disease but are at risk because of age and gender. Very early on, many thought CA 125 would not work well as a screening test. A teacher gave me this example more than 20 years ago and it still holds. It is dense in numbers, but I think it is followable. It illustrates how a public health physician thinks of a screening test and the trouble with CA 125. A group of investigators tested the CA 125 blood test for screening in a group of 915 women average age 55, and a total of 36 or 3.9% were abnormal (a level greater than 35 U/ml). These women were evaluated for ovarian cancer and followed. Ultimately none had ovarian cancer. What if one was to screen 100,000 women? That means 3.9% of the 100,000 or 3,900 women will have false positive findings. Using U.S. cancer incidence data, 13 women in the 100,000 would have ovarian cancer in a given year. Given that most of the 13 women will be diagnosed with incurable advanced ovarian cancer, a fair assumption is six of the 3,900 will be diagnosed with a potentially curable ovarian cancer. Given that CA 125 is positive in half of ovarian cancer patients, one would reasonably estimate that three of the six women with curable disease would be identified. That is three potential cures in the more than 3,900 women screened. Of the 100,000 women, we expect 148 will die of cancer and nine of the 148 will be die because of ovarian cancer within a year of the screen. That might sound worthwhile at face value, but lets look at the harms of screening. Most of the 3,900 women will get further testing. This consists mostly of ultrasounds and CAT scans. Several hundred will need to get laparoscopy or more invasive abdominal surgery for evaluation. This is the area of greatest concern. One survey shows 14% of women over the age of 65 have complications after abdominal surgery. Surgical complications cause death in 1% to 2% of women over 65 and one-half of 1% of women over 50, Several hundred women will get abdominal surgery. When done as a routine test it is quite easy to see that ovarian cancer screening could actually cause the death of more women than the number of women saved. Most of the women who have bad outcomes will not have ovarian cancer. The gold standard for proving effectiveness of a screening test is a prospective randomized clinical trial comparing a screened group to a group that is not screened over time. The U.S. National Cancer Institute began such a study in 1993 and published the result in 2011. The trial included 78,216 women aged 55 to 74. It randomly assigned 39,105 to screening and 39,111 to usual care. After an average of more than 12 years of follow-up, the groups had no difference in the ovarian cancer death rate. This means that the trial showed no evidence of routine screening saving lives. CA 125 is not a good test for ovarian cancer screening, and ovarian cancer may not be a good cancer for screening. What we need is a test that flags fewer people who do not have the disease as suspicious of having the disease. It would be even better if the test found more than half of the women who have the disease. Screening also works better in cancers that tend to stay localized for longer periods of time. Many ovarian cancers spread throughout the abdomen very early in the life of the cancer when the tumor is still very small. It is important to note that the task force addressed routine screening. The test can be appropriate for screening a woman known to be at high risk for ovarian cancer because of a family history. The test may also be appropriate in assessing a woman who has lower abdominal discomforts. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of CNN, The American Cancer Society, or Emory University.

There's no good screening test for ovarian cancer, the 5th leading cause of cancer deaths in women . A blood test called CA 125 is elevated in about half of women with ovarian cancer, but it's not a good test . Dr. Otis Brawley: We need a test that flags fewer people who don't have the disease as suspicious .

Kingston, Ontario (CNN) -- A Canadian jury Sunday convicted three members of a family of Afghan immigrants of the "honor" murders of four female relatives whose bodies were found in an Ontario canal. Mohammed Shafia, 58; his wife, Tooba Mohammad Yahya, 42; and their son, Hamed, 21, were found guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of Shafia's three teenage daughters and his first wife in his polygamous marriage. Sunday's verdicts followed a three-month trial, in which jurors heard wiretaps of Shafia referring to his daughters as "whores" and ranting about their behavior. All three were sentenced to life in prison immediately after their convictions, with no chance of parole for 25 years. "This is a good day for Canadian justice. Our democratic society protects the rights of all," Gerard Laarhuis, the chief prosecutor in the case, told reporters outside the courthouse in Kingston. "It's a very bad day, because this jury found that four strong, vivacious and freedom-loving women were murdered by their own family." At least one Shafia family supporter interrupted Laarhuis with shouts of "lies" and called the verdict a "miscarriage of justice." But others cheered the verdict as Laarhuis continued. The three Shafia sisters -- Zainab, 19, Sahar, 17, and Geeti, 13 -- were found dead inside a car that plunged into the Rideau Canal in Kingston on June 30, 2009. Shafia's first wife, 50-year-old Rona Amir Mohammad, also died. The verdicts came on the second day of deliberations for a seven-woman, five-man jury in Kingston, about 280 km (175 miles) west of the family's home in Montreal. There was no immediate comment from defense attorneys. Prosecutors said the girls' father, mother and brother all plotted to kill the four women in an "honor" murder. Investigators claimed that hours of wiretapped conversations reveal a premeditated plan to punish rebellious, Westernized daughters and their permissive advocate, Rona. Shafia and Yahya admitted on the stand that they were upset with Zainab for running off to marry a Pakistani man they hated, that Sahar wore revealing clothes and had secret boyfriends, and Geeti was failing in school and calling social workers to get her out of a home in turmoil. Prosecutors argued that under instructions from his father, Hamed Shafia used the family Lexus to ram the other family car carrying the women into the canal. The shattered headlight on the Lexus, they claim, matches the damage on the rear bumper of the family Nissan in which the women were found dead. Investigators also believed the victims might have died before they hit the water, because they were unable to escape despite their seat belts being unbuckled and the car being submerged in just 7 feet of water. In the three-month-long trial, Shafia testified, "My children did a lot of cruelty toward me," as he wept openly on the stand. He went on to say he believed his children "betrayed" him by dating and he did not hide his anger, saying a father would never expect that kind of behavior from this daughters. In taking the stand, Shafia swore to tell the truth on the Quran and he again invoked the holy book to say Islam does not condone killing people to preserve a family's honor. In a direct response to a question from prosecutor Laurie Lacelle, Shafia said, "To kill someone, you can't regain your respect and honor. Respected lady, you should know that. In our religion, a person who kills his wife or daughter, there is nothing more dishonorable. How is it possible that someone would do that to their children, respected lady?" "You might do it," Lacelle calmly replied, "if you thought they were whores." Shafia had used that term in a conversation captured by wiretaps. Investigators played hours of the wiretap recordings in court, alleging many conversations involving the three suspects prove they were plotting murder. In some of the most shocking conversations, Shafia launched into a rant about his daughters' behavior. "I say to myself, 'You did well. Would they come back to life a hundred times, you should so the same again,'" he says. And in another played in court and translated from the Afghan language Dari, he says, "May the devil defecate on their graves! This is what a daughter should be? Would a daughter be such a whore?" Shafia and his lawyers tried to explain that his shocking words are traditional expressions in Dari that should not be translated literally. But the jury also heard from an expert witness on honor murders -- a term CNN is using in the interest of clarity rather than the more common "honor killings" because the latter phrase does not properly describe the alleged crime. That witness, University of Toronto professor Shahrzad Mojab, said that in some families, honor is worth more than life. In an interview with CNN, Mojab said that many times, honor crimes are calculated acts that involve more than one family member. "There is a very important difference between honor killing and violence against women in the form of domestic violence. It is plotted, it is premeditated." Mojab said. "What we need to understand is that the male power and the male desire for the control of the woman's body and the woman's sexuality -- the honor resides in that sort of understanding and the ownership of women's body and sexuality," he said. "So when that is being presented in a way that is not acceptable to the social norm, then the only way the honor can be restored is by purifying that. And the purification is through blood."

NEW: The defendants were sentenced to life in prison following the verdict . Shafia family guilty of Ontario "honor murders" Three sisters and Shafia's first wife were found dead in a car that plunged into a canal . Investigators: Wiretapped conversations reveal a premeditated plan .

(CNN) -- Back in 1971, I was present as top leaders of two political organizations met to negotiate common actions they could take despite their differences. One of those leaders was a woman. Over and over, she raised points for consideration, only to be ignored by both sides. When someone of the other team did agree with a proposal she made, he would wait a few minutes and then say so to one of her male colleagues, as though the suggestion had been his. "As you said, Jerry," or "That's probably the way to go, Sam." No one on her team corrected the misattribution, though they laughed about it afterward. As the woman matter-of-factly explained to me, "He couldn't admit anything we said was right if he also had to admit that it had come from a woman." How far have we come in 40 years? According to a new book on the the Obama administration, many of the president's advisers initially showed similar disregard for women. For the first two years, senior female aides complained that male colleagues ignored them, excluded them from key policy meetings, dismissed their opinions and limited their access to the president. It is clear, however, that we have come a long way. When told of the women's concerns, President Barack Obama convened a dinner with the female staff and took steps to make the atmosphere more inclusive and empowering. Our nation now has three women on the Supreme Court, all of whom out-talk at least one of their male colleagues. And we have a female secretary of state who by all accounts does not get muscled aside by anyone, male or female. Assessing the extent and impact of gender stereotypes is more complex today than it was in the early 1960s. Back then, "head and master" laws gave husbands the final say in most family decisions. Quotas limited the number of women who could be admitted to law or dental school. "Help wanted" ads for men only excluded women from even applying for most highly paid and challenging jobs. And of course, men and women in the same jobs were treated differently in salary and promotions. Women now earn more B.A.'s and M.A.'s than men do, and they have pulled even in Ph.D's. Today, education trumps gender in determining pay, with the result that in most metropolitan regions women in their 20s tend to out-earn men in the same age group because of their greater educational achievement. By contrast, in 1970, a female college graduate who worked full-time year-round earned less than a white male high school graduate. As President Obama's senior staff discovered, gender stereotypes still encourage men to dominate and females to defer, perpetuating women's second-class status in the workforce. Yet these same stereotypes can also penalize males in ways that were not obvious in the past, when male privilege had so many more legal and administrative supports. The mystique of masculinity, for example, encourages many men to view studying hard as "a girl thing." It also leads many to seek work in the unstable, seasonal construction sector or in other "manly" jobs, many of which are concentrated in declining industries, rather than preparing themselves for "traditionally female" jobs in health care, child care, teaching, and social work."Manly" males bully other males who show interest in such work, accusing them of acting "gay" or being "girlie-men." And when men defy these stereotypes to seek such work, they often encounter gender discrimination from employers who believe that a man cannot be as good a nurturer or helper as a woman. But at the top of the educational, economic, and political pyramid -- in what were traditionally "male" kinds of work -- gender stereotypes continue to penalize women. Catalyst, an organization formed in 1962 to help women enter the workplace, titled its 2007 report on the attitudes of more than 1,200 senior executives in the United States and Europe toward female employees: "Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't." According to their report, when women "act assertively, focus on work tasks, display ambition," or engage in other behaviors that receive high praise when done by men, they are perceived as "too tough" and "unfeminine." But when women pay attention to work relationships and express "concern for other people's perspective," they are considered less competent than men. In the television news industry, two-thirds of the news producers, but only 20 percent of the news directors, are female. Men make up more than three-quarters of all workers earning more than $100,000 a year, and only 2 percent of Fortune 500 companies are run by women. Part of this pattern may stem from women's socialization not to put themselves forward too much. Young women are four times less likely than young men to negotiate their first salary, and economists estimate that this unwillingness to assert their own worth as workers ends up costing women $500,000 in earnings by the time they reach 60. But part of the problem is that women's worth is consistently undervalued by others. A March 2010 study by the American Association of University Women found that among postdoctoral applicants, women had to publish three more papers in the most prestigious journals, or 20 more in the less-prestigious ones, to be considered as productive as male applicants. And it remains true that many men are still socialized to put themselves forward too much, and literally cannot hear women who ask for what they want. A wise executive -- in a school, a business, or a nation -- must help his or her team learn to respect all styles of self-presentation and to listen to all views, as Obama evidently did when it was brought to his attention. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Stephanie Coontz.

Stephanie Coontz: In 1971 she watched as a man took credit for a woman's idea at a meeting . She says a book says high-level women in Obama's White House complained of being marginalized . But reports say Obama met with them to fix problem, she says; powerful women are no longer rare . Coontz: Stereotypes still thwart progress; smart bosses step in, as Obama apparently did .

(CNN) -- The cast of the upcoming film "X-Men: Days of Future Past" made a surprise appearance at Comic-Con this afternoon along with director Bryan Singer. The cast members who appeared include those from the original "X-Men" movie franchise and those from 2011's X-Men reboot "X:Men: First Class." Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McEvoy, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Jackman, Evan Peters, Shawn Ashmore and Omar Sy assembled in Hall H to debut footage from the film. Dinklage has been rumored to be playing the villain in the film since photos from the set leaked earlier this summer, but at first the "Game of Thrones" actor wouldn't confirm his role. "I'm playing Mystique," he joked. He later officially confirmed his participation by saying, "I get to play Bolivar Trask." Singer directed 2000's "X-Men" and 2003's "X2," and produced 2009's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." The director set up this new film in the series, which will be released in theaters on May 23, 2014, explaining the character of Wolverine (Jackman) will be the central figure bringing the story together. The upcoming "Wolverine" film out next week will act as a bridge for the character, Jackman said. Another can of "Kick-Ass" "The goal was to try and make a film that would bring this cast together by time travel or time displacement of some kind," Singer said. "Basically, the notion is that consciousness of Wolverine of the future is sent into his past self. And it was nice because Hugh was able to play both parts because the character of Wolverine is ageless. And it was great to be able to place him as a character in both these worlds. For me, it was great to reunite the old cast and get to work as a director with the new cast." Singer also addressed rumors that this new film will rewrite the movie universe he's set up in prior films, specifically changing some of the events from "X2." "Whenever you're going back in time -- and this is every bit as much a time travel movie as it is an X-Men movie -- there is those risks," Singer said. "I'm not the audience, I'm just the filmmaker, but I do believe in certain continuity that we'll maintain and some things we'll change. When you go back and mess about, things happen. So some of those rumors are probably somewhat true." Superman vs. Batman, friends or foes? There will be some interaction between the older and younger versions of the characters, according to Singer. The director screened a reel of film footage that included a teaser of that. "Wolverine is the journeyman," Singer said. "His interaction with the younger cast is primary. There is a moment, which you'll see in this reel, where these characters come face to face, older self with younger self. And we tried to do it in a unique way. It's been done before, but with my first opportunity to make a time travel film I want to create this set of rules and stay with them." One of the big surprises is that Professor Charles Xavier (Stewart) is still alive after the events of 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand." In that film, the character of Jean Grey killed Xavier -- mostly. Metallica promotes new film . "My assumption was that it was going to be Ian and Halle and Hugh and everybody back, but it won't be me," Stewart said. "But something happened, which I'm not allowed to talk about -- am I?" In my own mind I understand how Xavier is alive at the end of 'X-Men 3,'" Singer responded. "At the end of 'X-Men 3' after the credits when his consciousness is inside of this woman in a hospital and you take that and mix it with some powerful mutants -- mutants can do a lot of cool stuff -- you can imagine that anything is possible." The film takes place during several time periods, including the 1970s, which allowed for some interesting costume choices beyond the X-Men suits. "I personally love the moments when I get to wear the '70s clothes," said Lawrence, who (really) plays Mystique. "I really enjoy them because I love that time and I like wearing clothes when I can. Some of the Mystique stuff, some of the look is a little bit different. We're still using the same paint. When we left the (last) movie, she was mutant and proud. She was kind of struggling with the problem that a lot of normal human people struggle with, which is how they look. So she was very covered up in the first movie, but this time she is mutant and proud." "It's a very collaborative thing," Fassbender added. "That's a thing that I've found as a whole: The clothes we wear, the Magneto outfit, being on set." "The best thing about playing the older Magneto this time -- no helmet," McKellen said, telling Fassbender, "We'll talk about helmets later." The cast members also discussed their ongoing friendships. One of the benefits of the film was bringing the original cast members back together and for Berry, who plays Storm, this film was a chance to reunite with old friends. "We all love the films, but what's nice for me is that in the first movie we all became such good friends," Berry said. "And we really like each other and we like being around each other so to have a chance to do the work and hang out with the people we really respect, admire and like to be around is the joy of coming back to do these movies. The beauty is we pick up as if we just saw each other yesterday. I was really happy to see everybody and meet the new cast."

The full cast of X-Men reunited at Comic-Con . They discussed details of the upcoming 'Days of Future Past' Peter Dinklage announced he will play Bolivar Trask . The film finds the characters time traveling .

(CNN) -- Gosh, you guys really hate selfie. And we see the hate runs so deep you don't mean just the images, you mean the word itself. Each year, the overseers of the overwrought phrase usage at Lake Superior State University in Michigan ask the public to send in nominations of words or terms that drive them crazy. Their Department of Words to Be Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness gets thousands of submissions and then it narrows the list to 13. Because that's what we need at the end of the year, a top 10+ list of something! A quick and totally unscientific search of CNN.com in 2013 reveals three dozen references to selfie, which includes stories about President Obama's selfie controversy, selfies taken at funerals, selfie tips and the fact that some organization called the Oxford Dictionaries had the nerve to name selfie the global word of the year. And selfie only just became an honest-to-goodness real word. We may not be able to keep people from posting them online, but we can try to get them to use another word. "A self-snapped picture need not have a name all its own beyond 'photograph.' It may only be a matter of time before photos of one's self and a friend will become 'dualies,'" wrote nominators Lawrence of Coventry, Connecticut, and Ryan of North Andover, Massachusetts. Another critic said the term is full of self-importance. "Myselfie disparages the word because it's too selfie-serving," wrote Lisa of New York City. "But enough about me, how about yourselfie?" But the battle between the Lake Superior State folks and the Oxford crew doesn't end there. The award-winning "twerk" also gets the thumbs down from the 39th edition of the banishment list. What is twerking? I'm not sure I can accurately capture it in words, so watch this, but quickly. Lisa from New York City comes back strong again. "I twitch when I hear twerk, for to twerk proves one is a jerk -- or is at least twitching like a jerk. Twerking has brought us to a new low in our lexicon," she wrote. Some of the phrases were a bit surprising to some of us, but if you insist, I guess it's time to retire Mister Mom and T-bone, the verb, as in one car T-boned the other. "While the accident's layout does, indeed, resemble its namesake cut of beef, we'd prefer to dispense with the collateral imagery and enjoy a great steak," the barons of overused phrases wrote. As for Mr. Mom, well, that movie came out 30 years ago (kids, it's hilarious), and the idea of a man staying home while a wife works is not so novel any more. "I am a stay-at-home dad/parent. And if you call me 'Mr. Mom,' I will punch you in the throat," said Zachary of East Providence, Rhode Island. We agree, the guy in the movie was a bit clueless about how to care for the little ones and the house. We went over to the Twittersphere to see the reaction to the call for the end of "Twittersphere." Apparently many people missed the memo on that (I can use that -- missed the memo hasn't made the complete list yet). Another Internet word to make the 2013 list was the written out or spoken hashtag. The symbol # is fine, apparently. Or maybe not. Read the previous "banished" words list . "Typed on sites that use them, that's one thing. When verbally spoken, hashtag-itgetsoldquickly. So, hashtag-knockitoff," typed Kuahmel of Gardena, California. But Jen from Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, thinks: "It's #obnoxious #ridiculous #annoying and I wish it would disappear." We concur, Jen. #soundslikeagoodidea #notgoingtohappenanytimesoon . Sports fans contributed two words -- "adversity" and "fan base." Facebook user Tim Wilcox had an even better idea, getting rid of "Nation" after every team's nickname to describe their fans base. And adversity? In a sporting event? It means "a state, condition, or instance of serious or continued difficulty or adverse fortune," according to Merriam-Webster. "Facing adversity is working 50 hours a week and still struggling to feed your kids. Facing third and fifteen without your best receiver with tens of millions in the bank, is not," Kyle of White Lake, Michigan, wrote. Another phrase that likely got its start in sports but leaked into other usage and needs to go is "_______ on steroids". For instance, it's like a fast food restaurant on steroids. Wow, it must be, um, great. There were a few huge crises on the planet in 2013 but it's still here. So the use of "-ageddon" and "-pocalypse" got old quickly. We say there will be no Snowmageddon 2014. And we pray there is no a global shortage of pork products as the world must avoid using Baconpocalypse, or worse, Aporkcalypse. The list also included two terms associated with politics, or at least with Washington. Intellectually/Morally Bankrupt was one. Cal of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, wondered: "Are there intellectual creditors?" And the other was Obamacare, which appears in the media approximately every 3.2 seconds. However, that is easier to fit in a headline or ticker than "Affordable Care Act." Just sayin' (Also not banned -- yet). Which words would you be happy to never, ever hear again? Let us know in the comments.

Selfies are loathed by many social media users, and the word is, too . University in Michigan takes submissions for words that should be banned . This is the 39th year for the list, which also includes twerk, Twittersphere this year . Obamacare makes the list for its incredibly frequent use in the media .

(CNN) -- When out on the playground, there arose such a clatter -- because little Tommy told all his classmates there was no such thing as Santa Claus. It's an uncomfortable scenario both the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny know all too well, and has the potential to leave parents caught like reindeer in headlights. It typically involves distraught kids cornering their parents after school with widened eyes, blurting out: "Tommy told me there isn't a Santa Claus!" (or Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Babbo Natale, respectively). Heather Barranco knows the awkward affair all too well; her own child recently told a number of the kids in kindergarten that Santa didn't exist. For spiritual reasons, Barranco's family forgoes the Santa tradition. "One parent, whom I was friendly with, told me that her daughter was not allowed to play with my daughter anymore," says Barranco. "She questioned my parenting skills and said in a very angry voice, 'I do not know what you are teaching your children in your house. But, we believe in Santa and fairies. Your daughter took away something very special from my family.'" Barranco, a Catholic school teacher, has since advised her children not to "out" the jolly bearded man; to let others believe if they're so inclined. "Note that the kid is not trying to be mean, but just ahead of the others in development of this concept," says Tina Feigal, parenting coach, former school psychologist and author of "The Pocket Coach for Parents." "Kids talk about what's going on inside, which is natural for them," Feigal said. "No blame is needed." When the situation arises, it is up to each individual parent to decide the best way to answer the question, says Fran Walfish, child and family psychotherapist and author of "The Self-Aware Parent." While the ages of belief vary greatly from individual to individual, Walfish says children under the age of 7 years old -- as evidenced in Barranco's kindergarten class -- are likely to believe what their parents tell them. Between second and fourth grade is the peak of what Walfish refers to as the latency phase of child development, and is also the period during which parents can expect the question. (Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon, who wrote the famous letter to the editor of New York's Sun in 1891, was right on schedule.) "The goal of adolescence is to resolve one's separation from parents and emerge embracing his/her own ideas, opinions, and beliefs," says Walfish. During this phase, parents can expect to see a spike in doubt: whether it's the child insisting to go to the post office to hand-deliver his or her letter to the North Pole; staying up late to guard the fireplace; comparing handwritten gift tags with Dad's chicken scratches to even questioning the logistics of the sleigh travel. For the last, former math teacher Benjamin John Coleman urged his students to think about the four dimensions of length, area, volume and time. "We're able to easily manipulate length, area and volume. For length, think about cutting a piece of string; for area, think about cutting out a square from a piece of paper; and for volume, think about filling a water balloon. The problem is we humans can't manipulate time like we can length, area and volume." "But what if Santa Claus could?" he asks. "He could make Christmas Eve 100, 1,000, or even 1,000,000 hours long -- just like we can cut a piece of string to any length. He'd have plenty of time to deliver all those presents." Wary children can follow Santa's journey around the world by satellite on Christmas Eve, thanks to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which started its holiday tradition in 1955. NORAD, like Coleman, also suggests that "the only logical conclusion is that Santa somehow functions within his own time-space continuum." Tracking or not, ultimately any curiosity about the folklore is an opportunity to teach children about the importance of finding their own voice and truths in the world, says Paul Hokemeyer, a marriage and family therapist. "Explain to them that the world is a diverse and large place where people hold different views on the same topic," he says. "And further explain that what's important is to believe in what feels true at a particular moment in time and to hold on to it for however long as it feels honest and true." Feigal also advocates letting your child come to his or her own conclusions, and that questioning things is a healthy sign of maturity. "Adults need to take more of a 'curious stance' than a 'fixing stance' with this issue. Ask questions, and don't be so quick to 'make it all better' for your child," recommends Feigal. "Superman is a symbol of generosity, too, and we all 'believe in' him. If Santa is in your heart, he's real." And as confusing as it may be for the child who still believes, it's also confusing for the kids who know the truth, such as older siblings, says Walfish. Being told not to tell a younger brother or sister can be a burden for the elder secret-holder, so Walfish recommends advising them to reflect instead. "Say, 'As you get older your ideas and belief may change. When we're younger, it's fun to believe in Santa Claus." Most importantly for parents, 'tis not the season to feel guilty about the Santa tradition -- should they choose to participate -- when the folklore is let out of the sleigh bag. "Moms and dads need to relax and cut themselves some slack," she says. "You are not changing the truth for personal gain or deceit. Santa is part of our folklore. The celebration of Christmas has included Santa Claus for almost all young children. You are passing down the folklore, keeping up the tradition and allowing your child to fully enjoy the magic."

What should a parent do when children corner them, asking about Santa? Children younger than 7 are likely to believe what their parents tell them . One answer: A lot of people believe different things about Santa .

(CNN) -- We're barely 60 miles southeast of the home of China's latest sports phenomenon, but as kickoff approaches the atmosphere in Hong Kong is, in contrast to European Champions League nights, muted at best. The city's fans, it seems, don't always have the stomach for 3.30 a.m. kickoffs. A mere border may separate Hong Kong from Guangdong and its flagship sports franchise, Guangzhou Evergrande FC, but the city sleeps, unaware, or uncaring, that the team from the neighboring province is playing the game of their lives. This team, which was languishing in China's second division when property magnate Xu Jiayin bought it in 2010, has just played current European champions Bayern Munich at the Stade d'Agadir in Morocco. There is no feeling of ownership here of the team that has surprised everyone, and captured a historic trophy in the process, as Hong Kong fans struggle to even find the FIFA Club World Cup on their dials. The fiscal situation of this Southern Chinese team is not dissimilar to that at, say, Chelsea or Manchester City, both title hopefuls in England's overwhelmingly popular Premier League, or Ligue 1's Paris Saint Germain, who have similarly benefited enormously from the largesse of well-to-do owners. All three have designs on Europe's biggest prize, the Champions League. Chinese domestic football can't hope to match the popularity of English or Spanish football here in Hong Kong, but even so there's been little sense of occasion tonight. If anyone was capturing hearts and minds it would have been the Bayern players, with an assured victory over the newly wealthy Chinese, with three rapid-fire goals around the half-time whistle sealing victory in a game in which Guangzhou failed to score. The result was never really in doubt -- the question was rather the severity of the mauling, but just to be on the same pitch in a competitive match, albeit as underdogs, is enough for many Mainland fans. After all, Bayern are the team of wunder-coach Pep Guardiola, formerly of storied serial winners FC Barcelona, along with players such as midfield maestro Philip Lahm and Ballon d'Or hopeful Franck Ribery. While it might have been hard to tell in Hong Kong, it has been arguably the biggest night of Guangzhou Evergrande's short existence, eclipsing even the AFC Champion's League victory over FC Seoul on away goals in October, a victory orchestrated by Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning coach Marcelo Lippi. China's last success on the Asian stage came over two decades earlier -- before some of the players on the pitch were even born -- when Liaoning triumphed in the now-defunct Asian Club Championship. Xu, who runs property developer Evergrande Real Estate Group and is reportedly China's 13th richest man, energized Chinese football when his team lifted the AFC Champions League trophy in October. And while it is nigh-on impossible to break the hegemony of the European leagues' popularity in Asia, beating the best of Korea, Japan and Iran -- who supplied the other representatives of the semi-finals -- proved that China could compete with the best, regionally at least, and brought them to the world's attention last night. The Chinese team beat African champions Al Ahly in Saturday's quarter final to set up the semifinal clash with Bayern, whose form under Guardiola has been frighteningly good. While aspirations of beating this stellar team may be beyond the Chinese arrivistes at present, their last match showed promise. With success comes profile, and with profile, fans. "I'm not a fan yet, just interested," Louis Tong says by email the day before the match. This Hong Kong-based Manchester United fan said he was planning on getting up -- or staying up -- to watch the match. "It makes me proud to see a Chinese team playing at this level, and if they win I'll think about starting to go up to watch their games in Guangzhou." Prizing the loyalty of already-declared fans like Tong away from their European teams might be a hard sell for an outfit that routinely plies its trade week-in, week-out in the parochial confines of the Chinese Super League, but the team's run of form has started to win them new admirers, like 19-year-old Yue Xu, who comes from Guangzhou but studying in Rennes, in France. "I am not a real fan,'" she says, also by email. "However. maybe later I'll be more interested [in the team]... [the club's] success attracts me to become a fan of it. "Xu Jiayin is starting a long-term project -- he is setting up football schools and recruiting the best coaches." Ahead of the game, she remains coy about predicting the result, but with an admirable optimism says, "I believe that my team, our Chinese team will make a miracle." But not everyone in China is convinced. Gong Lei, President of China Fanclub des FC Bayern München in Beijing, tells CNN that he's happy that Bayern played a Chinese team. "On one hand it's my favorite team, and on the other it's a team from my country," he says via a translator. "It's not that much of a test of my loyalty. I pay much more attention to Bayern's games and even though Guangzhou is a Chinese team I don't follow them so closely. "I hope that at some point in the future a Chinese team will be able to rival a European team but for the present there's still quite a gap in the skill level. But this is a good start, and for Chinese teams to play European teams more often is a good learning opportunity."

Hong Kong slumbers through the Asian Champions' crunch match against Bayern Munich . Bayern wins the game 3-0, but Guangzhou fans delight in being on the same pitch as Bayern . The Chinese team beat African champions Al Ahly to set up the semifinal clash with Bayern . Newly wealthy Guangzhou is making new fans across China .

(CNN) -- Prison-issued toilet paper is what musician William Michael Dillon used to write down most of his songs, including "Black Robes and Lawyers," which has just been released on iTunes. "I was arrested for murder on August 26, 1981, for a crime I didn't commit," Dillon tells his audience as he starts strumming his guitar. "I was released on November 18, 2008. Thank you to the keepers of justice." According to Dillon, justice prevailed when he was released from prison after 27 years. He is now on the Innocence Project of Florida's list of 13 prisoners exonerated by DNA evidence. It was Dillon's life story and not his music that moved Grammy Award winning music producer Jim Tullio to invite Dillon to his Chicago studio to record the songs he wrote in prison. "I was just blown away by this story," says Tullio, who learned about Dillon's wrongful incarceration and his dream to record an album. "I just thought it was an injustice and I thought this guy deserves a break," recalls Tullio, adding that he did something he never does and reached out to Dillon. "I said whatever you bring me I am sure I can help you make it better," Tullio remembers telling Dillon during their first conversation. Not caring if he had any real talent, Tullio arranged for Dillon to spend a couple of weeks in the studio. Tullio expected to make a CD for Dillon to play while he was riding around in his truck. "I did this because I was compelled," says Tullio, "but when he came and I heard him sing I was just knocked out." Tullio says he quickly realized that Dillon's life story might attract an audience, but his voice would turn them into fans. During those recording sessions, the talk often turned to Dillon's fight, not only for his freedom but also his continuing battle for compensation. It was August 17, 1981, when James Dvorak was found murdered on a Florida beach. The beach was in an area Dillon frequented. The police questioned Dillon about the murder and eventually investigators charged him for Dvorak's death. The 27 years Dillon spent behind bars tested his will to survive. "I contemplated suicide many, many times." He says that 12 years into his life sentence, he decided to let go of the anger. It was difficult for a man who eventually learned he would be paroled in 2043, when he would be in his 80s. While in prison at Avon Park Correctional facility, Dillon helped develop a music program. He learned to play the guitar and sang with fellow inmates in a band. Music was a main focus of Dillon's when in 2006 a law clerk asked him if he had ever had his DNA tested. That test would be the key to his freedom. "In Bill Dillon's case, there was much evidence that pointed away from him having committed this crime," says Seth Miller of the Innocence Project of Florida, the group that helped secure Dillon's release. At the time of his release, Dillon's time behind bars was longer than any other person exonerated in the United States, according to the Innocence Project. Dillon assumed that when he gained his freedom he would be compensated for the time he spent in prison. "If you are releasing me from prison on DNA, for a crime I didn't commit, you should be handing me the money so I could get on with my life," says Dillon. That didn't happen and Dillon has been relying on the kindness of others. Florida has a compensation law that pays $50,000 per year to those who are classified as wrongfully incarcerated. Dillon, like almost all the Innocence Project of Florida's 13 DNA cases, doesn't qualify for the money. In order to receive compensation in Florida, an exonerated person must have "clean hands." This means the person cannot have a felony on record from before they were wrongfully imprisoned. "When I was 19 years old I got caught with a Quaalude and a joint in my pocket with nine college kids coming from a bottle club at 4 o'clock in the morning," says Dillon. Dillon believes that arrest cost him more than $1.3 million from the state. Dillon's efforts to get a claims bill passed through the Florida Legislature have been unsuccessful. Earlier this year, Bram D.E. Canter, Florida Senate Special Master, released his final report to the Senate president. Canter noted that State Attorney Norman Wolfinger wrote a letter stating he did not think DNA testing exonerated Dillon. Canter's final report also makes a reference to Brevard County Sheriff Deputy Thom Fair. Fair worked on the Dillon case. Now retired, the report notes that Fair continues to believe Dillon murdered Dvorak. In his conclusion, Canter notes that his burden of proof is a "preponderance of the evidence" and recommends that Dillon be compensated for his years in prison. The report says, "There is no physical evidence linking Dillon to the victim or the crime scene and Dillon would probably not have been found guilty with the credible evidence available to the prosecutors." As his attorneys continue to try to get his compensation bill passed by both the Florida House and Senate, Dillon continues to make music. He dreams of having the ability to make money with his music. But Dillon says he is realistic about the odds of being able to support himself in the entertainment industry. "I am hoping," says Dillon. "I would love it but I just don't know." What Dillon does know is that his first album is slated for release this summer and he is already thinking about what he is going to write about in his next musical endeavor. "I want to put the soul and feeling I have into songs of everyday life," says Dillon. "I see the world with baby eyes. I don't see the world like you see the world because I just started living in it."

William Michael Dillon is free of a murder conviction after DNA evidence . Grammy-winning producer helps him record songs he wrote in prison . Dillon also hopes state of Florida will pay him for wrongful incarceration .

(CNN) -- The Standard & Poor's rating agency announced Friday that it has downgraded the U.S. credit rating to AA+ from its top rank of AAA. "The downgrade reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan that Congress and the administration recently agreed to falls short of what, in our view, would be necessary to stabilize the government's medium-term debt dynamics," the agency said about the move, which was announced after the markets had closed. Rating agencies -- S&P, Moody's and Fitch -- analyze risk and give debt a grade that is supposed to reflect the borrower's ability to repay its loans. The safest bets are stamped AAA. That's where U.S. debt has stood for years. Moody's first assigned the United States a AAA rating in 1917. Fitch and Moody's, the other two main credit ratings agencies, maintained the AAA rating for the United States after this week's debt deal, though Moody's lowered its outlook on U.S. debt to "negative." A negative outlook indicates the possibility that Moody's could downgrade the country's sovereign credit rating within a year or two. John Chambers, the head of sovereign ratings at S&P, told CNN that the political brinkmanship over the debt ceiling proved to be a key issue, with "the U.S. government getting to the last day before they had cash-management problems." Few governments separate the budget process from the debt-authorization process as the United States does, he noted. And, though the budget deal that finally was reached will deliver at least $2.1 trillion in savings over the next decade, that will not suffice, he said. "It's going to be difficult to get beyond that -- at least in the near term -- and you do need to get beyond that to get to a point where the debt-to-GDP ratio is going to stabilize." Asked who was to blame, Chambers said, "This is a problem that's been a long time in the making -- well over this administration, the prior administration." Congress should shoulder some of the blame, he said. "The first thing it could have done is to have raised the debt celining in a timely manner so that much of this debate had been avoided to begin with, as it had done 60 or 70 times since 1960 without that much debate." Chambers added that his agency's decision is likely to have a long-term impact. "Once you lose your AAA, it doesn't usually bounce back," he said. He pointed to the decision by Congress about whether to extend the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts as one crucial area. "If you let them lapse for the high-income earners, that could give you another $950 billion," he said. U.S. Treasury officials received S&P's analysis Friday afternoon and alerted the agency to an error that inflated U.S. deficits by $2 trillion, said an administration official, who was not authorized to speak for attribution. The agency acknowledged the mistake, but said it was sticking with its decision. The administration official called it "a facts-be-damned decision ... Their analysis was way off, but they wouldn't budge." But Chambers defended his agency's move. "It doesn't make a material difference," he said. "It doesn't change the fact that your debt-to-GDP ratio, under most plausible assumptions, will continue to rise over the next decade." Rumors of a possible downgrade surfaced shortly after Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced in Rome that finance ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized nations may meet "in a few days" to discuss the sagging world economy. The G7 members are Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. The announcement came on a day when financial anxiety gripped the globe. Stock markets worldwide saw intense volatility amid worries of a widening debt crisis in Europe and a stalled economic recovery in the United States. Stock market values fell across Asia and Europe on Friday. American markets were dramatically up and down a day after having their worst day since the 2008 financial crisis. Concerns about debt issues in Europe appeared to battle with optimism that a positive U.S. jobs report indicated the American economy is not headed into a new recession -- the dreaded "double-dip." "The crisis in Europe is quickly becoming on par with the financial crisis of 2008," David Levy, portfolio manager at Kenjol Capital Management, told CNN Money. "The jobs report shows that things aren't getting much worse in the U.S., but the focus is clearly on Europe at this point." The Dow Jones index spiked 170 points in early trading on a better-than-expected jobs report, but then dropped by 200 points in mid-morning trading. It closed Friday up 60.93 points (0.54%). The Nasdaq closed down 23.98 points (0.94%). In London, the FTSE 100 closed off 146 points, or 2.7%, to close the week down nearly 10%. Germany's DAX fell 2.78% to finish the week down nearly 13%. And the French CAC 40 declined 1.26% to finish the week off 10.73%. "We are going to get through this," Obama said prior to the downgrade at the Washington Navy Yard, where he announced a jobs program for veterans. "Things will get better. And we're going to get there together." Obama, who spoke Friday afternoon with France's Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the crisis, noted that July marked the 17th consecutive month of private-sector job growth in the U.S., but said much more work needs to be done. CNN's Ben Brumfield, Laura Smith-Spark, Mariano Castillo, Mike Pearson and Kendra Petersen contributed to this report.

NEW: U.S. credit rating is downgraded to AA+ . G7 finance ministers may meet "in a few days," Berlusconi says . Obama talks with German, French leaders .

Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- A top adviser to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad defended the regime's actions Tuesday, arguing that the government is not attacking peaceful protesters, despite widespread witness reports of a fierce crackdown against displays of dissent. "Security forces are there against armed groups," Bouthaina Shaaban told CNN in an interview, referring to the shadowy entities the regime has consistently said are responsible for the violence sweeping the Arab country since mid-March. "We're not targeting demonstrators. I think peaceful demonstrators have made their point, and they are making their point every day. We have no problem with that." Shaaban said the government would like "to talk to peaceful demonstrators" and is not opposed to peaceful protests. What it wants to do, she said, is "isolate armed militants." She and other Syrian government officials have not provided more detail about the armed groups and their financing. Shaaban said that while demonstrators have "legitimate grievances," there are extremists who are using protests "as a cover to incite sectarian violence in Syria" and are badly hurting the economy. Bloodshed has engulfed Syria ever since demonstrators took to the streets in the southern city of Daraa to protest the arrests of young people for scribbling anti-government graffiti. Witnesses reported a tough crackdown against the demonstrators. That sparked more protests and tough security reactions across the country. The videos and witness accounts filtering out of Syria of the security actions have spurred international outrage toward the regime. Rami Abdelrahman, head of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told CNN Tuesday that 1,342 civilians and 343 security personnel have died since the protests erupted. Shaaban said Tuesday that more than 500 police officers and government troops and police have been killed in the violence, in which "religious extremists" are "directing purposeful assassinations." "They are the ones who are killing children, who are killing women, who are maiming people, who are cutting people into pieces," she said, referring to the "extremists." CNN cannot independently verify the death tolls. However, sources in Turkey and Lebanon can account for the many Syrians who've fled to their countries to escape violence. The Turkish government said Tuesday that 10,757 Syrian refugees have crossed the border. It also said 441 Syrians had returned to Syria voluntarily in the past two days. Security sources in Lebanon told CNN that about 1,000 Syrians have crossed into Lebanon near the town of Hermel. When asked whether the crisis would have been different had security forces not acted violently during the uprising's start in Daraa, Shaaban said she thinks "there are lots of fabrications about the security forces" and that many security forces were ordered not to carry weapons in Daraa. The al-Assad family has ruled Syria since 1971, with Bashar al-Assad taking power after the death of his father Hafez al-Assad in 2000. The government is dominated by the Alawite minority in a country with a majority Sunni Muslim population. Alawites are an offshoot of Shiite Muslims. Last week, Bashar al-Assad held out a promise of reforms and a "national dialogue" in a speech that was met with widespread skepticism. As international and domestic outrage festered, Syria's embattled government allowed a group of activists and intellectuals, including some it had previously jailed, to hold a conference on democratic reform Monday at a Damascus hotel. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Tuesday that the United States was "pleased" to see the Syrian opposition was allowed to protest peacefully and has been given some "breathing space." It was a "step in the right direction, but more needs to be done," Nuland said, adding that "a key element of Syria moving in the right direction will be that this continues to be the case." Louay Hussein, a writer and onetime political prisoner, said "we must change this tyrannical regime to a democratic, civilian one" and explained that "how that transition happens is a question this conference is trying to address." Hussein said the conference would "not necessarily" find an answer to that question, "but that is the big question in this country now." About 200 Syrian dissidents gathered in the hotel ballroom, including several signatories of a 2005 declaration that called for a democratic transition. But some of those who have been risking arrest or bodily harm as al-Assad tries to suppress a wave of anti-government protests said the people in the hotel don't necessarily speak for them. "The big question regarding this conference is, where are the young people?" asked Wissam Tarif, a pro-democracy activist based outside Syria. "Where are the people who are on the streets? Where are the voices of the people who are from Daraa, or from Douma, or from Jisr al-Shugur, or from Idlib? I think those are the voices that have been missed so far." Shaaban acknowledged that those at the conference were not representative of the protesters on the streets. "That's very true. And this is our biggest problem and our biggest challenge," she said. "We are trying our best to reach the leaders of people on the street because we want to solve this problem in our country and move forward." But she said the government wants to be all-inclusive in its reform efforts by inviting all social groups to participate in a dialogue. She argues that the government would not want to undermine that sense of national unity. "No government in the world would kill its own people," she said. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and Elise Labott contributed to this report.

NEW: U.S. is pleased Syria gave the opposition some "breathing space" More than 1,300 civilians have been killed in the unrest, an activist group says . Adviser: Protesters have "legitimate grievances," but there are extremists . The Turkish government says 10,757 Syrians have fled across the border . "We must change this tyrannical regime," a former political prisoner says .

(CNN) -- We just knew they were going to be huge stars, internationally famous, wealthy beyond imagining. It was summer's end, 1965. My buddies and I, along with hundreds of other people, gathered in the parking lot of the Northland shopping mall in Columbus, Ohio, to watch the Battle of the Bands. The bands were all local kids, just like us, and one of those bands -- the Dantes -- had something special going for it. The lead singer, 18-year-old Barry Hayden, possessed the onstage electricity, the lithe movements, the command of each moment, of a Midwestern Mick Jagger. You couldn't take your eyes off him. The band had a terrific, hard-driving new song called "Can't Get Enough of Your Love" (it pre-dated the smooth Barry White tune with similar wording), and the Dantes went to No. 1 with it on the hometown rock station, WCOL. We stood there on the surface of the parking lot and watched them in that summer's waning days, and we felt elevated just to be spending the afternoon in their presence. The Dantes would make two more records -- both of them Rolling Stones covers: "Under My Thumb" and "Connection" -- each of which also went to No. 1 on WCOL. They opened for Jimi Hendrix once at a show at Veterans Memorial auditorium in Columbus. But somehow, despite their talent, nothing happened for the Dantes nationally. Three years later, they disbanded. And Barry Hayden? We didn't know what became of him. As this summer of 2012 was winding down, I was visiting central Ohio and saw that on a Friday night, at a place in the town of Gahanna called the FM All-American Bar and Grill, there was going to be a band called the Professors ("fully tenured rock and roll") playing. No cover charge, no minimum. The lead singer's name was Barry Hayden. So, just before 9 p.m., I walked in the door. I took a seat at the bar as the band was setting up. Barry came over to say hello. He's 65. He said that for the last 16 years he has worked a daytime job at the Ohio Statehouse, arranging guided tours for the public. He's had a number of other jobs, including work at the Honda assembly plant in Marysville, Ohio. "What are you doing here?" he said. "Seeing you," I said. "It's the end of the summer, isn't it?" He grinned, and I told him about watching him sing, 47 summers ago, at the Battle of the Bands at Northland. "You won," I said. "We didn't win," he said. "The Rebounds beat us. But that was a good thing, because it made us work harder. We won the next Battle of the Bands at Valley Dale." We stood there laughing together, and he told me that all of the guys in the Professors do this mainly because they just like it so much. The youngest member of the band is in his mid-50s; most of them work regular jobs during the week and do this on the weekends. There's not a lot of money in it. "I'd do it for free," Barry said. He had been away from music for decades, and he thought he had lost it forever. He was wrong. Three years ago, he formed this group. "Better go play," he said. He, and the Professors, did. They were wonderful, from the tough, insistent first chords. All of the songs were ones made famous by the most renowned bands of their boyhoods: The Animals' "We Gotta Get Out of This Place," the Byrds' "Feel a Whole Lot Better," Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," the Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night," the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night." To look into the faces of Barry and his new bandmates -- Bruce Roberts, Don Groner, Shane Sheaf and Billy Zenn -- was to see men who, far along in their lives, had given themselves, on this night, three hours of gladness. They were giving it to their audience, too. People were up and dancing, singing along. Later Barry would tell me: "It's the one thing in my whole life that has ever made any sense. It's the one thing I'm good at. "It's what I am." He knows, now, that he will never be a rich man. He knows, now, that fame will not be arriving. But he has found this again, after fearing it was gone for good. And he has discovered an essential truth that all of us might do well to keep in mind: . Doing the thing you love -- finding, somehow, a way to do it -- should be mandatory. You shouldn't put it off -- if you wait, if you think you'll get around to it someday, someday may never come. As midnight approached in Gahanna, he was singing lead on the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time": . ". . .this could be the last time, this could be the last time. . . " He asked, into the microphone, how the volume was. From the bar I caught his eye, smiled, and made a little clockwise motion with my thumb and forefinger. I pointed toward the ceiling. Meaning: Up. Louder. He sang: . ". . .may be the last time, I don't know. . . ." None of us knows when that last time -- the last chance to do the thing we were meant to do, the thing that makes us whole -- will come. This is the last full weekend of summer. Next weekend, autumn begins. And opportunities for joy, like summer nights, are fleeting and finite. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene.

Bob Greene: The Dantes were local band which seemed bound for big time . This summer he saw Dantes singer playing with new band, The Professors, in an Ohio bar . Dantes didn't make big time, split up and singer Barry Hayden worked at different jobs . Greene: But Hayden was back performing, doing thing he loved. That should be mandatory .

(CNN) -- Outgoing "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno congratulated his replacement Jimmy Fallon at the start of his opening monologue on Wednesday night, while taking another swipe at the NBC executives that are showing him the door. "I just have one request of Jimmy. We've all fought, kicked and scratched to get this network up to fifth place, okay? Now we have to keep it there." he deadpanned. "Jimmy don't let it slip into sixth. We're counting on you." Leno will wrap up his 22-year run as host in spring 2014, with Jimmy Fallon officially signing on as his replacement. According to a statement from NBC, "As part of the transition, 'The Tonight Show' will be returning to its original home in 30 Rock in New York" from Leno's base of Los Angeles. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo praised the move, saying in a statement "on behalf of all New Yorkers" that he's "pleased to welcome 'The Tonight Show' back to its first home." When it began in 1954, the "original 'Tonight Show' ushered in the modern era of television," Cuomo continued. "It is only fitting that as 'The Tonight Show' returns to our state, it will be headlined by New York's own native son and resident, Jimmy Fallon." Opinion: How Twitter helped Fallon get Leno's job . The expectation that Leno would leave NBC's legendary late-night program has been building recently, and Fallon's appointment isn't surprising in the least. He's had a swift rise to "Tonight's" chair, having hosted "Late Night" for just four years, but Fallon's transition was treated as such a near certainty that both hosts worked the headlines into their nightly routines. While Fallon initially downplayed the rumors, Leno went after his employer on a regular basis. He's compared NBC executives to snakes, joked about the network's sagging ratings and kidded that the rumored late-night shuffle was like NBC's version of March Madness. Just two days before the big announcement, Fallon and Leno again made light of the reports with a parody of the song "Tonight" from the musical "West Side Story." With Leno's contract set to expire in fall 2014, industry observers said the move was only a matter of time. Leno first exited "Tonight" in 2009 after 17 years as host, passing the torch to Conan O'Brien, who was then the host of "Late Night." Leno was moved to prime time with his own program, "The Jay Leno Show," in the fall of 2009. But when that brought dismal ratings, NBC decided to put Leno back in charge of "Tonight" at the start of 2010, leaving O'Brien without a job. The flame-haired comedian eventually moved to TBS to host his own show, "Conan," in the 11 p.m. hour, but the entire scenario generated ill will toward Leno and NBC. (TBS shares a parent company with CNN.) Yet as the years went on, Leno has proved to be resilient. As NBC's prime-time ratings suffered, Leno's "Tonight Show" was still able to rise above the rest in its time slot. At the end of March, "The Tonight Show" hit a seven-week high in total viewers, with 3.52 million watching. However, NBC was said to be concerned about losing younger viewers to ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, whose "Jimmy Kimmel Live" was moved up to compete with Leno and David Letterman's "Late Show" at the beginning of 2013. "The more time Jimmy Kimmel is in that slot, the more the young audience goes that way, the harder it is for (Fallon) to keep that audience," one source familiar with the network's thought process told The Hollywood Reporter in March. At 62 years old, Leno represents a more traditional form of hosting, as he's known for his "Las Vegas-style comedy," said the New York Times. Fallon, 38, regularly incorporates the Web and social media into his act, offering "a more contemporary and varied brand of entertainment," the Times said. This changing of the guard is one of the most closely watched exercises in pop culture, especially as it takes place at one of TV's mainstay productions. Even with its decline in ratings over the years, it remains a solid profit center for NBC, making between $25 million and $40 million for the network, according to The New York Times. Although it's been on the air for almost 60 years, "The Tonight Show" has had just a handful of regular hosts: Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Leno and O'Brien. "The Tonight Show" isn't what it was during the long tenure of Carson, who hosted the show from 1962 until 1992. In those three-network times, Carson dominated late-night TV like nobody before or since. He dominated the ratings and routinely sat down challengers like so many duck targets at a carnival shooting gallery. Joey Bishop, Dick Cavett, Joan Rivers, Pat Sajak -- they all tried to dethrone the king, and they all came up short. Carson sat behind "Tonight's" desk for 30 years before passing the torch to Leno, and "Johnny" is still the model against whom all are measured. Interestingly enough, "Late Night" producer Lorne Michaels, who's now executive producer of "The Tonight Show," has called Fallon "the closest thing" this generation has to Carson. It appears it's now time for Fallon to show and prove.

