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(CNN) -- People often ask me, especially after another young celebrity takes a fall, "How did you raise two talented artists, both wonderful fathers, who both do such good work in the world?" (One of my sons is the actor Matt Damon, the other, Kyle, is a sculptor). So many young stars seem to struggle and stumble under the pressure of their fame. Why do some handle it well while others go off the rails? There's no simple answer to this question. A lot happens in our children's lives that we parents can't control. From the beginning, children come to us with different personalities and temperaments; they are born into different cultures and economic circumstances. But we parents are the most important influence in their early lives, and what we do affects how our kids learn to handle the stresses life brings, whatever paths their lives take. One dimension of healthy childhood that gives kids a solid footing in life is having lots of child-centered play throughout the early years and even into grade school. Play is the most important vehicle children have for coping with life and making sense of it. Matt played pretend games for hours every day for many years -- making up stories, taking on roles and re-working his experiences in creative ways. Not only did all this play help build a strong sense of inner security in Matt, it also built up his capacity to imagine, create and invent ideas. I believe these years of child-centered play helped Matt become the actor and grounded person he is today. It is of great concern to me that there is less play in children's lives today than a generation ago. The hours spent in front of screens have replaced playtime outside school, and too much focus on academics and testing has eroded playtime inside schools. When kids are confused or scared or they don't understand things, they work it out in their play. Using their imagination, they rework things until they feel some sense of mastery. This is kids' ongoing way of coping with life and it is crucial for building inner resilience and security. That inner strength and resilience begins to develop at birth. It is first felt as a sense of trust in others -- adults who respond to cries of hunger and who can provide a home, safety and health. As time goes on, kids start to carry that security with them on the inside. Security will grow or weaken in childhood depending a lot on how we adults relate to our children in everyday interactions. When we are too heavy-handed with our authority, kids often feel insecure or fearful. When we punish them or use threats and timeouts or other coercive tactics, they might try to obey on the surface, but they aren't building the inner strength and confidence that will be their moral compass when we are not there. We don't really have to over-use our adult authority with children. We can work out most things with them -- listening to their feelings and needs and taking these into account as much as possible. When we listen to kids with our full attention and try to say back to them what we heard without judging it or giving our own opinion, they feel great trust in us and in themselves. And this kind of listening prevents many conflicts from escalating or from happening in the first place. Of course children need limits, but not the kind that are imposed by "Do as I say." Recently I was walking on busy streets with my 5-year-old grandson Jake. He pulled his hand from mine. I asked, "You don't want to hold my hand?" "No," he said, "I want to walk by myself." I said, "How about this: On the sidewalk you walk alone and when we cross the street, you hold my hand, because there are so many cars zooming around." Jake nodded yes and took my hand when we got to the street. This simple example shows a way of being with children, of being on the same side with them, working things out with them -- something we can do almost all the time. It is a way of being that helps to strengthen children's inner security and confidence in their own ideas. Schools are the other big influence in our children's lives. Children spend about half their waking hours in school and what happens there has a big part to play in the inner confidence and social responsibility they develop. I sent my sons Kyle and Matt to a public high school where community participation, respect for differences, learning empathy and concern for others were part of daily school life. The school had an excellent drama program, another reason why I wanted to send Matt there. All kids who wanted to participate in the school's stellar ensemble productions could. Matt wasn't a "star." He was on equal footing with all the other kids. Stardom can be confusing for a teen -- it's a time of figuring out who you are and how you fit into what suddenly seems like a much bigger world. Matt's high school drama experiences gave him a rock solid start in theater -- he worked hard at his craft and found delight and meaning in collaboration. Matt Damon: Together we can solve the world water crisis . I believe that schools should be places not only for academic learning, but also where young people build confidence, a sense of self, and learn to become responsible citizens. It is one of the great tragedies of our day that our schools, excessively driven by data and standardized tests, have no time for activities that can't be tested. No time for the arts and play and the social and emotional learning that will help children handle what life has in store. Although we parents can't control everything that happens in our kids' lives, we can do a lot to help them build inner security, confidence and a strong inner moral compass that will guide them through challenges they will face when we are no longer there. And our schools should build on this foundation. We should insist that our schools address not just academics, but the whole child -- so that all our children can become healthy and strong and enter adulthood as responsible and caring citizens. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Nancy Carlsson-Paige.

Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Matt Damon's mom, is often asked how she raised her children . She says kids get a a solid footing in life with lots of child-centered play in the early years . Parents can give children inner strength; she says. Tough punishment instills fear . Carlsson-Paige: Schools must offer children arts, drama -- activities that can't be tested .

(CNN) -- The Obamacare website might still be slow, but the politics and context of Obamacare are shifting rapidly. On Thursday, to deal with some of the grousing about canceled insurance plans, President Obama announced an administrative fix to allow people to keep those crummy plans (that they think they like) for up to a year. This should quiet some of the complaints within his own party, though certainly not Republicans, who will just find another reason to attack Obama and health care reform. One hopes this fix will put the focus back on making Obamacare implementation as successful and effective as possible. It's certainly not there yet. On Wednesday, the Obama administration announced that just more than 106,000 Americans had enrolled in health insurance plans through Obamacare exchanges, and another 975,000 people had shopped for plans but not enrolled in a selection yet. No one is cheering these numbers — well, no one except those Republicans who didn't want anyone to have access to affordable, quality private health insurance options in the first place. The 106,000 enrollments are well below the 500,000 the White House had originally projected for this period before launch of the exchanges. The brouhaha over canceled insurance plans has muddied an otherwise positive law. But all of the above should be put in a broader context —the context of enrollment in past comparable insurance systems, the context of what health insurance was like before the Affordable Care Act passed, and the context of its opponents' repeated lies meant to distort and destroy Obamacare. So, here are three handy charts to help you understand the reality of Obamacare and separate fact from fear-mongering. CHART 1: Romneycare enrollment . Looking for an analog to what Obamacare enrollment might look like nationwide? Look no further than Massachusetts, which implemented a mini-version of Obamacare under then-Gov. Mitt Romney. In 2007, Romneycare wasn't even plagued by a bum website rollout — and enrollment was still gradual, as shown in this chart (click on it to expand) and explained by Jonathan Cohn at The New Republic. It can be expected that people who need Obamacare the most — either because they're sick or because they're sick of their current expensive individual insurance — will enroll first, but everybody else, especially those who are currently uninsured, will wait until the last minute to sign up before they face the individual mandate penalty. Plus, even people who want their new plan to kick in on January 1, 2014, have until December 15 to enroll in a plan. Also, choosing among the many options in the Obamacare exchanges does take time — which might explain, for instance, why almost 1 million people have logged into the exchange but not yet chosen an insurance option. With time, those numbers can be expected to grow. CHART 2: How bad it was before Obamacare . We may need a reminder of how disastrous our health insurance system was before Congress passed Obamacare. Just one way of looking at this is that health care spending as a percent of family income was already an astronomical 19% in 2009 but was projected to be 30% by 2019 and 48% by 2029 — unless something was done. This reality is particularly lost when discussing the estimated 2% to 4% of Americans who have private insurance plans that will ultimately be canceled because of higher coverage standards set by the Affordable Care Act. Many of those people will find they have even better options in the exchanges, and at better prices. But even the small percentage of folks who find themselves paying more for insurance should be seen in the broader context of health care and insurance costs that were already skyrocketing out of control, for all of us, before Obamacare was passed. CHART 3: About those canceled plans . Finally, yes, Obama will implement an administrative fix so people can keep their lousy insurance plans for another year if they want to. But insurance companies will now be required to tell people they have other (and in many cases, probably better) options in the new exchanges. This will hopefully stop the practice of insurance companies trying to trick people with canceled plans into buying much more expensive new plans from the same company rather than shopping around. But it will likely not stop Republican finger-pointing and accusations that President Obama lied. No matter that Obama apologized for the promise that people who liked their insurance plans could keep them, tried to clarify the situation and is implementing a fix in fulfillment of that pledge. But wait, aren't Republicans the ones who came up with death panels and keep asserting that lie even though it was not only disproven but also called the "lie of the year" by PolitiFact? To make the point that Republicans really shouldn't be pointing fingers in the lie department, Steve Benen came up with this chart to put this into perspective: . So here's where this leaves us: Not enough people have signed up for Obamacare yet, but there's still plenty of time; enrollment was slow when Massachusetts did this, too. And the administrative fix announced on Thursday will, incidentally, ease the transition period to new plans while probably keeping enrollment numbers even lower since people can now keep their current plans an extra year. Meanwhile, even a slow and clunky Obamacare rollout is better than the runaway health care costs and millions of uninsured Americans we had before Obamacare. Republicans should stop trying to sabotage the law. Obamacare is slowly but steadily rising over the obstacles of our broken insurance status-quo -- and destructive Republicans. When Obamacare is finally, fully implemented, our families, our health care system and our economy will all be better off. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Sally Kohn.

Sally Kohn: Obama's fix on cancelled health plan lets us refocus on implementation . She says enrollment numbers lagging, but recall, Romneycare signups slow too . She health insurance system was disaster that Obamacare will ultimately redress . Kohn: GOP lies meant to thwart implementation that will help families, economy .

(CNN) -- When Robinho completed his dramatic deadline-day transfer from Manchester City to AC Milan last month, he became the latest in a long line of flamboyant big-name players to move to the San Siro. Most would agree the attacking prowess of the 26-year-old party-loving, Brazil striker would help bolster the attack of any team in the world, but it's his ability to help decide the future of Italian politics that was arguably just as attractive to his new employers. That is because club owner Silvio Berlusconi also happens to be the prime minister of Italy and -- according to leading commentators -- AC Milan's success has been inextricably linked to Berlusconi's rise to power. It could be just a coincidence of course, but Robinho's arrival, on the back of the purchase of Barcelona superstar striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic comes at an apposite time for the beleaguered statesman. The 73-year-old has the support of less than 30 percent of voters according to a recent poll for the newspaper La Repubblica -- following the defections of dozens of members of parliament in July and the departure of Gianfranco Fini -- a co-founder of Berlusconi's ruling "People of Liberty," over policy disagreements. So could the capture of Robinho help shore up Italy's coalition government? There is no doubt that Berlusconi is a man who stirs the emotions of his compatriots in many different ways. To his followers, he is an achiever. An innovator, somebody who has changed Italian culture and business practices for the better. A world statesman of the very highest caliber. To his critics, he is a chancer; an embarrassment who continually flouts his authority with bizarre decision making amid lurid accusations about his personal life. And, to the supporters of AC Milan, he is the man in power. The owner, to be cheered when results are going well and jeered after another defeat. Rome-based football journalist Patrick Agnew has no doubt there is a correlation between Berlusconi's standing in the opinion polls and the arrival of big-name stars at his beloved Rossoneri. "Berlusconi will frequently use the club to recreate a wining image for himself," Agnew told CNN. "Off the pitch, his center-right coalition government is under great pressure at the moment. And, on the pitch, he was forced to watch rivals Inter win everything last season." Agnew added: "Berlusconi was also shocked by some of the banners he saw fans holding, when he turned up to watch the team train in July. He knew he had to buy some big names to boost his popularity, that's why Robinho and Ibrahimovic have arrived. "Berlusconi has always seen Milan as a huge publicity vehicle and likes rubbing shoulders with the big-name players he can attract. It's all part of the image, that's why David Beckham has twice played here. It boosts "brand Berlusconi" when the polls suggest he needs a boost." The career paths of Berlusconi the politician and Berlusconi the football club owner run hand-in-hand as the billionaire has unashamedly courted the popular "football" vote to achieve his political aspirations. When deciding to enter the political arena by creating a new party in 1993, Berlusconi chose the popular football chant "Forza Italia" -- roughly translated as "Go Italy" -- a name that helped progress the businessman to the office of prime minister within a year. Berlusconi's sudden and spectacular rise to the political summit came just as one of the greatest Milan sides of all time was marching towards the Italian league title. In fact, in the same May month that Berlusconi was sworn into power, his Milan side -- boasting Dutch superstars Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten -- thrashed Barcelona 4-0 in one of the most devastating European Cup final displays ever seen. Political analyst Franco Pavoncello, dean of the John Cabot University in Rome, told CNN: "The success of AC Milan definitely helped propel Berlusconi's political aspirations and it is doubtful whether he would be prime minister now without that link. "Berlusconi is a unique man. Whatever he touches turns to gold and his only aim is to be a success. The split in his coalition means he has some political maneuvering to do to avoid a possible election next year. "But, if an election did happen, signing some big names to help Milan achieve success again can only help his cause with the electorate." Where Milan's transfer policy appears to differ from many of their rivals is their apparent willingness to sign players that come with "baggage", be it big egos like Ibrahimovic, a party-loving image like Robinho and Ronaldinho, or the media frenzy that surrounds Beckham. It has lead to criticism that Berlusconi is ultimately overseeing a short-term policy that sums up his own personality, rather than encourage the long-term success and growth that signing younger, less well-known, players could bring. Pavoncello believes there is a reason for this. "Berlusconi's successes have straddled politics, sport and the media. He brought commercial satellite TV channels into people's homes and likes the glamour that these big stars bring to him and his team. "The fact that some players might have suspect temperaments will not be a concern to him. He just wants to win and win for the present. Don't forget he is not a young man. He wants to be around to see Milan win the big trophies and by signing these players it is the best way to achieve that success."

Robinho is the latest big-name player to be signed by Italian giants AC Milan . The Brazilian striker joins Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the San Siro for this season . The signings come as Silvio Berlusconi's popularity is on the wane in the opinion polls . Some commentators believe the Milan owner uses the club to boost his political popularity .

Washington (CNN) -- Shocking as it may sound, the seemingly endless federal bureaucracy can get confusing, especially when interpreting statutory procedure. When that happens, federal courts -- including the Supreme Court -- by precedent normally give the government the benefit of the doubt, what is called "administrative deference." That ambiguity was on display Monday in an unusual legal dilemma: Can a child conceived after the death of the biological father be eligible for survivor benefits under Social Security? The Obama administration thinks not, and a majority of justices -- almost by default -- appeared to agree during a spirited morning of oral arguments. "You lose if the statute is ambiguous," said Chief Justice John Roberts to the lawyer for the surviving parent. "Is there any reason we shouldn't conclude based on the last hour that it's at least ambiguous?" Added Justice Elena Kagan: "It's a mess." At issue is how the court should interpret the word "child" and whether state laws over wills and trusts are adequate to deal with evolving technology for in vitro fertilization. Robert Capato developed esophageal cancer just months after marrying Karen Kuttner in 1999. Concerned the medical treatment could leave him sterile, Capato began depositing semen in a sperm bank. After his health improved, the couple conceived naturally and a son was born. But the man's condition later worsened and Robert died in March 2002. The confusion lies in the fact his final will did not specify whether children born after his passing could be legally declared his survivors. But a separate notarized document from the Capatos stated, "Any children born to us, who were conceived by the use of our embryos, shall in all respects and for purposes, including but not limited to descent of property, be children of our bodies." Karen underwent the in vitro fertilization procedure and 18 months after her husband's death, twin children were born. She then applied for Social Security survivor benefits, but the agency rejected the claim. An administrative judge concluded the "domicile at death" for Robert, the wage earner, was Florida, and that state did not provide for children conceived after the parent's death. A federal appeals court then found for Karen Capato, saying the twins were "children" within meaning of state law and Social Security regulations. The agency then appealed to the Supreme Court for review. The justices clearly appeared at odds over how to treat this relatively new category of offspring, and whether they should be in the same category as stepchildren or adopted children when deciding survivor benefits. Roberts suggested "there is no clear answer. I mean, let's take a situation where this type of reproduction is new, and the state legislatures haven't had a chance to decide whether they want to recognize the offspring for state intestacy (inheritance) law or not." Several of his colleagues searched for related scenarios that could guide them in this unusual instance. "Let's assume Ms. Capato remarried but used her deceased husband's sperm to birth two children. They are the biological children of the Capatos. Would they qualify for survivor benefits even though she is now remarried?" asked Justice Sonia Sotomayor. "A situation like that is what is making me uncomfortable, because I don't see the words 'biological' in the (federal) statute. I don't see the word 'marriage' directly, within the definition of 'child.'" Justice Antonin Scalia was more direct. Federal policy "disfavors children who are born after the father has died. Which is in accord with the title of the statute: Survivors Benefits," he said. "What is at issue here is not whether children that have been born through artificial insemination get benefits. It's whether children who are born after the father's death gets benefits." Charles Rothfeld. Capato's attorney, said, "There is no question that children who are ... pro-conceived naturally in the marriage and are born after the father's death are deemed to be dependents and receive benefits." Sotomayor jumped in: "I am interested as to what your definition of child is. Is it just a biological offspring? Is it limited to a biological offspring born of a particular marriage? But in what context?" Rothfeld struggled to respond. "What if the Capato twins were conceived four years after of the death in this case?" asked Roberts. "Would your argument be the same?" "These children were born 18 months after the insured wage earner died," said Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. "If we look to other categories of children -- say, stepchildren, and there is also one for adopted children -- they qualify only if they had that status no less than nine months before the wage earner died, and adopted children there is also a limitation. The stepchild and the adopted child, there could never be any question of being born 18 months later. They wouldn't qualify. There is a time limit for the other children. And if Congress had thought about this problem, maybe it would put a time limit on this, too." Rothfeld did little to convince the court that advances in artificial insemination were something lawmakers could not have anticipated when they passed the Social Security Act in 1939 and should not continue to hinder his client's ability to seek benefits. "I think the problem is that we're dealing with new technologies that Congress didn't develop -- wasn't anticipating at the time." A ruling by the court is expected by June, but it is not likely to have an immediate widespread impact. Court records show only about 100 other federal benefit applicants in a similar situation as Capato. But the justices could use this appeal to clarify what it means to be a "child" in relation to a parent and whether current state and federal law is flexible enough to incorporate a growing a range of technological conception possibilities. The case is Astrue v. Capato (11-159).

NEW: "It's a mess," Kagan says . The Supreme Court hears a case dealing with the child of a deceased father . The child was conceived by in vitro fertilization after the father died . The question is whether the child can be eligible for Social Security survivor benefits .

(CNN) -- I'm obviously not the only one disappointed in Barack Obama. I thought he would be another Reagan in at least one respect: He'd be a great communicator. Listening to his speeches in 2008, I thought that this man could connect. He had energy and vision, hope and strength. So what happened? Somewhere along the way, disturbingly early in his first term, he fizzled as a communicator. It's not that he didn't do good things. He brought the American economy back from the brink of another Great Depression, and (by comparison with our counterparts in Europe) we are doing extremely well. Jobs are back, with unemployment steadily falling, and the stock market has soared, thus underpinning the retirement hopes of millions who rely on equity portfolios to sustain them in their old age. We have discontinued pursuing "wars of choice," although it may take generations to recover from the mistake of invading Iraq, which will cost the American taxpayers two trillion bucks -- with health care for veterans taxing our children and grandchildren for years to come. Obama withdrew somewhat precipitously from Iraq, putting too much faith in the Shia-led government in Baghdad and giving ISIS an opening. He may have done this in part out of frustration over the Shia-led government's inability to provide legal protections for American troops that would have remained. But in truth, he handled the situation pretty well in the end, as ISIS is sputtering out, slowly but surely. Indeed, ISIS was always a ragtag (if singularly vicious) group surrounded by natural and powerful enemies, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. They were a flash in the pan, though a painful one. As for Ebola, this seems now under broad control, with the number of cases declining. Ebola was always a greatly exaggerated fear, though obviously a cause for concern that requires vigilance. But this was the ISIS and Ebola election, with panic at high levels on both fronts around the country. And it was widely perceived that Obama was not reacting in a strong way to these threats, even though -- in my view -- he was actually doing quite a lot on both fronts behind the scenes. His mantra has famously been "don't do stupid stuff," and this has largely been a good and rare thing, even if critics pounce on this as a sign of his being a wimp. George W. Bush was no wimp, but look where that got us! He made the worst foreign policy decision in recent history when he invaded Iraq, setting in motion waves of instability that it will take a generation to quell and subsidize. Health care has, of course, been the main focus of "hope and change" for Obama, and yet he was also defeated in this midterm election by Obamacare; denouncing it became a mantra for his political enemies. Yet apart from its initial rollout problems, Obamacare has been a measured success, allowing large numbers of previously uninsured American to have access to health care. The rollout problem was not just the result of too much interest in the program, though there certainly was that. It was a flawed website that couldn't handle the demand, and it was a management failure not to have sufficiently tested the system before it went online. But the state-run insurance exchanges have largely been a success: Even Mitch McConnell has been forced to support the way the exchange has worked in Kentucky, although he doesn't support the benefits of this program for people in other states! One would have thought the considerable positive effects of Obamacare, including the widely reported reduction in health care costs, would have helped Democrats. But that didn't happen. Let's face it, Obama did a lousy job of making the success of his health care program understandable to the wider public. He also did a lousy job of consulting with Republicans about this program before it was passed, and he seems curiously disinterested in actually talking with the American people about his successes, although he will occasionally give a speech and, in what seems like a bored way, recite his accomplishments. The problem is, I suspect, that he doesn't believe in himself. He isn't willing to buy his own story. There must be many reasons for this. Richard Falk, in a good article in Foreign Policy last summer, notes that, in fact, Obama has never felt confident in separating from the macho rhetoric of Bush. He has spoken repeatedly about America's right to act on its own in the world, saying (for instance) in one speech at West Point: "I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being." What he offers is, according to Falk, a "watered down neoconservertive global agenda"-- but doesn't really seem to believe what he's saying, as he walks every assertion like one this back in due course. It's clear enough from his actions in Iraq and Afghanistan that he actually wants the U.S. to exert less, not more, military presence abroad, and to work with coalitions and within the confines of international law, like any other civilized nation. We are not the only country in the world, however much we like to imagine we are. It's crucial that we work in partnership with other countries. What better time to do this than now, when much of the industrialized world seems very much anti-authoritarian and democratic? We should consider Europe and Japan, India, Israel, and most countries in Latin America our natural allies in the movement toward a peaceable world, where economic stability and human rights are respected. I will dare to hope that, in the waning years of his presidency, Barack Obama might actually begin to communicate with the American people about his real dreams for a better world. Not doing stupid stuff is fine. But it's not everything. And he knows that already.

Jay Parini: Many impressed by Obama in 2008 let down. What changed about him? He's done much: Brought down unemployment, saved economy, brought health care reform . But he doesn't communicate this. Why? Perhaps he doesn't believe in himself, he says . Parini: Especially on foreign policy, my hope is he'll better spell out his hopes for the world .

(CNN) -- The online coupon market has been exploding in the last year or so. Just look at some of the startups offering this service: Groupon, LivingSocial, Scoutmob, OpenTable, zozi, SCVNGR LevelUp, viagogo, Google Offers and many others. Now, welcome a new member of the digital-coupon club: Facebook Deals. The massive social network, which has 600 million members, announced on Tuesday a pilot project that will let local businesses offer discounts through Facebook. But with so many group-discount sites already out there, is Facebook's version offering anything unique? Here's a breakdown of how the service works and how it differs, at least a little bit, from some of its competition. What are group discount sites? First, the basics. Group discounts are essentially digital coupons, sometimes with strings attached. At Groupon, a certain number of people must purchase a deal before it's "unlocked," for example. Some, such as Scoutmob, are mobile deals based on a person's location, and offer deals on nearby restaurants, spas or other services. Others, such as LivingSocial, are more generic. They're basically coupons sent by e-mail. What is Facebook Deals? Facebook Deals aims to make the idea of digital coupons more social. With so many millions of users, it's hard to argue that Facebook isn't in a good position to do this. Users must purchase a coupon online before using it in real life. When they decide to buy, an item is automatically posted on their Facebook news feed, alerting all of their Facebook friends about the deal. Where is Facebook Deals available? For now, Facebook Deals is only being offered in five cities: Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; Dallas, Texas; San Diego, California, and San Francisco, California. Facebook is testing the feature in these places first, and says it may expand to others at a later date. Some of Facebook's competitors in online coupons are available more widely. Groupon works in dozens of U.S. and Canadian cities. Google Offers, however, which is another pilot project, is so far only available in Portland, Oregon. What's the incentive to use Facebook Deals? Many of these online coupon sites use video game mechanics to try to entice people into purchasing stuff. LevelUp, a Boston and Philadelphia pilot from the social network SCVNGR, works somewhat like an airline frequent-flier program. The more a user participates, the more he or she "levels up," giving him or her access to premium deals. Groupon is similar in that it requires a bunch of people to buy a coupon before it's activated. That encourages friends to spread the word about the deal, if they want to be able to use it. Facebook Deals doesn't do any of that -- at least not yet. So why would anyone use Facebook Deals? Because they're offering coupons. And because they're on the world's biggest social network. Facebook says the goal of the deals isn't necessarily even that they're deals -- it's that people will be able to plan events on Facebook. "While many Deals on Facebook offer discounts, it's more important to us that you find interesting experiences around you to do with friends," Facebook's Emily White writes on Facebook's blog. In other words, expect deals on group-centric activities, such as concerts or horseback riding. Are Facebook's discounts as good as Groupon's? Doesn't look like it. Groupon claims to offer discounts of 50% to 90%. Most of Facebook's coupons for Atlanta range from 13% to 75% off, with more of them seeming to fall on the lower end of that scale. Again, Facebook says the social aspect of these coupons is almost more important than the discount itself. "If your primary reason for doing something is getting together with friends, I don't know if a discount is necessary," White told the Wall Street Journal. "We are not looking for the deep discount customer." The integration with Facebook is what the site sees as key: "A lot of deal sites get that deals are social," White told The New York Times' Bits Blog. "But I wouldn't say they are really well integrated with Facebook." Where can you see Facebook Deals? In your news feed. On the Facebook Deals page. On the Facebook "Pages" sites of various businesses. Or in your e-mail inbox, if you sign up for that. Other sites, like LivingSocial and Groupon, also send out daily e-mails about the discounts they offer. How do you pay for Facebook Deals? With a credit card, with PayPal or with Facebook Credits, Facebook's own currency that, for the first time, will be used to buy real-world goods. Users buy deals in advance and then print out a coupon that's used to redeem the deal. Some other deal sites and apps let users buy discounts on-the-go. Scoutmob, for example, which is available in 13 U.S. cities, offers mobile coupons once a person is in the store or restaurant where they intend to use a deal. Users just pull up the coupon on their smartphones, show the waiter or store clerk that they've "unlocked" the deal (for free) and then get that discount applied to their bill -- without having to make any payment beforehand. Paying up front -- the Facebook and Groupon model -- annoys some users. Why is there so much competition in this space? Because there's apparently lots of money to be made. Ever since Google, in December, reportedly offered to buy Groupon for $6 billion, social coupons have been expanding like mad. As is often the case in tech, once start-ups in a new sector get hot, the big companies -- Google and Facebook in this case -- join the party late, hoping either to put out better products or capitalize on their huge user bases.

Facebook on Tuesday announces a Groupon competitor called Deals . The social network jumps into a space that is already crowded . Facebook Deals doesn't appear to offer the deepest discounts . The site aims to make online coupons more social than other sites .

(CNN) -- This year has seen Johnny Depp morph into a chameleon, Anne Hathaway perform as a parrot, Jack Black play a panda and Katy Perry turn into a Smurf. A-list celebrities are now scratching at casting directors' doors in their eagerness to voice animated creatures -- a move that would once have been considered professional suicide. "There was a sense that actors who did animated work weren't at the top of their game career-wise," said Total Film editor Aubrey Day. "There was a stigma surrounding it." Then Robin Williams let the genie out of the bottle in 1992's "Aladdin," magically transforming voice actors from faceless fill-ins to sought-after stars. "When Robin came in -- whose career was flying at the time -- it showed people there was no stigma in animated work, and it opened the floodgates," said Day. "The success of that movie made film execs think, 'We've hit on something -- if we get celebrity actors in these roles, it will generate box office.'" A roll call of big-name actors has followed -- from Tom Hanks as Woody in "Toy Story" and Eddie Murphy as "Shrek's" wisecracking Donkey, to George Clooney as the "Fantastic Mr Fox." For studios, the draw is obvious: a bankable name on the poster that will entice parents -- the ones ultimately buying the tickets. "If you can make parents think it's not going to be a painful two hours, that's a big advantage," said Day. "For adults, knowing there are A-list stars in a film adds a level of curiosity and an inclination to go and see it. "They went to see 'Bee Movie' with Jerry Seinfeld because he was in it, and 'Antz' because they wanted to hear Woody Allen in an animation." A celebrity is also infinitely more useful than an unknown voice actor in terms of PR, since they can be sent onto chat shows and red carpets. For the A-listers themselves, animated films are now seen as credible projects -- even, since 2001, honored with their own category at the Academy Awards. And with the success of the sector in recent years, animated films have become epic productions with budgets for A-list salaries. According to boxofficemojo.com, "Shrek 2" and "Toy Story 3" both grossed over $400 million. Inevitably, there's still the sneaking suspicion that actors regard voice work as a cushy number. As Jack Black, who voices Po in "Kung Fu Panda 2," out later this year, quips: "Well obviously I don't have to do costume and make-up, and it's an easy piece of pie. Just role out of bed in your PJs and rock the mike for a few hours a month, and you've got a real cool movie." That's galling for traditional voice actors, who regard theirs as a well-honed craft -- and who are increasingly consigned to bit parts. Artists like the late Mel Blanc, the "Man of a Thousand Voices" -- who brought Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird and Daffy Duck to life -- made successful careers out of their ability to voice multiple characters, often in the same film. Their flexibility remains their trump card in the era of star casting, while celebrities ultimately need to sound enough like themselves to be recognized. "That's the name of this game -- versatility," Nancy Cartwright, a veteran voice actor best known for being Bart Simpson, told CNN. "The more versatile you are, the better chances you have of getting hired. It's not enough to just have one voice." In "The Simpsons," Cartwright not only voices Bart, but other characters including Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum and Todd Flanders. Far from being a cushy job, Cartwright says voice work is a performance -- and one that requires actors to find the physicality of the character, just as they would in a live-action film. The way Cartwright holds herself changes when she is about to say a line as Bart, and she often gets so into character that she starts ad-libbing -- once snapping "eat my shorts" at a colleague and inadvertently creating a famous catchphrase. Black got similarly carried away as his martial-artist bear, ad-libbing so often that co-star Angelina Jolie had to be brought back in to re-record scenes that had changed. "I go headlong and really try and get into the fur of my panda character," Black told CNN. "I don't think about what it's like to live on a bamboo diet all of my life, but just the emotional reality of the scene ... I think you tend to overcompensate because you don't have the face and the eyes." The production team helped Black and Jolie imagine what each scene would eventually look like. "They are really great about showing us images, footage, something -- even if it's just a sculpture of your animal," said Black. "They give as much as they can to give a sense (of it). But sometimes you really have to ask, because they give you five lines and you say your lines loads of times and they say, 'No, no, no, you don't understand -- while you are saying this you are dropping from the top of a 500ft building!'" A-list stars, however, don't always guarantee success. A recent big-screen version of "Yogi Bear" failed to impress, despite help from Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake. "There is no direct correlation between the big name and the size of box office -- it's more: Is it a good marriage between the actor and the character they're voicing?" said Day. "That's the key about animation -- it's about correct casting, not stunt casting."

From Johnny Depp to Angelina Jolie, A-list stars line up to voice animated movies . Robin Williams's performance as the genie in "Aladdin" removed stigma of voice work . Traditional voice artists rely on their versatility to survive .

(CNN) -- These days, people don't want to take a vacation from gaming. And it's changing the way companies like Disney Cruise Line are building their $900 million floating cities. Disney launches its newest ship, the Disney Fantasy, out of Port Canaveral, Florida, this week. On the sister ship to the Disney Dream, Walt Disney Imagineers have created interactive experiences that can't be played anywhere else -- including Disney theme parks. "Because technology has become more progressive in the home, it challenges us as Imagineers to design experiences for guests that they can't do at home," said Bob Zalk, a senior show producer for Walt Disney Imagineering. "With the Magic Play Floor, you take a piece of video wall technology, put it on the floor, and you make it an interactive experience that's very physical in nature." The Magic Play Floor, which is available on both the Dream and the Fantasy, is made up of 32 high-definition displays that push 14 million pixels, which isn't something that's going to be replicated on an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. This massive floor puts arcade games like "Dance Dance Revolution" to shame and allows up to 32 kids (16 adults) to gather around the edges and interact with the video games that unfold on the screens by using their feet or hands. Around the border of these displays are light pad controllers. There are 48 sensors in each controller that detect the location, the motion and the proximity of each player. Of course, these games are based on hit Disney movies like "TRON: Legacy," "Lilo & Stitch" and "The Princess and the Frog." Each ship has two of these interactive floors on board in the Oceaneer Lab and Oceaneer Club for kids and tweens. "We have magical appearances through our living character program, where Stitch from 'Lilo and Stitch' and Crush from 'Finding Nemo' appear in the spaces on screen and interact and talk live with the kids," said David Duffy, creative director for Disney Cruise Line Entertainment and Port Adventures. "It really is an amazing experience for the little ones to see them make a pizza with the Magic Play Floor while Stitch talks to them in real-time." In those same play areas, kids can also interact with Magic Play Tables, which are roughly the size of a foosball table. What separates this video game machine from anything else is that it offers full touch-screen interaction and exclusive games developed by Disney Imagineers based on films like "Bolt" and "Cars." All of the games have been designed for up to four players. "We've designed these experiences to empower kids to go in and just do fun stuff," Zalk said. With more passengers now accustomed to playing games on Facebook, including the new "Disney Animal Kingdom Explorers," Disney Imagineers are creating experiences that blend motion sensor technology and storytelling. The Fantasy introduces a Muppets game as part of the Midship Detective Agency catalog of experiences. Karen Leung, interactive show producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, headed the team that developed the new Muppets game, which features original video of Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the rest of the gang. She said that many members of her team have a game design and software development background and they keep abreast of new technology like Kinect for Xbox 360. The Midship Detective Agency, which also includes two additional games (also available on the Dream) featuring Mickey Mouse and his pals, was developed using facial capture technology and motion capture technology similar to Kinect. "A key part of the interactive experience is the detective badge, which has a specific agent number and a special bar code," explained Leung. "Each person has a unique bar code, so when you go up to a piece of art, it senses the bar code and will know what scene you're on and what game you're playing on. Depending on what piece of art you're going to, you'll see a different scene customized to where you are in the game." The game, which sends players to all areas of the ship, is actually an additional level of interactivity that enhances Enchanted Art pieces. Guests who stand in front of this art will see animation come to life. There are video games built into the different stations, which require players to turn the badge to manipulate on-screen items like lighting fireworks and tightening pipes with a wrench. The Muppets game adds a lie detector to the equation, which offers additional interactivity with characters. (The Fantasy is also showing he Muppets' new movie in its Buena Vista Theater.) The Fantasy adds a golf simulator to the mix on Goofy's Sports Deck. Designed for avid golfers, this video game features 80 authentic courses that are displayed on a giant screen inside an air-conditioned room on one of the upper decks. Players choose from real Calloway golf clubs and swing an actual ball into the screen. "The system uses motion sensors and infrared lines that intertwine with each other," explained Jaco Gouws, assistant port of interest manager on the Disney Fantasy. "The ball goes though this system, and the angles are calculated as it passes from one line to the next, and then the ball enters the video game screen and proceeds into the course. It's designed so you can do everything from play a full game to just practice putting or go to the driving range." For younger passengers, the room houses an adjacent simulator. Utilizing the same motion sensor and infrared technology, passengers can pick from hockey, football, soccer and baseball and use actual balls to interact with Goofy and the gang. Interactivity is spread throughout the ship, including a new dinner show at Animator's Palette that allows guests to draw an animated figure and then watch it come to life with classic Disney characters. Zalk said that just as there's been an influx of passengers who game, there are more Imagineers that have grown up playing games. That's influencing the types of experiences that are being designed for vacationers.

Each ship has two interactive floors on board for kids and tweens . Imagineers blend motion sensor technology and storytelling to create experiences . All of the games have been designed for multiplayer experiences up to four players .