Jay Leno announced Wednesday that he's leaving 'Tonight' Jimmy Fallon will replace him in spring 2014 . Leno first left the show in 2009 but returned after his new show failed . The new "Tonight Show" will also return to New York .

Washington (CNN) -- A compromise bill to provide free medical treatment and compensation to first responders of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack won final approval Wednesday from the House and Senate, sending it to President Barack Obama to be signed into law. The bill passed on a voice vote in the Senate, and then on a 206-60 vote in the House on the final day of the lame-duck session of Congress. Jubilant Democrats hailed the last-minute approval as a $4.2 billion triumph for firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel who put themselves in harm's way to help others in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attack. Even though the vote was kept open for more than an hour, 168 House members did not participate. Missing were 89 Republicans, including incoming Speaker John Boehner, and 79 Democrats. Still, there was a quorum -- a simple majority of 435 House members -- to vote on the bill. Many House members also were absent Tuesday. Some likely went home for the holidays after the earlier funding votes, while others were members who are retiring or lost re-election bids. The vote was the last by the House for the year, as it later adjourned until January 5, when a new Congress will be sworn in and Boehner takes the speaker's gavel. Outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who presided over the chamber for the conclusion of Wednesday's vote, said the discussion was "about holy and sacred ground." New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who acknowledged that approval of the bill was in doubt until a few hours before the vote, called it a "great day" for the nation -- and especially for first responders sickened by exposure to toxic pollution from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, because now they know their country will take care of them. In New York, outgoing Democratic Gov. David Paterson said the bill "will provide much-needed funds for medical treatment to the rescue workers and residents of New York City who suffered illnesses from breathing in toxic fumes, dust and smoke from ground zero." He said it also reopens the victims' compensation fund for rescue workers who were hurt as a result of the attacks. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the Senate's approval of the bill "affirms our nation's commitment to protecting those who protect us all," and some of those first responders also welcomed the development but questioned why it took so long. Kenny Specht, a former New York firefighter suffering from thyroid cancer, described his first exposure to Washington politics as a "baptism by fire." "It was a lot of time and a lot of effort and it's a little disappointing to see something like this only now receive the bipartisan support that it should have received from the beginning," Specht said. Negotiations Wednesday morning involving Schumer and fellow Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York with Republican Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Mike Enzi of Wyoming led to a deal that reduced the cost of the bill by $2 billion and made other changes sought by GOP opponents, according to statements by the participants. "The Christmas Miracle we've been looking for has arrived," said a statement issued by Schumer and Gillibrand, adding: "We are pleased to announce that we crafted an agreement that will allow this legislation to pass the Senate, and the House, this afternoon. We thank our Republican friends for coming together to fulfill America's moral obligation to the heroes of 9/11." Coburn, a conservative who led the opposition to the bill, said the agreement produced a better piece of legislation. "Every American recognizes the heroism of the 9/11 first responders, but it is not compassionate to help one group while robbing future generations of opportunity," said Coburn, who had demanded that the cost of the bill be lowered and fully paid for. "I'm pleased this agreement strikes a fair balance and improves the bill the majority attempted to rush through at the last minute." According to Coburn, the agreement reduces the overall cost of the bill by $2 billion to a total of $4.2 billion over a 10-year period. His statement said that $1.5 billion of the cost goes for health benefits and $2.7 billion will pay for compensation for health problems of emergency responders. The agreement also caps attorneys' fees at 10 percent of any total compensation award, and includes potential limits on compensation for individuals who already have received workers compensation for injuries due to the 9/11 response, the Coburn statement said. Democrats previously agreed to pay for the bill with fees collected on various services involving foreign countries and foreign visitors. On Tuesday, Schumer said it appeared the bill would come up for a Senate vote once lawmakers voted on New START, a nuclear arms control pact with Russia that is one of Obama's top foreign policy priorities. Both votes occurred Wednesday afternoon. The James Zadroga 9/11 Health Bill is named after a deceased New York Police Department detective who had worked in the toxic plume at ground zero. The House earlier passed the previous version of the bill on a mostly partisan 268-160 vote. According to the bill's supporters, it is funded by a procurement fee on some foreign countries that trade with the United States, the continuation of a fee on some travelers to the United States and a fee on visas for some companies. The version being negotiated by the senators Wednesday drops some of those funding sources. On Tuesday, a group of 9/11 first responders joined lawmakers in Washington to urge the Senate to pass the health care bill. "We continue to see our friends die on a day-to-day basis," said Glen Klein, a New York police officer who said he is sick with lung disease. "We're asking for the right to live." In the years following the attacks, health experts have noted respiratory and mental health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, in those who engaged in ground zero rescue and cleanup efforts. CNN's Tom Cohen, Deidre Walsh and Jesse Solomon contributed to this report.

NEW: 168 members of the House did not vote . The House passes the bill, sending it to President Obama . Sen. Charles Schumer hails passage as a "great day" for America . The bill provides free treatment for health issues from working at ground zero .

(CNN) -- The date, in that long-gone American spring, was the same as today's: May 19. The year was 1780. The event is mostly forgotten, lost to the mists of history. Many people -- probably most people -- have never heard about it. And the question, on this anniversary of that Day of Darkness, is: . In our constantly connected world, a world in which we are always in touch, always seemingly in the know, could the kind of fear that all but paralyzed the young nation that day still happen? On that day in 1780, at around noon, much of New England -- meaning much of the new America -- went black. At midday, it was midnight. This was not an electrical blackout, of course; homes and businesses did not have electricity in those years, and were illuminated by lanterns and candles. Rather, the sky turned a deep, complete and unrelenting black, erasing the sun. It was not an eclipse. It was not a thunderstorm. Imagine, in the middle of a day in May, every bit of light suddenly and inexplicably disappearing from your world. The citizens were terrified. They waited for the darkness to lift. It did not. Minutes began to feel like months. One contemporaneous observer in Massachusetts, Samuel Williams, a professor at Harvard -- the "University at Cambridge," as he identified it -- wrote: . "The birds having sung their evening song disappeared and became silent. . .The fowls retired to roost. ... Objects could not be distinguished but at a very little distance; and every thing bore the appearance and gloom of night." As the daytime hours of blackness wore on, some people, according to historical accounts, began to think that there might never be light again. There was widespread supposition that Judgment Day may have come. In the Connecticut legislature, Abraham Davenport rose to vigorously oppose his colleagues' wish to adjourn: . "I am against adjournment. The day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty." The blackness would last for the rest of the afternoon, past twilight and into full night. The next day, the sun would return. People hurried to churches to offer prayers of thanksgiving. Centuries later, scientists would surmise that the Day of Darkness -- widely known as New Engand's Dark Day --- was the result of massive wildfires burning in the forests of Canada. Researchers from the University of Missouri postulated that the smoke from the fires was so thick and so deep in hue, so voluminous, that when, agonizingly slowly, it drifted over New England, it gave the illusion that the sun had died. Today some people may scoff at what might seem like gullibility on the part of those early Americans. But bear in mind that there were no telephones; there was no radio or television; there was no telegraph. People often lived far away from their nearest neighbor. They knew little of what, at a given moment, was happening outside the patch of land where they resided. The one thing a person could always count on -- that the sun would come up in the morning and stay up until evening -- suddenly could not be counted on at all. The Revolutionary War was still being fought. Those 13 British colonies on a sliver of the East Coast were the forerunners of what would become the 50 United States. So the citizens, many feeling completely isolated on the eastern edge of a continent that remained largely unexplored, might be excused for fearing the worst. The poet John Greenleaf Whittier would write of that day: . "Over the fresh earth and the heaven of noon, . A horror of great darkness, like the night . In day of which the Norland sagas tell, . The Twilight of the Gods. The low-hung sky . Was black with ominous clouds, save where its rim . Was fringed with a dull glow, like that which climbs . The crater's sides from the red hell below. Birds ceased to sing, and all the barn-yard fowls . Roosted; the cattle at the pasture bars . Lowed, and looked homeward; bats on leathern wings . Flitted abroad; the sounds of labor died; . Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp . To hear the doom-blast of the trumpet shatter. . . ." So it was on May 19, 1780. On May 19, 2013, with all of our vaunted communication abilities -- 24-hour television news, universal cellphones, Twitter, Facebook, the all-but-countless ways to stay in touch -- would such an event merit merely a shrug? Would we figure out within minutes what was transpiring, and why, and would we wait patiently for the sun to reappear? Perhaps. But consider what happens when the power goes out -- when, without warning, we lose artificial light. Consider the confusion and anger and uncertainty that often commences. Would we really be calm and unconcerned if, just as suddenly, real light -- the sun's light -- without notice went away? Or would our cherished communications tools spread rumors of conspiracies and attacks and impending doom? Would those tools create panic instead of prevent it? Whittier, in his poem, wrote of the cessation of the day of darkness: . "And, shore-ward, o'er the waters gleamed, . From crest to crest, a line of light, . Such as of old, with solemn awe, . The fishers by Gennesaret saw. . . ." Fear of the dark; love of the light. Some things change as the years pass. Others, we are from time to time reminded, remain eternal. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene.

On May 19, 1780, the skies over New England inexplicably turned black . The day was pitch-black; people panicked, prayed, thought it was the Day of Judgment . Researchers believe that massive forest fires in Canada contributed . Bob Greene asks: Would people today, knowing the cause, be as frightened?

LONDON, England (CNN) -- The worst snowstorm to hit Britain in 18 years forced the cancellation of more than 650 flights at London's Heathrow airport Monday and shut down the city's bus network, partially paralyzing the British capital. A group of men push a giant snowball across Kensington Gardens, west London Monday. Heathrow, one of the busiest transport hubs in the world, closed both its runways for more than two hours Monday morning and operated with just one for the rest of the morning, according to BAA, the company which runs it. London City airport is also closed, while the British capital's other two airports, Stansted and Gatwick, were operating with severe delays, BAA said. British Airways canceled all flights out of Heathrow until 5 p.m. except for Edinburgh and Lisbon routes. Send your iReport videos, stories . One of the city's largest cab companies was in such high demand it stopped taking cash and credit card bookings, serving only customers with accounts, it said. Dial-a-Cab, which has a fleet of over 2,500 vehicles, served mainly blue-chip companies trying to get employees into work, said Keith Cain a Control Room manager for the company. Customers waited up to an hour and a half for a cab early in the morning, he said. See gallery of UK under snow » . Jochen Jaeger, 36, found himself stranded at Heathrow, unable to fly home to Zurich or to get back into the apartment he rented in London. "I will stay here at the airport," he told CNN. "There is no other option. I may have to spend the night here." American businessman Ken Plunkett, 60, from St. Paul, Minnesota, was trying to fly out from Heathrow Airport but found himself caught in the weather chaos. "I know England does not have the infrastructure to remove snow like we do in Minnesota," he said. Watch passenger stranded by snow » . Jenny Leslie, a shop worker at Heathrow's Terminal 2, said it was so quiet at the airport "you can hear a pin drop." Southampton Airport, southwest of London, was also closed for several hours Monday morning, but re-opened by 1200 GMT. But many people in the city were delighted by the unusual weather. "Londoners of all ages are childishly happy to be making snowmen and having snowball fights. Bankers of all ages are throwing snowballs in the middle of the residential streets," Monica Majumdar told CNN in an iReport. She lived in New York before moving to London four years ago, and was surprised by how little snow it took to bring the British capital to a standstill. "I have seen snow like this. But somehow, it's more beautiful here. It's partly due to the fact that even Londoners are amazed by the snow -- so there is a general air of surrealism," she said via e-mail. " I do feel like I'm in a Christmas snowglobe, with all the iconic London monuments blanketed by the powdered snow." London's famous red buses were pulled off the roads on Sunday night as the snow got deeper. It was the first time "in living memory" that all city bus service had been suspended, including when London was being bombed during World War II, a spokesman for the city's transit agency, Transport for London, said. "Bus services were suspended throughout London last night on the grounds of passenger safety due to the unsafe road conditions resulting in a large number of traffic incidents across London," the agency said in a statement Monday morning. Watch London grind to a halt » . About six million people ride London buses each day, said the spokesman, who asked not to be named. Some bus service had been restored by lunchtime on Monday. London Mayor Boris Johnson suspended the £8 ($11.30) daily congestion charge drivers normally pay to enter central London, the city transport authority said. Some bus service had been restored by lunchtime on Monday. The city's subway system was also experiencing severe delays, leaving normally bustling central London something of a ghost town. On a regular weekday, London's transit system handles more than three million passenger journeys. The Federation of Small Businesses estimated that at least one in five workers nationwide -- about 6.4 million employees -- failed to make it into work Monday morning. But the figure was estimated to be far higher -- around two in five -- in London and southeast England, which is home to around a fifth of all British businesses. Monday's disruptions are likely to cost businesses £1.2 billion ($1.7 billion), FSB spokesman Stephen Alambritis told CNN. Britain's national weather service, the Met Office, issued severe weather warnings for all of England and much of Scotland and Wales for both Monday and Tuesday. It reported 20cm of snow in Balham, south London, and 15cm at Canary Wharf in east London. The last time such widespread snowfall affected Britain was in February 1991, the Met Office said. Watch iReport on snowy Stonehenge. The snow meant a break from school for the region's children as classes gave way to snowball fights. In the southern English seaside resort of Brighton there was a carnival atmosphere as dozens of people who were unable to get to work threw snowballs and built snowmen on the beach. Mother-of-three Fiona Robbins, 45, added: "Everyone is very excited to be able to show their children proper snow for the first time." Tuesday's forecast is expected to bring some relief, with the snow expected to stop and temperatures to rise above freezing. Two climbers were found dead Monday morning on Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales, after being reported missing Sunday night, North Wales Police said. It was not clear if their deaths were related to the storm. CNN Business Assignment Editor Alysen Miller, Laura Perez Maestro, Simon Hooper and Olivia Feld in London contributed to this report.

UK business spokesman: Disruptions would likely cost $1.7 billion . Meteorologists said snow is worst in southeastern England in 18 years . Major international airports including Heathrow, Gatwick badly affected . UK weather service issues severe weather warnings for Monday, Tuesday .

Hong Kong (CNN) -- With a long red AIDS ribbon pinned to his chest, Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang warned of the grave situation of HIV/AIDS in China, calling it "not only a medical issue but also a social challenge." On the week of World AIDS Day, the man expected to replace Wen Jiabao as premier next year, publicly acknowledged the nation's challenges with the epidemic. The disease shows no sign of abating in the world's most populous country. AIDS related-deaths have increased by 8.6 percent to 17,740 deaths, compared with the previous year, according to the country's health figures. And 68,802 new HIV/AIDS cases were reported this year up to October, according to Chinese state media. But some HIV/AIDS advocates say the number of cases is underestimated, in part because many people who have HIV/AIDS may never have been tested to know their status. CDC: Half of young people with HIV don't know it . China has grappled with a checkered HIV history that includes a contaminated blood scandal in a central province and, in years past, denying that AIDS was a problem in the country. But recently, China's elite has appeared to champion HIV/AIDS causes. Peng Liyuan, the wife of China's presumptive next president, Xi Jinping is the World Health Organization's Goodwill Ambassador for Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Li, who also heads a commission on the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, met with health activists on Monday and vowed action. "Li is very friendly and decisive," said Li Hu, director of HaiHeZhiXing AIDS Volunteer Group, who met with the leader. "There are hopes that we can do a better job with leader's help." In statements published in state-run news media, the vice premier pledged greater support and tax breaks for HIV/AIDS organizations, an expansion of free drug treatment for people with the disease and protection of patients from discrimination at hospitals. But Li's words were of little comfort for a migrant worker who said his family's life was ruined by AIDS. He traveled to Beijing seeking legal redress and spoke to CNN, requesting anonymity due to the sensitive nature of HIV/AIDS issues. Opinion: Creating an AIDS-free generation by starting at home . "I don't feel anything," said the man, about Li's declaration. He came to the capital from Henan province, where Li had served as governor. His wife gave blood in a blood drive sponsored by local officials in the province in 1997. As a student, she had been urged to give blood because it was "an honor," the man said. The couple learned last year during a prenatal screening that she has AIDS and will soon learn if their one-year-old child is HIV-positive. He says the family faces financial hardships, and his wife is unable to work because of health problems. While his wife and child receive free AIDS medication from the government, he estimates spending $6,500 to treat related infections caused by her weakened immune system that are not covered by the program. Their one-year-old baby cannot drink breast milk, due to concerns about HIV infection, he said. Though there's no way to prove that his wife contracted the disease in the blood drives in Henan in the 1990s, he remains convinced and is planning to make his case in Beijing like many others from the province have. In 1998, Li became the governor of Henan, one of the most populous provinces in China, which was also one of the areas most devastated by HIV/AIDS. During his stint, there were criticisms related to an HIV/AIDS outbreak linked to local blood banks. State-run media attributed the disease's spread to "illegal blood sales and contaminated blood transfusions." The central government began tightening controls over the business in the mid-1990s once more was known about HIV and how the virus is spread. While most of the infections happened before Li arrived in Henan, he faced major criticism. Read more: Hillary Clinton unveils 'blueprint' to combat AIDS . "We have been criticizing him over the blood scandal in Henan, which many people died in silence without getting medical help," said Wan Yanhai, a former government health official turned AIDS advocate. Wan was arrested in 2002 in Beijing after publishing a government report on the spread of AIDS in Henan. "I do believe [Li] has done some good things, if we look at the record of him as a governor and party head," Wan said. But he added there was silence during Li's years in Henan. During Li's tenure there, journalists trying to write about HIV/AIDS were detained, activists and doctors were sent away, Wan said. He left China in 2010, citing harassment by authorities. Li's recent outreach to the HIV/AIDS community was welcomed by Li Hu, an activist based in Tianjin, who called it "definitely a boost for our work. Policies can only be well executed with their supervision." In recent years, China has made a series of progressive reforms. It lifted a ban prohibiting foreigners with HIV from visiting the country in 2010 -- the same year as the United States. China also promised antiretroviral treatment for all patients with HIV in 2003. A UNAIDS report released last week lauded China for increasing the number of people receiving antiretroviral treatment by 50% last year. Almost a decade ago, the Chinese government formed a policy called "Four frees, one care" that would give free blood tests for those with HIV, free education for AIDS orphans, free consultation and screening tests, and free antiretroviral therapy for pregnant women. But hundreds protested in Henan in August, calling for full implementation of the government's HIV/AIDS policies across the province.

Vice premier Li Keqiang pledges support for battling HIV/AIDS in China . Li was criticized during his tenure as governor stemming from blood scandal in Henan . HIV/AIDS patient's family says government hasn't properly addressed past .

(CNN) -- Flush with cash and drunk with power after its $100 billion IPO, Facebook could be caught secretly brainwashing millions of new users into signing up (mind-control hoodies, anyone?) -- and still I might not quit the world's largest social network. Ridiculous scenario aside, I'm pretty serious. Despite ongoing privacy concerns and rumblings of a backlash, it would take something drastic to make me leave Facebook at this point. More than just a daily habit, Facebook has become the place where I get important, often surprising glimpses into the lives of the 1,365 people with whom I've chosen to connect. (That's not counting friends-of-friends, for Facebook's tentacles are ever-extended). Why Facebook won't start trading at the opening bell . I'm not always in love with Facebook, of course. I get frustrated with the social network like everyone else. Every six months, Facebook introduces some huge new design of its site or engages in privacy-eroding practices that send many of its users howling into the status-update box. They threaten to shut down their accounts, write furious blog posts and organize ridiculous movements such as Quit Facebook Day, which got less than 40,000 people to commit to deleting themselves -- a tiny fraction of the network even back in 2010. But, in large part, the people who say they're leaving Facebook don't. Or they quit and come back. Me, I'm staying put. At this point, complaining about Facebook is like grousing about the electric company while watching TV, or saying how lousy politicians are but forgetting to vote. Facebook just is. It's become an institution -- one that's going to be around for a long while -- and all the missteps it's made in its young, eight-year life have never prompted significant user defection. Counterpoint: Why I quit Facebook, and am not looking back . Facebook is on track to hit a billion users sometime this year. A billion people. With just a few exceptions, that includes nearly every person I have ever worked with, a big chunk of my extended family, most of my friends going all the way back to elementary school and probably all the kids who were in my nursery at the hospital where I was born. There's critical mass, and then there's Facebook, the Death Star that deflects every effort to blow it up. Facebook has won the social-media wars because it's where all the people are. Those who have been waiting for something else to take its place, the way Facebook siphoned off the population of MySpace about five years ago, are still waiting. MySpace, even at its peak, never had the mainstream acceptance and durability of Facebook. Facebook's new billionaires . I post lots of random thoughts and news links on Twitter, share photos of my wanderings on Instagram and still check in on the increasingly hollow Google+ on a daily basis. But everything I post to those services also ends up on Facebook because it's the platform that feels the most robust and future-proof. Infographic: How we use Facebook . Since Facebook introduced its controversial Timeline design last year, my important personal milestones (college graduation, marriage, the births of my daughters, the "Friday Night Lights" finale) all have neatly filed themselves into the digital record of my life. That's what Facebook wants, of course. But I've come to stop resisting its voracious appetite for personal information. If I didn't share, and my friends and relatives and co-workers didn't share, I'd be less apt to know who just got engaged, who just celebrated a graduation or who in my online community just died suddenly. When my grandmother died earlier this year, it was the place my relatives posted photos of her I'd never seen before. It was where far-flung friends and family members offered their condolences for weeks after the funeral service. Sure, we've seen the inevitable backlash as Facebook has grown to include everyone from your grandmother to that third-grade classmate you never really wanted to hear from again. But lately, it feels like the arguments in favor of leaving Mark Zuckerberg's social network have gotten weaker as people become more resigned to the notion of a permanent Facebook. Timeline: Mark Zuckerberg's rise from child prodigy to Facebook billionaire . When Facebook recently bought photo-sharing app Instagram for $1 billion, Instagram users vowed to quit, complaining that their precious little network had sold out to a monolithic company. (Funny, that didn't stop Instagram from jumping from 30 million users to 50 million in about a month.) Would-be competitors who have tried to take on Facebook have largely failed to gain traction. Path, which has a lovely interface and is more focused on smaller circles of friends, just hit 2 million users a few months ago. And Diaspora, the open-source, nonprofit that was supposed to threaten Facebook's laissez-faire attitude toward privacy, has yet to crack half a million users. Facebook to hold all-night hacking session . Once Facebook has shareholders to answer to, things may change. But perhaps not as much as you'd expect. At a South by Southwest Interactive event in 2008, I saw Zuckerberg speak about his company to application developers. Even then, he stressed that the future of Facebook was not as a website or tool, but as a global communication platform upon which other things would be built. It's been amazing to observe how little he's veered from that vision during four years of astronomical growth. If something is ever going to take the place of Facebook once the company gets so big and complacent that it loses focus, it will probably be something built on top of Facebook. Perhaps a mobile app that accesses the social network's huge population, something Facebook-adjacent that takes what people like about Facebook and turns it into something more nimble and attractive than Facebook itself. Maybe then I'll think about pulling up stakes. Until then, I'm not leaving.

Omar Gallaga: Facebook is where I get important glimpses into 1,365 "friends" Everything I post to Twitter or Google+ also ends up on Facebook, Gallaga says . If something ever surpasses Facebook, it may be a mobile app, Gallaga says .

(CNN) -- Now that the urgent business of the government shutdown and the debt ceiling is over, it is a good time for Republicans to stop and think. Below is an excerpt from the strategy memo I shared with House Republicans Wednesday morning on the situation currently facing the Republican Party. I believe that with the right approach and an emphasis on a better future for all Americans, we can win and govern in 2014, 2016, and beyond, but that it will take some profound rethinking of how to make our case to the American people. The current situation . The left, broadly speaking -- President Barack Obama, most of the news media, left-wing interest groups, Democrats --believes it sees an opportunity to create a wave election similar to those of 1994, 2006, 2010 and retake majority control of the House of Representatives. Their goal is to describe the Republican Party as an unacceptably radical party and defeat individual candidates by suppressing Republican turnout, driving independents away from Republicans and maximizing turnout of the Democratic base. In particular, efforts to control spending in Medicare and Medicaid and to reduce or eliminate funding for left-wing activities will consistently be described as radical and unacceptable. Reading the polls after the recent government shutdown, the left believes (mistakenly, I think) that this model is now even more likely to succeed. Those same polls also reveal extraordinary opportunity for Republicans. The fact is that Americans are fed up with Washington, not just with Republicans. They believe America is on the wrong track, and Obama's approval rating is now among lowest of his presidency. While Republicans are currently on defense, the failures and costs of Obamacare, the continuing weak economy in jobs and take-home pay, growing government debt, and inevitable failures of bureaucratic big government will only make it more obvious that Washington and the bureaucracy is hopelessly broken. And the Democrats have very publicly reaffirmed themselves as the party of big government bureaucracy, most recently with the launch of Obamacare. Republicans could respond to these failures of government by becoming the Party of Austerity. But the Party of Austerity can rapidly reduce its supporters as people are told what the austerity means for them personally. Policies of pain almost never work in the absence of a large crisis. They might also play into the Democrat caricature of Republicans as radical and unacceptable. There is a different strategy, however, which could dramatically unlock the current policy gridlock in Washington and create a new conversation in which Americans find the Republican Party to once again be the party of hope and opportunity (as it was in the Reagan years and in the 1994 Contract with America campaign). GOP: Website woes create fresh opening to go after Obamacare . An historic opportunity . The dramatic breakthroughs in science, technology, and entrepreneurship are creating new policy opportunities for a better future with a better economy, more take-home pay, better health, more learning, greater national security, a better, smaller, modernized government, and a balanced federal budget. In Washington insider terms, this sounds like a fantasy or an impossibility. In the dynamic world outside Washington, all of these capabilities are increasingly obvious but outside the political news media, the political language, and the thinking of politicians and their staffs and their consultants. This historic opportunity requires a very substantial change in the thinking and behavior of Republicans, and there will be enormous resistance to the change. A key Republican goal should be to have 80% of all communications for the next four years be positive -- about exciting breakthroughs, exciting opportunities, and a better future for virtually all Americans. Nothing would do more to defeat the left's current strategy than a positive Republican Party focused on opportunities for the future. Opinion: Immigration reform would help GOP . Offering Americans a better future . Our premise is that new science, technology, and entrepreneurship can lead to: . ● A rapidly growing economy with more jobs, more take-home pay and more economic opportunity; . ● A new system of better learning at lower cost for your entire lifetime; . ● A dramatic improvement in health outcomes and reduced costs leading to longer lives, greater independence for the elderly, and a dramatic increase in high-value jobs marketing American health innovations throughout the world; . ● A modernized government that is much less expensive, more effective, and more reliable and accountable; . ● A better environment through sound science, entrepreneurship, and focused problem-solving; . ● A stronger, leaner, less wasteful national security system; . ● A balanced budget within a decade through a combination of: . -- greater economic growth; . -- more government revenues from a larger economy and from royalties from energy and other natural resources; . -- dramatic modernization of government to reduce waste and eliminate fraud; . -- breakthroughs in health dramatically lowering the cost of health care; . -- returning power to the states and to the people. Opinion: 3 ways to avert Washington's next disaster . Budget Conference strategy . Republicans in the Budget Conference should focus first on economic growth, second on increased revenue through increased energy royalties, third on modernizing government to reduce fraud and theft, and fourth on dramatic opportunities for better health outcomes at lower costs. A tax increase for entitlement cuts agreement is a pain-pain agreement and can't possibly achieve our goals or be supported by the American people. There is no democracy in our lifetime that has sustained an austerity-led reform program. We need a new model of budget breakthroughs and this formula creates a new focus on a positive, opportunity-oriented future. What we are proposing is to replace the argument of more versus less with an argument of better future versus failed present. Today we have Republicans who want more savings and less taxes versus Democrats who want less savings and more taxes. Neither side is arguing for rethinking the fundamentals, learning from non-Washington developments, and modernizing government systems and policies. Better future vs. failed present would be a profound change in the very nature of the national debate. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Newt Gingrich.

Newt Gingrich: Democrats see an opportunity to win back control of the House . He says Republicans will be painted as opponents of entitlement programs . Gingrich: GOP shouldn't look for a deal to rein in entitlement spending and raise taxes . Gingrich: Agenda should be a future of innovation in contrast to past government failures .

(CNN) -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is attempting to flip attacks on his business record by accusing the Obama administration of shipping American jobs overseas, but experts in the industry he's singling out say the truth is more complicated. "It's interesting when it comes to outsourcing, this president has been outsourcing a good deal of American jobs by putting money into energy companies that end up making their products outside the U.S.," Romney told an audience in Colorado on Tuesday. "If there's an outsourcer-in-chief, it's the president of the United States, not the guy running to replace him." It's an attempt at political jujitsu -- or as White House spokesman Jay Carney put it, a jeer of "I know you are but what am I?" Dems, GOP worlds apart in Washington . A website put up by the Republican Party lists case after case of international companies that received federal money aimed at building up a domestic renewable energy industry or developing electric vehicles. Much of it came from the Obama administration's 2009 economic stimulus bill, and the Romney campaign and the GOP say that taxpayer money created jobs overseas. "It turns out President Obama is the outsourcer. You certainly won't hear about this from the Obama campaign," Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said in an e-mail to reporters. But the programs the GOP paints as "outsourcing" have contributed to a boom in wind and solar energy projects in particular, according to industry groups and independent analysts. That led to the creation of between 52,000 and 75,000 jobs in the sector between 2009 and 2011, according to an April estimate from the Lawrence-Berkeley National Laboratory in California. The range reflects some uncertainty about how much of those projects' component parts were made in the United States. That's because there were few American companies manufacturing those components in the last decade. "You can't outsource jobs that weren't here in the first place," said Russ Choma, an investigative journalist who documented the role of overseas corporations in the federal energy programs in 2010. Choma said the plan was to encourage those companies to locate in the United States, a plan that has worked to some extent. "You can't just will a manufacturing industry to arise," he said. "You have to create a market for it. The market needs the turbines from somewhere, so they had to go overseas with hopes that it would spur activity here." Wind-powered electrical production more than doubled between 2008 and 2011, and now represents just under 3% of U.S. generation, Energy Information Administration figures show. The American Wind Energy Association, the agency's trade group, said the number of workers building components for the industry has grown from about 4,000 in 2005 to about 30,000 in 2012. About 60% of wind-turbine components are now made in the United States, up from about 25% in 2005, the trade group said. Romney draws boos from NAACP, support from conservatives . The GOP website criticizes the fact that employment in the entire wind energy sector has declined by 10,000 despite the federal investment of nearly $9 billion from the 2009 economic stimulus bill. But the industry said that's largely because there are fewer jobs installing wind farms right now, and that the stimulus program saved as many as 40,000 of the 85,000 jobs in the industry at its peak. Those programs provided tax credits to wind-farm developers, and all those projects "are built in the U.S.," the American Wind Energy Association said. Choma said the result was a "huge" growth in installed capacity, but fewer jobs than predicted. Other programs haven't been as successful, and the end of the programs in the stimulus bill could bring the renewable energy industry's recent momentum to a "screeching halt," he said. The "outsourcer-in-chief" attack is Romney's rebuttal to criticism of his business record by the Obama campaign and its allies, who accuse the onetime Bain Capital chief of being a "pioneer" of shipping American jobs overseas. Obama partisans cite reporting by the Washington Post, which published a lengthy piece on Romney's record at Bain in June, but the newspaper's fact-checking column has said the campaign has stretched the paper's findings. "There is an element here of 'I know you are but what am I?' to this charge, but the facts tell a different story," Carney said Wednesday. He said the stimulus money "went to operations in the Unites States that created jobs for American workers here at home." Meanwhile, observers like Robert Scott, an economist at the liberal-leaning Economic Policy Institute, say Obama hasn't done enough to crack down on outsourcing. "There's no question that there's concerns about candidate Romney, that he has outsourced in the past and indicated that he continues to favor tax policies that would subsidize companies that would outsource," said Scott. "On the other hand, Obama has had four years to undertake major steps to reduce our trade deficit. He's done the small things." CNN Poll of Polls: Dead heat in Obama-Romney race . The administration has come out in favor of shifting tax breaks away from companies that move jobs overseas and toward companies that bring them back to the United States, but those moves have gone nowhere in Congress. Scott said the Obama administration has stepped up enforcement actions against unfair trade practices by Chinese companies. But it "hasn't taken the big steps" like taking Beijing to task for keeping its currency artificially low, which favors Chinese exports. Obama, Romney ratchet up back and forth over outsourcing . Romney says he 'expected' negative response . CNN's Brianna Keilar, Adam Aigner-Treworgy and Matt Smith contributed to this report.

Romney campaign attacks stimulus funding for overseas energy companies . But that's where the products were, one observer says . Wind industry says those programs fueled a boom that created American jobs . Both Romney and Obama are weak on outsourcing, a liberal economist says .

(CNN) -- Slavery is the most abhorrent chapter in America's history. Everyone knows it happened, but few people know much about it or want to think about it. Which means that it's not exactly something that pops up with regularity in popular entertainment--even though slavery's legacy, 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, is still very much with us. This makes the release of "12 Years A Slave" something of a major historical-cultural event. The film, which opens Friday with an A-list cast--Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt--is based on the memoir of Solomon Northup, a free black man kidnapped in 1841 in Washington and sold into slavery in New Orleans. Uncompromising and extremely violent, "12 Years" refuses to downplay the racism, brutality and crude Darwinian mindset that typified the "peculiar institution." This is not "Django Unchained," which was a blend of spaghetti Western, Blaxploitation flick and whatever else popped into Quentin Tarantino's genre-fevered brain. And it's not last year's "Lincoln," a film that was about emancipation but was so genteel in its approach, it skipped the part about plantation culture. 'The Butler' reflects America's racial conversations . "12 Years a Slave" is easily the most hard-hitting portrayal of slavery since the 1977 TV blockbuster "Roots." It is the kind of film that many people will avoid, in part because of its depiction of everything from the surrealism of slave markets to whippings, rapes, hangings and the myriad ways in which slave owners terrorized and ruled over their property. It's also a movie that Americans need to see, if they are to better understand their country. It's an uncomfortable reminder that the legacy of this once deeply rooted institution continues to resonate in our society, whether it is the current fight over voter ID laws in states like Texas and North Carolina that disproportionately affect minorities; the fact that the African-American incarceration rate, fueled by years of poverty and racism, is six times the national average, and the unemployment rate for blacks is double that of whites; or the continued high rate of out-of-wedlock births among contemporary black women. A country that refuses to confront its past is a country in denial. "12 Years A Slave" startles the viewer like a slap in the face, and the film is even more astonishing since it is the work of Steve McQueen, a black British director who said during a press conference at the Toronto International Film Festival that he was particularly interested in the subject because it "is about how to survive an unfortunate situation." Yet he also admitted that "I made this movie because I want to tell a story about slavery and a story that hasn't been given a platform in cinema. ... If that starts a conversation, wonderful." That conversation has long been virtually ignored by the mass media, which has treated the subject of slavery as if it were the bastard child of American history rather than an original sin that must be faced. For most of the last century, movies and TV in the pre-Civil Rights era, always sensitive to race issues and how they might affect box office in the Southern states, either ignored slavery or sugar-coated it. Films like "Gone With the Wind," for example, glamorized the antebellum South. The harsh realities of field work were almost never shown, most slave owners were benevolent, and slaves, most of whom tended to work in the big house, were basically ordinary servants (who could be bought and sold at will and worked without pay, of course), devoted to their masters. When that story wasn't enough, the most lurid aspects of the slave trade were front and center -- in particular, interracial sex between slave and master, depicted in films like "Mandingo," "Drum" and 1957's "Band of Angels," in which good-guy slave master Clark Gable buys beautiful mulatto Yvonne De Carlo and then falls in love with her. Needless to say, none of these films bothered to fully explore the political and power dynamics involved. Must-see African movies of the 21st century . "Roots" helped changed the narrative. The massively popular miniseries followed the slave Kunta Kinte (played by LeVar Burton) from his African home to the Middle Passage, a Maryland slave auction and plantation life in Virginia. It featured an aborted slave revolt, whippings, torture, rape and other horrors. But despite Roots' enormous audience (the final episode was watched by 100 million people) the subject of slavery did not return soon. When filmmakers did try to address it, they were met with indifference - films like "Amistad," "Beloved" and "Glory" drew critical praise but failed to gain much traction at the box office. Will "12 Years A Slave" change all that? Already critically praised and the winner of the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, the film is being touted as a serious Oscar contender. Yet whether moviegoers beyond the art house crowd will continue to duck McQueen's "conversation" and this lesson in American depravity is another matter altogether. "12 Years A Slave" tells us how we got to where we are today racially. It is not a story that Confederate flag wavers, states' rights advocates, talk radio stalwarts and all too many other Americans want to entertain. I can just hear them saying "Slavery ended 150 years ago. Get over it." It did, and it didn't. And that's the point. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Lewis Beale.

Lewis Beale: Slavery a stain on America, but few people want to know much about it . He says it's essential to confront this past to understand how slavery's legacy is still with us . The film "12 Years a Slave" is brutal, unstintingly realistic. Few movies have dared to be . Beale: The film tells us how we got to where we are today racially. Will people watch?

(CNN) -- Forty years ago this week, three men in a tiny spacecraft slipped their earthly bonds and traveled where no one else had before, circling the moon 10 times and bringing back an iconic image of a blue-and-white Earth in the distance, solitary but bound as one against the black vastness beyond. Host Nick Clooney (left) and astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders answer questions in October. The voyage of Apollo 8 from December 21-27, 1968, marked humans' first venture to another heavenly body. "We were flying to the moon for the first time," said Jim Lovell, one of the three astronauts aboard the historic flight. "Seeing the far side of the moon for the first time. Coming around and seeing the Earth as it really is -- a small fragile planet with a rather normal star, our sun." But beyond the monumental aspects of such a scientific achievement, the feat was a major psychological and emotional boost for many Americans at the end of a particularly bad year in U.S. history. The Tet offensive in January 1968 had left many Americans shocked and doubting that victory in Vietnam was possible. In April, the Rev. Martin Luther King was assassinated, and streets throughout the nation erupted in fire and fury. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down two months later. That summer, the nation watched in horror as police and anti-war protesters battled in the streets of Chicago during the Democratic National Convention. The launch of Apollo 7 in October was a major victory for NASA, putting the space program back on track after a 22-month interruption because of a launch pad fire that had killed three astronauts in January 1967. Then came Apollo 8. Gallery: Images of the Apollo 8 mission » . "Providence happened to put everything together at the end of the year to give the American public an uplift after what had been a poor year," Lovell told CNN on Monday. Reaching the moon was "a big psychological step," said Apollo 7 astronaut Walter Cunningham. "The public said, 'Hey, human beings are going to another body in the solar system,' " Cunningham told CNN in a telephone interview from his home in Houston, Texas. The mission produced one of the most famous photos from the space program, showing a large chunk of gray moon in the foreground and a dappled blue-and-white, three-quarter Earth rising in the distance. Apollo 8 also produced what to many was one of the most inspirational and soothing moments in history when Lovell and crewmates Frank Borman and William A. Anders took turns reading from the Book of Genesis. It was Christmas Eve and the whole world was watching. NASA said at the time it was expected to be the largest TV audience to date. The astronauts signed off with these words: "And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a merry Christmas and God bless all of you, all of you on the good earth." The timing could not have been better, Lovell said. "It happened that it all jelled," he said by telephone. "The fact that we circled the moon on Christmas Eve. A screenwriter couldn't have done a better job." The success of the mission also gave the United States a major boost in its race against the Soviet Union to see who would get to the moon first. The United States would land two men on the moon in the summer of 1969 on Apollo 11, beating the Soviets and fulfilling a goal set by former President John F. Kennedy at the beginning of the decade. "There was a great psychological significance of sending a spacecraft to the moon," Cunningham said. "It was not a psychological leap for any of us [astronauts] to go to the moon." The astronauts, he said, were used to taking risks and knew they could do it. But NASA officials had some tough choices to make. "For the people on the ground, it was a big step for them," Cunningham said. "Making life-and-death decisions about somebody else's life is a lot more difficult than making one about your own." For astronaut Edgar Mitchell, the sixth person to walk on the moon, the Apollo 8 mission signified a major milestone in human history, much like when the Phoenicians started exploring the Mediterranean Sea nearly 3,000 years earlier. "We became citizens of the galaxy, as opposed to citizens of the planet," Mitchell said Monday. "For my parents' generation, it was aviation," said Mitchell, who is 78. "My generation went off the planet altogether. We became the first generation of spacefarers." For the astronauts, most of them former test pilots, going to the moon was just another job. Were they fully aware of the significance of what they were accomplishing, Lovell is asked. "No," he says immediately. "We were focused on trying to do the right thing. Focused on trying to accomplish something." Lovell went on to fly another historic mission, Apollo 13 in April 1970. That flight, which he commanded, became famous when an oxygen system aboard the craft blew up and the three astronauts had to limp around the moon and back to Earth using makeshift and improvised systems. Their triumph over adversity was immortalized in the movie "Apollo 13," in which Tom Hanks played Lovell. Lovell was supposed to land on the moon that time, but did not make it. "Twice a bridesmaid, never a bride," he said with a laugh, admitting that for years he harbored resentment that the mission had been a "failure." It was only in later years, Lovell said, that he fully realized what a success that mission had been, as he and his two crewmates returned safely to Earth. "It is mind-boggling in some respects," he said Monday.

Apollo 8 came at end of difficult year in world history, 1968 . Astronauts circled the moon on Christmas Eve; they were first to go that far . Famous photo of Earth, reading from Genesis ended year on a better note .

(CNN) -- A troubled youth who reported inappropriate sexual conduct by a counselor at The Citadel's now-defunct summer camp told a school lawyer that several other campers had similar encounters, documents released by the military college show. "It only happened to me one time. I know there are about five other kids that experienced it a few times," the former camper, whose name is redacted in the documents, told The Citadel's general counsel Mark Brandenburg in a 2007 interview. In that interview, the then-19-year old described how counselor Louis Neal "Skip" ReVille had shown boys pornography, masturbated in front of them and pressured them to join him during a summer five years before. The former camper said he gave in to the pressure, only to feel "completely violated" immediately afterward. "After that incident, I kind of crossed over to the dark side," he said, according to a transcript released by The Citadel this week. "I started doing horribly in school. It led to drug use and you know -- cigarettes, alcohol ... and for the longest time, you know, I just thought it was my fault." ReVille was arrested in October on charges of molesting at least five children in alleged incidents in the Charleston area, unrelated to The Citadel accusations. According to court documents, he has admitted guilt in at least three cases involving incidents between November 2010 and October 2011. ReVille's attorney, Craig Jones Jr., has said his client is sorry for what he did, according to CNN affiliate WCBD. "Hopefully the way he's cooperated, that's one way he can hopefully show ... do what he can to help the victims to whatever extent he can," Jones said. "There's no way that, obviously, he can repair the damage that's been done." The Citadel is now facing questions about why it didn't bring the allegations against him to police at the time the former camper's family approached school officials with his story. "I don't want him to do to another kid what he did to me," the camper told Brandenburg in 2007, according to the documents. The school's president, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John Rosa, said Monday that the university is "profoundly sorry" for the way it handled the matter. "When the family did not pursue the matter, we did not either. We should have," Rosa said. "Regardless of whether the law said we were supposed to report or not, we should have reported this. We should have taken more action." Ex-Citadel counselor long worked with kids . And in a written statement, Rosa said Brandenburg tried to contact other people the former camper identified, without success. "After initial communications were not returned, it was understood they did not want to speak with us," Rosa said in a written statement. "However, we should have more aggressively sought out individuals able to shed light on the incident." Mullins McLeod, a lawyer for the boy's family, said the family had believed the school would report the allegation to police. "The father looked up online and saw there was a requirement, he believed, that the institution report it to local local law enforcement," McLeod said. "He's a Citadel alumnus, and he went straight to the president of the college." The transcript was among hundreds of pages of documents released by The Citadel this week in response to a public-records request. The story has attracted national attention in the wake of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, which led to the ouster of that university's president and legendary head football coach Joe Paterno. The Citadel has said a review of ReVille's records in 2007 revealed no other complaints, and his file included a clean background check. He was a highly respected cadet and denied the accusation, the college said. The former camper came forward a year after the 165-year-old military academy paid $3.8 million to settle a lawsuit involving another camp counselor. That counselor, Marine Capt. Michael Arpaio, later served 15 months in prison for sexual abuse. In the Arpaio case, The Citadel said it "acted immediately to investigate the report" and remove him. Rosa said Monday the school has hired a New York-based security consulting firm to review its handling of the ReVille case and recommend improvements. The former camper said his life had gone into a downward spiral after his encounter with ReVille -- but at the time of his interview, he had earned a high-school diploma, was working a steady job and was considering joining the military. "I was put in a hole because of what happened. I've been trying really hard to get myself out of this hole," he said. According to documents released by The Citadel, when Brandenburg asked him whether he had reported the abuse to police, he replied, "Well, I've talked to you." Brandenburg told him, "I'm not a law-enforcement official. I don't have a badge or anything like that. And my job is to look out after the day-to-day legal well-being, so to speak, of the school." The Citadel approached ReVille with the allegation, and ReVille denied it, according to an August 2007 memo from Brandenburg. However, Brandenburg noted a previous counselor accused of sexual misconduct had denied allegations against him in an "equally forceful" manner, and that denial "ultimately proved false." The university sent letters to two former cadets who served as camp counselors the same year, but there was no indication in the records that they responded. The Citadel closed the file on the matter in November 2007, four months after the interview with the former camper. Rosa said the school has shared all information the school had with the Charleston police department, and asked anyone who had other information regarding ReVille to step forward.

NEW: "I was put in a hole because of what happened," the former camper said . NEW: "I don't want him to do to another kid what he did to me," he told The Citadel's lawyer . A former camp counselor faces at least six criminal counts in another case . "We should have done more," says Citadel President Lt. Gen. John Rosa .

Washington (CNN) -- A day after a 75-minute session, talks will resume Monday to try to reach a deficit-reduction deal and pave the way for a hike in the nation's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, a White House spokesman said Sunday. White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said on his Twitter account on Sunday night that congressional leaders will return to the White House for further negotiations on Monday. At 11 a.m. that same morning, President Barack Obama will hold a press conference in the White House briefing room, according to his official schedule. These announcements are the first formal fall-out of Sunday's night talks on the subject, led by the president and involving top politicians from the House and Senate. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said afterward that Democrats are "still hopeful for a large bipartisan agreement," one that will do "no harm to the middle class or to economic growth (and) protect Medicare and Social Security beneficiaries." Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile said that he found it "baffling that the president and his party continue to insist on massive tax hikes in the middle of a jobs crisis." Those comments echoed many others made by key figures in both parties, as they posture to try get a deal that cuts into the nation's debt. Republicans initiated the fight when they demanded drastically reduced spending (but no tax hikes) before they agreed to raise the nation's debt ceiling. Obama responded by saying he backs an ambitious plan to reach $4 trillion, mostly through cuts but also with revenue increases. If Congress doesn't act by August 2, the government could begin defaulting on its obligations. The president hinted at that sense of urgency Sunday. When asked before the meeting's start if a deal can be reached within 10 days, he told reporters, "We need to." Meanwhile, a Democratic congressional aide said Sunday's talks produced "no breakthroughs yet," as the president pushed still for a "grand bargain-style deal that includes revenues, like getting rid of millionaire tax breaks, while Republicans argued it was time to lower sights to a smaller deal that relies on cuts alone." A senior Obama administration official said the president continued to push for a "big deal," saying he would not accept a short-term agreement or anything that in the White House's view is not balanced. As he has said previously, he challenged congressional leader to step up and do something substantial. An aide to House Speaker John Boehner, meanwhile, said the Ohio Republican countered by saying he wanted a deal that was based on previously discussed budget cuts outlined by a bipartisan group led by Vice President Joe Biden. Boehner had hinted at the GOP's strategy on Saturday evening, when he issued a statement saying that his party cohorts could not support a major deal as long as Obama and Democrats insist on increasing taxes. He said that any such revenue-raising initiative would prevent the bulk of Republicans from supporting a more ambitious deal, even if it was one including cutting spending and reforming entitlement programs such as Medicare. The House speaker said, as a result, that the talks' parameters would be scaled back to focus on budget cuts alone. The White House immediately pushed back, with a senior administration official saying Boehner had initially accepted the need to increase tax rates on wealthy Americans as part of a deal. But then, the official said, Republicans offered a different plan in the talks with Obama that began Thursday. In the statement Sunday night, the Boehner aide insisted that Obama "agreed with the speaker that their previous talks did not produce any agreement." Obama believes "it is time to solve this problem," White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley said on ABC's "This Week" program Sunday. He added that Obama's "call to the (congressional) leaders is to step up and be leaders." The Treasury Department has warned that failure to raise the debt ceiling could lead to a default, which could push interest rates to skyrocket and cause the dollar to plummet. But Republicans, including those controlling the House, have said they'll block any such move without substantial budget cuts. A U.S. default on its debt obligations would have "real nasty consequences" for the United States and the global economy, the new director of the International Monetary Fund said in an interview broadcast Sunday. "It would jeopardize the stability at large," Christine Lagarde, who last week became the first woman to head the global financial institution, told ABC. Still, such warnings didn't prevent party leaders on Sunday talk shows from reverting back to time-tested talking points that suggested the two sides were still far from an agreement. "What is really appalling is to see our Republican colleagues essentially providing a form of extortion -- if you don't agree to deficit reduction the way we want it, we'll put all the jobs at risk, because we will allow the United States to default on its debt," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, on the CNN show "State of the Union." "That's irresponsible." At the heart of the GOP resistance is a bedrock principle pushed by conservative crusader Grover Norquist against any kind of tax increase. A pledge pushed by Norquist's group, Americans for Tax Reform, has been signed by more than 230 House members and 40 senators, almost all of them Republicans. After Sunday nights talks, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's spokesman Adam Jentleson said that the Nevada Democrat wants "an approach that is balanced between spending and revenues." However long it takes, he said that Reid is "firmly committed" to striking a deal. "Sen. Reid believes the stakes are too high for Republicans to keep taking the easy way out, and he is committed to meeting every day until we forge a deal, however long it takes," said Jentleson. CNN's Ted Barrett, Dan Lothian and Tom Cohen contributed to this report.