(CNN) -- Mechanical problems aboard Boeing's new Dreamliner 787 airliner seem to be happening far too often for some. Fliers are concerned. "They transport people, you, me, our loved ones... I think some of the strategies (how fast they are built and how thoroughly they are tested) should be more carefully examined," wrote CNN.com commenter disqus_L4S9enTRgr. The Federal Aviation Administration is worried, too. On Wednesday, the FAA announced plans to ground U.S.-registered Dreamliners until they pass an emergency airworthiness inspection addressing the potential risk of battery fire. The Japanese government also ordered them out of service, and other nations where 787s were in service have followed suit. United Airlines is the only U.S. carrier operating the 787, with six Dreamliners . Since September, the growing list of reported troubles aboard the Dreamliner include a fuel leak, an oil leak, two cracked engines, a damaged cockpit window and a battery problem. FAA grounds Dreamliners . In the most serious incident so far, a battery alarm prompted an emergency landing in Japan on Wednesday of an ANA 787 carrying 129 passengers. Those on board reported a burning smell in the cabin, officials said, and the alarm indicated smoke in a forward electrical compartment. A few hours later, ANA and JAL airlines announced they were grounding their Dreamliners pending an investigation. The incident comes about a week after the FAA announced a broad safety review of the aircraft. Related: Japan carriers ground 787s . Consumer concerns are legitimate and understandable, say airline safety and engineering experts, but most of the troubles are relatively minor. However, they say, if the Dreamliner has a battery system design problem, that would raise larger concerns. Lithium ion batteries . "Any time you've got smoke or fire or odor of smoke and fire on an aircraft, that's a very serious situation," said Kevin Hiatt, a veteran airline pilot and head of the Flight Safety Foundation. "You've got very little time to get an aircraft on the ground safely if something like that occurs in flight." The batteries are critical to the plane because the 787 is thirsty for electrical power. The Dreamliner uses electricity to run more systems than any other Boeing airliner, said University of Dayton professor Raul Ordonez, an aircraft electrical and computer engineer who spent time observing Dreamliner development at Boeing's Seattle headquarters. It takes lots of battery power to run electricity through those systems. The 787 is unique because its batteries are lithium ion batteries. The batteries hold more energy for longer periods than the standard nickel cadmium airliner batteries. "These kinds of batteries," Ordonez says, "are slightly more likely to cause problems." It's unclear whether the Dreamliner battery trouble in Japan was a charging problem or a battery overheating problem, says John Goglia, a former airline mechanic and former member of the National Transportation Safety Board. A charging problem wouldn't require an immediate landing, "but if I had a battery overheating -- given the history -- I'd be looking for the nearest place to put my butt on the ground." Cracked engines and windshields, oil and fuel leaks . Other problems linked to the Dreamliner -- such as oil and fuel leaks or damaged cockpit windows -- are operational issues that occur aboard "every airliner out there flying today," says Hiatt. "It just so happens that this aircraft is under such intense scrutiny." For an oil leak in flight, a pilot responds depending on how much oil is leaking. "If it's a problem, you've got procedures to either put the engine in idle and land the aircraft or continue and monitor the amount of oil on board until you reach your destination." "Fuel leaks -- whether they happen in the wing or near the engine or near the fuel tank area, those happen every day." When mechanical problems occur, pilots rely on what's known as the Quick Reference Handbook -- an electronic checklist for troubleshooting. "One guy flies while the other guy fixes, and then you make a decision," says Justin Schlechter, a 13-year airline pilot. Schlechter remembers a problem aboard his aircraft in 2004 when a passenger looking out a window spotted a minor fuel leak near the wing. After referring to the checklist, Schlechter diverted the airliner and landed in nearby Richmond, Virginia, as a precaution. Another time, a crack appeared in Schlechter's cockpit windshield. "It was a complete nonevent," he says. The flight continued to its scheduled destination. "Windshields crack all the time," says Goglia. Measuring inches thick and multilayered, airliner windshields are designed to take a beating from weather and the occasional bird. The cracked engines reported on Dreamliners in 2012 were likely isolated incidents, Ordonez says. As for random window cracks and fuel and oil leaks, Boeing can solve these kinds of problems without much difficulty, he says. Worldwide, Dreamliners fly 150 flights daily, Boeing said last week. In a statement released Wednesday, Boeing reacted to the FAA grounding. "We are confident the 787 is safe and we stand behind its overall integrity. We will be taking every necessary step in the coming days to assure our customers and the traveling public of the 787's safety and to return the airplanes to service," said Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney. "I still would get on the airplane," Hiatt says. It may be the most watched airliner in the world now. "That airplane is being looked at so closely both before and after every flight that it borders on the ridiculous." "Now, I guess people should be a little concerned," says Ordonez. But bottom line, he says, "I'd fly it."

NEW: FAA grounds all U.S. Dreamliners over battery fire concern . Boeing: "We will be taking every necessary step" After Japan grounded the 787, experts worry most about Dreamliner's lithium ion batteries .

(CNN) -- The video of four U.S. Marines urinating on three dead Taliban fighters has ricocheted around the world with viral speed, rightly provoking moral outrage abroad and shame at home. The act is a violation of professional military conduct and the fundamental moral requirement in war of showing dignity and respect to the dead. But the desecration shocks, not because it involves any sadistic mutilation of body for prize or trophy, but because the act is so primitive and regressed: Urinating marks territory. The sigh heard in the video is the vanquisher's exuberance in being top dog. Perhaps the Marines felt a need to do something with the enemy bodies that lay at their feet-- to kick them, to spit on them, to urinate on them while they waited for the proper authorities to collect them. But vengeful impulses need to be checked. Command culture, especially in small units like this sniper platoon, sets the tone and helps prevent these lapses of character and the awful consequences that ensue. Desecration of bodies in war is nothing new nor is the public condemnation of it. In Homer's Iliad, Achilles' raging grief at the death of his beloved Patroclus leads to an ugly enactment of revenge. Achilles vanquishes Hector, Patroclus' killer, and then lashing the body behind a chariot, drags his corpse face down three times around Patroclus' tomb. The act transgresses fundamental Greek decorum in war. Homer leaves no doubt about this: "That man without a shred of decency in his heart." He outrages "even the senseless clay in all his fury." The desecration offends the gods, too, and they intervene to insure that Hector's body remains intact despite Achilles' brutality. And all this comes after Hector pleads to Achilles with his last breath: "I beg you, beg you by your life, your parents, don't let the dogs devour me... give my body to friends to carry home again" for "honor with fitting rites." The soldier's fear that his body may be despoiled by the enemy or never repatriated is universal and is at the heart of the Geneva conventions and customary international law that prohibit "outrages against personal dignity." Anyone who has watched over the body of a loved one knows that humanitarian treatment has a proper place both toward the living and the dead. Yet we have not always respected that dignity toward our own war dead. Consider the recent reports that the Air Force, in charge of the military mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, shipped and incinerated remains from hundreds of troops over the past decade and dumped them in a Virginia landfill. In one report from The Washington Post, Gari-Lynn Smith was, in her words, "appalled and disgusted" when she learned the fate of her husband's remains: "My only peace of mind in losing my husband was that he was taken to Dover and that he was handled with dignity, love, respect and honor," she said. "That was completely shattered for me when I was told that he was thrown in the trash." Why worry about remains? I suspect it is simply because the living return to us -- however war-torn their bodies and souls -- and we want something of that for our dead, so that we can mark an honorable passage from this world. We demand that respect both from others who find our dead and from those explicitly entrusted to the care of their bodies. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is emblematic of that very need for a return home. Urinating on fresh corpses is repulsive mockery of the dead. This case is one of collective behavior, the act of a foursome or fivesome, where someone should have known better, among them and higher up. The incident brings to mind one that Tim O'Brien recounts in "The Things They Carried," his fictionalized memoir of his Vietnam years. His platoon took sniper fire and ordered an airstrike in response. Shortly after, the unit went to the scene of the strike and found an old man, lying face-up with flies already buzzing around his corpse. They propped the body up against a fence, and one by one, the unit members shook his hand and faked introductions and a toast as part of a mock funeral. Tim is the only one who refrains, sickened by the indecent sport. He's berated for not joining in, but one buddy is admiring: "You did a good thing today," he said. "That shaking hands crap, it isn't decent. ... Should've done it myself. Takes guts." Tim demurs: "It wasn't guts. I was scared." It doesn't really matter whether what he did was an act of moral courage or moral disgust. The point is that he's moved by empathy, in this case toward a civilian, but it could just as well have been an enemy fighter. We shouldn't underestimate the power of that empathy and the responsibility military leaders have to keep it alive and well in their troops. I've heard of soldiers finding photos in the pockets of those they've killed and seeing in the face of a daughter or a son or a wife the bitter loss they will suffer. An Israeli who fought in the 1967 Six-Day War told me recently that the thought that raced through his mind when he killed a young Egyptian who was aiming his weapon at him, was "He has a mother. ... What will she do?" It is that empathy that checks ugly revenge impulses in war. It is at the core of humanitarian rules of war and their constraints. Join CNN Opinion on Facebook and follow updates on Twitter . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Nancy Sherman.

Nancy Sherman: Marines urinating on Taliban corpses shames the U.S., outrages world . It violates military conduct, she said, also the moral duty to show respect toward the dead . Sherman: Desecration of bodies in war is nothing new, but was disdained even in antiquity . Military leaders must cultivate empathy in troops for families of the slain, she writes .

(CNN) -- Does your dog object to vacationing in a cage? Can't count on your brother-in-law to commit to dog-sitting for two weeks? Now there are home stay websites for four-legged creatures. Frustrated with kennels that keep dogs cooped up and charge extra for petting and walks, the founders of DogVacay.com and Rover.com are connecting dog lovers who want to earn extra cash with travelers who want dog-friendly people to care for their pets close to home while they're away. DogVacay.com founders Karine and Aaron Hirschhorn loved getting away when they first moved in together but hated taking their dogs to the kennel. "Every time we traveled, the dogs hated the kennel and came back with kennel cough," said Karine. And they paid up to $120 a day for the privilege. When they took their dogs to a local trainer's home instead, the animals came back happy and rested. It was as if the dogs had been on vacation, too. So they decided to host dogs with traveling owners in their home. With Aaron Hirschhorn working at home, he had plenty of time to bike and run with the dogs and keep them company. The couple found an incredible demand for their services, which culminated in the launch of DogVacay.com last month. Rover.com launched in Seattle in November and went national this week, attracting over 10,000 people signing up to both host dogs and use the services of dog hosts. Dogvacay.com launched in March and already has had 6,000 people apply to be hosts across the country (1700 have been accepted so far). Similar to a dating site or Airbnb rental site, hosts fill out detailed profiles about their canine experience, including training, medical certification and licensing qualifications; the size and dog-friendliness of their homes and any resident dogs or other animals on site. Some hosts specifically will take puppies that aren't ready for their vaccinations yet and others will not take dogs that don't like children. Customers also fill out detailed profiles of their dogs, behavior issues and medical or other special needs. Fees start at around $15 per day for smaller apartments with hosts who are dog lovers to much higher fees for dog trainers with large yards where dogs can roam. Extra services, like a departure day bath, can often be had for an extra fee. Owners can even get photos or videos texts or emails sent to their mobile phones. Rover.com CEO Aaron Easterly, formerly in advertising for Microsoft, would get upset at the thought of Caramel, his 4-pound Pomeranian, getting stressed out before he leaves on a trip. "Every time I leave town, I'm in a frantic rush as to what to do with her," said Easterly, who now uses Rover.com's services for Caramel. "When I see how she behaves even temporarily in a cage at the vet or groomer, I would not take her to a kennel. When I take her to someone else's house, she's totally excited. The fact I'm leaving? She couldn't care less." Now he screens the potential hosts listed on Rover.com near where he lives to pick the best option for his wallet and comfort level. The company also has a bill of rights and a 24-hour hotline ("Barkline" in the company's terminology). DogVacay.com offers a 100% guarantee that includes insurance and emergency support. Both sites try to screen hosts and customers but agree that host and customer alike must vet their counterpart and feel comfortable with the match. Both sites recommend a meet-n-greet so dog owners and humans and dogs can meet and sniff out the temporary digs. "Generally mass murderers and animal lovers don't overlap," said Karine. "Part of the phone interview process is making sure this person has truly devoted their life to animals. A lot of our hosts have long histories around animal rescue or trainers or work for shelters. They are known in community as animal lovers." Customers pay through the sites, which company officials said protects the customer in case of a negative experience. Both sites also only allow customers who have paid for a host's services to review that host, while Rover.com also allows testimonials from anyone who wants to recommend the host. Dogvacay.com allows the hosts to review their canine guests as well. Rover.com also holds payment for three days after a home-stay has ended to allow the customer to make any complaints before payment is made. A pre-stay visit is a good idea, according to veterinarian Kim Hennessy, because you can see if a dog-sitter keeps a clean house or has too many animals. Owners also want to make sure the other dogs are current on their vaccinations. "You definitely want to take your dog's own food with you because a change in food can cause a lot of gastrointestinal distress," said Hennessy, a Downingtown, Pennsylvania, veterinarian. "Make sure the dog sitter is knowledgeable about pets and has a fenced in yard that looks very safe. The main thing would be safety of the dog, not being able to escape and its exposure to other dogs." "You'd also want to have a backup vet available. I would actually call the vet and give permission for any major disasters. The vet hospital will (usually) write it down in your chart." Rover.com, which collects 3-15% of the charge depending on the host's reviews and other factors, recently announced that it has raised $3.4 million from investors. Dogvacay.com, which collects 3-10% of the charge, just announced $1 million in funding and is on a New York City press tour this week to draw more attention to its New York listings. Would you hire a dog sitter through a site like Rover.com or Dogvacay.com? Let us know your thoughts below.

DogVacay.com and Rover.com list home stay opportunities for dogs . Hosts post profiles of themselves, their living situation and their own pets . Costs start at about $15 a night and extras like bathing are available in some cases .

(CNN) -- Werewolves are usually the stuff of B-movies and bad novels, but last year British author Glen Duncan did the unthinkable in literary circles, crafting a howling good tale out of the weary werewolf myth. The result was the best-selling thriller "The Last Werewolf." Critics and readers happily devoured the darkly comic novel. In the book, Jake Marlowe, a 200-year-old lonely lycanthrope, believes himself to be the last of his kind until he meets Talulla Demetriou. It's your classic tale of boy meets girl, except this pair turn into werewolves, battle vampires and fall in love. While their relationship came to a tragic and bloody end, Demetriou returns in Duncan's eagerly awaited sequel, "Talulla Rising." Hitting bookshelves this week, the supernatural story picks up soon after where "The Last Werewolf" left off. Talulla is grieving the loss of her werewolf lover; she's on the run and about to give birth to Jake's child, under a full moon no less. To give away any more would spoil the surprise for fans, but suffice to say Talulla turns into a monstrously protective mother. Adventurous readers who are looking for a break from the usual beach read should consider this alternately horrifying and humorous, imaginative and energetic novel. CNN recently spoke to Duncan by telephone from his London home about the new book. The following is an edited transcript: . CNN: What was the spark that led you to write "The Last Werewolf" and "Talulla Rising"? Duncan: A combination of mercenary pragmatism and drunken inspiration. After seven novels which, though well-received, hadn't made paying the bills any easier, I decided to write something my agent could sell as a book with commercial potential. Cut to New Year's Eve 2009. A party, friends, everyone drunk. We've had the forced-down champagne and abused fireworks on the roof terrace, and are now taking stock of what we've done in the last year -- and what we plan to do in the new one. Pretty much ex nihilo I said: "I'm going to write a novel about the last surviving werewolf." The idea met with feeble unanimous approval. So I woke up the next morning and started work. CNN: Talulla is such a compelling character, was there a big difference between writing her voice and Jake? Duncan: Yes. Jake is just me. Or, rather, me in his predicament: not very difficult to write. With Talulla I didn't have the crutch (ahem) of my own gender and personality to lean on. There's no way of knowing if the imaginative projection is a success except in so far as readers find Talulla a convincing female. Let's see. CNN: How did you develop the werewolf mythology behind your story? Were there traditional elements you wanted to keep, change or explore further? Duncan: I just kept the parts of the traditional mythology I liked, or that served my thematic purpose, and ditched whatever I didn't. Death by silver, I liked, so it was in. Ditto visceral antipathy to vampires. Some versions of the myth allow for the lycanthrope's voluntary metamorphosis -- but that's not as rich a moral quandary as being forced to change, whether you like it or not, every full moon. Watch Glen Duncan read an excerpt from "Talulla Rising" CNN: Do you have a favorite werewolf story and why do you think they have appealed to readers for so long? Duncan: I've never read a werewolf story in my life, but my favorite werewolf movie is, of course, "An American Werewolf in London." (Closely followed by the brilliantly mad "Dog Soldiers.") Myths of metamorphosis are as old as the human ability to tell stories, and survive because they express something fundamental to the psyche. In the case of werewolves, the fear of the beast within, and the desire to be liberated into it. CNN: You've unleashed your writer's id in these novels. There's lots of sex and violence, definitely not for the faint of heart. Was it fun to write? Duncan: For me writing a novel isn't fun, no matter how much sex and violence it contains. It's satisfying, yes, to get something right at the level of the sentence, and it's fun to have finished writing the thing. ... But the actual writing? No. It's agony, every day, an endless search for reasons to not start writing. I wish it were otherwise, but there you are. CNN: What would you like readers to take away from "Talulla Rising"? Duncan: The feeling of having just read the best werewolf novel (along with its predecessor) the world has yet produced -- what else? Or, more reasonably: It's not so different for girls after all. CNN: Is there anything you've read recently that inspired you? Duncan: I'm not reading much contemporary work at the moment (not until the third werewolf book's done, in fact), but I'm a couple of hundred pages into "Don Quixote" -- which is absolutely hilarious. That'll last me through summer. Especially if it's an English summer. CNN: Without giving too much away, it feels like you've set things up quite nicely for a trilogy. Any hints you can give us about your next novel? Duncan: Impossible without spoilers. But multiple narrators -- including a vampire -- and a myth of origin for werewolves. Sex, violence, jokes, philosophy, love, death. Business as usual. Read an excerpt from "Talulla Rising"

Glen Duncan releases his second werewolf novel this week: "Talulla Rising" Duncan got the inspiration for the series during a drunken New Year's celebration . The novelist predicts his next book will feature: "Sex, violence, jokes, philosophy, love, death."

(CNN)A gleaming, modern airport terminal reduced to shattered concrete and twisted metal. Charred cars in the parking garage. The sound of artillery shells exploding nearby. These are the sights and sounds that CNN's Nick Paton Walsh observed in and around the besieged city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Six months ago, Donetsk's once proud Sergey Prokofiev International Airport was still in use. But the worsening conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine has transformed it into a scene of devastation -- a symbol of the wider destruction that's left the Donetsk region reeling. Civilians are increasingly falling victim to the fighting, with at least 224 killed and more than 540 others injured in the final three weeks of January, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights said Tuesday. The fighting has been among the fiercest in decades in Europe. In Debaltseve, about 45 miles northeast of the city of Donetsk, a stream of civilians has fled the shelling. The town has been the scene of bloody conflict in recent days as separatist forces seek to surround Ukrainian troops. A morgue in nearby Artyemovsk is full with the bodies of fighters and civilians who didn't make it to safety in time. There, CNN's Paton Walsh saw one soldier torn in half, placed in a body bag. Morgue staff who said they'd seen 200 bodies in the past month were working 24 hours a day to try to keep up with the number coming in. In Debaltseve, some civilians sought refuge underground in the basement of a building. But after a shell hit it, leaving a gaping hole in its side, they, too, fled. Some who spoke to CNN after evacuating to Artyemovsk aboard ramshackle buses say their politicians have failed them. One, who gave his name as Pavel, told CNN, "Me, personally, I'll take any ruler, just don't kill me. All I want is bread and salt, just don't kill me." A woman sitting next to him said, "We're hostages of the situation." Pavel added, "Big politics is interested in killing simple people. They shoot and shoot and kill us." The sense of anger is growing in Artyemovsk, where a group of women gathered in the town center despite the cold and rain to protest against the war. Ukraine's army is so underfunded that its politicians are hamstrung, but that has not exempted them from blame for the suffering of local people. "We use snow to clean ourselves," said one young woman, clearly emotional. "And our new president didn't do anything. Absolutely nothing. Nobody cares about anything." Another woman said, "When they bombed one town, I waited until 5 in the evening, just to move my 2-year-old granddaughter to the train. The Ukrainian army bombed us because separatists were there." Meanwhile, the road to Debaltseve still heaves with Ukrainian armor as the government seeks to hold off the separatists' advance. Kiev and the West accuse Russia of sending military personnel and equipment across the border into Ukraine to bolster the separatist forces. Moscow denies the allegation. The conflict's total death toll since mid-April, including combatants and civilians, is now at least 5,358 -- an increase of 272 in less than two weeks -- with another 12,235 injured, the United Nations said Tuesday. Forces indiscriminately shelled residential areas in government-controlled territories such as Debaltseve and Avdiivka and rebel-held cities such as Donetsk and Horlivka as fighting escalated last month, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said. "Bus stops and public transport, marketplaces, schools and kindergartens, hospitals and residential areas have become battlegrounds in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine -- in clear breach of international humanitarian law which governs the conduct of armed conflicts," the high commissioner said in a statement. Last month's most deadly single incident involving civilians occurred in the southeastern city of Mariupol when two attacks involving multiple-launch rocket systems killed at least 31 people and injured 112 others, the United Nations said. "Any further escalation will prove catastrophic for the 5.2 million people living in the midst of conflict in eastern Ukraine," the high commissioner said. The U.N. official called on nations with influence in the region to pressure the combatants to return to a ceasefire agreement reached in September in Minsk, Belarus -- a deal that eroded long ago. His office also expressed concern about "the implications of the harsh winter months on civilians in conflict-affected areas, with shortages of food and water and power cuts." As the situation deteriorates, the United States is considering sending lethal aid to help the Ukrainian government fend off attacks from pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions. This assistance would come in the form of so-called defensive lethal aid, which could include anti-tank, anti-air and anti-mortar systems. The New York Times first reported the possible change in policy, saying NATO commander Gen. Philip Breedlove is in support of the new lethal assistance, and that Secretary of State John Kerry; Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and national security adviser Susan Rice are all open to considering the idea. A U.S. official told CNN that military leadership supports defensive lethal aid being part of the discussion, but the administration is still trying to assess what reaction it could elicit from the Russian government, which the United States maintains is backing rebels in eastern Ukraine.

At least 224 civilians killed and more than 540 hurt in last three weeks of January, U.N. says . Bus stops, marketplaces, schools and hospitals have become battlegrounds, official says . The fighting in eastern Ukraine has been among the fiercest in decades in Europe .

(CNN) -- If Cristiano Ronaldo feels threatened by Gareth Bale's arrival at Real Madrid, it certainly isn't showing in his performances. Ronaldo followed up his midweek Champions League treble with another two goals in Sunday's 4-1 win over Getafe, while this season's marquee signing Bale was unable to make his home debut due to an injury suffered in the warmup. The win kept Real in third place, two points behind Barcelona and Atletico Madrid after five matches, and the double lifted Ronaldo into fifth on the club's all-time scoring list with 208. Ronaldo failed to score in Real's opening two La Liga matches, but including his hat-trick for Portugal in a World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland he now has 10 goals in his last five games -- fully vindicating the bumper new contract he signed after Bale arrived. Bale -- a world-record signing according to his former club Tottenham, but not as expensive as Ronaldo was in 2009 according to Real -- was replaced in the starting lineup at the Bernabeu by the highly-rated Isco, another newcomer to Madrid. Bale scored on his debut in the 2-2 draw at Villarreal, playing an hour, and also came on to replace Isco in the 6-1 Champions League thrashing of Galatasaray -- but his only other time on the pitch this season is a substitute appearance for Wales before joining up with Carlo Ancelotti's squad. "He had a small problem in the warmup. I don't think it is a big problem, but we have to wait till tomorrow to do a scan to see how bad the injury is," Ancelotti told reporters. "The player wasn't comfortable, he was worried, so it was better to avoid problems. He was desperate to play his first game in the Bernabeu, but he has plenty of games ahead of him here. "His pre-season was very unusual, not just physically, but mentally too. He was waiting for a long time (before signing) and I think this is a problem." Getafe stunned the home crowd by taking the lead in the fourth minute when Angel Lafita's shot deflected in off Pepe, but the Real defender equalized just before 20 minutes after Ronaldo's shot was only blocked by keeper Miguel Angel Moya. Ronaldo put Los Blancos ahead just after half an hour from the penalty spot, as Michel was ruled to have deliberately handled his free-kick inside the area, and he joined Real's former Mexico star Hugo Sanchez on 207 goals. Isco, who last season inspired Malaga to the Champions League quarterfinals despite the club's financial problems, made it 3-1 in the 57th minute. Fed by Ronaldo's quick free-kick, the 21-year-old Spain international made no mistake with his fifth goal in six games. Getafe had Michel sent off five minutes from time when the midfielder was booked a second time, and Ronaldo crowned his night with a cheeky backheel to score from Sami Khedira's low cross. Promoted Villarreal stayed fourth after drawing 0-0 at Celta Vigo, while there was a mid-table stalemate between Real Betis and Granada. Valencia ended a run of three La Liga defeats and a Europa League loss to Swansea by beating bottom club Sevilla 3-1, as Jonas scored twice. Meanwhile, Sunday's Istanbul derby between Besiktas and Galatasaray was abandoned due to crowd trouble at the end of the match between two of Turkey's leading teams. Galatasaray had led 2-1 through two goals by Ivory Coast veteran Didier Drogba when his Brazilian teammate Felipe Melo was sent off in time added on, and fans then invaded the pitch. "How the proceedings will continue will be announced later by the Turkey Football Federation," the Galatasaray website reported. In Italy, Roma went top on goal difference after beating Lazio 2-0 in the capital derby for a fourth successive win. Second-half goals from Federico Balzaretti and Adem Ljajic put the Giallorossi marginally above Napoli -- also with a 100% record after winning 2-1 at AC Milan. Uruguayan defender Miguel Britos put Rafael Benitez's team ahead in the sixth minute and Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain doubled the lead on 53 before Mario Balotelli's late consolation for 11th-placed Milan. However, the Italy striker had earlier missed the first penalty of his professional career, saved by keeper Pepe Reina, as Napoli beat Milan at the San Siro for the first time since 1986. Third-placed Inter Milan crushed Sassuolo 7-0 as Argentine striker Diego Milito marked his long-awaited return from a serious knee injury with two goals. It left Fiorentina fourth on goal difference after a 2-0 win at Atalanta, while fifth-placed defending champion Juventus also ha 10 points after coming from behind to beat Verona 2-1 thanks to goals from summer signings Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente. The battle for supremacy between France's two big-spending clubs ended in a 1-1 draw as Monaco came from behind to deny defending champion Paris Saint-Germain. Zlatan Ibrahimovic put the home side ahead but Radamel Falcao -- like his Swedish striking counterpart, a marquee signing of intent -- leveled to keep Monaco top of the table, two points ahead of second-placed PSG.

Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice as Real Madrid beats Getafe 4-1 on Sunday . New signing Gareth Bale misses out on home debut after injury in warmup . Ronaldo becomes the fifth-highest scorer in Real history with a total of 208 . Istanbul derby between Besiktas and Galatasaray abandoned due to crowd trouble .

(CNN) -- It has become a great American tradition, an act of small-town civics, an example of direct democracy in action where citizens get to meet presidential candidates multiple times. But it is also an overhyped media circus, which helps give Iowa disproportionate influence on who gets the Republican nomination, despite the fact that no binding delegates are actually selected. The Iowa caucuses are low-turnout, high-intensity elections. There are 2.1 million registered voters in Iowa. But the total turnout for the GOP caucus in 2008 was just 118,696 people, despite the months of media hype. Mike Huckabee won the caucuses that year with nearly 41,000 votes, beating Mitt Romney by more than 10,000 votes while being outspent considerably. That 10,000-vote margin represented less than half of 1% of the entire state's electorate. Overall, the state of Iowa is representative of heartland America -- 37% registered independent, 32% Democrat and 30% Republican. But caucus-goers do not represent that political spread. Instead, 88% of GOP caucus voters in 2008 identified themselves as "conservative," and only 11% described their views as moderate. Nearly two-thirds were evangelical. As a result, center-right Republican candidates who might have the best chance of winning Iowa in a general election have a hard time making inroads in the conservative caucuses. Conventional wisdom states that the top three finishers in the Iowa caucuses are all winners, with a chance to win the nomination, especially if they exceed expectations. But jowly former Sen. Fred Thompson came in third in Iowa and dropped out of the campaign. John McCain gained the endorsement of the Des Moines Register in 2008 as well as the nomination, but he didn't finish in the top three in '08 or '00. In fact, since 1980, the only Republican nonincumbent who has won the caucuses and gone on to win the presidency is George W. Bush. This year, we have a real horse race with no clear leader -- polls say establishment candidate Mitt Romney is in pole position, followed closely by libertarian Ron Paul and the surging social conservative Rick Santorum. Newt Gingrich's once commanding lead has been shrunk by more than $2 million in negative ads, most from a Romney-affiliated PAC. Rick Perry's invested his considerable campaign cash in a combination of in-state ad-buys and ground-game organization. Michele Bachmann's campaign, which once was strong enough to win a straw poll in the state, has collapsed under the weight of the candidate's considerable overreach, marked by high-level defections and rock-bottom polls. Bachmann has taken to desperately trying to compare herself to Margaret Thatcher at every stop while her campaign cites the judgment of a conservative Christian group that she is "biblically qualified to be president" -- whatever that's supposed to mean. One of the real questions in this caucus is whether retail politics matters as much as it used to. Mitt Romney basically dissed the state for the first 10 months of 2011, still stinging from his expensive rejection in 2008. But his well-funded campaign was able to buy aspects of a statewide organization and negative ads to tear down rivals. One of the fascinating aspects of the Romney campaign is that he seems to have a glass ceiling of 25% -- the same percent of the caucus vote he received in 2008. The other candidates have famously traded the other 75% of the vote over the past several months. If the deck is shuffled just right, with a number of other candidates in the mid-teens, Romney can win Iowa in this crowded conservative field. And if he wins Iowa on Tuesday night, his months-long double-digit lead in New Hampshire will solidify and he will be almost assured of winning the first two states, well on the way to winning the nomination. Additionally, he has the weight of precedent on his side: The front-runners who have conventional wisdom behind them tend to win the Republican nomination eventually, after the party flirts with a dark horse. But Ron Paul is a wild card. His supporters are by far the most dedicated, if not the most numerous. They will turn out come sleet or snow (though the temperature is supposed to be above average). The January 3 caucuses are smack in the middle of winter break for universities, but Paul's younger supporters might just come back early to vote for their hero. If Rick Santorum's recent momentum continues, he can claim the evangelical mantle as the consistent social conservative alternative to Romney, the man he endorsed in 2008. He provides at least one other clear point of contrast -- Santorum has been hammering away at middle class and blue collar issues, while Romney embodies the one percent of the wealthiest Americans. The most dire scenario for Romney would be a Newt or Perry surprise surge, which the polls say seems unlikely. But either of their campaigns could come out of Iowa with new momentum and at least a real chance of winning South Carolina and possibly Florida. Three out of four states by the end of January makes a candidate extremely likely to win the party's nomination. The countdown to the Iowa caucus can now be measured in hours, instead of weeks or months. Whatever you think about the disproportionate influence this heartland state has on our politics, it cannot be ignored. The presidential election year of 2012 is here. And on Tuesday night, the race for the White House will really kick off. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Avlon.

The 2012 presidential race begins Tuesday with Iowa caucuses . John Avlon says the caucuses are low-turnout, high-intensity elections . He says worst case for Mitt Romney would be a surprise surge by Newt Gingrich or Rick Perry . Avlon: Romney could win with only a quarter of the vote .

Baghdad (CNN) -- An al-Qaeda affiliate claimed responsibility Wednesday for a chain of 24 bombings and two gun attacks in Iraq a day earlier, as the death toll rose to 61. A statement attributed to the Islamic State of Iraq appeared on extremist websites, calling Tuesday's carnage "retaliation" against Shiite members in government. Though Iraq has grown safer in the last six years, sectarian violence and instability still grip the country 10 years after the start of the U.S.-led war. The attacks -- 17 car bombs, seven roadside bombs, and two shootings -- ripped mostly through Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad, but also struck Sunni communities in other towns. At least 200 people were wounded. Early Wednesday another car bomb detonated on a busy square, killing two people and injuring five more. The level of carnage has dropped considerably since the height of the sectarian violence in 2006 and 2007 that nearly tore Iraq apart. But the continuing violence serves as a near daily reminder of the threat to the fragile political and economic gains in a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. It's the second time in less than a week that the Iraqi capital has endured major simultaneous attacks. Interactive: Iraq 10 years on . Ten years on, the war left more than 134,000 Iraqis and more than 4,800 U.S. and other coalition service members dead. The war cost hundreds of billions of dollars. "It remains entrenched and pervasive, with a clear beginning but no foreseeable end, and very much a part of the present in Iraq," said Iraq Body Count, a UK-based group that tracks war deaths. "In major regions of the country armed violence continues to exact a remorseless toll on human life, young and old, male and female, across society." In Tuesday's violence, car bombs rocked Baghdad neighborhoods long engulfed in conflict, like Shulaa and Kadhimiya. They struck Mustansiriya University in eastern Baghdad and the fortified International Zone, also known as the Green Zone, where the city's international presence is concentrated. They hit cities north and south of the capital as well. Authorities defused four car bombs in the southern city of Basra. Attackers also struck in the provinces of Anbar, Kirkuk, Babel, Nineva, and Diyala. They set off roadside bombs in Baghdad's teeming Shiite slum of Sadr City. Iraq is still on pins and needles . Change can be seen in the once war-torn nation. A robust form of democracy has taken hold. Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds and others often work together. There is more political, economic and social stability. Coalition forces that ousted Hussein's government have departed. However, recent attacks in Shiite areas have spread fear among Iraqis that sectarian warfare between Sunnis and Shiites may ravage the country again. Sunnis had more political clout during Hussein's reign. The Shiites and the Kurds, the other two main groups, were second-class citizens. Since Hussein was toppled, the tables have turned. Shiites -- the largest religious group in the country -- predominate in government. The Kurdish semiautonomous region in the north, and the Kurds themselves, have more clout. Today, Sunnis feel they've been politically marginalized. They demand that the Shiite-led government stop what they call negative treatment of Iraq's Sunni community. Expert: Syria and Iraq connected . Ramzy Mardini, an expert on Iraq, said the attacks were probably "prescheduled for the anniversary." He also said the latest violence reflects the Sunni-Shiite sectarian tensions raging next door in Syria. He believes such attacks illustrate the revival of the "capability and confidence" of al Qaeda in Iraq, buoyed by a Syrian uprising "spearheaded by Sunni militancy." It stands to reason that the attackers are targeting the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. The Shiite-dominated government is helping neighboring Iran, the largest Shiite nation in the world and a supporter of the Alawite-dominated Syrian government. "Al Qaeda in Iraq is becoming less exclusive to Iraq. They are trying to channel energy and piggyback off the Syrian revolution by aiming to merge Iraq and Syria into one theater of sectarian war," said Mardini, adjunct fellow at the Iraq Institute for Strategic Studies in Beirut, Lebanon. "Given that Maliki is helping Iran prop up the Syrian regime, AQI is advertising their cause and looking to attract the support and resources of militant groups in Syria." Obama administration marks the milestone . U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Chuck Hagel marked the 10th anniversary of the war's beginning with statements praising the service members who fought in Iraq. Obama honored the more than 1.5 million service members and civilians who served there and the memory of the nearly 4,500 Americans who died there. "The last of our troops left Iraq with their heads held high in 2011, and the United States continues to work with our Iraqi partners to advance our shared interest in security and peace." Obama said a strong Post-9/11 GI Bill would help veterans pursue jobs and education. "We must ensure that the more than 30,000 Americans wounded in Iraq receive the care and benefits they deserve and that we continue to improve treatment for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder." Hagel and Obama also praised the sacrifices of service members' families. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq reported from Baghdad. CNN's Joe Sterling reported from Atlanta.

Islamic State of Iraq statement says the 61 deaths are 'retaliation' The statement lambasted Shiites in government . The attacks come 10 years after the U.S.-led invasion began . Recent attacks in Shiite areas have spread fear among Iraqis .

(CNN) -- If you read the headlines this week about the the death of Judge Robert Bork, you probably took away that he will be remembered for his conservative judicial philosophy and losing a very contentious Supreme Court confirmation battle. You probably didn't read about the impact he made on modern media, and maybe even on the debate the Internet had about Instagram this week. But that's part of his legacy, too. Let's connect the dots from Bork to Instagram, shall we? 1. The Bork Tapes . President Ronald Reagan nominated Bork for the U.S. Supreme Court in 1987. During his confirmation hearings, an enterprising reporter found a list of the movies he'd rented at his local video rental store. You might imagine the reporter was looking for something among the rentals that could shed new light on the man. What turned up was a pretty ho-hum list of movies including lots and lots of Cary Grant and at least one middling Danny DeVito comedy. (The reporter's own back story on what he was looking for in procuring that rental list is slightly more nuanced -- it's a good read, which you can find here.) 2. The VPPA . Perhaps the biggest controversy about Bork's rental list was how deadly dull it was. But, who knows? Maybe some of those lawmakers had something to hide? Within a few short months of the hearings, the U.S. Congress passed the Video Privacy Protection Act -- VPPA for short -- a law that was written to keep video rental records private, but which still governs parts of our digital-media world. 3. Class action catnip . The crux of the law, and of the lawsuits that followed, is something called a "private right of action" and a tidy penalty for violating it. The VPPA allows individuals whose viewing history was shared to sue for $2,500 a pop. That's litigation catnip for class-action attorneys, who make a living collecting large groups of allegedly wronged people with something to gain from saying so. It was a clever way for lawmakers to ensure that people would abide by the law. (Now you really want to see those Congress-folks' lists, right?) 4. Goodbye, Beacon . The VPPA was the law that was used to shut down Facebook's controversial "Beacon" program in 2009. Beacon was a feature that powered messages in your news feed about your activities on other websites, a la "Sean just bought a diamond ring on Overstock.com!" Too bad it was an engagement ring, and Facebook spoiled the secret. Facebook relented after a class-action lawsuit involving exactly that kind of story -- a Facebook-foiled marriage proposal. The site first provided a way to opt out and eventually shut Beacon down altogether and coughed up a $9.5 million settlement. Beacon became a target because among the activities being shared was video viewing (in addition to diamond buying and lots of other things). More recent VPPA suits involve Netflix, Best Buy and Redbox. 5. Enter Netflix . Since then, as social networks have exploded in popularity and social media sharing has become de rigueur, just about any of us could flip open Facebook and see a stream of all the music our friends are listening to right this second. But because of the VPPA, you couldn't see the same thing for the movies they're watching. Companies like Netflix have been pushing hard to change that. Telling your friends what you're up to is, after all, the modern equivalent of word-of-mouth advertising. Netflix says its users want to be able to share which movies they're watching online with their friends, and has lobbied Congress to amend the law. This week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment to the VPPA that would allow individuals to opt in to sharing their online viewing habits. The Senate recently passed something similar, and all signs point to a change in the weeks ahead. OK -- bear with me here. We're almost to Instagram. 6. Looooong privacy policies . The amendment the House passed says explicitly that it is, indeed, possible to give your consent to share information about your video viewing via the Internet. Great. What it doesn't necessarily make clear, though, is exactly how to do that, and how a company that is sharing your information can make certain that you understand what you are agreeing to. What that means in practical terms is that most terms of use for social and digital media services are very long and exhaustive. It's in companies' best interest to tell you everything they possibly can about what you're consenting to, so they can't be penalized the way Facebook was in the Beacon debacle. 7. The Instagram revolt . Which is where Instagram comes in. The company announced Monday that it would be updating its terms of service to include new ways it could share and treat your personal information and content. Immediately, people began speculating about why Instagram might need these new disclosures, and what on earth it could be planning. Was it going to sell photos of your kids to advertisers, without even telling you about it? Yikes. Founder Kevin Systrom responded to the frenzy by saying, "We've heard loud and clear that many users are confused and upset about what the changes mean," and then tried to get more clear about what the legal documents mean. The language that most concerned users (apparently granting permission to sell images without notifying or paying the user) would be removed, he said. BONUS: What now? OK, so what does this mean for us? It looks as though the law may change, and soon enough you may be able to click a button and tell your friends what you're watching on Netflix. But it also means that terms and privacy policies for digital services may get longer and even more complicated as a result. So read those terms, folks. Especially if you think you might get tapped for the Supreme Court.