NEW: An official says Obama said Sunday he won't accept a short-term deal . NEW: A Boehner aide says there was never a framework for an agreement . GOP continues to insist on no tax hikes, Dems push a "balanced" approach . The U.S. must raise its $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by August 2 or risk a default .

Moscow (CNN)German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande met Friday with their Russian counterpart and began to draw up a new proposal to end the bitter conflict in eastern Ukraine. The peace talks with President Vladimir Putin ended early Saturday, the Kremlin told CNN. Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said a joint document based on a prior peace plan agreed to in Minsk, Belarus, in September, is not yet complete. The parties will engage in further talks by phone on Sunday, Peskov said. The new diplomatic push comes as a worsening conflict in eastern Ukraine is taking an increasingly heavy toll on civilians. Speaking in Berlin before her departure for Moscow, Merkel said she hoped to secure a ceasefire, but the prospects were not certain. She said she was "sure that there is no military solution to the conflict" and that she and Hollande would "work against this escalation with all our powers to stop this horror" as they meet with Putin. Merkel made clear that she would not do a deal with Russia that bypasses Ukraine's leadership, saying she "will not decide anything over the heads of anyone." The solution must be in line with the Minsk agreement, she said. Russia, Ukraine and separatist leaders signed that pact, but continued fighting left it in shreds. It's not yet clear how the new proposal differs from the Minsk agreement. Hollande said Thursday that the joint proposal for new negotiations would be "based upon the territorial integrity of Ukraine." The pair hope the proposal will be acceptable to all parties in the conflict, he said. But he said that "the option of negotiation, of diplomacy, cannot be extended indefinitely." Western leaders and Kiev accuse Russia of fostering the conflict by providing weapons and training to the pro-Russian separatists battling Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as sending regular Russian troops over the border to fight. Moscow denies the allegations. Amid the diplomatic maneuverings, there were reports from Ukraine suggesting that more civilians could be evacuated from current conflict zones. Both sides in the conflict have been blamed for shelling civilian areas. The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said on its website that it had offered Kiev the chance for civilians to leave Debaltseve, northeast of the city of Donetsk, where shells have been falling for days. Debaltseve is under government control, and police efforts to evacuate civilians have been underway for days, hindered by the shelling of the main road out of the city. According to the Ukrainian counterterrorist operation media office, the shelling in the area has decreased since Thursday. But it's unclear how many civilians still remain in Debaltseve. The latest government statement said that arrangements for the evacuation of people from dangerous areas in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions were "ongoing." The media office of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic said the evacuation of civilians had started in the town of Chernukhino, in Luhansk, and would continue until the afternoon. Civilians increasingly are falling victim to the violence, with at least 224 killed and more than 540 injured in the final three weeks of January, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said this week. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking on a visit to Kiev on Thursday, insisted that the ball was in Moscow's court to resolve the crisis in its neighboring country. He called on Moscow to take three steps he said would enable a diplomatic solution "that is staring everyone in the face." Those include pulling back heavy weapons beyond the range of civilian populations, removing foreign troops and heavy equipment from Ukraine, and closing the Russia-Ukraine border. Kerry said no one wanted conflict with Russia, but "we cannot close our eyes" to tanks, heavy weapons and soldiers crossing the border from Russia into Ukraine. Russian leaders must be blind if they keep denying that forces from their country have crossed the border, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk added. "If they need, I can give them my glasses," Yatsenyuk said. "It is crystal clear that (the) Russian military is on the ground. We are not fighting so-called rebels or guerrillas. We are fighting with the Russian regular army." Peskov, the Putin spokesman, told CNN that Kerry's remarks in Ukraine "just shows the unwillingness and inability of the United States to participate in settlement of the Ukrainian crisis." He said, "As for Russian tanks, allegedly crossing Russian-Ukrainian border, we've commented on this before -- there are no Russian tanks or army in Ukraine, such accusations are not true." The annual Munich Security Conference was to start Friday in Germany, when the crisis in Ukraine is likely again to top the agenda. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he would hold bilateral meetings in Munich this weekend with Kerry, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Biden was holding meetings with European leaders Friday in Brussels, Belgium. The European Union and United States have already imposed a series of financial sanctions targeting Russian interests and separatist leaders in Ukraine. U.S. officials this week said the United States is considering sending so-called defensive lethal aid to the Ukrainian government, which could include anti-tank, anti-air and anti-mortar systems. NATO defense ministers decided Thursday to establish new NATO command and control units in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria and Poland, close to Russia's western borders. CNN's Matthew Chance reported from Moscow and Laura Smith-Spark reported and wrote from London. Nick Paton Walsh, Radina Gigova, Laura Akhoun, Alla Eshchenko, Anna Maja Rappard, Steve Almasy and Erin McLaughlin contributed to this report, as did journalist Victoria Butenko in Kiev.

Talks among German, French, Russian leaders on Ukraine will continue via phone on Sunday . French and German leaders take a new plan for peace negotiations to Moscow . Russia must pull back troops and weapons, close its border with Ukraine, John Kerry says .

Istanbul (CNN) -- The United States now recognizes the main opposition group in Libya "as the legitimate governing authority" in a country that Moammar Gadhafi has long ruled with an iron first, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday. U.S. recognition of the Transitional National Council is a major diplomatic policy shift that could give the rebels access to Libyan regime assets that have been frozen by the United States. Clinton announced the change in Istanbul at a meeting of the Libya Contact Group, the alliance of nations working to deal with the Libyan crisis. Applause rippled through the audience as she spoke. Clinton said the Transitional National Council, also known as the TNC, "continues to gain legitimacy as the representative of the Libyan people" and conducts "high-level diplomacy with governments worldwide." "So I am announcing today that, until an interim authority is in place, the United States will recognize the TNC as the legitimate governing authority for Libya, and we will deal with it on that basis." The United States had previously stopped short of giving this recognition to the council, but Clinton said the body, based in Benghazi, Libya, "has offered important assurances today." They include "the promise to pursue a process of democratic reform that is inclusive both geographically and politically, to uphold Libya's international obligations and to disburse funds in a transparent manner to address the humanitarian and other needs of the Libyan people." The United States "appreciates these assurances from the TNC, which reinforce our confidence that it is the appropriate interlocutor for us in dealing with Libya's present and addressing Libya's future." In Zintan, rebel military commander Hajj Ousama Jwaili, a commander in the western mountains, said Friday that he considers the announcement "another indication of support by the international community toward the rebel fighters." He added, "This is an appreciated move by the U.S., and more countries should do the same." Gadhafi reacted with derision to the U.S. announcement. "Their decisions, meetings, recognitions and their statements are all under your feet -- trample on them," he said Friday in an audio message, purportedly taped in Zlitan and broadcast on state-run television. "This is our answer to all the decisions they took against the Libyan people." The Libyan leader urged the NATO powers and others to take heed of what he said was his continuing popularity in Libya. "You in America, Europe, Russia and everywhere, look! Look at the millions. Look at the Libyan people. More than 5 million people carrying the pictures of Gadhafi are ready for jihad and for martyrdom." He called for "traitors" to give up their effort to overthrow his regime, warning that failure to comply will have consequences. "They must abandon their weapons and turn themselves in from Benghazi to Misrata to Zintan," he said. "We will not hold anyone who turns in his weapons accountable. If this does not happen, the march of millions will take place." The Libyan uprising began in February, when opposition forces began fighting to oust Gadhafi and his regime. NATO forces have been operating under a U.N. mandate in Libya to protect people from aggression by Gadhafi forces. Clinton said the United States "will help the TNC sustain its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya, and we will look to it to remain steadfast in its commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms." "In contrast, the United States views the Gadhafi regime as no longer having any legitimate authority in Libya," she said. Diplomatic efforts have been ongoing to end the crisis, and Clinton said Libyans are "looking past Gadhafi." "They know, as we all know, that it is no longer a question of whether Gadhafi will leave power but when." Clinton said the coalition will continue to target Gadhafi's command and control if he keeps threatening the citizenry. "The terms of a cease-fire are clear. Gadhafi must stop attacks or the threat of attacks, remove his troops from all of the places they have forcibly entered and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance. "The terms of a political process that will produce a cease-fire and pave the way to a democratic Libya are also clear. It must involve Gadhafi's departure and an inclusive effort to build a new constitutional framework that redeems the democratic aspirations of all the Libyan people." As for the recognition step, a senior State Department official reiterated that the rebel council's political and economic assurances "turned the tide" in their favor. "We sent a very clear signal ... to the TNC that we recognize them as the future of Libya," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. "As such, we're going to take steps to make sure that they're able to carry out their functions." A final statement issued by the Contact Group raised a range of points, including an agreement by the participants "to deal" with the Transitional National Council "as the legitimate governing authority" in the country "until an interim authority is in place." It also welcomed monetary pledges and encouraged financial help. "Noting that the unfolding situation in Libya since mid-February has disrupted the operations of foreign companies and contractors, the Contact Group welcomed the commitment of the (Transitional National Council) to open up Libya to foreign investment as soon as possible and its commitment to honor any existing legal contracts signed under the Gadhafi regime," it said. It also cited "the need for establishment of a genuine cease-fire and provision of safe humanitarian access remain as urgent as ever." The group "urged all relevant parties to explore ways and means of paving the way for the formation of an interim government to ensure a smooth and peaceful transition of power with the widest popular support possible," it said. CNN's Elise Labott and Kareem Khadder contributed to this report.

Gadhafi asks Libyans to "trample" on the U.S. announcement . He says he's wildly popular in Libya and derides "traitors" Hillary Clinton states the new policy at Libya Contact Group meeting in Turkey . The Transitional National Council is a main organization for the opposition .

(CNN) -- Vladimir Putin may not be the best defender of a free press, but the well-traveled former recruit of the KGB knows how things work abroad. In America, he has learnt, drawing attention to your point of view does not necessarily imply jailing or inflicting bodily harm to your dissenters but may be as simple as submitting an op-ed to the New York Times. That is exactly what happened on September 11, when the renowned peacemaker of Chechnya advised Barack Obama to "stop the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement" on the matter of Syria. READ MORE: Putin 1, Obama 0? This was a sweet topic of conversation and an interesting response to Obama's address to the nation the night before, but the Russian president also criticized his counterpart for having mentioned "American Exceptionalism" as a justification for using force or imposing its views on other sovereign countries. There, Putin may have a point. The American exception may be obvious to Americans, but it has always been a subject of conjecture for everyone else. Simple sense of superiority? Candid idealism? Cynical expression of self-interest? In the eyes of foreigners, the concept varied according to who in America mentioned it, when it was used, and what country, rich or poor, had to deal with it. Adding to the complication, the Americans may disagree on its meaning. Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio celebrity, immediately said that Obama had no idea what the American Exceptionalism is. Nevertheless, the president, on September 10, used its most classical Wilsonian definition, after describing the fate of gassed Syrian children. He meant that America has a heart of gold, and more than any other nation, the cruise missiles to prove it. Moral ambitions or pretentions, coupled with overwhelming force. A recipe for success, or, to say the least, disappointments. As a European child, I was raised in the epic of the GIs of D-Day crushing Nazis, but soon, in 1973, I noticed new kids had arrived in my school in a working class suburb of Paris. They came from Chile, sometimes with only one parent because the other one had been shot dead or was being tortured in Santiago. Their former president, I understood, was not to the liking of the American government of the times. As an adult, and a journalist, I could see the same post-Vietnam superpower set sail to Somalia at the request of public opinion and pack its bag at the first casualties, abandon the Rwandan Tutsis ( much like every western power) before making good on its promises against the Serbs. All this to say that American Exceptionalism was only rarely exceptional. The myth even took a fatal beating in Iraq under George W. Bush, and worse, was shamed by the nonsense of Guantanamo and the sordid exactions of the Baghram prison in Afghanistan. Barack Obama on September 10 had at least the courage to try to invoke the mythology. But the damage is done. An example: Human rights organizations, mostly born in the United States in the 1970s, focused back then their action on prodding the American government to use its power and influence to reform rogue regimes abroad. This is simply impossible today because of the terrible deficit of credibility of Washington in this matter. Now, these organizations have to build up their power by themselves, and multiply foreign bureaus at great cost to obtain results and try to save lives. The reactions to Putin's op-ed proves that he hit a nerve in the United States. The American Exceptionalism, understood as a sense of entitlement, superiority, uniqueness and sometimes immunity to any positive foreign influence is also shaken in the homeland. For long, I had been unable to discuss the tax system, the lack of universal health care, the humongous price of cable or the technology of washing machines without receiving a dreadful glare from American friends, followed by a fatalist and severe "that's the way we do things here." It is easier now. Good news, the American way seems to follow some of the ways of the world, much as the sacred and mythical "French model" meets reality. America, the new free society deemed exceptional by Tocqueville, was a pioneer in countless domains, like technology, education and justice, before suffocating and declining in its superb and often trivial isolation. Its values? The country that sent humans to the moon seems now, for the first time in decades, willing to temper ideologies to repair its bridges and roads. The Mecca of medical innovation tries to tackle its dismal public health problems. The birthplace of juvenile justice ended up locking its kids for life without parole. But the Supreme Court is slowly amending mandatory sentences to simply adapt to the mores of most developed societies, as the attorney general, for the first time, dares to take a look at the 2.4 million American detainees. A world record and a terrible American exception. Another sign of change? In the "Newsroom," the HBO series from 2012 by Aaron Sorkin, the main character, Will McAvoy, a disillusioned star anchorman, is asked "why is America the greatest country in the world?" His totally nostalgic and enraged answer paints the failed, or imaginary, good old times of American Exceptionalism: "We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons, we passed laws, struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were, and we never beat our chest. The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore." But the rant was on TV. It made news, which is, whatever says Mr. Putin, a very good omen for America. The opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of Philippe Coste.

Vladimir Putin's op-ed in the New York Times disputed the idea of American 'exceptionalism' White House has ignored Putin's remarks but some U.S. lawmakers were outraged . Coste: Things are changing and many Americans now dispute notion of 'exceptionalism'

(CNN) -- It's thousands of square miles wide, virtually devoid of oxygen and it has been blamed for an increase in shark attacks: the Gulf of Mexico "Dead Zone" is getting bigger and forcing marine life -- including sharks - into shore. Signs warn the public in an area harboring high bacteria near a drain at Will Rogers State Beach, California. The zone has been caused by a flood of nutrients, such as agricultural fertilizers, which boost algae production in the sea. These growths consume huge amounts of oxygen creating a "marine desert" almost devoid of life. The "Dead Zone" varies in size each year, but in 1999 it was 7,728 square miles -- that's nearly the size of Delaware and Connecticut combined. The huge size of the "Dead Zone' is due to the increase in nutrient pollution flowing down rivers, including the Mississippi, which is estimated to have risen threefold in the last fifty years as chemicals become more and more common on farms. Environmentalists fear that the drive to radically increase the amount of corn-based biofuels produced in the U.S. from 15 billion gallons to 36 billion by 2022 could increase pollution in the Mississippi by 19 per cent. But the problem is by no means limited to U.S. waters. Similar "Dead Zones" are being discovered across the world and a major United Nations report in 2003 found that the number had doubled each decade since the 1960's. The UN report also warned that the number will continue to increase as intensive agriculture spreads around the world and that they are already having a significant impact on commercial fish stocks. All of this can come as quite a surprise. Growing water demands, more pollutants . Think about pollution and you tend to imagine tall smoking chimneys or pipes pouring industrial effluent into our rivers and lakes. But the use of chemicals in agriculture is increasingly becoming a concern for environmentalists across the world. Agriculture, including livestock and poultry farming, can be a source of a wide range of pollutants that find their way into our water supplies through run-off and leaching. This happens when rainfall exceeds the capacity of the ground and it flows into watercourses and groundwater supplies taking dissolved pollutants with it. These can include sediment from eroded land, as well as phosphorus and nitrogen compounds from chemical fertilizers and animal waste, which can also harbor disease pathogens. These pollutants can have a serious effect on water sources by depleting oxygen levels, stunting the growth of plants and even suffocating fish -- as in the Gulf of Mexico "Dead Zone." The concentration of pollutants can be particularly high in drought years, when heavy water demand can reduce the flow rate in rivers and cut their ability to dilute chemicals. The effects of this can be acute in the developing world, where the pressure to feed a growing population combined with a low level of regulation can cause serious problems. A huge increase in the amount of synthetic chemicals being used in the Philippines over recent years has caused substantial environmental damage to the country's water supplies, according to a 2008 report by Greenpeace. Between 1961 and 2005 fertilizer use in the Philippines increased by 1000 percent. "This model of agricultural growth is fatally flawed because of declining crop yields and massive environmental impacts," says Greenpeace campaigner Daniel Ocampo. "Aside from causing land degradation and losses in soil fertility, agrochemicals cause water pollution that directly and indirectly affects human health." According to Greenpeace, analysis of groundwater in the Benguet and Bulacan provinces in the Philippines, found that 30 percent of tested wells had nitrates levels above the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water safety limit. The Philippine National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) says that 37 per cent of water pollution in the country originates from agricultural practices. As well as causing an increase in the algal blooms that can cause "Dead Zones," agricultural nitrates have been identified as a factor in the growth of toxic "red tide" algae and high levels in drinking water can also pose a health risk to humans, especially children. Agriculture's impact on water pollution . Clearly there is a need to shift away from the current industrial agriculture system which promotes the reliance on agrochemicals while neglecting to consider their negative effects on human health, the environment, and the economy of local communities. The problem is particularly serious in China, where a combination of rapid development, a growing population and intensive agriculture has led to widespread pollution and even water shortages. Scientists studying information from monitoring stations have said that 44 per cent of Chinese rivers are polluted. "Many lakes and water courses contain an excess of nutrients and need treatment before they are suitable as freshwater sources," the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said in 2005. According to Chinese state officials 10 per cent of farm land in the country is polluted posing a "severe threat" to food sources, with excessive agricultural chemical use being blamed, along with industrial effluent and solid waste. But controlling water pollution from agricultural run-off presents many challenges: it occurs over a wide area, goes across borders and often the source is hard to identify. It also varies over time and can increase or decrease depending on changes in land-use and ownership. Lax local law enforcement, corruption and inefficiency can all compound the problem. Legislators around the world are calling for a closer integration of environmental and agricultural policies, and more help for farmers in managing potentially hazardous substances. But many environmentalists see a solution with increased incentives for organic farming, which uses fewer chemicals and, argue groups such as the UK Soil Association, with no appreciable decrease in yields. But while the solution remains a matter of debate, the scale of the problem continues to grow and grow. E-mail to a friend .

Agricultural pollution has a caused a 'Dead Zone' in the Gulf of Mexico . Globally the number of Dead Zones has doubled every decade since the 1960's . The drive to increase biofuel production could increase pollution in rivers and seas . Pesticide use rose 1000 percent in the Philippines between 1961 and 2005 .

(CNN) -- This weekend, Morgan Spurlock's "Inside Man" gives CNN viewers an inside and in-depth look at the issue of firearms -- as viewed from behind the counter of a gun store. Here are five things to know about the debate: . 1 -- There is no debate about the impact of gun violence. In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tallied more than 31,000 firearm deaths in the United States. Each year, some 55,000 violent deaths occur in the country, costing $60 billion in medical care and lost productivity, according to the agency. More than 38,000 people in the country are suicides. But, more than six months after 20 children and six adults were killed in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, legislative efforts to stem the impact of gun violence have failed to gain traction. "At this point, nothing is different," said Dr. Arthur Kellermann, a policy analyst at the Rand Corporation in Washington who has witnessed the power of firearms as a hunter and gun owner and as an emergency room doctor. "The public's attention has moved on." 2 -- Much of what we know is outdated. That's because, in 1996, pressure from the National Rifle Association led Congress to cut $2.6 million from the budget of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Center for Injury Prevention that had been devoted to finding out what works. To underscore its point, Congress -- in a move led by Jay Dickey, a former gun-rights advocate and Republican legislator from Arkansas -- added this language to the agency's appropriation: "None of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control." Congress added the same restrictive language it had imposed on the CDC to all agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services after a National Institutes of Health study concluded that a person carrying a gun was nearly 4.5 times more likely to be shot in an assault than someone who is unarmed. Today, 17 years after the CDC restrictions were put in place, the NRA maintains its position that government research into gun violence is not necessary. "What works to reduce gun violence is to make sure that criminals are prosecuted and those who have been found to be a danger to themselves or others don't have access to firearms," the NRA's director of public affairs, Andrew Arulanandam, told CNN early this year. "Not to carry out more studies." 3 -- But more studies may be in the cards. The Obama administration has signaled it wants to resume such efforts. This month, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council laid out priorities for a research agenda to help policymakers better understand the causes and impact of gun violence and how to reduce it. The report says progress can be made in three to five years through research into the characteristics of gun violence, risk and protective factors, prevention and other interventions, gun safety technology, and the influence of video games and other media. The report came after President Obama ordered in January that federal agencies -- including the CDC -- identify the most pressing firearm-related violence research needs and signaled that he wanted to devote $10 million per year to the task. How successful will it be? "It's too early to tell," according to Kellermann. But he worried in a telephone interview that the matter could wind up as a tug of war between CDC and legislators in the House, who are responsible for passing -- or not passing -- appropriations. "You can see the most highly respected public health institution in the world turn into a rag doll between a determined administration and the equally determined House" majority, he said. "I'm just hoping that research will be restarted," he said. "Surely we can agree that having a better understanding of effective strategies to reduce gun violence is a worthwhile goal that everybody ought to be able to agree on." Off the radar of the gun debate, which has focused on assault weapons bans and background checks, has been the fact that community-level strategies have already been shown to lower gang violence in a number of cities, he said. Rather than racing after every 911 call, it makes sense to break the chain of events -- such as illegal gun trafficking, illegal acquisition and illegal carrying -- that often lead to the next 911 call, he said. Focusing police efforts on the highest-risk people and places works, he said. Between 1997 and 2007, "Atlanta put that strategy in place and, over a decade, had a 50% reduction in homicides." 4 -- If you choose to own a gun, do it responsibly. Whatever one thinks about gun control, anyone who opts to own a gun should store it responsibly. Incidents in which a family member is killed or injured by a gun in the home far outnumber the times when a gun is used to injure or kill an intruder in self-defense, Kellermann said. "What people must understand is that the gun that is kept loaded and readily available for protection is also readily available to a curious child, to a depressed or upset teen, an angry spouse or a depressed grandparent." 5 -- Reasons for owning a gun have changed. A national survey published in March by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press reported that nearly half (48%) of gun owners say the main reason they own a gun is for protection, up from 26% who gave that answer in 1999. Less than a third (32%) cited hunting as the main reason, down from nearly half (49%) in 1999. The findings make no sense, since violent crime in the country overall has dropped by 48% since 1993, according to Kellermann. Perhaps even more important -- and less understood -- is the evidence that the benefits of keeping a gun for protection are far outweighed by the risks, he said. But those studies are more than 17 years old and out of date, which is why, he said, new research is needed.

Obama is seeking to fund work into how to stop gun violence . The NRA says such research is not necessary . For the first time, protection outranks hunting as a reason to own guns .

(CNN) -- The case of a Christian woman in Sudan who was sentenced to die for refusing to renounce her faith has cast new light on the plight of persecuted Christians worldwide. Sudan ranks as one of the worst countries for people who practice Christianity, but it by no means is alone. Like people of other faiths, Christians can face discrimination, harassment, arrest, jail time and even death for what they believe. Here's a look at seven terrible countries for Christians: . North Korea . For the 12th year in a row, North Korea tops the list of places where Christian persecution is most extreme, according to Open Doors, a group that ranks countries in order of persecution. The organization estimates as many as 70,000 Christians are imprisoned in labor camps. "The God-like worship of the leader, Kim Jong-Un, and his predecessors leaves no room for any other religion, and Christians face unimaginable pressure in every sphere of life," the group says on its website. "Forced to meet only in secret, they dare not share their faith even with their families, for fear of imprisonment in a labor camp. Anyone discovered engaging in secret religious activity may be subject to arrest, disappearance, torture, even public execution." Among those imprisoned is Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American. Pyongyang sentenced him last year to 15 years of hard labor, accusing him of planning to bring down the government through religious activities. He is widely reported to have been conducting Christian missionary work in North Korea. Kenneth Bae worried about his health in North Korean camp . Sudan . Since 1999, the U.S. State Department has tracked the world's worst abusers of religious rights. Sudan has been on the list since its inception. The country has arrested and deported Western Christians suspected of spreading their faith, according to a State Department report. Recently, Sudan also arrested and sentenced a woman to die for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. The 27-year old woman was released after weeks of international controversy over her conviction. She was later detained with her husband and two children, accused of traveling with falsified documents and giving false information. Eritrea . Just four religious groups are officially allowed to openly practice their faith in this African nation; the rest are subject to detention or worse. So if you're not an Eritrean Orthodox Christian, a Sunni Muslim, a Roman Catholic or an Evangelical Lutheran, life could be tough for you here. Harsh detentions for religious dissenters are the norm, according to the State Department report. Members of various religious groups, including Jehovah's Witnesses, face retaliation for refusing to participate in military portions of mandatory national service, the report reads. The government is said to penalize Jehovah's Witnesses by denying them government services and entitlements. As of November, 52 Jehovah's Witnesses were imprisoned in Eritrea, according to the Jehovah's Witnesses website. It says none has been formally charged or tried. Saudi Arabia . The oil-rich monarchy doesn't even pretend to respect religious rights for any faith other than Islam. Sunni Islam is the official religion, and the country's constitution is based on the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed. The public practice of any other religion is prohibited, according to the State Department. Open Doors says most Christians in Saudi Arabia are expatriates from Asia or Africa. Last year, Christian migrant fellowships were raided, and worshipers were detained and deported, the group says. Nigeria . Nigeria is split between a majority Muslim north and a mostly Christian south. Boko Haram, an Islamic extremist group, vowed in 2009 to rid the nation's north of all non-Muslim influence, including Christians, according to The Voice of the Martyrs, another group that tracks the persecution of Christians. More than 3,000 people have been killed since then, the organization reports. Boko Haram translates as "Western education is a sin" in the Hausa language. The militant group says its aim is to impose a stricter enforcement of Sharia law across Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation. Boko Haram's attacks have intensified in recent years and have included the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls. Somalia . Pressure is increasing on Christians in this country, according to Open Doors. "Islamic leaders and government officials publicly reinforce that there is no room for Christians, and there is a strong drive to purge Christianity from Somalia. The militant Islamist group, al-Shabaab, targets Christians and local communities," the group says on its site. The terror group is notorious for prohibiting recreational activities and has banned films, dancing and watching soccer in the past. It had also barred foreign aid organizations from southern Somalia, describing them as Western spies and Christian crusaders. Iraq . Religious minorities, such as Christians and Yazidis, make up less than 5% of Iraq's population. Since 2003, attacks against these minorities by insurgents and religious extremists have driven more than half of the minorities out of the country, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. According to Open Doors, attacks and threats against Christians rose last year as Islamic terrorist groups gained more influence. Militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, are in the midst of an offensive in Iraq. In the northern city of Mosul, the site of one of the first major ISIS victories, witnesses told CNN the group used vehicle-mounted loudspeakers to announce that it had decided to form Islamic Sharia courts in the city. The group also reportedly removed statues of the Christian Virgin Mary, Arab poet Abu Tammam and singer Mulla Othman, witnesses said. Militants' advance threatens Christians in Iraq . CNN's Daniel Burke contributed to this report.

As many as 70,000 Christians are thought to be imprisoned in labor camps in North Korea . Sudan sentenced a woman to die for refusing to renounce her faith; she was later released . Christians are under attack in Nigeria from the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram .

Atlanta (CNN) -- One of the countries hard hit by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is not able to cope, a health worker said, calling on the international community to step up support. Anja Wolz, emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, spoke to CNN on Tuesday from an Ebola facility in Kailahun, Sierra Leone. "I think that the government and the ministry of health here in Sierra Leone is not able to deal with this outbreak. We need much more help from international organizations -- as WHO, as CDC, as other organizations -- to come to support the government," Wolz said. "Still we have unsafe burials; people who are doing the burial without disinfection of the body; still we have patients who are hiding themselves; still we have patients or contacts of patients who are running away because they are afraid." Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia are at the center of an Ebola outbreak that has already killed more than 800 people. The global concern over the spread of the virus has reached Saudi Arabia, where a man is in critical condition after recently returning from Sierra Leone. The 40-year-old man has symptoms of a viral hemorrhagic fever, the Saudi Health Ministry said Tuesday. The source of his infection is unknown, but Ebola cannot be ruled out, the ministry said. "This is the biggest and most complex Ebola outbreak in history," Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement. "It will take many months, and it won't be easy, but Ebola can be stopped," he said. "We know what needs to be done." The virus has already been confirmed outside of the three main countries. A Nigerian doctor has been diagnosed with Ebola nearly three weeks after a Liberian-American man with Ebola died after traveling to Lagos, Nigerian officials said Monday. Nigerian Minister of Health Onyebuchi Chukwu told reporters that the infected physician had been treating Patrick Sawyer, a top government official in the Liberian Ministry of Finance who died of Ebola in a Nigerian hospital July 20. Eight other people are being quarantined and three are awaiting Ebola test results, the health minister said. Read more about Patrick Sawyer's death . Meanwhile, the World Health Organization reports an outbreak of the virus in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria is believed to have infected 1,603 people and killed more than 887 this year, as of Friday. The United States is planning to send 50 health experts to West Africa to help contain the outbreak, which President Barack Obama addressed in remarks Tuesday, saying the citizens of the affected countries are in Americans' thoughts and prayers. Frieden said the 50 experts from the CDC will work to combat the outbreak and help implement stronger systems to fight the disease. The Ebola virus causes viral hemorrhagic fever, which affects multiple organ systems in the body and is often accompanied by bleeding. Early symptoms include sudden onset of fever, weakness, muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat. They later progress to vomiting, diarrhea, impaired kidney and liver function -- and sometimes internal and external bleeding. An Ebola patient had not been treated within U.S. borders until last week, but the CDC has spearheaded efforts to prepare for the deadly virus. 5 reasons not to panic about Ebola in the U.S. It helped create an isolation unit at Emory University Hospital, which is being used to treat American doctor Kent Brantly, who contracted Ebola in Liberia and was evacuated to the facility in Atlanta over the weekend. A second American patient, Nancy Writebol, arrived from Liberia on Tuesday. She will undergo treatment at the same unit. Emory is one of four U.S. institutions capable of providing such treatment. But in the nations hardest-hit and not as prepared, the reality is grim. Even in the best-case scenario, it could take three to six months to stem the epidemic in West Africa, Frieden said. Ebola spreads through contact with organs and bodily fluids such as blood, saliva, urine and other secretions of infected people. It has no cure. The most common treatment requires supporting organ functions and maintaining bodily fluids such as blood and water long enough for the body to fight off the infection. Ebola also claimed the life of a medical director at a hospital in Liberia's capital, Monrovia. Dr. Patrick Nshamdze tested positive Tuesday after being sick for two weeks. He died Saturday. In Sierra Leone, where government officials have asked citizens to stay away from work, the military has deployed at least 750 medical officials to 13 locations, military spokesman Col. Michael Samura said. Health officials are screening incoming and outgoing passengers at the country's main international airport with a device that takes people's temperature from their eyes at a distance. People showing signs of fever are quarantined and their blood is tested. On Tuesday, Liberia responded to British Airways' decision to suspend service to Monrovia because of the outbreak. "The government of Liberia regrets that British Airways has suspended flights to and from Liberia until the end of August. However, we fully understand that international airlines must keep the safety of customers and crew as their highest priority," it said. "We will continue to work around the clock with our international partners to ensure all our key international ports of entry are secure from any transfer of Ebola, both incoming or outgoing." What is the risk of catching Ebola on a plane? Experts: U.S. health care system well-prepared for Ebola . Ebola's frontline: Battling fear and deadly virus . CNN's David McKenzie contributed to this report from Freetown, Sierra Leone. Journalist Heather Murdock reported from Nigeria. CNN's Fred Pleitgen, Faith Karimi, Nana Karikari-apau and Christabelle Fombu also contributed to this report.

Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia are at the center of an Ebola outbreak . A man hospitalized in Saudi Arabia has symptoms of a viral hemorrhagic fever . A Nigerian doctor was diagnosed with Ebola after treating a Ebola patient there . That diagnosis comes three weeks after a Liberian-American man died from virus .

NEW YORK (CNN) -- After declaring last week that he won't publicly discuss his sexual relationships with staffers again, David Letterman continued his mea culpa Monday night -- saying his wife had been "horribly hurt by my behavior." David Letterman has mined private events in his life for very public jokes on his show. The host of CBS' "Late Show" said he now has to try to repair his relationship with Regina Lasko. "Either you're going to make some progress and get it fixed, or you're going to fall short and perhaps not get it fixed, so let me tell you folks, I got my work cut out for me," he told the audience. The words came about 15 minutes into the show, but Letterman fired self-deprecating zinger after zinger as soon as he strode on stage and began his opening monologue. Watch Letterman's apology to his wife » . "I mean, I'll be honest with you folks," he said. "Right now, I would give anything to be hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I got in the car this morning -- and the navigation lady wasn't speaking to me." Letterman added it was fall in the city and that he spent the weekend "raking my hate mail." "And it's cold, too," he said. "I mean chilly outside my house, chilly inside my house." The audience burst into laughter. Monday's show was the first that Letterman had taped since he announced Thursday night that he had sex with unnamed members of his staff and had testified about those liaisons before a New York grand jury as part of an alleged extortion attempt. A CBS producer, Robert "Joe" Halderman, is accused of threatening to go public with embarrassing information about Letterman's private life, unless the 62-year-old funnyman ponied up $2 million. While prosecutors did not reveal where Halderman may have gotten information about Letterman's private life, one of the comedian's assistants, identified by Halderman family members and court documents as Stephanie Birkitt, was once the suspect's live-in girlfriend. A highly placed source close to Letterman told CNN that Birkitt was one of the female staffers involved in sexual relationships with the comedian. "Last week on the show, I told a little story about being blackmailed. I wasn't going to talk about it anymore, but seems like people want to talk about it," he said as he began his apology in earnest. "The staff here has been wonderfully supportive to me, not just through this furor, but through all the years that we've been on television. ... So, again, my thanks to the staff for, once again, putting up with something stupid I've gotten myself involved in," he continued. Then he addressed Lasko, whom he began dating in 1986. The couple married in March and have a 5-year-old son together. All the affairs took place before the marriage, Letterman's production company has said. "Now the other thing is my wife, Regina. She has been horribly hurt by my behavior, and when something happens like that, if you hurt a person and it's your responsibility, you try to fix it." The show, which airs at 11:30 p.m. ET, is taped earlier in the day. Larry Lefkowitz of Brooklyn Heights, New York, who attended the taping, found Letterman's apology sincere. "You could tell he'd been though a difficult situation and that he was sorry that he hurt other people, but he was also able to keep it funny, throw humor into it, too," Lefkowitz said. Richard Zoglin, an editor at Time magazine and author of "Comedy at the Edge: How Standup in the 1970s Changed America," said he wasn't surprised by Letterman letting the scandal play out in public. "David, of course, is a very private person. But it's not surprising in the sense that, over the years, what's made David Letterman a fascinating TV personality is how he's allowed us these little peeks into his private life and he's become a more human sort of person, not Mr. Irony, as he started out to be," Zoglin said on "Larry King Live." Watch panel discuss Letterman on "Larry King Live" » . "I think that this is just another peek inside the real David Letterman. And it's making him kind of even more fascinating than before." The suspect in the case, Robert "Joe" Halderman of Norwalk, Connecticut, is a 27-year CBS veteran, most recently a producer for the network's news magazine "48 Hours." He pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of first-degree attempted grand larceny and has been suspended from his job. If convicted, the 51-year-old could face up to 15 years in prison. Halderman's lawyer, Gerald Shargel, told NBC's "Today" show Monday that Letterman's self-disclosure is not the only version of events. "David Letterman didn't give his side of the story. David Letterman gave what he wanted the public to know," Shargel said. "He wanted to get out ahead of the story and that's exactly what he did. He's a master of manipulating audiences. That's what he does for a living. So to think that David Letterman gave the entire story and there's nothing more to be said is simply wrong." The flood of attention on the "sextortion" revelations -- as they have come to be called -- is unlikely to die down soon, Letterman acknowledged Monday night. "Ladies and gentleman, this is only phase one of the scandal," he joked. "Phase two? Next week I go on 'Oprah' and sob." CNN's Doug Ganley contributed to this report.

"I got my work cut out for me," David Letterman says of his marriage . His mea culpa marks first public comments since last week's 'sextortion' revelations . During the show, Letterman said he spent the weekend "raking my hate mail" A CBS producer is accused of threatening Letterman unless he was paid $2M .

(CNN) -- In the latest "X-Men" film, Magneto levitates RFK stadium and drops it around the White House; the stadium is destroyed. In "Godzilla," the monster fights off what looks like the entire U.S. military while he flattens both Honolulu and San Francisco. And in the new Tom Cruise film, "Edge of Tomorrow," Paris is left underwater after an alien attack, and a futuristic D-Day-like invasion leaves a French beach strewn with dead bodies and smoldering war materiel. There's plenty more mayhem to come as this season's glut of blow-'em-up flicks rolls out: "Transformers: Age of Extinction" (aliens drop a cruise liner on a city), "Guardians of the Galaxy" (outer space vehicles liquefied by the dozens), "Hercules" (the title character fights off lions, sea monsters and a whole army of bad guys) and "The Expendables 3" (Sly Stallone and gang; train rams into prison). Entertainment Weekly recently referred to it as "the summer of destruction." But let's call it what it is: destruction porn. Like real porn, these movies play to our most atavistic instincts. They all include some sort of buildup, the titillation of expectation that really bad, but cool, things are about to happen. They generally climax -- pun intended -- with a massive set piece of CGI carnage. And like real porn, afterwards we're supposed to feel deliriously fulfilled and exhausted. Fact is, we should hate ourselves for feeling this way, as if we'd just had really bad sex. But that's not the reaction destruction porn elicits. Even worse, we're exporting this American blood-lust globally, giving outsiders the impression of a country that has totally gone over to the Dark Side. It's not as if there hasn't been massive carnage in the movies before this. Hollywood has produced plenty of war films, ecological disaster flicks and alien invasion epics in the past. But the sheer frequency of destruction porn these days -- at least 11 movies of this type in summer 2012 ("The Avengers," The Dark Knight Rises," etc.) and 12 during the same season last year ("White House Down," "World War Z," etc.) -- and our delight in seeing things blown up, should make us worry about the mental health of society. Movies have always reflected the anxieties of their age. In the 1950s, we had plenty of nuclear paranoia films,often featuring mutated life forms. (Can you say "Godzilla"?) The '60s and '70s brought us ecological and bio-terror themes in films such as "The Omega Man" and "Silent Running."And later films, like "The Road Warrior," reflect an apocalyptic mindset. But the recent spate of films seem to reflect a collective psychic collapse. Sure, there are reasons for this: fear of terrorism, the insecurity created by all those mass murders, like the recent episode in Santa Barbara. We feel that world has gotten even more chaotic. That there's too much of everything. That society has gotten way too complicated, with too many people, too much technology, too many opposing ideologies clashing against each other. It recalls the classic 1959 dystopian novel "A Canticle For Leibowitz," by Walter Miller Jr., in which the end of industrial civilization is referred to as "the Simplification." It's as if we're preparing for a global meltdown. And the summertime, when we're supposed to be mellowing out, is a perfect time for Hollywood to exploit our growing appetite for this kind of carnage. There are two specific reasons for this: Most filmgoers are in the under-40 demographic, looking for a night out away from the heat and to put their brains on pause -- and believe me, there's nothing more mindless than watching stuff blow up. If it's photographed lovingly, and with insanely good computer graphics, all the better. The second reason is the importance of the foreign market, which now accounts for nearly 70% of total box office gross. Our global neighbors tend to go for what we do best, which is make big budget films with state-of-the-art special effects, a minimum of dialogue (explosions speak a universal language) and lots of mayhem. Lots. Just to take two recent examples: the just-opened X-Men film has grossed $168 million in the U.S., and twice that much overseas. And the new "Captain America" flick -- "Captain America," no less! -- has grossed $255 million domestically and a whopping $454 million overseas. America: A country where scenes of mass destruction are the norm, and carnage is preferred over peace, love and understanding. Is this the kind of negative image of America we want to export? And sure, we all know that "It's only a movie," but don't kid yourself: When we get geeked at the leveling of entire cities, it says something about who we are, and where our society is going. And you'd think after 9/11 and the never-ending mass murders in this country we would be a bit more sensitive to scenes where cities are destroyed and thousands of lives lost, but the opposite seems to have taken place: We wallow in it. We cheer it. Like porn, we can't take our eyes off it. It's seductive and incredibly addictive. Wish fulfillment? Catharsis? Just good old entertainment? It really doesn't matter. While we're in the grips of whatever social psychosis is stoking this ravenous appetite for mayhem, Hollywood will be happy to oblige.

Lewis Beale: This summer's movies show America's growing addiction to 'destruction porn' He says from 'Godzilla,' to 'X-Men' and beyond, it's not just violence, it's maximum mayhem . He says if films have long reflected our anxieties, recent films show psychic meltdown . Beale: Annihilation now entertains us. Hollywood feeds this lust. We should worry .

(CNN) -- President Obama's poll numbers have hit a new low and he's under fire for everything from the rise of ISIS to the response to the Ebola threat. So it may seem surprising to many readers that the Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman -- who has been one of the president's strongest critics from the left -- has written a cover story for Rolling Stone entitled "In Defense of Obama." The article is important. Krugman rightfully directs our attention away from approval ratings and popularity -- measures that don't tell us much about the place of our leaders in American history -- insisting instead that we should be focused on things that a president actually does. By this measure, Krugman now argues that this administration has done a pretty good job overall. Indeed, as he moves through a list of his major policy accomplishments, Krugman concludes that Obama's legacy is downright impressive compared to his predecessors. "Despite bitter opposition," Krugman writes, "despite having come close to self-inflicted disaster, Obama has emerged as one of the most consequential and, yes, successful presidents in American history." But it is much too early to tell whether Krugman's report card is correct. While he is spot on when saying that the policy record matters much more than short-term popularity as measured in the polls, the policy record of any president is extremely difficult to evaluate before a president has even finished his time in office. The other presidents who Krugman would hope that Obama has been able to emulate -- as well as conservative leaders, like Ronald Reagan and (I would argue George W. Bush) who have had lasting policy records -- couldn't really be judged until many years after leaving the White House. It usually takes some time to see whether a policy works. When LBJ pushed Congress to pass Medicare in 1965, policymakers were still unclear whether the program would really eliminate the horrendous conditions facing elderly Americans, most of whom could not afford adequate health care. But the final legislation that passed Congress, which added physicians insurance and Medicaid to the hospital insurance that Lyndon Johnson had supported, proved to be a stunning success. While the programs have been far from perfect, a fascinating book edited by Sheldon Danzinger and Martha Bailey, "Legacies of the War on Poverty," convincingly demonstrates that the policies were extremely effective at eliminating this as a major social problem. But we didn't know that yet when Johnson was stepping down. In 1986 and 1987, Ronald Reagan caused quite a stir among his own supporters when he moved forward with negotiations with Mikhail Gorbachev, culminating in the INF agreement. Over the next few years we saw that this was an important step in the end of the Cold War. Yet from the perspective of 1988, the nation couldn't tell where this would all go. While there is evidence that Affordable Care Act is having a substantial impact we don't yet have enough evidence to judge how well it will do in ending the problem of uninsured Americans and lowering the costs of premiums. Another measure that we use to judge whether policies are successful has to do with their ability to outlast the political coalition that built them. Do they become entrenched in the system so that changes in the political winds don't result in their being dismantled? The Federal Reserve system, created during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson, is an enduring and ingrained part of the nation's banking system over a century later. The agricultural policies that FDR put in place with Congress remain an integral part of the farming economy, as do the basic protections afforded to Americans who deposit their savings in banks. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 has been accepted by politicians from both parties even after many years of conservative backlash toward policies promoting racial equality. The same is true with the achievements of some conservative presidents. Although there have been a series of tax increases since 1982, no president has overturned the basic slash in income tax rates achieved by Reagan in 1981 that forever depleted the government of needed revenue. Thus far, President George W. Bush's vast expansion of the national security state in 9/11 has remained firmly in place; in fact it has expanded, even with President Obama in office. While presidential popularity doesn't tell us much about how a leader stacks up in history, the long-term popularity of programs does matter. Great policies usually generate loyal constituencies. This is part of what makes them so difficult to retrench. President Roosevelt famously said about Social Security taxes, "with those damn taxes, no damn politician can ever scrap my Social Security program." He was right. Americans came to expect this as a benefit because of the taxes they paid, while millions of elderly Americans soon came to love their monthly pensions—as did middle class families who felt relief from having t\o shoulder the entire responsibility of taking care of their parents after their retirement. Right now, we don't know if Obama's programs will have this kind of feedback effect. His health care program remains unpopular, though more Americans want the program reformed rather than repealed, while his financial regulations have certainly not generated great admiration from middle class Americans who still feel that the world of finance favors the wealthy and who are less than confident the system won't collapse again. Obama's economic stimulus programs clearly helped the nation lift itself out of the Great Recession, but most Americans don't credit his policies with the improvements that the nation has seen and many feel that the president didn't do enough to help with the bigger structural problems facing a shrinking middle class dealing with insecurity. So Krugman has put forth an enormously important argument, but it is just too early to tell whether his early report card is correct. We need much more time to see what happens with the next administration, as well as what comes after, before we can really start to make clear judgments as to whether Obama's accomplishments were historic or whether he ends up being remembered as an average president.

Nobel-winning economist Krugman writes that Obama is one of most successful presidents . Julian Zelizer: Obama's policies on health care, economy, regulation could prove successful . But he says it's much too early to evaluate Obama's overall impact . Zelizer: Decisions made by LBJ, Reagan, others were hard to fully assess for many years .

Washington (CNN) -- Hillary Clinton has spent the final moments of the midterm campaign season publicly deflecting the flurry of questions about her likely run for president. But behind the scenes, her campaign machine is quietly whirring to life. Clinton insiders have begun to approach Washington-based Democratic operatives who may play a role in a potential campaign and are soliciting their recommendations on other possible staffers, according to Democrats familiar with the conversations. A number Clinton associates are compiling staffing lists, according to multiple Democratic sources. Michael Whouley and Minyon Moore of the Democratic communications and consulting firm Dewey Square Group are one conduit to Clinton's inner circle and among the primary compilers of the campaign universe that will surround Clinton, should she run. The firm is led by veteran players in Clinton world. Whouley was an adviser to Vice President Al Gore and a Clinton campaign aide while Moore is a longtime Clinton confidante. Ginny Terzano, head of communications for Dewey Square, said the characterization is "incorrect." "DSG officials have no role" in a potential Clinton campaign, she said. Operatives at the firm are reviewing possible Clinton staffers "under the guise of spitballing ideas," as one Democratic source put it. With a trio of pro-Hillary superPACs -- Ready for Hillary, Priorities USA Action and Correct the Record -- months into shoring up support, a Clinton campaign is already well underway outside of her inner circle. Clinton's midterm campaign schedule . "The reality is that if you have a message and you're larger than life, the organization can come together pretty quickly," said Tom McMahon, who served as deputy campaign director for Howard Dean's 2004 campaign. "It can be a turnkey operation." As the Clinton campaign apparatus is constructed, those close to her are trying to shroud it from view, wary of the glaring political spotlight that amplifies every move the former secretary of state makes. "There are no formal talks, no one is being offered jobs," one source told CNN, dismissing the signs of campaign life as "a lot of jockeying" from Democrats who want to work on a Clinton campaign. In September, Clinton and her inner circle were dismayed by a leak to Politico that revealed the presence of John Podesta -- former Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton, current top aide to President Barack Obama and the person favored to serve as chairman of a Hillary Clinton campaign -- at meetings with pro-Clinton super PACs this summer. Huma Abedin, one of Clinton's closest aides, has told multiple Democrats to rein in chatter about 2016, saying Clinton wants to keep attention on the midterm elections and minimize attention on a presidential run, according to a Democratic source who spoke to Abedin. Clinton and the small team she employs are trying to keep her out of the tarnishing political spotlight until she is ready to make a run official, something Clinton will likely do by the end of winter, though she would like to put it off as late as possible. "If there's not a competitive primary, the general election starts as soon as she declares," said Katie Packer Gage, former deputy campaign manager for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential run, who says the challenge of a Clinton campaign will be more of what her current team is already struggling with -- ''how do they keep her fresh for the American people?" Recent campaigns for viable Democratic or Republican presidential candidates were well into the preliminary phase of staffing up at this point in time, with top aides already getting in line ahead of an official announcement. In 2012, Matt Rhoades, at the time the executive director of Mitt Romney's Political Action Committee and later Romney's campaign manager, was already in early discussions with all of those who would become senior staff. Well before the 2006 midterms, then-Sen. Barack Obama had conducted preliminary discussions with and identified a number of top aides. His campaign effectively went into high gear after the elections, though he launched his exploratory committee in January 2007 and declared his candidacy in February. But some political operatives warn not to read too much into the beginning phase of a Clinton campaign currently underway. "Of course the preliminary conversations should be going on," said Steve Elmendorf, Deputy Campaign Manager for John Kerry's 2004 campaign. "But there are a lot of people who have had those conversations - who thought about running for office, made plans to run for office, and didn't." Among those believed to be part of a potential Clinton campaign, Guy Cecil, the current executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, appears to be one of Clinton's most likely choices for campaign manager, according to interviews with more than two dozen Democrats. "Even if Democrats don't hang onto the Senate, people respect the job that he's done," said one. Cecil's role is expected to fall under the oversight of Podesta, seen as a calming force who could squash much of the internal drama that plagued Clinton's 2008 campaign. Podesta is expected to stay at the White House through the State of the Union, according to two sources familiar with his current plans, despite his initial commitment of one year service when Obama named him to his post in the West Wing last December. By last Spring, Robby Mook, who managed the campaign that propelled Clinton fundraising guru, Terry McAuliffe, into the Virginia governor's mansion, has "been on ice" - as one Democrat put it - since as early as the spring, according to two Democrats familiar with the discussion. He was told not to make long term plans by those close to Clinton, the sources say, and is widely expected to play a major role in running the campaign. Dennis Cheng, who manages fundraising for the Clinton Foundation and served as Hillary Clinton's deputy chief of protocol at the State Department, is the frontrunner for finance director, according to multiple Democrats. Huma Abedin, as well as longtime Clinton aide Philippe Reines and Nick Merrill, Clinton's current spokesperson, are expected to serve in influential roles in and around the campaign.

Hillary Clinton isn't saying whether she'll run for president . But behind the scenes, Clinton associates are beginning to put together a campaign .

(CNN) -- Wildfires are fast-moving targets, so one of the most important weapons firefighting teams can have is timely, precise information about where the fire is, where it's likely to spread and what's in its path. In the past couple of years, firefighters have gained a significant advantage: aircraft equipped with heat-detecting infrared sensors and special communication equipment now can relay to firefighting teams on the ground, in minutes, a fire's precise location, as well as where new "hotspots" are cropping up, even before they burst into visible flame. "When I was an incident commander, I would have killed for this kind of data," said Russ Johnson, the director of public safety and homeland/national security for Esri, one of the world's leading geographic information companies. In past decades he commanded operations to fight major wildfires, including the massive Yellowstone wildfires of 1988 which scorched about 1.2 million acres. Monitoring wildfires with infrared sensors from aircraft isn't new, but the level of detail and speed with which this data gets transmitted to firefighting teams has been revolutionized. "Those aircraft used to have to fly at night, because you couldn't gather good thermal data during daylight hours," Johnson said. "Then you'd have to wait for the plane to land, and then for the thermal imagery to be processed. If we were lucky, we'd get that information on printed maps by 4 or 5 in the morning -- just maybe in time to brief firefighters before they went out on the line. "Today those flights can happen in daylight with vastly improved accuracy, and incident commanders get that data electronically in two minutes on a computer-based map. We now have accurate, almost real-time situational awareness on the spot. That makes all the difference." Wildfires generally have a perimeter marked by an advancing line of flame. But burning debris gets sucked up into the column of hot air over the fire and deposited ahead of the fire line, often causing new spot fires where they land, up to half a mile away. These hotspots also can be caused by burning debris rolling downhill on a steep slope. Left unchecked, new hotspots can smolder invisibly for hours or days. "Incident commanders and emergency responders who are managing fires need to make decisions on where to focus air drops of fire retardants and other resources," Johnson said. "With this new hotspot information, all of a sudden I know: down there in that canyon, not visible yet, there's a hotspot. So let's divert some air assets to hold it while it's still small and later deploy firefighters there. That's so much better than discovering the hotspot only when it busts out of a canyon, when it's strong and harder and more dangerous to fight." How does this data get to firefighting operations so fast? Generally it's transmitted over the Internet (via broadband or wireless carrier networks) on a secure website, which decision-makers and emergency responders can access via computers or smartphones. But where a direct connection to these conventional networks isn't available, that data can travel the "last mile" by packet radio, a technology long used by amateur radio operators. Meanwhile, brand new technology is also having an impact on fighting wildfires. Unmanned aircraft -- sometimes called "drones" -- also are starting to play a bigger role in fighting wildfires. According to Aero-News Network, as of June the Federal Aviation Administration had authorized nearly 60 private and government entities to operate unmanned aircraft systems in domestic airspace for many purposes, including fighting wildfires. In the latest issue of Earth Imaging Journal, Thomas Zajkowski, a remote sensing specialist with the U.S. Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center, explained that in addition to carrying sensors, drones also can help form a data transmission network to quickly transmit thermal imagery and other information to firefighting operations. But so far, firefighting reconnaissance drones aren't commonplace. Johnson said they've been used mainly "when fires get politically visible. Once a fire becomes catastrophic, they turn the drones loose to collect information and data." That's because it's complicated to work drones into firefighting procedures, especially for managing aircraft and air space over fire areas. Johnson explained, "When there's a wildfire, emergency airspace gets declared. This restricts all aircraft near the incident. Procedures for managing drones along with air tankers and other aircraft would have to be built into that protocol. I think in the future, if drones can be cost-effectively and safely applied, they'll become very common and useful in fighting wildfires. But that's a few years down the road." Satellites and even the International Space Station also help fight wildfires. In particular, satellites operated by NASA and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration can supply current data on wind direction and speed, as well as the dryness of surrounding areas. This can help predict where, and how fast, a fire will spread. An agreement signed in June will allow NASA and the U.S. Forest Service to collaborate on raising wildfire awareness. This partnership will highlight connections between wildfires, forest and plant growth research, and materials science. Zajkowski noted in Earth Imaging Journal: "This joint effort is enhanced by the personal interest of astronaut Joe Acaba, a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station. Acaba is an avid outdoorsman who has focused much of his career on the environment. He selected Smokey Bear, the forest service's mascot, as the zero-gravity indicator and talisman for his Soyuz flight to the orbiting laboratory in May. "Acaba and his crewmates recorded high-resolution video and photographs of recent wildfires in Colorado and Utah." The opinions expressed in this post are solely those of Amy Gahran.

Firefighters have new technology to put out flames before they spread . Tech like infrared sensors isn't new, but greatly improved by the Internet . Planes allow for remote monitoring of wildfire situations, drones used in catastrophes . Organizations like NASA and NOAA are collaborating to monitor nature from space .

(CNN) -- It all comes down to this: 11 years later, the front door was unlocked. When Oscar Gonzalez jumped the White House fence late last month, he should have been just another statistic. A mentally ill man who was doing what a handful of others do every year, get onto the White House lawn and find themselves tackled by guards or brought down by dogs or fired upon by snipers. But this time it was different. The President and first family weren't home, the snipers didn't shoot. It's still not clear where the dogs were or why there was no Uniformed Division officer at the North Portico door. But the door was unlocked and the reason why can be traced directly back to the beginning of the disintegration of protocols for what the Secret Service once did better than any other agency in the world: protect the principal. Toward the end of the 1990s, there was turmoil in senior management, which saw new Secret Service directors come and go. There were also high-level retirements -- especially Presidential Protective Division agents who had lived through March 30, 1981, the assassination attempt on President Reagan. These were men and women who knew what it was to fail. In the wake of that incident, the Secret Service had upped the ante with new plans and a revised agenda, which had included working in closer proximity to the President, increasing the intensity in the levels of protection and paying closer attention to the minutest details. They had also learned to deal better with the presidential staff, who are always looking to break the President loose from his shackles for the sake of the next great photo opportunity. It worked for a while. But shortly after 9/11--11 years ago, in 2003--George W. Bush made the colossal mistake of uprooting the Secret Service from its rightful home in the Department of the Treasury, where it had been since 1865, throwing a proud tradition out the window and dropping it into the hodgepodge mess that was, and still is, the Department of Homeland Security. It was like yanking a great old oak tree up from the roots and shoving it into the ground somewhere else. The great oak slowly began to wither. What was once a quasi-independent agency was treated like just another bureaucracy that had to defend its turf and fight for every nickel against the rest of this new and increasingly dysfunctional family. Morale suffered and so did efficiency. You saw it in 2003, when the Bush White House staff cooked up the highly dangerous and totally unnecessary publicity stunt of landing the President on an aircraft carrier in a fixed-wing plane. That scheme ran head-first into everything the Secret Service used to stand for. The President and the staff were doing this their way. The Secret Service is charged by Congress with protecting the life of the President; it is not his choice whether or how he is protected. You saw it again in December 2008 at the Bush press conference in Baghdad, when an Iraqi journalist threw his shoe at the President. Bush ducked. The journalist threw his other shoe. And no agents appear anywhere near the President. In fact, the agent who suddenly showed up next to him does not grab the President and pull him away, he watches other men tackle the journalist. By the time President Obama came along, the lack of proximity and intensity was startling. This goes beyond the phony signer at Nelson Mandela's funeral, agents with hookers at Cartagena or drunk agents at a hotel in Holland. This is a couple of reality show wannabes getting into the White House for a formal reception, without an invitation. This is the President at the Martin Luther King "I Have A Dream" remembrance in 2013, standing alone and exposed in the middle of the Lincoln Memorial, in front of tens of thousands of people, and there isn't an agent within 30 feet of him. This is the President working rope lines, with plenty of agents present, but none of them in very tight proximity, holding onto him, the way they did with Reagan. Nor are the agents intensely working the crowd -- "May I see your hands, please... hands... please show me your hands..." the way they did with Reagan. This is the President speaking from a stage with 100 people behind him, and no agents right there to grab him if something happens, with no clear exit to get him out of there if something happens, because all those people behind him will panic and run for the same exit. This is a man jumping the White House fence with a knife, and bullets in his car, after having been on the Secret Service's list of people already interviewed as a possible threat to the President. It's a man with a gun riding in an elevator with the President at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is some crazy taking shots at the White House, and no one reporting it for days. Secret Service director resigns . The Secret Service agents who protect this President are the best and brightest. They make unbelievable personal sacrifices to keep the President safe. And like him, they too have been let down. They've been let down by senior management. And they've been let down by time, because without a tradition of passing stories on to the next generation, memories fade and "the way it used to be" is eventually forgotten. It's time to return the Secret Service to Treasury, where it traditionally has belonged, because at Treasury, there was real oversight. It's also time to bring into the senior ranks men and women who understand that proximity and intensity and attention to the minutest details truly matters. These must be men and women who understand and appreciate that those who served before them protecting Ronald Reagan set the gold standard, that the gold standard is an absolute minimum, and anything less -- like an unlocked door at the White House -- can all too quickly look like November 22, 1963. Opinion: Do we want a fortress White House?

Jeffrey Robinson: Man who got into White House example of a Secret Service in decline . He says Reagan-era protocols that valued close, intense protection for President failing . He says Bush's post-9/11 shift of agency from Treasury to HSA opened door to laxity . Robinson: Obama repeatedly exposed to danger. Put agency back under Treasury's oversight .

(CNN) -- She'll never forget the day her 17-year-old son, John, asked her permission to enlist in the U.S. military. "Mom, I owe this to my country." Samantha Schroeder of Chester, Maryland, worries about her 19-year-old son, John, who is deploying to Iraq. Now, at age 19, her son is a Marine preparing to deploy to Iraq. "He doesn't care if you do or don't understand his choice; he isn't concerned with political views, religion or race. His greatest concern is doing the job he is asked to do with skill and pride, protecting those abroad and at home and standing up to the standards he has set for himself," Samantha Schroeder said. iReporters shared an array of stories about how the Iraq war has affected them over the past five years. One man said he met his wife, a fellow service member, while serving in Iraq. Others described the pain of having fathers so far away, especially when new children are born. Some military wives said they often keep their true feelings to themselves, fearing that they would affect their husbands' morale in the field. See photos, hear stories of sacrifice » . Below are a selection of responses from iReporters, some of which have been edited for length and clarity. Angela Fritz of Fort Hood, Texas "Having [my husband] gone is the worst kind of pain. It is the burden I chose to bear but am not happy to. On the outside, I have to stand strong. I have to support my country and my husband, regardless of what I feel. That is the Army way. I am so proud of him for having the courage to step up and serve his country. On the inside, I am angry and worn thin. Of course, I want my husband home, but it's so much more than that now." Samantha Schroeder of Chester, Maryland "I am the mother of a 19-year-old Marine. He joined while still in his senior year. When he came to me to sign his enlistment papers, I was hesitant. No, I was downright, 'Not in a million years.' He was only 17. How could I give him permission? Just wait, I asked, and think about it some more. He looked at me with a mixture of fear in thinking I might not sign and anger in knowing I didn't understand. And what he said next has stuck in my head through all his training, and now he leaves in a week for Iraq. He told me, 'Mom, I owe this to my country.' ... "Now, as he prepares for Iraq deployment, I am a little better prepared for what the future holds mentally. But to me, he and most of the men who will accompany him are so young. They still seem like boys to me, but I know they are men. Willing to serve their country. I remember 9/11 like it was yesterday, and I also remember the fear that was on that seventh-grader's face when he was bused home early that day and watched the events unfold on the TV. And now he stands as a Marine, willing to sacrifice his everyday freedoms to assure we are safe here at home." Katherine Shigekane of Virginia Beach, Virginia "The Iraq war has changed our lives in many ways. My husband has been serving in the Navy for 16 years, and since March 2003, he has been on four different deployments. Our lives have been affected in many ways. Our wedding plans were changed due to the invasion. He missed most of my first pregnancy. He was able to be home for the birth of our twins but left again when they were a year old and was gone until after their second birthday. He is now gone again. ... As a family I think we have learned to appreciate the time we do spend together." joshM "While serving in Iraq with the United States Marines, I met my wife. She is in the United States Army. We met while on R&R in Qatar. We did long distance for the remaining time that we had left of our deployment and then another year while I was still stationed in Cherry Point, North Carolina. She is still stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. After I separated from the Marines as a corporal, I moved to Kentucky to be with her. We are now happily married, and she is on her third tour to Iraq. So even though the news shows all the bad things of war, some good really does come from it." ChristopherM "I am a soldier in the U.S. Army. I am a 20-year-old combat veteran. I returned home this past summer and enrolled in college with hopes of going to law school. Unfortunately, with future deployments likely to postpone my schooling, I will be in college long past traditional college years. That is just a minor nuisance compared with the fact that relating to my family and friends is infinitely more difficult since I've returned. I find myself zoning out and going back to the war during family functions and when I'm out with my friends, I apparently talk in my sleep about the war and occasionally sleepwalk." Sierra Derrick of Waymart, Pennsylvania "This is the second time my husband is deploying to Iraq, and trust me, it only gets harder!! The first time, I was 17 years old, two months pregnant and a brand-new bride. (We got married literally the day before he left.) Now, exactly four years later, we are in the same situation, although things are a little different. Together we have two amazingly beautiful little boys, Connor and Carson, ages 3 and 1. Needless to say, he is their hero as well as mine. "The impact that this war has had on our family has been extraordinary. We are so incredibly proud of him in ways that civilian families couldn't comprehend. We have been brought closer because of these deployments, and the support we have is absolutely phenomenal. "In that sense, I believe it has been worth it." E-mail to a friend .

iReporters share their thoughts on how the Iraq war has affected their lives . "Having [my husband] gone is the worst kind of pain," one woman says . Wife: Invasion changed wedding plans, hubby missed most of first pregnancy . iReport.com: Tell us how the war has impacted you and your family .

(CNN) -- An anonymous group says it stole copies of GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's tax records and will release them unless the company it stole them from pays $1 million. The Secret Service said it is investigating, and the company said there is no immediate sign that any such theft took place. "Using your office" in Franklin, Tennessee, the group tells PricewaterhouseCoopers in an online posting, "we were able to gain access to your network file servers and copy over the tax documents for one Willard M Romney and Ann D Romney." It threatens to send encrypted copies to "all major news outlets" and warns, "If the parties interested do not want the encrypted key released to the public to unlock these documents on September 28 of this year then payment will be necessary." If the money is not received, "the entire world will be allowed to view the documents with a publicly released key to unlock everything," the group warns. The group demands $1 million worth of the online currency Bitcoins. It also says that people who want the documents released can send money as well, and whichever side sends $1 million first will win. Bitcoin is a digital currency not overseen by any government or bank. Various merchants accept the currency for goods and services. PricewaterhouseCoopers, which offers tax services as well as auditing and more, tweeted that it is "working with the Secret Service. At this time, there is no evidence of unauthorized access to our data." The anonymous postings say that flash drive copies of the stolen material have been sent to the company, as well as to the county Democratic and Republican offices, and that a scanned image of Romney's signature from the forms was included. Jean Barwick with the Williamson County, Tennessee, Republican Party told CNN that her office found the package -- a padded envelope -- on Friday outside the door to the party offices. The package "didn't seem credible," partly because it said "for learders" instead of "leaders," she said. Inside were a letter -- one that has been posted online -- and a flash drive. "I didn't put that in any of our computers," and no one has looked at the contents, she said. "I put it in the drawer." She called state party officials, who were in Tampa, Florida, at the Republican National Convention at the time, she said. Her office later reported the package to local police, and the Secret Service picked it up Wednesday, she said. County Democratic Party Chairman Peter Burr also told CNN the package arrived last week, and the Secret Service came Wednesday to collect it. "We did not view it," Burr said. He added that he considered looking at it, and the party attorney "advised us not to." "We wouldn't have been interested to use it even if it was" real, he said. The package was dropped through the mail slot to the party office, Burr said. It had been hand-addressed with a blue highlighter. The state party advised the office to turn it over to the Secret Service, Burr said. He said he thinks it was a scam. In an online posting, the group said the alleged theft took place on August 25. The Franklin Police Department did not respond to any calls at the building containing the PricewaterhouseCoopers office in August and did not take a report from any tenants of the building during the month either, a police spokesman said Thursday. On Wednesday, it responded to the Republican Party office, and "due to the nature of the call, we contacted the Secret Service who met with our officers at the scene and assumed responsibility for the investigation," Lt. Charles Warner said. Romney campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg directed questions to PricewaterhouseCoopers. Chris Atkins, a spokesman for the firm, said the company does not share information on how long it has done taxes for any client. Atkins added that he has no idea why the Franklin office would be named in the claims. The company has more than 80 offices around the country and there's nothing unique about the one in Franklin, he said. While the postings, on the website pastebin.com, refer to "a team" involved in the alleged break-in, one ends with a line stating that certain "considerations did not deter me from the path of duty" and a reference to "the will of my Heavenly Father." The postings go into detail about how the alleged theft was carried out. The group says it obtained "all available 1040 tax forms for Romney," including some from before 2010, but it does not say which years. Romney has released his 2010 and 2011 tax returns, and has said he will not release others. The issue has been a source of controversy on the campaign trail. Pastebin allows users to paste text anonymously for a period of time. The company explains on its website that it was created to help programmers, and anything not related to that "which results in unusually high traffic will be flagged for investigation. Your paste may be deleted and your IP blocked. In particular, please do not paste email lists, password lists or personal information." The company did not immediately respond to an e-mail from CNN asking whether it plans to remove the posts. The site logs files of users' Internet protocol addresses and service providers, along with some other information, the website explains. But the data is "not linked to any information that is personally identifiable." Many hackers take numerous steps to protect anonymity, making it difficult to track them down. Jeff Garzik, listed on the Bitcoin website as part of its development team, told CNN the "consensus among the Bitcoin chattering class appears to be that this is a hoax." He cited an online forum in which many users express that view. The currency is traceable, even if users go by pseudonyms, Garzik said. Every transaction is stored in a "block chain," which he compares to "a public ledger." "It seems unlikely that thieves would make so public a heist, with law enforcement so likely to watch the block chain and associated Bitcoin exchanges," he said. CNN's Dave Alsup, Carol Cratty and Dana Bash contributed to this report.

NEW: A Bitcoin developer says such a heist seems unlikely . An unnamed group demands $1 million in Bitcoins, an online currency . Mitt Romney has not responded publicly, . The Secret Service is investigating .

Ferguson, Missouri (CNN) -- National Guard members were on duty in Ferguson, Missouri, on Thanksgiving but the people who came up to them only wanted to spread goodwill, bringing turkey and other treats. CNN affiliate KSDK reported that dozens of citizens visited one post at a shopping center. "We just all have to make sure that we are taking care of one another," Terry Pimmel told the station. "That is our mission." Gov. Jay Nixon also stopped by to see the troops. Other volunteers bundled up and painted boards that cover the holes where windows used to be in buildings trashed during recent protests, according to CNN affiliate KMOV. "We came out here because we thought that anything would be better than just blank plywood," Avi Ryan, 13, told KMOV. Some members of the family of Michael Brown, who was fatally shot in August by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, gathered at his father's place for their first holiday dinner since Brown's death. There was a chair left empty at the dining room table of Michael Brown Sr., a photo posted to Twitter by Ferguson Action showed. A shirt with the words "Gone (Too) Soon" was draped over the chair and Brown Sr. wore a shirt that said, "Justice. Small protests overnight . Perhaps it was the biting cold, or maybe it was because of Thanksgiving. But Ferguson was much calmer early Thursday than it had been the previous two days. A few dozen protesters showed up outside police headquarters in Ferguson late Wednesday night. And standing under a "Seasons Greetings" sign stretching over the road, they fired obscenities at National Guard members who stood on watch outside the police department's offices. But there were no incidents, no confrontations between the two sides. Police made two arrests, and no injuries or damages were reported. A protest organizer told CNN that even though the numbers were small early Thursday, demonstrators will return night after night as they have done since the summer when Michael Brown, a black teen, was shot dead by Darren Wilson, a white police officer. Nationwide, protests continued, but they too were peaceful for the most part. In Los Angeles, police arrested 130 protesters on misdemeanor charges of failure to disperse. In Oakland, California, police arrested 35 people for a variety of charges related to protests. At the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York on Thursday morning, seven were arrested after several people broke through barriers near the parade route to protest Monday's grand jury decision not to indict Wilson, New York police said. Wilson's future . For his part, Wilson is in talks to leave the Ferguson Police Department and may give up being an officer altogether. "It's not a question of if, it's a question of when," Wilson's attorney, Neil Bruntrager, told CNN's Don Lemon late Wednesday. "Realistically, he can't go back to being a police officer. He knows that. There's no illusion about any of this." Wilson has said he killed the 18-year-old Brown out of fear for his life during their encounter on August 9. He maintains he hasn't done anything wrong. Though he hasn't said much, Wilson sympathizes with Brown's family, his attorney said. "His remorse and his sadness about what happened is there, and it's real," Bruntrager told CNN. "But in respect to the Browns, he's been very careful to sort of stand back. He knows that whatever he says, it's not going to be read as he means it." The Browns' dismay . Brown's parents don't believe Wilson's version of events, telling CNN's Sunny Hostin their son would never have taunted the officer nor reached for his weapon . "He's a murderer," Brown's father said, referring to Wilson. "He understood his actions. He understood exactly what he was doing. You know, he didn't have a second thought, a pushback thought, or nothing. He was intending to kill someone. That's how I look at it," Brown said. "He was going to kill someone at that point." Michael Brown's mother said hearing that a grand jury had decided not to indict the officer who killed her son felt like getting shot. "We heard this and it was just like, like I had been shot. Like you shoot me now -- just no respect, no sympathy, nothing," Lesley McSpadden told Hostin on Wednesday. "This could be your child. This could be anybody's child." Investigation continues . Back in Ferguson, a one-mile stretch of West Florissant Avenue, the site of previous protests, was closed to cars and pedestrians, with authorities saying the burned-out buildings on the route are crime scenes. One of those buildings is Flood Christian Church, where Michael Brown Sr. is a member. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is leading an investigation into the fire that destroyed the church, a spokesman said. Investigators have found that someone broke into the church, and the fire began in a foyer near the doors that were breached, the ATF spokesman said. The church is some distance away from the strip of stores that burned Monday. Other nearby structures were untouched, which is cause for suspicion, the spokesman said. Also Wednesday, Ferguson police were looking for clues as to who stole an AR-15 that was locked in a rack and plucked from a police car torched by rioters this week. "They took the entire rack from the car," St. Louis County police Sgt. Brian Schellman said. Complete coverage of what's happening in Ferguson . CNN's Moni Basu reported from Ferguson, and Steve Almasy and Saeed Ahmed wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Sara Sidner, Faith Karimi, Jason Hanna and Evan Perez contributed to this report.

NEW: Volunteers bring turkey and other Thanksgiving treats to National Guard soldiers . NEW: Michael Brown's father leaves one chair empty at table . ATF is investigating possible arson at Michael Brown Sr.'s church . Officer Darren Wilson is in talks to leave the Ferguson Police Department, lawyer says .

(CNN) -- There are a myriad of options and over 50 years of heritage to tackle in the unenviable quest to isolate the greatest James Bond scene of all time. Six actors have played Britain's silver-tongued spy who thrives in a world crawling with agents, double agents, assassins and femme fatales. Over the course of 23 films, that have grossed over $6 billion, there have been a litany of memorable set pieces as Bond pitches battle against maniacal villains, hell bent on world domination. Despite this wealth of choice, a series of Bond experts, and one of the film's legendary producers, are in no doubt as to which scene should be anointed the best ever. And given the recurring role that skiing has played throughout the life of Bond, it should comes as no surprise our panel's chosen encounter occurs on the slopes. "I would argue the most iconic sequence is in 'The Spy Who Loved Me', when Bond shot straight off the edge of a cliff at Baffin Island in Canada," Ajay Chowdhury, editor of the James Bond International Fan Club, told CNN. "We saw him fall and fall, and when the Union Jack parachute opened up and the theme tune kicked in, the world cheered. "That was Britain's Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee Year in 1977 and I think to this day it was (famous Bond producer) Albert 'Cubby' Broccoli's favorite ever scene in a Bond movie. "When everything cleared it was him, on his own against the world. You play that sequence around the world and it is James Bond. And he did it on skis." Screen icon . The opening scene in any Bond film is a guaranteed thrill ride, but the beginning of "The Spy Who Loved Me," the tenth film in the franchise, is still hard to top even in today's world of daredevil stunts and breathtaking computer-generated imagery. It also encapsulates the qualities that make Bond such an enduring screen icon. The international man of mystery leaves a love interest in a remote log cabin up in the Alps after a message is sent to his new-fangled watch telling him to patch in to MI6. Bond then outwits a series of gun-wielding Russian henchmen, before soaring off a cliff on his skis, plunging thousands of feet in the air before releasing his parachute, bedecked in the colors of the Union Jack. Vic Armstrong has a Bond pedigree almost as impressive as either Sean Connery or Roger Moore. His legacy stretches over half a century, working first as a stuntman, then a stunt co-ordinator. And even though he has been involved in, and devised, some of its finest sequences, he agrees the best stunt ever features in one of the few films he didn't work on. "For me the greatest stunt is when Bond skis off the cliff with the Union Jack parachute, to me that is sensational," he told CNN. "I saw that and the whole cinema erupted. I thought that was the most fantastic opening ever -- just brilliant." Lone wolf . "The Spy Who Loved Me" is not the only iconic scene to see Bond shaken and stirred on the slopes. Ian Fleming, author of the original James Bond novels, passed his love for skiing on to his subject, and it has made regular appearances in some of 23 films that have followed since "Dr. No" showcased Connery as the dashing agent in 1962. "For Your Eyes Only" includes a daring ski chase in which Moore's Bond escapes his pursuers by zipping down a bobsleigh run while George Lazenby, in his only appearance as 007, even manages to evade capture in a downhill chase despite being down to one ski in "Her Majesty's Secret Service." Timothy Dalton's Bond in "Living Daylights" swept down a mountain slope on a cello case to escape danger while Pierce Brosnan battled grenade-throwing baddies on skidoo's in "The World is Not Enough." Given that skiing is a high-octane preserve of the lone wolf, often associated with glamorous and sophisticated circles, it is inconceivable Britain's premier spy would be be at a loss on the slopes. "The generation of people who inspired the generation Ian Fleming was in all divided their time between skiing, mountain climbing, writing poems and fighting in the First World War," said comedian and Bond enthusiast Rob Deering. "Bond has got the skills written into his hard drive because he's British. He can drive cranes, cars, submarines, why wouldn't he be able to drive two sticks? "If you are going to live the high life you've got to ski. It's action packed, it's classy, it's quintessential Bond." Thrill seeker . As well as skiing, the other sports Bond pursues are also individual ones -- 007 is as unlikely to be found participating in team sports as the dry Martini loving spy would be propping up the bar of a British pub drinking pints of ale. "Bond plays golf, Bond scuba dives and he skis; those are his three sports of choice," said Chowdhury. "They are all individual, they are not team games, they are slightly glamorous, and not something you can do on your local pitch. Skiing captures the danger, the thrill that Bond would push himself through." So when will we next see current Bond Daniel Craig strap on a pair of skis and take to the slopes? "It is inevitable skiing will return," Chowdhury says. "Let's face it, Daniel Craig would look great on skis."

Opening sequence in "The Spy Who Loved Me" arguably the greatest Bond scene ever . Roger Moore's 007 skis off a cliff and falls thousands of feet before opening a Union Jack parachute . Scene underlines the important role skiing plays in the ever popular movie franchise . Legendary Bond producer Albert Broccoli and stunt co-ordinator Vic Armstrong agree .

(CNN) -- After announcing that 343 Industries was taking over the blockbuster "Halo" franchise, Microsoft has faced plenty of speculation about what the new developer would do with one of the most popular video games. Early reviews of "Halo 4," due Tuesday, have been positive (with some critics saying it's the best one yet). But in the meantime, a live-action Web series has been drawing the sci-fi franchise's many fans to YouTube. The five-part series, "Halo: Forward Onto Dawn," recounts an alien attack on a planet hosting a United Nations Space Command military school. The ambush decimates the unprepared planet, leaving the survival of a handful of recruits in the balance. It's a way to bring a new slice of the "Halo" narrative to life and whet appetites for the latest game. Digital filmmakers and executive producers Lydia Antonini and Josh Feldman came up with the idea for the Web series to tell the story of a group of recruits and their connection to the games' iconic Master Chief character. Feldman said 343 Industries wanted to make a big splash with their game and had been impressed by Web videos that had been produced for other gaming titles. Antonini, who was involved in the "Mortal Kombat" digital series, was approached by Microsoft and 343 about transforming an interactive story into a linear one. The team had to finish the project "on what was a pretty nutty schedule," Antonini said. "We wrote, managed, produced the whole life cycle ... in a little less than a calendar year." Antonini and Feldman brought in people who could stay true to both the "Halo" feel and 343's vision of the franchise. The five parts were shot as a movie over 24 days and will be released on Blu-ray disc, but Feldman said they knew they needed break points to fit the series format. "We had to think about how it would work episodically because that's how the consumers would be viewing it on YouTube," Feldman said. "We didn't want one delivery to come at the expense of others. That's really tough because there is a huge difference between what is episodic, call it television if you will, and the structure of a feature." That work required a balance of action and narrative for each part of the Web series, yet the entire story still needed to all flow together. The producers said they were also very cognizant of fans' knowledge of the franchise and did not want to stray outside the narrative boundaries already established. The video story fits in to the overall storylines featured in "Halo 4" and is a literal bridge between "Halo 3" and the new video game. It also introduces a new character, Thomas Laskey, who will play a role in the upcoming game. "For the hardcore fans that have played the games, read the books, read the comics, have the consumer products, and are fully intending to dive into 'Halo 4,' this is very much an additive experience," Feldman said. Antonini said they also wanted to make sure the casual or new fan could appreciate the Web shows and not get lost in the vast history of the franchise. She said developing a story for the Web needed to have its own hook but not one that was outside the overall plot line they wanted to explore. "It was one of the toughest things about this show. It's like working in a World War II museum," she said. "There is a whole lot of history that people care about and you've got to be really true to, but then it is also wonderful to be able to create something new within that world." The "Halo" series chronicles an interstellar war between humans and aliens known as the Covenant. The protagonist of the games' fictional universe is Master Chief, a cybernetically enhanced human soldier encased in green armor. Antonini and Feldman knew the one thing they had to get right from a fan's perspective was their portrayal of the iconic Master Chief. Antonini said a representative from 343 was with them throughout the shooting process and was able to answer questions and point out details to keep them on the right track. "What we try to do with our extended fiction is create a kind of 'history' for the universe, from which we can draw ideas, scenarios, characters and events, and connect those to the game in meaningful ways," said Frank O'Connor, franchise development director at 343 Industries. "The beauty of this approach, when we get it right, is that for fans of that extended fiction, both the game and the related stories end up having more resonance and meaning. But for folks who simply play the games, the story of the game feels like it comes from a richer, deeper foundation." Antonini said they had access to the developer's art department to represent the imposing Master Chief with an accuracy that fans would appreciate. "This was an area we knew we couldn't veer in any way shape or form, and we'd be crazy to," Feldman said. "We had to make the best, most authentic Master Chief gear that you could make." Daniel Cudmore, the actor selected for the beloved role, is an imposing presence on the screen. Cudmore also does all the stunts and action scenes in the Web series. One of the bridges between "Halo 3" and "Halo 4" is a series of flashbacks to Master Chief's artificial-intelligence sidekick, Cortana, and what happens to her after the spaceship, "Forward Unto Dawn," is ripped in half at the end of "Halo 3." Feldman said he thinks casual and hardcore fans will appreciate some new insight as they get ready to play "Halo 4." Part 1 of the live-action Web series was released in October, and the final episode was revealed just days before Tuesday's official "Halo 4" release. More than 8 million people watched the first episode on YouTube. It will be interesting to see how many continue the story in the video game.

A live-action Web series has been drawing "Halo" fans to YouTube . The five-part series premiered in October and wrapped up last week . "Halo 4," the latest installment in the sci-fi video game franchise, is released Tuesday .

(CNN) -- If you're good enough at what you do, it is possible to live forever. That's a lesson to be drawn from the news out of Amsterdam last week. A painting by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh, which was previously believed to be a forgery, has been authenticated. "Sunset at Montmajour," a landscape painted by van Gogh in 1888, has been painstakingly studied by experts at the Van Gogh Museum, using sophisticated chemical-and-technological analysis. Their conclusion: It's the real thing. It is said to be the first full-sized canvas by van Gogh to be found in 85 years. In the past, paintings by van Gogh have sold for tens of millions of dollars apiece. He has been dead since 1890, when, in one of many moments of despair, he took his own life. He was only 37. Even before he entered the world, there were omens that his might not be a conventional existence. On March 30, 1852, Vincent van Gogh was stillborn in the Netherlands. That was his older brother. A year later -- to the day -- a second child was born. This child, too, was given the name Vincent. He would be the boy who grew into an artist. He left school at 15. He worked as an art dealer, a clergyman and a bookseller. He never found material success. He battled depression and deep loneliness. His mental health deteriorated. He famously mutilated his left ear; he was confined to an asylum. His attacks of anxiety and bottomless melancholy kept him in his room for months at a time. His brother Theo would write that, very near the end, Vincent said to him: "The sadness will last forever." Yet what has lasted forever is his brilliance. Because of his artistry, van Gogh has proved to be immortal. He has been gone for more than a century, and we are talking about him today, studying every detail of his work, trying to decipher what it was he was trying to say on his canvases. Making art, in any of its myriad forms -- music, literature, drama and beyond -- is like sending messages out in bottles. The artists, on the days they drop the bottles into the water, can have no idea where they will end up, or who will find them. You don't have to be an aficionado of fine art to walk into a public gallery, stand before a painting done by someone long dead, and think: One day, many generations ago, whoever created this work decided that this tiny brushstroke here would be preferable to another, subtly different one; that this shade of red in this corner was the ideal one, instead of a shade more vivid or more muted; that the shadows over on this side of the canvas were what was needed to set the proper mood. And now, all these years later, a stranger standing in front of the painting in a town the artist never visited is thinking about the mind behind those choices. Walk into a public library. Pull a book from any shelf. The book can be by an acclaimed author -- F. Scott Fitzgerald, the wonderful writer of Westerns Dorothy M. Johnson, Philip Roth -- or by an author with whose work you are unfamiliar. Flip through the book until you find a paragraph that strikes you as being especially beautifully constructed, a paragraph you immediately esteem. Linger over it, and consider: This writer chose to put this comma here for a reason, for the desired rhythm and cadence; discerned that this particular combination of words would be most pleasing to the eye and ear of a reader; pondered, at least momentarily, whether a semicolon was the right way to break a thought, or whether a period followed by the start of a new sentence would serve a reader more gracefully. The writer, on that day, may not have known whether his or her book would ever be published. Maybe the book has sat on this library shelf for years without anyone coming along to free it from its hardbound neighbors. But on this day, someone -- you -- has, in fact, come along, and is thinking about what the writer may have been thinking, alone at a typewriter or with a fountain pen poised over a clean sheet of paper, so many years ago. That message in a bottle: The writer is alive again -- alive still. The work, suddenly, is new once more. This is artistry's payoff, its greatest reward. During the summer, the singer Phil Everly spoke about an antebellum house that he and his wife had renovated and repaired in Maury County, Tennessee. Everly, 74, told Marc Myers of the Wall Street Journal that "The house makes me feel kind of solid. I like things that are way older than I am and are going to outlast me." But he is being too modest. The house is not going to outlast the music of the Everly Brothers; eventually and inevitably the house will fall apart or be torn down. The songs that Phil and Don Everly recorded, though, with their gorgeously blended voices, will never die. The brothers themselves, like all artists, will leave this earth, but the harmonies they created will go on and on. Immortality: Now that van Gogh's "Sunset at Montmajour" has been discovered and authenticated for the world to see, his every artistic choice that reveals itself on the canvas will be peered at and discussed for centuries to come, by admirers hoping to glean further insights into the man he was. He painted more than 800 canvases and did more than 1,000 drawings and watercolors. He went to his grave a pauper, knowing that, for all his talent and heart and inspiration, he had been able, in his lifetime, to sell only one painting. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene.

Bob Greene: Discovery of Van Gogh painting points up immortality of the artist . He says Van Gogh struggled with his art--and depression--died young, but art endured . He says art in all its forms is like message in a bottle, sent from the mind of artist to the ages . Greene: Art, whether Phil Everly or van Gogh, keeps artist's perceptions alive .

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Murphy bounds up the stairs, down the stairs, over the hurdles, through the tunnel and stops. He cautiously sidesteps the large white ring in front of him and sits down. Betty Yadlosky tries to tease her Himalayan Persian named Tangerine with a feather. "Through the ring! Come on, Murphy, through the ring!" his owner encourages, as she enthusiastically jingles a feathered toy on the other side of the obstacle. Murphy glances over, clearly saying, "There is no way I am jumping through that hoop." And anyone watching -- anyone who has ever owned a cat -- knows he is right. "It can be frustrating," Donna Hinton says from the sidelines of the agility course. "But it's a challenge, a new dimension to showing." Hinton is the owner of Kevi, one of the nation's top agility cats. Dressed to impress, Hinton looks more like a business executive than a cat fanatic -- but the breeder of Maine Coon cats has more than 20 years experience in pedigree showing. "Some people like to go to the golf course on the weekend. I like to go to a cat show," she says with a smile. This time around, it was last weekend's Cat Fanciers' Association's International Cat Show, in Atlanta, Georgia -- touted as the Western Hemisphere's largest cat show, with 729 cats from 41 breeds and 14 countries. Elaborately decorated cages fill both sides and the back of the convention center floor. Vendors sell everything from cat hammocks to gutter guards (even the show manager isn't sure why gutter guards are there), and a man in a wig shows off his tightrope-walking cats. But arguably the most important activity takes place just past the garbage cans marked "Dump litter here, please." Judging . Bob Druzisky carries Zoe -- short for Mittsnpaws Zoe of Wyldephyre -- two-handed under her belly, stretching her out to her full length as they walk to one of the 12 judging rings. "[We do this] to show her off to the crowd and to avoid handprints on her fur," he says. Zoe's judge wipes down his table with disinfectant and then picks up Zoe, staring into her eyes as her feet dangle four feet above the ground. He puts her down and proceeds to feel her coat and check her response time. At one point, she tries to escape from the table, but is nabbed by the quick-handed judge. The whole thing is over less than a minute later. Each cat is judged by six judges throughout the weekend, show manager Emily Turner says. The cats are split into three groups: kittens (less than 8 months), champions (adult cats), and premiers (adult neutered/spayed cats). These categories are broken down again by breed, color and sex. On Sunday morning, judges tally up the points and select the top two cats from each category. A panel then picks the best in show. "That's it in a nutshell," Turner says. Of course, it's slightly more complicated. Each judge must train for six years. They must know the standards for each breed -- written descriptions of the "ideal" cat -- and be able to tell which Siamese has the perfect ear width or which red cat has the best color. Time and money . The ideal breed standard is impossible to reach, Turner says, but owners spend hundreds of hours, and dollars, trying. That's most evident when an announcement comes over the loudspeaker for a DNA "blue-eyed" breeding seminar, starting in one hour. Druzisky and his wife, Jennifer, attend approximately 30 cat shows each year. The couple arrived in Atlanta with Zoe and Angel on Thursday night after a 12-hour drive from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Between gas, hotel rooms, entrance fees and cat supplies, Druzisky estimates the shows cost him between a couple hundred and $1,000 per month. Of course, showing cats is a lot cheaper than showing horses -- as Betty Yadlosky is quick to point out. She and her husband Bill showed horses for many years before switching to Himalayan Persians. The couple has 11 Persians, all of which need regular baths if they're showing. Each bath takes Betty Yadlosky an hour and a half to two hours, including a blow dry. So how much time does the average owner spend grooming their cats? "Just depends on how many you have and how well you take care of them," she says. "You've got to keep them healthy and happy." For the love of it . Back in the ring, Kevi is running Hinton ragged. He zooms through the other obstacles, only to stop short at the blue weave bars. Once, twice, three times he stops, before Hinton sighs, wiping her forehead with her arm. "I think we're tired," she says. "Bored, not tired," agility instructor Carol Osbourne calls out to Hinton. "[Kevi] could do this all night. Keep your body ahead [of the cat] and make a wide sweep with your arm." Hinton goes to scoop up Kevi, only to miss the rascal by inches. This starts a game of chase that ends with Kevi in a red carrier and Hinton laughing. Putting on a show this large takes more than a year, and it's scenes like this one that convince Turner her hard work is worth it. She says most of the people who come to shows are there simply because they love animals. "There's the best of all things," she says, speaking loudly over the call for Tokinese cats in ring three. "At night, when you go home you have this warm, fuzzy, cuddly animal that adores you and you adore him or her. I mean, how could you ask for anything better?"

Cat Fanciers' Association holds International Cat Show in Atlanta, Georgia . More than 700 cats of 41 breeds participate in show . Kuorii Santos of Cuzzoe wins "Best in Show" Cats give owners trouble on the agility course during training time .

New York (CNN)The ceremonial burning of paper money and the melodic sounds of Buddhist chants are marking a weekend of remembrance for the second police officer killed in an ambush by a lone gunman in December -- a sendoff that reflects the changing face of a department once known for its deep Irish and Italian roots. Under a mix of rain and snow, Det. Wenjian Liu was remembered Saturday at Aievoli Funeral Home in Brooklyn, where Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner William Bratton, local officials and throngs of uniformed police officers and firefighters gathered at his wake in a sign of the diversity and unity of the nation's largest city. Liu was 12 when his parents emigrated with him in 1994, coming to the United States from Canton, China. His police partner, Rafael Ramos, a New York native of Puerto Rican descent, was remembered last week with a massive outpouring at a Protestant church in Queens. With the city and nation divided over the treatment of minorities by their brothers and sisters on the force, the lives of the two fallen officers more closely reflected the city's diversity. On Sunday, a sea of dark blue drawn from the police forces of New York and beyond is expected to find its way to the funeral home for Liu's funeral at 11 a.m. ET. When his NYPD colleagues gather there, their boss has an urgent request of them: Please remain reverent throughout the services. Don't carry out an "act of disrespect" against anyone, Police Commissioner William Bratton said in a memorandum obtained by CNN. Turning their backs . The message was directed at a large group that attended the funeral for Ramos last week and turned their backs on de Blasio as he gave his eulogy. On Saturday, several officers saluted de Blasio when he arrived at the funeral home. It was a repeat protest. They had done it before, the night after the two men were shot dead in their car, when de Blasio entered the hospital to condemn the killing. Some officers accused the mayor of encouraging anti-police fervor due to his support of protests against police brutality. Tens of thousands had taken to the streets in the wake of the death of African-American man Eric Garner during an encounter with white officers. Pat Lynch, head of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, has taken aim at de Blasio, even saying the mayor's office was stained with the officers' blood. He has called for searing protest by police officers, and some have heeded that call. But for Sunday's funeral, Bratton is putting his foot down at a potential repeat by some officers. 'Grieving, not grievance' "A hero's funeral is about grieving, not grievance," Bratton said. The last display put all NYPD officers in a bad light, he said. "It stole the valor, honor and attention that rightfully belonged to the memory of detective Rafael Ramos's life and sacrifice," his memo read. But he commiserated with the sentiments of many officers. "As a cop, one who lived and worked through the assassination threats of the 1970s, I understand that emotions are high," he said. Still the message was clear: Respect the fallen; honor of the uniform. He expressly said there'd be no punishment for noncompliance at Liu's funeral but made sure the request was heard by all. His memo was to be read or displayed at police roll calls through Sunday. The ambush . Ramos and Liu were sitting in their squad car in Brooklyn when Ismaaiyl Brinsley ambushed them with a gun December 20. He shot himself to death in a nearby subway station. Brinsley had a lengthy rap sheet that included gun crimes. Before killing the two men, he had tweeted messages that he would kill police officers in the wake of the deaths of Garner and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Bratton promoted Liu and Ramos to the rank of detective first grade during Ramos' funeral, to rousing applause. Wenjian Liu . Liu's family came to the United States from Canton, China, in search of a better life. He majored in accounting in college, but he opted for a different path, joining the New York Police Department in 2007. He was proud to serve as an officer, his family said, using his Chinese-language skills whenever they were needed. He got married in September and had been looking forward to having his own family. Liu's family described him as selfless and kind in an interview given to the New York Daily News. Holding back tears, his father said that as a young officer, Liu once bought a meal for someone he pulled over before guiding him home, he told the Daily News. Liu's funeral comes five days after his partner's. His family was waiting for family to come from China. His widow gave a brief statement on the day of Ramos' funeral, thanking members of the community for their support and sending condolences to the Ramos family. "This is a difficult time for both of our families," Pei Xia Chen said, "but we will stand together and get through this together." Rafael Ramos . Ramos saw his work as a police officer as a ministry and was posthumously appointed honorary NYPD chaplain. He was just hours away from becoming a lay chaplain and graduating from a community-crisis chaplaincy program before his violent death. He left behind a wife, Maritza, and two sons, Justin and Jaden. Vice President Joe Biden, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, de Blasio and Bratton delivered eulogies at his funeral. More than 25,000 police officers from across the country and Canada attended. Officers formed long chains holding hands in prayer. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz and Michael Martinez contributed to this report.

Fellow officers to say goodbye to Det. Wenjian Liu at a funeral home in Brooklyn on Sunday . Don't carry out an "act of disrespect" against anyone, police commissioner says in memo . At the funeral for Rafael Ramos, some officers turned their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio .

(CNN)Not one, but two French citizens have been connected to beheadings in a recent ISIS video, both of them 22-year-old men who went to Syria to join the group, authorities said Wednesday. The Paris prosecutor's office on Wednesday identified Mickael Dos Santos, a convert to Islam from the Paris suburb of Champigny-sur-Marne who was well-known to French anti-terror authorities before the ISIS video release. Why are so many young French turning to jihad? In fact, an October 2013 warrant for Dos Santos' arrest was issued as part of an investigation into French citizens who had gone to Syria to take part in ISIS jihad there, the prosecutor's office said. Dos Santos joins Maxime Hauchard, who authorities said Monday was also on the video, released over the weekend, that depicts in graphic detail, the beheadings of men whom ISIS militants claim were Syrian government pilots. It also shows the aftermath of another beheading in which the victim in not clearly recognizable, but that the U.S. government says was American aid worker Peter Kassig. Public Prosecutor Francois Molins described Hauchard -- who went to Syria in 2013 and visiting Mauritania the previous year -- is a "self-radicalized" jihadist who traveled to the region under the guise of a humanitarian mission. He was known to French security services as far back as 2011, the prosecutor said. More barbaric ISIS videos expected after Kassig's death, analyst says . Speaking from Australia alongside Prime Minister Tony Abbott, French President François Hollande said his country's judicial system will work to establish "exactly what role" the two French men played, though the mere fact they came from France and became involved at all warrants attention and action. "We have to be even more aware, even in terms of the information that needs to be handed out, in terms of the danger that Internet sites carry and how these young people can be indoctrinated," Hollande said. "They could be from any background, from any ethnic origin, but they easily can be brainwashed into becoming converts." The ranks of ISIS -- the extremist group calling itself the Islamic State that's taken over vast swaths of Syria and Iraq -- have swelled with volunteers coming from outside the region, including from the West. How foreign fighters are bolstering ISIS . Intelligence estimates indicate that more than 100 of the foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria have come from the United States. Hundreds more arrived from Europe, including more than 900 French citizens that country's government believes are involved in the jihad there. This influx has spurred concerns that some of these fighters could bring the fight back home, perhaps with attacks inside Western nations. Those worries have been heightened by the group's brutal tactics against foe and civilians alike, such as raping, enslaving and selling Iraqi women belonging to the Yazidi religious minority. Last week, a United Nations panel stated what many consider obvious: ISIS has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria. Yazidi women 'treated like cattle' The most high-profile of these abuses -- because they were taped and publicized as propaganda, for all the world to see -- have been the beheadings of ISIS captives. The mother of the first American so killed, journalist James Foley, said that her family is in touch with Kassig's family and that they are "heartbroken another American has given his life for the suffering people of Syria." The West is fighting back, with many countries -- including France -- allying with Iraq to conduct airstrikes targeting ISIS in that country. The United States has also led airstrikes going after the group in Syria. From Monday to Wednesday, for instance, the U.S.-led coalition launched five airstrikes near the northern Syrian city of Kobani and one targeting an oil collection point in al-Hasakah, in addition to a strike targeting a facility purportedly used by the so-called Khorasan Group. There were even more strikes in Iraq, including 13 near Kirkuk, seven near Mosul, three near Baiji and one near Fallujah, according to the U.S. military. OPINION: Kassig's murder a sign of weakness from a terror group on the run . ISIS hasn't relented much either, including unleashing yet more violence Wednesday. At least four people died and 29 others were wounded after a vehicle drove up to the entrance to a government building in Irbil, the strongly fortified capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, and exploded, according to Kurdistan Regional Government spokesman Safeen Dizayee. Police "who tried to stop" the vehicle were among the dead, he said. Dizayee added that ISIS -- which is active in northern Iraq -- claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, fighting continues in Syria as well, some of it near the Turkish border. John Allen, the former commander of American forces in Afghanistan now charged with coordinating the coalition to battle ISIS, met with officials in the Turkish capital of Ankara about that fight on Wednesday. The same day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for more to be done -- including establishing no-fly zones and bolstering "train and equip" efforts for those fighting ISIS. Turkey has spoken out against ISIS, while also expressing opposition to groups of Kurdish fighters that are among those trying to defeat the group. "The coalition powers still have not taken these steps we asked for and recommended," Erdogan said, according to a report from the semi-official Anadolu news agency. "We are living this process on small hints and possibilities." CNN's Laura Akhoun and Marion Lory in Paris, Elizabeth Joseph in Hong Kong, as well as CNN's Nick Paton Walsh and journalist Zeynep Bilginsoy in Gaziantep, Turkey, contributed to this report.