Judge Robert Bork, who died this week, has unlikely connection to digital media . After a reporter outed Bork's video-rental history, Congress made doing so illegal . That law shut down a Facebook sharing feature and helped prompt long terms-of-service . An Instagram TOS update spurred this week's user revolt .

CNN affiliates report on where job seekers are finding work across the country and how those looking for employment are coping with the situation. A census employee poses with the new handheld device field workers will use for the 2010 count. (CNN) -- The nation will take roll call in 2010 and the federal government is giving the states money to hire thousands of census workers. Officials in Colorado say they may hire as many as 8,000 workers for positions that last between 10 weeks and one year. Cathy Illian says the bureau has already hired 800 people in the Denver area. The organization will also post open positions in early April. Some jobs pay as much as $28.75 an hour. Read the story on KMGH . In Idaho, Dave Mulvihill, manager of the state's census bureau, said the organization will hire 1,200 workers. He has plenty of job searchers to choose from. "We've had applications from approximately 7,300 people across the state," he told CNN affiliate KIVI. Read the full report on census jobs . The office is holding off on taking any more applications until fall. The Alabama census bureau is preparing to hire between 1,000 and 1,500 workers. "We need workers so we can get good addresses [to] send the questionnaires out so we can get a good response," state census bureau official Darryl Lee told TV Alabama in Birmingham. Census officials point out that an accurate count of U.S. citizens helps the government figure out how much funding to give each state for federally sponsored programs. Read the ABC 33/40 story . Northeast: Rhode Island strip club holding job fair . Business is so good at the Foxy Lady in Providence, Rhode Island, that owners need to hire 25 to 30 more people. And not just dancers. Club co-owner Tom Tsoumas said he also needs managers, waitresses and other behind-the-scenes workers. Tsoumas said because of the poor economy he is expecting to be shocked by the quality of applicants on Saturday. The state's unemployment rate is 10.3 percent. Read the story at WPRI's Web site . Southeast: Beauty schools see increase in applicants looking for career change . Maria Gonzalez was a receptionist until she was laid off. Now she is training to cut hair. Gonzalez, 34, attends Bradenton Beauty and Barber Academy. "But right now with everything slowing down and being laid off, all the companies, you know, [are] not hiring at this time, so I decided to start coming to school here," she told Bay News 9 in Tampa, Florida. The CNN affiliate reports that The Florida Association of Beauty Professionals says beauty schools throughout the state are seeing a 5-15 percent increase in students. Read Bay News 9 report on beauty schools . Liz Galdamez, director of the school, said her newly enrolled students were more likely to be looking for a career change than people in their 20s. "We're seeing more people in their early 30s and 40s coming into this industry," she said . West: Man shows job hunters how to look for work on Twitter . A man who was laid off from his real estate job a year ago now organizes events that bring job seekers together while teaching them skills to use social networking tools. Edwin Duterte runs Pink Slip Mixers and has put on 10 networking events in Southern California. Recently he held his first such event in Mountain View, California. Perrine Crampton, a program manager who is out of work, was impressed with the willingness of other job seekers to help each other. "With people saying, 'Hey, I found this job; I'm not a good fit. Would you like this position?' she told CNN affiliate KGO. Watch the KGO report on the mixer . "That kind of thing is going on now. That is something I really hold onto, because it shows me that there is good in humanity." Duterte said the Web sites Twitter and LinkedIn are a great way to build an online network of contacts. "If I get other eyes to look for you maybe you'll find a job faster than if you just look for yourself." West: Navy hiring 1,000 civilians . The naval facility in China Lake, California, is hiring people with experience in engineering, physics, chemistry and other sciences. Employees will work with explosives and other weapons systems. "Let's say you're fresh out of college -- the average salary is somewhere around $50,000 a year," division commander Capt. Mark Storch told KABC of Los Angeles. "Very experienced people that might be looking for a job, too, we need them as well, and those jobs would be more like $100,000." Watch the report from KABC . The Navy is also hiring machinists and clerical workers. "We're looking to bring on about a thousand people here," said Scott O'Neil, executive director of the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division. Midwest: Agency ready to loan money to small businesses . The Small Business Administration in Oklahoma is encouraging businesses to apply for loans backed by the federal government. The agency told KWTV in Oklahoma City that more than 40 banks were committed to the loan program. "It'll loosen up the credit crunch," said Fred Munden, lead business development specialist at the Small Business Administration. "I think that the 90 percent guarantee, personally, was a good idea to help small business." Read the KWTV report on how businesses can get money . One bakery owner said it will keep her in business and possibly give her a chance to hire more employees. "It will give us some operating capital," said Cherry Duran of Sweet Cherry's. "Right now, I don't have operating capital. As we get money in, we're spending it."

Census bureaus are hiring hundreds of workers in each state . Strip club in Rhode Island needs more dancers, other workers . California man advising people on using Twitter to get job leads . The Navy needs rocket scientists and other types of workers at one of its centers .

Washington (CNN) -- A State Department employee who resigned last month in protest over America's war in Afghanistan said Friday he has received an outpouring of support from Afghan-Americans and U.S. active-duty military. "I've had a lot of Afghan-Americans contact me and say, 'Matt, you get it,' " Matthew Hoh told CNN. "You understand -- yes, there is a civil war going on. You understand how Afghan society works. You understand this split within the Pashtuns. You understand valley-ism, or whatever you want to call it." The 36-year-old former Marine Corps captain resigned on September 10 over what he termed a "cavalier, politically expedient and Pollyannaish misadventure." Since then, even active-duty military have supported his decision, he said on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS," scheduled to air at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on CNN. "I have received many many e-mails from active-duty military and some guys who just separated from the service," Hoh said. "Some guys are here in the States. I've gotten many e-mails from guys in Afghanistan. Some are people I know. But a lot are people I do not know. Men and women who are saying, 'Thanks for doing this. Keep it up. We don't know why we're here. We're not sure why we're taking these casualties. We don't know what it's accomplishing.'" In his letter, the senior civilian representative in Zabul Province, Afghanistan, said he was resigning because "I fail to see the value or worth in continued U.S. casualties or expenditures of resources in support of the Afghan government in what is, truly, a 35-year-old civil war." He concluded the letter by saying that he had "lost confidence" that the "dead have sacrificed for a purpose worthy of futures lost, love vanished and promised dreams unkept." "I believe that the people we are fighting there are fighting us because we are occupying them," Hoh told CNN earlier this week. "Not for any ideological reasons, not because of any links to al Qaeda, not because of any fundamental hatred towards the West. The only reason they're fighting us is because we're occupying them." After Hoh submitted his resignation, Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration's special representative in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, made a plea for Hoh to change his mind. Hoh refused. "The offer was to join his staff and be put in a position where I could continue to write and try to influence policymakers from within the administration," Hoh said Friday. "Two things: One, if I believed in the mission, if I believed it was worth our guys dying for, if I believed that 60,000 troops in Afghanistan would defeat al Qaeda somehow -- which it won't -- I would have stayed in Zabul Province," he said. "However, the other part of it, too, was that I realized that the administration was going to make its decision shortly and then I would be stuck. And if I don't believe in it, if I don't believe this cause is right, if I don't believe it's justified, then there's no reason to take that position." CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen disagreed with Hoh's assessment of Afghanistan. "It's not that our presence there is causing the problem," he said. "Quite the reverse: It is that we are not doing what we said were going to do, which is bringing a measure of security and a measure of prosperity." But Afghanistan's lack of infrastructure and "human capital" make it an especially difficult mission, said Hoh, who served two tours in Iraq as a Marine. "In Iraq, even though it was stuck in the '80s, it had infrastructure, it had human capital," he said. "It had doctors and lawyers and educators. And they had an established system of government, they had an infrastructure we could build on. Afghanistan has none of that." In his letter, Hoh -- who signed on in March for a yearlong, noncareer position with the State Department -- said the cost of a war with no end in sight and no clear mission was too much to bear. "I do not believe any military force has ever been tasked with such a complex, opaque and Sisyphean mission as the U.S. military has received in Afghanistan," Hoh wrote. News of Hoh's resignation came as the administration continues to deliberate whether to change course in an eight-year conflict once dubbed a "war of necessity" by President Obama. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, reportedly has submitted a request for as many as 40,000 additional troops. McChrystal's request is being weighed against a backdrop of spiraling U.S. military fatalities. There have been 58 American military fatalities in October, making it the deadliest month for U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan since the war began in October 2001. More troops is not the way to go, Hoh said Friday. "Increasing troops is only going to fuel insurgency. We need to stop our combat operations in areas where we are fighting people only because they are fighting us. Otherwise, it's going to be 2013, we're going to look back four years and we're going to say, "What did we accomplish? What did we get? What was this worth? What did we get out of this?" State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the administration respects Hoh's decision. "We take his opinions very seriously," Kelly said. "Senior officials on the ground in Afghanistan and here in Washington have talked to him, have heard him out. We respect ... his right to dissent."

Matthew Hoh says Afghan-Americans, active-duty military members have shown support . Hoh resigned after saying he didn't believe in the war, which was essentially a civil war . Hoh believes increasing troops is only going to fuel insurgency, not help the problems . Hoh says he believes insurgents are fighting U.S. because we are occupying their land .

(CNN) -- A 23-year-old man accused of killing four people during a New York stabbing and carjacking spree was indicted Friday, prosecutors said. Maksim Gelman has been charged with murder in the second degree, attempted murder in the second degree, robbery and assault, according to a Kings County District Attorney statement. Authorities alleged that Gelman fatally stabbed three people, hit and killed a man with a car, slashed at least five other people and carjacked two vehicles before he was wrestled to the ground early Saturday after trying to break into the cab of a subway train. If convicted, he could face life behind bars. Gelman, who is unemployed and known to authorities mostly as a graffiti artist, was arrested about 9 a.m. Saturday, about 28 hours after he is alleged to have begun the spree spanning three New York boroughs, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Saturday. "It's so horrendous and bizarre," Kelly told reporters Saturday. "We have no reason that we can give you as to why he did this." Police believe Gelman got into a dispute with his mother at her Brooklyn home about 5 a.m. Friday after she refused to let him take her 2004 Lexus. The suspect's stepfather, Aleksandr Kuznetsov, intervened and was stabbed 11 times, they said. Kuznetsov, 54, died, while Gelman's mother -- who survived unscathed -- alerted authorities. Investigators believe Gelman then took the Lexus, drove about a mile away to the home of his ex-girlfriend and stabbed her mother, 56-year-old Anna Bulchenko, 11 times, at about 10:30 a.m. Gelman's former girlfriend found her mother dead on the floor when she returned home at about 4:15 p.m., police said. She called police. But in the short period before they arrived, authorities believe Gelman -- who presumably was still in the apartment -- allegedly attacked the former girlfriend, Yelena Bulchenko, 20, with a knife. He chased her into the street and killed her, also slashing the jacket sleeve of a passerby trying to stop him, authorities said. He then left the scene in the Lexus and rear-ended another car, a Pontiac Bonneville, allegedly stabbing its 60-year-old driver three times in the shoulder and neck in a confrontation and then leaving the scene in that car, police said. Authorities said they later found four kitchen knives in the Lexus. About 4:25 p.m., the Pontiac allegedly struck a pedestrian about two miles away, Kelly said. Steve Tannenbaum, 60, died of his injuries. Police believe the suspect eventually abandoned the Pontiac, which was later found near a Brooklyn railroad line he was known to frequent as a graffiti artist. Shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, Gelman allegedly got into a cab in Brooklyn and stabbed the driver. As of Saturday, that driver was in stable condition. Kelly said Gelman then got out of the car and confronted a couple, allegedly stabbing a man in the hands and taking his car keys. That man was treated and released at a hospital, Kelly said. The car, a Nissan, was later found in Queens. Shelton Pottinger told reporters he was that victim. "He looked crazy," he said of the man who stabbed him. "He looked like a crazy guy." He said the man pulled a knife and a gun and told him to get out of the car or he would kill him. "I was shocked," he said. "I didn't know what to do." But he said he decided to fight, and moved over into the passenger seat. "I was trying to kick him to get him out." But he said the man forced his way in and hit the gas. Pottinger said he was holding on to the man's hands as he tried to stab him. Police received a tip Saturday morning that the suspect might have been riding a southbound subway train in Manhattan. A woman approached police at a subway stop and said Gelman knocked a newspaper featuring his picture from her hands and said to her, "Do you believe what they're writing about me?" before crossing the tracks and jumping onto a train. The man stabbed a seated passenger -- 40-year-old Joseph Lozito, who said he didn't know the suspect or about the alleged stabbing spree until he landed in the hospital -- during his time onboard. Gelman allegedly told Lozito, "You're going to die" before attacking him with the knife from above. "Eventually, the man worked his way to the front cab of the train. The commissioner said the suspect pounded on the cab's door, yelling "Police," apparently trying to get in by claiming he was a police officer. He did not appear to know two transit police officers, later identified as Terrance Howell and Tamara Taylor, were inside the cab with the train's operator. Soon after, the officers, with aid from off-duty New York police Detective Marcelo Razzo and an unnamed civilian nearby, wrestled Gelman to the ground, police said. No one was hurt in that scuffle, during which a knife fell to the ground. Police also found Gelman had another, smaller, knife when they detained him. He also had what Kelly described as a "significant amount of money." Kelly said the suspect was mostly "incoherent" after being arrested, making a statement that "she had to die." The commissioner said he did not know who "she" referred to. Kelly said Gelman had 10 previous arrests, mostly for drug charges and graffiti, plus one robbery charge. His most recent arrest was January 26, when he was accused of possessing crack cocaine. For roughly the past seven years, Gelman has been a naturalized U.S. citizen. He arrived in this country with his father and mother in 1992 from his native Ukraine.

Maksim Gelman was indicted on murder, robbery and assault charges . Gelman is accused of killing four people . If convicted, he could face life behind bars .

(CNN) -- Iraqis in Diyala province sarcastically call it "the whale." A new report says a half-built prison in Khan Bani Saad, Iraq, will probably never be used. The "skeletal, half-built" shell of a maximum-security prison in Khan Bani Saad "will probably never house an inmate" even though the United States spent $40 million on the now-halted $73 million project. Marred by "poor security and weak subcontractor performance," the project is among several examples of Iraqi rebuilding problems cited in a just-published history by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. Titled "Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience," the report says the massive reconstruction initiative was marked by waste and failures caused by "blinkered and disjointed" pre-war planning -- and was pursued amid deteriorating security. "Why was an extensive rebuilding plan carried out in a gravely unstable security environment? asked Stuart W. Bowen Jr., the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, whose oversight jurisdiction covers $50 billion in U.S. funds appropriated by Congress for Iraq. "This question underscores an overarching hard lesson from Iraq: Beware of pursuing large-scale reconstruction programs while significant conflict continues." The report, released Monday, comes at a much less violent stage of the Iraqi conflict. The peaceful provincial elections across the nation Saturday reflected strides in political reconciliation and improvements in the performance of Iraqi security forces. But American commanders continually warn that the security gains are fragile and could be undermined by insurgents. The report says the U.S. government "had neither the established structure nor the necessary resources to carry out the reconstruction mission it took on in mid-2003." It weaves interviews, facts and vignettes detailing the use of a "sea of taxpayer dollars" from mid-2002 through autumn 2008. "Hard Lessons" also looks to the future. It stresses the importance of developing "an agreed-upon doctrine and structure" for reconstruction "so that the United States is ready when it next must intervene in a failed or failing state." The first of several principles mentioned for such operations: "Security is necessary for large-scale reconstruction to succeed." After U.S. forces toppled the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003, it was "unprepared and ill-equipped to deal with what came next: a 'post-conflict' environment torn by violence, looters, criminals, a nascent insurgency; a governmental system in a state of complete collapse; and an economy that had slipped into idle and then switched off." The raging Iraqi insurgency, crime and sectarian fighting "informed and complicated every decision" in funding such tasks as infrastructure building, security force development, job creation, economic reform and governance. "The U.S. reconstruction management structure was overwhelmed by the challenges of building in a war zone," the report said. The program was marked by frequent changes in reconstruction strategy, "turbulence" caused by personnel turnover and "poor integration" of work by various U.S. government agencies. This was the result of "weak unity of command and inconsistent unity of effort." A lack of "interagency debate" took its toll when the U.S.-led Coalition Provincial Authority administered Iraq from May 2003 to June 2004. The report cites the agency's "momentous orders" of disbanding Iraq's military and removing members of Saddam's ruling Baath party from top government positions, a process called de-Baathification. "Had these issues been fully discussed by the war Cabinet and within the CPA, the United States might have acted differently. Instead, the U.S. rebuilding program was left to deal with the instant loss of many of the Iraqi technocrats it would later need. "It also had to build entirely new Iraqi security forces, a task that would ultimately consume more than half of all U.S.-appropriated reconstruction dollars," the report said. Through "trial and error," the reconstruction program matured under successive U.S. ambassadors to Iraq John Negroponte, Zalmay Khalilzad and Ryan Crocker, and the U.S.-led "surge" and its "complementary civilian effort" led to a "new era" -- security strides and "a more secure reconstruction environment." And reconstruction became "more Iraqi-driven and Iraqi-funded" than it had been in 2003. Although there has been progress, "the United States still struggled in late 2008 to make Iraq's reconstruction a success." The program generally met its goals in developing the Iraqi security forces, but did not do so "on the infrastructure front," the report concluded. Electricity and oil output are lower than the goals set five years ago by the CPA. "Successful project completions in the key water and health sectors fell far short of hopes," the report said. There were "egregious examples of fraud," but the amounts represented a small percentage of the overall reconstruction efforts, and the number of those "involved was relatively low." However, the waste "grossly overburdened" the program. "The overuse of cost-plus contracts, high contractor overhead expenses, excessive contractor award fees, and unacceptable program and project delays all contributed to a significant waste of taxpayers' dollars," the report said. The report gives examples of waste, including the Khan Bani Saad prison project, which it describes as "perhaps the single greatest project failure in the U.S. reconstruction program." Bowen, who has been special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction since October 2004, previously served as the CPA's inspector general. He has had a longtime association with former President George W. Bush, serving in several capacities under his presidency, the Bush-Cheney transition team and Texas governorship.

New report cites failures in massive Iraq reconstruction initiative . Shortcomings largely caused by waste and poor pre-war planning, report says . Report says violence in country posed huge barrier to reconstruction projects . U.S.-led "surge" helped usher in more successful era, report says .

(CNN) -- Ten years ago, Blair and Estelle Hunt entered the wine business with nothing more than a bare plot of land. Blair and Estelle Hunt with their wine awards. Both were approaching 60 and, while they were familiar with what made a good bottle of red, they had no idea how to make it. That didn't stop them. This year, industry experts judged their 2005 Bald Hills pinot noir the best red wine in the world. It beat 4,760 other entries to take the Champion Red award in the International Wine Challenge, the world's biggest blind tasting. And, it was the first time a vineyard outside France took Decanter magazine's top prize for best pinot noir over £10. "We were amazed," said Blair Hunt. "It's impeccable timing for a small vineyard in the face of such extensive competition." Success has come rather suddenly for Blair and Estelle. After 45 years of marriage, three children and varied careers in management, real estate and teaching, they had been looking to wind down. They sold their house in Sydney and moved to rural New Zealand to search for something to keep them occupied in later life. "I'm really wary about the word retirement," Blair says. "I don't quite understand it, although the reality is that it is our income so you could say it's our retirement." They had been considering entering the dairy industry, but as they criss-crossed the country searching for a place to settle down, the stunning landscape of Central Otago in New Zealand's South Island won them over. "Just the sheer beauty of the place led us to say right let's give it a go," says Blair Hunt. As it turns out, Bannockburn, one hour outside Queenstown, was an ideal place to grow grapes. "We knew that from research on record we had good soil types and in relative proximity we could see grapes growing. The plot was just a bare 11 hectares, or 27 acres. It had a nice slope to the north, north-west, so you've got that sun bearing down on it all of the day. Everything seemed to be lined up and, as it turns out, it has been." They planted their first vines in 1997. Back then it was a part-time job. Every weekend they'd drive up into the hills from their home in Balclutha, South Otago to tend their vines. They built a house on the site and moved there in 2001. Even then it didn't demand their full attention. Until June, Blair Hunt was working full-time as the Chief Executive of the local hospital. "Not bad for an old fella," he laughs. He is 69. Estelle, 68, shares his passion for a day's hard work washed down with a glass of fine wine each night. "Some people just are energetic and love what they're doing. That's a huge help," she says. "We're avid learners really. We used to spend a lot more time in the vineyard but as time went by we discovered that there was more and more paperwork to be done." "Blair still loves to get out and do the mowing up and down the rows and have a good look to see what's actually going on out there. From time to time we've both got out and done some picking." Blair is quick to correct the suggestion that their success is anything other than the result of hard work by a dedicated viticulturalist and his team, as well as an expert winemaker. Renowned New Zealand winemaker Grant Taylor started working with them before the first grapes were picked. He has his own label and is very selective about to whom he lends his expertise. "I have worked with many, many grape growers in 28 years of winemaking. I never try to push my thoughts on them because usually they will cost the grower money, but simply say what I think and let them make the decision," he says. "Blair and Estelle have listened, then acted. They have been fine tuning their viticulture, I have been fine tuning the winemaking, and the vines have been getting older and doing their job better. But underneath it all is a shared philosophy, which is to do everything in the vineyard and winemaking to make the best wine possible. There are no shortcuts aimed at saving money." Pinot noir grapes are notoriously difficult to nurture. They're thin-skinned, susceptible to rot and are really only successfully grown in three locations: Burgundy in France, Oregon in the U.S., and New Zealand's Central Otago region. There, growers go to great lengths to ward off winter frosts in the cold mountain ranges. Some fly helicopters low over the vines to stir up the icy air. At Bald Hills, there are two wind-machines on standby if the temperature starts to plummet. The rest of the season, the vines are pruned and tended by hand, the grapes individually picked. Strangely, the vineyard's "spare no expense" philosophy hasn't produced a hideously expensive wine. Visitors to the cellar door can buy a bottle for 38 New Zealand dollars, or less than U.S.$30. And, despite the scarcity of the product -- there are only 100 "uncommitted" cases left -- the Hunts have not put up the price -- yet. "We're contemplating that, and the consequences of doing that in the longer term. At the end of the day you're talking about long term viability and sustainability rather than short-term gains," Blair says. This couple, although approaching 70, is in it for the long haul. The judges called their 2005 pinot noir well integrated, harmonious and impeccably balanced. The same might be said about them. E-mail to a friend .

Blair and Estelle Hunt own the Bald Hills vineyard in New Zealand . The couple started making wine without any previous experience . Their 2005 pinot noir has been judged the best wine in the world this year .

(CNN) -- A recent cell phone video of two Philadelphia police officers during a stop-and-frisk has caught the attention of online viewers and the American Civil Liberties Union -- and the police department itself, which says it its investigating. The over-16-minute long YouTube video dated September 27 depicts two male Philadelphia police officers confronting two unidentified pedestrians, one of whom recorded the incident on his cell phone. It is unclear who posted the video online, but police have not challenged its authenticity. Despite the lengthy and often caustic questioning of the men, they are allowed to walk away by the officers. The video begins with a police vehicle slowing down as one officer is heard saying, "Yo, my man," before the vehicle comes to a complete stop. "How you doing sir?" one of the pedestrians replies, as the officer in the passenger seat of the vehicle opens his car door and steps out on to the street. After inquiring whether the pedestrians have identification or live in the area, the second officer exits the vehicle and joins them on the sidewalk. One pedestrian asks, "What seems to be the problem?" as the other says he is on his way to work. The officers then begin questioning why the pedestrians said "hi" to a third, unseen individual on the street before the video begins. "You don't say 'hi' to strangers," one officer remarks. After one pedestrian disagrees with this, both officers immediately restrain his arms and push him up against the police vehicle. The pedestrian recording the confrontation on his cell phone attempts to walk away from the scene but is stopped by an officer who tells him to put his phone away because he is "under investigation." The phone is placed down on the ground facing the sky and continues to record audio. "Investigation of what? I was walking," the pedestrian argues, prompting the officer to reply, "That's not what I saw," later threatening, "If you keep running your mouth I'll split your wig open." After examining the pedestrian's ID, the officer interrogates him on his legal past. The pedestrian admits to being arrested once for fighting. "That's it?" the officer responds sounding surprised. The officer begins asking questions about the pedestrian's cell phone and whether or not he is being recorded, taking the phone and turning it around to face the ground, the audio continues to record but the image is constricted. "Are you accusing me of robbing somebody?" the pedestrian asks. "I didn't accuse you of anything can you hear?," the officer shouts, "We could've got a call, that somebody wearing the clothes that you're wearing just robbed somebody, that's why we stopped you. Is that wrong of us?" The officer then yells to the other pedestrian who was last seen being pushed up against the police car a few feet away, "Why don't you shut up?" "Everybody thinks they're a (expletive) lawyer and they don't know jack (expletive)," the officer continues to yell. After next accusing the two pedestrians of jaywalking, the officers can be heard returning the pedestrians' belongings and allowing them to leave. The video ends after this. The video is titled "Police unlawful harassment and racial profiling," but the race of the men who were stopped was not specified in the video. According to Mary Catherine Roper, a senior staff attorney for the ACLU in Pennsylvania, there is no investigative purpose for humiliation and verbal abuse in such a situation, even if this particular stop was for an adequate reason. "You do not call people trash, you do not call them a burden on society, you don't threaten to split their wig. It went way beyond what a stop is supposed to be," Roper said, making references to remarks by the officers during the stop. Philadelphia Police Department's Internal Affairs is conducting an investigation into the officers' actions as seen in the video, according to public affairs spokesman Lt. John Stanford. "The Department takes this very serious and we don't tolerate unprofessional or distasteful behavior by any member of this department," Stanford said in a statement this week. Police will not release the two men's identities or the names of the two male officers who stopped them, according to public affairs spokesperson Officer Jillian Russell. While it's unclear whether the pedestrian who recorded the video is also the person posting it online, that's not significant to the investigation, Russell said. This is not the first time Philadelphia police practices have been under scrutiny. In 2010, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Philadelphia Police Department for stopping pedestrians without reasonable suspicion. Rather than litigating, the city chose to negotiate and in June 2011 it consented to a "mirror monitoring program," in which prosecutors reviews police-stop material from a random, selection of records collected quarterly, Roper said. Since reviewing the stop material, Roper found that 45% of pedestrian stops do not have a legally adequate reason. Roper said examples of an inadequate reason are "loitering" or "acting suspiciously." "My favorite one was a man who was carrying a chair," she said. "(The police) assumed he had stolen it." While Roper has seen a decrease in the number of stops since she started reviewing the city's police stop material, that doesn't indicate whether the stops are being conducted lawfully, she said. In fact, it might mean for the department to retrain officers on not just when it's appropriate to stop pedestrians but also how to appropriately conduct a stop, which the ACLU may decide to request, she said. Roper said she strongly believes police officers want to do the right job when the department's expectations are made clear to them, but an "ingrained police practice" will not be a quick fix. "An attitude is far more difficult to change," she said.

Two Philadelphia police officers stop two men on a city street . Over 16 minutes, they question and challenge the men -- who are eventually allowed to walk . A recording of the incident is captured on a cell phone and posted online . The ACLU says training needs work, the department says it is investigating the incident .

(CNN) -- If you love movies there is a different, and perhaps pleasingly preferable, way to spend Sunday evening other than watching the Academy Awards presentation. This will involve answering a three-part movie question. More on that in a moment. It has always been a little puzzling: why people reflexively flock to their television sets for awards programs, the Academy Awards being the oldest and most prominent. Why spend long hours watching people giving other people prizes? If you liked some of the movies that came out last year, that's fine and good -- but if you bought a pair of shoes that you liked last year, would you spend a Sunday evening in the only life you'll ever lead observing shoe manufacturers presenting awards to each other? A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week reported that 67% of Americans haven't seen any -- not even one -- of the movies nominated for Best Picture at this year's Oscars. That would seem to indicate a certain indifference, yet millions of people will be sitting in front of their TV sets Sunday. There is an alternate, and arguably more fulfilling, way for film lovers to affirm their appreciation for the magic of movies on Academy Awards night. From the time the multitude of pre-Oscars specials and red carpet coverage begins on various television channels late Sunday afternoon to the time the last of the post-Oscars analysis goes off the air, enough hours will pass for you to watch three feature films. We are in the golden age of being able to see, at home, the most outstanding movies ever made from every era of film history. It used to be, if you wanted to watch any movie other than what was currently in theaters, you were pretty much at the mercy of the over-the-air broadcast networks or of local stations that sometimes ran old movies very late at night. But today, with Netflix, with Amazon Prime, with various streaming services, with YouTube, with iTunes, with classic-movie channels such as TCM, with DVRs, with tablets, you have an unprecedented opportunity to all-but-effortlessly program your own home theater with wonderful movies from every era of cinema. The variety is breathtaking and endless. Sometimes we take that for granted. Roger Ebert, before he became a television presence and was still a young newspaper movie critic, used to urge his colleagues at the paper to accompany him to a seen-better-days theater in Chicago called the Clark. It was operated by a fellow named Bruce Trinz, who revered movies and who, every day of the year, would book a different double feature of classic, long-out-of-general-release films. At the beginning of every month he would mail out a leaflet with a calendar of each day's movies (he would describe them in rhyming couplets). He selected and showed 730 movies a year; the Clark was open 22 hours a day. It was a rare chance to immerse yourself in the best of movies from down through the generations. The Clark Theater is long gone, but today each person has far more movie-programming choices than the Clark ever offered. You are able to routinely stumble across movies that haven't seen the inside of a theater in years, but that can jolt you with their moments of brilliance and insight into the human condition and the mysteries of the yearning heart. Or you can just sit back and enjoy the talent and artistry in front of you; each motion picture, by its nature, offers its own enchantments, and the fact that people today can so easily make individual choices about what to see democratizes the viewing experience in a way that simply was not possible until recent decades. Years ago, when the idea of such choices sounded like a fantasy, I asked people to hypothetically consider what would happen if they were stranded on a desert island for the rest of their lives with only a movie projector and five films. What movies could they stand to watch over and over, with nothing else to keep them company? But now the options for people deciding on their own what to view are real, and, just as significant, they're infinite. So, as the Academy Awards ceremonies approach, here is a cordial invitation: . Name the three movies that, for you, would make the perfect triple feature to watch tonight. Movies that you've seen during your lifetime that have meant the most to you. Your choices don't necessarily have to be your nomination for the three greatest or most important or influential movies ever made (although they certainly could be). Just three movies that, tonight, you think would do for you the thing that movies have always done best: bring pleasure and entertainment, provoke thoughts, provide inspiration or laughter or comfort or tears. In other words: three movies to watch back-to-back-to-back tonight that will serve, better than the Academy Awards, to remind you of why you started to love movies in the first place. If you'd like, feel free to include the reasons why: What is it about your three movies that make them feel absolutely right to you? My own triple feature for tonight? I think I'll go with "High Noon," the 1952 Western starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly, about the power of quiet courage when it seems there's no one in the world willing to help; "Hoosiers," the 1986 movie starring Gene Hackman, about a basketball team in small-town Indiana that triumphs over every obstacle; and "That Thing You Do!", the deliriously joyful 1996 movie written and directed by Tom Hanks, about a one-hit-wonder rock band from Erie, Pennsylvania, that briefly, in 1964, makes it to the top of the charts. Your three movies will be different. But if you decide to spend Academy Awards night watching them, by the end of the evening you will be the one who feels rewarded. And you won't even have to stand up and thank your agent. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene.

Bob Greene: Why spend long hours watching people giving other people prizes? Greene: Yet millions of people will watch the Academy Awards show on Sunday night . He says instead, pick three movies that have meant the most to you for a triple feature . Greene: They will remind you of why you started to love movies in the first place .

(CNN) -- When my son was in middle school, I remember attending one of his school band concerts that wasn't very good. In fact, it sucked. At times, it sounded as if half the band was playing one song and the other half was playing something totally different. And because I don't want my son to grow up to be a loser, I told him straight out what I thought. "How was it?" he asked. "It was pretty bad," I said. "I know, right?" my son agreed, smiling. "We're not good at all." And then we both laughed until we had tears in our eyes. I don't claim to know everything about parenting, but I do know parents do their children a disservice by constantly sugarcoating their shortcomings to protect their feelings. I can't think of a more surefire way to raise a loser than not allowing a child to learn what it really takes to be a winner. Not that everything in life is a competition. But if children can't handle competition when it's necessary, or take some criticism, or never strive to be better because their parents inadvertently programmed them to believe they are already the best even when they're not, then they are in for some serious shocks and bumps down the road. That's the part of the discussion that's missing from all the chatter about David McCullough Jr.'s controversial "You Are Not Special" commencement speech. He didn't call the Wellesley High School Class of 2012 a bunch of lowlifes who won't amount to anything. Rather, he was adjusting their lenses so that they could see the world they were about to enter more clearly. "Across the country no fewer than 3.2 million seniors are graduating about now from more than 37,000 high schools," McCullough said. "That's 37,000 valedictorians... 37,000 class presidents... 92,000 harmonizing altos... 340,000 swaggering jocks ... 2,185,967 pairs of Uggs. But why limit ourselves to high school? After all, you're leaving it. So think about this: Even if you're one in a million, on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you." One man's "ouch" is another man's "right on brother," and you can count me among the latter. My son is special ... to me. He is special to his mother, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends. But he is not special to everyone, and he is not great at everything. None of us are. If the students at Wellesley didn't know this before their last moments of high school, I am glad McCullough was there to help them out before life taught them that lesson in less forgiving ways. Some folks have faulted McCullough, an English teacher at Wellesley, for his tough words. Sure, the job of high school teachers is not to tear down students' self-esteem. But it's certainly not to inflate students' sense of self-worth with a bunch of unearned compliments and half-truths. There is a middle ground where "how things are" and "how things can be" meets. It is at this middle point where growth happens. But if parents, teachers and the other adults in a child's life never acknowledge "how things are" -- no matter how good the intention may be -- then they are denying that child an opportunity to mature, to develop a strong sense of self-confidence that can only be earned by recognizing shortcomings and dealing with disappointments and failures. "And I hope you caught me when I said 'one of the best,' " McCullough said. "I said 'one of the best' so we can feel better about ourselves, so we can bask in a little easy distinction, however vague and unverifiable, and count ourselves among the elite, whoever they might be, and enjoy a perceived leg up on the perceived competition. But the phrase defies logic. By definition there can be only one best. You're it or you're not." Which is why McCullough also talked about the importance of pursuing passions for the sake of passions, rather than seeking accolades or striking off items from an arbitrary checklist. Accolades and lists may tell us about accomplishments, but life is meant to be experienced, not just accomplished. It's like the difference between reading books for the sake of reading and reading books just to get a good grade. Tell me, once you're done with school, are you then supposed to be done with reading books? I sure hope not. McCullough's point was that students should focus less on being seen as special and instead understand that living life is special in and of itself. As Rudyard Kipling so eloquently stated in his poem "If": . If you can dream -- and not make dreams your master; . If you can think -- and not make thoughts your aim; . If you can meet with triumph and disaster . And treat those two imposters just the same; . The synopsis of "You Are Not Special" may seem scathing, but I found the speech to be quite uplifting, and I shared it with my son. He has another three years to go before graduating from high school, but I always like to remind him that his family and friends think the world of him -- and for the most part, just about everyone else on this planet doesn't give a damn about him. That's not mean or cruel, good or bad, that's just the reality of life. And that's OK -- everyone is special to someone, but no one is special to all. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of LZ Granderson.

LZ Granderson found teacher's "You Are Not Special" speech to grads uplifting . Granderson: Parents do their kids a disservice by sugarcoating their shortcomings . He says if kids don't know how to deal with failure, they will not grow and mature . Granderson: Best way to raise a winner is to expose your kid to how things really are .