Prosecutor: Mickael Dos Santos was wanted by French authorities before video . U.S.-led coalition strikes ISIS targets around Iraq and Syria, U.S. military says . France's President says two French citizens are in latest ISIS beheadings video .

Dallas (CNN) -- Sara Rogers-Smith considers herself one of the lucky ones. She, her husband and two kids were allowed to return to their home Monday and found it in one piece after a wildfire swept the area. Some of their neighbors were not as fortunate. "We definitely feel lucky," Rogers-Smith said in a telephone interview from her home in southwest Austin. "The wind was blowing in the complete opposite direction of our house." Have you been affected by wildfires? Send photos, videos . She said several other homes in her area were damaged and that at least two were burned to their foundations, leaving just metal and ash as reminders of what was. Dozens of large fires continued to burn out of control Monday in Texas in what officials have described as unprecedented conditions that show no signs of abating soon. "We're experiencing conditions never seen in Texas before," said Marq Webb, a spokesman with the Texas Forest Service. "Yesterday, we had 1,400 people and that number will go up today," he said in a telephone interview Monday from the service's incident command center in Merkel just west of Abilene. Perfect storm for wildfires . In all, the Forest Service has been asked to help battle fires covering some 700,000 acres, said Webb. Thirty-one fires were being fought in East Texas; another 11 fires in West Texas, officials said. "We've had 19 consecutive days of just super-dry weather, relative humidities in the single digits," said Forest Service spokeswoman C.J. Norvell in Midland. "What we're seeing right now is winds that are typical of spring, but everything else is typical of late summer -- no rain, vegetation that's just super dry. When you combine those two, it really has not boded well." The Wildcat Fire just north of San Angelo has led to the evacuation of hundreds of people from their homes, Norvell said. The same fire threatens three small communities just north of San Angelo -- Robert Lee, Bronte and Tennyson, she said. A predicted change in wind direction from south to southwest could worsen the prognosis, she said. "This little change is going to test some infrastructure and fire lines that we've set up," she said. The fires have a variety of causes -- some of them acts of nature, such as lightning strikes -- but most of them acts of man, said Webb. Those include anything from fence welding to debris burning, despite the fact that burn bans are in effect for 195 of the state's 254 counties, he said. Texas authorities have made an arrest in connection with one of hundreds of blazes scorching the state in what a Forest Service official called the "perfect storm for wildfires." A man was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, which is a felony under Texas law, Austin Fire Department Battalion Chief Palmer Buck said early Monday. The man, whom authorities did not immediately identify, was being held under a $50,000 bond. According to Buck, the man started a campfire at a homeless camp in a remote area, which got out of control and prompted evacuations. The fire burned about 60 acres. "We're experiencing conditions we've never seen in Texas before," he said. "We have a huge area of Texas with abundant fuels and they are tinder dry -- and I'm talking about probably half of the state." Monday's forecast was worse than Sunday's, "and tomorrow's supposed to be worse than today," he said. Though temperatures are expected to dip Wednesday, they were predicted to ramp back up on Thursday and Friday. Such weather has taxed the resources available to fight the fires. "We're stretched pretty thin right now," Webb said. Conditions this spring are the driest they've been in Texas since 1917, said a Texas Forest Service spokeswoman. Authorities have responded to 7,807 fires across more than 1.5 million acres since this year's wildfire season began, Gov. Rick Perry wrote over the weekend in a letter to President Barack Obama. Perry requested that the federal government declare Texas a disaster area. Fires have affected all but two of the state's 254 counties. Perry noted that one firefighter has died and 18 others have been injured, while 244 homes have been destroyed and another 8,514 threatened residences "saved." CNN affiliate WFAA in Dallas-Fort Worth reported Bill Morris was one of the many Texans forced from his home by the fires. He spoke to the station as he was putting photographs and his wife's jewelry in the car, preparing to leave -- again. "I've spent the night in a hotel three different times. And then I'm told I can come back, and come back just to get evacuated the next day," he said. In the Possum Kingdom complex west of Fort Worth, approximately 90 head of cattle were killed by the fire, said Webb. In southwest Austin, 10 homes suffered major damage and six suffered minor damage in a 100-acre area, said Matt Curtis, a spokesman for Mayor Lee Leffingwell. Curtis said Monday morning that the fire was contained, though firefighters were expected to spend the day looking for potential flareups and hot spots. "Luckily, this fire happened in a somewhat unpopulated part of that neighborhood," he said. The multi-jurisdictional effort included the Austin Police Department, the Austin-Travis County Fire Department, the Austin-Travis County EMS, the Travis County Sheriff's Department and the Texas Forest Service. "The mayor, who has lived in Austin all 72 of his years, described this as the largest fire he had ever seen in Austin and largest multi-jurisdictional effort," said Curtis. CNN's Leslie Tripp and Stephanie Gallman contributed to this report.

Spring winds combined with dry conditions typical of late summer have "not boded well" A Forest Service spokeswoman says conditions in Texas are the driest since 1917 . 7,807 fires have affected more than 1.5 million acres since this year's wildfire season began . In southwest Austin, 10 homes suffered major damage .

Jerusalem (CNN) -- It's a subject seldom addressed publicly in the Palestinian territories, but for the first time, a report is lifting the veil on the taboo topic of female trafficking and forced prostitution -- and calling for action to stop it. Trafficking and forced prostitution in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza operate on a small-scale basis, rather than being part of a sophisticated and organized activity, the report found. But the two practices are also frequent and widespread -- and the women and girls involved have few means of escape. The 26-page report, released Wednesday and titled "Trafficking and Forced Prostitution of Palestinian Women and Girls: Forms of Modern Day Slavery," was researched and written by SAWA, a nonprofit Palestinian group that combats violence against women. SAWA received support for the report from UNIFEM, the United Nations Development Fund for Women, which is making the report available online. Getting information for the report -- which was completed in June 2008 but published only now -- was difficult because of the stigma suffered by the victims and the sensitivity of the subject within Palestinian society, SAWA said. Explaining the delay between completing the research and publishing the report, UNIFEM spokesman Julien Vaissier said it took a long time to analyze the data from the field, and staff in Gaza were also forced in January of this year to turn their attention to victims of the fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. "Dating [the report] 2009 would have been misleading, because the data was collected in 2008," he said. "It was hard for us to publish it, and it took us a long time to decide how, whom and why, because of the situation and the sensitivity of the subject," SAWA representative Jalal Khader added. The report found that unemployment and poverty play a major role in pushing girls and women into prostitution and making them vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers. Most of the women have also been "violently abused by their families, especially their fathers," the report found. The trafficked women who spoke to researchers said they had been "battered continuously" at home, then forced into marriage, often facing further violence at the hands of their husbands. The situation is no better if the trafficked women and girls are accompanied by pimps or madams, who threaten the girls with violence if they refuse sex with clients. In one case, a trafficker called "W" threatened to inform a girl's family if she tried to escape and to disseminate embarrassing pictures of her engaged in sexual activity. Researchers found no studies or reports on the issue, just local newspaper reports on specific cases, SAWA said. They did manage to conduct 11 face-to-face interviews with "informants," or Palestinians willing to speak out about the problem. Those included police officers, victims' lawyers, taxi drivers and hotel owners. Field researchers also managed to conduct in-person interviews with three trafficked women and included their case studies in the report. SAWA said its groundbreaking report is not meant as a comprehensive study, but rather an initial step in identifying the problem. "For the first time, people have chosen to break the silence and speak out, and this briefing paper can be seen as a first step to start answering the need for protecting women and girl victims of trafficking and forced prostitution in the [occupied Palestinian territories]," the report says. If the victimized women somehow escape their situations, they face further problems on several fronts. The report found there are few social networks or shelter houses to which they can turn, that they may be ostracized by their communities and families, and that the law may treat them as criminals. The first case study in the report is of a 23-year-old married mother of three from Jerusalem. A Palestinian, she says her father used to abuse her violently on a daily basis, tightening a belt around her neck until she fainted, then forcing her to live in the basement for days without food. After the woman's father forced her into marriage at 16, her husband raped her on their wedding night, then continued to beat her, she said. She ran away from home and met two men who promised her shelter and employment in Israel -- but instead, when she got there, she was kept in a house and forced to be a prostitute, she said. When she once refused to sleep with a client, the woman said her pimp called her father, who took her home and hit her violently until she fainted. She now lives at a safe house, the report said. In another case, a field researcher overheard two women talking in the front seat of a public taxi on the way from Jerusalem to the West Bank city of Ramallah. The woman told her friend she was unable to obtain a birth certificate for a baby fathered by one of her former clients at a brothel. The woman said she was forced to leave the brothel after becoming pregnant and now didn't know what to do: "I went to the social services in Jerusalem, but they could not help me either," she was overheard as saying. A lack of willingness by law enforcement to investigate these cases and prosecute the traffickers -- along with criminalizing the victims' behavior -- only compounds the problem, the report said. The Palestinian territories use a hodgepodge of laws applicable to different areas, which also makes it difficult to take action, the report said. The report calls on Palestinian governmental organizations to draft new legislation guaranteeing that girls and women are treated as victims of crime and not as offenders, and referring to forced prostitution as sexual violence. It also urges civil groups to document cases of forced prostitution and trafficking for sexual purposes and to push the government to change the law. The United Nations defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, harboring or receipt of people by force, coercion, fraud or abuse of power. Traffickers seek to exploit their victims for sexual purposes, forced labor or removal of organs, SAWA said.

Trafficking, forced prostitution in Jerusalem, West Bank, Gaza called small scale but frequent . Women, girls involved have few means of escape, history of victimization, report says . Report isn't a comprehensive study, but rather an initial step to identifying problem, group says . Report finds few shelters, social networks for victims, who face ostracism, criminalization .

(CNN) -- Looks like we'd all like to live in Mayberry. Fifty years later, we're still watching "The Andy Griffith Show." The '60s hit continues to air twice a day in TV Land's weekday schedule, at noon and 12:30 p.m. ET. (TV Land also has a July 4 marathon, Wednesday 8 a.m.-1 p.m. ET/PT; and a weekend tribute to its recently deceased star July 7-8, Saturday-Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. ET/PT.) Andy Griffith created a mighty special place in his small-town TV comedy, which seems to have aired continually every day someplace since it left the CBS network in 1968. When the show ceased production, it ranked as prime-time's No. 1 series, after spending all eight of its network seasons in Nielsen's Top 10. Mayberry was a town so comfortable and calm that Griffith's down-home Sheriff Andy Taylor hardly ever got to do any sheriff-ing. He mostly dispensed folksy wisdom to his motherless son, Opie, rode herd on his jittery sheriff, Barney Fife, and helped his Mayberry townsfolk keep on the straight and narrow and neighborly. What we love about Andy Griffith . Wait. This was TV's No. 1 series -- in 1968? Hasn't the Vietnam era-1968 gone down in history as the year synonymous with social upheaval? Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. were assassinated. The "generation gap" widened. Hippies turned on and dropped out. Fists were raised at the Olympic Games. War protests raged. And folksy Andy Griffith drew viewers in staggering numbers. Perhaps it's really not so strange at all. Who wouldn't rather live in the serene Mayberry of "TV land" than in Realtown USA, beset by crime, corruption, war, taxes and societal chaos? No wonder "The Andy Griffith Show" endures, far beyond the nostalgia for more "pivotal" TV landmarks such as "All in the Family" and "Roseanne." There's even a "real" Mayberry, and it continues to draw vacationers. Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina, to this day operates the seven-days-a-week Andy Griffith Museum, filled with the actor's memorabilia, props, video and other attractions. (Be there for September 27-30's annual Mayberry Days!) Come sit a spell, take your shoes off, y'all come back now, y'hear? OK, so we borrowed that last line from "The Beverly Hillbillies" theme song. Same difference. In fact, during "Andy Griffith's" run of 1960-68, "Hillbillies" was twice the nation's top-ranked show. The other years' Nielsen titles went to "Gunsmoke," to "Wagon Train," and (three times) to "Bonanza." Which just goes to show how much Americans wanted to be anywhere rather than Here and Now. Those other top series still run on TV, but "The Andy Griffith Show" has turned out to be in a class by itself. Did citizens ever really live in idyllic small towns like Mayberry? Maybe we wish we did. Maybe we still want to. What was Connecticut's fictional Stars Hollow, the small-town setting for that 21st-century WB fave "Gilmore Girls," but a more elegantly and literately constructed Mayberry? Everybody knew everybody, and got along, and meant well, and everybody was witty and sophisticated. 'Andy Griffith' theme song also part of Americana . But Americans still seem to crave the more primitive version of Americana, as evidenced by the fact that everybody's favorite episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show" are the ones in black-and-white. The show was filmed monochrome its first five seasons, the ones with Don Knotts as Barney Fife. Then when Knotts left the cast for the big screen ("The Incredible Mr. Limpet," anyone?), the show transitioned to color and lost much of its charm. We liked Mayberry more as a timeless Everyplace than a DayGlo wannabe. Here's another reason "The Andy Griffith Show" endures: It may be TV's first dramedy. There's a laugh track, yes, because it was filmed single-camera, rather than in a studio like most other Desilu-produced series after studio pioneer "I Love Lucy." Griffith insisted he wanted to be able to include exterior shots, remembering what the outdoors meant to him as a North Carolina kid. Indeed, what's the first image of the show that comes to mind? The whistling-theme opening credits, when Andy and son Opie are heading out to do some fishin' (no "g" here). The "drama" quotient amped up, too, as Andy's initial portrayal of Sheriff Andy Taylor as a country bumpkin (watch the series' backdoor pilot as a 1960 episode of "Make Room for Daddy") quickly evolved into the town sage -- a dispenser of common-sense wisdom to the quirky characters who crossed his path in search of rational justice and cogent advice. Don Knotts won the Emmys as wacky deputy Barney Fife. Andy Griffith gained legend as the straight man who made it all possible. Think of Andy Griffith this way: Can you imagine a 300-channel TV universe without "The Andy Griffith Show" airing someplace every day? Enough said. We all need our little slice of Mayberry. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Diane Werts.

Diane Werts notes "The Andy Griffith Show" was No. 1 in 1968 . In an era of upheaval, Americans turned to Mayberry, she says . Who wouldn't choose Mayberry over crime, war and societal chaos? she says .

Beijing (CNN) -- Every so often, grassroots activism succeeds in China. We saw one this week. Caving in to public pressure, government officials in the southwestern city of Shifang in Sichuan Province abandoned plans to build a billion-dollar chemical plant. Plant abandoned amid protests . This came just days after thousands of angry residents took to the streets in protest at the city's bid to build the $1.6 billion Molybdrenum plant. City officials said it had passed all environmental evaluations, but local residents, worried about long-term pollution and health hazards, said "no." Defying government and police orders, they marched to the chant of "Protect Shifang's environment, return our beautiful home!" Soon enough, the mayor conceded and promised to suspend construction. Then on Friday, the city's Communist Party chief was sacked. "The people have achieved their goals if their protest was just a NIMBY (not in my backyard) movement," the Global Times noted rather acerbically. But some political observers see beyond parochial backyards. "It is a stunning case of a local NIMBY movement coalescing with the support of nationwide public opinion through the internet," said Xiao Qiang, a U.S.-based expert on the Chinese internet. "The new media, particularly through (Twitter-like) Weibo and popular forums such as Kaidi.net played an absolutely critical role in the whole process." Xiao said netizens spread the news instantly and widely, exposed police violence against protesters and generated popular outrage. "With such national exposure and public opinion on the protesters' side, the local authorities had no choice but to cave in instantly," he said. A few other NIMBY protesters have succeeded in China. In 2009, local residents rallied and aborted a government plan to build a waste incinerator plant in a suburban town in southern Guangzhou city. That same year, Shanghai residents foiled a city plan to construct a high-speed train line using magnetic levitation technology complete with a raised concrete track. Last August, thousands of protesters forced officials in the northeastern port city of Dalian to shut down and promise to relocate a controversial chemical plant that produced paraxylene (PX), which residents feared was carcinogenic. Political observers attribute these successes to smart tactics. "The environment is a perfect issue for the public to exploit the central-local divide," said Wenfang Tang, a political science professor at the University of Iowa in the U.S. "People know when to claim their right to resist the local government by using central government regulations," Tang explained. "Beijing is often sympathetic to such public demand since it does not hurt its own legitimacy. Scholars describe this tactic as the 'rightful resistance.'" This is best exemplified by one of the Shifang protesters' banners: "Long live the Communist Party, kick out the copper factory!" But China has been grappling with a spike in social unrest. Anger has been rising over land seizures, a growing wealth divide, official corruption and environmental pollution. Rural unrest is also a problem, though nothing new. In the early 1990s, I covered a farmers' protest in Sichuan over unpopular taxation policies. But what is new is the increased scope and frequency of the protests. They have now spread to towns and cities. Another new factor is the Weibo phenomenon. The hugely popular micro-blogging service now has more than 300 million subscribers who post about 100 million tweets every day. Despite government censorship, Weibo is tearing down walls that block the free flow of information. Government censors cannot completely stop Weibo users from downloading and forwarding news and views via Weibo. When Chen Guangcheng, a blind activist, escaped house arrest and took refuge at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, sustained public attention on Weibo helped put pressure on Chinese and American officials to seek a diplomatic solution. "The spotlight makes a huge difference," said Gregory Lee, a professor at the University of Lyon in France. "The Chen Guangcheng case was dealt with in reaction of media attention." Chen Guangcheng on his next move . Chen has since been allowed to leave and study in the U.S. When these unsavory events break, most official Chinese media are usually tight-lipped, or are careful to provide information following the official lines. "It is worth pointing out that while the official media kept its usual silence during the entire time, there was very little online censorship applied on this event, at least in the first couple of days," said Xiao. Xiao thinks the censors' apparent inaction could be because pictures and protest messages spread too fast for the censors to control; or it could be a deliberate decision by censors in Beijing because it involves a local environmental issue. The University of Iowa's Tang says it is not uncommon nowadays for local governments to give in to demands on issues like the environment and labor rights -- but not on core issues. "I doubt if the local government would compromise so easily had it been a protest for ethnic autonomy in Tibet," he said. Is official tolerance and compromise now the new normal? Not necessarily, observers agree. "If the central authorities are determined to suppress the information and opposition voices, they can still contain the scale of public awareness," said Xiao, founder of China Digital Times, a U.S.-based bilingual website on China. "Collective demonstrations will occur over and over but the authorities will still seek to deal with them oppressively where they can," added Lee, author of "China's Lost Decade," which looks at China's Cultural Revolution. But Xiao says local officials can learn a lesson or two from this week's Shifang episode. "They should learn that when facing massive demonstrations, using brutal force can have the opposite result than intended, especially in the internet age, since there is risk that violence will be exposed quickly in front of the whole nation."

Government officials in southwestern city of Shifang abandoned plans to build a chemical plant . The decision followed concerted pressure from thousands of angry local residents . Analysts say internet allowed tales of police abuse to filter out, generating widespread anger . But other observers warn China will crack down on protests when they can .

(CNN) -- Newsweek's cover story "Muslim Rage" has inspired a comedic rage. The magazine's newest issue features an article by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who purports to lecture the West on how to best handle Muslim rage. Newsweek, in an effort to promote the article, turned to Twitter, asking people to tweet their thoughts on the article, followed by the hashtag #MuslimRage. What happened next was not what Newsweek or Ali could have anticipated or wanted. Instead of an academic discussion about the article, or hate-filled diatribes by Islamophobes, it turned into something extraordinary. Opinion: Should Google censor an anti-Islam video? Thousands of tweets bearing the hashtag #MuslimRage filled Twitter, showcasing satire at its best -- the type, by definition, which uses "wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly." The tweets -- posted mostly by Muslims it seems -- are a comedic roast of the specious proposition that was peddled to us by Newsweek and Ali. Here are just a few samples: . Danya Hajjaji ‏@DanyaHajjaji . When everyone in history class turns to you once 9/11 is brought up. #MuslimRage . AidWorkerAfghanistan ‏@petey_jee . I told my shrink I was feeling suicidal and he reported me to the FBI #muslimrage . Dalia Mogahed ‏@DMogahed . When I wear a white hijab to a TV interview with a white backdrop. #floatingHead #MuslimRage . Juan Cole ‏@jricole . Television 'experts' saying Iran is an "Arab" country. #MuslimRage . Efe Ozturk ‏@Efe_Ozturk . Couldn't toss football around since the ball was made of pigskin #MuslimRage . And as University of California professor Reza Aslan poignantly and instructively tweeted: . Reza Aslan ‏@rezaaslan . Memo to those few violent MidEast protesters, this is how you fight Islamophobia. You make fun of it. #MuslimRage . We know that some Muslims were truly outraged by the anti-Islam video uploaded to YouTube that sparked protests in the Middle East. Some of those protests were peaceful, while others turned violent and deadly. We also know that plenty of Muslims were horrified by the killing of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in Libya. The U.S. government is looking into whether this atrocity was premeditated or not. What is disheartening is that some of the media coverage of the protests embodies the worst form of sensational journalism. There were headlines and stories that made it seem as though millions of Muslims across the world had taken to the streets, with Muslim countries in riots and businesses closed. Free speech or incitement? French magazine runs cartoons of Mohammed . One of the most outrageous comments came from MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, who said on Monday that Muslims hate us because of the religion itself. Scarborough, to the deafening silence of his co-hosts, further commented, "If you gave every street vendor, from street vendor to prime minister in that region, a chance to throw a rock at the U.S. Embassy, they would." How is this different from a radical Muslim cleric telling his followers that every American hates them -- from street vendors to the president -- because of their faith? Scarborough would be right if a majority of Muslims in the world had been protesting. But that is far from the truth. In Indonesia, a nation of over 200 million, several hundred people took part in protests. Just a few months ago, 50,000 Indonesians bought tickets to see a Lady Gaga concert before it was canceled. So, what does this say about Muslims in Indonesia? In Egypt, a nation of over 80 million, about 2,000 people protested on Friday. Of those protesters, a few hundred were arrested by the police. In Lebanon, no protests occurred until Monday. Why? Because the pope had been visiting the country, and the leader of Hezbollah, which the U.S. has labeled as a terrorist group, didn't want to do anything to interfere with the pope's historic three-day visit. A small number of protesters should not define the entire Muslim population of over a billion. The media should know this and report the truth accordingly. Reaction to anti-Islam film fuels debate on free speech versus hate speech . Let's look closer to home. Monday was the one-year anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement. It was marked by protests in a number of cities. In New York City alone there were over 1000 protesters, with 185 getting arrested. Do these protests imply that all Americans are protesting? Of course not. And remember the Chick Fil-A Appreciation Day this summer, which was held to support the fast-food chain amid a debate over its president's opposition to same-sex marriage? It set sales records for the chain and attracted over 600,000 supporters on its Facebook event page. Would it be fair for a foreign news media outlet to report, "Americans rage against gay marriage"? No. The U.S. media -- and we're not just talking about Newsweek or Joe Scarborough -- need to act in a more responsible way. It appears that our media are more focused on ratings than facts and accuracy. While the media jump on the story and then quickly move on to another story, their impact in defining a people and a culture can be lasting. Let's hope the wave of #MuslimRage responses prompts the media to think twice before they react. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dean Obeidallah.

Newsweek's cover story about Muslim rage turned into satire on Twitter . Dean Obeidallah: The media need to be less sensational in their coverage . He says a small number of protesters should not define the entire Muslim population . Obeidallah: Let's hope media can focus more on accuracy and facts .

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The head of Iraq's main humanitarian group said an 18-year-old approached him with a baby suffering from leukemia. The desperate mother said she'd do "anything" for treatment for her child -- and then offered herself up for sex. Baha, 12, waits for treatment in an Iraqi Red Crescent center after shrapnel pierced his left eye. Said Ismail Hakki breaks down in tears as he recalls that story. Leukemia can be treatable to a degree in much of the world, but not in Iraq. The baby died two months later. "It shook me like hell," said Hakki, the president of the Iraqi Red Crescent. "All my life I've been a surgeon. I've seen blood; I've seen death. That never shook me -- none whatsoever. But when I see the suffering of those people, that really shook me." The plight of Iraq's children is nearing epidemic proportions, he said, with mothers and fathers abandoning their children "because they're becoming a liability." The parents don't do it out of convenience, they do it out of desperation. Watch the plight of Iraq's children » . "When you become so desperate, you tend to just throw everything up and go," Hakki said. "Every time I look at those children, I ask myself first, 'What crime have those children committed?'" Hakki says Red Crescent has the monumental task of treating and feeding more than 1.6 million children under the age of 12 who have become homeless in their own country. That's roughly 70 percent of the estimated 2.3 million Iraqis who are homeless inside Iraq. How to help the Iraqi Red Crescent . With 95,000 volunteers and 5,000 employees, the Iraqi Red Crescent is the last line of defense for the country's poor, sick and displaced. They try to blend in as best they can, with Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds working in the neighborhoods distinct to their ethnicities. Six employees of the Iraqi Red Crescent have been killed over the last four years. Eight have been wounded, including six left disabled by the severity of their wounds. Hakki says the spike in numbers of abandoned children is especially alarming, the result of sectarian violence and drastic socio-economic problems. The majority of parents in Iraq, he says, leave their children with a single relative who often has about 20 to 30 children to look after. Some parents just leave their kids altogether. Many of the families are living in areas without basic needs, like water and electricity, and there are no jobs available. "It's a desperate situation," he said. "Children are becoming a liability for both the father and the mother." The greatest concern is the ripple effect it will have in the long term -- an entire generation lacking basic life skills, surviving with no education, no income and no families. See wounded Iraqi children get help in neighboring Jordan » . "The trauma of what's happening to those children is enormous," he said. "If somebody is injured by a bullet or shrapnel, it takes a week or two and he's fine. ... The psycho-social injury is pretty deep and can take months, if not years, to heal. "That's the task -- the mammoth task -- the Iraq Red Crescent is facing." The group gets some financial support from the central government. It's also negotiating with the U.S. Embassy, he said, to see if it can offer financial aid. But funds are low. Just recently, the group closed 18 camps for the winter and is trying to house those thousands of people in abandoned government buildings. At a waiting room at an Iraqi Red Crescent treatment center in Baghdad's Mansour district, CNN came across several young children in desperate need of care. But they were among the lucky ones -- if that term can even be applied -- because their parents remain with them. Baha, a 12-year-old boy, was waiting to see a doctor, recalling the exact date -- January 16, 2004 -- he lost his left eye. "I want my eye to get well," he said. Baha was with his father in a market when someone opened fire on U.S. soldiers. When the soldiers fired back, shrapnel hit his eye. Despite what happened, this brave boy still goes to that same market. "I'm not afraid," he said. Across the room, 3-year-old Saja lightened the mood in the room. "Iraqis, we are still brothers!" she sang. She giggled, laughed and darted around, bringing smiles to all who saw her. Yet, she couldn't see most of what was around her. She's blind in one eye and losing sight in the other -- the result of shoddy medical care. Her father, Dia'a, said he heard about the Iraqi Red Crescent from television and others who had been treated here. He said he can't afford to travel outside the country for medical treatment for his girl. This clinic, he said, has given him "a ray of hope that I had lost." He, too, expressed despair over the plight of Iraq's youngest generation. "Our children are suffering. All they talk about is weapons and bombs," he said. "They are children. We are older; our hair turns gray. What happens to them hearing all the explosions and bombs? "We can't make them feel better because we are down." That's a sentiment that haunts the head of the Iraqi Red Crescent. "There are times I get up in the middle of the night and I say, 'Oh my God, how are we going to solve it? God help me to help those kids!'" E-mail to a friend . CNN.com's Wayne Drash contributed to this report in Atlanta.

Head of Iraqi Red Crescent says parents abandoning their kids at alarming rates . Sometimes he wonders: "Oh my God, how are we going to solve it?" The greatest concern is the long-term effect on an entire generation . "Trauma of what's happening to those children is enormous"

(CNN) -- A few hundred yards from the Pearl Roundabout, the epicenter of Bahrain's protest movement, you can be blissfully unaware of the turmoil that has suddenly engulfed this island kingdom. Caressed by the muzak of Richard Clayderman, you can wander the polished floors of a mall that would dwarf many in suburban America. There's a Radio Shack, a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop and, it seems, every apparel store known to the United States. You can escape the political drama playing out here by taking in a movie at the 16-screen megaplex cinema. Bahrain's malls -- and there are dozens of them -- are emblematic of an aggressive drive to make this kingdom a Gulf powerhouse. The slogan is "Business Friendly Bahrain." Big international banks are coaxed into setting up here; Bahrain is the banking center of the Gulf. There is a surfeit of luxury property for rent. High-profile international events are staged here -- including round one of the 2011 Formula 1 Grand Prix, but that was canceled last week due to the unrest. A large pool of migrant workers provides cheap labor -- sometimes it seems there are almost as many Pakistanis and Filipinos here as Bahrainis. Through the hazy glare, the Manama skyline boasts shining high-rise complexes, with more to come, despite a sharp decline in rental values over the past two years, according to international real estate agency Knight Frank. But just a few miles from the malls, there are non-descript villages of narrow alleys and general stores, where the jumble of cheap goods spills onto the curbside. In the past week, the streets of several have been festooned with black flags of mourning. On Tuesday, 32-year-old Reida Houmeid was laid to rest in the seaside village of Al Malkiya. He was shot in the head by security forces last Friday near the Pearl Roundabout and succumbed to his injuries three days later. At his funeral, the Imam delivered a harsh judgment against Bahrain's rulers, reminding mourners of the slaying and beheading of Hussein Ibn Ali in the year 680, an event widely regarded as marking the definitive break of the Shia and Sunni branches of Islam. Houmeid's eight-year-old son stood near his father's grave with a photograph around his neck. It showed him sitting on his father's shoulders, a broad smile on his face. This day, his face was a study in confusion and sadness. Within sight of Houmeid's grave is the sea he loved as a fisherman. The gentle Gulf waters are the color of lapis lazuli; the well-worn boats of the fishermen nudge against grander leisure craft. After the funeral, his brother Ghidir said Reida would sit in his boat and talk for hours about Bahrain and "what was wrong." The village saw a bitter and sometimes violent dispute about the fishermen's access to the seafront, an incendiary issue here. Much of Bahrain's coastline has become private property as the kingdom has become richer. It is just one of many grievances felt by the majority Shiite community in Bahrain, which has been ruled by the Sunni al Khalifa dynasty for 200 years. At the Pearl Roundabout, re-occupied by protesters since Saturday, one display shows satellite photographs of all the property purportedly owned by King Hamad and the royal family on the island. The Shia complain of discrimination in housing, incentives offered by the government to non-Bahraini Sunnis to move here, and a lack of job prospects. But the Shia also have political demands, demands that have suddenly taken on a sharper edge with the events of the past week. The chants of tens of thousands of marchers in Bahrain Tuesday included "No Shia, no Sunni, only Bahraini," but also "The regime must go." The call that most echoes around the Pearl Roundabout is "Down, Down Khalifa." Late Wednesday, some of the 23 political detainees released on Tuesday were due to appear at the roundabout to address a growing crowd. A campaign that began barely two weeks ago to demand constitutional reform is, at least in some quarters, morphing into one for regime change, according to both opposition sources and human rights activists. Not that the king or Crown Prince Salman bin Hamid bin Isa Khalifa will entertain such a prospect. The crown prince is leading an initiative to start a dialogue with opposition groups, and the government is offering various olive branches. Besides the release of the detainees, it has promised an investigation into the killings of protesters -- the opposition says 10 died last week -- and it has cancelled the arrest warrant for Hassan Mushaimaa, leader of the more hardline Haq movement. Mushaimaa was due back from self-imposed exile in London late Wednesday. The crown prince has also set no deadline for protesters to leave the Pearl Roundabout. For his part, King Hamad said Tuesday that "the best alternative is to sit at the national dialogue table." But this is not a state accustomed to fast-paced political change, and diplomats say there is still disagreement within the ruling elite about what concessions to offer. And then there is the regional dynamic. No sooner was King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia home after medical treatment in the United States than King Hamad flew to meet him. The two royal houses are close allies -- Sunni, hostile to Iran and pro-western. The U.S. Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain. Regional commentators say the Saudi nightmare is to see the al Khalifa family toppled, with the Shia gaining ascendancy on an island so close to Saudi Arabia that it is linked by a causeway. Adjacent to that causeway are Saudi Arabia's own Shia communities, in its oil-rich eastern provinces. In another world away from those sparkling malls, a gritty and unpredictable power struggle is underway in the Gulf's smallest country.

Modern Bahrain is courting big businesses . The Shia majority complains of discrimination . The opposition is beginning to suggest regime change .

TAMPA, Florida (CNN) -- Some Christian congregations, particularly in lower income, urban areas, are turning to an unlikely source for help -- the Church of Scientology. Rev, Charles Kennedy uses Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's book during a Friday night sermon. Scientologists do not worship God, much less Jesus Christ. The church has seen plenty of controversy and critics consider it a cult. So why are observant Christians embracing some of its teachings? Two pastors who spoke recently with CNN explained that when it comes to religion, they still preach the core beliefs of Christianity. But when it comes to practicing what they preach in a modern world, borrowing from Scientology helps. The Rev. Charles Kennedy, of the Glorious Church of God in Christ, a Pentecostal church in Tampa, Florida, and the Rev. James McLaughlin, of the Wayman Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas, are among the theological hybrids. Watch Rev. Kennedy preach » . They say they are not scared off by programs with ties to a church that critics say has aggressive recruiting, secretive ways and rigid theology. As men of God rooted in Christian values, they do not see Scientology as a threat to their faith, but rather as a tool to augment it. Scientology was founded in the 1950s by L. Ron Hubbard, a science fiction writer. Followers are taught that they are immortal spiritual beings called thetans. Although the church says there is a supreme being, its practices do not include worshipping God. "I'm looking for solutions, and the people that I help, they don't ask me who L. Ron Hubbard is," said McLaughlin, who works with addicts. "You know what they say? 'Thank God.' " Critic Rick Ross, a court-certified Scientology expert, sees something more sinister at work. He warned that mainstream acceptance makes it easier for the Scientologists to achieve their ultimate goal -- new recruits. "Their hope is that through these programs, people will become more interested in L. Ron Hubbard, what else Mr. Hubbard had to offer, and this will lead them eventually to Scientology," Ross said. The church has long been in the headlines for practices critics say are little more than cult-like mind control. It is also known for its stable of devout celebrity followers. And according to published reports, Scientology has been recently diversifying its outreach to include other religions and ethnic groups. Kennedy, McLaughlin and a handful of other Christian church leaders -- no one can say how many -- are finding answers to their communities' needs in Scientology's social programs. For Kennedy, it began two years ago when he attended a meeting at the Church of Scientology's spiritual headquarters in Clearwater, Florida. He was introduced to a book called "The Way to Happiness" -- Hubbard's 64-page, self-described "common sense guide to better living." In the book, which lays out ways to maintain a temperate lifestyle, Kennedy found a message he believed could help lift his predominantly lower income African-American congregation. He said the book's 21 principles help them with their struggle in an urban environment where there is too much crime and addiction and too little opportunity. Kennedy knew that before he could introduce any Scientology-related text to his congregation, he would have to prove that it did not contradict his Christian beliefs. And so, he found Scripture to match each of the 21 principles. Now Kennedy uses "The Way to Happiness" as a how-to supplement to his sermons. He believes it is easier to understand and clearer to follow than ancient Scriptures taken from the Bible. When asked whether Scientology's values contradict the religion of Jesus Christ, Kennedy replies, "Sometimes yes. Sometimes no." But he says his congregation can relate to "The Way to Happiness." Kennedy admits other pastors have criticized him, but the disapproval is not enough to discourage him. He insists that he has witnessed the changes "The Way to Happiness" has inspired in people. He also maintains that the Scientologists, many of whom he calls friends, are successful at outreach and getting desired results. At Kennedy's C. L. Kennedy Center, free tutoring based on Hubbard's "study tech" philosophies is provided to dozens of children and some adults. Kennedy's daughter, Jimirra, is one of the instructors. She said "study tech" and the Scientology orientation classes she attended helped her graduate from high school and become a poised woman. Though Jimirra Kennedy insists she does not ascribe to the religious side of Scientology, she still considers herself, at least in part, Scientologist. "We say this all the time and I know my father says this, but I am like a Pentecostal Scientologist, that's what we are." Critics like Ross are alarmed by such a blurring of the lines. They consider it a marketing win for Scientology. In Houston, McLaughlin says he is not one to argue with success. Driven by a need to address the rampant drug problem in his community, McLaughlin spent years searching for a solution before he discovered "Narconon," Scientology's nonprofit drug rehab center, in 2001. McLaughlin trained at Narconon and brought the techniques back to his community to launch "First Step Faith Step," a program that combines Hubbard's methods with the teachings of Christianity. He claims a 70- to 80-percent rehabilitation success rate. Kennedy and McLaughlin said they have never lost a member of their congregations to Scientology. "I think that they truly believe that this may help their communities, but in my opinion, they're naïve," Ross said. Scientologists, he added, "have their own agenda." The Church of Scientology would not grant CNN an interview, nor would its representatives answer questions about the Hubbard-based programs. E-mail to a friend .

Christian pastors borrow ideas from Scientology to preach temperate lifestyle . Critics say Scientology is a cult, always looking for recruits . Pastor in Houston, Texas, claims 70 percent success rate with addicts .

(CNN) -- Maybe it was just a case of delaying the inevitable during Monday's 66th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony. Having showered an array of major nominations on cable, Netflix and movie stars while seeming to further diminish the so-called "Big Four" broadcast networks, Emmy voters in a sense recanted on the big night. Eleven of the 25 trophies -- an unusually high percentage these days -- went to traditional over-the-air networks, while Netflix and the marquee movie stars got shut out. As they've tended to do in the past, voters instead rinsed and repeated by rewarding previous winners. The six main categories are instructive. AMC's "Breaking Bad" defended last year's championship in the Best Drama Series as it knocked off HBO's much-heralded "True Detective," which won just one Emmy all night. In the Best Comedy Series, ABC's "Modern Family" prevailed for the fifth year in a row, tying the record set by NBC's "Frasier." Netflix's drama-fueled "Orange is the New Black," which entered itself in this category, did go to jail but did not collect any Emmys. Julianna Margulies added to the broadcast network glow by winning a second Lead Actress in a Drama Series Emmy, this time for her role in CBS' "The Good Wife." For the first time at any of this year's major awards ceremonies, Matthew McConaughey came away empty-handed in the Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his showy role in HBO's "True Detective." Bryan Cranston out dueled him and won his fourth Emmy for "Breaking Bad." It was Julia Louis-Dreyfus' night once more in winning Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She won her third Emmy for HBO's "Veep," and now is the only actress to take home the lead prize in three comedy series -- including NBC's "Seinfeld" and CBS' "The New Adventures of Old Christine." CBS and Jim Parsons combined again in the Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category. Parsons has now won four Emmys for "The Big Bang Theory," which is still television's runaway most popular comedy series on all "platforms." For those of you keeping score, half of these marquee Emmys went to the traditional broadcast networks and each winner was a repeater. In what seem like prehistoric times, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox used to dominate "television's biggest night" before flaunting their Emmy wins as promotional springboards for the new fall season. NBC famously inserted commercials within the 1981 primetime ceremony touting the mounting number of Emmy wins for its then ratings-starved first-year series, "Hill Street Blues." The classic cop drama ended up winning six of NBC's eight Emmys on that night. And in its second season, "Hill Street" vaulted from nearly dead last to a top 30 finish in the yearly primetime Nielsen ratings. Cable networks, led by HBO, began flexing muscles in the 1990s, though. Series such as "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City" became Emmy darlings while HBO's movies were perennial winners. At last year's major Emmy ceremony, HBO led all networks with seven wins, as other cable networks and Netflix combined for another 12 statues. That left the broadcast networks with just six wins out of the 25 major Emmys awarded. Whether it carries over or not -- and chances are it won't -- Monday night's 11 broadcast network wins are an overall morale boost compared with recent outcomes. Also left at Emmy's altar Monday night was movie star Billy Bob Thornton, an early favorite for his villainous lead role in FX's "Fargo." But the "Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie" Emmy went to Benedict Cumberbatch for his title role in PBS' "Sherlock: His Last Vow." Emmy host Seth Meyers had measured the traditional broadcast networks for a coffin early in his opening monologue. "MTV still has an award for music videos even though they no longer show music videos," he joked. "That's like network TV holding an awards show and giving all the trophies to cable and Netflix. That would be crazy. Why would they do that?" Meyers could have been speaking for host network NBC, which was shut out Monday night along with Fox. But old-liner CBS ended up in a three-way tie for the most Emmys, at five, with cable's AMC and FX. HBO, accustomed to walking away as Emmy's top dog, won just three Emmys to tie it with broadcasters ABC and PBS. The Netflix shutout, following nominations in five of the six marquee categories, may be a message that Emmy voters are not yet ready to swoon over the "world's leading television Internet provider," as it bills itself. Netflix still keeps its audience numbers secret for its streaming original series and also may have riled some voters by submitting "Orange is the New Black" as a comedy in what looked like a craven grab for Emmy gold. Indeed, Meyers basked in sustained applause and cheers when he cracked, "We had comedies that made you laugh and comedies that made you cry because they were dramas submitted as comedies." In this Emmy year at least, the broadcast network contingent has something to cheer about, too. It might well be a last stand, with an increasing number of cable networks making original and praiseworthy drama or comedy series. But for one shining night, broadcasters CBS, ABC and PBS can all say they matched or exceeded HBO. These days that's no small feat.

Ed Bark: Emmy nominations indicated Big Four networks were going to be losers again . Bark: But an unusually high percentage of trophies went to traditional networks this year . Broadcast networks won marquee categories, he said, matching or exceeding HBO . Bark: Could be a fluke or a last stand as more cable outlets make original, quality series .

(CNN) -- While several European countries have long had their own versions of "American Idol," the longest running televised pop music competition where fans choose their favorite songs and singers is Europe's Eurovision Song Contest, now in its 56th year. Saturday evening, Azerbaijan won the 2011 running of the annual competition, with a sweet pop song that Europe slowly fell in love with during the course of the contest, titled "Running Scared," by Eldar and Nikki (also known as Ell/Nikki). The song, somewhat of a surprise winner to many, beat out early favorites from France and England to win over Italy and Sweden. Sweden's Eric Saade was winning the contest in the early going, until it became apparent that Eldar and Nikki would run away with a trophy. Ironically, Swedes Stefan Örn and Sandra Bjurman wrote Azerbaijan's song, making Saturday night a win for Sweden all around -- Saade came in third at the competition. Italy's Raphael Gualazzi was second. But the true victors Saturday were Azerbaijan's Eldar and Nikki, who seemed stunned yet ecstatic just after the ceremony. "We're very happy right now. ... We're very proud," said Eldar Gasimov at a post-show press conference. The winner was determined by fans across Europe who voted by phone, and a jury made up of music industry professionals. Saturday's final capped off two weeks of fanfare surrounding the event, and followed two semifinals and a kind of dress rehearsal, a jury final, on Friday evening. Some 36,000 watched Saturday's Grand Final event live from a stadium in Dusseldorf, Germany, which was chosen as the host city for 2011 after Germany won the song competition in 2010 with Lena's "Satellite." It was the first time in 28 years Germany had played host to Eurovision fans. Lena, who represented Germany again in 2011 to defend her title, did not do quite as well this year, with her "Taken By A Stranger" placing 10th. "Satellite" wowed crowds last year, making Lena a star in Germany seen often on TV and on billboards. Ratings for Saturday's grand finale fared well around Europe, but within Germany, semifinal viewership was down this year, with some German newspapers citing "Lena fatigue" as one reason fewer Germans seemed excited in 2011 for the annual pop music contest. Conversely, interest in the annual competition spiked this year in English-speaking countries, largely due to strong contenders from both the United Kingdom (contemporary boy band Blue) and Ireland, which sent a pair of identical twins (Jedward). BBC ratings for both semifinals earlier this week nearly doubled last year's numbers. The number of English and Irish fans also seemed high Saturday night in Germany, where UK tourists swarmed Dusseldorf's arena, showing patriotism with the kind of colorful clothing usually reserved for soccer matches. Ratings for Saturday's final were also up in Spain and Austria compared with 2010 viewership, according to newspaper reports. So what's behind the enduring appeal of the Eurovision Song Contest for fans from as far away as Australia? According to John Kennedy O'Connor, who wrote "The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History," it's a mix of curiosity and love of music. "You can come at it from any angle you like," he said outside the arena Friday before the jury final, which precedes the actual grand final and makes up 50% of the vote determining who wins the annual competition. "One can watch it to see how appallingly bad the talent will be, or one can watch it to see how good it's going to be. ... Neither of those opinions is invalid," he said. "It's an entertainment show." And the entertainment was there during Saturday's Grand Final, with production values approaching something like a U2 concert -- think state-of-the-art indoor pyrotechnics and lighting displays tailored to each individual country's stage set. While many Americans were unaware the competition took place this past week, the United States did have a stake in the game, via a few U.S.-based songwriters, who were likely watching online Saturday, awaiting results. Los Angeles-based songwriters in particular were paying attention. Gus Seyffert and Nicole Morier wrote Lena's "Taken By A Stranger," while Beverly Hills' Bryan Todd co-wrote TWiiNS' "I'm Still Alive" for Slovakia. But the biggest L.A.-based name who generated interest in Eurovision this year was Lady Gaga producer RedOne. The songsmith co-wrote Russia's entry for 2011, Alex Sparrow's "Get You," which didn't fare as well Saturday night as many had hoped, yet still impressed many. "The universal language is music," the songwriter said from a private pressroom before the event Saturday night, after a crush of Russian photographers snapped pictures of him and Sparrow together. "All the borders are falling away (because of the Internet)," said the hitmaker, currently riding high on world pop charts with his and J-Lo's hot "On The Floor." "Songwriting has no boundaries," he added, noting he had been tweeting about his newly signed Russian artist, Sparrow, who performed in the finals Saturday. "I grew up watching Eurovision," said the producer, who lived in Sweden before immigrating to America. So will Americans care next year about a televised song competition which doesn't air in the U.S.? RedOne, for one, hopes so. "It's a beautiful contest because it's all about the songs and the artists," he said. "It's like 'Idol,' but with original songs. Americans should really get into it."

Eldar and Nikki of Azerbaijan win with sweet pop song "Running Scared" Italy is second, Sweden third in contest viewed by fans across Europe . Viewer votes and music industry jury combine to determine winner . Last year's winner, Germany's Lena, came in 10th .

(CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is usually so careful not to expose his French connection -- his mother was born and educated in Paris and he speaks fluent French -- especially since this tie arguably cost him the U.S. presidency in 2004 when the nation was being vilified as "cheese eating surrender monkeys" by a conservative columnist. But Kerry's gushing praise for France, and in French, on Saturday during his visit to Paris, couldn't have been more dramatic. And revealing. France is indeed one of the very few world powers that seem ready to join the U.S. in a military strike on Syria's Assad regime, with or without U.N. backing. Since Britain ruled itself out from such intervention through a No vote in parliament on August 29, to the world's surprise and David Cameron's dismay, the U.S. and France have had to appear even more resolute and closer partners on the world stage than before. News emerged of lengthy phone conversations between Presidents François Hollande and Barack Obama and one-to-one meetings at the G20 last Friday in St Petersburg, with David Cameron conspicuously sidelined. Sidelined and vexed. After it was reported that an adviser to Putin had dismissed the UK as this "little island nobody listens to", the British prime minister strangely felt compelled to justify his country's standing in an improvised and passionate tirade. "Yes, we are a small island, in fact a small group of islands. But I would challenge anyone to come up with a country with a prouder history, with a bigger heart, a greater resilience. We are a country that's invented many of the things that are most worthwhile -- everything from the industrial revolution to the television to the worldwide web. "If I go on too long about our literature, our art, our philosophy, our contribution - including the world's language -- if I start talking about this blessed plot, this sceptered isle, this England, I might have to put it to music." So while Britain was busy licking its wounds, the U.S. and France were left to show up their unity and determination. Words were uttered such as "France is our oldest ally" (a historical fact but a hurtful truth to hear for the British, the U.S.'s most loyal ally), however, they didn't manage to hide the increasing discomfort felt by public opinions both in the U.S., France and the world at large. The British MPs had, probably despite themselves, opened a Pandora's Box, also called democracy. By conveying what they probably rightly think is the country's reluctance to engage in what appears as a vaguely-defined military intervention, British MPs did nothing more than to give a voice to their constituents' concerns. Disturbed by the British "No", President Obama, an isolationist at heart, decided to follow the British route and went on to seek Congress' approval, even though he constitutionally didn't need to. This, of course, has left Hollande in a tricky position. Here he is, forced to wait for American congressmen to decide on France's course of action -- not a happy position to be in when you are the president of a country which, despite its current Atlanticist foreign policy, has had a long tradition of independence. A debate over the question of Syria in French Parliament last Wednesday, granted by the president but without a vote, furthermore revealed how divided within itself France is. The French opposition demands that military action be pursued with a U.N. mandate. "If Russia keeps blocking the Security Council over the issue, let Hollande convoke the General Assembly for an Emergency Special session. Under article 377, the general assembly can overrule the security council" said former Sarkozy minister Jean-Louis Borloo. An argument to which French public opinion is very sensitive. So far though, despite the fact that 68% of the French oppose the participation of their country's troops in an intervention in Syria, François Hollande has stood firm with strong words coming both from the Elysées Palace and France's foreign affairs minister Laurent Fabius. The French media has been visibly split as whether to support the president or warn him against an ill-advised adventure with probable repercussions against French interests at home and in the region. Many observers in France can't help thinking that Hollande seeks on the world stage the charisma and legitimacy that he lacks at home. The only time the French supported him massively since his election is when he launched a military intervention in Mali last year which, by all accounts, was a great success. A French diplomat recently confided: "In Mali, Hollande walked on water. He wants to repeat the experience." Except Syria is not Mali, nor is it Libya or Iraq. In 2003, France tried to convince its allies, the U.S. and Britain, that there was no ground to the Weapons of Mass Destruction's scare which so diligently triggered Iraq's invasion. The French Secret Intelligence services had indeed warned President Jacques Chirac that Saddam Hussein's arsenal could not attack Europe within 45 minutes as Tony Blair claimed before the British parliament. In a now historical speech at the U.N., on February 14, 2003, the then French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin outlined France's position. Although applauded by the wider world community, France's statement was attacked by American Republicans with a violence that both astounded and saddened French opinion. Today, France is not more hawkish than in 2003. However, the shadow of the allies' painful rift may have played a part in President Hollande's current determination. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Agnes Poirier.

France is ready to join the U.S. in a military strike, writes Agnes Poirier . Since Britain voted against the intervention, U.S. and France have grown closer, she says . Despite 68% of the French opposing the strike, French President Francoise Hollande stands his ground . As U.S. President Barack Obama awaits congress' approval, France is left waiting too .

(CNN) -- On the day that LeBron James announced that he would accept an employment offer from the Miami Heat, I had a conversation with a person you would not automatically associate with basketball expertise. But it wasn't basketball I wanted to ask him about. It was the fleeting nature of celebrity -- even of the most incandescent celebrity. James is enjoying that kind of fame right now. It seems that you can't walk down a city street without hearing someone mention his name. But a person's moment in the sun comes and goes. The passions, both good and bad, that a star inspires can cool off in a relatively short span. Which is an instructive thing to keep in mind at times like these. The person with whom I spoke was Steve Auerbach, co-owner of the famous Stage Deli on Seventh Avenue in New York. For generations, the Stage has been a part of New York City life. The triple-decker sandwiches at the Stage have traditionally been named for famous men and women. The idea is to appeal to customers whose eyes will be drawn to an item on the menu because of the celebrity associated with it. So I asked Auerbach about the No. 8 -- the sandwich called the Katie Couric. It features turkey, ham and swiss cheese. It wasn't always known as the Katie Couric, Auerbach said. Its name was changed in recent years from what it was formerly called. Diners, it seemed, were no longer quite as attracted to the old name of the No. 8: . The Marilyn Monroe. Same with the No. 18 (turkey, chopped liver, lettuce, tomato, onion). It's a hit, in large part because of the bigger-than-life New York figure for whom it is named: Alex Rodriguez. The A-Rod sandwich appeals to a new generation of customers who might not feel as strong a connection with what the same triple-decker was called until not so long ago: . The Joe DiMaggio. "The clientele changes," Auerbach told me. "It happens. Younger customers come along who might not be as familiar with the old famous names." Milton Berle, 60 years ago, was as famous as a person could be in the United States. He was the first major television star -- magazines and newspapers referred to him as Mr. Television. His Tuesday evening broadcasts were so popular that in some cities, restaurants and movie theaters closed their doors on that night because they couldn't compete with him. The world and all of its rewards were his, and so was the No. 12 at the Stage Deli: roast beef, chopped liver, onion. No one's eyes could scan the big menu without stopping at the Milton Berle. But that was long ago. The No. 12 has a different name now, one with more cachet: . The James Gandolfini. "The Sopranos" took care of that. "The celebrity thing is hard to keep up with," Auerbach said. "It used to be that fame lasted for 30 or 40 years. Now, it seems to pop up and then it's gone. Someone like Britney Spears comes along, and everyone is talking about her, and next thing you know you don't hear her name and everyone's talking about someone else." For all the hyperbolic verbiage during that LeBron James television special ("You're now looking live at the king"), for all the incomprehensible financial figures being thrown around about other NBA players who recently have agreed to terms (one, it was said, signed a six-year deal for $123 million, another signed a four-year deal for $80 million), perhaps a small dose of perspective is needed. The sports analysts often ask if events like the frantic courtship of James are a distraction for the various teams involved. But of course, that's what professional sports are: a distraction. That's what the public is buying: a few hours of distraction from the matters in this world that are genuinely troubling, the ones that can't always be solved with certainty when the final buzzer sounds. The welcome distraction that all of this provides is at the core of its inherent value. Is it any wonder that the players in the middle of it sometimes can become a little disoriented? During the Chicago Blackhawks' recent National Hockey League playoff run to the Stanley Cup, many fans in the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, wore the replica jersey of the team's captain, Jonathan Toews, who turned 22 years old this spring. One of the people in the arena wearing a Toews jersey was a 47-year-old fan: Michael Jordan. What must it be like for Toews, knowing that Jordan is not only watching him play, but also wearing his jersey? It all moves along so quickly; on the day in 1988 that Toews was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the papers carried stories saying that Jordan had scored 50 points in a playoff victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on this same stretch of West Madison Street where he now sat cheering for Toews. No one could be more famous than LeBron James, this week. Even the president of the United States was talking about him. At the Stage Deli in Manhattan, Auerbach had a decision to make. "People want to see recognizable names," he said. "Names that are popular." For years, the No. 24 (twin rolls of pastrami and corned beef) was known as the Raquel Welch. Then, as the sands of renown shifted, it was changed to the Dolly Parton. Auerbach believes that it's time for the No. 24 to evolve again. He is considering various candidates. No offense to Dolly. "Nothing lasts forever," he said. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene.

LeBron James is an incandescent celebrity, with tens of millions paying attention . Bob Greene notes that even the greatest celebrities eventually become part of history . Marilyn Monroe, Milton Berle, Joe DiMaggio once were household names . Greene notes that for such stars of the past, fame proved fleeting .

(CNN) -- Films have altered the course of human history before. The rise of Nazism would not have been as rapid and absolute had it not been for the Reich's potent command of propaganda, including Leni Riefenstahl's monumental glorification of the fascist regime, "Triumph of the Will." And D.W. Griffith's celebration of white supremacy, "The Birth of a Nation," helped to resurrect the Ku Klux Klan. Both these films are repellent, yet are judged to be masterpieces of world cinema, and their directors among the greatest of all time. So it's hard to imagine that a movie as slight and crude as "The Interview" could serve as a similar kind of historical watershed. And yet, future generations may well look to it as marking the emergence of a new chapter in geopolitics, dominated by a fresh set of actors and wildly different forms of conflict. If the attacks of September 11 taught us to fear insurgent groups using improvised weapons against civilians -- al Qaeda, the Taliban, ISIS -- what we've learned from the "Interview" fiasco is that even nation states and "traditional" terror organizations can now find themselves to be nothing more than blindsided bystanders in strange battles between entities with hidden (or purposely misleading) agendas. Corporations. Mysterious ad hoc hacker networks. Even motivated individuals. And these struggles will play out in the dark, with far-reaching and unpredictable consequences. Was the hacker attack that crippled media titan Sony insider sabotage, an attempt at extortion, a terrorist strike or, as more hawkish types have suggested, the overture to formal war? Were its perpetrators disgruntled employees, Internet pranksters, black hat mercenaries or the shadowy digital armies of rival nations? Perhaps the most frightening thing is that, months after the assaults, we still don't know exactly when they began, what their true objective was and, of course, who was actually behind them. Sony was quick to assign blame to North Korea, based on the conclusions of federal investigators. President Barack Obama issued a condemnation of the hermit kingdom's "cybervandalism" and promised to "respond proportionately." And, in a gesture of profound corporate cowardice, Sony yanked "The Interview" after a number of movie theater chains said they would not screen the movie. Since then, other researchers have raised serious questions about North Korea's real role in the hacks, pointing to the fact that while North Korea might have had a clear motive -- suppressing the release of a work that might embarrass its supreme leader -- early messages to Sony reportedly did not focus on "The Interview," and instead sought vague "monetary compensation." Meanwhile, publicly released evidence of North Korean involvement seems flimsy, the country itself has hotly denied it is behind the hacks, and more recent theories have pointed instead to a possible inside job, or to hackers from other countries with greater resources and more ambiguous aims. The results of independent linguistic analyses performed on the messages sent by hackers make their North Korean origin questionable, and even suggest they were translated from Russian. (It's also worth noting that Russia's Foreign Ministry this week held a press conference slamming "The Interview" as "aggressively scandalous," while also denouncing the U.S. accusations against North Korea as being without "direct evidence." As these theories and allegations have circulated, the playing field has continued to shift. A group claiming to be members of the enigmatic hacker coalition Anonymous vowed vague reprisal against North Korea. A few days later, North Korea's Internet access was shut down by a denial of service attack. As all this occurred, Sony changed its mind about releasing "The Interview," allowing 300 theaters to screen the film despite warnings of physical attacks on moviegoers, while putting it on Google's Play store and YouTube. But the fact that it instantly leapt to the top of the popularity charts on both platforms has led some conspiracy minded people to wonder whether the entire episode wasn't a PR stunt (albeit one that got out of hand -- the revelations from the email leaks were far too damaging to have been released intentionally). And this is where things get oddly meta. I mentioned that "The Interview" comes off as a trivial work of frat-boy comedy, full of the toilet humor, misogyny, gay-panic japery and racial stereotypes that have marked other Franco/Rogen collaborations. (However, unlike others who've criticized it, I don't think it is any worse than, say, "Pineapple Express.") But the movie's last scene (spoiler alert!), consciously or not, turns it into something with a darker kind of self-awareness. Franco's character, celebrity talk show host Dave Skylark, is shown reading the last page of his best-selling book about their madcap assassination adventure in North Korea to a huge and rapt crowd. He begins as follows: "It was the beginning of a revolution. A revolution Aaron [Rappaport, Skylark's producer, played by Rogen] and I started." They continue by noting that this "revolution" was not one waged with ordinary weapons, but with the power of the media -- and with what can only be defined as trollery. "This was a revolution," he continues, "ignited with nothing more than a camera and some questions. Questions that led a man once revered as a god among mortals to cry and sh*t his pants. The end." It's a concise summary of the new era in which we live, where the ability to manipulate media and technology has increasingly become a critical strategic resource, where combat is conducted not just on battlefields but on servers and screens and social networks, and where it's increasingly impossible to tell the difference between pranks, crimes and acts of war. Welcome to the Troll Age. Buckle your seat belts -- and change your passwords.

Jeff Yang: Films have often helped shape course of history . Uncertainty still surrounds Sony hack, Yang says . But it may mark the emergence of a new chapter in geopolitics, he says .

(CNN) -- While lying on a thin mattress a few months ago, nursing the symptoms of dengue fever, I watched a huntsman spider leap off of the wall of my wooden shack and onto a hapless cockroach, which the spider dragged away and devoured. I was serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in the rural eastern part of the Dominican Republic. But the spider's ambush -- which gave new meaning to the word "insecticide" -- brought me back to another remote corner of the globe, Afghanistan, where I had served in my other beloved corps: the Marine Corps. Ambushes -- by Taliban insurgents rather than hairy spiders -- were regular occurrences in southern Afghanistan. As a Marine officer, I made two deployments there, the second of which was spent testing, distributing, and fine-tuning equipment designed to foil the remote-control bombs the Taliban used to ambush us. Then, in 2011, my active service ended, I turned in my rifle and I joined the Peace Corps, where I spent two years building composting latrines in Dominican communities that lacked access to basic sanitation. I completed my service this month and returned to the United States (I got over the dengue fever just fine). When you join the Marine Corps or the Peace Corps, much less both, you often have some explaining to do. So, on this Memorial Day, permit me to reflect here on the reasons people serve and to describe some of the common threads between these two special American institutions. You might be surprised to hear that the goals of the Marines and the Peace Corps, and the ideals of the volunteers who join them, overlap. You might also be surprised to learn that the Peace Corps has its own legacy of sacrifice, with more of its volunteers killed on the job than Central Intelligence Agency officers. Marines operate as a team, in a strictly defined hierarchy. Peace Corps service is largely an individual effort, and volunteers can go for months without being heard from by staff. Peace Corps training includes learning to teach kids simple science experiments. Marine Corps training includes learning the proper technique for choking someone to death. The essence of the Peace Corps mission is to promote understanding between American volunteers and the people they serve. The Marine Corps mission is to win our nation's battles. But to say the two organizations are opposites would be erroneous. The book that inspired President John F. Kennedy to launch the Peace Corps was the 1958 novel called "The Ugly American." I was actually assigned to read it by the Marine Corps, since its practical advice on quelling insurgencies was correctly deemed relevant to the counterinsurgency wars we were now fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. I saw Marines approach problems in Afghanistan as though they were characters in that novel -- or Peace Corps volunteers. Rolando, a young infantryman in our area of responsibility, won over local farmers by spontaneously shedding his equipment and helping them dig irrigation ditches one day while on patrol. Rolando, who'd taught himself Pashto using an MP3 player, chatted amiably with the local men he encountered. The respect he showed them helped to win their support in our fight against the Taliban. While nation-building under fire certainly isn't a Peace Corps mission, I saw enterprising Peace Corps volunteers make a deep impact on the communities where they were invited to serve. Dory was assigned to work on a waste-management project in a Dominican migrant farm worker community. It soon became apparent to her that this project would fail. Rather than move to a different community or continue slaving on a doomed effort, she identified a more serious problem that she wouldn't have seen if she hadn't gotten to know this community in the first place. Numerous locally born kids were refused access to education because of their Haitian descent, denied a basic right that they were legally owed. Dory learned to help people negotiate a discriminatory government bureaucracy, ultimately winning documentation for dozens of community members and helping them achieve access to public high schools and a shot at a better living. The Marines and Peace Corps volunteers with whom I served demonstrated more ingenuity, perseverance, and guts than any other group of people I've known. They also possessed a surplus of something that is vanishing from many other parts of American life: humility. Countless Marines I know had put off careers in business, finance and law to play small, almost anonymous parts in tedious and dangerous places. Sometimes the greatest personal achievement was looking out for fellow Marines by training them extra hard or jolting them from their sense of complacency in the final weeks of a deployment. Those sorts of achievements don't always make for sexy copy on a resume, but they are the achievements that can be savored the longest because they resulted in lives saved. Similarly, many of the Peace Corps volunteers I served with gave up good jobs -- as engineers, teachers, IT professionals -- to leave home for a couple of years and find the enduring fulfillment that comes from leaving your comfort zone and improving the lives of strangers you have grown to know better than your neighbors back home. While nothing compares to the risks our servicemen and women take in combat, the Peace Corps isn't exactly a walk to the local playground. Since its inception in 1961, the Peace Corps has lost at least 287 volunteers to disease, road accidents, crime, and other hazards in their host countries. That's more than twice the number of fallen CIA officers, whose sacrifices are properly commemorated by stars etched into Memorial Wall inside their headquarters. Kennedy, shortly after taking office, spoke of an "immense reservoir" of American men and women "anxious to sacrifice their energies and time and toil to the cause of world peace and human progress." To see many of the best people from that reservoir -- the ones who stopped dreaming of their potential to serve and took real action -- take a look at those volunteers in the Marines and the Peace Corps. I really believe you can find the best of America´s youth serving in each of these organizations. And neither organization squanders that resource. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Will Aurigemma.

Will Aurigemma joined Peace Corps after his active service in Marines ended . He found the two organizations have much in common despite clear differences . Peace Corps volunteers take risks to serve U.S. and help struggling people, he says .

(CNN) -- Episcopal priests will be allowed to conduct services blessing same-sex relationships under a policy approved Tuesday at the church's national convention in Indianapolis. The convention's House of Bishops approved the provisional policy 111-41 with three abstentions Monday, clearing it for consideration by the House of Deputies, which approved it Tuesday evening. The policy was approved in the House of Deputies, following more than an hour of debate, by 78% of the voting lay members and by 76% of clergy. Can 'true Catholics' favor same-sex marriage? With the vote, the Episcopal Church becomes the largest U.S. denomination to officially sanction same-sex relationships. The Episcopal Church has about 1.95 million members in the United States, down 16% over the last decade, according to the church. The service is not considered a marriage ceremony, media affairs representative Nancy Davidge said. "We have authorized a blessing, and a blessing is different than a marriage," she said. "A blessing is a theological response to a monogamous, committed relationship." Marriage requires the additional involvement of civil authorities, and many states do not allow gays to marry. The Episcopal policy calls for a three-year trial run of the blessing service, which is called "The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant." It will be accompanied by a review process leading up to the church's next annual convention in Salt Lake City. It's then that church leaders would decide whether to make the policy permanent, church media affairs representative Neva Rae Fox said. The vote in the House of Deputies followed comments, including from advocates arguing the policy would be a step toward inclusiveness. Delegate Pete Ross of Michigan said it was time for the church to honor lifelong commitments of people in same-sex relationships. "The signs outside our church says all are welcome. Do we need an asterisk?" But the Rev. David Thurlow of South Carolina said the policy advocates a "new theology" of human sexuality that is inconsistent with church canons and doctrine. The approval means the church is "marching off, not simply out of step, but completely out of line from the faith once delivered to the saints," Thurlow said before the vote. The policy, which has been in development since 2009, allows local bishops to decide whether to allow the service. It also includes a provision stating that clergy members who object to same-sex unions cannot be coerced to perform the blessing, or be disciplined for refusing. As with civil politics, issues involving homosexuality have roiled American churches for years. In 2003, the Episcopal Church in the United States split over the election of an openly gay priest, Eugene Robinson, as bishop in New Hampshire. And in 2009, the church approved a policy allowing the ordination of homosexual Episcopalians as priests. Just this summer, the Presbyterian and Methodist churches rejected measures that would have granted formal church recognition to gay relationships. The United Methodist Church, at its General Conference meeting in Tampa, Florida, upheld the church's position on homosexuality, which excludes gay marriages and same-sex unions. The Methodist body also rejected a proposal saying the church is not of one mind on the issue of homosexuality. Tech is getting more gay-friendly . This month in Pittsburgh, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA decided not to change the church's definition of marriage as being "between a man and a woman." Delegates approved a two-year study of the issue. The only major U.S. denomination to endorse same-sex marriage across the board is the United Church of Christ, which did so in 2005. In 2009, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America allowed member churches to recognize same-sex relationships, but stopped short of creating a churchwide policy or crafting a specific blessing service. During Monday's debate, Bishop Nathan Baxter of Central Pennsylvania said the policy would allow the church to focus on inclusion while respecting theological differences within the church, according to the Episcopal News Service. But others said the policy was a bad idea, the news service reported. "The Christian world is going to understand us as having changed the nature of the sacrament of holy matrimony," the news service quoted Bishop Edward Little of Northern Indiana as saying. "The Christian world will look at that liturgy world and see vows, and exchange of rings, a pronouncement and a blessing and they will understand that to mean the Episcopal Church has endorsed same-sex marriage and changed a basic Christian doctrine. I do not believe that we are free to do that." Randall Balmer, a Dartmouth University religion professor and an Episcopal priest who supports the change, said he expects little fallout from the policy within the American church. Most of the most conservative Episcopalians who oppose blessing same-sex relationships have probably already left the church, he said. "In many ways, the church is tracking public sentiment," which is increasingly supportive of same-sex relationships, Balmer said ahead of Tuesday's vote. "The Episcopal Church is merely part of that trend." He said it's also unlikely to increase tensions with conservative elements of the worldwide Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is a member. "I really don't think it will have a major effect. The real divisions already occurred over Gene Robinson's consecration in 2003," he said. But some conservatives within the communion might try to use the decision to further marginalize the U.S. church, Balmer said. As blood donations decline, U.S. ban on gay donors is examined . Google pushes for gay rights with 'Legalize Love' campaign . Wed-locked: Some same-sex couples denied divorce . Rareview: Growing old openly gay . CNN's Eric Marrapodi and Phil Gast contributed to this report.

NEW: Supporters say policy step toward inclusiveness . House of Deputies votes to approve policy . Policy has been in development since 2009 . Church leaders would study the issue for three years before making it permanent .

Washington (CNN) -- Americans don't usually pay a lot of attention to Spanish politics, but the election of 2004 proved an exception. The election that occurred Sunday should be a second. The election of 2004 was seen as a referendum on the Iraq war. Sunday's election could be seen as a referendum on the euro-elites who so strongly opposed that war. The conservatives who governed Spain in 2004 had strongly aligned themselves with the United States after the 9/11 attacks. In 2003-2004, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar gained the limelight -- and endured abuse -- as George Bush's most prominent ally on the European continent. Aznar joined the Iraq war and cooperated strongly with U.S. counterterrorism efforts. Aznar was swept from power in the election of March 2004, in an election overshadowed by a terrible terrorist attack three days beforehand: a bombing of Madrid's central railway station that killed 191 people and wounded 1,800. Aznar's replacement, Jose Luis Zapatero, ended the Spanish commitment to Iraq and sundered the close relationship with the United States. He introduced same-sex marriage to Spain and granted amnesty to 750,000 illegal aliens. He engaged in flashy diplomatic maneuvers with Turkey and against Israel. Yet even as he jabbed aggressively at hot-button issues, Zapatero was visibly befuddled by Spain's gathering economic challenges. Indeed for a long time, Zapatero seemed not to comprehend that Spain faced any economic challenges at all. I made a couple of visits to Spain during the early Zapatero years. The officials I talked to then seemed almost giddy with optimism. For centuries, Spain had lagged behind the rest of Europe economically. Now at last the economy was surging. In the early 2000s, average living standards caught up to those of Italy; if Spain (they said) continued to grow at current rates, it would catch up to France within the decade. Spain created nearly half of all the net new jobs created across the whole continent of Europe in the years between 2000 and 2005. How? Now we come to the fine print. If you looked closely, the Spanish economy of the 2000s was a very sick puppy. Spain had signed up for the euro currency back in the 1990s. The currency launched in 2002. Signing up for a monetary union with Germany created a temporary illusion of wealth for the people of Spain. The German economy is much more productive than the Spanish economy. One way a less productive economy can adjust its trade is by allowing its currency to depreciate. The advent of the euro deprived Spain of that option. Instead, the price of German goods and services steadily declined inside Spain. Result: Between 2002 and the onset of recession in 2008, the Spanish trade deficit tripled, from 3% of GDP in 2002 to more than 10% in 2008. You might wonder: wait a minute! If the price of German goods and services declined inside Spain, then logically the price of Spanish goods and services (including vacations) must have risen to Germans. So how did Spain finance its German buying boom? Answer: The same currency union that cut the cost of buying goods from Germany also cut the cost of borrowing money from Germany. The euro did to the German-Spanish economic relationship exactly what China's currency manipulation has done to the U.S.-China relationship. Between 2002 and 2008, Spanish households went on a borrowing binge. They used the borrowed money to build and buy new homes. Through the 2000s, Spain built houses at a rate of 700,000 a year - more than Britain, Germany and France combined. Spain built shopping malls and office buildings to match. By 2008, construction accounted for a staggering 16% of the Spanish economy. And all of it was financed by debt: Spanish households accumulated debt equal to 90% of GDP (only slightly less than U.S. households at the top of the housing bubble), and Spanish businesses had accumulated debt equal to 205% of GDP (vastly more than U.S. business has ever borrowed). Americans well-understand how this game ends. One day, the market loses faith that housing values must endlessly rise. The bubble pops. Asset values tumble. The debts remain. As debtors scramble to service their debts, they cut back their buying of goods and services. That causes a recession, which causes asset values to tumble more, which causes debts to go into default -- and the whole economy painfully unwinds. Spain now faces nearly 22% unemployment -- Great Depression levels -- and staggering government deficits. The government must cut to balance its books if it is to remain within the euro, but government cutbacks only make it that much more difficult for households and business to service their debts. Zapatero slunk out of town a little while ago. Good riddance to the man who boorishly insulted the American flag at the Spanish National Day parade in 2003 to score a point with the left wing of his political party. Spain's conservatives scored a crushing victory in the Sunday vote, as the Spanish people try any desperate measure to restore their lost prosperity. But it will take more than an election to do the job. It will take a grand rethink of the whole euro currency project, a rethink that either emancipates Spain to quit the euro and export enough to repay its debts or else reduces the debt enough that Spain can sustain its expensive new currency. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Frum.

David Frum: Elections in Spain were a victory for conservatives . He says Spanish economic boom was financed by huge debts . Unemployment now tops 20%, and the euro handicaps Spain, he says . Frum: Rethinking the Euro is key to solving Spain's problems .

New York (CNN) -- The mother of one of the two New Jersey men arrested last week at a New York airport allegedly on their way to fight with an al Qaeda-affiliated group in Somalia says the two men are guilty of stupidity -- but not of the sinister plan described by authorities. "Anything makes him angry. But he's not a terrorist; he's a stupid kid," Nadia Alessa said of her U.S.-born son, Mahmood. Mohamed Mahmood Alessa, 20, of North Bergen, New Jersey, and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 24, of Elmwood Park, New Jersey, are charged with one count each of conspiracy to kill, maim and murder persons outside of the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The men, who were taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport on June 5, intended to take separate flights to Egypt on their way to Somalia "to join designated foreign terrorist organization Al-Shabaab and wage violent jihad," according to federal prosecutors. The criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Newark alleges that in 2007, Alessa and Almonte traveled together to Jordan, where they intended to enter Iraq to commit violence against U.S. troops there. Nadia Alessa told CNN that her son went to 16 or 17 psychiatrists for what she called "anger management issues" that surfaced when he was a boy. He lived at his parents well-kept home, where his angry outbursts were common. However, she said, he wasn't particularly religious. "He slept late. If he was devout, he would make his prayers on time. He didn't," she said. She helped him pack for his trip to Egypt, though she said she resisted the idea from the start. Nadia Alessa said she was reassured by a man named "Bassim," who had befriended her son and Almonte. "He said we're gonna study Arabic. I said but here there are many schools. But he say in Egypt, they're better," she recalled being told by the man when she expressed concerns about Alessa moving to Egypt. "Don't worry, I take care of them," she said Bassim told her days before her son and Almonte were arrested boarding a flight to Egypt. She said she believes the man was an undercover federal agent who recorded her son making incendiary comments against the United States and continued to build the case against him and Almonte. "Since I saw him, I warned my son and Carlos," Nadia Alessa said. "But my son say 'Always you say about my friends they are undercover.' " The Alessa family invited CNN on Saturday also talk to a woman who said she was set to marry Mahmood Alessa upon his arrival in Egypt. Nadia Alessa said she met her son's girlfriend the night before. The 19-year-old woman, who said her name is Siham, sat at the family's home, cloaked in a niqab, a veil that covers the entire body and face with only a sheer cloth revealing the eyes. She said she met Mahmood Alessa in an online chat room. Siham showed CNN her passport stamped June 9, 2010, indicating her arrival at Kennedy airport from Paris, France. She also produced her airline itinerary, which shows that her trip started in Cairo -- where, she says, she was waiting for Alessa. "We were supposed to get married and study awhile in Egypt. That was the plan," Siham told CNN. She said she moved from Sweden, where she was born to Egyptian parents, to Cairo at Alessa's behest a few months ago. When he didn't arrive in Cairo on June 6, she was shocked to learn from a friend in New York that her soon-to-be fiance had been arrested. "She told me that Mohamed got arrested for terrorism and that they were saying he was going to Somalia," Siham said in disbelief. "So I didn't know what to do; words can't explain what I felt. I was in shock and I couldn't stop crying." She said she boarded a flight and arrived in New York a day before Alessa's arraignment Thursday. It was then that she saw him for the first time, through a veil in a federal courtroom. "I didn't have any ticket booked or anything. I just went to the airport and I booked a ticket from there, and I left," Siham said. CNN recently learned that Alessa and Almonte were followers of an extreme Islamist group based in New York. CNN obtained an image of the two suspects attending a protest in New York organized by the Islamic Thinkers Society on June 1. They appear to have been taking part in a demonstration against Israel. One is holding a banner, the other an Islamic Thinkers Society poster that includes the slogan, "Exterminate the Zionist Roaches." The society's video of the event, posted on its YouTube channel, has since been removed. The rally took place a week before the two men made their way to Kennedy airport and were arrested. "My soul cannot rest till I shed blood. I wanna like be the world's [best] known terrorist," Alessa is alleged to have told an undercover agent in the United States last year. Later he said, "We'll start doing killing here, if I can't do it over there." Another image -- from late 2008 -- shows Almonte at a different rally, holding a poster that says "Death to all Juice" (sic). It's not clear whether that rally was organized by the Islamic Thinkers Society. When asked about the rallies Alessa attended, Siham insisted his presence was a show of outrage -- not intent. "But that doesn't make him a terrorist. That only shows how much he dislikes what the people are doing to the Muslims," she said. "That doesn't show he was going to Somalia and do anything."

Mother of New Jersey terror suspect insists son "not a terrorist" Son and his friend charged with conspiracy to kill outside U.S. Mahmood Alessa's girlfriend says they were supposed to marry in Egypt .

(CNN) -- When Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, Western leaders warned Russia against trying the same trick in mainland Ukraine. Russia is now trying the same trick in mainland Ukraine. Over the past several days, masked, heavily armed men have seized strategic locations in eastern Ukraine. In Kharkiv, pro-Russian armed forces have occupied City Hall. In Donetsk, they have taken control of the regional legislature building and the interior ministry. In Luhansk, they have taken the compound of the state security agency. In the city of Kramatorsk, in the Donetsk region, armed men shot their way into police headquarters. Cell phone towers are being toppled through the area, according to Ukraine's acting interior minister, apparently with a view to silencing nonmilitary communications. Uniformed men have established checkpoints around the city of Sloviansk, also near Donetsk. A gunfight erupted at one checkpoint on Sunday, apparently leaving two dead. The Russians have infiltrated special forces into Ukraine over the past weeks and months. Now they are busily creating conditions of "instability" that could provide a pretext for outright Russian intervention, followed most likely by a partition of Ukraine and alignment of the eastern provinces toward Russia. In Crimea, Russian intervention has been followed by a campaign of "disappearances" of opposition and potential opposition figures. Inside Russia too, policy is turning again sharply repressive, symbolized by the spread of hammer-and-sickle flags at pro-Putin demonstrations. Europe outside the Balkans has known profound peace since 1991. Even the murderous wars in the former Yugoslavia, atrocious as they were, never threatened the general European peace. The Russians' actions in Ukraine do threaten the general peace. Russia is using military force -- as opposed to its usual tool kit of corruption, intimidation, and no-return-address assassination -- to reclaim former Soviet-occupied territory. In Ukraine, Russia has launched a war of reconquest. It's very hard to predict where that war will stop. President Obama was very wrong in his speech in Brussels on March 26 to suggest that the United States had no national interest in Ukraine. What's at stake in Ukraine is the peace and stability of the European continent, an issue over which the United States fought two world wars. Yet the president has signaled to Russia that it need not fear any very robust U.S. or NATO response to its depredations in Ukraine. Opinion: The West must not blame itself for Putin's revanchism . More from the March 26 speech: "Of course, Ukraine is not a member of NATO -- in part because of its close and complex history with Russia. Nor will Russia be dislodged from Crimea or deterred from further escalation by military force." When a president announces that he does not think a foreign aggressor's actions can be deterred, what message does that foreign aggressor hear? "Green light!" Unsurprisingly, Russia is driving right through that green light. The U.S. response? Over the weekend, the White House announced that Vice President Joe Biden will visit Ukraine on April 22, or not for another 10 days. Ten days from now, Putin could be standing under a "Mission Accomplished" banner in Kharkiv. Every supposed benefit we receive from Obama's famed Russia "reset" is disintegrating before our eyes. News is arriving of another Syrian chemical attack, in the village of Kfar Zeita, 125 miles northeast of Damascus. Syria still holds most of the chemical warfare arsenal that was supposed to have been entirely surrendered to Russia by February 5. Russia has announced plans to bust up the international sanctions regime against Iran with purchases of 500,000 barrels of Iranian oil a day, potentially nearly doubling Iran's oil exports. This is a rampage of mischief, far beyond one remote region of southeast Europe. And yet even as the threat to peace intensifies, the Western leaders and Western alliances charged with keeping the peace dither, fidget, and hem and haw. The most urgent necessity now: deploy teams of NATO observers to the cities that are targets of Russian activity in eastern Ukraine. NATO needs eyes and ears on the ground -- and Russia must confront that it is fomenting an international crisis. NATO needs rapidly to expand its permanent presence with the exposed eastern members of the alliance, especially the three Baltic republics. Such a move would violate the terms of the 1997 agreement with Russia on NATO expansion, which is precisely why it's an apt response to Russia's violation of the 1994 agreement on Ukraine's territorial integrity. Ukraine needs help improving its military and police capacities. Russia is infiltrating forces across the border with pathetic ease. This is partly because Ukraine's wretchedly underpaid officials are easily bribed and partly because Ukraine's forces are too small, ill-equipped and untrained to do much even when not bribed. The next round of sanctions on Russia should focus on banks and financial institutions that move the ill-gotten wealth of Russia's corrupt leadership to safe havens in the West. Putin's fortune is not stored in rubles. He's all too aware that someday, the kind of rebellion that toppled his Ukraine stooges might topple him. It won't be easy to find that money, although of course NATO authorities should start the search. What is easier is to target institutions, Russian and Western, that move money out of Russia -- or that have suspicious clients from Russia. In the longer term, Europe needs to shift its natural gas sourcing away from Russia. The U.S. will have to allow natural gas exports, and both Canada and the United States will need to induce private actors to build the liquid natural gas facilities that make exports feasible. It's a big job. But we face a big threat.

Gunmen seize key parts of eastern Ukraine; pro-Russian forces create instability . David Frum: Remark that military intervention won't work implies West will look away . Frum: Russia threatens stability of Europe; NATO observers need to monitor events . He says sanctions must hurt Russian investments; Ukraine's weak military needs help .

(CNN) -- The question of whether the Tea Party will have a real impact on American politics (yes!) has evolved into a new debate: Is the Tea Party really about more than taxes? Glenn Beck, who invokes the semi-mythical "Black Robe Brigade" -- fighting preachers he claims led the American Revolution -- as a model for a new generation of activists seems to think so. On public radio, Bryan Fischer, a leader of the fundamentalist American Family Association, sternly instructed a libertarian Tea Party activist that her movement was religiously rooted whether she wanted it to be or not. A recent poll by the Public Religion Research Institute backs him up, revealing that 57 percent of self-identified Tea Partiers agree that "America is and always has been a Christian nation." So is the Tea Party a religious movement, too? The answer is a little tricky. It didn't begin as one, despite the political God-talk of its heroine, Sarah Palin, but it is becoming one, thanks in large part to one man, Sen. Jim DeMint of Greenville, South Carolina, the GOP's newest and fastest rising star. DeMint, who has been out front of his party with vigorous support for Tea Party candidates from Alaska to Delaware, has been looked at as a bridge builder between the insurgent right and the establishment right, because he sympathizes with the former even as he's a Washington insider. But a better metaphor is gatekeeper: DeMint holds the key to the capital for outsider candidates like Alaska's Joe Miller and Delaware's Christine O'Donnell. And the price of admission he's charging is fealty to his religious vision of the Tea Party as a new "Great Awakening." That is, a Christian crusade akin to the 18th century evangelical movement that set the tone for so many religious surges in American life that many contemporary evangelicals call the United States a "revival nation." The Republican Party -- at least, the establishment Republican Party -- doesn't have a lock on that energy. In Alaska, Sen. Lisa Murkowski was a reliable conservative, but primary challenger Joe Miller swept past her in September buoyed by anti-abortion voters who thrilled to his pledge to oppose "the culture of death." In Delaware, Republican Rep. Mike Castle was a sure thing for Joe Biden's old Senate seat -- until he got beat by "fringe" candidate Christine O'Donnell, previously best known for her public campaign against masturbation. Liberals and centrists wring their hands over Miller and giggle about O'Donnell, hoping that her political hopelessness somehow proves that the movement isn't going. They compile lists of what they take to be her craziest statements, such as her confession that as a young woman she dabbled in witchcraft. That's a strategic mistake, because they're mocking what is, in fact, a mainstream evangelical view -- that witchcraft and "spiritual war" are real -- and a narrative with powerful resonance in American life. Consider not O'Donnell's words, but her theme: Once I was lost (making bad choices), but now I'm found. Who didn't do something stupid in their youth? But it's the "found" part that reveals the religiosity of the Tea Party movement, spirituality not at odds with the Tea Party's economics but intertwined with it. DeMint stumbled through an explanation for the Christian Broadcasting Network: "People are seeing this massive government growing and they're realizing that it's the government that's hurting us. And I think they're turning back to God in effect is our salvation and government is not our salvation and in fact more and more people see government as the problem, and so I think some have been drawn in over the years to a dependency relationship with government, and as the Bible says, you can't have two masters." DeMint's solution is to put government -- and the economy -- in the service of Jesus, to cultivate a "leadership led by God," as the religious organization that gives DeMint not only a theology but also a roof puts it. DeMint is a longtime resident of the C Street House, the "Prayboy Mansion," as some bloggers have called it, made infamous in 2009 for its role in the sex scandals of Sen. John Ensign, R-Nevada, and Gov. Mark Sanford, R-South Carolina, and maintained by a fundamentalist movement known as the Fellowship, or the Family. C Street has a singular goal, in the words of one Family leader: to "assist [congressmen] in better understandings of the teachings of Christ, and applying it to their jobs." It's C Street's understanding of those teachings, though, that mark it as a nexus for the convergence of the Tea Party's populist conservatism and insider influence of fundamentalism's elite (besides DeMint, GOP hard right leaders Sen. Tom Coburn, Ensign, Sen. John Thune, and Sen. Sam Brownback have lived there). The best way to help the weak, C Street teaches, is to help the strong, who will in turn dispense God's blessings to the rest of us. Call it trickle down religion. The rhetoric of the Tea Party is populist in style, but its economic vision so neatly aligns with the interests of the wealthy that big business is abandoning the old Republican establishment for the "insurgents" who promise to free the market's "invisible hand" from the safety net of the minimum wage and health care. And for DeMint and the new disciples he hopes to bring to Washington, that invisible hand ultimately belongs not to the market but to God. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jeff Sharlet.

Jeff Sharlet says anti-tax Tea Party shows signs of evolving into religious movement . He says GOP star Sen. DeMint is gatekeeper for Tea Party candidates to establishment . Price of admission, he says, is fealty to DeMint's religious vision of Tea Party . Sharlet: Putting government in service of religion tends to align it with interests of wealthy .

(CNN) -- The chief of the national police in Ecuador, Freddy Martinez, said Friday that he was resigning effectively immediately. His departure comes a day after a chaotic uprising by police officers left President Rafael Correa trapped for several hours in a hospital. Troops loyal to the president arrived at the hospital and rescued him Thursday evening; two police officers were killed. The police officers said they were angered by a new law that would take away their bonuses and reduce their compensation. The president, who was roughed up and hit by tear gas, said the law would do no such thing and said the police officers had not even read it. Hours after the rescue, Correa repeated his claim that compensation issues were merely a pretext for police to kidnap him and try to overthrow his government. "It was an attempt and a perfectly coordinated conspiracy," he said late Thursday. On Friday, a group of South American leaders condemned the disturbance as an "attempted coup" and praised troops for rescuing the country's president in a shootout with police. In a statement issued after an emergency meeting in Argentina, the group of presidents and top officials pledged to send their foreign ministers to Ecuador later Friday to show support for Correa. Two people died in clashes between police and the military after hundreds of troops arrived at a hospital outside the country's capital to rescue Correa on Thursday night, Ecuador's Red Cross reported. At least 88 people were injured in unrest throughout the country. The violent standoff between police and troops lasted for nearly an hour, said Freddy Paredes, a reporter for CNN affiliate Teleamazonas who watched the shootout from a hospital room. Correa, wearing a military helmet and a gas mask, escaped in a wheelchair as gunfire rang out, he said. "The police are very fearful, because the president has announced that there will be no forgiveness nor forgetting for the police that were insubordinate," Paredes said . Correa said late Thursday that those responsible would be held accountable. "It has been a very sad day. I send a warm embrace to those who were injured. I pray to God that nobody dies. Because of what happened, we now need to purge our National Police," he said. The disturbances occurred as Correa threatened to dissolve the National Assembly over a dispute about several laws, including public service and education. Violence erupted early Thursday when police officers took to the streets, claiming a new law would take away their bonuses and reduce their compensation. Government officials tried to quell the rebellion, insisting that the security forces had been misinformed and warning that the nation's democracy was in danger. When the president tried to negotiate with them, the protest turned violent. A tear gas grenade was thrown, and Correa was led away, holding a gas mask to his face. Correa, who is recovering from knee surgery, said angry police tried to suffocate him. "They made me bend my knee to the point that I could not walk," he said Thursday night. He stressed that a law passed Wednesday by the National Assembly did not cut compensation bonuses of police, as some had asserted, and he accused his political opponents of misinforming and manipulating the public about the legislation. Thursday night, he said that police -- "not one of them" -- had read the law. "When they demanded that I revoke the law to let me out, I told them, 'Don't waste time with me. I leave as president of a dignified nation, or I leave as a cadaver,'" he said, his voice hoarse from shouting into a microphone . "Of course, the law will not be revoked," he added, stabbing his finger into the air. Speaking to a jubilant crowd outside the presidential palace, Correa said former president Lucio Gutierrez and other political opponents were behind the day's unrest -- which he repeatedly called an attempted coup. But in an interview earlier Thursday with CNN en Espanol, Gutierrez sharply denied that claim. Angry police said Thursday that they were overworked and underpaid. "We work 14 hours a day," a uniformed officer said on Ecuador TV. "We are the ones who never protest." Both of the men killed in Thursday night's clashes were police officers, the Red Cross said. Correa thanked his supporters -- in particular his bodyguards -- for standing behind him and said the rebel police effort to oust him had failed. "Nobody has supported the police as much as this government, nobody has increased their salaries as much," he said. "After all we've done for the police, they did this!" Correa said the actions of the police left him "profoundly sad, like there was a knife in my back." The government declared a one-week state of emergency Thursday afternoon and put the military in charge of security. The military said it will support the president and the nation's democratic institutions. When the Union of South American Nations convened an emergency meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to discuss the situation, the presidents of many South American nations -- including Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Bolivia's Evo Morales and Colombia's Juan Manuel Santos -- were in attendance. After the meeting, Chavez accused the United States of being behind the unrest in Ecuador. "The Yankee extreme right is trying right now, through arms and violence, to retake control of the continent," Chavez said. Earlier Thursday U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a statement expressing support for Correa. "The United States deplores violence and lawlessness, and we express our full support for President Rafael Correa, and the institutions of democratic government in that country," she said. Correa was elected president in 2006 and took office in 2007. The socialist president earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2001. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet and Rafael Romo in Atlanta, Georgia, and journalist Martha Sandoval in Quito, Ecuador, contributed to this report.

NEW: Police chief resigns in Ecuador . Police actions were a "perfectly coordinated conspiracy," Ecuador's president says . Correa was rescued by the Ecuadorian army in a shootout .

(CNN) -- I never imagined we would find a no-win question to displace the genre's champ, "Have you stopped beating your wife?"  Now, there is contender: "Does austerity work?" Fareed Zakaria tells us it doesn't, faulting it for Europe's constriction.  The problem is not a borderless European financial system, unable to quarantine nations sick with public and private debt.  Oh, no, Zakaria writes, "The larger failure, shared across Europe, has been too much austerity." In the Washington Post, Ezra Klein notes unemployment is "skyrocketing" across Europe and he contends the fault lies in shrinking budget deficits brought by spending cuts and tax increases.  Klein tells us this is what austerity looks like "and it can be expected to reduce economic growth." As the UK slides into a double-dip recession, economist Paul Krugman blames David Cameron's austerity. Borrowing from John Maynard Keynes, he tells us, "The boom, not the slump, is the right time for austerity." Never mind that spending in Britain is virtually unchanged and other nations in Europe are spending more. Neal Reynolds writes that "austerity," as practiced in Euro27 countries, has actually increased government spending from 46% to 51% of Europe's GDP from 2006 to 2010. Greece, where rioters protest "austeros," increased its public sector expenditures from 45.2 % of GDP to 50.1% tin he same period.  As the Richmond Times-Dispatch noted, in 2011, 23 of the EU's 27 nations jacked up their spending levels. This year 24 will. Apparently, it is not austerity itself that constricts economies.  The mere thought of austerity is enough to choke the eurozone to death. Austerity seems to be working just fine for the masters of the practice, the Germans:  We are counting on them to bail out the entire eurozone.  Let's ignore that, however. Instead, let's assume Europe had not only contemplated austerity but also actually imposed it: cutting spending, raising taxes and shrinking its public sector. Even then, "Does austerity work?" would be the wrong question.  Let's view the occasional need to embrace responsibility through a more familiar, though equally unpopular lens: Does "sobriety" work? Immediately, it wouldn't seem so. When we engage in "sobriety," after a long period of over-indulgence, its effect is much like "austerity;" our heads hurt, our tongues get fuzzy and our vision blurs.  I would invite my friends in journalism, dedicated to the rigorous pursuit of truth, to join me in extended study.  We might conclude, through the crusty eyes of another morning, that drinking alcohol does not cause hangovers; stopping drinking alcohol causes hangovers.  Sobriety does not work, it seems -- and governments feel no better when they sober up from a binge. When an economy stops borrowing money from its future, well, there is less money in that economy in the present.  Post-indulgence discipline is painful.  Yet we do not blame the glutton who ordered the meal for this poverty, just the fool who pays the check. We fault austerity. Wouldn't we all feel better if we lifted our glasses and had another round?  We are persuaded to drink our way through our drunkenness, even if we have to borrow the money. Why shouldn't gratification be instant and eternal? Life, we are eager to believe, should be frictionless.  We are happy to hear that we are not required to suffer penalties for stupid economic decisions.  Our leaders, godlike and high above, tell us their brilliance can protect us from the consequences of our poor choices.  Spend what we don't have, they urge:  The same euro, dollar or pound that is invaluable when we put it in to stimulate an economy will not be missed when we pull it out. The same journalists who laugh at the idea of perpetual motion embrace the voodoo of perpetual prosperity. They twist modest Keynesianism into an arrogant declaration that we are above the cost of our excesses.  No longer must God ask Moses to walk the desert to reach the Promised Land. On June 17, the world will come to an end, as it often does.  Ripples from Europe's unraveling will begin traveling to America.  Greece will have an election.  Greeks will vote to make Germans work until they are 67 so they can retire at 50.  They will vote to make someone else pay their bills, fund their holidays and support their benefits. They will be lectured about this by an American president who asks his own nation to make China pay its bills, fund its holidays and support its benefits.  We can only hope he does it from the Hellenic state of California, which has also attempted to outsmart austerity.  Remarkably, it hasn't grown jobs, just debt. Paul Krugman is a noble man.  If he could, with his bright mind, he would free us from the costs of our foolish economic decisions, many of which he has recommended.  He is the blackjack player, deep in debt, who knows he can outsmart the house. On our behalf, with his infallible system, he'll keep doubling his bet every hand until he wins back our money -- unless he hits the house limit or a run of bad luck empties his pockets first.  That is not an uncommon fate for the adversaries of austerity. Genuinely bright people built Las Vegas on the arrogance of such men. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Alex Castellanos .

Commentators are placing the blame for Europe's spending woes on government austerity . Alex Castellanos says Europe hasn't really embraced austerity yet . He says the binge in government spending can't go on forever . Castellanos: Asking whether austerity works is like asking a drinker if sobriety works .

(CNN) -- In the midst of heated political campaigns and real wars abroad, it is noteworthy that two columnists writing for the most consequential newspaper in the world, The New York Times, took a different tack on Sunday and ended up in the same place: A discussion of sexual nihilism and the modern woman. They are on to something. Maureen Dowd's column, titled "She's Fit to Be Tied," looks at E.L James's "Fifty Shades of Grey," a trilogy of erotic, bondage-themed fiction. Dowd expressed surprise over the popularity of the books in which a 21-year-old innocent girl becomes a sexual "submissive" of a rich, powerful 27-year-old businessman. While we're steeped in a so-called "war on women," Dowd wonders "why women are thronging to the story of an innocent who jumps into the arms of a Seattle sadist with a 'Red Room of Pain' full of chains, clamps, whips, canes, flogs and cuffs, falling in love to the soundtrack of the Police's 'King of Pain.'" Dowd cites the remarkable success of the trilogy among Generation X women -- the contemporaries, allies and beneficiaries of the modern feminist movement. And yet, the narrative flies in the face of women's progress. For example, a contract that the girl signs with the man stipulates that "the Dominant may flog, spank, whip or corporally punish the Submissive as he sees fit, for purposes of discipline, for his own personal enjoyment or for any other reason, which he is not obliged to provide." If this is progress for women, what would regression look like? Dowd's colleague, Frank Bruni, reflected on a similar subject in his column, "The Bleaker Sex," on Lena Dunham's new HBO series "Girls." In this unglamorous, dull version of "Sex in the City," Dunham stars as a contemporary, twenty-something woman playing second fiddle to the bizarre, dominating sexual fantasies of her boyfriend. Her first sex scene opens with her back to her boyfriend, inertly and joylessly submitting to his commands. Bruni recoils at the idea of this. He writes, "You watch these scenes and other examples of the zeitgeist-y, early-20s heroines of 'Girls' engaging in, recoiling from, mulling and mourning sex, and you think: Gloria Steinem went to the barricades for this?" Bruni goes on to grapple with Dunham's loveless sex scenes and wonders whether today's onslaught of pornography and easy sex has desensitized men to the point where they view women, to recall the words of an earlier day, only as objects. Even the act of sex itself is boring to some men unless it is ratcheted up in some strange, deviant fashion -- all at the expense of the thoroughly humiliated and debased woman. In the act of degrading women, men are also degrading themselves. And the voyeurism, inspired by such entertainment, debases men and women even more. This is a parlous, dreadful outcome for both sexes. (As I have written previously, men in our time, particularly young men, are having trouble in many ways.) As Bruni asked: Is this what feminism fought for? In the 1970s we were told to respect women, treat them as more than sexual objects and treat their humanity the same as ours. Is any of this still true today? The insightful Hanna Rosin, author of the forthcoming book, "The End of Men," wrote in The Wall Street Journal recently, "Studies do indeed show that women are no more happy than they were in the 1970s." Wharton School economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers confirmed this in a 2009 study that argues women's happiness appeared to be in decline despite advances in education and the workforce. Well, how could women be happy with what is described in "Fifty Shades of Grey" and "Girls"? Take note that this disheartening and dismal tableau of modern liberated sex comes not from pro-family conservatives, who have been condemning this turn in our culture for some time, but from two stars of the liberal commentariat. Dowd and Bruni leave us wondering the same thing Peggy Lee did a generation ago in her song, "Is That All There Is?" Is there no alternative to the "Red Room of Pain" and Dunham's demoralizing sexual encounters? Yes, there is. Consider one of the most well regarded writers of the Victorian era, Mary Ann Evans, better known to us by her pen name, George Eliot. In her novel, "Daniel Deronda," she says of love, "For what is love itself, for the one we love best? -- an enfolding of immeasurable cares which yet are better than any joys outside our love." In an enfoldment of immeasurable cares in a real and true love, there is immeasurable intimacy too, including a richly satisfying sexual intimacy that finds no equal or parallel in a callous and casual hookup culture. It is worth pointing out that this desideratum -- deep sexual satisfaction -- is found most often, as has been empirically verified over and over again, in what is often called, derisively, traditional marriage. Given the possibilities and fantasies presented in "Fifty Shades of Grey" or "Girls," some of which have been so graphically laid out and laid bare in our oversaturated TV and Internet culture, can it not be argued that what Eliot described is the option most worth considering again, at least once everything else has been tried and found so painfully wanting? The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of William J. Bennett.