(CNN) -- It is the day after the tumultuous one before. Victorious captain Jose Maria Olazabal has arrived back in Europe with the Ryder Cup trophy as the continent continues to celebrate one of the greatest sporting comebacks of all time. It is a very different story across the pond as the head scratching continues. How did the United States turn what was supposed to be an emphatic victory into the 'Miracle of Medinah'? Despite an insistence from both sides they would get together over a beer at the end of the competition come what may, no U.S. players dropped into the European party, according to those who celebrated all night long. That should come as no surprise, as a party is probably the last thing any of the shell shocked Americans had on their minds as they tried to piece together a startling collapse that ended in a 14 1/2 - 13 1/2 defeat. Not that they are alone in their disbelief. Even some of the European players are still struggling to come to terms with such a decisive swing during the singles matches on Sunday in Chicago. As they head back home after overturning a 10-6 deficit to claim a fifth Ryder Cup win in the last six years, the magnitude of their achievement is yet to sink in for some of those who made it happen. Chicago resident Luke Donald, who led the charge by taking down Masters champion Bubba Watson in the opening singles match, is one of them. "I still can't quite believe that happened yesterday, what an amazing feeling being a part of one of the biggest sporting comebacks ever," he said on his official Twitter site. Ian Poulter, who won four of his matches and gained a crucial point for Europe with a late victory over U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson, echoed Donald's sentiments. "On the plane on the way back to Orlando, why does it feel like we just robbed a bank? Not sure how long it's going to take to sink in," he said on the micro-blogging site. The joy the European contingent felt was tinged with relief for world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, who nearly forfeited his match with Keegan Bradley by missing his tee-off slot. The Northern Irishman thought he was teeing off at 11.25am eastern time, but Chicago is in the central time zone and his starting berth was an hour earlier. After a frantic call from his manager he was hurried to the course in a police car, arriving 11 minutes before his match was due to begin. Had he missed the start, he'd have handed a crucial point to Bradley on a plate. "I was just lucky there was a State Trooper downstairs who could take me, get his lights on and pass all the traffic,' he told reporters. "Once we got off the highway it would have taken 10 minutes without him to get through that junction. "I've never been so worried going to a golf course. I got to the course at 11.14, so I had 11 minutes to get ready and had just enough time to put my shoes on, have a couple of putts and go to the first tee. "In a way it wasn't a bad thing because I didn't have time to think about it -- and I played probably the best I played all week." As for captain Olazabal, who channeled the spirit of the his great friend and erstwhile Ryder Cup playing partner, Seve Ballesteros, it was the crowning glory after a tough opening two days. The U.S. dominated the foursomes and fourball matches, until a late Poulter charge on Saturday evening gave rise to the impossible dream, delivered in style by his charges on Sunday. "It's going to take a little while before it completely sinks in," Olazabal was quoted as saying by the European Tour website. "It's been a very emotional week, especially when things were not going our way, but (Saturday) everything turned round for us. "We changed a couple of crucial matches around down the stretch and that gave us the chance to have this trophy back. It's completely different from playing, being a Ryder Cup captain. I think in my career it ranks number one." The mood was very different back in the States, where one sports journalist was vilified for a column on Saturday in which he said the Ryder Cup was done and dusted unless one of five things happened. One included the abduction of Keegan Bradley, who lost to McIlroy, while another was a way for Olazabal to go back in time like Marty McFly from the Back to the Future movies. Elsewhere in the press, recriminations started to fly. 'Americans produce a choke for the ages at Ryder Cup,' cried the New York Post. The Chicago Tribune went with the headline 'Epic Ryder Cup Collapse Inexcusable' and said: "Europeans forever will refer to it as the Miracle at Medinah. For the U.S., Medin-ahhhhhhhhhh!" Several European players will now head to Scotland, host of the 2014 Ryder Cup, to play in the next European Tour event, including Martin Kaymer, who holed the putt that ensured Europe would retain the trophy. Ryder Cup rookie Nicolas Colsaerts, who delivered a fourball point on Friday with an inspired performance, said he was so enraptured by the atmosphere it will difficult going back to regular Tour life. He said: "You don't come across an atmosphere like this anywhere else. It's almost like a fix -- you're going to need to play in an atmosphere like this. "I can imagine how quiet it's going to be for the guys playing in tournaments next week. It's just going to be like you're playing in your garden on your own."

Europe's players bask in the glow of a monumental comeback Ryder Cup victory . Several players involved in the fightback still struggling to take in their epic win . United States press have started the inquest over what caused their team's collapse . European hero Ian Poulter said on Twitter it feels like "we have just robbed a bank"

(CNN) -- Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il is using his claims of a successful rocket launch to shore up his political strength within his country. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright discusses North Korea on CNN's "American Morning" on Tuesday. Albright, who was secretary of state in the Clinton administration, told CNN's "American Morning" that "it was a huge mistake for the United States to stop talking to North Korea" when the Bush administration took over. The communist nation launched the rocket over the weekend in defiance of international opposition. Satellite images released Monday appear to show the rocket in flight, according to a nonprofit institution that focuses on stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. The following is a transcript of Albright's conversation with CNN's Carol Costello. Carol Costello, CNN: We do have this video from North Korea of this rocket taking off. What do you make of that? Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: Well, I think that the North Korean leadership is living in a parallel universe of acting as if the launch was a success, when tracking and everything has shown that in fact, it is a failure. And I think it proves a point, which is that the North Koreans, Kim Jong-Il is doing this for his own internal reasons -- because on Thursday, tomorrow, there will be a rubber stamp by the parliament of his leadership -- and the problems that he's generally had since he had his stroke. So this is part of their kind of Orwellian approach of saying that "This is what happened, and wasn't it a success," when we know it wasn't. Costello: The U.N. Security Council hasn't been able to come up with any sort of resolution because apparently that body is split. President Obama made a really big deal of this and said this was like a clear violation. It sort of seems like the United States is stuck, and it can't do anything about North Korea. Albright: Well, I don't think that's true, because what has happened is there have been individual condemnations by leaders of various countries. And I have to say from my own experience of the United Nations, it does take a while to get the 15 members [of the Security Council] together. But the saddest for me is the fact that the U.N. passed a resolution, 1718, which said that this was not acceptable. So the truth is that the U.N. has to live up to its own resolutions. And Ambassador Rice, I think, is working very hard up there in order to get some action, but there have been condemnations already throughout the world. And the bottom line here is that President Obama's speech, for instance, in Prague, when he talked about the importance of cooperation generally on a whole nonproliferation regime -- it's very clear that there's going to have to be a lot of work on that and that President Obama laid out a very, very important set of goals. amFIX: Your thoughts on the rocket launch . Costello: And, you know, there has been some criticism that President Obama turned to the U.N. to try to solve this crisis. I want to read you a quote from Politico. It interviewed Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House. I want to read you his quote. Newt Gingrich said, "The embarrassing repudiation of the United States appeal to the United Nations Security Council Sunday afternoon is a vivid demonstration of weakness. This is beginning to resemble the Carter administration's weakness in foreign policy." How would you respond to that? Albright: Well, I think that it's just kind of typical of Newt Gingrich, frankly. But the bottom line here is, I think the United States and President Obama has made very clear the leadership of the United States, his concern about, generally, proliferation issues. I think his trip, for instance, laid out a whole set of issues that prove that American leadership is essential, the respect that he gained for American leadership. And I think you're going to see additional ways that we all work together, because the issues that are out there that have to be dealt with require cooperation, and they will require international organizations and cooperation through NATO and a number of activities. So I'm very confident that President Obama is going to be able to prove American leadership. Costello: Well, I guess many Americans look at it this way, you know: You talk about sanctions, but sanctions have been instituted against North Korea before, and it hasn't really worked. North Korea just seems to kind of do what it wants. You've met Kim Jong-Il. I mean, what does he want? Albright: Well, what he wants is respect. And I have to say that part of the problem here is -- and as you mentioned, I met Kim Jong-Il. We were in the middle of negotiations with him. In fact, we had a missile moratorium. And President Bush came in and canceled those talks. It was confusing to everybody. And I do think that what is important now is to get the North Koreans back into the six-party talks, to make it clear to them that the only way that they are going to have respect is to abide by international regulations and to try to deal with the fact that they would be better off if, in fact, they allowed their people to be fed and an economy that functions, rather than be living in this way where poverty is rampant, and hunger, in every way in North Korea, and a leadership that is shaky. But the bottom line is, I think it was a huge mistake for the United States to stop talking to North Korea. And in the interim period, they were able to develop material in order to create nuclear weapons, and so I hope very much that the six-party talks continue. Costello: We'll see. Madam Secretary, thanks so much for joining us this morning. We appreciate it. Thank you.

Former secretary of state: U.S. made "huge mistake" stopping talks with North Korea . Madeleine Albright says North Korean leader is seeking respect internationally . Kim Jong-Il also using rocket launch for internal political reasons, Albright says . Albright says President Obama proving U.S. leadership in response to launch .

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- After battling for nearly two days with tear gas, water cannons and pepper spray, Turkish police retreated from Istanbul's central Taksim Square on Saturday afternoon, allowing tens of thousands of demonstrators to pour into the space. A peaceful sit-in on Friday against government plans to demolish a park was met with a police crackdown, igniting the biggest anti-government riots this city has seen in a decade. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded an end to the violent protests, which have also spread to the capital city of Ankara and the port city of Izmir. "The police were there yesterday, they are there today, and they will be there tomorrow. Taksim Square cannot be allowed to be a place where marginal groups can freely roam," he said in a televised speech. The clashes in Istanbul subsided Saturday afternoon, when police allowed protesters to flow into the square. The protesters pelted police vehicles with stones as they withdrew from the area. At least 79 people, including 26 members of the Turkish security forces, were injured in the clashes across the country, Interior Minister Muammer Guler told Turkey's semi-official Anadolu news agency on Saturday. Among the injured were 14 in Istanbul, including one who suffered brain trauma, the Istanbul governor's office said. Turkish authorities have detained 939 people in connection with the protests, Guler told Anadolu. In the Ankara, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters, with some chanting "Tayyip resign," as they marched on the neighborhood of Kizilay, demonstrators told CNN. "Police are everywhere, and helicopters are monitoring our movements," one protester said. "Whenever police see us march, they come and gas us. ...We were gassed, we disbursed and then gathered again." Erdogan conceded in his speech on Saturday that Turkish security forces had made excessive use of tear gas against demonstrators. "There have been errors in the actions of the security forces, especially with regard to use of pepper gas. Right now that is being investigated, researched," he said. "There is an error there, sure. When it is used excessively we are against it as well. And in fact there was such excess." Earlier Saturday crowds gathered across central Istanbul and chanted "government resign" and "shoulder to shoulder against fascism" as phalanxes of helmeted riot police responded with volleys of tear gas canisters. Lost amid the explosion of anti-government anger in the streets of Istanbul and elsewhere was the original source of the protests. Earlier this week, several dozen activists tried to stage a sit-in in Gezi Park, the last bit of green space left in Taksim Square. The demonstrators were protesting government plans to level the park and replace it with a reconstruction of a replica Ottoman-era military barracks and a shopping mall. The protests have since devolved into a demonstration against Erdogan, the most powerful, popular and polarizing leader Turkey has seen in generations. This major transport hub and commercial district has become the main battleground between angry protesters who hurled stones and bottles at riot police. In some Istanbul neighborhoods, residents banged pots and pans in protest on the street during the prime minister's speech. Erdogan's chief adviser, Ibrahim Kalin, said police have been ordered to be judicious in how they confront the demonstrators. Addressing the original complaint, Kalin said that Istanbul's mayor said he is considering a number of projects at the park, and not necessarily a shopping mall. But the scope of the protests show there is a bigger issue about freedom of speech versus accusations of authoritative government. "People are entitled to disagreement with the government, they can exercise their democratic rights, but they can do so within the context of a democratic society," Kalin said. International human rights groups Amnesty International and Greenpeace have denounced what they describe as excessive use of police force against peaceful protesters. Turkey has enjoyed an unprecedented decade of economic growth, since Erdogan's Justice and Development Party first swept to power after winning elections in 2002 on a campaign to institute pro-democratic reforms. In recent years, the Turkish government has come under fire from media watchdog groups for its prolonged detention of more journalists than any other country in the world. Turkish security forces have also made such frequent use of tear gas against opposition protesters that some critics have started referring to the prime minister as "Chemical Tayyip." But the protests this week appear to be "much more than the government and authorities expected," Erdogan Yildirim, a sociology professor at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, told CNN. He said it was unclear whether the protest movement will sustain its momentum, but it has caught the government's attention. "The reason for massive protest in Turkey is in fact trivial. (A construction in a park.) But this shows the cumulative reaction to Erdogan," wrote Mustafa Akyol, a Turkish newspaper columnist and outspoken champion of "liberal Islam." "Erdogan needs to see that the country needs more 'participatory democracy.' People want to influence decisions in public matters ... it is ultimately none other than Erdogan who cultivated this anger and who needs to calm it down. "Erdogan probably did not know thousands of people who voted for him were among those raising their voices as well," columnist Sule Kulu wrote Saturday in the English-language newspaper Today's Zaman. "If he does not return to his pro-democracy stance, this would prepare his fall in Turkish politics. Ä°stanbul, his place of birth in politics, can bring him his political death." CNN's Talia Kayali, Amir Ahmed and Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report.

Turkish authorities have arrested 939 people across Turkey, an official says . At least 79 injured in clashes across the country, the interior minister says . A police crackdown to protesters stirs riots in Istanbul . Protesters were met with tear gas and water cannon .

(CNN) -- U.S. officials say that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a fairly new arm of the umbrella terrorist organization, is behind an apparent plot to send explosive devices to U.S. destinations via cargo planes. "Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is an organization of several hundred individuals that are dispersed throughout the country," presidential counterterrorism advisor John Brennan told reporters Friday. "They are murderers and they are determined to carry out attacks on innocent lives, whether they be Yemeni, Americans, Westerners or others. ... "If anything, this just demonstrates to us and, I think to the Yemenis as well, that we need to redouble our efforts so that we're able to destroy al Qaeda, and we will." Brennan pointed to the botched attempt last Christmas to blow up a Northwest Airlines passenger jet en route from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan, on Christmas Day. U.S. and Yemeni officials have linked the attempt by man who tried to ignite explosives in his underwear to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Formed in 2009, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is a regional terrorist group known for targeting government and Western interests in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Yemeni forces, with support from their U.S. allies, have stepped up military and political pressure on the group in recent weeks, despite continued threats from its leader. A key figure in the group is Yemeni-American militant cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, whom U.S. authorities have linked to Fort Hood shooting suspect Maj. Nidal Hasan as well as the man accused in the Christmas Day bomb attempt. Brennan would not specifically name al-Awlaki as a suspect. "Anybody who's associated with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is a subject of concern," he said. "Clearly what we are doing is looking at all individuals that we think might be involved in this," Brennan said. "Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has been rather open in its venom towards the United States, towards Western interests. There are a number of individuals there that we're concerned about, so we're looking at all possibilities." A senior U.S. defense official called al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula a "sophisticated" organization. Combating the terror group has been a major focus for U.S. counterterrorism authorities, with Friday's incident underscoring the need for U.S. cooperation with Yemen, Obama said Friday. "We ... know that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula continues to plan attacks against our homeland, our citizens, and our friends and allies," said Obama. "Going forward, we will continue to strengthen our cooperation with the Yemeni government ... to destroy this al Qaeda affiliate." Brennan said he talked Friday with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh about the threat posed by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and how to address it, receiving assurances from the Yemeni leader that they'd cooperate on the investigation. These high-level talks are the latest in a series of collaborative efforts between U.S. and Yemeni officials and forces. Earlier this year, the United States approved $150 million to train and equip Yemeni forces so they could fight al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Up to 50 U.S. special operations troops are now in the Middle Eastern country training Yemen's military personnel. In addition, Yemeni and U.S. authorities have been sharing surveillance and other intelligence information culled from inside Yemen, a senior U.S. defense official said. But Yemen announced Friday via its official news agency, Saba, that the army had ended its latest campaign against AQAP without finding any elements of the terror group. "We found traces in the area of Khawaw indicating that al Qaeda elements were in this region three days ago," said Mahdi Abdul-Salam, a commander of the military campaign, adding that the extremist organization is no longer in the al-Kur mountain range in Yemen's southeast. Many of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's members previously belonged to al Qaeda in Yemen. The National Counterterrorism Center says that group carried out suicide attacks on a Yemeni oil facility in 2006 and mortar attacks two years later on the U.S. Embassy in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, Yemeni military complexes, the Italian Embassy and the Yemeni presidential compound. Later in 2008, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula detonated two car bombs outside the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, killing 19 people, including six of its own members, according to the National Counterterrorism Center. Since forming under its new name, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has been tied to a pair of suicide bombings that targeted South Korean tourists. On Monday, 15 suspected members of the group surrendered in Yemen's southern Abyan province, according to provincial Gov. Ahmed al-Maisari. The surrenders followed meetings with the governor and tribal sheikhs in the towns of Loudar and Moudeya. Earlier in the month, Qassim al-Rimi (also known as Abu Hurira al-Sanaei), the military commander of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, posted an audio recording on radical militant websites. The speaker promised that Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, would be punished "for his crimes" and announced that a new army would rid the country of "crusaders and apostates." CNN could not verify the authenticity of the recording.

NEW: Yemeni authorities call off operations to search for AQAP in mountains . A senior U.S. official says al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula "has been open in its venom" President Obama says U.S. is working with Yemen to combat this al Qaeda affiliate . The group is known for targeting Western interests in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and beyond .

(CNN) -- Ziplining through tropical rain forests, rappelling down steep waterfall cliffs and whitewater rafting satisfy the rugged outdoor cravings of Costa Rica's tourists. But after a day of wear and tear on the body, a long soak in a natural hot spring can provide much-needed relief and relaxation for adventure travelers. Visitors to Costa Rica seeking a low-key, laid-back vacation will appreciate the hot springs, too. Costa Rica's rich landscape is dotted with these pools. CNN.com explored five locations that vary in size, luxury and tranquility. Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort . This tropical eco-friendly spa places its emphasis on making the guest experience "a close encounter with nature." Tabacón's thermal hot springs are surrounded by lush gardens, with the Arenal Volcano and rain forest as a dramatic backdrop as you soak in the all-natural waters flowing throughout the property. Five springs, fueled and heated by the nearby volcano, range in temperature from 77 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Tabacón was the first public hot spring resort in the Arenal Volcano area and is accompanied by a 102-room luxury hotel for guests seeking an extended visit. In addition to the hot springs, guests can be pampered with massages, hydrotherapy, facials and a full range of indigenous treatments. Many couples have celebrated their weddings and honeymoons at this peaceful oasis -- and can now share private time at the resort's new Shangri-La Gardens area, a space intended only for adults. The Springs Resort and Spa at Arenal . The Springs Resort in La Fortuna near the Arenal Volcano boasts 18 hot springs spanning four acres of lush gardens. Tucked next to the springs is the resort's five-star hotel, a 14,000-square-foot full-service spa, and a wildlife preserve with rescued jungle cats, monkeys, sloths, wild turkeys and a variety of birds. The resort provides every guest with plenty of options for finding the hot spring that best suits his or her mood and personality. Some pools have raging waterfalls, while others provide a tranquil rain-forest experience and close-up views of the volcano. Temperatures in the pools range from 83 to 103 F. Some pools are all-natural, while others are chlorinated. Day passes for guests not registered at the hotel are available for $40. These passes include entry to the hot springs and the wildlife preserve and access to four restaurants and five bars on the property. Hotel and day visitors can also reserve kayaking, horseback riding and ATV tours. Baldi Hot Springs Hotel and Spa . Located in the heart of the rain forest, this large resort boasts 25 pure water pools and takes pride in a its family-friendly atmosphere. Unique to Baldi is the resort's three large water slides, ranging from 104 to 325 feet long. The slides cater to children and adults alike. Numerous waterfalls pour into the pools, which reach temperatures up to 104 F. The temperatures in the waters increase as you walk higher up in elevation along a path to reach the various pools. The resort complex, which opened to the public in 2000 under the vision of businessman Alberto Rodriguez Baldi, is located at the foot of the Arenal Volcano and includes two restaurants, three swim-up bars, a sauna, 8 acres of colorful tropical gardens, and 32 nonsmoking rooms for overnight guests. Guests seeking total relaxation can retreat to the spa, where full-body volcanic mud wraps, massages and facials top the menu. Eco Termales Hot Springs . Eco Termales in the La Fortuna area does not accept more than 100 visitors at a time and is geared toward privacy. It's one of the smallest hot springs in the Arenal Volcano area, and many guests consider this one of its main selling points, since the crowds are small. This retreat, surrounded by lush green gardens, has been a labor of love for the Manolo Hidalgo family, which has spent years building and caring for the resort. There are seven relaxing hot spring pools, including one with a waterfall reaching temperatures up to 105 F. A restaurant serves authentic family-style Costa Rican dishes. "I like this resort because of the lack of crowds -- and feel I can really escape from the world here," said Pablo Brenes, a local resident and manager of Anywhere Costa Rica, a travel agency certified by the Costa Rica Tourism Board. Blue River Resort & Hot Springs . "Our guests say they feel as though they have stepped into paradise when they visit our resort," said Blue River Resort owner Daniel Apelboim. "We aim to make visitors feel invigorated, relaxed and pampered." Blue River Resort & Hot Springs is located on the north side of the scenic Rincon de la Vieja volcano and across from the blue volcanic river, Rio Celeste. It features four pools fed from the hot springs bubbling up nearby and is landscaped with rain-forest foliage, flowers and waterfalls. Each pool has a unique theme -- including a pool designed for children. There is also a freshwater pool with a 98-foot slide for both adults and children to enjoy. In addition to the springs, guests may want to explore the resort's botanical gardens and butterfly gardens, relax at the spa, or enjoy a cool refreshment at the tiki bar. Guests are invited to visit for a day or spend more time by checking into the resort's hotel. Rooms feature large terraces with views of the volcano and the lush green rain forest.

Costa Rica's rich landscape is dotted with hot springs where visitors can unwind . Thermal hot springs vary in size and level of luxury . Many hot springs are located in the La Fortuna area and Rincon de La Vieja .

(CNN) -- Kei Nishikori became the first Japanese male to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open since 1932 when he held on to earn a shock five-set win over sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Monday. Nishikori, ranked 26th in the world, blew a two-set lead before beating the Frenchman for the second time in his career, triumphing 2-6 6-2 6-1 3-6 6-3 in three and a half hours. The 22-year-old, who will next face world No. 4 Andy Murray, beat his previous best grand slam performance -- reaching the fourth round of the 2008 U.S. Open. He is the first Japanese male player to reach the last eight of one of the four majors since Shuzo Matsuoka at Wimbledon in 1995. "This is the first quarterfinal for me," an exhausted Nishikori, told reporters after his second successive five-set match. "I feel I'm stepping up. It was tough because he was still playing well in the fifth. I was having trouble with making returns. I started getting nervous ... But still I was playing aggressive on important points. I was making good serves. So that helped me to get the games." Nishikori beat world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the Basel semis in October before losing to Roger Federer, having learned a lesson in his thrashing by Murray in the last four in Shanghai in his preceding tournament. "He kind of destroyed me. But I have no pressure now. He's one of the players I have to play like him. I learn a lot of things from him. It's going to be tough, but I try to do my best tennis." Nishikori said he hoped he could inspire Asian men's players, as China's Li Na did for the region's women last year by reaching the Australian Open final and then winning the French Open. "It's an honor to make a lot of histories, to be the No. 1 player in Japan. But that never gives me pressure," said Nishikori, who is a graduate of the Nick Bollettieri academy in Florida which has produced many top players such as Andre Agassi, the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova.. "There's a lot of good players in Asia. But, yeah, I'm happy to get to the top from Asia, and hopefully I can be like Li Na for the men." Fourth seed Murray, the runner-up in Melbourne for the last two years, was coasting 6-1 6-1 1-0 against Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin when the world No. 92 was forced to retire with a left hip flexor injury. "I'll definitely be fresh for the next few rounds hopefully," said Murray, who has yet to win a first grand slam title despite reaching four finals. "I just need to make sure I do the right things the next couple days to get ready for the quarters." Top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic survived a spirited third-set fightback from former world No. 1 and home-crowd favorite Lleyton Hewitt to seal a 6-1 6-3 4-6 6-3 triumph in the late match. Hewitt, granted a wildcard for the tournament after a long fitness struggle has seen him dropped to 181st in the rankings, showed glimpses of the form which took him to two grand slam titles. But Djokovic -- a four-time grand slam winner including three major titles in 2011 -- eventually proved too strong and the Serbian world No. 1 eventually saw off the 30-year-old Hewitt in just under three hours in a match that went past 1 a.m. local time. "I played some loose points and got him back into the match. But credit to him as well for being competitive, for not giving up," Djokovic said. "This is something you can expect from Lleyton who is very well-known for his fighting spirit. He had the crowd, he had the big support. It got intense. Especially the start of the fourth set we had some great rallies." Fifth seed David Ferrer awaits Djokovic in the next round after the Spaniard eased to a 6-4 6-4 6-1 victory against French No. 17 Richard Gasquet. Seventh seed Tomas Berdych booked his place in the last eight with a four-set success against Spanish No. 10 Nicolas Almagro on Sunday, but the Czech was booed by the Hisense Arena crowd for refusing to shake his opponent's hand at the end of the match. It followed an incident in the fourth set where Berdych accused Almagro of purposefully aiming a volley at his face, with the ball striking him on the arm. "Whoever has played the tennis knows that the court is pretty big, and you always have some space to put the ball in," said Berdych told reporters. "And not even if you stand each other like three or four meters close to the guy, just try to hit it straight to your face, you know. I was just able and lucky to somehow fell down. "I already take it as a past, it's just one thing that what happened from the side of Nico ... So I think if they want to look at it like that, then I think maybe we both did some mistake." Berdych's last-eight opponent will be 2009 champion Rafael Nadal, the second seed who beat fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-4 6-4 6-2.

Kei Nishikori becomes first Japanese man in 80 years to reach Australian Open last eight . The 24th seed registers a shock win against French sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga . He next plays fourth seed Andy Murray, who advances as Mikhail Kukushkin retires injured . Top seed Novak Djokovic also through with win against Australia's Lleyton Hewitt .

(CNN) -- Major international hotel chains are increasingly rolling out thousands of new rooms in Africa's business hotspots, keen to expand their footprint on the continent's burgeoning economies. From Lagos and Kigali to Nairobi and Johannesburg, the world's best known hoteliers are targeting Africa's growing urban centers to benefit from a rising number of business travelers and a huge undersupply in available rooms. "There's a growing demand in those capital cities because they are the centers of business, of government and of commerce -- all of which have hospitality needs," says Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president of development for Hilton Worldwide, Europe and Africa. "We have a very bullish feel for these markets and we are very excited about the opportunity Africa presents," he adds. "I think that for the next 20 years we are going to have our hands full with opportunity." 'World woken up to Africa' Last month, the International Monetary Fund said that sub-Saharan Africa's economy is expected to expand by 5.6% in 2013 and 6.1% next year, outpacing the global average of 3.3% and 4% in accordance. Andrew McLachlan, Carlson Rezidor Vice President for Africa and Indian Ocean Islands, says it is Africa's potential to offset the sluggishness in more developed markets that's appealing to global players. "What has really happened is that post the economic crash in 2008/2009, the rest of the world has really woken up to Africa," says McLachlan. "There's been such good news coming out of Africa from a GDP growth point of view; better telecommunications; improved security; political stability; and improved airlift," he adds. "It's really become a sort of new scramble back into Africa." Read this: Drug makers eye Africa's potential . Meanwhile, international tourism arrivals in the continent grew by 6% last year to reach a record 52 million, according to data by the World Tourism Organization. And whilst both international and intra-regional travel are on the up, partly thanks to Africa's natural resources boom, a shortage of rooms is prompting hoteliers to turn their attention to a continent ignored for decades. Business travel . According to a recent survey by Lagos-based consultancy W Hospitality Group, some 40,000 new rooms in 207 hotels are planned in the continent's under-served cities, up almost one third compared to 2011. Hilton, which operates nearly 11,000 rooms in 37 properties in Africa, says it has some 5,200 rooms and 17 hotels in the pipeline across the continent. Carlson Rezidor, which recently opened a Radisson Blu in Port Harcourt, its eighth hotel in Nigeria and 49th in the continent, is targeting 12 new hotel deals this year. French group Accor, owner of the Novotel and Ibis brands, has some 5,000 rooms in the pipeline, according to the W Hospitality survey. "The vast majority of those hotels are business-oriented," explains Trevor Ward, managing director of W Hospitality. "If you look at where those hotel chains are primarily going, it's the capital cities or the major commercial cities of Africa where the business traveler is going," he adds. Yet, it's not only the brands at the higher ends of the market that are keen to tap Africa's promise. In late March, pan-African conglomerate Lonrho teamed up with Stelios Haji-Ioannou's easyGroup to open their first Africa-based low budget hotel in Johannesburg's central business district. Read this: Low-cost airline in Africa by easyJet founder . Ewan Cameron, chief executive of Lonrho Hotels, says the company plans to roll out 50 easyHotel units by 2016 in the continent's high-growth destinations to cater to the needs of African business travelers. "What's driving us is genuine trade and business in the continent," explains Cameron. "If you're going to a city center like Nairobi, we want to be where the taxi rank is; where the market is -- unlike the competition who want to be, if you like, in the beautiful parts of the city," he adds. "We will sacrifice this for economic drivers -- we want the trade and we want to be where you want to do business." 'Real challenges' Still, international hoteliers have to overcome several infrastructure and logistics obstacles in their bid to plant their flags across the continent. Cameron says hotels often have to be self-sustained, depending on satellite connectivity for fast wi-fi and generators for back up power, as well as having to provide their own clean water. "These are real challenges for us today," he says. Analysts also say that companies can face big delays during the construction process due to poor workmanship and a shortage of professional skills. Bureaucracy and corruption can often be a problem too, especially when it comes to importing materials that are not available locally. Quick returns . Yet, despite these hurdles, hotel groups remain very positive about their future in Africa as the continued rise in demand and undersupply in hotel rooms offer strong occupancy rates and high profitability margins in short periods of time. "These challenges we face, we quickly forget about them the day the hotel opens," says McLachlan. "Normally, we would say the hotel takes 1,000 days from the day it opens to stabilize but in a lot of these African markets it can take a couple of months to stabilize because of the high demand for hotels." Fitzgibbon agrees. "It's fascinating when you look at the change and opportunity on the continent and just what it represents," he says.

International hotel groups plan 40,000 rooms across Africa, according to a survey . Demand is driven by growing numbers of business travelers and lack of rooms . Hoteliers' focus is concentrated on Africa's capital cities and major commercial centers . Developers face several challenges in the form of bureaucracy, corruption and infrastructure .

Washington (CNN) -- A new political reality hits Washington next week, with the first split Congress since 2002 raising questions about whether the bipartisan cooperation of the recently concluded lame-duck session can continue. Conventional wisdom says the shift from one party controlling both chambers, as Democrats have done since 2006, to the GOP taking over the House and holding a stronger minority stake in the Senate means increased partisan impasse over the next two years. But that same conventional wisdom got turned on its head after November 2, when the electoral "shellacking" delivered to President Barack Obama and the Democrats was followed by one of the most productive post-election congressional conclusions in history. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs attributed the new bipartisanship of the post-election period to the Republican gains in the November vote. "There was a responsibility of government that I think the Republicans got in the November elections and they began to understand that responsibility a little bit more in this lame-duck session than they had in the previous, quite frankly, 18 months or so," Gibbs said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." Republicans can no longer afford to "simply sit and say no," Gibbs said, referring to the obstructive posture that GOP leaders generally struck in Obama's first two years in office. Instead, he called for Republicans to be part of a constructive conversation, at least in 2011 before the presidential campaign of 2012 really heats up. Some liberals accused Obama of giving in too easily to Republican demands on some issues, particularly in cutting a deal that extended Bush-era tax cuts to everyone after Obama had campaigned on allowing tax rates of the wealthy to return to higher levels. White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett told the NBC program "Meet the Press" that the new reality in Washington requires such compromise in order to do what's best for the American people, rather than one political party or another. The tax deal, while giving Republicans the extended cuts they wanted as well as a lower estate tax than scheduled, also provided extended jobless benefits and other tax credits sought by Obama and Democrats, Jarrett noted. "We can't ignore the realities of the membership and the makeup of Congress and the fact that we are going to need bipartisan support to get things done," Jarrett said. The tax deal was followed by congressional approval of a series of Democratic-supported measures that had been held up by Republican opposition, including a major nuclear arms treaty with Russia and the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning openly gay and lesbian service members from the military. Now, the issues only get tougher. With unemployment still close to 10 percent and the federal deficit continuing to expand, Obama and leaders of both parties say they need to find a way to both accelerate recovery from economic recession while devising long-term policies and strategies to better balance revenue and spending. A sweeping deficit reduction plan devised by a bipartisan commission appointed by Obama recommended spending cuts, tax increases, adjustments to Social Security and other proposals normally considered politically taboo. The plan won approval from a majority of the panel numbers, but lacked enough support to require a congressional vote on it. Gibbs said Obama wants to strengthen Social Security and Medicare to ensure future solvency while also addressing the growing federal deficit and one of his top priorities -- improving education in the United States. However, Republicans have made clear that cutting spending is their top priority. Incoming House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, is promising weekly votes on spending cuts, and conservative Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma warned of a national catastrophe if the deficit doesn't get reduced. "There will not be one American that will not be called to sacrifice" under the needed spending cuts to deal with the deficit, Coburn said on "FOX News Sunday." While acknowledging that "those that are more well-to-do will be called to sacrifice to a greater extent" -- a traditional Democratic stance -- Coburn said the increased spending of the past decade under both Obama and former President George W. Bush required immediate and significant cuts to show financial markets and investors here and abroad that the United States is serious about balancing its books. The tax deal means that hundreds of billions of dollars that would have been raised in higher income taxes and expired tax cuts will instead get spent in the economy, Coburn noted. "So I think there is no problem that we could cut $100 or $200 billion and start making a down payment and come to an agreement" on deficit reduction, Coburn said. "There doesn't have to be a standoff. What there has to be is real leadership and recognizing the serious nature and the urgency of our problem." He rejected criticism by fellow conservatives for supporting the deficit reduction plan of the bipartisan commission, which included increased tax revenue rejected by many on the political right. "I'm not in the Senate for the Republican Party," said Coburn, who won re-election last month for his second and what he insisted would be his final six-year term. "I'm in the Senate for America and for the future of our country. And if we are going to measure everything by Republican/Democrat, we're going to continue down this course that is going to result in our failure." Jarrett indicated Obama sought a middle road, noting he had shown his willingness to work with Republicans but also would "fight very hard" for eventually ending the lower tax rates for the wealthiest Americans. Throughout his presidency, she noted, Obama had taken necessary steps -- "some of them unpopular" -- to deal with the financial crisis he faced on taking office and now to reach the tax compromise. "What he realizes is that he had to be pragmatic, but he was being pragmatic in order to deliver for the American people," Jarrett said, later adding: "The American people expect him to lead. He is their president. He is everybody's president, regardless of party affiliation." CNN's Gabriella Schwarz contributed to this story.

Next week brings the first split Congress since 2004 . Obama advisers say the president will do what's best for the country . Republican Sen. Coburn: Catastrophe looms unless the federal deficit gets reduced .

LONDON, England (CNN) -- In sport, being the best is not just about the having the greatest players. Here are five teams that have gone from zeroes to heroes, and in the process left their mark on sporting history. 1. The European Ryder Cup team . The 1980 U.S. hockey team's 'Miracle on Ice' against the Soviet Union. Europe's Ryder Cup team has become renowned for upsetting the form book, frequently triumphing against higher ranked American opposition. Since European players were first allowed to join the British and Irish team for the famous golf tournament (to improve the level of competition) in 1979, the U.S. has won six times; Europe seven; and the teams have tied once. The slight edge enjoyed by Europe, however, belies the lowly status of their players in world golf. For the last tournament two years ago in Ireland, for example, the Americans boasted 68.4 world-ranking points and the top three players, including world number one, Tiger Woods. Compare this with just 47.8 ranking points for the Europeans. Even so Europe went on to achieve a record third consecutive win. The key to this success has been the camaraderie and teamwork exhibited by the Europeans. Their players have consistently rallied around their position as underdog, managing to achieve a level of togetherness made all the more surprising since the team is made up of a collection of nationalities that are better known for falling out with each other. 2. The 1980 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team . A famous victory against a seemingly invincible Soviet Union side propelled this team of college players and amateurs to the level of national heroes. Although the U.S. team went on to win the gold medal by defeating Finland at the Winter Olympics, it was the earlier match against the Soviets that captured the popular imagination. Classed as amateurs, the Soviet players were essentially professional, and were provided with different job titles by the communist government to allow them to compete. Many of their players were considered legends of world ice hockey at the time. The U.S. team coached by Herb Brooks was, by contrast, genuinely amateur and came into the tournament in Lake Placid, New York, as rank outsiders. Their youthfulness and tenacity combined with patriotic home support saw them upset predictions, defeating the Soviets 4-3 in a match that became known as the "Miracle on Ice." The win over their Cold War enemies seized the imagination of the U.S. public -- it inspired two films and was voted the greatest sporting moment of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated. Dave Ogrean, former executive director of USA Hockey, called the victory "the most transcending moment in the history of our sport in this country." 3. The 'Crazy Gang' defeat Liverpool in the FA Cup . Nobody expected lowly Wimbledon Football Club to do anything other than turn up when they played Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium. Dubbed the 'Crazy Gang' by British media because of the eccentric antics of their players and staff, who included future film actor Vinnie Jones, the team was outclassed on every front. At the time Liverpool were the dominant force in English football, having won the league title that year for the seventh time in a decade. Managed by former player Kenny Dalglish and boasting a host of stars, the team was expected to cruise past Wimbledon, who had little resources and were considered something of a joke. Under the chairmanship of Lebanese businessman Samir "Sam" Hammam, Wimbledon earned a reputation for bizarre behaviour, with players setting fire to new signings football kits, and Hammam once offering to buy a camel for the team's striker if he scored 20 goals in a season. The practical jokes helped to foster an extraordinarily strong team spirit, however, which saw them topple Liverpool 1-0, with Wimbledon captain Dave Beasant the hero of the hour after he saved a penalty. 4. Joe's Jets win the Superbowl . When the New York Jets took on the Baltimore Colts in the 1969 Superbowl, it was the team from Baltimore that was strong favorites. The Colts had stormed the National Football League (NFL) championship, considered at the time a much stronger competition than the American Football League (AFL), headed that year by the Jets. This news, however, seemed to have escaped Joe Namath, the Jets' charismatic quarterback, who gave a "guarantee" a few days earlier at a news conference in Miami -- where the Superbowl was being staged -- that his team would win. True to his predictions, the Jets came out on top with Namath taking all the plaudits (Sports Illustrated described him as a "folk hero of the new generation") after a blistering performance that saw his team triumph 16-7. 5. The Magical Magyars . The legendary Hungarian national football team of the 1950s is still considered one of the greatest teams in the history of sport. Although many of its players -- most notably striker Ferenc Puskas, who eventually moved to Real Madrid -- went on to play in the West, during its heyday the majority of the team was drawn from the Honved club in Budapest. The Magyars remained unbeaten for an unprecedented 33 consecutive matches (a record that still stands today) finally losing out in the 1954 World Cup Final to Germany. This golden age of Hungarian football was brought to an abrupt end in 1956 by the events of the Hungarian Revolution. Puskas and some of his team mates opted to defect to Western Europe, and never played for their country again.