William Bennett: An erotic trilogy and a HBO series paint discouraging portraits of women . Bennett: Demoralizing sexual encounters debase both women and men . He says we should take a piece of advice from the Victorian author George Eliot . Bennett: Traditional marriage is the place to find true sexual satisfaction .

Washington (CNN) -- The Justice Department on Tuesday weighed in on one of the most explosive issues in American politics, filing a lawsuit to overturn a tough new Arizona immigration law that has sharply divided people along partisan, ideological and ethnic lines. It also asked the federal courts to grant an injunction to stop enforcement of the measure before it takes effect late this month. Arizona's law requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and allows police to question the residency status of people in the course of enforcing another law. It also targets businesses that hire illegal immigrant laborers or knowingly transport them. Justice Department lawyers argued that the state statute should be declared invalid because it has improperly preempted federal law. "In our constitutional system, the power to regulate immigration is exclusively vested in the federal government," the brief said. "The immigration framework set forth by Congress and administered by federal agencies reflects a careful and considered balance of national law enforcement, foreign relations, and humanitarian concerns -- concerns that belong to the nation as a whole, not a single state." How do you feel about the Arizona immigration law? However, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said it was "wrong that our own federal government is suing the people of Arizona for helping to enforce federal immigration law." "Today's filing is nothing more than a massive waste of taxpayer funds," Brewer said in a statement. "These funds could be better used against the violent Mexican cartels than the people of Arizona." The government's brief said the U.S. Constitution and federal law "do not permit the development of a patchwork of state and local immigration policies throughout the country." "Although a state may adopt regulations that have an indirect or incidental effect on aliens, a state may not establish its own immigration policy or enforce state laws in a manner that interferes with federal immigration law," the brief said. "The State of Arizona has crossed this constitutional line." The brief contends that the Arizona law "disrupts federal enforcement priorities and resources that focus on aliens who pose a threat to national security or public safety. ... If allowed to go into effect, [its] mandatory enforcement scheme will conflict with and undermine the federal government's careful balance of immigration enforcement priorities and objectives." The Justice Department highlighted statements in support of the lawsuit from the sheriff of Arizona's Santa Cruz County and several Department of Homeland Security officials, among others. President Barack Obama said in a speech July 1 that the Arizona measure has "fanned the flames of an already contentious debate." Among other things, it puts pressure on police officers to enforce rules that are "unenforceable" while making communities less safe -- in part, by making people more reluctant to report crimes, he said. The law also has "the potential of violating the rights of innocent American citizens and legal residents, making them subject to possible stops or questioning because of what they look like or how they sound." Arizona's two Republican senators, however, immediately blasted the decision to file the lawsuit. "The American people must wonder whether the Obama administration is really committed to securing the border when it sues a state that is simply trying to protect its people by enforcing immigration law," Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain said in a statement. The top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee also ripped the decision. "Not only does this lawsuit reveal the Obama administration's contempt for immigration laws and the people of Arizona, it reveals contempt for the majority of the American people who support Arizona's efforts to reduce human smuggling, drug trafficking and illegal immigration," said Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas. "Arizona's law simply applies state penalties to acts already illegal under federal law." Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Arizona, released a statement calling the lawsuit a "sideshow." "A court battle between the federal government and Arizona will not move us closer to securing the border or fixing America's broken immigration system," she said. Brewer, a Republican, said the Arizona law was designed "to complement, not supplant, enforcement of federal immigration laws," and that she would fight the government lawsuit with the help of a legal defense fund set up to pay the legal fees. "Our laws will be found to be constitutional -- because that is exactly what they are," Brewer's statement said. Obama renewed his push for comprehensive immigration reform last week, calling for bipartisan cooperation on an issue reflecting deep social and political divisions. Seeking an elusive middle ground on the subject, the president highlighted the importance of immigrants to American history and progress while acknowledging the fear and frustration many feel with a system that he said seems "fundamentally broken." He asserted that the majority of Americans are ready to embrace reform legislation that would help resolve the status of an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants. In his July 1 speech, Obama warned that rounding up everyone in the country who has entered illegally would be both "logistically impossible" and "tear at the fabric of the nation." At the same time, the president indicated it would be wrong to offer blanket amnesty for people who came into the United States unlawfully. Despite Obama's call for bipartisan immigration reform, several senior Democratic sources said last week they see virtually no chance of Congress taking up such a measure before November's midterm elections. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. national poll conducted in late May showed 57 percent of Americans backing the Arizona law, with 37 percent opposed to it. The poll also indicated that public support for beefing up security along the U.S. border with Mexico has grown significantly. According to the survey, nearly nine out of 10 Americans want to increase U.S. law enforcement along the border with Mexico. Eight in 10 questioned also supported a program that would allow illegal immigrants already in the United States to stay here and apply for legal residency, provided they had a job and paid back taxes. But only 38 percent say that program should be a higher priority than border security and other get-tough proposals. Six in 10 said border security was the higher priority. CNN's Terry Frieden, Bill Mears and Alan Silverleib contributed to this report .

NEW: Arizona governor criticizes government lawsuit against immigration law . Key Republican says lawsuit shows "contempt" for Americans . Justice Department says Arizona improperly preempts federal law . Law requires police to question people suspected of being in U.S. illegally .

(CNN) -- Presidents, prime ministers and assorted rulers, consider that you have been warned: A massive protest can start at any time, seemingly over any issue, and can grow to a size and intensity no one expected. Your country's image, your own prestige, could risk unraveling as you face the wrath of the people. The newest iconic images from Turkey and from Brazil -- two countries that have promoted themselves as models to emulate -- include shocking scenes of police brutality, of government clampdown against peaceful protesters. We have entered a new age of protests. While politics remain intensely local, individuals are more interconnected. In Turkey, a small protest over plans to destroy one of Istanbul's last remaining parks exploded in size and intensity after a harsh police crackdown shocked the nation. The sight of police spraying giant clouds of tear gas and beating peaceful protesters touched a nerve, inflaming simmering concerns about an increasingly authoritarian regime. In a matter of days, waves of demonstrations, the biggest in decades, spread across the country. Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan, who has not lacked for self-confidence over his 10 years in power, came under sharp criticism over his response to the protests. Has he grown arrogant with power? Having led his party to consecutive victories at the polls, sucking the air out of the powerful military, and overseeing Turkey's rise to new heights of prosperity and international assertiveness, all of a sudden he looked less awe-inspiring. Erdogan may have faced down world leaders, but when he faced his own people he tarnished his image. He is now accused by many at home and abroad of lacking in democratic instincts. The country has new national icons. The newest is the "Standing Man," a protester who steadfastly held his ground amid the chaos, standing for hours gazing at a picture of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. There's the "woman in red," a modernly dressed woman -- symbolizing the secular, world of personal freedom many of the demonstrators seek to defend. A similar image emerged from Brazil. A young woman who appears utterly harmless was sprayed in the face by a policeman dressed in full riot gear. Just like Turkey, no one could have predicted the turn of events in Brazil. A country that has symbolized Latin America's dramatic rise from poverty, where left-leaning governments have combined social programs and market-friendly policies, nearly eradicating extreme poverty, suddenly erupted in a wave of popular fury. The government of President Dilma Rousseff faced the largest protests in 20 years. And it all started over an increase in bus fares. The protests over bus fares touched on worries about a slowdown in the economy, about persistent inequality, corruption and costly projects in preparation for hosting the upcoming World Cup and Olympic Games. Rousseff, a former revolutionary herself, has been taking a much more conciliatory approach than the pugnacious Erdogan. On Wednesday, government officials in San Paulo and Rio de Janeiro announced that they would revoke the hike in bus fares in their cities. In this era of connectivity, a small complaint can explode. Politicians may outmaneuver rival parties during election campaigns. They can claim a majority at the polls -- as Erdogan doesn't tire of remarking he has -- and they can ply their trade on the global stage. But they now have to deal with their citizens' demands in a much more public way. Popular claims have new strength in our age of social media. It's impossible to predict which issue will find flammable material hiding in shared resentments and ignite raging fires of discontent. The water cannons and the tear gas may disperse the first wave of protesters, but a click of a smartphone can produce a photo or video that instantly catches people's attention, potentially attracting even larger protests. The crowd may grow if its concerns are ignored, especially if police repression is violent. One of the challenges for democratic governments is to balance what may be legitimate requirements of public order with a reasonable hearing for reasonable demands. That is the response that separates the tyrants from the democrats. Public space occupations and demonstrations have occurred in nations without democracy. We saw how regimes responded to protests in places like Egypt and Syria. We have seen crackdowns in Russia last year and in Iran after the 2009 elections. These new protests start over smaller issues -- not over tyranny or basic democratic rights. Local issues have a new power to surge with little warning, electrifying the crowds, jolting people out of complacency. Governments can be caught by surprise by what seem like trivial matters -- a small rise in bus fare or saving trees in a park. It wasn't very long ago when every meeting of the powerful nations, of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, brought out angry anti-globalization crowds. Now, the concerns are more immediate, more personal. When President Obama arrived in Northern Ireland on Monday for the meeting of the G8 nations, there were more police officers than protesters. The nature of protest has changed. Governments may have the power to spy on citizens, to read their e-mails and listen to their conversations. But they have largely lost their ability to control the information that is out there. Governments have lost the power to change the subject, to divert attention, to blame a multinational institution or another country for the woes at home. Stories now refuse to die. Protesters, if angered by the government's response, are more likely to persevere. Heads of government cannot control their public image the way they once could. The demigods are dying. New technology may make it easier for governments to learn what the people are thinking, but it makes it harder for them to shape what the people believe. It's a new age. They should consider themselves warned. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Frida Ghitis.

Frida Ghitis: A massive protest can start any time -- just look at Turkey and Brazil . Ghitis: In this era of connectivity, a little complaint can ignite raging fire of discontent . She says these recent protests started over smaller issues, not over tyranny . Ghitis: Technology has made it harder for governments to shape what people believe in .

(CNN) -- In just a few months, Syria's rebels have transformed themselves from ragtag village defense forces into an armed movement capable of attacking the country's two largest cities, Aleppo and Damascus. Now they are bracing themselves for what one Syrian newspaper has called "the mother of all battles." Both the rebels and the regime are building up their manpower in and around Aleppo, Syria's largest city, where the rebels have made inroads this past week. Fighting has already begun. Syrian rebels seize military base outside Aleppo . Several world leaders have expressed deep concern about a "devastating" government counterattack in Aleppo. But the rebels, encouraged by the progress they've made, remain undeterred. War crimes in Aleppo, Arab League chief says . "We will fight this dictator and all of his aircraft, tanks and rockets," said Ahmed Afash, a rebel squad leader based in Anadan, a rebel-controlled town just six miles north of Aleppo. "We started out this struggle with rocks." Now they have rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, assault rifles and other powerful weapons. Afash and other rebels in Anadan proudly showed off the artillery they had seized from Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. "I've fired this gun about 2,000 times," said rebel Jamal Awar, referring to a double-barreled, anti-aircraft gun on top of a truck. Awar, a former bus driver, said he shot down a helicopter several weeks ago with the gun. "I was ecstatic, I was very happy," Awar said. But even with all the new weapons, can the rebels fend off an air assault? Mustafa Abdullah, a major rebel commander, told CNN there simply isn't enough ammunition to withstand a government siege. He said it will "be just like Homs" and wept at the thought of a similar massacre. World leaders and outside experts have also expressed doubt that the rebels have the weaponry to counter the regime's aerial threat. While they might lack firepower, however, the rebels have plenty of commitment and passion for their cause. "I go to war for my family, for my country," said Soukrot Amin, a 23-year-old Aleppo native who recently volunteered to be in the Free Syrian Army. "Because (al-Assad) has killed everyone. He killed my cousin. He destroyed my village. He destroyed my home." The rebel militias are composed in large part of defector soldiers. But there are also many civilians, including students, shopkeepers, real-estate agents, and even members of al-Assad's ruling party. More: Faces of the Free Syrian Army . Ahmed Habib spent a decade working as a bureaucrat with the Aleppo branch of the Ba'ath party. But eight months after joining the rebels, he was dressed in improvised military fatigues, carrying a Belgian-made Fabrique Nationale assault rifle slung over his shoulder. "We wished to have a new democracy when Bashar al-Assad became president," he said. "We wished to have freedom for the people. But that never happened. We just got new cars and computers. It's ... nothing. "We tell Bashar al-Assad, very soon we will be in Damascus, in the president's palace, we promise that." Last week, a bombing in Damascus killed several of the regime's top defense officials, including al-Assad's brother-in-law. But the rebels' progress into the Syrian capital seems to have faded as a result of a strong government counterattack. Q&A: A bloody mess could get messier . The rebels now see Aleppo, the country's economic hub and its most populous city, as crucial to their cause. And they're throwing much of their manpower in the north of the country to fight for it. Some other nearby cities have been abandoned. In Atareb, Bashar al-Assad's troops left behind a bullet-riddled ghost town patrolled by rebels and a handful of shell-shocked residents. The Bab el Hawa highway, which ran through the center of the town, was renamed the "Street of Death" by rebels. Until recently, they said, anyone who dared set foot on the highway became a target. Now it's a mini-graveyard of burned-out armored personnel carriers. "This used to be a very classy area. ... The Turks would come here to see our village," said a fighter named Abdullah Behri, who lost his left eye to shrapnel during a battle there in May. "Now it has all turned to hell," he said, pointing at the town's deserted streets. Is a similar fate in store for Aleppo? In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters that U.S. officials are concerned "that we will see a massacre in Aleppo -- and that's what the regime appears to be lining up for." British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the escalation could lead to a "devastating loss of civilian life and a humanitarian disaster." But the rebels know the risks and they are ready to fight. One veteran fighter named Khorshid had no illusions that the battle for Aleppo would be easy. He choked back tears Tuesday after burying his slain friend Housam Abdul Rashid. Then he swore to return to the front lines. "Tonight," Khorshid said. "We must fight Bashar al-Assad, because if not, he will kill us." CNN's Ivan Watson inside Syria: Rebels attack army base . Tense Syria prisoner exchange turns into sitcom . Clock ticks for 'mother of all battles' in Aleppo . CNN's Kyle Almond contributed to this report.

Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, is now the flashpoint of the country's civil war . There are widespread concerns about a "devastating" government counterattack . The rebels have gotten stronger in the past few months and built up their arsenal . But it might not be enough to withstand the regime's aerial firepower .

Washington (CNN) -- Whether a political ploy or bona fide proposal, a leaked version of President Barack Obama's draft immigration plan raised Republican hackles while bringing some additional focus to the debate. The draft plan reported over the weekend by USA Today and confirmed to CNN by an administration official included a possible path to coveted permanent residency in eight years for most of the nation's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants. It also called for steps to strengthen border security and the E-Verify system to check the immigration status of workers. GOP critics pounced, with some objecting to any form of what they label "amnesty" for those in the country illegally. Others accused Obama and the White House of dirty tricks by going public with their draft as a bipartisan group of senators works on a possible agreement. Conservative Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama complained on Monday that both the Obama draft and the talks involving the Senate's so-called Gang of Eight seek to "confer legal status and work authorization on Day One in exchange for promises of future enforcement on which this administration will never deliver." "Perhaps this leak, and what it reveals, may mark the beginning of the collapse of this new scheme to force through a fatally flawed plan," Sessions said in a statement. Others accused Obama of deliberately floating an unacceptable plan so that Republicans would reject it, bringing the party further disfavor from Hispanic Americans, the nation's fastest-growing demographic. "Does the president want a result, or does he want another cudgel to beat up Republicans so that he can get political advantage in the next election?" veteran GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." To former Rep. Connie Mack, a Florida Republican, "a little bit of this is show from everyone, including the president's side." Regardless of how it happened, the leak of Obama's plan "plays into the fears" of Republicans that the president prefers keeping the issue alive for political advantage, Mack told CNN on Monday. His wife -- former Republican Rep. Mary Bono Mack of California -- agreed that the leak added to what she called an already deep trust deficit in Washington. "The American people would be astonished if they knew how little trust existed between the two parties when we have to work together like this," Bono Mack said on CNN. She acknowledged tossing the president's plan into the debate was "a good way to move a bill." "You know, come out farther to the left, make the room on the right," Bono Mack said. "But in this case, start with that trust." Administration officials insisted Obama wanted Congress to work out an agreement that can win support from both parties. "We will be prepared with our own plans if these ongoing talks between Republicans and Democrats up on Capitol Hill break down," Obama's new chief of staff, Denis McDonough, said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation." "There's no evidence that they have broken down yet. We are continuing to support that." He added that he hoped the two sides "don't get involved in some kind of typical Washington back-and-forth sideshow here and rather just ... roll up their sleeves and get to work" on writing a comprehensive immigration bill. Along with the Senate talks on possible legislation, House members from both parties also are involved in their own discussions. The draft plan reported by USA Today calls for an eight-year path to permanent residency for undocumented immigrants, who would face a criminal background check and have to pay back taxes, learn English and get a new "lawful prospective immigrant" visa. On the day after last week's State of the Union address, in which Obama called for comprehensive immigration reform, he met with the four Democratic senators involved in the Gang of Eight talks to reiterate what he considers to be the main principles for a final agreement. According to the White House, those principles include "continuing to strengthen border security, creating an earned path to citizenship, holding employers accountable and streamlining legal immigration." Republicans stung by the overwhelming support for Obama from Latino voters that helped the president win re-election in November are divided over how to proceed on immigration. Conservatives generally oppose any breaks for those who came to America illegally although some, like Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, contend the party must adopt a modern approach to an issue with such strong economic and social impacts. Rubio, who gave the GOP response to Obama's State of the Union address, displayed the party's conflicted posture on the issue that night. He didn't mention his past support of a route to legal status for undocumented immigrants now in the United States, but advocated a non-specific "responsible, permanent solution to the problem." First, he said, "we must follow through on the broken promises of the past to secure our borders and enforce our laws." When news of the leaked Obama proposal emerged, Rubio immediately criticized it as "disappointing to those of us working on a serious solution." On the Democratic side, some of the distrust noted by Bono Mack is evident. Remembering similar bipartisan talks on major issues, such as the Gang of Six that spent months working on a health care overhaul in 2009 without every reaching an agreement, they want to make sure Congress gets legislation to consider. "I know that Senator Rubio was upset with this leak," Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York told CNN on Sunday. "I am not upset. We've talked to Senator Rubio and he is fully on board with our process. And I am very hopeful that in March we will have a bipartisan bill." Schumer said the mechanics of politics was obvious: "If a Democrat, the president or anyone else puts out what they want on their own, it's going to be different than what you have (in) a bipartisan agreement, but the only way we're going to get something done is with a bipartisan agreement." CNN's Jessica Yellin, Gregory Wallace, Kevin Bohn, Juan Carlos Lopez, Ashley Killough and Dana Bash contributed to this report.

Leaked draft of President Obama's immigration plan sparks uproar . Some Republicans accuse the president of undermining Senate talks . The White House calls the draft a backup plan if Congress fails to act . A bipartisan group of senators is working on a possible agreement .

(CNN) -- America's enemies must be laughing. But most of the world is just baffled, mystified at the sight of the world's most powerful country tangled in a crippling web of its own making. The government shutdown is weakening the United States before its allies and its foes. It is eroding American standing and prestige while reducing American power and influence. The democracy that once inspired the world now leaves observers perplexed. This, to put it mildly, is not a time when Americans can say they feel pride in their government. It is a time when America's partners worry about how much they can rely on the commitments from a nation that claims to be a bastion of democracy and freedom, not to mention efficiency and competence. For politicians in Washington, and for the American people, angry and frustrated with the increasingly partisan and dysfunctional government, the shutdown that started on Tuesday looks like a battle over domestic politics. For the rest of the world, the closure of U.S. government institutions says America is growing small, small-minded and unreliable. A small band of extreme right-wing politicians couldn't win the debate, or the vote, or the legal argument over health care, so they decided to close down the government instead. A system that allows that to happen is dangerously flawed and in urgent need of repairs. The self-destructive tactic is undermining American strategic interests while the country's rivals make strides on the global stage. While Russia's Vladimir Putin unabashedly strengthens his position, while China expands its global influence, while America faces enormous challenges, the president of the United States and countless top officials are expending energy on a futile exercise. In recent days -- while Syria burned, Iran maneuvered and Europe wondered if the United States will send the global economy back into recession -- U.S. government officials were busy making plans for a shutdown: deciding what offices will be open, what employees would write on their e-mail autoreplies during the shutdown. In the final hours before the deadline, the United Nations General Assembly was in session and Obama was meeting with world leaders. But his mind was presumably on the blackmail and on the impending shutdown. Americans were also distracted, irritated. In a world filled with crises, the ego-massaging spectacle from Washington managed to steal the spotlight. Bravo. American strategic considerations now take a back seat. U.S. efforts to counter China's influence by strengthening ties with Asian countries have to wait. The long-planned visit to Asia by the president was cut in half to attend to this unnecessary crisis. An aide to Supreme Allied Commander in Europe Gen. Philip Breedlove said the general would cut his travel because of the shutdown. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel correctly noted the shutdown would raise doubts among key allies and would damage American credibility. It is impossible to fully calculate the ways in which this hurts America's standing. U.S. officials cooperate on important projects in every field with international organizations. Their partners are learning they cannot rely on them. The United States used to have one of the most respected forms of government on the planet. Washington was never morally crystalline and pure, but enough respect for the principles of democracy made people in other nations yearn to build a similar system, one in which people with differing opinions debated their positions, voted, and accepted the outcome. Who would want to copy the American system now? The last time the government shut down, in 1995, I was in Bosnia. Back then, as we awaited the arrival of NATO forces, we heard of the shutdown. It seemed inconceivable such a thing could happen during a time of crisis. But at least President Clinton and the Republicans led by House Speaker Newt Gingrich were willing to compromise. And they weren't fighting over an issue that had already been triply settled in Congress, in the courts and at the ballot box. And back then the economy was strong, more resilient, better able to withstand the showdown. Today's dogmatic politicians, protected by like-minded zealots in their districts, are looking at their job in the narrowest possible way. They may want to hurt Obama; they may want to blackmail the president into doing away with his health care program. What they are doing is weakening America and its alliances. They are hurting those people in other lands who are trying to make the case that democracy is the best system. From travel agents in Tokyo to newspaper columnists in Britain, people are trying to explain the inexplicable. Tourists from overseas have been blocked from visiting the Statue of Liberty. International meetings have been canceled, research delayed. The British columnist Martin Wolf tried to break down for his readers how one side would close down the government to stop the health insurance that other countries take for granted. But he concluded that it all "seems mad." A journalist in India wrote about her driver and translator laughing at the United States. "So much for the world's great superpower," she tweeted, "It's closed." American looks weak, flailing. Set aside for a moment the impact of the shutdown on 800,000 federal workers and their families. Forget just for now the anguish of the people accepted for clinical trials on cancer drugs at the National Institutes of Health. Forget the businesses that rely on income from providing services to government workers, or from tourists visiting national parks. Forget the parents who have no place to take their children with the closure of Head Start-funded programs. Put to the side for a moment the ripples of damage caused within the United States by this exercise in political extremism. Think instead about the impact this has on America's international standing and global interests. The people who caused this travesty are diminishing their country. Perhaps the knowledge that America's enemies are enjoying the spectacle will give them pause; probably not. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Frida Ghitis.

America's enemies may rejoice, but the rest of the world is mystified, writes Frida Ghitis . How can the most powerful country get tangled in a web of its own making? She says it discourages the champions of democracy around the world, encourages dictators . Ghitis: U.S. leaders wasting time on shutdown, rather than focusing on long-term strategy .

(CNN) -- White House hopeful Mitt Romney on Thursday articulated his position on the role of religion in America, but avoided details about his personal faith. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said "freedom opens the windows of the soul." Romney, who hopes to become the first Mormon president, said "religious tolerance would be a shallow principle, indeed, if it were reserved only for faiths with which we agree." "There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church's distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the Constitution," the former Massachusetts governor said. "No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes president he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths." CNN contributor Bill Bennett said he wasn't sure Romney addressed the concerns voters might have with Mormonism, but, he added, "I don't think he had to." "I can see this speech he just gave being given by any of the Republican candidates and most of the Democratic candidates, frankly. I'm not sure he was responding to the concern 'what about this Mormon thing?' " Bennett said. "I think he will probably get more questions on it, not fewer." Another CNN contributor, Roland Martin, said the setting for the speech was a good one -- "in the heart of the Bible Belt." Watch Bennett and Martin debate the effectiveness of Romney's speech » . Romney spoke at former President George H. W. Bush's presidential library at Texas A&M University before a crowd of about 300 people: a combination of friends, family and religious and conservative leaders. "What he is trying to say is 'I am a person of faith. Forget the fact what my faith is, that I am a Mormon. You might be Christian. You might be Jewish. I'm a person of faith. I believe in God,' " Martin said. Romney said religion is essential to freedom, without pointing to any specific faith. "Freedom requires religion, just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone," the GOP contender said. Romney, who had brushed off comparisons to John F. Kennedy's famous address, didn't hesitate to mention the 1960 speech. "Almost 50 years ago another candidate from Massachusetts explained that he was an American running for president, not a Catholic running for president," Romney said. "Like him, I am an American running for president. I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith." Watch Romney explain what role religion would play in his presidency » . Kennedy took the stage in Houston, Texas, and addressed concerns that the Vatican would influence his policies. Watch Kennedy describe the 'real issues' of his time » . Like Kennedy, Romney told the audience that his church would not influence his presidential decisions. Romney said he did not "confuse" religion and politics as governor and he would not do it as president. "If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. A president must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States," he said. Romney, however, said he would not distance himself from his religion. Watch what's behind Romney's decision to talk about faith » . "I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it. My faith is the faith of my fathers -- I will be true to them and to my beliefs," he said, adding that if his faith hurts his candidacy, "so be it." Romney avoided explaining differences in his church's beliefs and other faiths. Instead, he pointed to similarities between churches in America, saying they share a "common creed of moral convictions." Romney said he thought some have taken the idea of separation of church and state beyond its original meaning by trying to remove any acknowledgment of God from the public arena. "It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America -- the religion of secularism. They are wrong," he said. Nearly 77 percent of those questioned in an October CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll said the fact that a candidate is a Mormon would not be a factor in the way they vote for president. But a significant portion -- 19 percent -- said they are less likely to vote for a Mormon. "Those who have the biggest problem supporting a Mormon are churchgoing and evangelical Christians -- particularly those who believe that Mormonism is not a Christian religion," CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider said, citing the October poll. What do Mormons believe? » . And that also represents a large portion of the Republican base. Religion reporter Dick Ostling said Romney's speech marks an important moment for Mormons. "Historically, the church has been very vigorously persecuted," Ostling told CNN. "And today they are becoming more normalized in the normal run of American life." Ostling said Romney is trying to make the case that although there are are a lot of differences between the Mormon church and Protestant and Catholic Christians, "we can unite behind these cultural, American moral values." Romney is trying to win over conservative Christians as rival Republican Mike Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, makes gains in the polls. The former Arkansas governor is touted in one of his television ads as the "Christian leader." "Understand, Mike Huckabee is rising because he is speaking to those social conservatives, these evangelicals. So Mitt Romney needs to identify with them saying, 'You're a person of faith, I'm a person of faith, let's break bread together, and let's agree to agree or agree to disagree,' " Martin said. E-mail to a friend .

Romney: Freedom requires religion, just as religion requires freedom . Romney says he won't confuse religion and politics . Romney: 'My convictions will indeed inform my presidency' Speech is being compared to JFK's 1960 speech about Catholicism, politics .

(CNN) -- Not even football - or soccer, for those in the U.S. - could stop them. While the Confederations Cup, a warm-up tournament for next year's football World Cup, went on, hundreds of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte and many other major cities in Brazil. Read more: A new age of protests . In the beginning, they were few, mostly youngsters disgruntled with a 20 centavos (10 cents) rise in bus and train fares. After a violent response from the police, they were joined by Brazilians of all ages who had their own issues to shout about. Corruption, poor public services, increasing inflation, lack of security and the not-so-much-loved-anymore World Cup. At a time when Brazil was supposed to be celebrating, the streets were full of anger, chanting, confrontation with the police and destruction, produced by a minority of radical demonstrators. Watch running battles between police and protesters in Rio . Why did the protests gain traction? Tricky question, but there is one thing no-one can deny: A significant number of Brazilians are very upset with the state of the nation. The transport fare hikes were canceled on Wednesday, after local authorities in Sao Paulo and Rio agreed to a U-turn in an attempt to bring back peace and order to the streets. It is still unclear whether this will mean an end to the protests. More important than the issue, though, seems to be the timing of all this. Bus fare increases in previous years had not led to any significant popular reaction. The same movement that started this month's protests - the Movimento Passe Livre (Free Pass Movement, or MPL) - had been active in previous years. After each announcement of a new bus fare they would go to the streets in their hundreds, sometimes only dozens, without being noticed by many. Authorities expected the same in 2013. The latest increase, of less than 7%, was the first in two years and below the inflation of the period. The government, the press, the police and even bystanders were taken off-guard. But, somehow, the timing was just perfect for a national revolt. Brazil protesters: World Cup only benefits outsiders . That could be explained by the way we look at Brazil. In the past decade, when the country took some 30 million people out of poverty, Brazilians enjoyed looking at what the country and its people had achieved: More formal employment, more investment, more growth, greater spending power for those who had none, more security and better outlook on life. On top of that, Brazil had secured the privilege to host the two main sports events in the world - the football World Cup and the Summer (Winter in Brazil) Olympic Games - in 2014 and 2016, respectively. Brazil just seemed to have it all. With only one caveat: It did not. When facts of life began to remind many Brazilians that their lives were not as good as the government claimed, and the football extravaganza got closer, indicating more costs for the state without apparent benefits for the people, many people began to look at their country in a different light. Instead of focusing on the achievements, they looked at what they did not have, and that view seemed to go as far as the Amazon. In 2010, after eight years with a hugely popular president, the former metal worker Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil saw his former minister Dilma Rousseff elected as his successor. From the same leftist Workers Party (PT), Rousseff became the first female Brazilian President. Two-and-a-half years have passed, and she is still popular among the poorest, but the recent protests were led by a different bunch: The traditional middle class. On the streets, well-educated people, from central, urban areas, shouted that they had been sold a lie. Inflation is once again a major concern, violent crime is on the rise, cases of corruption fill the press, healthcare is in a precarious state, infrastructure projects have not materialized and street traffic is depressingly worse than ever. While TV showed the inaugurations of costly, lavish football stadiums, people felt their lives were getting worse by the day. After all, the World Cup will cost the nation some $15 billion, and the promised legacy in infrastructure is still nowhere to be seen. Worst of all: A government accustomed to surf on its safe popularity, secured mainly by the distribution of money to the poorest, did not feel the need to listen. Rousseff's message, in pre-recorded announcements on TV, has been that the country just could not be better. The National Congress is even more to blame, with its representatives lashed by public opinion for shocking privileges, high salaries and cases of sleaze. A survey by Datafolha institute, conducted this week in the city of Sao Paulo, shows a drastic fall in the prestige of political institutions in the past decade. Only 19% of respondents say they hold the office of president in high regard, compared with 51% in 2003. The percentage of respondents who say they hold the National Congress in high regard has fallen from 30% in 2003, to 12% now. Many who took to the streets in Brazil - and inspired Brazilians around the world to do the same in their adopted countries - carried banners saying: "It is not only about R$ 0,20." What they meant is that the bus fare rise was perhaps the least of their concerns. Corruption, lack of accountability and a realization that many promises have not been fulfilled were what led them to the streets. The suspension of the transport fare rise may take them back to their normal lives. The issues, however, will not go away any time soon. And unless they are properly addressed, those problems can make the people march again. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rogério Simões.

Simões: Brazil just seemed to have it all. With only one caveat: It did not . Inflation is a major concern, violent crime is on the rise, cases of corruption fill the press . Many realized that their lives were not as good as the government claimed, he says .

(CNN) -- Now that 33 miners who have been trapped in the earth for 19 days have been found alive, the focus is shifting to their physical and mental health as they face a potentially long period before being rescued. Chile is calling on experts from space and sea to consult on how to maintain the psychological well-being of a group of men crammed into a small space. Experts from NASA and Chilean navy submarine experts have been called to help, Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said Tuesday. The miners have been trapped inside the San Jose copper and gold mine since an August 5 cave-in. A probe over the weekend reached the miners, who survived inside a shelter some 2,300 feet underground. Officials have estimated that it could take three to four months to reach the miners. So far, authorities have spoken with the miners via microphone, but have not disclosed to them their lengthy prediction for a rescue. "We have still not told them the timetable, but we are sure that as miners, they know this will take a long time," Health Minister Jaime Manalich said. As it is, relief such as food and nutrients will also be reaching the miners in small amounts. Manalich said that the miners will likely not be given solid food for five days. Instead, authorities will send down fluids, liquid proteins and liquid vitamins. The strategy is a precaution, Manalich said, as doctors do not know the exact health of the miners. So far, however, the diagnosis looks good, he said. None of the men suffered major injuries, though some have minor injuries, Manalich said. Some of the miners reported eye irritation from the dust. Health officials are designing an exercise program and light work to keep the trapped miners physically and mentally active, Manalich said. On Monday, the trapped workers cheered, applauded and sang the country's national anthem in their first verbal contact with officials. Several of Chile's top officials gathered around a white telephone outside the mine as the miners' voices crackled through the speakers in an emotional conversation that was also broadcast on television. "We are listening all of us, strong and clear. Who's speaking?...How are you doing?" said Golborne, according to CNN Chile. Miner Luiz Urzua responded: "We are well and hoping that you will rescue us." The miners cheered as officials informed them that their family members had been keeping vigil outside the mine, CNN Chile reported. The San Jose mine is near the town of Copiapo, in the Atacama region in northern Chile. "Yesterday, all of Chile celebrated in all the plazas of the country that we had made contact with you. Today they are going to be even happier that we have spoken," Golborne said. The miners survived for more than 17 days by sharing small amounts of tuna and mackerel that were in a shelter, along with water, President Sebastian Pinera told CNN en Espanol on Monday. "They had very little food," he said. "They told us they ate tuna and mackerel every other day, and that they shared ... a jar of peaches among the 33." The area where the miners find themselves is about 50 square meters (538 square feet), Pinera said. He described the shelter as a type of cavern where they had access to an area called the "workshop," where they found batteries for light and water for consumption. Pinera estimated the temperatures where the miners are hover between 32-35 degrees Celsius (90-95 degrees Fahrenheit). "They've got the immediate problem of getting supplies and food to these individuals who have been trapped for 18 days now. ... They've got to satisfy their basic needs," he said. "Then, they've got the secondary problem, longer-term problem, of drilling down a 28-inch, 30-inch hole and getting it down 2,500 feet in very unstable rock conditions. And to do that, in order to make it successful, they have got to go slow. And that's the problem, is that despite the fact that everybody wants to rush, the fact is they have to use a slow drill in order to try to stabilize and get stable the hole so that they can, in fact, pull people out from that entrapment underground," McAteer said. McAteer told "American Morning" the mental and emotional components of the miners' entrapment may be difficult to overcome. "How do you come up with things for them to do and arrange things so that they can get their attention diverted from just sitting there waiting? That's going to be the real challenge for the Chileans and for the rescuers," he said. "I think the fact that they've made it these 18 days is very, very positive. But the euphoria of making contact with the surface is going to last a couple days and then it is going to be a long slope." McAteer added that the Chilean government and counselors were helping the "resilient" miners, but modern technology could be the biggest boon to the caged miners' mental health. "I see no reason why you couldn't pass cellphones down to them or computers, tethered down to them. We're in a new day. There'll need to be -- something will need to be done to divert their attention," he said. Chile's mining minister reiterated Monday that those responsible for the cave-in will be prosecuted, a point also made a few minutes later at a separate event by the Chilean president. "We will investigate and punish those who are responsible," Pinera said. Family members had cheered Sunday when Pinera held up a handwritten note pulled from the mine. The note was tied to a probe authorities had lowered earlier Sunday. Written in Spanish in red ink, it said simply: "We are fine in the shelter, the 33 of us." CNN's Karl Penhaul contributed to this report.

NEW: The focus is on miners' physical and mental health . NEW: Chile asks for experts from its navy and from NASA . Former U.S. mine safety chief says two problems exist: supplies and rescue . Authorities say it could take months to rescue miners .

(CNN) -- Increasingly, it feels like there is no reprieve from the assault of natural disasters. Month after month, we go from winter storms to spring floods, to tornado and hail storms, to hurricanes, to wildfires, with an earthquake thrown in every so often just to remind us that the seasons don't always dictate the disasters. As a hazard scientist, I am in tune daily with the looming threats of nature and the the places that are most susceptible. Many people, however, don't realize the full extent of the risk they face in their own hometowns and neighborhoods. All it really takes is one catastrophe, like Hurricane Sandy, or the tornado that ripped through Moore, Oklahoma, to turn everyone's attention to the true reality of hazard risk. No place in the United States is risk-free. Some regions of the country are more prone to certain events than others, so in those cases it is never a question of "if," but rather a question of "when" and "how severe will it be?" Walking the path of a killer tornado . We hear about earthquakes and wildfires in California, hurricanes in Florida or Louisiana, floods along the Mississippi, and probably most well-known, tornadoes in the Midwestern states that make up "Tornado Alley." But it would be shortsighted to think these regions have cornered the market on natural hazards. A deeper investigation reveals just how widespread these natural disasters can be. Wildfires burned more than 9 million acres in the U.S. last year. Although California certainly felt the heat with nearly 900,000 acres burned, three other states each lost more than 1 million acres to wildfires in 2012 as well. Idaho had 1.6 million acres scorched and in both Montana and Oregon, 1.2 million acres burned. Yet we don't hear as much about the fires in those states as we do about the blazes near San Diego or Los Angeles. In fact, 49 states are listed on the National Interagency Fire Center website as having lost acreage to wildfires in 2012. Even Hawaii lost 3 square miles of land in 2012, though few people would likely consider the islands to have any wildfire risk. Opinion: How can we be safe from tornadoes? Hurricane-driven storm surge was the lead story when Hurricane Sandy pushed ashore in New York and New Jersey in 2012. But Manhattan had braced for the threat of Hurricane Irene just the year before, a reminder that nature does not space these events to fit our expectations of how often surprising weather events happen. Aside from our heightened awareness of risk in the Northeast, 19 coastal states along the Gulf and Atlantic shorelines all have some degree of flooding risk from hurricane-driven storm surge, stretching from Texas to Maine. Not a single one of these states has less than $2 billion worth of residential property located in a storm-surge zone. The potential of a devastating hurricane is not limited to the states we think of as traditional targets. And of course, there are tornadoes. They hit with less warning than wildfires or hurricanes and are capable of producing tremendous, almost instantaneous damage. It would be comforting for us who live outside Tornado Alley to think that won't happen to us. But the numbers tell a different story. From 2000 to 2011, about 6,700 tornadoes hit in the eight states typically identified as Tornado Alley: Kansas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Nebraska, Texas, Colorado, South Dakota and North Dakota. But 8,800 tornadoes touched down in at least 16 other states during the same time period, in Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, Georgia, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky. The Tornado Alley states lost $2.5 billion in residential property damage from 2000 to 2011 -- but consider that the 16 states outside the Alley suffered nearly $15.5 billion in damage during that same time. Opinion: The making of a nightmare tornado . Are there more severe weather events now than in the past? There's no clear answer. Media coverage has made us more aware, and scientific methods of detection and analysis are much better than 50 years ago. Because disasters are reported more extensively now than ever, it might skew our perception of their frequency. But whether the number of tornadoes, fires, hurricanes and the like is on the rise, it's a sure thing that the population has risen, and continues to rise each year by about 2.5 million a year, according to the Census Bureau. This means that more people will be living in areas at risk, and the number of homes, buildings and infrastructure will be greater. The value of the properties has increased over the years, so any disaster will cause more damage in dollars and cents. More often than not, people outside of traditionally perceived hazard risk regions are not prepared for a weather related disaster. The solution to this inattention begins with awareness and getting familiar with the best tactics to prevent or minimize damage. It's impossible to prevent many of these natural hazards, yet homeowners who are aware of risk can prepare for it -- clearing brush around the house and building with fire resistant materials if they happen to live somewhere where fires have struck, for example. Though you most likely won't be able to build a structure that can withstand an F5 tornado, you certainly can prepare and have a safe location to ride out a storm until the threat passes. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Tom Jeffery.

Tom Jeffery: It seems like natural disasters are hitting with no reprieve . Jeffery: No place in the U.S. is risk-free, but in some regions, it's not "if" but "when" From 2000 to 2011, he says, almost 9,000 tornadoes hit states outside Tornado Alley . Jeffery: As U.S. population grows every year, so does the cost of severe weather .

(CNN) -- A liberal Democratic congressman who came under fire for a lewd photo that briefly appeared on his Twitter account over the weekend told CNN Wednesday that he did not post the image. Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner spoke to CNN's Wolf Blitzer a day after a contentious exchange with reporters in which he refused to directly answer any questions about the picture. On Wednesday he said he had hired a law firm to look into the matter. But he declined to directly answer whether he appeared in the photo. "Photos can be manipulated. Photos can be of one thing and changed to something else. We're going to try to get to the bottom of what happened," he said. The photo showed the lower body of a man wearing underwear. A conservative blogger who broke the story has called for a full investigation of what he said was either the hacking of a congressman's account or something Weiner wants to hide. But Weiner told CNN he did not think such steps are necessary to deal with what he said was internet spam, an issue that many Americans face. "Just because it happened to Congressman Weiner on his personal account doesn't mean that the taxpayers should pay for an investigation," he said. "I'm going to turn it over to some people who are going to give me advice on what to do next. "This seems like it was a prank to make fun of my name, the name Weiner. It happens a lot," he added. Asked whether he was protecting anyone, Weiner replied, "Yes, I'm protecting my wife, who every day is waking up to these insane stories that are getting so far from reality. You know, we've been married less than a year." He also declined to say what he had written in direct messages to Twitter followers. "I'm not going to get into how I communicate with people on social media. There was nothing ... inappropriate," he said. An e-mail that Twitter sent to members of Congress Wednesday lists several online security tips, according to a copy of the e-mail CNN obtained. The message does not specifically mention the photo posted on Weiner's page, but notes that questions about account security have surged recently. "Some of you inquired today about the security of Twitter accounts," Twitter's Adam Sharp wrote. "While we won't comment on individual accounts, news reports of the past few days are a good reminder of the importance of actively protecting your account credentials." Weiner on Tuesday told reporters he wasn't interested in talking about the issue any more, saying he already made statements over the Memorial Day weekend after the photo turned up on his Twitter account Friday night. In a heated exchange with reporters, he repeatedly dodged direct questions about the photo. "If I were giving a speech to 45,000 people, and someone in the back threw a pie or yelled out an insult, I would not spend the next two hours of my speech responding to that pie or that insult. I would return to the things that I want to talk about," Weiner said in response to a question about whether he sent the lewd photo to a Seattle woman. He also refused to say why he hasn't asked law enforcement to investigate if in fact his account was hacked, as he has said it was. Despite repeated efforts by reporters, Weiner did not directly answer questions about the photo. In earlier comments, when asked if the photo was of him, Weiner deflected the question. "I'm not going to talk about this anymore," he said, adding: "I'm going to get back to the conversation I care about," including economic issues and what he calls a conflict-of-interest situation involving conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on the health care reform law. The New York Democrat is a leading liberal voice in Congress. Asked several questions about the Twitter situation Tuesday, Weiner stuck to his message. "I understand you're doing your job, but I'm going to go back to work now," Weiner said at one point. When asked if he was concerned about being hacked, he responded: "I'm going to return to working on the things I care about. I participated in the story a couple of days now, given comments on it. This is a distraction and I'm not going to let it distract me." When a reporter noted the distraction might go away if he answered the questions, Weiner answered: "I'm not convinced of that. "I'm not convinced there's any value of me talking about it," Weiner said. Asked again if he was the man in the photo, Weiner responded again that he had made previous statements and now it was time for him to get back to work. On Wednesday, Weiner told CNN that he regretted "the way that I handled it yesterday and I'm trying to do a better job today." Previously, Weiner blamed the photo on a hacker who got control of his social-networking accounts and played a prank. Weiner's spokesman, Dave Arnold, said Monday the congressman has retained an attorney to look into the situation. No formal criminal investigation has been launched, which rankles Andrew Breitbart, whose conservative website biggovernment.com first reported the photo on Weiner's Twitter account in connection with a tweet to a Seattle woman. Breitbart, who has been involved in questionable tactics against Democrats and liberals in the past, told CNN on Tuesday that the case warrants further investigation. "There's something fundamentally different between a prank and a hack -- a prank is innocuous, a hack is criminal," Breitbart said, later adding he wanted a full investigation by the FBI and Capitol Police. However, CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said Tuesday he believed the situation was a harmless prank unworthy of further investigation. "Twitter is not a very secure environment," Toobin said, noting that information on the site can be unreliable "and doesn't even come from the people it appears to come from." He added: "There's a famous expression -- don't make a federal case out of it." CNN's Kate Bolduan, Dana Bash and Rachel Streitfeld contributed to this story.

NEW: Twitter e-mails members of Congress about account security . Weiner says he did not post a lewd photo and has hired a firm to investigate . On Tuesday he had a heated exchange with reporters . A conservative blogger who broke the story wants an investigation .

Washington (CNN) -- The uproar last week over a proposed campaign ad highlighting President Barack Obama's former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, lit up political circles before organizers finally backed off the idea. And Mitt Romney came under fire from evangelicals before his speech to Liberty University in Virginia earlier this month because some at the traditional Christian school still believe Mormonism is a cult. Two very different candidates joined by similar, yet hollow, attacks on their faith illustrate the intense mix of identity politics simmering just beneath the surface of the presidential race. When it comes to faith and race, there are some who want to paint both candidates as outside the mainstream, not members of the traditional American club. They want to paint them as "others." Both Obama, the nation's first black president, and Romney, a Mormon, have found that their shared status as members of minority groups and political pioneers, in many ways, has also changed the rules of this presidential campaign cycle, said Nancy Wadsworth, co-editor of the anthology "Faith and Race in American Political Life." "It's the elephant in the room," Wadsworth said. "On the Democratic side, the liability of raising (Romney's) Mormonism and putting it under closer scrutiny means they will be accused of religious intolerance. If (Republicans) bring up Jeremiah Wright, they'll be accused of using the race card." So both presidential campaigns are adhering to a tenuous, unwritten hands-off agreement when it comes to race and religion even as they themselves struggle to navigate those waters. But the same rules may not neccesarily apply to their supporters, third-party groups and well-heeled super PACs. Romney condemned the Wright ad proposal pitched to billionaire Joe Ricketts and his conservative super PAC. Likewise, senior Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod reiterated to Candy Crowley on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that critiques of Romney's Mormonism are "not fair game." The success or failure of the two campaigns' attempts to remove these topics from the table could speak volumes this fall on how far the nation has come on divisive race and religion-based debates in the political sphere, political experts say. Opinion: Why Obama vs. Romney is becoming a dogfight . It won't be easy. Outside groups, such as the conservative website "The Daily Caller," have criticized Obama for eating dog meat as a child growing up in Indonesia. Republican Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett is demanding Hawaiian officials authenticate Obama's U.S. birth certificate, or he may remove the president from the ballot. Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, recently questioned whether female voters could back Romney, because his father was "born on a polygamy commune in Mexico." According to a recent Gallup poll, Democrats were far more likely than Republicans -- 27% to 18% -- to vote against a Mormon candidate. Some Democrats struggle to contend with Obama's race. Vice President Joe Biden was recently dispatched to Democratic stronghold Jefferson County in the important swing state of Ohio, in part because Obama barely eked out a win over John McCain in the predominately white, working-class community. Some Republicans wrestle with Romney's religion. During the primary and caucus season, several social conservative and religious leaders secretly met in Iowa to find and support any other Republican candidate besides Romney, citing his faith as a major issue. "There will be a number of Republican evangelicals who stay home because of Romney's Mormonism," said Clyde Wilcox, a government professor at Georgetown University. Hundreds of evangelical alumni and students at Liberty University, an institution founded by Rev. Jerry Falwell, balked on Facebook when the school invited Romney to speak at commencement. Rev. O'Neal Dozier in Florida and Scott Thomas in Pennsylvania, prominent Rick Santorum supporters, made derogatory comments about the Mormon faith. The claim is that Barack Obama is secretly a Muslim, Wadsworth said. The reason that it works is it signals through code his otherness, he said. "Race is always there." "Obama can never get out from under his racial difference. He has to position himself as not 'other'. Race serves Romney because his whiteness reads him as insider. But on religion, he has to tell a story about how his Mormonism is an American religion and coincides with his conservative base." On both fronts, Obama and Romney are still trying to find their footing. Obama has faltered a bit in the past while navigating the thorny issue of race. He made what was seen as a historic speech on race in March 2008 in the aftermath of the Wright controversy. However, Obama's remarks in 2009 that a white Cambridge, Massachusetts, police officer acted "stupidly" in arresting Henry Louis Gates Jr., a black Harvard professor, and his administration's hasty firing of Shirley Sherrod in, a black former Department of Agriculture official, after her comments about a white farmer were taken out of context in 2010, were seen as missteps. Obama's delayed response after unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin was shot indicated the president and his advisers were "gauging the cultural landscape," said Mark Anthony Neal, an African-American studies professor at Duke University and the author of several books, including "New Black Man: Rethinking Black Masculinity." For his part, Romney in previous campaigns has weathered insults about his religion. In a February interview with conservative Fox host Sean Hannity, Romney criticized comments that he saw as Obama saying "we must be a less Christian nation." And Romney, through appearances with his wife and family, is carefully honing a narrative that seeks to make him seem more like the rest of the nation, Wadsworth said. "The fact that the leading GOP candidate is a Mormon has changed the dialogue," Wadsworth said.

Both Romney and Obama have suffered attacks because of their faith . Candidates painted by some as outside the mainstream, 'others' "It's the elephant in the room," said one expert on race and politics .