Europe's Ryder Cup team has often beaten the U.S. despite lower profile players . America's ice hockey win against the Soviets is known as the "Miracle on Ice" Wimbledon's defeat of Liverpool in the FA Cup was considered a major upset . New York Jets Superbowl win in 1969 was inspired by quarterback Joe Namath .

Washington (CNN) -- Myles Eaddy stands mystified at the edge of the baseball field along the first base line at Nationals Park while the New York Mets warm up for their evening game against the Nationals. His head traces the ball into the outfield with each crack of a bat. Nationals Park is one of several Major League Baseball parks that he has visited this summer with his Little League team, the Anderson Monarchs. As a tribute to Jackie Robinson and the Negro Leagues, the inner city team traveled back in time aboard a vintage 1947 Flxible Clipper touring bus, once used by the Newark Eagles, for the ultimate road trip. The three-week, 4,000-mile journey gave the team from South Philadelphia a glimpse at what Robinson and other players went through during the barnstorming days of the Negro Leagues. R.A. Dickey and the Zen of the knuckleball . "I'll never forget this," said 10-year-old Eaddy. "It's hard to explain. It's really fun. I get to do all this stuff, meet all these people. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity." Along the cross-country trip, the Monarchs played games against local youth teams, met surviving players from the Negro Leagues and visited historic sites such as Robinson's grave site in Brooklyn, the Field of Dreams in Iowa and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Then it's back on the road in the sweltering heat on the un-air-conditioned bus with no electronic games to pass the time -- a reminder of the traveling conditions the early baseball pioneers endured. "Just like those guys did, there's a lot of card games, a lot of conversation, sitting and just staring out the window," said head coach Steve Bandura. "It's been great, they're not bored." This week, the team was in Washington, D.C., to play against another youth team in suburban Virginia. Their game attracted a special spectator: Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, the only female pitcher in the Negro Leagues. Johnson wanted to meet the Monarchs' only female player and the team's No. 1 pitcher, 11-year-old Mo'ne Davis, known for her sizzling fastball. "I'm glad to meet them, and I'm glad to meet this young lady here because she reminds me a great deal of me, years ago, long time ago," said Johnson, who played for the Indianapolis Clowns from 1953 to 1955. "It's a joy to see her out there. It makes me feel good." How church helped sign Jackie Robinson to Brooklyn Dodgers . After the game, the team visited the Lincoln Memorial and stood where Marian Anderson, the namesake of their team's rec center, performed her historic concert on Easter Sunday in 1939. Still wearing their old-school uniforms with high socks, the team huddled around Bandura for a quick refresher on why they were there. The Daughters of the American Revolution forbade Anderson, the legendary contralto singer, to perform at Constitution Hall. But First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt invited Anderson to sing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he explained. "We represent Marian Anderson," Bandura told his team. "We have the 'A' on our hat and that's what it's there for. And that's why I wanted to bring you guys here." The next day it was back to baseball, including a visit with Washington Nationals standout shortstop Ian Desmond. "This is great, you know. This is something these little guys will never forget in their lives," Desmond said while passing out batting gloves to the Monarchs. "When I was a kid I actually got to go to Cuba and the Dominican Republic, and to just experience baseball in a different way kind of makes you appreciate the hard times that people went through." Eaddy said he doesn't want the trip to end, even if things got a little hot and sticky on the road. "It's really hot. We always have to stick our heads out the window. The only time we get that much air is when we're on the highway," he said. "I would like to stay on the bus every day, that's how much history that bus has." Ballplayers served country on battlegrounds . The Monarchs have their own link to history -- their team is named for the Kansas City Monarchs, the Negro Leagues team where Robinson started, in the same city that hosted this year's All-Star game. This year marks the 65th anniversary of Robinson becoming the first African-American to play Major League Baseball. "We are the only African-American club in any of the tournaments and leagues we participate in, so Jackie Robinson has always been a role model for our kids," Bandura said. "We're getting so much love everywhere we stop, which would have been a little bit different in 1947 I'm sure, so that just shows how far we've come." The players in Bandura's program start with T-ball and then go on to play basketball, soccer and baseball together. The commitment is year-round and includes dedicated parents, a rigorous schedule against competitive teams and focus on education. "We didn't reinvent the wheel here," Bandura said. "This is what they're doing in the suburbs every day ... all kids should have the opportunity to explore and develop their talents." He said the goal is to get his players to college. The Monarchs wrapped the road series 8-4. Their last stop is Cooperstown, New York, where they'll attend the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sunday. "It's been awesome," said Scott Bandura, the team's catcher and the head coach's son. "I can't get enough of it." Rare photos of Jackie Robinson, 65 years after his major league debut .

The Anderson Monarchs are a Little League team from Philadelphia's inner city . They are touring the country to honor early African-American baseball players . Their stops include historical sites and friendly games with youth leagues . The team has also met members of the Negro Leagues .

Washington (CNN) -- President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed Tuesday to team up and tackle a checklist of economic, nuclear, security and environmental challenges. Obama welcomed the Indian leader to the White House on Tuesday in what is the first state visit of his presidency. The two men had what they called a productive sit-down meeting before briefing reporters. "I believe that the relationship between the United States and India will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century" and will reflect the "strategic dialogue" between the countries, Obama said, calling India "the world's largest multiethnic democracy" with a fast-growing economy. "We're the world's two largest democracies. We have a range of shared values and ideals. We're both entrepreneurial societies. We're both multiethnic societies. We are societies that believe in human rights and core freedoms that are enshrined in our founding documents," said Obama, who also stressed the dynamic role of the growing Indian-American community. Singh's visit comes amid his country's continued tense relationship with nuclear rival Pakistan, regional concerns over the Afghan war and the burgeoning trade relationship between the U.S. and India. It also follows a year after the deadly terror attack on the Indian city of Mumbai. Obama said he and Singh "agreed to strengthen the economic recovery and expand trade and investment" to create jobs from both nations. "Indian investment in America is creating and sustaining jobs across the United States, and the United States is India's largest trading and investment partner," Obama said. Obama said he reaffirmed his administration's commitment to implement a civil nuclear agreement with India, which Singh signed with former President George W. Bush. Both countries are attempting to put the finishing touches on the deal, which would provide for the development of Indian nuclear power for peaceful uses. Obama also supported Singh's backing for nuclear nonproliferation efforts. "I look forward to ... India's participation as a full partner in our shared vision of a world without nuclear weapons," he said. Ahead of next month's Copenhagen climate change framework meeting, Obama said he and Singh settled on a "comprehensive" agreement that would "cover all the issues under negotiation" and would build on what the president called the "progress" of his recent trip to China. Obama said he and the Indian prime minister have agreed to pursue new efforts, such as a clean energy initiative, more affordable energy, a green partnership to reduce poverty and an effort to phase out subsidies for fossil fuels. "We resolved to take significant national mitigation actions that will strengthen the world's ability to combat climate change. We agreed to stand by these commitments with full transparency, through appropriate processes, as to their implementation," he said. As for security, he and Singh decided to work closer on information-sharing to prevent the kind of militant attack that happened in Mumbai last year, and they discussed Obama's Afghan policy review, which is expected to lead to an announcement on troop levels next week. Obama said the pair agreed to widen education exchanges in science and technology and ties between universities and colleges. He said both countries want researchers to work together to reduce hunger and fight disease. Singh also touched on the same topics and invited Obama and his family to visit India, an invitation the U.S. leader accepted. Noting the global economic crisis illustrates "the fact that our prosperity is interlinked," Singh reiterated Obama's remarks on tightening trade and investment ties. "We admire the leadership that President Obama has provided to stimulate and guide the [Group of 20] process that is now fully in place," he said. He also endorsed collaboration in education, health and agriculture. "We will deepen our ongoing cooperation in frontier areas of science and technology, nuclear power and space," Singh said, also noting the two agreed on the early and "full implementation of our civil nuclear cooperation agreement." As for climate change, he said he and Obama "have agreed on the need for a substantive and comprehensive outcome which would cover mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology." Singh also brought up another issue: that the U.S.-India "strategic partnership should facilitate transfer of high technologies to India." "The lifting of U.S. export controls on high-technology exports to India will open vast opportunities for joint research and development efforts," he said. "It will enable U.S. industry to benefit from the rapid economic and technological transformation that is now under way in our country." On Afghanistan, Singh pointed out the importance of helping the war-wracked country emerge "as a modern state." "The forces of terrorism in our region pose a grave threat to the entire civilized world and have to be defeated. President Obama and I have decided to strengthen our cooperation in the area of counterterrorism." On Tuesday evening, Singh and his wife, Gursharan Kaur, will attend a state dinner in a tent on the South Lawn, with Oscar-winning singer-actress Jennifer Hudson scheduled to entertain the black-tie crowd. Singh's visit -- his second to Washington after a meeting with Bush -- will last five days. He arrived in the United States on Sunday. He attended a luncheon Monday hosted by the U.S. India Business Council and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and he addressed the Council on Foreign Relations. On Wednesday, Singh will meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates and later will attend a reception for the Indian community hosted by Meera Shankar, the Indian ambassador to the U.S. Singh on Thursday will fly to Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The 77-year-old Singh is a Cambridge- and Oxford-educated economist who was governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1982-1985 and the nation's finance minister from 1991-1996. A member of the Congress Party, he is serving a second five-year term as prime minister. CNN's Harmeet Shah Singh contributed to this report.

NEW: Afghanistan, climate change, economy, nuclear civil deal on two leaders' agenda . Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is on first state visit of Obama presidency . Singh will attend White House state dinner . President Obama accepts invitation to visit India .

(CNN) -- Complete this sentence: In the event of a loss of cabin pressure ... Air New Zealand crew members "bared all" for their preflight safety video to show they have "nothing to hide." If you guessed, "oxygen masks will drop from above," you are not alone. Because the federally mandated preflight safety announcement is about as well known as the pledge of allegiance to many travelers, they immediately tune it out. So airlines are getting creative to grab passengers' attention. According to a 2001 National Transportation Safety Board study, 69 percent of passengers who completed the survey did not watch the entire safety briefing because they had seen it before or because they considered it common knowledge. How do airlines compete with more entertaining options, like texting or leafing through Sky Mall magazine? They are employing a variety of creative techniques, from naked cabin crew members to witty cartoons. Watch videos of the creative tactics » . In late June, Air New Zealand rolled out a decidedly different approach to the preflight safety video for its domestic flights, and it doesn't leave much to the imagination. As part of its "Nothing to Hide" marketing campaign, which highlights the carrier's lack of fees compared with its so-called low-cost airline competition, the airline professionally body-painted five naked airline employees to perform the safety video with a pinch of cheeky humor, literally. "We wanted to point out we have nothing to hide, and there are no surprises," said Steve Bayliss, general manager of marketing for the Auckland-based carrier. Set to a poppy song by New Zealander Gin Wigmore, the 3½-minute video debuted with much fanfare and a warm reception, Bayliss said. "It was overwhelming, with 99.9 percent of the reaction positive," Bayliss said. "What it has done for the airline was quite amazing. It was really innovative and shows we are up to trying new things." Atlanta, Georgia-based Delta Air Lines made an attention-grabbing foray in May 2008 when it introduced a seductive flight attendant, nicknamed "Deltalina" by her fans because of her resemblance to actress Angelina Jolie, for its preflight safety video. The video has been viewed on YouTube more than 1.3 million times. But are passengers paying attention? While there is no hard data, Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliott says yes. "We know they are paying attention because they are talking about it," Elliott said. "The response from customers is overwhelmingly positive." Delta will introduce a new version of the video in 2010 when the airline's merger with Northwest Airlines is completed. As for "Deltalina," Elliott said only that she will "very likely play some role" in the new video. Companies must tailor their marketing efforts to our shrinking attention spans, said Larry Chiagouris, a professor of marketing at Pace University. Whoever delivers the most concise and compact information wins the consumer over, he said. "We are now accustomed to getting our information fast and quick; as a result, we don't have the staying power to sit and listen," Chiagouris said. Cait Poynor, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Pittsburgh, said that as people's attention spans grow more divided, they can focus on only one thing at a time, making a company's goal to attract your attention more difficult. Poynor and Stacy Wood from the University of South Carolina are researching what companies are doing to draw people's attention to information they feel they already know. "We don't pay attention because we already feel like we know everything that's being said," Poynor wrote in an e-mail to CNN. "We're unlikely to give our precious attention to that safety video." As of Tuesday, Air New Zealand's safety video had racked up more than 4.4 million views on YouTube, giving the airline priceless viral buzz. But Chiagouris "guarantees" we won't see this type of buzz again for an airline safety video and believes that the standard preflight briefing won't be going away. Other airlines that have gone the creative route to spice up the monotonous preflight safety videos include Virgin America and its sister airline, Virgin Atlantic. They use sassy cartoons to explain the safety procedures. The short-lived carrier Independence Air employed celebrities and political pundits for its audio safety announcements. Southwest Airlines' flight attendants, who do not have video equipment on board, occasionally sprinkle their instructions with quips: "If you are traveling with two or more children, please take a moment now to decide which one is your favorite. Help that one first, and work your way down." In March, flight attendant David Holmes gained some fame when a passenger uploaded his preflight safety announcement rap. British charter airline Thomson Airways has kids brief passengers about safety requirements. Thomson said in a news release that its internal studies found a 15 percent increase in attention from passengers. Poynor said these creative methods will hopefully perk up passengers' attention spans. "By doing this, they're hoping they can make consumers think, 'Hey, there might be something new here. I should pay attention,' and get just a little bit more of their resources," Poynor said. Bayliss, the Air New Zealand general manager of marketing, said companies need to adjust their marketing efforts, especially in the current consumer climate. "The grand corporate brand is over," he said, referring to the buttoned-up appearance that airlines like British Airways uses. As for the future, Bayliss remained mum about what Air New Zealand will do next. But it's unlikely their employees will bare all again. "If we do a plain old traditional video, our consumers will hang us up to dry," he said. "The challenge is to come up with something to interest them."

The preflight safety video may be too familiar to passengers . 69 percent of passengers said they don't pay attention to the announcement . Airlines are getting creative to recapture passengers' attention . Air New Zealand body-painted naked crew members, Virgin America uses cartoons .

(CNN) -- President Obama stepped into office with big approval ratings met with high expectations as he faces a deteriorating economic situation, an unpopular war in Iraq and the Middle East conflict. The economy has been the main focus of the first week of President Obama's presidency. In his first week, Obama has focused on the economy, but he's also addressed other campaign promises. Bill Schneider, CNN's senior political analyst, describes Obama's first week as a "neat balancing act." As Obama signs executive orders signaling a clear change of direction, he's also working hard to get bipartisan support for his economic stimulus, Schneider said. "Mr. Obama doesn't have to do that. He could get a stimulus bill passed almost entirely with Democratic votes. But Obama doesn't want to be yet another president who divides the country," he said. The president has been working the phones with his party and made an unusual trip to Capitol Hill to meet with the opposing party to rally support for his $825 billion economic aid package. Following a meeting Tuesday with GOP congressman, Obama said he respects the "legitimate philosophical differences" between Democrats and Republicans on how to stimulate the economy. "I don't expect 100 percent agreement," he said. "But I hope we can put politics aside." Watch more on Obama's economic push » . Throughout the election season, Obama campaigned on his plan to restore economic equilibrium, and in his first public remarks after winning the election, he vowed to "confront this economic crisis head-on." Obama faces his first test with Congress on Wednesday when the House of Representatives votes on his economic recovery plan. The president has said he hopes to have the plan passed by Congress and on his desk for signing by mid-February. Obama also has wasted no time in putting his military and diplomatic agendas into action. In his first week, he already promised to send as many as 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan to boost the U.S. presence on the ground and increase development and reconstruction assistance. Seeking to demonstrate the Obama administration's early commitment to the country, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met last week with Afghan women legal professionals who were in Washington on a State Department training program on justice reform in Afghanistan. Obama also has pledged to crack down on militants in neighboring Pakistan. During the campaign season, Obama received a lot of criticism for saying that if it were necessary to root out terrorists, he would send U.S. forces into Pakistan without the country's approval. The president has called Afghanistan and Pakistan the "central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism," and Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that missile strikes in Pakistan will continue to root out al Qaeda members. "Let me just say, both President Bush and President Obama have made clear that we will go after al Qaeda wherever al Qaeda is. And we will continue to pursue this," Gates said. As Obama seeks to stabilize the region, his administration has been advocating multilateralism and stressing "smart power" diplomacy by using all the tools of foreign policy available. Obama dispatched newly appointed Middle East envoy George Mitchell to the region and tapped diplomatic heavyweight Richard Holbrooke as his special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Obama also gave his first formal interview as president to Al-Arabiya, an Arab news channel, sending a message to the region that he wants a dialogue. "My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy," Obama told the Dubai-based satellite television network. "We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect." Watch how Obama is reaching out to Muslims » . During his run for the White House, Obama pledged to improve ties with the Muslim world, draw down U.S. troops in Iraq and close the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Two days after his inauguration, Obama issued an executive order to close the camp within a year. Another order formally bans torture by requiring that the Army Field Manual be used as the guide for terrorism interrogations, essentially ending the Bush administration's CIA program of "enhanced interrogation" methods. Guantanamo Bay and reports of torture there were huge points of contention for the Bush administration and were widely considered to have damaged the reputation of the United States. In another reversal of his predecessor, Obama struck down a rule that prohibited U.S. money from funding international family-planning clinics that promote abortion or provide counseling or referrals about abortion services. In a statement, Obama said that family planning aid has been used as a "political wedge issue," adding that he had "no desire to continue this stale and fruitless debate." As Obama moves into the second week of his presidency, polls show that most Americans approve of the way he is handling his job so far. Former President Carter said he thinks Obama is "doing just great." "I was particularly gratified that he carried out his promise, which didn't surprise me, that he would start working on the Middle East peace process the first time he was in office and not wait until the last year he was in office," Carter said on CNN's "Larry King Live." Carter said he has confidence in Obama on economic issues, but he cautioned that the expectations for the new president are too high. "I think a lot of the expenditures that will come as rapidly as possible might not occur until maybe 18 months from now -- some earlier. So we're going to have to be patient," he said. President Bush also won praise during the first week of his first term for staying on message. He built his first week around education and received positive reviews in the media during his honeymoon period. Bush's predecessor, however, was not met with such a warm welcome. President Clinton's showdown with Congress over the question of gays in the military and the withdrawal of his attorney general nominee overshadowed early efforts to move ahead with his agenda.

President Obama faces first test with vote on $825 billion economic stimulus plan . Obama reverses Bush policy on abortion, orders closing of Guantanamo Bay camp . Obama grants first formal interview of his presidency to Arab news channel . New administration advocating multilateralism, "smart power" diplomacy .

(CNN) -- Sometimes an actor takes on the role of an iconic figure and they do a good job. Sometimes they do a lousy job. But sometimes, very rarely, they disappear into their role so perfectly that all you have left is the person they're playing. Such is the case with Michelle Williams in Simon Curtis' moving and thoroughly enjoyable "My Week With Marilyn." About 15 minutes into the film, the first she's been called on to completely carry, Williams vanishes. All that remains is Marilyn. It's a magnificent performance and one of the most heartbreaking celebrity stories there is. In the summer of 1956, Marilyn Monroe, newly married to writer Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott), traveled to England to shoot "The Prince and the Showgirl" with co-star/director Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh). The third assistant director, aka gofer, on that production was Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), a 24- year-old aspiring filmmaker on whose memoir the film is based. He rapidly became Monroe's confidant and ally, the only person on the crew on whom she could rely. Needless to say, he fell hopelessly in love with her, but really, what choice did he have? Marilyn Monroe was like a lottery ticket. You know you're not going to win, but when those numbers come up, damned if you're not sure you're going to pocket millions. Of course Colin wouldn't actually have won had he ended up with Monroe, but she was someone who men desperately wanted to take care of. After all, she was Marilyn Monroe. That's a roll of the dice very few would be able to pass up. As Monroe, Williams is nothing short of dazzling. She's managed to inhabit perhaps the most iconic woman in American history and not only her public persona, at that. To do a decent job of mimicking a well-known figure, all one has to do is capture their mannerisms and voice and let the makeup department handle the rest. However to truly capture the essence of someone, the actor has to convince us that we're watching them, not an actor playing them. We have to believe that if, for example, no record of that person in casual situations exists, the actor has captured what they would actually be like. We have all seen images of Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, perhaps the three most-famous pre-Michael Jackson entertainers in history, in public, on stage or in films. But there's very little recorded of them in private times. What Williams does is create a fully realized portrait of Monroe. It doesn't matter if her portrayal is 100% accurate. It feels 100% accurate. As for the production within the film, Monroe's reputation of difficulty on the set follows her to England, and what's more, she brings acting coach Paula Strasberg (wife of famed acting teacher Lee, played by Zoë Wanamaker) with her. Whenever things get rough for her, which was often, Marilyn retreats to her dressing room or cottage with Paula, leaving Olivier to stew and the production be damned. As the director and star, Olivier is used to getting his way and is not a method actor. He doesn't understand Monroe's need to believe in her character and finds her questions about motivation frustrating. One can't help but be reminded of the (likely at least partially apocryphal) story about Olivier on the set of "Marathon Man" when, after Dustin Hoffman has stayed up all night supposedly to accurately portray his character's state of mind, Olivier retorted with something along the lines of: "Why don't you try acting, dear boy. It's so much easier." It's a case of when styles collide and at one point Branagh explodes on set that "teaching Marilyn how to act is like trying to teach Urdu to a badger!" It's a great line, and Branagh is excellent as Olivier. It serves to underscore the differences in their styles and how frustrating Monroe's behavior was for Olivier. For her part, Olivier's bluster turned Monroe's already present insecurities into full-blown panic attacks. When you're watching Williams go through Monroe's struggle with self-doubt and an increasingly serious pill problem, there's no doubt in your mind that it's Marilyn Monroe. You feel her pain, her fears and, on a rare occasion, her joy. Williams perfectly captures Monroe's legendary vulnerabilities and in the culmination of a series of scenes, the duality of Norma Jeane Baker, the person she was, and Marilyn Monroe, the woman she became. After an afternoon spent secretly touring Windsor Castle, courtesy of Sir Owen Morshead (Colin's godfather and the castle librarian, played by Derek Jacobi), Colin and Monroe are spotted by castle staff. Leaning into Colin, Monroe whispers "Shall I be her?" and instantly, Norma Jeane disappears and Marilyn is there, shimmying, posing and doing exactly what's expected of her. It seems like she gets a kick out of it but at the same time, there's a sadness in her leaving Norma Jeane behind, once again. At once lightweight and melancholy, "My Week With Marilyn" doesn't purport to reveal any deep, dark secrets or illuminate any truths that we already don't know. In fact, we don't know for certain that any of this actually happened at all. I'd like to think that it did, though. "My Week With Marilyn" is rated R and contains some foul language, pill-popping and some discrete female nudity.

As Marilyn Monroe, Michelle Williams is nothing short of dazzling . What Williams does is create a fully realized portrait of Monroe . "My Week With Marilyn" doesn't purport to reveal any deep, dark secrets .

(CNN) -- Brad Drewett is reluctant to divulge exact numbers, but the ATP World Tour Finals is a big deal for men's tennis. The season-ending event, worth $5 million in prize money this year, is the tour's marquee event -- an elite eight-man showpiece that attracts top sponsors and acts as a massive advert for the game. "It's one the of the ATP's biggest assets," longtime tournament director Brad Drewett told CNN during this week's round-robin matches. "For it to be a commercial success is extremely important for us." Drewett, a 58-year-old former tennis prodigy, has been running the finals for more than a decade now. It came to London's glitzy O2 Arena -- best known as a concert venue -- in 2009 after Drewett took it back to Shanghai for three years. Rihanna to Rafa: Tennis gets popstar makeover . "The actual financial structure is a bit different. We have a partnership here with AEG, the owners of the O2, whereas in Shanghai we had a partnership with the municipal government who were very keen to have the event for the purpose of promoting China and Shanghai and also promoting the sport of tennis in China," he said. "Here it was us wanting to bring the event back to the traditional market of Europe, and in particular London." The UK capital has a contract until 2013, but doubts have been raised about the event's future on the banks of the River Thames due to complaints about British laws which require players to be taxed on all endorsements during the time they are in the country. The Lawn Tennis Association, which runs Wimbledon and is also an event partner of the ATP finals, is lobbying the government for an exemption. "If we lose events like this it will have a big impact not just on the economy but also on sponsors and television and in other areas," LTA chief executive Roger Draper told the UK Press Association. Can Federer make finals history in London? Drewett said the ATP is happy for the event to stay in London, which is one of the ruling body's global headquarters alongside Florida, Sydney and Monte Carlo. "That decision won't be made until the second or third quarter of next year. That's a decision for our board. We're very happy here," he said. "We have every reason to believe that next year and the following year will be just as popular." More than 250,000 people attended the 17,500-capacity arena over eight days in the first two years, and sponsorship has "sold out" with title partner Barclays bank joined by luxury-goods brands such as Rolex, Lacoste and Moet & Chandon along with the likes of FedEx, South African Airways, Nissan, Ricoh and Italian power giant Enel. It is broadcast in the UK by public and subscription channels, and in more than 150 countries around the world. "It's our marquee event and it generates a significant amount of money for us," Drewett said. "And from a promotional point of view this week is the event that everyone is talking about." The 2009 rebranding from the Masters Cup has also given the tournament a distinct identity from the four grand slam events of the tennis calendar. "A grand slam has two or three major courts, men and women, plus the outside courts over 14 days. To have quarter of a million in that time frame on one court is testament to the strength of the event and the players we have right now and their popularity," Drewett said. "I personally like the rebranding. It tells a good story, it's pretty clear what it is. The message is very clear to the consumer. "We're not looking to compete in any way with the grand slams. This event is what it is -- the format being eight players, only men, indoors, round-robin -- it speaks for itself as being totally different from a grand slam. The public understand that." Drewett was one of the most promising young players of the 1970s, winning the Australian Open junior title twice, but was not quite so successful on the senior circuit as he reached a career-high ranking of 34. However, he did appear at the season-ending event once, in the doubles at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1988 when it was a separate tournament -- now both formats are run during the same week. At that time, Madison Square Gardens was nearing the end of a 13-year run of hosting the singles -- and Drewett believes that the O2 is taking on a similar status to the iconic New York venue. "In its time it was one of the special ones, like here. The finals was a very special event. People still talk about playing at Madison Square Gardens, and this is going to be the same," he said. "When you go out there, the court, the crowd -- there's a certain atmosphere you don't get very often at sporting events." After ending his career, Drewett became involved in businesses before being asked to run for a place on the ATP board to represent the players. He did so for five years before taking on the role of chief executive of the ATP's International Group. "I was always interested in the politics and business. I was interested in what made the tour tick even as a player," Drewett said. "Tennis has been, in relative terms, pretty big business for a long time. In terms of professional sport it's one of the most mature. "Tennis was one of the first where pro athletes could make a serious living from it, back in the 1950s. The business has got bigger and more mature, and it's as strong as it's ever been 60 years later."

ATP World Tour Finals is the marquee event of men's tennis . Season-ending tournament brings in 250,000 people over eight days . Event director says sponsorship has sold out, generating significant revenue . ATP happy for it to stay in London but decision to be made in 2012 .

(CNN) -- The internet empowers each one of us to speak, create, learn and share. Today, more than two billion people are online — about a third of the planet. The internet has become one of the motors of the 21st century economy, allowing all of us to reach a global audience at a click of a mouse and creating hundreds of thousands of businesses and millions of jobs. According to a new OECD study, the net already accounts of 13% of American business output, impacting every industry, from communications to cars, and restaurants to retail. Not since Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, or Alexander Graham Bell the telephone, has a human invention empowered so many and offered so much possibility for benefiting humankind. Today, this free and open net is under threat. Some 42 countries filter and censor content out of the 72 studied by the Open Net Initiative. This doesn't even count serial offenders such as North Korea and Cuba. Over the past two years, Freedom House says governments have enacted 19 new laws threatening online free expression. Some of these governments are trying to use a closed-door meeting of The International Telecommunication Union that opens on December 3 in Dubai to further their repressive agendas. Accustomed to media control, these governments fear losing it to the open internet. They worry about the spread of unwanted ideas. They are angry that people might use the internet to criticize their governments. The ITU is bringing together regulators from around the world to renegotiate a decades-old treaty that was focused on basic telecommunications, not the internet. Some proposals leaked to the WICITLeaks website from participating states could permit governments to justify censorship of legitimate speech -- or even justify cutting off internet access by reference to amendments to the International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs). Read more: Why aren't robots doing my dishes yet? Several authoritarian regimes reportedly propose to ban anonymity from the web, making it easier to find and arrest dissidents. Others have proposed moving the responsibilities of the private sector system that manages domain names and internet addresses to the United Nations. Yet other proposals would require any internet content provider, small or large, to pay new tolls in order to reach people across borders. The upshot? The next garage-based phenomena would face a steep and probably insurmountable financial hurdle in its effort to become the next YouTube, Facebook or Skype. Let us be clear: We do not advocate for an end to the ITU. The UN agency has helped the world manage radio spectrum and wired and wireless telephone networks, bringing much needed investment to the developing world. But this inter-governmental agency is the wrong place to make decisions about the future of the internet. Only governments have a vote at the ITU. This includes governments that do not support a free and open internet. Engineers, companies, and people that build and use the web have no vote. The multi-stakeholder model of internet policy development that is the hallmark of the Internet Engineering Task Force, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the Internet Governance Forum, the Regional Internet Registries, among many others, is the only sensible way forward. Transparency and openness are keys to informed participation in policy making. The proposals for amending the ITRs are not generally available to the public or other stakeholders. The treaty conference and proposals in Dubai are formally confidential. We consider this to be a serious deficiency and an inhibitor to thoughtful policy development. At Google, we see and feel the dangers of the government-led net crackdown. We operate in about 150 countries around the globe. Our services - including Search, YouTube and Blogger, to Gmail and Maps - have been blocked at some point, temporarily or permanently, in more than 30 different countries. We're not alone in standing up. Users, experts and organizations from around the world have voiced their opposition to governments justifying their regulation of the internet through the ITU's International Telecommunication Regulations. These include countries not just in the West, but also African internet leaders such as Kenya and North African beacons such as Tunisia. In all, more than 1000 organizations from more than 160 countries have raised concerns about the upcoming closed-door meeting in Dubai. Internet lovers around the world can learn more about the issue on our website -- and if they choose to do so, can pledge their support. While some governments argue that the internet needs new global rules to speed its rollout in the developing world, we believe the present market-driven approach is best positioned to keep up with the net's exponential growth. Broadband services are being rolled out. Service interruptions remain rare. Within a few years the net is predicted to be serving four billion users -- more than half of humanity! The bottom-up, loosely-coupled, bilateral and multi-stakeholder practices that have created the network of networks we call the internet allow for a broad range of business models. The critical technical standards developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force and the World Wide Web Consortium create interoperability. A state-controlled system of regulation is not only unnecessary, it would almost invariably raise costs and prices and interfere with the rapid and organic growth of the internet we have seen since its commercial emergence in the 1990s. The net's future is far from assured and history offers much warning. Within a few decades of Gutenberg's creation, princes and priests moved to restrict the right to print books. History is rife with examples of governments taking actions to "protect" their citizens from harm by controlling access to information and inhibiting freedom of expression and other freedoms outlined in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We must make sure, collectively, that the internet avoids a similar fate. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Vinton Cerf .

Some 42 countries filter and censor content out of the 72 studied by the Open Net Initiative . According to an OECD study, the net already accounts of 13% of American business output . At Google, Cerf says the company sees dangers of a government-led net crackdown . A state-controlled regulatory system is unnecessary and would invariably raise costs .

(CNN) -- Baseball is a dirty game, we know that. Grass stains. Rosin bags. Pine tar. Dust. Sweat. Spit. Tobacco drool. But just how filthy IS it? Exactly how many cheaters do we have out there, anyhow? Are there no angels in our outfields? The hot rumor is Major League Baseball is about to throw the book -- harder, this time -- at players who allegedly got a boost from performance-enhancing drugs. As many as 20 players might be suspended, according to a report on ESPN.com. Some of the bans might be for as long as 100 games. A feel-good Florida fellow named Tony Bosch ran Biogenesis, a Miami wellness clinic that is now closed. ESPN says sources indicated Bosch will be cooperating with MLB's top brass in identifying which pro athletes, among his clientele, were being supplied with PEDs. Names being bandied about: Alex Rodriguez, three-time American League MVP; Ryan Braun, 2011 National League MVP; Melky Cabrera, 2012 All-star Game MVP; and, well, the rest of the lineup will be asked to line up. Throw the bums out, some will scream. I am totally OK with this. Who's legitimate and who ain't? That's all we want to know anymore. We have spent much of this century wondering which individuals in the national pastime are squeaky clean and which are as stained as a dugout floor. What about Barry Bonds, No. 1 on hitting's all-time home run list -- and who was convicted in 2011 of obstruction of justice for impeding a grand jury investigating the use of PEDs? What about A-Rod (No. 5 on the list), who in 2009 publicly confessed to steroid use between 2001-03? What about Sammy Sosa (No. 8), who the New York Times reported was among the players who tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug in 2003? Mark McGwire (10), who in 2010 admitted to steroid use during the 1990s? Rafael Palmeiro (12), suspended in 2005 for a positive drug test? Manny Ramirez (14), suspended in 2009 for the same thing? Did any or all bring a little "extra" to the plate when they stepped up to bat? I don't know. All I do know is, we're sick of it, man. Baseball's zero-tolerance policy is an absolute must. Oh, the players' union reps will surely react and be appalled and appeal. But if swingers and throwers are found to be dirty, they've gotta go. No slaps on the wrist. It's gotta hurt. Back when he got booted for 50 games in 2009, Manny Ramirez was a big star. He has barely been heard from since. Manny and his 555 home runs (more than Mickey Mantle or Ted Williams or Lou Gehrig) have pretty much taken a powder since MLB suspended him that season for PEDs. When they pointed a finger his way for another possible violation in 2011, he chose instant retirement instead. A couple of strikes and you're out. A-Rod's in a jam. His reputation is already in disrepute from his 2009 mea culpa. He is 37 and his future is in doubt. He is injured and hasn't played a single inning for the Yankees so far in 2013. Now the 14-time All-Star with 647 lifetime home runs finds his name has come up again in this Biogenesis business in Miami, the town where he went to high school. Braun is a puzzler. A 29-year-old outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers, he was NL Rookie of the Year in 2007, MVP in '11. Then he got suspended for PEDs. Then he got un-suspended, successfully challenging the decision. Now he's on the hot seat again, although he seems adamant that the truth will set him free. We will see. Then there is Cabrera, 28, the man named Melky, whose pals call him "Leche," whose fans in San Francisco came to games dressed like milkmen. In 2012, the Melk Man was hitting a healthy .346 and had just been voted the star of stars in the All-Star Game when he got banned 50 games for the detection in his bloodstream of "synthetic testosterone." He missed the rest of the season. He was eligible for the World Series, but the Giants didn't reinstate him. A day after they won it, they released Cabrera from the team. Today he is a Toronto Blue Jay, persona non grata in the Bay Area where he was once so wildly popular. A second suspension could be in store for Cabrera if reports are correct that he could be snagged in the Miami net. ESPN ran a long list of players besides Rodriguez, Braun and Cabrera "who might ultimately face discipline." A couple of these guys are among MLB's fastest-rising young stars. Guilty parties, you know who you are. Major League Baseball, you are slowly but surely figuring out who they are. Get out your pail and mop. If you have found more dirt by your plate, do this game a big favor. Clean it up. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Mike Downey.

Mike Downey: ESPN reports as many as 20 baseball players could get suspended for PED use . He says this time, MLB should throw book at offenders, not slap wrist. Fans tired of this . He says years of steroid-use cases have ruined careers, stained the game. Downey: Guilty parties, you know who you are; MLB, if you find dirt, clean it up .