(CNN) -- Sen. Kay Hagan should be toast by now. She's a Democrat in Republican-leaning North Carolina, voted for Obamacare and is under fire for skipping a meeting of the Senate Armed Services Committee to attend a campaign fundraiser -- a no no in a state with a large military presence. Her Republican opponent, Thom Tillis, is also trying to tie her to the Obama administration's uneven Ebola response. Yet Hagan is surprisingly strong going into next month's election, slightly ahead in most polls at a time when other southern Senate Democrats are in serious danger of losing their seats. Her durability is cheering Democrats in an otherwise miserable year and giving the party a playbook for how to make North Carolina competitive during the 2016 presidential election. "North Carolina is a political fulcrum on which the nation's politics balances," said Josh Stein, a Democratic state senator. Potential 2016 contenders are paying close attention to this year's Senate race. Hillary Clinton will join Hagan at a Charlotte rally on Saturday. Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, has campaigned in the state for Tillis . To win, Hagan will have to solidify the coalition from 2008 that helped Barack Obama spring a surprise and become the first Democrat to win North Carolina in a presidential election since Jimmy Carter. The president won the state by turning out record numbers of African Americans along with young, well educated voters moving to Charlotte and the high-tech "Research Triangle" of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. But that base thinned in 2012, returning the state to Republicans. "It may be that North Carolina becomes a bona fide swing state," said Andrew Taylor, a political scientist at North Carolina State University. Hagan is hoping to rev up the base by lambasting Tillis, who is currently the state House speaker, over his unpopular legislature's policies on education and women's issues. She can't afford for any Democrats to stay home, as often happens in midterm elections. OPINION: 4 ways Democrats have already won the midterms . African American turnout -- which could diminish without Obama on the ballot -- will again be crucial and Democrats are furious about new voter registration laws which they say discriminate against their core supporters. Winning the North Carolina battleground won't be easy — or cheap. The Senate race is attracting a record amount of outside money -- $55.7 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. A Center for Public Integrity analysis of data collected by Kantar Media/CMAG found North Carolinians have been deluged by nearly 80,000 television ads in a preview of what could be an even costlier presidential campaign in two years time. The intensity will only increase in 2016 if each party thinks the state is up for grabs. For Republicans, maintaining their grip on North Carolina is vital. They would have a hard time finding a path to the White House without it. "This notion that it used to be a deep red state that is now going Democratic ... is just not an accurate picture of reality," said John Hood, president of the open market John Locke Foundation. "North Carolina is likely to be highly competitive, but I don't see it turning blue," he said, noting that the state has in the past sent both staunch conservatives like Jesse Helms and liberals like John Edwards to the Senate. Republicans see a 2014 victory in North Carolina as a crucial bulwark against Democratic encroachment on the coastal south in 2016. A loss now would inevitably spark tough questions about the party's viability in national elections. Tillis campaign sources say they learned the lesson of Obama's mighty turnout machine in 2008 and have spent a year building a field operation. They believe the infrastructure left behind by Obama has frayed and see the state Democratic Party as disorganized. But the Hagan campaign says it has enrolled 10,000 volunteers to identify supporters and make sure they vote. But the Ebola outbreak is transforming the contours of the race, underscoring how quickly the state's political ground can shift. Republicans are slamming Hagan for finally backing an entry ban for citizens of west African nations afflicted by Ebola after she earlier adopted the White House position that travel restrictions would not work. Her delayed flip flop showed a "lack of leadership and an unwillingness to stand up to President Obama when he is wrong," said Tillis spokesman Daniel Keylin. Hagan is staying focused on the party's core issues, calling Tillis "abysmal" on women's issues and "spineless" on global terror. "At every step, he's fought for policies that are taking our state backwards," Hagan said in a debate in which she positioned herself a moderate. Her survival strategy relies on making Tillis a bigger bogeyman than Obama, so she slams him as the enforcer of the Republican power monopoly in Raleigh, and distances herself from the president by backing the Keystone pipeline and opposing trade deals. While she is a sitting senator running for re-election, Hagan is in effect making Tillis the incumbent and has infuriated Republicans by charging the Tillis-led legislature slashed $500 million in education funding. Republicans believe they've blunted that line of attack with a series of ads but Hagan is keeping it up -- hoping that criticizing Tillis on education will be potent in a state that prides itself on its university system. Hagan has also lacerated Tillis on contraception and goaded him into dismissing a federal equal pay bill as a "gimmick." Her efforts opened a gender gap of 12 percent among women voters, according to a Survey USA poll. "Women voters will be the key to her victory in November," said Marcy Stech, national press secretary for EMILY's List, which has poured $3 million into the race.

Kay Hagan is slightly ahead in most polls going into next month's elections . Hagan's strength could provide Democrats a playbook for winning North Carolina in 2016 . Hillary Clinton will campaign with Hagan on Saturday .

(CNN) -- Already hamstrung by generations of poverty, environmental catastrophe and strongman rule, Haiti will need years to recover from the devastation inflicted by last week's earthquake, according to U.S. and Canadian analysts. Haiti's struggling democracy has survived on international aid and the muscle of a U.N. peacekeeping mission since a 2004 revolt that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The magnitude-7.0 earthquake that struck outside Port-au-Prince has set back efforts to get the country back on its feet "by many, many years," said Stephen Randall, a senior fellow at the Canadian International Council, a Toronto-based think tank. "I don't think all of it is lost, but it's a very serious setback," Randall told CNN. President Rene Preval's government regrouped at a police compound near the Port-au-Prince airport after nearly all of government ministries suffered heavy damage in the January 12 quake. Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive put the confirmed death toll at 72,000 on Tuesday, but estimates of the total number of fatalities run more than twice that high. Mark Schneider, who led the Caribbean division of the U.S. Agency for International Development during the Clinton administration, said much has been done to build a non-corrupt police force and judiciary over the past six years. "Of the administration and sort of on the institutional side, I think a lot can be salvaged," said Schneider, now senior vice president at the International Crisis Group. But he said efforts to redevelop Haiti's long-ravaged economy may have been set back by "decades." iReport: Search list of the missing and the found . Haiti's public infrastructure -- roads, power and sanitation systems, hospitals and schools -- was already in poor condition before the earthquake. The flimsy homes built across Port-au-Prince collapsed wholesale during the quake, and hospitals quickly ran out of medicine. Clogged roads, damaged communications and airport congestion slowed the delivery of the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of international aid pledged in the week after the disaster, leading to widespread frustration and sporadic looting around the capital. Once the challenges of feeding, housing and treating hundreds of thousands of ill, homeless and hungry people are behind them, Schneider said, Haitians from all walks of society need to reach a new "social compact" aimed at ending its persistent problems. "The mismanagement of the environment; the narrow, self-interested actions of the economic elite that deny taxes to the government so they can't provide education to the population; the failure to establish government agencies that can provide services -- all those things are not the consequences of natural disasters, but they make the country more vulnerable when disasters hit," he said. Though its economy has grown in recent years, Haiti is still the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with four-fifths of its 10 million people living in poverty. Its gross domestic product of $12 billion in 2008 is a tiny fraction compared to the $14 trillion generated by the United States, its largest trading partner. In addition, years of deforestation has left a mountainous country in the middle of the Caribbean's hurricane belt vulnerable to flooding and mudslides, like the ones that killed thousands in 2004. And poor construction left unknown thousands of people trapped in buildings that pancaked when the earth moved last week, said John Mutter, a professor of earth and environmental sciences at Columbia University in New York. Full coverage l Twitter updates . Stricter building codes and honest enforcement are necessary, but "people will never be able to build strong, expensive structures if they don't have a strong economy," Mutter told CNN's "American Morning." "The economy of Haiti cannot put Port-au-Prince back in place," he said. "It's a perfect storm. It absolutely needs external intervention from the international community. We have to think of what we're doing." Haiti's governmental budget of about $1 billion per year is derived largely from customs fees and is wholly inadequate for the physical improvements needed, Randall said. Emigres send back more money than that every year, but that money goes to individual families, not to public projects. "The international community has been pressing the Haitian government to put more stock in taxation, but in fact, the real taxation that's taking place are the remittances," Randall said. "It's a form of taxation, family to family, friend to friend." But Schneider said the influx of reconstruction aid could be an opportunity for Haitians to rebuild its infrastructure with more concern for its environment -- and to create jobs for Haitians in its construction. "That's the way you employ a lot of Haitians," he said. Reconstruction contracts should require "both jobs and job training." High-resolution images of damage . The United States has been heavily involved in Haiti commercially, politically and militarily for most of the last century, including occupying the country for nearly 20 years in the early 1900s. The Clinton administration restored Aristide to power in 1994 after a 1991 coup, and a U.S. jet hustled him out of the country again in 2004 following a rapidly spreading uprising against his government. Aristide has called his removal a U.S.-backed coup, an allegation Washington denied. Now the United States is the largest contributor to the Haitian government, while Canada -- which also has a police contingent in Haiti as part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission MINUSTAH -- is the second-largest. CNN's Matt Smith contributed to this report.

Quake set back efforts to get Haiti back on its feet "by many, many years," analyst says . Haiti's democracy survived after '04 revolt with aid, U.N. peacekeeping mission . International Crisis Group official: Efforts to build non-corrupt institutions can be salvaged . Professor: Haitian economy cannot rebuild Port-au-Prince, so international aid needed .

(CNN) -- Brazil has intensified its efforts to forge closer relations with Africa recently, as the sixth largest economy in the world tries to compete with other emerging giants like China and India to take a more central role in the resource-rich continent. Last month, Brazil's top investment bank BTG Pactual unveiled plans to raise $1 billion to create the world's biggest investment fund for Africa, focusing on areas such as infrastructure, energy and agriculture. The independent bank's fund, which comes amid a government drive to establish a strategic partnership with Africa, is one of the latest moves signaling Brazil's increasing interest to extend its economic footprint on the continent -- trade between Brazil and Africa jumped from around $4 billion in 2000 to about $20 billion in 2010. "It does represent a turning point where a lot of these investors and these entities for investments are recognizing that Africa is indeed the last frontier for growth," says Lyal White, director of the Centre for Dynamic Markets at the Gordon Institute for Business Science in South Africa. Eyeing potential . An unprecedented decade of economic growth in Africa, coupled with a series of policy and institutional reforms, has attracted emerging global powers into the continent, seeking to gain a stronger foothold in the continent in their bid to reach more markets and forge new political alliances. Read more: Why Asian giants scent opportunity in Africa . But while much has been said and written about China's and India's strides in Africa, Brazil's African foray has garnered less attention. "Brazil has kind of been operating under the radar, it is not seen necessarily as one of those kind of players [China and India]," says Markus Weimer, research fellow in the Africa Program at Chatham House. "The stories of Brazil with Africa have also been less contentious -- you've heard stories from Zambia about miners being mistreated by their Chinese bosses but you don't hear from Mozambique or Angola when it comes to Brazilian companies." Using Portuguese-speaking countries like Angola and Mozambique as an entry point to the continent, Brazil's state and private companies have made big inroads in various parts the continent, operating mostly in strategic sectors such as infrastructure, mining and energy -- last year, mining giant Vale announced plans to spend more than £12 billion on investments in Africa over the next five years. But while Brazil, like China, seems to be deeply engaged with the African resource sector, some analysts say its strategy and interests are quite distinct from its resource-hungry BRICS partner. "Being a resource-rich country and a future major oil exporter itself, Brazil is not pursuing a strategy to secure resources," says Christina Stolte, research at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies. "Rather, the South American economy is seeing Africa as a means of diversifying its export markets -- for food, seeds, agricultural machinery -- and internationalizing the production of its big companies -- Petrobras in the oil and biofuels business, Vale in the mining business." Strong ties . Although separated by the Atlantic Ocean, Brazil and Africa have long historical and cultural ties, dating back to the days of slave trade in the 16th century, where scores of Africans where shipped to the former Portuguese colony to be exploited as slaves on the sugar cane plantations. Today, Brazil is quick to use this cultural affinity with Africa as an advantage in its competition with the other powers acting on the continent, analysts say. "The fact that the majority of Brazil's population is of Afro-Brazilian origin -- making Brazil the world's largest black population after Nigeria -- is frequently quoted by the, almost exclusively white, governing elite of Brazil in order to stress Brazil's cultural similarities with the African countries," says Stolte. Read more: Is the West losing out to China in Africa? Such remarks could often be heard during the 2003-2010 presidency of Lula da Silva, who made Africa a strategic priority for Brazil as part of the country's efforts to expand its global influence. During his eight-year tenure, Lula made 12 trips to Africa, visiting 21 countries, more than any of his predecessors. At the same time, Brazil increased the number of its embassies in Africa from 17 in 2002 to 37, boasting today more embassies in the continent than the United Kingdom. Brazil's deepening engagement with Africa has also continued under the leadership of Dilma Rousseff, who became president of Brazil in January 2011 -- in her first year in office, Rousseff visited Angola, Mozambique, and South Africa. Business model . Analysts say Brazil has adopted a three-pronged approach to its engagement with Africa, with an "almost seamless interaction" between the government, the private sector and development institutions. "This all kind of comes together as one coherent strategy toward Africa from Brazil," says White. Brazilian companies seeking to do business in the continent tend to hire and train local workforce and offer social projects to foster home-grown development -- in Angola, Brazilian construction company Odebrecht has become the largest private employer in the country. Knowledge transfer . In recent decades, Brazil has gone from being a net importer of food to one of the world's biggest exporters of agricultural and food products. More recently, Brazil's per capita income rose an average of 1.8% faster than its GDP in 2003-09, according to a World Bank report. As a result, Brazil's domestic development experience and success in narrowing social inequality have attracted attention from several African countries who are keen to replicate some of its programs. Analysts say Brazil is keen to leverage its advanced technological know-how in helping African countries in areas that are key to the continent's development, including tropical agriculture and disease fighting. "Brazil therefore sees itself as partner for African countries that is able to offer successful strategies to fight the continent's most pending problems such as hunger and AIDS," says Stolte.

Brazil seeks to establish partnership with Africa . Analysts say Brazil sees Africa as a means of diversifying its export markets . It also wants to internationalize the production of its big companies . Brazil and Africa have long historical ties, dating back to the days of slave trade .

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- From the time her daughter was very young, Briana Vartanian knew something was wrong. Lola Vartanian, whose autism was diagnosed two months ago, is already doing better with therapy, Mom says. Lola didn't smile. She didn't laugh. When she and Lola took walks in the park, Vartanian noticed how the other babies loved to be held by their mothers. Lola hated being touched and even more being held. But there was something even more devastating to Vartanian, who lives in Ladera Ranch, California. "Lola never looked at me -- she looked through me. She had no idea who Mommy was," Vartanian said. "And other kids love it when someone comes up to them and smiles. She'd freak out if someone approached her -- even if it was me or my husband." Vartanian told her pediatrician she was worried, the doctor told her Lola was fine. "She kept telling me wait and see, wait and see, and that really annoyed me," Vartanian said. At first she took the took the doctor's advice but then decided to seek a second opinion. A couple of months ago, when Lola was 14 months old, she saw a pediatric neurologist, who diagnosed autism. Lola immediately started receiving special therapy. "You always wonder if it would have made a difference if they'd caught it earlier," Vartanian said. The American Academy of Pediatrics is making a push to have every child screened for autism twice by age 2. The academy's new report gives explicit instructions for the warning signs of autism at various ages. Parents should watch for signs, including not making eye contact, not recognizing a parent's voice, not babbling by age 9 months and not using pre-speech gestures such as waving, pointing and showing. Watch for other autism signs to look out for » . Autism encompasses a range of developmental disabilities that affects communication and social interaction. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates as many as one in 150 8-year-olds has a form of autism. Dr. Pauline Filipek, a child neurologist at the University of California-Irvine, said she hears much too often that even when parents push pediatricians, the doctors miss the signs of autism. "I hear this from parents all the time, that the pediatrician said, 'Don't worry,' or 'You're imagining things' or 'Let's wait,' " Filipek said. "When I give lectures to pediatricians, I tell them, 'Get these phrases out of your lexicon. Get them out of your vocabulary.' " Earlier diagnosis is crucial, she said, because it means earlier treatment. "The research is very clear -- the earlier a child is treated, the better," according to Dr. Ami Klin, Harris associate professor of child psychology and psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center. "It's never too early to start treatment." Usually autism is diagnosed at around 3, Klin said. The new American Academy of Pediatrics report tells pediatricians how to screen for the disorder in babies. For example, the report said a child at around 6 months should have a "to-and-fro pattern of vocalizations between infant and parent" instead of "vocalizing without regard for the parent's speech." The academy's Web site links to videos of children with autism alongside those of "typical" children. For example, one video shows a "typical" child at 20 months playing make-believe games with two adults and trying to feed a bottle to a Big Bird stuffed animal. The accompanying video shows a child of the same age with autism in the same setting, ignoring the adults and stuffed animal and becoming aggravated when someone reaches out to him. (The video, part of a visual autism "glossary" on the Web site of the advocacy and education group Autism Speaks, requires registration.) Alison Singer, executive vice president of Autism Speaks, said she hopes the academy's report will help families get an earlier diagnosis than the one she received for her daughter Jodie, 10. "I often think Jodie's life would be different right now if she'd been diagnosed earlier," Singer said. "She was diagnosed when she was 2 years and 8 months old. What if she'd been able to have early intervention when she was 12 or 18 months old?" Singer said she also missed the signs, including echolalia, a tendency to parrot back large chunks of words a child has heard. "She could recite entire lines from the 'Madeline' books, so we thought she was advanced," Singer said. "So when the doctor asked if she could put two words together, I said, 'She speaks in full sentences.' " Vartanian said she'll always wonder whether Lola would be different if her autism been diagnosed at 6 months, when she first expressed concerns to her pediatrician, instead of more recently. But the child has had therapy for about two months, and Vartanian is thrilled with her progress. At 16 months, Lola can crawl and hold a bottle by herself, Vartanian said. She doesn't talk but is starting to coo and babble. And last month, for the first time, Lola looked at, rather than through, her mother. Vartanian cried as she described how it happened: "She was in her highchair, and I asked her what she wanted to eat. She looked at me and smiled. It was so exciting. I said 'Mommy, you see Mommy.' She smiled, so I knew that she knew it was me." E-mail to a friend . Elizabeth Cohen is a correspondent with CNN Medical News.

American Academy of Pediatrics: Screen every child for autism twice by age 2 . Report gives explicit instructions for the warning signs of autism at various ages . Autism a range of neurological disorders that affects communication, interaction . CDC estimates as many as one in 150 8-year-olds has a form of autism .

(CNN) -- Never has the Supreme Court said so much when saying so little. When the justices refused to rule on gay marriage cases Monday, it directly cleared the way for the unions to become legal in five states -- Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. A sixth state, Colorado, began allowing same-sex marriages Tuesday morning, with the state's high court throwing out the last remaining legal obstacles in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision. And experts believe five other states -- North Carolina, South Carolina, Kansas, West Virginia, and Wyoming -- will soon follow. Add them all up and the likely bottom line appears: Same-sex marriage will be legal in 30 states in the near future, many believe. Those states represent more than half of the country and well over half the nation's population. And gay couples in those states will be able to wed legally. "Now we are in a situation where 30 states have same-sex marriage," CNN legal analyst Jeffery Toobin said. "When you have that many people living in a world where same-sex marriage is legal, (it) makes it inevitable, it seems, that the rest of the country will follow." For now, though, there are 20 other states that aren't budging. Nearly all of them are in the Midwest and South. That's no surprise, as these swaths of the country have traditionally been socially conservative. Already, South Carolina's attorney general has said he will continue fighting to keep the state's ban in place. So, what's next in the gay marriage fight for those states? Same-sex marriage advocates say they plan to work both the statehouses and the courthouses there. Opinion: How Supreme Court's non-decision helps gay marriage . Politics and the personal . Gay conservatives are undertaking the most coordinated effort yet to change the Republican Party's position on same-sex marriage. Their approach: one state and one Republican activist at a time. The official stance of the Republican Party is that "the union of one man and one woman must be upheld as the national standard," but same-sex marriage advocates within the GOP want it removed, making the language neutral. Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry, a nonpartisan advocacy group, say the stance will soon no longer represent an evolving Republican Party, citing a New York Times public opinion poll that shows 40% of Republicans -- and 56% of Republicans under age 45 -- support same-sex marriage. The GOP and gay politics . There was a joyous reaction from gay couples who immediately sought marriage licenses in Wisconsin while the conservative organization, Wisconsin Family Action, denounced the Supreme Court's move. "The truth is no court, by any action or inaction, can redefine marriage," said president Julaine Appling. "Federal courts have been arrogantly ignoring this reality. That said, from a legal standpoint, the court taking a pass on these cases means the legal battle for marriage continues in our country." In Colorado, clerks in two counties issued same-sex marriage licenses just hours after the Supreme Court declined to hear the cases on Monday, the Denver Post reported. Michelle Alfredsen told the Post she was ecstatic about being able to marry her girlfriend Wendy. "I'm officially Mrs. Alfredsen," she told the newspaper. "We are basking in this moment and celebrating that our children will not have to take on this fight." The next day, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers ordered clerks in all 64 of the state's counties to issue same-sex licenses to couples who request them. "There are no remaining legal requirements that prevent same-sex couples from legally marrying in Colorado," Suthers said. The jurisdictional front . Advocates of gay marriage have been riding a hot streak, but how long will it last? Carl Tobias, a constitutional law professor at the University of Richmond, believes it's likely that the winning streak may end somewhere on the appellate level. While district judges function more independently, appeals court judges "tend to be more ideological," Tobias notes, and thus it's more likely they cumulatively will express opinions on both sides of the debate. That said, whatever these appeals courts decide might be moot. Experts say this fast-moving wave of decisions will ultimately climax where it began, on the nation's top court -- with so-called "swing" justice Anthony Kennedy most likely siding with the winner on the deeply divided court. If you ask University of California, Berkeley, law professor Jesse Choper, there's only one way to put the issue to rest. "This will only authoritatively be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court," he said. By the numbers: Same-sex marriage . In states where marriage licenses are already being issued, there are legal complications to work out. For instance, in Utah, state lawmaker Kraig Powell, a Republican, has started a bill to work on language in state codes governing marriage. The chapter that addresses marriage is titled "Husband and Wife" -- that has to be changed, Powell said, according to the Salt Lake Tribute. Back to the Supremes . Toobin, too, sees circumstances where the Supreme Court might need to weigh in, because the tally of states where gay marriage is legal is actually 24, not 30. The reality is, despite what experts believe, justices have not yet ruled -- or refused to rule -- on the same-sex marriage bans in those six states. "The one thing we know for sure is that there will not be a 50-state ruling (that) same-sex marriage is required in every state in the union," Toobin said. "What is complicated and, frankly, somewhat mysterious, is what happens now in the states where the lower courts have said, 'Under our interpretation of the Constitution, we believe there is a right to same-sex marriage.'" Ultimately, that could prompt the Supreme Court to tackle this thorny issue the next time it comes around. Will same-sex marriage become a 2014 issue?

NEW: Colorado attorney general orders counties to issue same-sex marriage licenses Tuesday . NEW: Gay marriage is now legal in 25 states . Experts believe five other states will soon follow . The momentum is favoring gay advocates, but that could change .

(CNN) -- When Michele Maro became captivated by "The Lord of the Rings" movies, she never imagined she would one day be walking around in the Shire, touring Hobbiton and peeking into hobbit holes. Fans of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy can tour a New Zealand farm that was used as the setting for Hobbiton. Those are all fictional places, but fans can visit the closest thing possible in New Zealand, where the trilogy was filmed and where specially designed tours will take visitors to some of the stunning locations featured in the movies. Maro, who lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, spent two weeks in New Zealand in 2003 being guided around forests, national parks and farms, exploring sites that she didn't think were real when she first saw them on the big screen. "The scenery was so pretty that I thought it had to be computer-generated," Maro said. But the place that moved her most was a serene sheep farm in Matamata, New Zealand, where filmmakers brought to life author J.R.R. Tolkien's vision of Hobbiton, the hobbit village where Frodo Baggins lives, complete with hobbit holes peeking out of hill sides. "I just stood there and cried. It was like, 'I can't believe I'm actually here,' " Maro said. "I loved the movie so much, and to actually be there where they filmed that, it overwhelmed me." See iReporters' film location photos » . Sing along with 'The Sound of Music' Such passion has prompted tour operators all over the world to take fans to sites that have served as settings for blockbusters on the big and small screens. They can be legendary places recognized on their own or seemingly mundane restaurants, houses and street corners that become instantly recognizable when put in the context of a favorite movie or TV show. In London, England, you can visit locations used in movies such as "Bridget Jones's Diary" and "Four Weddings and a Funeral." When in Rome, Italy, world-famous landmarks like the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum will make you feel as if you've stepped right into "Roman Holiday" and "La Dolce Vita." Tours highlighting sites used during the filming of "The Sound of Music" have many visitors singing with joy in Salzburg, Austria. "The buses were packed. It seemed to be very popular," said Kelly Van Baren, a sales manager who lives in suburban Chicago, Illinois. She and her sister watched the musical over and over while growing up, she recalled, and when they visited Munich, Germany, in the fall of 2007, they made a special one-hour train trip to Salzburg just to take one of the tours. It turned out to be an adventure in itself. A convoy of three huge buses with scenes from the film painted on their sides shuttled mostly American tourists to various sites, including the church where the main characters were married and a gazebo featured during some of the musical numbers, Van Baren recalled. Her favorite site was a majestic palace used as the von Trapp family home in some of the exterior shots. The movie was played on the bus during the tour, and the sightseers were encouraged to sing along, prompting Van Baren to wonder what the locals must think of the visitors. "It was just hilarious, these three giant buses full of Americans driving around the countryside. It wasn't a proud moment, but it was fun," Van Baren said. Big Apple lures fans . Movie and TV fans who want to stay closer to home to explore famous locations have plenty of movie tours to choose from in the United States. New York, which has served as the backdrop for countless films and television shows, offers a wide variety of sites. Seeing them in person for the first time can be shocking, tour operators say. "Guests are definitely surprised by the appearance of the locations," said Pauline Gacanja, public relations and marketing assistant for On Location Tours. "On TV, things generally look larger and more dramatic than they really are." The company takes about 100,000 visitors a year to dozens of well-known sites around the city by bus, by water taxi or on foot. Buildings used as homes in "Friends" and "The Cosby Show" are among the most popular places, Gacanja said. Visitors can also see locations such as the diner used in "Men in Black" and the firehouse used in "Ghostbusters," according to the company's Web site. But the most popular tour focuses on sites used in the television and big screen hit "Sex and the City," Gacanja said. Fans of "the Sopranos" also have their own tour. "Seinfeld" aficionados may opt for Kramer's Reality Tour, offered by Kenny "The Real" Kramer, the man said to have inspired Jerry's colorful friend Cosmo Kramer. Stops include the Soup Shop that inspired the "Soup Nazi" episode and the real Monk's Restaurant, used for the exterior shots of the diner where the characters hung out. This may be the only tour that tempts visitors with highlights such as "Visit the office building where Elaine worked for Pendant Publishing, Kramer had his coffee table book published and George had sex, on his desk, with the cleaning lady." Plenty of movie tours also thrive outside New York, in cities such as San Francisco, California; Boston, Massachusetts; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For Maro, the experience in New Zealand was so unforgettable, she went again a year later for another look at "The Lord of the Rings" sites. "My imagination went wild there. It was so fabulous. It was just a great trip," she said.

Tours take fans to sites that have served as settings for movies and TV shows . "Lord of the Rings" fans flock to New Zealand, where the trilogy was filmed . "The Sound of Music" tours have visitors singing with joy in Salzburg, Austria . Popular tours in New York take fans to "Sex and the City," "Sopranos" locations .

(CNN) -- Malaysian fighter jets and soldiers on Tuesday waged an offensive against a group of armed invaders from the Philippines, who have staked a claim to a remote part of the island of Borneo, authorities said. Previous efforts by Malaysian police to turn the men back had ended in deadly clashes. The group of Filipino men, believed to number between 100 and 300, arrived three weeks ago on the east coast of the Malaysian state of Sabah, on Borneo, demanding to be recognized as representatives of a sultanate that used to rule the area. Malaysian authorities initially tried to persuade the men to return peacefully to their homes in the nearby southern Philippines. But the intruders refused to budge, and the standoff turned violent in recent days as clashes in the region reportedly left nine Malaysian police officers and 19 intruders dead. "Our security forces were attacked and killed. Malaysians, particularly those in Sabah, are worried about their safety," Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement carried by the national news agency Bernama announcing the offensive Tuesday. The standoff has touched on an unresolved territorial issue between the Philippines and Malaysia, as well as Manila's efforts to improve relations with Islamic insurgents in the country's south after decades of violence. The Malaysian operation Tuesday morning in Lahad Datu, the district in Sabah where the Filipino men had come ashore, involved an air raid by F-18 and Hawk fighter jets followed by mortar fire and a ground assault by soldiers, Bernama reported. The security forces "achieved their objective," the news agency cited Tan Sri Ismail Omar, the head of the Malaysian Police, as saying without elaborating on what exactly the goal had been. No members of the Malaysian forces were hurt in the attack, and the casualties on the Filipino side had yet to be determined, he said. But representatives of the Filipino group didn't report any initial losses from the offensive, saying the Malaysian jets had dropped bombs at a location they had occupied previously. Filipino group on Borneo claims to represent sultanate, Malaysia says . 'The Royal Army' The Filipino men have called themselves the Royal Army of the Sultanate of Sulu, a former Islamic power in the region that once controlled parts of the Philippines and Borneo. Its influence has since faded, and it is now a clan in the poor, restive southern Philippines. The sultanate's leadership has been riven by internal power struggles in recent decades, but the squabbling family members appear to have united in the decision to send their followers to Sabah, a move that has alarmed Malaysians and complicated efforts by the Philippines to pursue peace talks with Muslim rebels in its southern islands. Abraham Idjirani, a spokesman for one of the sultanate's leaders in Manila, said the armed the Filipino men reported hearing shots being fired nearby, but had so far suffered no casualties. Idjirani blamed Malaysian authorities for the escalation of the standoff, saying they had fired the first shots in the clash that took place between the two sides on Friday. He added that a woman and family members of Sabah residents had been killed in that skirmish. He also claimed that other people in the region were joining the sultanate's followers in the fight against the Malaysian forces but was unable to provide details. "We don't know who they are, but they are there," he said. Since the crisis began, Philippine authorities have urged the sultanate's followers to lay down their arms and return home. "From the very start, our objective has been to avoid the loss of lives and the shedding of blood," President Benigno Aquino III said at the weekend. "If you have grievances, the path you chose was wrong. The just, and indeed, the only correct thing for you to do is to surrender." Excluded from a peace deal . The Sabah standoff has its roots in a recent landmark peace deal between Manila and Muslim rebels, according to Julkipli Wadi, the dean of the Institute of Islamic Studies at the University of the Philippines. The members of the sultanate's royal family seem to have felt isolated by the provisional accord signed in October by the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has fought for decades to establish an independent Islamic state in southern Philippines, Wadi said last month. The sultanate has succeeded in grabbing the attention of Philippine and Malaysian authorities. But the resulting violence makes the outcome of the situation unclear. Established in the 15th century, the Sultanate of Sulu became an Islamic power center in Southeast Asia that at one point ruled Sabah. But the encroachment of Western colonial powers, followed by the emergence of the Philippines and Malaysia as independent nation states, steadily eroded the sultanate's power, according to Wadi. It became "a sultanate without a kingdom" to rule over, he said. Sulu is now a province within the Republic of the Philippines. The economic, cultural and historical links between Sabah and the nearby Philippines islands, as well as the porous nature of the border between the two, means that many of the sultanate's followers have friends and relatives in Lahad Datu. And the historical connection still fuels tensions between Malaysia and the Philippines, with Manila retaining a "dormant claim" to Sabah through the Sultanate of Sulu, according to the CIA World Factbook. The Philippines claims much of the eastern part of Sabah, which was leased to the British North Borneo Company in 1878 by the Sultanate of Sulu. In 1963, Britain transferred Sabah to Malaysia, a move that the sultanate claimed was a breach of the 1878 deal. Malaysia still pays a token rent to the sultanate for the lease of Sabah. CNN's Kathy Quiano contributed to this report.

NEW: Malaysia says the offensive, using jets and soldiers, achieved its objective . NEW: But the Philippine group has so far reported no casualties from the attack . Between 100 and 300 Filipinos arrived by boat on the Malaysian coast in February . They say they represent a sultanate that once ruled the area .

(CNN) -- President Barack Obama gave a special salute Monday to Americans who lost their lives fighting in the Korean War, noting the upcoming 60th anniversary of the conflict's end, and asked Americans to remember the troops' work in Afghanistan as that war winds down. "Last Memorial Day, I stood here and spoke about how, for the first time in nine years, Americans were no longer fighting and dying in Iraq. Today, a transition is under way in Afghanistan, and our troops are coming home," the president said after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. "This time next year, we will mark the final Memorial Day of our war in Afghanistan." He delivered Memorial Day remarks the week after addressing America's controversial counterterrorism strategies and a rash of sexual assaults in the military that he said could threaten national security. Calling Virginia's Arlington National Cemetery "a monument to a common thread in the American character," Obama asked the audience not to forget the "men and women who are willing to give their lives and lay down their lives" for the freedoms the nation enjoys. A serviceman recently wrote the president to say he feared "our work in Afghanistan is fading from memory," Obama said. "And he's right. As we gather here today, at this very moment, more than 60,000 of our fellow Americans still serve far from home in Afghanistan. They're still going out on patrol, still living in spartan forward operating bases, still risking their lives to carry out their mission. "And when they give their lives, they are still being laid to rest in cemeteries in the quiet corners across our country, including here in Arlington." Obama cited a handful of troops by name who were buried at Arlington after making the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan: . • Capt. Sara Cullen, a West Point graduate and Black Hawk helicopter pilot, died after a crash during a training mission near Kandahar. • Staff Sgt. Frankie Phillips, a combat medic, was killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol. "He was so humble that his parents never knew how many lives he had saved until soldiers started showing up at his funeral from thousands of miles away," Obama said. • Staff Sgt. Eric Christian served five tours of duty because he felt responsible for his team and "was determined to finish the mission." He was killed escorting a U.S. official to meet with Afghan leaders. "For those of us who bear the solemn responsibility of sending these men and women into harm's way, we know the consequences all too well," Obama said. "I feel it every time I meet a wounded warrior, every time I visit Walter Reed and every time I grieve with a Gold Star family." Chuck Hagel, a former Army sergeant who volunteered for the Vietnam War and is the first enlisted combat veteran to hold the post of defense secretary, told CNN's Barbara Starr that he remembers soldiers who served alongside him, including a captain who was killed 14 days into his tour. Hagel was next to him when he died, he said. "Anybody who has ever been in combat remembers the names, remembers the faces, remembers the fun, remembers the uniqueness of every person," the defense secretary said. Obama arrived at the cemetery amid a 21-gun salute and was met by Hagel, cemetery Executive Director Kathryn Condon and Maj. Gen. Michael Linnington, commander of the Army's military district of Washington. Linnington escorted the president to the tomb, where Obama laid the wreath and observed a moment of silence before speaking at the Memorial Amphitheater. Home and Away: Remembering those we have lost . The president, who used last year's occasion to pledge his support for Vietnam War veterans, spoke Saturday about the "1% of the American people (who) bear the burden of our defense." "They are heroes, each and every one," he said. "They gave America the most precious thing they had, the last full measure of devotion. And because they did, we are who we are today: a free and prosperous nation, the greatest in the world." What to know about Memorial Day . He continued, "They risk their lives, and many give their lives, for something larger than themselves or any of us: the ideals of liberty and justice that make America a beacon of hope for the world. That's been true throughout our history -- from our earliest days, when a tiny band of revolutionaries stood up to an empire, to our 9/11 generation, which continues to serve and sacrifice today." Obama further urged Americans to "do more than remember:" to care for the loved ones the fallen soldiers leave behind; to ensure that veterans have adequate care, jobs and benefits; and to support military missions at home and abroad. By the numbers: Memorial Day and veterans . The speech comes at a time when the administration is dogged by controversy. While facing tough questions about the alleged IRS targeting of conservative groups and his administration's response to the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, Obama also answered questions last week about the use of drones, the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention center and sexual assault in the military. In a Thursday speech, he said drones are a necessary evil but one that must be used more judiciously as the American security situation evolves. About Gitmo, he said he would push Congress to allow him to shut down "a facility that should never have been opened." On Friday, responding to a Defense Department report that the number of cases of unwanted sexual contact had jumped 35% between 2010 and 2012, Obama said the attacks threaten the trust and discipline that is the military's backbone. "That's why we have to be determined to stop these crimes. Because they have no place in the greatest military on Earth," Obama said during remarks at the U.S. Naval Academy. Opinion: In Ohio, signs of soldiers' sacrifice .

NEW: Defense secretary says he "remembers the uniqueness of each person" Obama says serviceman fears that "our work in Afghanistan is fading from memory" Obama lays wreath at Tomb of Unknowns, delivers Memorial Day remarks . His Memorial Day speech comes as he and military face controversies .

Beijing (CNN) -- Divining what is going in China's opaque political world is like reading tea leaves: it may be interesting but it's ultimately a futile exercise. The 18th Congress of the 82-million-member Chinese Communist Party, expected to happen in mid-October, will be a landmark event -- it will usher in a new generation of leaders to rule China for the next 10 years. Yet, little is known about what to expect. Some changes are imminent. Hu Jintao, the incumbent president and party general secretary, will step down and be replaced by Xi Jinping, the current vice president. Many members of the 25-member Politburo and the 371-member Central Committee are also expected to be replaced. These are the two policy-making bodies in the party's pyramid organization. Who will compose the post-Hu leadership? Speculation is rife. Who are the next generation of Chinese leaders? As the congress approaches, political maneuvering has increased among various camps, and there have been a few surprises already. Last week, Ling Jihua, head of the party's General Office, which runs the Leninist organization's day-to-day affairs and oversees security of the top leaders, was abruptly "reassigned" to the important but less powerful United Front department. Analysts say Ling, 55, may still be chosen for the Politburo, but he is out of the running for the all-important Standing Committee -- the very highest decision-making body made up of a handful of key leaders. Bo Xilai and the politics of Chinese succession . "This is evidently a loss for Hu Jintao," said Bonnie Glaser, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a think tank based in Washington D.C. "Ling Jihua was a Hu protégé. Who knows if it was related to the car crash?" In the early morning on March 18, Ling's son, Ling Gu, 23, was said to have smashed a black Ferrari into a concrete-wall on the side of Beijing's Fourth Ring Road while driving at high speed. Disgraced Party chief looms large over China's leadership . Much was made of the incident in the media internationally, but much of this was rumor and speculation that CNN can not substantiate. Reports and discussions about it have been censored from the local media and Internet. Ling Gu may have survived the car crash but it seems to have damaged his father's political career and dented the party's reputation. "It casts a negative light on corruption among party members and makes the public question the legitimacy of the officials' source of wealth," said Joseph Cheng, a professor at the City University of Hong Kong. "It has tarnished the image of the leadership." Did the car scandal benefit Xi at the expense of the outgoing Hu? Other analysts actually credit President Hu for the move on Ling. "The leadership is establishing a rule: your son misbehaves, you pay," said Francesco Sisci, a long-time observer of Chinese politics. "This move must have been approved by Hu and therefore it does not necessarily weaken him." Ling has been replaced by Li Zhanshu, 62, a provincial party chief who is known to be an ally of Hu and has previous ties with the vice president. Li, analysts say, may have been a compromise choice. According to Cheng, Xi has been smart to avoid clashes with the current leaders. "What Xi needs to do now is to keep a clean slate and a low profile and figure out how to consolidate his power," he explained. "Everybody knows he is the presumptive new leader, so he only needs to be patient." Xi also needs to stay above the factional fights. China's leaders are widely seen as divided into two camps: that of retired president Jiang Zemin and that of President Hu. Former president and party chief, Jiang, retains residual influence even in retirement. The 86 year old has a network of allies in the party -- sometimes known as the "Shanghai faction" after the former president's time as Party leader in the city -- which he uses to influence policy and personnel decisions. Last summer Jiang was rumored to have died, but he has since made a rare public appearance looking frail but fairly healthy. Some China-watchers believe Jiang's influence has waned, but others say he remains a player. "He is still influential," said Glaser. "His Shanghai faction remains quite important and his people are in key positions." Others say Hu's camp, known as the Communist Youth League (CYL) faction, referring to the youth organization that Hu headed for years, will dominate the new leadership. "The lineup of the Standing Committee and the full Politburo will show that the CYL remains the largest faction," said Willy Lam, a China expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "The CYL is especially strong among the next tier of leaders, born in the 1960s, who will take over power in 2022." Lam said Hu is now in a good position to anoint one of his protégé, Hu Chunhua, as Xi's presumptive successor in 2022 by getting him selected into the next Politburo. The younger Hu, 49, is a provincial party chief who also headed the CYL. The official line is that the transition is now firmly locked in place, but it would not be China, or the Communist Party, if it were as straight-forward and predictable as that. "My guess is that appointments can be changed up until the very last minute," Sisci said. "It was so ten years ago, it will even more so today." Qixin Wang contributed to this report.

18th Congress of the 82-million-member Chinese Communist Party chooses new leadership . President Hu Jintao will step down and likely be replaced by Vice President Xi Jinping . Political maneuvering has increased among various camps as congress nears . Two camps dominate: that of retired president Jiang Zemin and that of President Hu .

Los Angeles (CNN) -- A lawyer who filed a teen sex abuse lawsuit against "X-Men" director Bryan Singer said three more "Hollywood types" will be targeted in similar suits soon. Michael Egan, who accuses Singer of sexually abusing him starting when he was 15, appeared with attorney Jeff Herman at a news conference in Beverly Hills on Thursday. "I was a piece of meat," Egan, now 31, told reporters. "There was no relationship." The civil suit filed in U.S. District Court in Hawaii on Wednesday alleged that Singer offered the aspiring teen actor a role in an "X-Men" film if he gave in to his sexual demands, while threatening to destroy his career if he didn't. Singer's representative said the accusations were "completely without merit." "We are very confident that Bryan will be vindicated in this absurd and defamatory lawsuit," Singer's representative said. "It is obvious that this case was filed in an attempt to get publicity at the time when Bryan' s new movie is about to open in a few weeks." Singer is one of Hollywood's most successful directors and producers, having directed two installments of the "X-Men" film franchise and a Superman movie in the past 15 years. His next film, "X-Men: Days of Future Past," is set to hit theaters on May 23. Fox, the studio distributing the X-Men movies, issued a statement about the accusations Thursday. "These are serious allegations, and they will be resolved in the appropriate forum. This is a personal matter, which Bryan Singer and his representatives are addressing separately." Herman said he chose Hawaii to file the suit because the legislature there opened a window for two years allowing old sex abuse cases to be filed. The provision expires next week. The alleged incidents detailed in the lawsuit happened in 1998 and 1999, the suit said. Most of the alleged sex abuse took place at parties at a California mansion, while other incidents allegedly happened during two trips to Hawaii. Singer "manipulated his power, wealth and position in the entertainment industry to sexually abuse and exploit the underage plaintiff through the use of drugs, alcohol, threats and inducements which resulted in plaintiff suffering catastrophic psychological and emotional injuries," the complaint alleged. Singer "promised acting roles to plaintiff in an X-Men movie, in commercials, and in other of his projects, and professed that he would arrange for plaintiff to audition for roles and projects in others' productions," it alleged. Egan said when his mother learned about the abuse when he was 17 she called the Los Angeles Police, who then brought in the FBI. Although he gave a statement to investigators, it "fell on deaf ears" and nothing came of the investigation, he said. The FBI spokeswoman in Los Angeles told CNN the agency would not confirm or deny that there was an investigation or why it might not have been pursued. The lawsuit said that most of the alleged sex abuse took place at parties hosted at an Encino, California, mansion, by a man who Egan and two other young men successfully sued in 2004 for sex abuse. The men won a $4 million judgment against him, but Singer was not a defendant in that case. Egan and other teen boys were allegedly lured with incentives and threats, the suit said. "He was advised that those adult males controlled Hollywood and would destroy his hopes and dreams of an acting career if he did not keep them happy," the suit said. "They threatened to 'eliminate' him and his family, and told him that they were monitoring not only his phone, but those of his family members, and asserted he would be 'destroyed' if he ever disclosed the unconscionable activities that occurred at the estate." Singer "was present for, and participated in, several of these threatening communications," the complaint alleged. Egan "never freely, voluntarily, and knowingly consented to these sexual interactions, and often resisted them," it said. "The parties were typically sordid and featured sexual contact between adult males and the many teenage boys who were present for the parties," the suit said. The teens were seduced by the "distraction of alcohol and drugs," it said. "The nature of the parties was well-known and notorious among many men in the Hollywood entertainment industry," the complaint said. Singer allegedly gave Egan "drugs, including cocaine, a pill identified as 'green triangle' which is believed to be a reference to the drug Ecstasy, Xanax, Rohypnol, pain pills believed to be Vicodin or Percocet, and alcoholic beverages," the suit said. . Singer "promised acting roles to plaintiff in an X-Men movie, in commercials, and in other of his projects, and professed that he would arrange for plaintiff to audition for roles and projects in others' productions," it alleged. Egan told reporters that after the FBI declined to help, he gave up on his dream of being an actor and "buried it in me as deeply as I possibly could." After years of drinking "to numb the pain," he became sober two years ago and began trauma therapy to "deal with deep-rooted issues," Egan said. "I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse," he said. "At the end of the day, we are not going to stop and change anything unless people come forward." Herman said he has been working for six months to uncover teen sex abuse cases in Hollywood, some more recent than Egan's. "We suspect these things are still going on in Hollywood," he said. He said it was a silent conspiracy that "goes from the bottom to the top of Hollywood" with studios "looking the other way." "It's the worst kept secret around, because it has been going on for years in Hollywood," Herman said. CNN's Carolyn Sung contributed to this report.

NEW: "I was a piece of meat," plaintiff says . NEW: "It's the worst kept secret " in Hollywood, lawyer says . Bryan Singer's rep says the suit is "completely without merit" Singer is one of Hollywood's most successful directors .

(CNN) -- Superstorm Sandy has caused more damage, death and homelessness in New York and New Jersey than any climate-related event in living memory. Yet with two damaging hurricanes two years in a row, and with what science is telling us, this does not feel like a once-in-a-lifetime event. It feels like a trend. With what we know about rising sea level and what we understand about the rate of world warming and how tropical storms pull their strength from the temperature of the ocean, Sandy feels like a very harshly spoken word to the wise. And so the answer to the question "What should we do next?" may be difficult, with truly profound implications. I think we really have only two viable long-term building options: 1) Barricade. 2) Retreat. Rebuilding is not a viable option. And what would we barricade? The whole Long Island to southern New Jersey area? Boston to Washington? The East Coast? Opinion: What's next after Superstorm Sandy? The Netherlands relies on dikes to keep out the sea. There are gates in England to close rivers to storm surges of the kind that last week blew open my friend's garage door on 22nd Street east of 11th Avenue in New York City, suddenly washing him to the back of his studio, submerging him briefly, floating tons of his art-making tools and ruining decades of drawings and the tools of his trade. Others fared worse, of course. One of my neighbors nearly drowned trying to walk from her home to higher ground half a mile away; two unknown heroes in survival suits wading in waist-high water appeared at the height of the storm and pulled her and her swimming dogs into a canoe and walked them to safety. Her house remains habitable, unlike many others along the coast of Long Island, New York and New Jersey. Map: See images of destruction, recovery across the East Coast . By flooding areas that few suspected were within the reach of seawater, Sandy told us that the "coast" is a wider ribbon than we thought it was last week. So for the hard questions: Should people rebuild? Should the whole country pay for it? I certainly love shoreside living. I love walking the beach in the morning with my dogs. I love my boat and the people at Montauk's Westlake Marina where I keep it. I love many facets of the always dynamic water borderlands, the birds and fishes, the turtles and dolphins and other creatures who, in their seasons, draw tight to our coastline. There is magic. And part of that magic is its timelessness. And part of the timelessness is that as the coast changes, the coast is what remains. And yet it moves. I have federal flood insurance, thank you. But really, it's time you considered cutting me off. I am not against people taking their chances along the shore. Risk is part of what draws us. But the risk should be ours to take and bear if we want to. Federal flood insurance is a counterproductive way for the rest of the country to subsidize people -- putting billions of dollars and millions of lives at continuous risk, encouraging wholly inappropriate development. And it encourages larger, more expensive homes (often second homes) than fewer people would build if their insurance premiums reflected real risk. In fact, few private insurers will touch most of these places. Let us think twice, fully comprehend that the stakes are ours alone, and then let those of us willing to risk it take our chances. The government should at this time help victims get their lives back on track. But no federal dollars should magically appear for rebuilding in flood-prone areas. The spots that flood will take repeated hits. Everyone knows this. To help people rebuild in those places is to help put lives and investment in harm's way. It's foolish. Where I live, the houses that stayed dry are the ones just high enough to let water flow around into the extensive, protected wetlands. The houses that flooded stand where water goes on its way to wetlands. Eatocracy: Volunteers dish up support after Sandy . Wetlands are wet for a reason. We would be wise to rebuild in ways that let water flow around dwellings into restored wetlands. Then, two things would start happening: . One: Wetlands, recovered oyster reefs, fish nurseries and wildlife would all be part of a revitalized coastal protection strategy that simultaneously includes recovery of valuable living resources. Two: The taxpaying public could begin to regain access to the coast for recreation, access too often denied by private development that is largely enabled by taxpayer-funded federal flood insurance. Eliminating taxpayer-funded flood insurance to people now insured in low, flood-prone areas (including where I live) can be done compassionately, honoring existing insured persons with funding in the aftermath of this wreckage. But importantly, insurance that would up to now go for rebuilding should be redirected toward relocation and resettlement. That is easier said; for many, relocation would be wrenching. But losing your home or your life can be wrenching, too. Insurance for new building in flood-prone areas should be ended. People who really want to take their chances should do just that, or pay real commercial insurance premiums if they can find a willing insurer. Eventually even Lloyd's of London will likely decide it's had enough. Insurers must be realistic about risk in ways politicians don't have to be. Will we choose a wiser course that recognizes that we're still in the path of the next big storm? I wouldn't bet on it. The nonviable option -- to keep rebuilding all the time -- is what people will likely choose. From a decision-making viewpoint, it's easier to make no decision. But the frequency of big storms appears likely to increase in the Northeast. It's not a time for easy decisions, because we won't be faced with easy events. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Carl Safina.

Safina: New York, New Jersey has been hit with two hurricanes in two years . He says the two choices are to barricade the coast or retreat . Safina: Rebuilding with federally subsidized insurance puts lives, investments in danger .