(CNN) -- Today's world is more interconnected than ever, making the transmission of communicable diseases that originate abroad easier to reach our shores. And the ongoing Ebola outbreak is simply the latest unsettling reminder that all the benefits of an interconnected world also come with significant risks that must be addressed and mitigated. This Ebola outbreak likely began with a 2-year-old in the rain forest of Guéckédou, Guinea, and it has now reached halfway around the world to Dallas, Texas, where this terrible disease claimed its first victim in the United States, Thomas Eric Duncan, last Wednesday. We have the ability to prevent a significant outbreak of the virus here in the United States, but President Obama must act much more quickly and effectively if we are going to combat the disease at its source, and thus hinder further overseas transmission and ultimately prevent the spread of the disease outside Africa. This challenge will only be made more difficult because many Americans lack confidence in our government's ability to effectively confront crises like this one. Beginning with the first case in Guinea last December, the response to the Ebola outbreak by the international community has been slow and inadequate. Local health systems, which were weak at best, have been completely devastated as many health workers became victims of this deadly virus. The United States initially stood back and allowed the global response to be led by the World Health Organization, which failed to combat Ebola in its earliest stages. As a result, Ebola ballooned from a local problem to a regional problem, and now to a global problem. The United States is the country best equipped with the resources and power to tackle the medical and logistical nightmare that the Ebola epidemic has become. With over 8,000 people infected, more than 4,000 dead and infection rates increasing, this outbreak of Ebola is not going to go away quickly. Yet while we need a more effective and rapid response to contain the outbreak in West Africa, we also need to make sure sufficient safeguards are in place to protect Americans. We have to make sure that every aspect of our federal government's response -- from our passenger screening efforts to our public health system -- is effectively prepared to prevent the spread of Ebola. To that end, the United States must take several steps to strengthen our response to this challenge. First, Americans need to have some reassurance that someone in our country is in charge of confronting this epidemic and keeping Americans safe from it. So far, inexcusably, this has not really happened. President Obama should publicly designate a senior government official to lead a task force. This person would be in charge of coordinating the U.S. response to this crisis, both domestically and internationally, including our military presence, which in a limited amount of time has already had a real impact on the ground in Liberia. Second, we need to target the problem at the source. Containing the outbreak in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone is the right thing to do for humanitarian reasons, but it's also essential to protecting the American people. The longer the outbreak lasts in those countries, the greater the chance of the disease being transmitted to other countries, including the United States. As part of the response abroad, we need to bolster public health systems in the region to help prevent the virus from expanding across more borders. Third, we need to prevent the growing crisis in West Africa from leading to more cases in the United States. The recent announcement of increased entry screening of those traveling from affected countries by Customs and Border Patrol at select points of entry in the United States is a good but, frankly, overdue first step. However, it will not be enough, and the State Department should institute a temporary ban on new visas to non-U.S. nationals seeking to travel to the United States from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Since March 1, 2014, over 6,000 visas have been issued to nationals of these countries. Foreign health workers coming to the United States to be trained should be exempted, provided they pass screening efforts. However, until we have a better handle on the problem, we need to prevent mass travel from the countries most affected. We should also ensure that Customs and Border Patrol agents at airports beyond the current transit points have the equipment and training to deal with potential cases. And additional travel restrictions should not be ruled out. Fourth, the infection of two health care workers in Dallas during the treatment of Duncan raises questions about the ability of hospitals across the country to handle the extensive safety protocols required to treat Ebola patients. Two medical facilities in the United States have already successfully treated patients that have now been cured and two others have specialized facilities for treating patients with the virus. We should consider centralizing all future cases at these medical facilities, but hospitals across the United States will still need to focus on screening and isolating suspected cases that may arrive at their facilities. Finally, we need to increase our efforts to develop an Ebola vaccine and to increase production of antiviral drugs. There are a few promising drugs to fight Ebola in test phases. We should speed up testing of these drugs and explore the possibility of scaling up drug manufacturing at the same time as clinical testing. Once we develop a drug with proven success, we should be ready to supply it in large numbers. In order to avoid bureaucratic red tape, we should begin discussion with the WHO, drug companies and West African governments on the processes for purchasing and distributing of these drugs. The Ebola epidemic is a reminder of the evolving nature of our national security challenges. A sick child in Africa has advanced into a global health security issue that is now knocking on America's door. We can successfully address this problem, protect our people and once again demonstrate America's compassion abroad. But much more needs to be done and it needs to happen quickly. Like other national security challenges, the longer we wait to engage, the more limited our options will become and the likelihood of success will be reduced. Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.

Marco Rubio: Americans lack confidence in government's ability to fight crises like Ebola . But U.S. is country best equipped to tackle nightmare problems of Ebola, he says . Important that U.S. help beat the disease in West Africa to ease threat to U.S., Rubio says .

LONDON, England (CNN) -- In Beijing in August, Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie will once again find himself staring down the 10,000 meters of rubberized track that curls between him and a third gold medal in the Olympic event. Gebrselassie goes on a training run with companions at home in Addis Ababa. He won gold in 1996 and 2000, but finished a disappointing fifth in 2004 when a problem with his Archilles tendon hampered training in the lead up to Athens. This time it's different. He's pounding a well-worn path on often twice-daily runs through the streets of his hometown of Addis Ababa. He's older and injury-free. In 2004, he was under pressure to become the first man in history to win gold over 10,000 meters in three consecutive Olympics. Now it's not even his first choice of race to run. "I'm not interested in the 10,000 meters," he says; a somewhat surprising statement from a man just weeks away from competing in the world's greatest ever sporting event, the pinnacle of any athlete's career. The problem is he's been there, done that and recognizes that he's unlikely to match his younger opponents in speed over the distance. In Beijing, he'll be toeing the starting line with the current world champion Kenenisa Bekele and Sileshi Sihine, both Ethiopians who finished first and second in Athens in 2004. "They're in good shape. They're already superior athletes," Gebrselassie says. "For me to be there, it's not for Bekele or Sihine, just to be in the group, to stay together, to share their experience. Most of them they know how to compete, they know how to win." In March, Gebrselassie made the highly-publicized decision not to contest the Olympic marathon in Beijing. He insists it's not a slight against China and the Olympic organizers but, as an asthmatic, he says the risks to his health are too great. Running the 10,000 meters was a compromise, says Jos Hermens of Global Sports Communication, Gebrselassie's manager. Haile didn't want to disappoint his fans and fellow countrymen who had been expecting him to race. "Of course he's running for himself also," Hermens says, "But for him, it's a team effort to run for his country. He'll be very happy if the other two guys are doing well. I think Haile would be very happy with a bronze medal." Would he? "Yeah, absolutely," Gebrselassie insists. "The 10,000 meters is not my event any more. If I won bronze, fine. Even if I don't compete, I don't mind." While the Beijing Olympics might merit a small note on Gebrselassie's calendar, there is a big red circle marked around September 28th, the date of the Berlin Marathon, just five weeks later. "One of my targets this year is the Berlin Marathon, to run a good time and if possible surpass the world record," he says. It's a record he set in spectacular style last November, covering the 42 kilometers in just two hours, four minutes and 26 seconds. It was his 25th world record. He attempted to better the time at the Dubai Marathon in January, but missed out by a mere 27 seconds, a failure Gebrselassie blames on over-enthusiasm at the start; he just ran too fast. "I paid the price at the end because I could not push anymore, especially the last seven or eight kilometers," he says. In Berlin, he's hoping to strike the right balance of restraint and speed to take him over the line first and fastest. It won't be an easy feat. Training for the 10,000 meters is all about speed. After the Olympics he'll literally have to switch gears to work on his strength and stamina. "It's not a normal preparation for a marathon," Gebrselassie's manager, Jos Hermens says. "Normally you have a few months of preparation. It's kind of new territory he will be in." "I think it will be OK because Haile's 35 and his body is a running machine," Hermens says. "He's done so much endurance, but you don't know how the body will react. For him and for us it's something to see because it's never been done before at this level." Gebrselassie is not fazed. He's simply merged training for the two disciplines into one unconventional schedule. "I'm trying to work on endurance and a bit of speed. If I move completely to speed work I lose the benefits of the endurance training. I'm trying to handle both," he says. It seems a lot of work for someone who's conceded that his days as the fastest man over 10,000 meters are over. He's already passed the baton to Kenenisa Bekele, who bettered his world record over the distance in 2004, and again in 2005, at a blistering 26:17.53. Gebrselassie may not be putting money on himself to win in Beijing, but he's in no doubt that one of his Ethiopian team mates will be first across the line. "For sure," he says, "No question about it."

Marathon runner Haile Gebrselassie is one of Ethopia's most celebrated athletes . He's aiming to break the world marathon record he set in Berlin in 2007 this year . He's contesting the 10,000 meters in Beijing Olympics but doesn't expect to win . Gebrselassie: "If I won bronze, fine. Even if I don't compete, I don't mind"

(CNN) -- For Jo Sharpton, it started so early that she can't quite recall how long ago it was. She does have a specific memory of enjoying the works of J.R.R. Tolkien at age 7. "I remember that my sister and I saw the Rankin-Bass animated version of 'The Hobbit,' and then had the special deluxe Double LP Edition," she said. "We listened to this dozens, if not hundreds, of times, memorizing every piece of music, every word of dialogue, every special effects sound. At such a young age, I was immune to the bigger picture of Tolkien's world -- it was enough for me to enjoy the kids' story for what it was." With 75 years of history to draw on, and an official Tolkien Society for 40 of those years, countless fans like Sharpton have begun their journeys with stories like this. In so many ways, Tolkien fandom has become a family affair. Now an adult, Sharpton sees this week's release of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," as a chance for what she calls a "family reunion." The retail worker from Atlanta will be joining 50 of her closest friends in Tolkien fandom, all traveling to Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, to see the movie as a group. The town's Shaker Village holds a special place in the hearts of those in her large group, because they have held two gatherings there since 2008. They're called "A Long Expected Party," a term based on the first chapter of "Fellowship of the Ring." The Shaker Village, once home to a 19th century religious community, was seen as the perfect stand-in for the Hobbits' Shire from Tolkien's stories. "We had over a hundred attendees, for three days of music, laughter, love and 'Fellowship,'" says Sharpton of the first gathering in 2008. "We thought of ourselves as the anti-(fan) convention -- no hurried crowds, no standing in lines for hours, no cold, lonely hotel rooms." The lack of amenities was seen as a plus: "There was very little technology present -- some of the houses and rooms did not even have TV's, Internet was only available in a couple of places, and there was little to any cell phone reception. And no one cared. In fact, it made the magic all the more real. We were in the Shire. We were living in Tolkien's world, if only for a few days. " They plan to do it all over again in 2014, but this weekend's smaller gathering will be special as well. As at "A Long Expected Party," many of them will attend the movie in costume. "It is something that most of us have been looking forward to for months." Sharpton really started to appreciate Tolkien's work in her teen years, and was especially drawn to the character of Eowyn, a hero who dresses as a man in armor to fight in a battle in "Return of the King." "(I admire) her courage, her desperation, her need to love and be loved, her desire for honor and glory 'far above the mean things that crawl upon the Earth,'" says Sharpton. "I began to write stories about her as a teen, using her as a character of her future self, having finally found love and honor but always yearning for that little bit more." Like Sharpton's Eowyn, a particular Tolkien character captured the imagination of Nadine Palmer of San Antonio: Arwen, the elf portrayed by Liv Tyler in Peter Jackson's series of Tolkien films, starting with "The Lord of the Rings." She, too, plans to attend "The Hobbit" in costume, but she has taken it a step further: Costuming is now her business as well. Jackson's "Fellowship of the Ring" captivated her as a teenager in 2001 and she immediately sought out Tolkien's work in the library. But the costumes also stood out to her in a big way. "I made it a point to learn how to sew costumes due to how gorgeous the costume design was in this film," she said. "I made a costume of Arwen's that was five sizes too big, made from the completely wrong fabrics, and by all accounts was horrible! But I loved it. I was so proud that I did hand-beading on the sleeves and I had grown my hair out to an elven length. And I had elf ears!" In 2004, she went to Atlanta's Dragon*Con and spent time with a cosplay group called "Arms of Middle-earth." That's where she met "a cute guy dressed as 'behind the scenes Legolas.'" She and her now-boyfriend work on Celtic Ruins costuming, and, of course, have grand plans for "The Hobbit" release. "I've just completed a nearly screen-accurate Bilbo for a friend who looks, creepily, like Martin Freeman! Handmade down to the buttons." Costuming isn't the only thing Tolkien fans have in common. It's quite literally a family affair for those who pass down a love of Tolkien stories from generation to generation. There is live-action Tolkien role-playing, where fans re-enact scenes from the book or create new ones. In preparation for the movie, fans are re-reading the book, creating flow charts identifying dwarves versus hobbits, putting on trivia contests, updating their cosplay progress, and that old standby, posting Instagram photos of movie tickets. With "The Hobbit" trilogy expected to be another box office behemoth, Tolkien fandom can only grow from here. CNN's Nikki Rau-Baker contributed to this story.

J.R.R. Tolkien fans welcome theater release of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" Large group of fans planning to see the movie in Kentucky after a Hobbit-themed party . Relationships and families have begun and grown closer through Tolkien's stories . After 75 years, Tolkien fans have taken to social media to continue exploring his work .

(CNN) -- Hope is a wonderful thing when it spurs struggling people to aspire to better circumstances and a more promising future, lifting communities out of poverty. But combined with misinformation, opportunistic politics and outright fraud, hope can be one of the cruelest harbingers of misery. And this is the role of hope on the border these days. What is drawing thousands of children to America's doorstep unaccompanied by their parents, aunts, uncles or anyone else they know is hope. What is prompting their loving families to send them on perilous, expensive journeys over hundreds of miles in the hands of strange men is hope. But what is awaiting them is confusion, conflict and despair. So how did this strange confluence of expectations and suffering begin? And what is going to happen now? Here, in a series of short questions, is how this witch's brew was mixed. Fast facts: Immigration . 1. What is happening on the border? In simple terms, a flood of children has been pouring across the 1,900 mile United States border with Mexico, children who are accompanied by neither their parents nor proper documentation for immigration. The primary problem is the sheer volume. In a normal year, immigration authorities would expect to apprehend and process about 8,000 undocumented children, according to federal officials. This year that number has soared to almost 60,000, with children ranging from very young to teenagers. By the time the year is over, officials expect 90,000 unaccompanied minors will have trekked into the United States. That's more than enough to fill the Dallas Cowboys stadium. No one knows what next year will bring, but some estimates suggest it will be even worse if nothing can be done to stem the flow. That explosive growth in the caseload has overwhelmed holding facilities, case investigators, and most importantly the immigration courts that must decide what happens with these children. 5 things to know about immigration . 2. Why kids? Because parents in some Central American countries believe if their children can get to America, they will be given citizenship. Communities protest surge of kids . 3. Where did they get that idea? From President Obama, to hear Republicans (and some Democrats) tell it. They say he has sent mixed messages about how undocumented immigrants will be treated. Although his administration has thrown out so many people for illegal entry that he is known in some Latino communities as the Deporter-in-Chief, he has also told Homeland Security to exercise "discretion" in terms of deporting young people. This was the White House response after Congress failed to pass the so called Dream Act, which would have allowed many children to stay who were brought here illegally by their parents and who frankly had little or no knowledge of their "home" countries. In any event, critics believe the President's actions launched a subtle message south of the border: Send your kids and we'll let them stay. 4. What else could explain the problem? President Bush. In 2008, just before he left office, he signed a law to protect children from human trafficking, from being sold into the sex trade or domestic servitude. The law stipulates that children who are caught in the United States illegally and who come from countries other than Mexico and Canada should get full hearings on their status. To wit: They can argue for asylum instead of being immediately deported. That's why the current border rush is being principally driven by children from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Those children qualify for this treatment. The catch? The courts that hold the hearings are so backed up that this process can last years, during which time these children can attend school, live in the United States with relatives or family friends, eat at McDonald's and generally enjoy a full, American lifestyle. What's the difference between immigrant and refugee? 5. So between Bush and Obama, does that pretty much cover the cause for all this? No. Severe problems of poverty, gangs and crime have made more families in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras desperate to get their children to a better place. All three nations have beautiful scenery, lovely people and stratospheric crime rates. The Honduran city of San Pedro Sula is arguably the single most likely place on the planet for a person to be murdered, higher than many U.S. cities including Chicago, Detroit, New York or Philadelphia. All indications are that smugglers, who can charge thousands of dollars to transport a young person to the United States, are more than happy to fan the flames of hope by suggesting such schemes to escape these dangerous places really will work. 6. Will they? Strangely enough, maybe. Some unknown percentage of these children will probably successfully argue for asylum. But beyond that, the politics make it all murky. The President's team does not want to appear heartless, especially with children involved. Simultaneously, they don't want it to look like they were illegally "played" for citizenship. They are in a tough spot, and Republican critics are making it tougher because that's what opponents do in Washington. Who will win and what that will mean to the fate of the children is anyone's guess. 7. So what's happening now? The President has asked Congress for $3.7 billion to set up new places to hold all these children, to speed up the processing of their cases, and to strengthen the border against new arrivals. Republicans want a cheaper program that includes even more dramatic streamlining of the deportation process and even more robust border protection measures. People on both sides of the political debate say emphatically that the well-being of these children must be taken very seriously. But beyond that, the situation is still a mess and there is not yet any agreement about what to do next. And still the kids keep coming, across the rivers, over the mountains, through the deserts, with little more than their family's hopes in hand. Immigration crisis is a political conundrum . Share your immigration stories .

Flood of children pouring across U.S.-Mexico border . Many parents believe their kids will get citizenship if they make it to America . Some blame Obama, others point to Bush for increase in children crossing border .

London (CNN) -- With her glossy dark hair, exotic outfit and ruby-red pouting lips, she's every inch the classic pin-up... except, that is, for that greenish-blue skin. And yet her image was every bit as popular, in its day, as those of the latest Hollywood starlets. She is the "Chinese Girl," by Vladimir Tretchikoff, the Russian-born South African who became king of the kitsch portrait. In the 1950s and '60s, no self-respecting suburban home was fit to be seen without a print of her on the living room wall. At one point, the picture was reputed to be the most reproduced image in the world; on Wednesday, the original sold for almost $1.5 million (£982,050) at Bonhams auction house in London, far outstripping pre-sale estimates of $750,000. Speaking to CNN before the auction, Giles Peppiatt, director of South African art Bonhams said that the picture's kitschy popular appeal "isn't necessarily a bad thing." "It is an extraordinary image... and it certainly seems to have caught everyone's eye. It is, I suppose, the 'Mona Lisa' of kitsch, but it is a great work of art as well." Tretchikoff's biographer, Boris Gorelik, says the picture was "one of the most important pop culture icons" of the mid-20th century; Peppiatt agrees, "the word iconic is so often-used and almost debased now, but this really is an iconic image." The painter himself wrote that "my heart and soul went into this painting," and whatever the secret, it was certainly a success. "Millions of people -- perhaps your parents or grandparents -- bought a lithograph of the painting, hung it on their wall and admired it for years, if not decades," wrote Gorelik. "Maybe you even grew up looking at it." While cheap copies of the picture flooded the globe, the original disappeared from view: Taken to the U.S. by Tretchikoff for a hugely successful tour in the 1950s, it was bought by a young fan, and hung in the family home, a world away from the art scene's latest fads and fashions. The identity of the model for "Chinese Girl" was a mystery for decades, too. After she was eventually identified three years ago, CNN visited Monika Pon at home in Johannesburg. Now in her 70s, she explained how, as a teenager, she came to pose for the painting. "My uncle had a laundry and I worked in the office. Tretchikoff used to pop in there every second week or so. He said to me, 'Hello... I'm Tretchikoff... I would like to paint you, would you like to sit for me?" But she said that although her image went on to feature in the homes of thousands of people around the world, modeling for the picture -- for which she was paid about $10 -- did little to change her life, much of which was spent in poverty during the Apartheid era. "He wasn't famous. People hardly knew him," she said, adding that she was no fan of the finished work: "Ugh, green face... Why is my face green?" Cabaret artist Tricity Vogue, whose entire stage show is based on the "Blue Lady" of Tretchikoff's painting, said it was a "dream come true" to come face-to-face with her muse in London this week, ahead of the sale. "She's been a constant in my life for so many years, but I didn't think I would ever get to see her in person," she told CNN. "When I was doing my research, I read that she was lost, possibly even destroyed." Peppiatt said the first version of "Chinese Girl" was indeed believed to have been ruined -- possibly by one of his enemies on the South African art scene, a world which disapproved of his decision to sell paintings through department stores, rather than galleries. "Tretchikoff had a lot of antagonism towards him... and just before he set off to the U.S., a lot of his paintings were slashed. One of them was the 'Chinese Girl.' "He repainted a new version of it, and this is... the famous version, the one from which all the prints were made, and the one everyone knows. The first one, no-one even knows what it looked like." Several other, lesser-known Tretchikoff pieces, including "Balinese Dancer" and "Lady with Crayfish" are also set to go under the hammer in the sale. There has been a massive renewal of interest in the artist's work since a major retrospective of his work at the South African National Gallery two years ago -- the first time "Chinese Girl" had been seen in public since its sale some 60 years before. "Prior to that, he was perhaps regarded as a bit of a joke," Peppiatt said, but the show "brought him back into the mainstream" and meant he could take his place alongside other international artists. "Art is so subjective," he explained. "Some people love it, some people loathe it, but that would be the same of any work of art, be it a Van Gogh, a Titian or a Tretchikoff." Whether the artist deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as the long-time stars of the art world is a matter of personal taste, but the sale of "Chinese Girl" appears to have cemented his reputation as a commercial, if not critical, success.

'Chinese Girl' by Russian-South African artist Vladimir Tretchikoff sells for $1.5m . Painting of woman with blue-green face is reputed to be world's most reproduced print . 'One of the most important pop culture icons... in the 1950s to early 1960s' Work was one of seven Tretchikoff pictures in Bonhams' London sale of South African art .

(CNN) -- Worshippers at an Islamic center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, will have to wait at least a week before they can use their new mosque, officials said Thursday. The mosque -- subject of a two-year battle marked by legal wrangling, vandalism and anti-Muslim sentiment -- still needs to pass inspection and get its occupancy permit, mosque officials said. "It is unfortunate that we cannot be in our building for the start of Ramadan tonight," Islamic Center of Murfreesboro officials said in a written statement. "However, it does look like we will get to enjoy most of Ramadan in our building, especially the breaking of the fast at the end of Ramadan, on Eid-ul-Fitr." The release said it will take about 10 days to complete the next legal steps. "They do have a lot of work to be done cosmetically," said David Jones, Rutherford County Building Codes director, told CNN affiliate WSMV. "We have gone through the building with them" and made suggestions, he added. On Wednesday, a federal judge in Memphis ordered Rutherford County to conduct a final inspection on the building, setting aside a local judge's ruling from June that voided a planning commission's approval. If the structure fails to comply with inspection requirements, U.S. District Judge Todd J. Campbell ordered the county to immediately notify the Islamic Center of any deficiencies and "promptly reinspect the building" after the center informs the county it has corrected the problems. Embattled mosque moves forward with construction . Kevin Fisher, who is opposed the mosque, told CNN affiliate WZTV on Wednesday that the issue was never about someone's right to worship but rather about whether the planning commission gave proper public notice. "I do believe in our system. I believe in due process," he said. "You have to respect the system, even if you disagree sometimes with the decision it makes." Sally Wall, one of the leading opponents of the mosque, said she wasn't surprised by the ruling and never thought her group would win the court case. She said she just wanted to show Muslims that they are not welcome in Murfreesboro. Faced with the fact that the mosque is likely to be opening soon, Wall said she hopes it doesn't bring "1,000 to 2,000 Muslim families here." She plans to keep up the fight, and said the controversy has drawn the community closer together. "Everyone else feels the same way I do (about the mosque) except the 5% who moved here the day before yesterday," she said. Feds investigate fire at site of future mosque . Imam Ossama Bahloul of the Islamic Center said the congregation has a three-decade history and has not caused any disruption in the city. "No one can come to say the Islam community is radical," he told CNN. "What did we do?" Angela Hytry, 31, said she thinks local opinions on the issue are a reflection of town demographics. The population is split equally into two groups, she said: those who have moved to Murfreesboro -- mostly for Middle Tennessee State University or to commute to nearby Nashville -- and those whose families have been there for decades. "People who have been here forever have a very one-sided, ignorant viewpoint of what a mosque coming to Murfreesboro would mean," she said. The graphic designer, originally from Detroit, has been living in the suburban town for 10 years. She said Detroit has a large Muslim population and she grew up with that as a normal part of the culture. Two years ago, the mosque was the talk of the town, but at least for her circle of friends and family it has become a fringe issue, she said. Why do Muslims pray 5 times a day? A municipal worker who lives near the mosque said most of the residents in her neighborhood are more concerned about the traffic than the Muslim presence. But for the majority of the town it's the term "Muslim" that counts, she said. The 69-year-old, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue and her connection to local government, said she thinks any religious group has a right to be there and she doesn't feel threatened. "It's just the way Muslims are perceived because of the terrorist attacks and the war," she said. "We have Buddhists here and they have their place of worship and I don't think anything's ever been said against them." What's bothering this 11-year Murfreesboro resident the most is the discord it's brought to her town. "It's just a mess and it's brought terrible publicity," she said. "It's a wonderful city and town, but the news is not going to portray that." The issue is widely discussed among local residents and some people near her have even put their houses up for sale, she said, because they don't want to be near a Muslim congregation. The fight erupted in 2010 when planning commissioners approved an expansion project. The construction site has been vandalized several times, including by an arson attack in 2010, and federal authorities have charged a Texas man with calling in a bomb threat to the center before last year's anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington. "Not welcome" was spray-painted by vandals on a sign announcing the construction of the project. Bahloul said the mosque's opening will be another opportunity to extend "hands of peace" and thank supporters. "I believe we are all related, we all came from Adam and Eve," the imam said. "We might have some disagreement, but we must find a way to sit at the table, have a discussion and respect each other." My Faith: After my mosque was torched . CNN's Phil Gast, Carol Cratty and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.

NEW: Imam says mosque has done nothing wrong . Mosque faces at least 10 days of more work before it can get an occupancy permit . Residents say the controversy has divided the community . A fierce debate over expanding the mosque began in 2010 .

Washington (CNN) -- As Mitt Romney leaves Las Vegas, he hopes he hit the jackpot. Following an hour and a half hour meeting Tuesday afternoon with Nevada billionaire Sheldon Adelson and a few aides, the presumptive Republican nominee was assured the casino magnate was fully supportive of him. Adelson, who Forbes magazine estimates is worth $24.9 billion and is ranked as the eighth-richest man in America, was largely responsible, along with his wife, Miriam, for keeping Newt Gingrich's presidential bid alive by giving $20 million to the super PAC backing the ex-House speaker's candidacy, Winning Our Future. Now with Gingrich out of the race, political analysts are looking to see when Adelson will put his next big bet down -- this one on Romney. Adelson did not attend a high-profile Romney fund-raiser Tuesday night at the Trump International Hotel but later went to a smaller dessert donor reception at a private residence with Romney and Gingrich, a source familiar with the event told CNN. The key motivation for Adelson this campaign is preventing the re-election of President Barack Obama, those knowledgeable about the billionaire's thinking have said. He reportedly sees Republicans as stronger proponents for Israel's safety, which friends have said trumps all other concerns for him and was a key factor in his support for Gingrich, a longtime friend of his. "He is very focused on defeating Barack Obama," one friend told CNN. "He is going to be the Republican Party's 800-pound gorilla in defeating Barack Obama.' During the GOP primaries, Adelson told associates that he would back whoever won the nomination and that he now fully supports Romney, sources have told CNN. About a dozen financial backers of Romney and other major Republican donors met with Adelson in Las Vegas while they were in town for a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition to convince him to "come on board" with respect to supporting Romney. He indicated to them, according to one of the participants, "it is just a matter of time." However, the question is when and how much. As of April 30, he had not given to the pro-Romney super PAC, Restore Our Future. When Las Vegas columnist Jon Ralston asked Adelson in late April whether he was going to donate to Restore Our Future, he said, "I'm not going to tell you. ... You'll find out when it's reported." Adelson said at the time he wanted to become less visible in the political world and that references to him being a mogul when his donations were reported were "not helpful to that person." Asked if he was going to give to the Republican super PAC American Crossroads or its nonprofit affiliate Crossroads GPS, he initially would not answer. Later, he said to Ralston, "I'm going to give one more small donation -- you might not think it's that small -- to a super PAC and then if I give it will be to a C4," referring to 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups, such as Crossroads GPS, which are not required to disclose their donors. While he has been complimentary of Romney in some private sessions, according to one source familiar with the matter, he also has publicly criticized him for lacking decisiveness -- an attribute he said Gingrich demonstrated. "He's not the bold decision-maker like Newt Gingrich is. He doesn't want to -- every time I talk to him, he says, 'Well, let me think about it,' " Adelson told JewishJournal.com at the end of March. Adelson has been a prolific donor to Republican causes. Earlier this year, he and his wife each donated $2.5 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a group dedicated to keeping the Republican majority in the House of Representatives. The Adelsons hosted a fund-raiser in April for House Speaker John Boehner's re-election campaign. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that tracks the role of money in politics, Sheldon and Miriam Adelson rank as the top individuals funding outside spending groups this election cycle. In February, when Gingrich still seemed to have a shot at the Republican nomination, Adelson told Forbes magazine he might give as much as $100 million to support the former House speaker. What is unclear is whether he will follow through giving that amount to others. In that interview, he defended his donations and said he had nothing for which to apologize. "I'm against very wealthy people attempting to influence elections," he said. "But as long as it's doable, I'm going to do it. Because I know that guys like (George) Soros have been doing it for years, if not decades. And they stay below the radar by creating a network of corporations to funnel their money. I have my own philosophy, and I'm not ashamed of it. I gave the money because there is no other legal way to do it. I don't want to go through 10 different corporations to hide my name. I'm proud of what I do, and I'm not looking to escape recognition." The Adelsons came under some criticism from Republicans for their support of the super PAC backing Gingrich, especially when it aired bitter ads in January questioning Romney's record at Bain Capital and also when it became clear that Gingrich's candidacy had stalled. One friend said Adelson saw his support as fulfilling his commitment to Gingrich. Adelson reacted to the critics in the Forbes interview: "Those people are either jealous or professional critics." He added: "They like to trash other people. It's unfair that I've been treated unfair -- but it doesn't stop me." CNN political producer Rachel Streitfeld contributed to this report.

Mitt Romney meets with billionaire Sheldon Adelson in Las Vegas . Romney assured the casino magnate is fully supportive of the presumptive GOP nominee . Adelson and wife gave as much as $20 million to a pro-Newt Gingrich super PAC .

(CNN) -- President Obama unveiled plans Wednesday to open large swaths of U.S. coastal waters in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico to oil and natural gas drilling -- a move likely to please the energy industry but upset the administration's environmentalist supporters. The administration plan would include lifting a 20-year ban on drilling off the Virginia coastline, while putting the clamps on sites such as southwest Alaska's Bristol Bay. Parts of the Arctic Ocean off Alaska's North Slope, however, could be accessed. The plan authorizes the Interior Department to conduct seismic surveys off the south- and mid-Atlantic coasts to "determine the quantity and location of potential oil and gas resources to support energy planning," according to a statement from a White House official. What are your hopes for the environment? Roughly two-thirds of available oil and gas resources in the eastern Gulf of Mexico would be opened to drilling if a congressional moratorium on oil and gas operations in the region is lifted, according to the statement. Drilling would occur more than 125 miles off the Florida coast. "This is not a decision that I've made lightly," Obama told an audience at Maryland's Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility. "But the bottom line is this: Given our energy needs, in order to sustain economic growth and produce jobs and keep our businesses competitive, we're going to need to harness traditional sources of fuel even as we ramp up production of new sources of renewable, homegrown energy." The president was joined during his remarks by the secretaries of the interior, energy and the Navy, as well as the chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. GOP leaders have pushed strongly for additional domestic drilling to lessen America's dependence on outside energy sources. One top Republican, however, argued Obama's plan does not go far enough. "It's long past time for this administration to stop delaying American energy production off all our shores," said House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. "Opening up areas off the Virginia coast to offshore production is a positive step, but keeping the Pacific Coast and Alaska, as well as the most promising resources of the Gulf of Mexico, under lock and key makes no sense at a time when gasoline prices are rising and Americans are asking 'Where are the jobs?' " A top Senate Democrat also ripped the decision, arguing it could harm marine life while damaging the economy in coastal communities. "Giving Big Oil more access to our nation's waters is really a 'Kill, Baby, Kill' policy," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-New Jersey. "It threatens to kill jobs, kill marine life and kill coastal economies that generate billions of dollars. Offshore drilling isn't the solution to our energy problems, and I will fight this policy and continue to push for 21st-century clean-energy solutions." Environmentalists critical of Obama drilling plan . House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, warned that any offshore or onshore plan should proceed in an environmentally and fiscally responsible manner. "Taxpayers who own these resources have been historically shortchanged from the huge profits received from drilling on public lands, and must receive a fair return in the future," she said. Another key Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, praised the move, calling it "good news and a positive step forward as we work to expand our nation's domestic energy production." "Moving forward on the mid-Atlantic offshore proposal will provide an opportunity to determine the scope of our region's offshore energy resources, the economic viability of accessing those resources and the potential impacts on our environmental and national security priorities," he said. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican, joined Warner in enthusiastically backing the decision. "Virginians will benefit from the thousands of jobs that will be created and the economic activity and development that will accompany this vital industry's arrival in the state," McDonnell said in a statement. Obama sought to portray his decision as politically pragmatic and centrist, balancing the country's growing energy needs and environmental concerns. The administration has been "guided not by political ideology, but by scientific evidence," he said. "We need to move beyond the tired debates between right and left, between business leaders and environmentalists, between those who would claim drilling is a cure-all and those who would claim it has no place. Because this issue is just too important to allow our progress to languish while we fight the same old battles over and over again." The president warned that increased drilling could only be a partial solution at best. The United States controls less than 2 percent of the world's oil reserves but accounts for more than 20 percent of global oil consumption, he noted. White House spokesmen Bill Burton and Ben LaBolt said the announcement was being made at Andrews -- the home base of presidential airplane Air Force One -- because it's an appropriate place to discuss energy security. In addition to discussing his plans for offshore drilling, Obama talked about the importance of making greater use of biofuels. The U.S. Air Force is the Pentagon's largest consumer of jet fuel, consuming 2.4 billion gallons annually, according to Burton and LaBolt. The Air Force, however, is attempting to transition to a greater use of alternative fuels. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation are set to sign an agreement Thursday establishing fuel economy standards for cars and trucks for model years 2012 to 2016. "We are implementing policies that will greatly reduce our dependence on foreign oil," the official said, noting the White House is leading by example and will announce the purchase of 5,000 hybrid vehicles for the federal fleet. CNN's Dan Lothian, Suzanne Malveaux, Deirdre Walsh, Alan Silverleib, Lisa Desjardins and Erika Dimmler contributed to this report.

One Democratic senator slams the plan while another praises it . U.S. will need traditional fuels while developing new ones, Obama says . Proposal includes lifting a 20-year ban on drilling off the Virginia coastline . One Republican leader says Obama plan doesn't go far enough .

(CNN) -- That the road from revolution to a new Egypt is arduous and twisting comes as no surprise. But few expected that today, one month from presidential elections, Egypt would be moving toward more repression and less accountability than under the deposed dictator Hosni Mubarak. Egypt's crackdown on human-rights organizations, the prosecution and sentencing of the comic actor Adel Imam and the notorious imposition of Article 28, which removes the basic rights of citizens to challenge anything about the upcoming presidential election, create a trifecta of repression. Blood is being spilled on Cairo's streets once again, with up to 20 dead and counting, plus scores wounded by thugs attacking protesters outside the Ministry of Defense. The Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) is consolidating its power. With the leading human rights organizations -- Freedom House, National Democratic Institute, International Republic Institute, the International Center for Journalists and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation -- facing prosecution, oversight of the elections will be minimal at best. The government is eroding the power of civil society to help build a truly democratic Egypt. Clashes in Egypt turn deadly . And the United States government is complicit in some of these changes for the worse. The United States mistakenly believed that the "carrot" of granting SCAF carte blanche -- waiving the human-rights condition to deliver $1.3 billion in military goods -- would more likely ensure cooperation than applying the "stick" of withholding military aid. After pocketing the military aid, the Egyptian government allowed Americans under indictment to leave the country. Then it redoubled its persecution of the Egyptians working for human rights NGOs, threatening them with the serious charge of espionage. So far, the assumption that once the Americans were airlifted out of Cairo, the Egyptian employees left behind would be, in the words of Nancy Okail, head of Freedom House's Cairo office, "forgotten by the international community," has proved to be true. "This sends the wrong message -- that the United States cares only about its own self-interest," Okail said in a recent interview in Washington. "This is about much more than me and my staff; it is a fight for the future of civil society in Egypt. Without civil society, how can you have a healthy transition to democracy?" Okail's harrowing tales of being held in the "cage" in the courtroom in Cairo for five hours, where she read Orwell, and of being led out of the building through a cell full of inmates in a failed attempt to intimidate her indicate that the authorities have every intention of going through with the trial of the Egyptian staff members of the five human rights organizations. Recently making the rounds in Washington, Okail met with universal concern about the fate she and 14 other defendants would face standing trial. No one wants the brave Okail, or her colleagues, to be martyrs, but neither their safety in Egypt nor immunity from being scapegoated can be guaranteed. Unless the Egyptian authorities cannot be persuaded to drop the case, civil society in Egypt will be dealt a serious blow. Two years ago, President Barack Obama uttered these words in Cairo: "I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere." Now, a revolution and a tumultuous aftermath later, those words ring hollow, as the United States policy of supporting military dictators in Egypt continues unabated. Egyptians feel anxious that the presidential elections will be run under Article 28, part of SCAF's Constitutional Declaration of March 2011. Accordingly, election results issued by the Higher Presidential Election Commission are immutable. In other words, if a citizen observes and even captures on film, electoral fraud, he or she has no right to question the result. As SCAF safeguards its power, hard-line Islamists seek to control Egypt's narrative, tightening the noose around the neck of the Egyptian people. The unthinkable occurred last month when Adel Imam, Egypt's most beloved actor, was convicted of "insulting Islam" with his films. Since the Mubarak era, fundamentalists have targeted artists, but the Imam case sets a new standard for censorship. Instead of dismissing the case, as was the custom with past "offending Islam" charges, the judge convicted Imam and sentenced him to three months in prison. Imam may win on appeal, but now all Egyptian filmmakers have been put on notice that they may be subjected to the nebulous charge of "offending Islam." Add to that the scores who have been convicted for "crimes" of expression in films, books and blogs. Egypt's voices, newly energized since the Revolution, are steadily being silenced. Where can ordinary Egyptians look for support? The United States should be their prime defender. With its unconditional support of SCAF, however, the U.S. has forfeited the trust and respect of the Egyptian people. It is not too late for the United States to put the real yearning of the Egyptian people for dignity, justice, opportunity and democracy ahead of the false stability of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces. It is not too late to support the Egyptian people and to demand an end to violence against protesters, protection of NGOs and free, fair and accountable elections. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Cynthia Schneider and Khaled Abol Naga.

Cynthia Schneider, Khaled Abol Naga: Ahead of vote, Egypt moving toward repression again . They say military cracking down on rights groups, making new election laws and arrests . They say U.S. gave aid hoping it would buy cooperation from military; it has emboldened it . Writers: U.S. forfeited trust of Egyptian people by allying with military; it must change approach .

Washington (CNN)Let's get the news out of the way to begin with. There isn't any news on whether Mitt Romney is going to run for president again. That isn't to say there aren't those who want him to run. CNN's Gloria Borger reports advisers are rooting for him to consider it. He's not sold on the idea. Regardless of what goes on behind closed doors, what we do know for sure is he has said he won't do it. So why does he keep creeping his way into headlines and onto campaign stages? He's 67, just a year older than Hillary Clinton, and he appears to continue to be in great shape. Both Romney and Clinton would be about the same age as Ronald Reagan was when he was first inaugurated. Age probably isn't an issue. Will Romney take the plunge again? So herewith, three reasons Mitt Romney is going to run for president: . 1. He's doing interviews with the New York Times: In a new profile published this week in the New York Times Magazine, Romney is asked about running for president again. He makes a joke about a scene in the movie "Dumb and Dumber" when Jim Carrey, asking a woman if she's interested in him, is told his chances are 1 in a million. "So there's a chance?" Carrey's character says in the movie. "There's a chance," Romney told the New York Times, apparently while doing a Jim Carrey impression. But he didn't sound 1 in a million dismissive when he added: "We've got a lot of people looking at the race. We'll see what happens." This latest version of "no" is a lot different than the flatter, more definitive "nos" he was giving not too long ago. The Washington Post examined all the different ways Romney has said "No" and discovered a softening of the resolve. 2. He won't go away: Romney isn't just on the campaign trail for Republicans in 2014, he's on the campaign trail with regularity. He's helping candidates large and small and he's helping the party raise money. He's traveling to Florida and New Jersey and he's helping out Scott Brown in New Hampshire. These are not the activities of a man who is done with public life. This is a man who is still in demand from his party and still wants to contribute. But as Julie Pace of the Associated Press said on CNN's "New Day" Tuesday, it's not clear if he's in so demand by Republicans because he is their top star or because no one has stepped into the void in a party with no clear leader. 3. He was right: Okay, whether he was actually right or not is and will remain the matter of some dispute, just like the campaign itself. But in the midst of a tough second term for President Barack Obama, Romney can point to issues as varied as terror, Detroit and tensions with Russia and argue that what he said on the campaign trail back in 2012 now seems prescient. How to campaign without campaigning . But for every reason Romney would run, there is an equally convincing reason he won't. Here are four: . 1. The 47% is still there: It was the turning point in the presidential campaign when Romney spoke the truth that about 47% of Americans were going to vote against him no matter what. Who knows if the exact number is still 47%, but it is about half the country. There's no doubt Americans have some buyer's remorse with Obama in his second term. A CNN/ORC poll in July found that 53% of Americans would support Mitt Romney against Obama in a hypothetical match-up. Of course, Obama can't run again. In that same poll, 55% would have supported Clinton over 42% for Romney. Her numbers have settled since then, but the point remains. Romney looks good to Americans in hindsight. He might look different if he actually started running again. 2. Running for president is hard: It's really hard to give up your life and spend most of your time flying across the country, sleeping in hotels and fund-raising. The rest of the time you spend giving speeches and glad-handing. The Netflix documentary "Mitt," released earlier this year, did a good job of documenting that toll. You could see it on the exhausted face of his wife, Ann, and on the faces of his children. We're not privy to private Romney family discussions, but you've got to wonder if he would want to start up the family machine again. 3. He's run and lost twice already: In that Netflix documentary, Romney put it well. "I have looked at what happens to anybody in this country who loses as the nominee of their party," he says. "They become a loser for life" and are "brutalized" by the public. Romney has now lived that reality. A third run would be almost unprecedented. As the son of a man who ran for president and having now done it twice himself, Romney must be keenly aware of legacy. A win would instantly erase all stigma from his previous losses. A third straight loss would make his name synonymous with defeat. 4. He'd have a primary: Romney lost the crowded 2008 primary and won the crowded primary in 2012. There's no question he'd have to win another crowded primary in 2016. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul are all seriously considering runs. Each of those men has a compelling campaign story. Romney would have to convince Americans to choose him over one of these new guys who hasn't had a chance yet. That could end up being a tough argument to make. Chris Christie builds profile as he eyes 2016 presidential run .

Mitt Romney has said he won't run for president again . But that hasn't tamped down 2016 speculation . For every reason he would run, there are other reasons he won't .

(CNN) -- There once was a man named Norton who didn't know what to do with himself -- not just sometimes, but always. He slogged through school, then the University of Pennsylvania and pre-Beatles Liverpool on a scholarship. He shipped off to a foggy, wretched spot in Newfoundland in the Navy, and returned to a slightly less-wretched Brooklyn Heights basement. He became an architect -- the very same job his father and brother held -- and, feeling a bit burned out by 1960, secured a grant to write a kids' book about cities. But those old demons grabbed him, the ones that always seem to keep him from doing the things he should be doing, and Norton Juster began to write a story. His very first sentence: "There once was a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself -- not just sometimes, but always." The sentence became a chapter, then pictures drawn by his friend and neighbor, cartoonist Jules Feiffer, and eventually, a book. The book became "The Phantom Tollbooth" -- perhaps you've read one of the 4 million copies printed during the last 51 years. In it, uninspired young Milo receives a mysterious tollbooth that takes him through the Kingdom of Wisdom (a city of sorts, with landmarks such as the Mountains of Ignorance, Foothills of Confusion and the Doldrums) to rescue the princesses Rhyme and Reason. Along the way, Milo learns a bit about language, friendship, learning itself, and those very same demons -- petty tasks, habit, insincerity, fear -- that Juster battled. So, after an architecture career, a smattering of other books and countless fan letters, Juster, at 82, has at least done this: He can carry on a conversation with a 9-year-old. Short of writing a classic children's novel yourself, try this. Stop trying . It might've been unlucky that Juster's older brother was funny, athletic, handsome, whip-smart -- the undisputed "hope of the family." But for the younger Juster, it meant freedom to read encyclopedias, to absorb old Yiddish books, to lounge before Jack Armstrong stories on the radio, to invent with the architectural samples his dad brought home, to not like anything until he found what he loved. "They gave me the greatest gift of all: They left me alone,'" Juster said. "There were no expectations hanging on my head so I had a good time browsing around in my own head and inventing my own world and that was the best kind of training I could have for whatever I did." Be funny . Juster's father was a quiet man, never one to tell a bawdy joke. But he was a great spinner of puns, a master of wordplay, a man schooled by the Marx Brothers. "'Ah-ha, I see you're coming early since lately,'" he'd say. "You used to be behind before, but now you're first at last.'" Young Norton would freeze, confused. Was this funny? Should he laugh? "You're a good kid," his father would say, his hand around his son's shoulder. "I'd like to see you get ahead. You need one." "After a while, he'd pull one of these things on me, and I'd say, 'I understand that, and I can do that,'" Juster said. "And boy is that empowerment, when you suddenly realize that language is yours to play with." Don't lie . A kid has got to have mentors, Juster said. It's why he gave Milo the kindly, talking timekeeper dog, Tock, and Humbug, the lazy, grouchy, mostly harmless ne'er-do-well. Whom Juster had was Uncle Bill -- a kindly ne'er-do-well, a Humbug-ish Tock. When young Norton wanted to play, Bill joined him. When the nephew ran away, the uncle was the one to fetch him. If you asked whether a visit to the dentist would hurt, Juster said, "He would tell you 'Yes,' why and for how long. That's precious information for a kid." Estimate higher . "The Phantom Tollbooth" could've died in the hands of "the powers that be," Juster said -- book editors and experts who said it was too clever for kids, too loaded with puns and wit. Fantasy, some told him, would "disorient the children." "Luckily," Juster says, the book first landed in the hands of an editor who worked outside the realm of children's publishing. They were able to get it published with the map Juster designed, the layout he imagined and the words he wrote. To kids, Juster believed, a new word was a great discovery, one of the few things they could control. "If you think about it, there's no such things as a difficult word," Juster said. "There's just a word you haven't come across yet." Listen and remember . "Children are children, and they're still fighting the same battles," Juster said. "Those issues that I thought were my own personal issues, I now realize they're the issues of every kid growing up. The basic things that control their lives -- their fears, their uncertainties, their resentments, everything like that, remain the same. "For people who write and for people who work in an area where you have to break the mold in some way, you have to retain, I guess, a good piece of the way you thought as a child. I think if you lose all of that, that's where the deadliness comes from. The idea of children looking at things differently is a precious thing. "The most important thing you can do is notice."

"The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster celebrated 50 years in print last year . Juster said the book has stayed relevant because the world changes, but children don't . Milo, the book's main character, is really just Juster himself, the author said .

Washington (CNN) -- It's the punchline of a joke no one bothered to write the set-up for: Warren Buffett's secretary pays a higher tax rate than he does. It's a joke about the fishnet our tax code turns into when it snares a golden snapper instead of a few million sardines, a joke about the kind of man who still employs a person he refers to as his "secretary" in 2012 and a joke about a rich guy who allegedly cares enough about his secretary's tax rate that he'll get behind a government effort to raise his taxes but can't bring himself to call her an executive assistant. And it's now the punchline on which the Obama administration decided to rest its efforts to increase taxes on the wealthy in an election year. What was one semi-faceless woman on the other side of the mahogany doors of Buffett's office is now a road show featuring four wealthy Obama donors and their (at least in some press accounts) still-nameless assistants story. No one called them "secretaries," though. The word "secretary" conjures up images of a bygone era, of pearls and sweater sets, sensible heels and knee-length skirts, and the right mixture of efficiency and self-effacement to fade into the background while acting as a powerful man's right hand. Perhaps that -- and the plethora of lawyers in the city limits -- is why the phrase "Warren Buffett's secretary" didn't strike any odd notes in Washington even as most of the rest of the country would consider the word consigned to the same heap containing "stewardess," "love child" and "going steady." In 2012, we don't celebrate Secretaries' Day; we celebrate Administrative Professionals Day. We have -- when we have administrative support at all, which is increasingly rare in the post-recession hyper-productive economy -- administrative assistants, executive assistants or (if you're a celebrity) personal assistants. And while it probably goes without saying that at least a few still fetch coffee for the higher-ups, a fair number of administrative and executive assistants would probably look askance at a boss who asked them to stop answering phones, planning for meetings and dealing with the time-consuming minutiae of keeping an office functioning to do a personal task like that. Plus, in the modern economy, there's no longer a secretarial pool: More likely, a group of employees and managers will be pooled together to use the resources of one administrative assistant, who then gets to juggle not only their work demands but their desire to have their demands met before those of their colleagues. If you bring five different people coffee on demand, that's less assisting one's supervisors and more waiting on them. At its core, being an assistant -- or an administrative professional -- is framed as a career upgrade, even if many of the tasks are essentially the same: It's a way of acknowledging the importance of administrative work and support to the success of many projects and even many people. A secretary served one boss -- and it's the service nature of that categorization that perhaps rubs us the wrong way nowadays -- with both professional tasks and more than a few personal ones. "Administrative professional" denotes strictly professional assistance; "secretary" still holds the connotation of "work wife." The phrase "Warren Buffett's secretary" sounds strange. Are we supposed to conjure up a modern-day Joan Holloway, Doralee Rhodes, the "sweet" and loyal Maria of the R.B. Greaves song or the stern, all-knowing mother-figure of an assistant? Do they still get coffee, buy gifts for relatives, even take dictation? And how does Buffett's "secretary" feel about being the invisible half of his political punchline-turned-policy? If nothing else, Debbie Bosanek -- who, despite having a real name, is still known to the world as "Warren Buffett's secretary" -- seems to have a sense of humor about the whole thing. Though, when conservative commentators take her limited role in the fight to raise rich people's taxes seriously enough that they decided to speculate that she is too rich to be the poster child for the downtrodden, she'd have to be amused, if she wasn't going to get annoyed. It's probably not the first time that her boss' needs have trumped her personal desires, and at least it netted her a seat at the State of the Union. But it's interesting that, even in the wake of the Occupy movement calling for more attention to be paid to income inequality, the legislation is still called the Buffett Rule. The rule designed to even the playing field by putting Buffett's taxes on Bosanek's scale isn't called the Bosanek Rule or the Secretaries' Rule. It makes no obvious reference to the people to whom Buffett is to be made more equal. Instead, it's the Buffett Rule. It's about him; it concerns him; it affects him; it takes his name. Bosanek will probably go back to being the anonymous secretary of the story (if she hasn't already done so), and the legislation inspired by Buffett's epiphany about her unequal tax rate will get named after him. Even when legislation is intended to ding the 1%, it still bears their name, and it's still with the permission of at least some of them -- whether it be Buffett or the four donors with whom Obama shared the stage this week -- that it's even on the political agenda. It's not getting pushed because Bosanek deserves it but because Buffett thinks she deserves it. After all, that's what secretaries do: They fade into the background. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Megan Carpentier.

Megan Carpentier: Political discussion revolves around "Warren Buffett's secretary" She says the word "secretary" conjures up images of a bygone era, of pearls and sweater sets . This is another case in which a secretary is in shadows behind powerful, wealthy man, she says . Carpentier: Secretary is a "work wife," rather than "administrative professional"

London, England (CNN) -- Top British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, who dressed stars from Sarah Jessica Parker to Rihanna to Nicole Kidman in bold shapes and colors, was found dead in his home here Thursday, a spokesman for his company said. Though his reputation for controversy earned him the titles "enfant terrible" and "the hooligan of English fashion," British Vogue Editor Alexandra Shulman said his work "influenced a whole generation of designers. "His brilliant imagination knew no bounds as he conjured up collection after collection of extraordinary designs. At one level he was a master of the fantastic, creating astounding fashions shows that mixed design, technology and performance, and on another he was a modern day genius whose gothic aesthetic was adopted by women the world over. His death is the hugest loss to anyone who knew him and for very many who didn't," said a statement from Shulman on the magazine's Web site. Asked about reports of McQueen's death, London's Metropolitan Police said a 40-year-old man was found dead at an address in Green Street, central London. They would not confirm his identity and said the death was not being treated as suspicious. "At this stage it is inappropriate to comment on this tragic news beyond saying that we are devastated and are sharing a sense of shock and grief with Lee's family," said a statement issued from his company on behalf of the family of the designer, who was born Lee Alexander McQueen. "Lee's family has asked for privacy in order to come to terms with this terrible news and we hope the media will respect this." According to a posting on McQueen's Twitter page, the designer's mother died February 2. "i'm letting my followers know the my mother passed away yesterday," said an entry posted at 11:46 a.m. February 3. "RIP mumxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx," it added. One minute later, the message "but life must go on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" was tweeted. The account has not been verified by Twitter as officially coming from McQueen, although the page does link to his Web site. His death comes just a week before the opening of the famed London Fashion Week. "We are deeply shocked and saddened at the news of Alexander McQueen's untimely death," said a statement on the London Fashion Week Web site. "He was a unique talent and one of the world's greatest designers. Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this sad time." Although McQueen was not showing a collection at the London Fashion Week, he was to unveil his ready-to-wear collection at the Paris fashion shows in March. His 2010 spring/summer collection featured alien-inspired makeup and prints, according to Vogue, and "was lauded as his best by the fashion press." Dresses in that ready-to-wear line had exaggerated tiny waists and rounded hips, and models on the catwalk wore high club-like boots with them. Model Naomi Campbell said she was "truly devastated" by McQueen's death. "His talent had no boundaries and he was an inspiration to everyone who worked with him and knew him," she said in a statement released by her publicist. "This is a sad day to all who loved him around the world and my condolences are with his family. I will miss him so much, he will never be forgotten." Designer Carolina Herrera called McQueen "one of a -kind" and said in a statement that he was "one of the most talented designers of his generation. This is a big loss for the world." A manager at the Alexander McQueen store in New York said the shop would be closed Thursday and Friday in light of the designer's death. Appearing on CNN Thursday before news of McQueen's death broke, singer Lady Gaga -- known for her ground-breaking fashion -- spoke of her admiration for the designer. "He is so -- He is on his own planet. He doesn't need to respond to trends or what anyone else is doing," Lady Gaga said in an interview on "American Morning. "He is so pure and from within and I -- he just generally inspires me ... and I love when I can wear his clothes and sort of synthesize for my fans what it means to me, because I want them escape through his clothes the way that I do." According to a biography of McQueen on Vogue's Web site, he was born in 1970 in London's East End, the son of a taxi driver. He trained in London's Savile Row at a company that made suits for Prince Charles. One anecdote that helped cement his bad-boy image claimed that he had once embroidered a suit for the Prince of Wales with a profanity sewn into the lining. His clothing line was purchased in 1991 by stylist Isabella Blow, who became a close friend. She committed suicide in 2007, five years after his label was brought into the Gucci Group, based in Paris, France. In an interview with CNN's Jim Bittermann in October, McQueen -- whose work was also worn by Sandra Bullock and Gwyneth Paltrow -- talked about how the traditional runway shows for fashion designers are changing. His latest show was an invitation event for 1,000 people and was streamed live on the Internet. "It's got to progress, and it's got to move on," he said. "I've been doing these shows for over 15 years now; I must have done about 60 shows. Even I get bored with the same concept, so this way, I can see a brighter future for fashion." The designer was honored as a commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 and won numerous other awards in the fashion world.

NEW: "His talent had no boundaries," model Naomi Campbell says . Fashion designer Alexander McQueen, 40, found dead at London home . British police said death was not being treated as suspicious . McQueen had reputation for controversy, earning him title "enfant terrible"

Washington (CNN) -- The man in line to be the next speaker of the House lost his primary Tuesday in Virginia. The outcome of the race shocked Eric Cantor, challenger Dave Brat and political pundits and analysts. The day after Cantor's devastating defeat, those same people are trying to answer the critical questions: Why and how did a well-funded, powerful, conservative member of Congress lose to a political novice? 1. Too much political calculation: Cantor is known for smart political calculations and ambition, but this year those attributes may have cost him his job. One thing that's been lacking throughout Cantor's career is loyalty among his constituents, says Russell Berman, reporter with The Hill. "He has always been seen as somewhat calculating," Berman said, noting Cantor changed his position on immigration in the final weeks of the campaign. CNN political editor Mark Preston agreed, adding that Cantor tried to have it both ways. "It was only just a couple years ago that Eric Cantor was seen as the voice, so to speak, for the tea party within the leadership. The past couple of years, he seemed to have been moderating his views a little bit," Preston said. 2. Too much ambition: CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger noted that as the No. 2 Republican in the House, Cantor was in line to become speaker, a position he wanted. "(He) was seen as very ambitious, somebody who spent a lot of time fund-raising for the Republican Party," Borger said. Cantor 'earthquake' rattles Capitol Hill . Republican strategist Ben Ferguson said Cantor "forgot that his job was to go to Washington and fight for conservative ideas." "He embodied -- from many of their perspectives -- sort of the arrogance of power. That I think has a lot to do with it. And along those lines ... he didn't tend to the district," CNN chief congressional correspondent Dana Bash said . 3. Disconnected: Ambition and calculation lead to being disconnected. "This is Eric Cantor's fault. He was in Washington on Election Day, not back in his district," CNN chief national correspondent John King said. "His confidence, his smugness, his arrogance cost him his seat." Borger agreed. "This is a repudiation of Eric Cantor personally, that he failed Politics 101, which is to keep in touch with your district," she said. "And that was an issue," Ferguson said. "When you start having your operatives deal with the little people in your district -- like, oh, you take their phone calls, oh, you e-mail them back, I'm too busy for that, I'm this big dog in the GOP -- the way that Eric Cantor, John Boehner, John McCain have acted, you get your rear end kicked eventually." 4. Turnout/enthusiasm: Brat's campaign didn't come close to matching Cantor's deep pockets, but Brat made up for the fund-raising shortfall by rallying his staunchest supporters. "Money can't buy enthusiasm," Bash said. CNN political analyst John Avlon said the difference may lie in voter turnout, which stood at just 12% on Tuesday. "When you get these very low turnout primaries and the people are not paying attention to, they can be easily hijacked by activists. There is no question Eric Cantor would have won a general election in his district," Avlon said. 5. The role of the right: Brian Stelter, CNN senior media correspondent, said conservative media corralled the troops to vote for Brat in numbers that Cantor did not match. "Laura Ingraham, for example, to name one talk radio host, was very supportive of Brat, even held a rally for him in Virginia this time last week. The top of her website today said, 'Vote Dave Brat today.' Other radio hosts also supported him. Ann Coulter supported him. And I think they are going to be getting credit in the days to come. Tonight on Fox News, Megyn Kelly called Ingraham instrumental to this victory," Stelter said. 6. ... and the left: Larry Sabato, diirector of the University of Virginia Center for Politics said Democrats, who make up 43% of the district, played a role as well. "There was a major outreach to Democrats in that district," Sabato said. "You had Brat operatives going to Democratic Party committees, even on election eve, asking them to go to the polls to get rid of Eric Cantor. It had nothing to do with Dave Brat. There were robocalls to Democrats in that district, wanting -- telling Democrats come out to the polls." 7. He was a casualty of a bigger battle: "(Cantor had been) taking conservative position after conservative position after conservative position, but almost 100% wasn't enough for these folks. And I think of it as a major message to Republican leadership," Avlon said. Borger said that Cantor's loss to a challenge from the right, despite rock-solid conservative credentials, puts the GOP at a crossroad. "I think they're kind of at the proverbial fork in the road. They can either be a congressional party and win these congressional seats by going further to the right, or they can become a presidential party in which you have to move to the middle." Cantor was not only an establishment figure, GOP Rep. Lee Terry of Nebraska noted, but was deeply involved in negotiating with the White House to end the government shutdown last fall. "And that was used against him. And so the message to us is, negotiation or compromise could get you beat," Terry said. Jack Trammell is the Democrat who no longer has to face Eric Cantor . 5 aftershocks from Cantor's stunning upset loss .

Not long ago, Cantor was seen as the tea party voice within House leadership . To some, Cantor embodied the arrogance of power . Cantor gets blamed for being in Washington on Election Day, not in his district . Dave Brat made up for the fund-raising shortfall by rallying his staunchest supporters .

(CNN) -- "Sitting in class, second grade, teachers would put me outside the hallway because I had been ticking so loud I was a 'distraction,'" recalled 25-year-old Amber Comfort. "Teachers would walk by me back and forth and say 'you'd better stop that before you get into my class next year.' Things that were just completely obscene, that you would never expect the world to be, and I had to deal with on a daily basis." From the age of five, Comfort has suffered from Tourette's syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes her to make involuntary movements and loud noises, known as tics. For almost 20 years, the condition has shaped every moment of her life. "I don't remember any parts of ever being tic free," she said. "There's not a day that's gone by that I don't remember moving or making noise when I couldn't help it." But she has not let Tourette's dictate how she lives. Comfort graduated from high school with honors and was even accepted to college on full scholarship. But her uncontrollable outbursts have made it hard to continue her education or even hold down a steady job. There is one thing that comes easy though. Singing. She loves to sing, and when she does, her tics are curiously absent. "Singing is what gets me through a lot of hard days. When I'm on the computer, when I'm driving, when I write poetry, basically anything with a sense of focus," Comfort explained. "When I have to worry about my tics I do just that -- I worry about my tics." Deep brain stimulation . There is no cure for Tourette's syndrome. But after years of suffering and unsuccessful therapies, Comfort was selected for experimental surgery by specialists from the University of Florida's Center for Movement Disorders. The procedure is called deep brain stimulation (DBS), where small electrodes are implanted into the brain to stimulate affected regions in patients with movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease or tremors. The delivery of electricity is at the root of what makes DBS work. The electrodes are attached to an impulse generator, or pacemaker, implanted under the patient's skin, which provides electrical impulses to the affected region of the brain. By providing impulses to circuits in the brain associated with a specific motor skill, it's possible to change the connections between neurons and stop the abnormal activity that causes the symptoms. DBS was first approved for tremors in 1997 and since then more than 100,000 patients have had the procedure. But Comfort's surgery would be the first time the technique had been used for Tourette's. Tourette's syndrome is characterized by an impulsivity that combines both emotion and motor activity and makes the underlying neurology differ from that of Parkinson's and other conditions previously treated with DBS. "The difference in Tourette is the movement isn't there all the time," explained neurologist Dr. Michael Okun, co-director of the Center for Movement Disorders and author of "Parkinson's Treatment: 10 Secrets to a Happier Life with Parkinson's Disease." "The patients that have a tic, they get this build up; they call it a premonitory urge. They feel like they need to move and until they move, they don't feel better." This urge to tic is a daily woe for people like Comfort. "It's like having 15 mosquito bites that you can't itch," she said. "There's no way to ever tell they are coming." Until now, treatments available for Tourette's have been behavioral therapy and drug medications. These treatments, however, only manage the severity of tics to make them less disruptive and do not prevent them. "Without my medications, I am one of the worst cases the doctors have ever seen in the United States," said Comfort. Experimental surgery . In September 2014, Comfort had the DBS electrodes implanted in her brain -- a 12-hour process that involved six operations. In addition to the standard electrode leads, she had a new grid-like device implanted on top of her brain -- an experimental procedure intended to gather information from her brain that could not only lessen her tics, but maybe someday stop them. Not only did Comfort have four holes drilled into her skull, but she was awake throughout the process. "The way sedatives work is by suppressing brain activity, so we get better recordings if we don't use any sedatives," explained Dr. Kelly Foote, also co-director of the Center for Movement Disorders, who performed the surgery. The team uses music to help relax the patient while the painless, but stressful, procedure is carried out. "We let them pick the music to take the focus off the fact that I am drilling a hole in their head, and cutting their scalp and that sort of thing," said Foote. Comfort's surgery was a success, but implanting the stimulation and recording devices is just the start of the DBS process. Okun and Foote will now monitor Comfort's brain activity over the next six to 12 months. The grid will provide insight into the underlying cause of her Tourette's syndrome and allow the doctors to regulate the electrical impulses so that they can begin to manage and maybe someday, eliminate her tics. For Comfort, this is her chance to finally live a normal life. "If it's a chance to change my life for the better and to make sure I don't have to deal with this anymore, I'm up for it," said Comfort. "I have had this 20 years, and I think I've done my time."

Tourette syndrome causes sufferers to make involuntary movements and noises . Deep brain stimulation could help with the disorder . Small electrodes are implanted into the brain to stimulate affected regions . American Tourette's sufferer Amber Comfort has pioneering surgery .

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Tens of thousands of demonstrators slept on the streets of Bangkok on Monday night, continuing a protest intended to force Thailand's Prime Minister from office, authorities said. The protesters have laid siege to major intersections in Thailand's large and hectic capital city. At their peak on Monday evening, they numbered as many as 170,000, Lt. Gen. Paradon Pattanathabut, the nation's security chief, said Tuesday. But many of the demonstrators have since returned to their homes in the Bangkok area, Paradon said. About 60,000 of them stayed out on the streets overnight, he said, sleeping under tents and mosquito nets. The protesters, who aim to keep demonstrating for a month, occupied seven main intersections and blocked one government office on Monday. They say they intend to march to several other ministries, close more intersections and cut off electricity and water supplies at some government offices. It's all part of an effort dubbed "Bangkok shutdown." It's orchestrated by the People's Democratic Reform Committee protest group, led by Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister for the opposition Democrat Party. Traffic disrupted . On Monday -- Day 1 -- students stayed at home as 140 schools were closed. In some places, protesters stopped cars from crossing blockades. Many people used alternative routes or means of transportation to reach their destinations. Though many areas of the city are unaffected, several of the rally sites are in popular tourist areas. About 20,000 security personnel kept watch throughout the city. But so far, the shutdown has gone without serious incident. The government has offered talks with protesters and other concerned parties to discuss a way out and way to postpone the election, but Suthep has rejected the offer. Urging caution . Rights groups and others have called on Thai authorities and anti-government protesters to respect human rights and avoid violence during the mass demonstrations. Since the anti-government protests began in November, eight people have died and 470 have been injured, authorities said. "The situation in Thailand is tense, volatile and unpredictable," Isabelle Arradon, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific deputy director, said last week. "There is a real risk of loss of life and injury unless human rights are fully respected." U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Friday in New York that he had spoken by telephone with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva over the past three days "in an effort to help them bridge their differences." Ban said he was "very concerned that the situation could escalate in the days ahead," particularly on Monday. "I urge all involved to show restraint, avoid provocative acts and settle their differences peacefully, through dialogue," he said. Abhisit has denied being a member of the PDRC but has appeared on stage and among the crowds at some of their demonstrations. Travel warnings . In a bid to cool tensions, Yingluck dissolved the nation's parliament in December and called for new elections to be held on February 2. But the move has done little to appease protesters. They have called on the Prime Minister to step down from her caretaker position and be replaced by an unelected "people's council," which would see through electoral and political reforms. The national Election Commission has urged the government to postpone elections amid the continuing unrest. On Wednesday, Yingluck will meet with protest leaders and election commission officials to discuss whether to postpone, her office said. Dozens of countries have issued travel advisories amid fears the tensions could erupt into violence. The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok has urged U.S. citizens to avoid large gatherings in the city and to ensure they have a stock of cash and essential items in case the situation deteriorates. "While protests have been generally peaceful over the last two months, some have resulted in injury and death," its online warning said. "Even demonstrations that are meant to be peaceful can turn confrontational, and can escalate into violence without warning." The protest group said that on Monday, it would still allow ambulances to pass along the roads it intends to block, and that it would not block access to airports and public transportation. Ambitious goal . Protest leaders have said they want to rid Thailand of the influence of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the older brother of Yingluck. That's an ambitious goal in a country where every election since 2001 has been won by parties affiliated with Thaksin, a billionaire who built his political success on populist policies that appealed to Thailand's rural heartland. Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and has spent most of the time since then in exile overseas. If he returns, he risks a two-year prison sentence on a corruption conviction, which he says was politically motivated. The recent protests in Bangkok were prompted by a botched attempt by Yingluck's government to pass an amnesty bill that would have opened the door for her brother's return. That move added fuel for critics who accuse her of being nothing more than her brother's puppet, an allegation she has repeatedly denied. Opposition to Thaksin and Yingluck is strongest among the urban elites and middle class, particularly in Bangkok. Thaksin's traditional support comes from the populous rural areas of north and northeast Thailand. His supporters, known as "red shirts," plan to hold demonstrations in various places in Thailand, but not the capital or south of the country, on Sunday. They support the holding of elections on February 2.

NEW: About 60,000 protesters stayed out on the streets of Bangkok overnight . NEW: At their peak Monday, they numbered as many as 170,000, authorities say . They have laid siege to major intersections in the Thai capital . The protesters are demanding that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra step down .

(CNN) -- Out of all the frightening things on television, especially as we near Halloween, I'll admit it's the teen dramas that make me want to leave a light on. Between the dead friends and the supernatural ones, shows I love like "Pretty Little Liars" and "The Secret Circle" have scenes suspenseful and chilling enough to make someone watch the action from behind a shielding hand. And yes, that someone would be me. I'm a sucker for whodunit suspense, but I have a low tolerance for true horror, making slasher films, psychological thrillers, ghost stories and their ilk off-limits if I want uninterrupted sleep. Knowing I can't hang with the big kids watching "True Blood" -- incredibly sad, but yes, also true -- surely I could handle a comparatively tame series. The CW's "The Secret Circle"? It sounded like nothing more than a lip-glossed, for-TV version of "The Craft." Except while I was scoffing at the spotty acting and cheesy, after-school-special plot turns that dot all teen shows, two things happened: The first was that I became completely invested in the storylines, and two, I realized I wasn't giving the source material, show runners or actors enough credit. It's easy to assume that because of the marketing, because of the network or because these shows -- including the CW's other hit, "The Vampire Diaries" -- are adapted from young adult novels, they'd be like candy to an adult. And for some, that may be true. But I'd argue that, just as adult fans of YA have been realizing over the past few years, some of the best pop culture just happens to come with a side of teen angst and issues. Perhaps everyone's taking a page from author Maurice Sendak's book and refusing to "cater to the (BS) of innocence," as he told the Guardian this month. So while the entire cast of "Circle" may look like they were pulled from the pages of a junior's clothing catalogue and one of the leads does bear the same tortured expression of a "Twilight" star, there was nothing sparkly about the fourth episode, "Heather." The show, which is adapted from a fictional young adult series of the same name, centers on a group of teens who are the descendants of witches. As they uncover their powers, they run into a variety of threats, including of course, demons. If you've watched a show centered on the supernatural before, including the classic "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," you've run into your fair share of demonic appearances. (Can we have a moment of silence for an OG of scary teen TV? More than a decade later, I still remember the voice-stealing "Gentlemen" of season 4's "Hush.") But I had to tip my hat to actress Camille Sullivan, who portrayed the woman who'd been possessed in that particular "Secret Circle" episode, because she officially put "Heather" on "do not watch again" status. This probably means there are 13-year-olds with a greater constitution than me, and I'm OK with that. While "The Secret Circle" hasn't been at all secretive about the dark turns the series will take, ABC Family's "Pretty Little Liars" inched up the creep factor throughout its two seasons. Yet another adaptation from a beloved set of books, "Liars" offers you the eye-rolling idea of a high school student dating her English teacher with complete seriousness, but you'll also get a twisted storyline of a frenemy who may or may not be dead. If you haven't seen the show, which has skyrocketed over the past year to become one of the most popular programs on TV, that's the central premise: A group of four "pretty" and prone to lying friends reconvene after the death of their fifth BFF, Alison. What draws them together in her absence are the intrusive, uncannily knowing text messages from someone (or perhaps more than one person) known as "A." Ali's a complicated character, even when she's alive, played convincingly by Sasha Pieterse. But "Liars," part drama and part thriller, raises the stakes with all of the questions surrounding her death. Who killed Ali, and is she really dead? Because if she is, who's this creepy "A" that seems to know the secrets of the four main friends? At first, the "Clue"-like guessing game was the main draw, but as season one turned into season two, "A" was revealed to be ruthless. This isn't just a bully, as one speech delivered during the second season tried to claim; this is a masked stalker, kidnapper and killer who has amazing access to just about everyone and everything. If I asked for a show of hands of who was excited and yet sort of terrified to watch this week's Halloween episode, I know without seeing them that mine wouldn't be the only one raised. That special edition didn't disappoint, what with an opening fright of twin-on-twin violence, a fake-out attack and a Halloween costume involving a baby mask that might haunt my dreams. I can keep watching, though, because there is something that separates these shows from the rest of the chilling fare that's offered. The writers give me, and I suspect other scaredy-cats like me, a reprieve. There's a fine balance between the soapier, sillier plots -- it wouldn't be a teen drama without a love triangle or a fated love that seems to be doomed -- and the more frightening moments. If you consider yourself a master of suspense, don't let the baby-faces on teen dramas fool you. If horror has taught us anything, it's the young ones you have to watch out for.

Some of the best pop culture just happens to come with a side of teen angst and issues . ABC Family's "Pretty Little Liars" inched up the creep factor throughout its two seasons . A Halloween-themed episode of the show offered some chills .

(CNN) -- Extreme fire weather across much of the Western United States on Wednesday continued to fuel dozens of wildfires, endangering several communities and threatening to drive more people from their homes. At least 70 large fires were burning across 13 states west of the Mississippi River, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center. California had the most with 13, followed by Nevada with 12 and Idaho with 10, the center said. The Marines joined the fight on Wednesday, with helicopter units from California joining U.S. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units from Colorado, Wyoming, North Carolina and California in fighting the fires by air. The Marine units will help fight fires around San Diego. In California alone, 8,000 firefighters were fighting a dozen fires, the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Wednesday. The state issued a burn ban, saying only some campfires are allowed. Conditions could worsen in some places over the next few days. The National Weather Service said a weather pattern developing in parts of Oregon could produce conditions favorable to "explosive fire growth." In all, parts of 10 states were covered by Red Flag warnings projecting extreme fire weather. In central Washington state, the wind-whipped Taylor Bridge Fire had scorched some 22,000 acres and destroyed at least 60 homes, fire officials said. One of those structures was the home of Elaine Burt, who unsuccessfully tried to get past firefighters to save her dogs and other animals at her home, according to CNN affiliate KING-TV.. "The fireman said I had to not stay there," she told the station. "He said is there anyone else in your house. I said no, but there's a lot of animals and he said 'I'm sorry, ma'am, but you can't stay here." "They're all dead, and my house is gone," she said tearfully. Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire declared Kittitas and Yakima counties to be in states of emergency, according to a written statement from her office. The Washington National Guard will provide air support to the Department of Natural Resources, which is in charge of statewide firefighting efforts. Authorities have already evacuated around 900 people near the Taylor Bridge Fire, the governor's office said. No injuries were reported. More than 900 firefighters were battling the fire near Cle Elum, Washington, said Rex Reed, the incident commander. He predicted the fire would be 25% contained by nightfall Wednesday. The weather was "cooperating" Wednesday, he said, referring to calmer winds, but firefighters have their work cut out for them the rest of the week. Hot and dry conditions are expected. "Unless Mother Nature helps us out here, we're going to be fighting this a while," Joe Seemiller, a captain with Kittitas County Fire and Rescue, told CNN affiliate KOMO-TV. Elsewhere, more evacuations were under consideration near Featherville, Idaho, where more than 800 firefighters were trying to get a hand on the sprawling Trinity Ridge fire. The fire grew significantly since Tuesday, forcing authorities to call an emergency meeting of residents of Featherville and nearby Pine to discuss possible evacuations. Near the border between Oregon and California, crews were battling an aggressive southern run by the Barry Point Fire, which has torched some 48,000 acres of land in the two states, according to the incident command team's website. With temperatures above 90 degrees, low humidity and wind gusts nearing 20 mph, the lightning-sparked fire has a high potential for further growth, the interagency center said, forcing the evacuation of homes in California, 15 miles south of the state border. Residents evacuate as hundreds of firefighters battle California wildfires . More than 800 firefighters and support personnel were working in Oregon and Nevada to corral the 432,378-acre Holloway Fire, the largest of the Western wildfires. It was ignited by a lightning strike on August 5. For the first time since the fire began August 5, flames began to die down Tuesday night after rising as high as 15 feet earlier in the day, incident commanders reported. They said Wednesday that they hope to have the Nevada portion of the fire out on Wednesday. In Northern California, the Rush Fire had grown by 59,000 acres in just 24 hours, the National Interagency Coordination Center reported. Also, a pair of fires in Lake County, north of San Francisco, burned 7,000 acres and were 30% contained Tuesday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Two buildings were destroyed and one was damaged, CNN affiliate KGO reported. An additional 480 homes are threatened, and a firefighter was injured while battling the flames, said Julie Hutchinson of the state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. She did not have information on the status of the injured firefighter. Meteorologists predict the dry heat will last into next week, not good news for firefighters. Any thunderstorms that pop up could present more bad news than good, since lightning strikes could spark more flames. As of Wednesday, wildfires have burned through 6.47 million acres this year, surpassing the 6.36 million acres burned by this date last year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The total acreage burned this year is about 3.4 million acres short of the record set in 2006, when 1,801 fires burned a total of 9.87 million acres, according to center statistics. Neighbors vs. nature as wildfires rage in Oklahoma . CNN's Dan Simon, Moni Basu and John Fricke contributed to this report.

NEW: California issues burning ban . 70 large fires are burning west of the Mississippi River . More acreage has burned so far than last year at this time, national fire officials say . An Idaho fire could force more evacuations .

New Delhi (CNN) -- Police in India blasted protesters with water cannon and tear gas Saturday as clashes broke out at a rally in New Delhi against rape, leaving scores of people drenched and angry. The demonstration was prompted by wide public outrage over what police said was the gang-rape and beating of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in the capital last Sunday. Her injuries were so severe she spent days in intensive care in a city hospital, battling for her life. Police said Saturday that she had recovered enough to give a statement to a magistrate from her hospital bed the previous evening. Dozens of police, some equipped with bamboo canes, flanked the water cannon as it blasted out on to the thousands of protesters assembled by New Delhi's historic India Gate. Some demonstrators attempted to break through the security barriers blocking access to the country's government district, parliament building and presidential palace. Others chanted, punched the air in defiance and waved banners as the police sought to disperse them from Raisina Hill, the seat of Indian power. "Hang them till death," read the placard of one protester seeking capital punishment for rape suspects. "Stop this shame," read another. A third said, "Give them the same physical torture." Shouts of "We want justice" also rose above the large and diverse crowd, symbolizing a widely felt anger over attacks against women. Banners proclaiming the same message were marked with a hangman's noose. Surviving rape: iReporters speak out . One young woman protester, who said her leg was injured by a blow from a police baton, lamented what she called a failure of democracy in the country. "Today, I have seen democracy dying," she said. New Delhi's police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said up to 35 protesters and nearly 40 police personnel were injured. Thirty barricades were damaged in the course of the protest, he said, and police fired 125 tear gas shells. A number of vehicles were also damaged, he said. Saturday's furious protest was just the latest held across the country in the past week, where official data show that rape cases have jumped almost 875% over the past 40 years -- from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011. New Delhi alone reported 572 rapes last year and more than 600 in 2012. Bhavyaa Sharma, a 19-year-old student at a leading women's college in the capital, told CNN how she fears for her safety when she leaves the campus. Sexual assaults on women in the city have horrified her and her female friends. "I feel vulnerable here," said Sharma, accompanied by her classmates. "I am very sure about it. Delhi is not safe for women." Opinion: Rapes show that Indian society needs a new attitude . Six suspects, including the bus driver and a minor, have now been arrested in connection with Sunday's rape. As fury about the assault gathered pace, some Indian lawmakers even called for treating rape as a capital crime. "We'll work collectively to see we make a law which is deterrent and preventive," said New Delhi's chief minister, Sheila Dikshit. India's Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters Saturday that the government would work toward increasing punishment in "rarest of the rare" rape cases. But pressed on whether the administration would agree to demands for death by hanging in such instances, he said: "We'll have to see in what way it (the rape sentencing) can be enhanced." Shinde said the government was pushing for a speedy trial for the attack. Authorities are also taking a number of steps to improve security for women in New Delhi, particularly on public transport, he said. "(The) government shares the widespread concern and support that has been expressed throughout society for the girl who has so suffered. Government also respects the right of legitimate protest," he said. "At the same time, there is need to exercise calm at this juncture and for everyone to work together to improve the safety and security environment." In the meantime, the victim has been promised the best possible medical care, Shinde said. A physician described the woman's condition Saturday as better than a day earlier, but said there was still a risk of infection. She is receiving psychological as well as medical care, he said. Read more: Indian girl seeks justice after gang rape . Following the brutal assault, the country's human rights body shot off notices to city police and federal authorities, demanding an explanation. "The incident has raised the issue of declining public confidence in the law and order machinery in the city, especially in its capacity to ensure safety of women, as a number of such incidents have been reported in the national capital in the recent past," the National Human Rights Commission said in a statement Tuesday. Home Secretary R. K. Singh announced the suspension of five police officers in the wake of Sunday's rape. Meantime, some observers say anti-women acts in India stem from the country's largely patriarchal social setup. Indians' preference for sons over daughters, for example, has manifested itself in a worrisome population imbalance. The 2011 census of the world's second-most populous nation recorded an alarming drop in the percentage of girls among country's preschoolers. For every 1,000 boys up to 6 years old, the census counted 914 girls, a drop from 927 a decade ago. It's illegal in India to abort a child because of its sex, but such abortions happen, often aided by illegal clinics. CNN's Harmeet Shah Singh and Mallika Kapur reported from New Delhi, and Laura Smith-Spark wrote from London.

Dozens of people are hurt in protests in New Delhi's government district . Police blast anti-rape protesters with water cannon, fire tear gas . Demonstrators wave banners, chant "We want justice" Police say a 23-year-old woman was gang-raped, badly beaten on a New Delhi bus .

Memphis, Tennessee (CNN) -- Forty-two years ago, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, while promoting the importance of the content of one's character. Today, an African-American candidate who marched with King is hoping the voters in a Democratic primary race will look at the color of his skin. Willie Herenton, who served as mayor of Memphis for almost two decades until he resigned in 2009, is making race a key part of his platform in his attempt to unseat incumbent Rep. Steve Cohen. Herenton's main campaign slogan on yard signs, flyers and T-shirts is the phrase "Just One," a reference to his belief that there should be at least one African- American representing Tennessee in Congress. "I believe that it is very clear to the majority of the citizens of this community that we lack representation. And all we are seeking is just one, well-qualified, African-American to serve in an 11-member Tennessee delegation that is currently all white," Herenton said. The August 5 primary in Memphis' heavily Democratic 9th Congressional District has attracted unprecedented attention from President Obama and the Congressional Black Caucus. Both are looking beyond race and backing Herenton's white, Jewish opponent. Cohen has the support of the Congressional Black Caucus, receiving endorsements from many of its members and a contribution from its political action committee. The president gave Cohen a rare, written endorsement in mid-July. "Congressman Cohen is a proven leader in the United States Congress and a strong voice for Tennessee," the statement said. "Together, we passed historic health care reform, and together we're continuing the fight to renew our economy and bring jobs back to the American people. I am proud to stand with Steve and support his re-election to Congress." Herenton said that even though he respects Obama, he was upset with his decision to get involved. "I'm disappointed that the president intervened. This is a local race, a local race that the citizens of this community should determine the individual that they want to represent them without the interference from the White House and the president," he said. In addition to downplaying the endorsements, Herenton says growing up in an impoverished part of Memphis and spending his career serving the people of the 9th District makes him more qualified for the job. He draws attention to Cohen's singing and dancing at campaign events, saying he is "trying to act black." "It's patronizing, it's pandering, it's almost playing on the emotions of the people. And I, like many in my city am resentful of that type of behavior." Herenton said. Cohen says he is bothered by that type of rhetoric and says his opponent is desperate and looking for a ticket to Washington. "You know it's something he does, and I think it's grasping, because I'm not trying to be black. I understand the black community better than most Caucasians do because I have spent so much time working on issues," Cohen said. "I represent everybody, and I work hard for people to get them opportunities. And I just think that race should not be an issue in 2010." Four years ago, Cohen became the first white congressman since 1972 to win the district. Canvassing for votes this past weekend in Memphis' predominately African-American Whitehaven community, many of his constituents re-enforced his belief that his hard work on key issues such as education, health care and the economy resonated with voters more than skin-color. When he met resident Lillian Fisher and her children, she gave him a big hug for helping her oldest son find a job. "If it wasn't for you and that education lottery, he now works with the Tennessee lottery in Nashville, thanks to you, so you keep up the good work," Fisher told him with a huge smile. Herenton has never lost a political election, even though he says he is always considered the underdog. "According to our polls, we'll get about 80 percent of the African-American vote, and we feel comfortable with getting anywhere from 5 or 6 percent of the white vote. The way we calculate it, there is no way Cohen can win. This is a real uphill climb for him," he said. Cohen says he is not worried about the election at all and wishes Herenton stayed focused on the issues at hand instead of race. "It does get to be a drag. The issues should have been addressed more fully. There are differences; the truth is I am a strong, hard-core Barack Obama Democrat," Cohen said. "My district needs a liberal, because we need policies that work for people." Herenton says he does not want his campaign reduced to just race and that voters should look at his unique qualifications as former mayor and school superintendent. But he says it would be wrong to just ignore the topic of race all together. "This great nation is still in denial that race matters. In my view, race continues to permeate every facet of American lives. Especially white America is in a state of denial when it comes to race," Herenton said. Both candidates believe that MLK would be proud of their work. "I think if Dr. King were alive today, he would support the proposition that the American democracy fosters inclusion, the American democracy respects representation of diverse people in his government, and he would be sympathetic and would be encouraging to a group of people that seek representation," Herenton said. And asked about what people will be saying on August 6, a day after the election, Cohen says he hopes people will see Memphis in a different light. "I think they will be saying that citizens of the 9th District voted in a way that Dr. King will be smiling upon, voting on the content of their character and not the color of their skin."

Willie Herenton hopes voters in Tennessee's 9th District will look at color of his skin . Herenton challenging incumbent Rep. Steve Cohen in Democratic primary . Cohen has backing of Obama, Congressional Black Caucus . Both candidates say they think Martin Luther King Jr. would be proud of their work .

(CNN) -- Just when I thought my amazement with Pope Francis had run its course, he did it again. In a long interview with an old friend who was writing for an Argentine magazine, the pope put forward a 10-point plan for happiness. From where I sit, it seems, well, pretty damn good if not perfect. Here are Pope Francis' tips for a happy life and my comments on them: . 1. Live and let live. It's an echo of the Pope's earlier remark on gays: "Who am I to judge?" Moreover, it's what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: "Judge not, unless you want to be judged yourself." (Matthew 7:1) 2. Give yourself to others. That is, give your money and your time to those in need. Don't just sit around like stagnant water. Give all you have and then some. 3 Move quietly in the world. The Pope quotes from a favorite novel by an early 20th-century Argentine writer, Ricardo Guiraldes, in which the novelist writes that in one's youth, a person is "a rocky stream that runs over everything," but as one gets older, one becomes "a running river, quietly peaceful." It's very like the Native American suggestion that one should walk "in balance and beauty" on the ground, making the least disturbance. 4. Enjoy leisure. The Pope says that consumerism has brought with it unbearable anxieties. So play with your children. Take time off. And don't spend all your time thinking about your next acquisition. Spend your time well, not your money. 5. Sunday is for families. This is actually one of the Ten Commandments. Honor the Sabbath. (Exodus 20:8) Once a week, give a whole day to meditation, worship, family life, tending the needs of the spirit. This is healthy living. 6. Find jobs for young people. Who would have guessed that job-creation would be on list for happiness? But the Pope is right. Honest, simple work for young people is essential to their well-being. Somewhat surprisingly, in this moment in the interview, the Pope connected job creation to the degradation of our environment: "the tyrannical use of nature." He links the lack of good jobs to the lack of respect for ourselves and the Earth itself. So creating jobs doesn't mean ruining the environment. It doesn't mean, as the politicians chant, "jobs, jobs, jobs." Good and productive labor is valuable, and it doesn't mean you have to have a fancy job description. You don't have to become rich. You can be ordinary. Happiness lies there. Do good work, create good work for others. 7. Respect nature. This follows from No. 6. "Isn't humanity committing suicide with this indiscriminate and tyrannical use of nature?" the Pope wonders. Not surprisingly, this is what Henry David Thoreau, a founding father of the environmental movement, said. "Most people live lives of quiet desperation," he said. He went into the woods, to Walden Pond, because he wanted "to live deliberately" and to "front only the essential facts of life." A proper respect for nature means that you can't pollute the air, poison the rivers and chop down the forests indiscriminately without suffering greatly. I suspect that a huge amount of the anxiety and suffering that we see around can be closely traced to our wanton misuse of our resources. Just look at any garbage dump and see what is wasted. In a sense, we've wasted our souls. 8. Let go of negative things quickly. The Pope tells us not to complain about people who annoy or frustrate us, to let go of things as rapidly as we can. I have an old friend who used to say, "Put the bad things in your back pocket and leave them there." This may sound like escapism or putting your head in the sand, but it's more interesting than that. Life throws rotten things our way each day. People say nasty things to us, often about others. This stuff makes them miserable, of course. It makes us miserable, too. Flush it. 9. Don't preach your religion too forcefully. Proselytism brings on paralysis, the Pope tells us. Wow. I'm a Christian myself, and I don't mind saying so. But each person sees the world before them in his or her own way. The Pope says this. As a teaching, it seems to run counter to the so-called Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). Jesus said to get out there and spread the word. But the Pope takes a relaxed view of this activity, preferring that we should teach by example. Perhaps that really is what Jesus would do? 10. Work for peace. The Pope has preached this message from the beginning of his time as pontiff. He has gone to Jerusalem and worked to bring together Jews and Palestinians. He has prayed for peace and worked for peace. He has listened closely to Jesus, who said, "blessed are the peacemakers." The Pope asks us to take in refugees, to think innovatively about how to create peace in the world. Jesus, of course, invites us to turn the other cheek when struck. This is a complex teaching. But it's essential to Christian faith. The Pope, once again, calls on us to take the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount seriously. This is very hard but crucial work. Pope Francis has, in this unlikely venue, given us his own Sermon on the Mount, his Ten Commandments for happiness and inner peace. One can only be grateful for his wisdom, which is rooted in a sincere faith, in hard-earned wisdom, and a very practical knowledge of human needs and potentials.

In an interview, Pope Francis laid out 10-point plan for happiness . Among them: Live and let live; move quietly in world; Sunday is for family; enjoy leisure . One that surprises Jay Parini is not to proselytize . Parini says the Pope urges us to think innovatively about how to create peace .

(CNN) -- Gilad Shalit was a 19-year-old enlisted man guarding an Israeli army post when Palestinian militants attacked his tank, killed the two men he was serving with and took him prisoner more than five years ago. Israelis are overjoyed that he went free on Tuesday in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. "We have experienced the rebirth of a son," Shalit's father said. It has been "an exhausting and long struggle." "Our eyes are wet and our hearts are proud," Israeli President Shimon Peres declared. "We have become ourselves again." "He really is the child of us all," said Daniel Taub, Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom, noting that almost all Israelis do military service. Shalit told Egypt's state-owned Nile TV after his release Tuesday that it was "exciting" to meet many of the people who "have worked very hard in order to release me. I would like to thank them for all this effort." He said he received the news of a possible deal to free him a week ago, "but I felt it for the last month. ... I was afraid that the negotiations could go wrong." Much of Israel came to a halt in a nationwide demonstration earlier this year in response to a Facebook campaign that went viral. On March 15, cars pulled to the side of the road, schools halted classes and Israeli President Shimon Peres paused at a conference in the southern Israeli city of Eilat. Israelis were not the only ones marking the soldier's captivity. "Jews across the world have been pining for Gilad Shalit's release for over five years," said William Daroff, a vice president of the Jewish Federations of North America. "Thousands of us have had an empty chair at our Passover seder tables reserved for Gilad," he said, referring to the celebratory meal that marks the beginning of Passover. "We have prayed for his release. We have met with his parents, we have sat with his family in their tent outside the prime minister's residence, we have marched for Gilad's release." Shalit's parents led a 12-day march from their home in northern Israel to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem in June 2010 and camped out in a tent there until last week. Soon after the protest camp was set up, the British government demanded Shalit's "immediate and unconditional release." "His detention is unjustifiable and unacceptable," the British Foreign Office said on Shalit's 24th birthday. In June of this year, the United States condemned Shalit's captivity "in the strongest possible terms," according to a White House statement. America "joins other governments and organizations around the world" in calling for his immediate freedom, the statement said. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Tuesday his thoughts were with the victims' families of the Palestinian prisoners released under the terms of the deal. "Gilad could not pay for everybody," Sarkozy said. Asked what he missed most during his captivity, Shalit told Nile TV Tuesday he missed his family. "I missed going out and meeting people," he said.' Shalit traveled via Egypt because it acted as a mediator between Israel and Hamas. Asked why he thought the Egyptians succeeded and others did not, he said, "I think the Egyptians were successful because they have good relations with Hamas and with Israel." On whether he will help bring about the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, Shalit said, "I will be glad if they are released, as long as they do not return to fighting Israel." And he said he hopes the deal that brought about his release "will move the peace process forward." Shalit was born August 28, 1986, in the Israeli coastal city of Naharia and moved with his family to western Galilee two years later. He has two brothers and was an outstanding science student in high school, his family says. An Israeli military operation immediately after his capture failed to free him, and he was held incommunicado throughout his captivity. His family calls it a violation of international law that organizations such as the Red Cross were not allowed to see him and that they were only able to get one letter to him. The last proof he was alive came in a video in 2009 in which the noticeably thin young man held a newspaper dated September 14. In the video, he talks about his family, saying: "I miss them very much, and I am longing for the day when I will see them again." The day after his capture, a trio of Palestinian groups, including members of Hamas, Fatah and Islamic Jihad, said they would release him in exchange for all female Palestinian prisoners and all security prisoners under the age of 18 held by Israel, the Shalit family said. In the end, Israel is releasing significantly more than the Palestinians originally demanded -- despite the objections of at least some Israeli families who do not want to see the killers of their relatives released. The Israeli public overwhelmingly supports the agreement to release more than 1,000 prisoners in exchange for Shalit, according to a poll published in the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth the day before his handover by Hamas to Egyptian security. Israel's ambassador to London summed up the mixed feelings many experienced in his country as they waited for their most famous captive to taste freedom. "Seeing Gilad coming home ... is really coming home to every family. But at the same time it's very bittersweet," Taub said, since "every one of us in some way has been touched by terrorism." CNN's Guy Azriel and Michal Zippori contributed to this report.

NEW: Shimon Peres: "Our eyes are wet and our hearts are proud" Palestinians abducted Israeli soldier Shalit in 2006 when he was 19 . Shalit's parents camped out in front of the Israeli prime minister's office for more than a year . Israel inked a deal to get him back in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners .

(CNN) -- As one of the most anticipated games of 2011, "Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds" (Capcom) doesn't disappoint with new characters, a story line with uber-villain Galactus and a new mode designed to make it easy to get involved in the action. After a 10-year hiatus, the popular fighting game brings the battle zones into the third dimension. While action remains in two dimensions, the characters are generated in 3-D and provide for a more robust visual image of the fighting. Each fight can be one-on-one or tag-team, with three characters on each side. One of the biggest question marks as the game's release neared was who would be in and who would be left off of the Marvel and Capcom casts. Seth Killian, special combat adviser for Capcom, said the company wanted to achieve a balance between Japanese and Western characters. "We wanted to include the fan faves [from Japan] as well as the key characters from Marvel," he said. "But we also wanted to include some fringe characters that haven't been featured before to appeal to each audience." Thirty-six characters are playable right away, with two more available as downloadable content. Signature characters like Spider-Man and Ryu make their return, but only comic book fans may recognize some of the other characters. "We included the Super-Skrull because we couldn't have the Fantastic Four and we wanted to have them represented somehow," Killian said. "We chose Marvel characters that Japanese fans would think were cool." Killian said each character has unique and special fighting abilities, so one character doesn't feel or act like another. Capcom characters are defined by their moves, he said, while the Marvel characters are defined by their powers. That structure helped balance out the game and make it fun. "With so many moves and abilities, it becomes more strategic," he said. "Which characters can I choose to cover up some weaknesses, or do I just play to my strengths? It is up to the player to figure out how to use them." The fighting system, while criticized in past versions for the complex button mashing and joystick gyrations required to achieve moves, has also been retooled. In an effort to gain fans and reach out to more casual players, the game can be played in simple mode, where only three buttons are needed to attack an opponent. This affords new fans who may be familiar with the characters, but not the game, the ability to get into the action right away. "We really wanted to make the game easy to get into," Killian said. "Simple mode gives you three attack buttons: light, medium and heavy. There is also one 'hyper combo' and two special attacks. That's it. By contrast, [Capcom character] Dante has 35 different attacks in the normal mode." A "mission mode" helps players learn the normal attacks, if they want to. The missions take characters through different stages where they work on a particular attack to get its sequences right. Using attacks in particular combinations increases the player's power bar, which grants hyper combos and team combos in three-on-three action. Killian said designers added a behind-the-scenes feature called hit-stun scaling that prevents infinite combo loops. "It took us three years to develop the game, and a lot of that time goes into balance and technical," he said. "We've designed it for the long term and really think fans are going to enjoy how it plays." Arcade mode is where the story line comes in. Each universe's top bad guy -- Dr. Doom for Marvel and Albert Wesker (from "Resident Evil") for Capcom -- decides to join forces to beat the good guys and rule their respective domains. However, as big, evil plans often turn out, their efforts are recognized by someone even more powerful than they are: the world eater Galactus. Galactus decides he wants both worlds, and the heroes and villains from each must unite to defeat him. Teams of three characters each do battle against each other to determine who will be strong enough to take on the galactic titan. Killian said a unique ending sequence plays out for each character after the final battle, and each has alternate uniforms and dialogue that are unique to the character's persona. Nonplayable characters will also make appearances during the story line to add flavor and interest in the mission. Characters also have powers and abilities that come out only during specific times in a battle. For example, Marvel's Phoenix will transform to Dark Phoenix after her life bar runs down. This includes more powerful attacks but costs Dark Phoenix in life points as time goes on. "Marvel vs. Capcom 3" doesn't fail to impress. The way difficulty can be scaled down should win over new fans while allowing more advanced fighting players to jump right in. Simple mode took me through the battles quickly and let me get familiar with some of the new abilities and characters. Jumping into mission mode helped me learn moves that I utilized in normal mode and made the action even more vibrant. Capcom also hit the mark with interesting voice and movement additions for each character that really heighten enjoyment of the game. Deadpool's taunting and breaking the fourth wall to speak directly to the player were unexpected and very funny. Sure, some are going to quibble over which characters were included and which were left out. But with 36 to choose from, it will be hard for players to not find a character from either universe they'll enjoy playing. It all works and will provide hours of enjoyment, even after Galactus is defeated. And with more downloadable content promised, we won't have to wait 10 more years to use Hadouken (for the uninitiated, that's a special attack) on new opponents. "Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds" is rated T for teens. It was released this week for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. This review was done with the Xbox 360 version.

"Marvel vs. Capcom," the popular fighting game, returns after 10 years . Revised fighting system allows beginners to start playing right away . Thirty-six characters are playable, with others available for download .

(CNN) -- Tax day may be over, but many Americans are still suffering from tax hangovers. If it's any consolation, here's our country's best-kept fiscal secret: According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Americans in 2012 enjoyed the lowest tax burdens as a share of our national economy of any developed country in the world. How can it be that we feel so much tax pain, but compared to other developed countries our tax burdens are so low? There are three reasons. The first is the corrosive effect of "tax expenditures": government spending programs baked into the tax code, and therefore visible only as reduced tax collections. These hidden spending programs range from subsidies for home ownership to government investments in alternative energy development, and touch virtually every corner of our economy and private consumption decisions. Tax expenditures distort our official data by reducing government tax revenues in the official scorekeeping, rather than being recorded in a manner consistent with their substance, as additional tax collections offset by government spending programs. The United States actually spends roughly as much through tax expenditures as it collects in nominal personal income tax revenues. Our official personal income tax collections are in the range of $1.2 trillion/year, but our tax rate structure operates as if we collected more than $2 trillion in income tax, and then ran additional government spending programs that cost more than $1 trillion/year. Tax expenditures raise your effective tax burden if you are not the beneficiary of any of this hidden government largesse, and reduce your tax burden if you are on the receiving end. Imagine that there are 10 of us in a little country, and we each pay $100 in tax. The government has $1,000 to spend, and you and I each feel $100 of tax pain. Now the government decides to give me a tax credit of $100, so net I have no out of pocket tax bill. But the government also decides to keep things revenue neutral, and so raises taxes on the remaining nine of you to $111.11, which raises $999.99 (forgive the rounding error) for the government to spend. When you now look at total "tax revenues," the government is the same size in the second case as in the first. But you are now paying $111.11 in tax, and therefore feel $11.11 more in tax pain. Those who are net losers (you and the other eight remaining taxpayers, in this example) actually are right to swear that your tax bills seem larger, even if total government collections remain unchanged. Our country stands out from its peers as a tax expenditure junkie. Our addiction means that official data understate the size of government, and citizens do not have a clear picture of what spending programs we actually are financing. In turn, the design of many tax expenditures could not possibly pass Congress if presented as explicit spending legislation. Who, for example, would vote for a home ownership cash subsidy program that subsidizes affluent Americans at a more generous level than it does the middle class? Yet that is the effect of the home mortgage interest deduction, because the same tax deduction is more valuable the higher your tax bracket is. So to this extent, our tax pain is real, and it is some of the invisible spending programs we fund in this manner that need re-examination. The second reason for our low threshold of tax pain lies deeper: We have allowed our fiscal debates to be framed in a way that highlights only the pain of opening our wallets. We can see this backward framing of the issues, for example, in the debate over sequestration, where it is claimed that because taxes cannot rise further, spending must be cut -- without any examination of what purpose that government spending serves. By ignoring the uses to which tax revenues are put, these debates implicitly deprecate the very purpose of government. When you set out to buy a house, you think carefully about how big a house you can afford, but in the end you are not poorer for the money you spent, because you acquired something useful, namely, a new home. Why then in fiscal debates do we look only at the cost of government, and not at the collective goods or services we thereby acquire? Unsurprisingly, once we phrase tax policy as a collective exercise in fiscal masochism, our threshold for tax pain turns out to be very low. The third reason for our low tolerance for tax pain is that the federal government in particular collects its showpiece tax -- the personal income tax -- in the most painful way possible, by asking each of us to assess the tax against ourselves. For most Americans, that means starting from a blank form and a shoebox full of miscellaneous pieces of financial data. Self-assessment is probably unavoidable, but the pain can be mitigated if the IRS were to send taxpayers a "prepopulated" tax return that reflects the data already furnished to the IRS. (Imagine, for example, receiving a partially filled-out tax Form 1040 in which all the information concerning your investment income contained in the 1099's thrown into your shoebox had already been entered for you on the appropriate lines.) Programs like this are feasible (and even exist in California and other countries), but have been blocked in the United States in part through the vigorous lobbying of tax preparation companies anxious to protect their franchises. Here, the tax pain is the result of legislative sausage making at its most venal. Tax time will never be pleasant, but making form preparation easier, understanding better how government spending buys useful goods and services, and re-examining the tax expenditures in our tax code at least can mitigate our tax pain. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Edward D. Kleinbard.

Edward Kleinbard: Tax day is over, but many Americans are still suffering from tax hangovers . Kleinbard: Why do we feel tax pain when our tax burdens are so low? He says there are three reasons, including the corrosive effect of "tax expenditures" Kleinbard: One way to lessen pain is to re-examine tax expenditures in our tax code .

(CNN) -- Nintendo released details about its upcoming Wii U console during a news conference Thursday. But, as happens in the age of social media, reactions began pouring in just as fast as the facts were coming out. The Japanese game company made announcements in Japan, the United States and Europe, each one talking about the three main points everyone has been wanting to know: when will Wii U be available, how much will it cost, and what games can I play on it? Prices and release dates vary around the world, but U.S. gamers will get first crack November 18. A basic version of the console package will sell for $299, while a "deluxe" version -- including additional memory, a stand and charger for the GamePad, and the "NintendoLand" game -- will go for $349. Reaction in the gaming community ranged dramatically from joy to pessimism. As prices for the two versions of the console were announced, a split seemed to form over whether the Wii U was too expensive for what it appears to be offering. TheVoices, a commenter on the CNN.com story, said, "Just can't see myself spending money on another product like this. I'll wait for the 720 (Xbox whatever it is called) or the PS (Playstation) 4." G4 Network host and reality-TV vet Blair Herter joked on Twitter, "Not a fan of the Wii U's price but I'm getting it for my kid because even though the child hasn't been born yet I WILL BUY HIS/HER AFFECTION." However, others were just as quick to point out the history of new console release prices. Twitter user Brandon Whaley reminded people what the PlayStation 3 cost when it came out in 2006. "I still don't get the fuss over the Wii U price," he tweeted. "The PS3 was FIVE HUNDRED NINETY-NINE DOLLARS at launch." A Twitter user in the UK offered an international perspective on the price battle. Larry Bundy Jr. tweeted, "Dear US friends, Please stop complaining that the Deluxe Wii U is $350. In the UK, it will be £330 ($533) and ship WITHOUT a sensor bar!!!" If it wasn't the dollars (or yen or euros) being discussed, the topic centered on the games being offered. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said that more than 50 games would be available from the launch to the end of March but didn't say specifically which titles would be available at launch. Some games drew more attention than others. "Bayonetta 2" was announced as a Wii U exclusive, drawing howls of protest and disbelief from many on social media who enjoyed the original on other consoles. Others were excited about the news. Ally Tamara from Canada wrote on Twitter, "Well I guess I'm gunna have to buy a WiiU now since Bayonetta 2 is only going to be on that platform. I apologize to my Xbox and PS3." The variety of announced titles tried to hit as many different genres and fan bases as possible. Many people found at least one game that attracted them to the new Wii U console. Perry, commenting on the CNNMoney.com story, wrote, "Sold. I was almost positive that I was getting a Wii U before, but with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate coming... Please, take my money." Video game writer Matthew Furtado said on Twitter, "Nintendo Land sold me on the Wii U. Tons of fun with those games today. Never mind the brilliance of NSMBU ("New Super Mario Bros. U") and lots of others." David MacArthur added, "Looking at ZombiU changed my opinion of WiiU. Excited. Hope Nintendo release more than a handful of games aimed at adults this time." Despite reports of brisk pre-orders, other people urged caution and patience before rushing out to get the new console. Some are worried Nintendo is just playing catch-up to Sony and Microsoft, and wonder what happens when their new consoles arrive. "I don't hate the #Wiiu, but there's nothing yet that demands a day 1 buy," wrote Richard Wiltshire on Twitter. "can we not be nintendo fanboys just this once please internet?" James Andrews is concerned about next-generation consoles. "What's so special about the wiiU? it's just a wii with Playstation 3 graphics and a tablet. Come on Nintendo be more creative!" "I'm still not impressed. If it's only 'on par with current consoles'... the ones that are at the end of their cycle... that's scary," wrote Samantha (Twitter handle: @reluctant_gamer). Still, commenters generally agreed that the Wii U will sell well in the beginning, pointing out how successful the Wii console sold on launch. The trick is to sustain that initial momentum, many say, will be releasing a stable of good games people will want to play. Two game reviewers said they were hopeful for the outlook for the new console. Max Parker, video game columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, said, "I'm optimistic because of more info on good exclusives. Plus it seems genuinely different from the rest of the crowd. I'm up for a change of pace." And a Twitter post by Ben Kuchera, senior editor for the Penny Arcade Report, may sum up the overall feelings of many about the Wii U -- at least for now. "Nintendo Wii U: More expensive than I'd like, software focus on casual, but a ton of potential. Overall? Can't wait." What do you think about Nintendo's announcement? Let us know in the comments below.

Reactions range from excitement to skepticism on Nintendo's Wii U . Console will debut November 18 for $299 and $349 . Some say price is too high, but others put it into historical context . Excitement for games like "Bayonetta 2," questions about others to come .

(CNN) -- The Pro Football Hall of Fame is about to get a lot bigger. The hall's selection committee on Saturday -- meeting in New Orleans, on the eve of Super Bowl XLVII -- selected six former players and one coach to join the ranks of the NFL's best. They were all bigger than life, literally and figuratively, in their heydays -- from towering, 6-foot-9 inch Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden to the "Big Tuna," the moniker given to legendary and well-traveled coach Bill Parcells. "Surreal. Speechless," Ogden said, on his Twitter page, moments after the announcement. "Still can't believe it." The original Raven -- as the team's first draft pick after it relocated from Cleveland to Baltimore -- literally stands above everyone else in the Class of 2013, by virtue of his height and 345-pound frame. On the field, the UCLA grad stood out enough to be named All-Pro six times and earn Pro Bowl honors in 11 of his 12 seasons. Another big name, and big personality, who will be joining him is Warren Sapp. The University of Miami product terrorized linemen and quarterbacks while racking up 96.5 sacks over his 13-year career with the Oakland Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, although some better know him for his brash trash-talking, wide smile and love for the camera, including on the 2008 season of "Dancing With the Stars." "Warren played the game with incredible ability and passion," Buccaneers co-chairman Bryan Glazer said of the 1999 Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl XXXVII champ. "He ... helped to redefine the tackle position." Two other defensive stars will be joining Sapp in the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. One is another defensive tackle, Curley Culp, who made six Pro Bowls during his 14 seasons between 1968 and 1981 with the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Oilers and Detroit Lions. Going farther back in NFL history is linebacker Dave Robinson, who amassed 27 interceptions in his career, much of it with Vince Lombardi's great Green Bay Packer teams. After narrowly missing out in recent years, wide receiver Cris Carter finally will make the trip to Canton -- just 120 miles from where he first emerged at Ohio State University. In his 16 NFL campaigns, most of them with the Minnesota Vikings, he was consistently among the league's top wideouts with eight straight seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards and 130 total touchdowns. His selection stirred rejoicing among Vikings' fans, with team owner Zygi Wilf calling the current ESPN analyst "one of the most beloved players in franchise history." "In terms of catching the football, I haven't seen anybody in my time better than Cris Carter," former Vikings assistant and Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy said, according to the Vikings' official website. Just over five years ago, Larry Allen was a dominating presence with the San Francisco 49ers, with whom he played after 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Now the mammoth offensive lineman -- measuring in at 6 feet, 3 inches and 325 pounds -- has another honor to his name as a hall of famer, in addition to having been named to the NFL's All-Decade teams for the 1990s and 2000s. "Larry is one of the greatest players in Cowboys history, and arguably the very best guard to ever play the game," said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, whom Allen has tapped to give his induction speech. Parcells is this year's other honoree, a man who never played in the NFL though he nonetheless became one of the league's most recognizable names in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. A graduate of Wichita State University, he was drafted in the seventh round by the Detroit Lions but opted for a carer in coaching. He took stints at several universities before jumping to the NFL. Parcells led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl titles, then took the New England Patriots to the title game in January 1997 (where they lost), before finishing up his career with stops with the New York Jets, Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. "Bill Parcells has been thought of as one of the all-time greats for a long time, so it is with great pride that we can officially refer to him as a Hall of Famer," said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who coached under Parcells with the Giants and Jets before succeeding him in New England. "He deserves all the recognition he is getting." The seven inductees were chosen Saturday by the Pro Football Hall of Fame's selection committee from a list of 17 finalists -- with late longtime Cleveland Browns and Ravens owner Art Modell, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis and wide receiver Tim Brown among those narrowly missing the cut. The honorees will be enshrined on August 3, in a ceremony expected to include 130 others who have been so honored over the past 50 years. Already blown away by his name being called, Ogden said he expects the feeling will only get better when he gets to Ohio, according to a story on the Ravens' official website. "It will be one of the best moments of my life," he said.

NEW: Bill Belichick lauds his ex-boss and 2013 inductee Bill Parcells as an "all-time great" NEW: Cris Carter caught footballs better than "anybody in my time," ex-coach Tony Dungy says . NEW: Larry Allen is "arguably the very best guard ... ever," Cowboys owner Jones says . This year's other inductees are Jonathan Ogden, Warren Sapp, Curley Culp and Dave Robinson .

(CNN) -- It's one of the most individual sports, yet it sometimes demands that fierce rivals unify to compete against other countries in what could be called the World Cup of tennis. A Davis Cup final already steeped in intrigue soared to another level Saturday and now the question is: Can Roger Federer and Switzerland recover against France in front of a potential record crowd this weekend? Federer's back -- the area of his body that has intermittently hindered the 17-time grand slam champion in a mostly healthy career -- is only part of the issue. His relationship with teammate Stan Wawrinka in the wake of 'Mirka Gate' is worth monitoring, too. It's certainly not the build-up the 33-year-old Federer wanted as he seeks one of the two biggest titles to elude him, the other being an Olympic singles gold. Federer's wife, Mirka, might have taunted Wawrinka during her husband's dramatic 4-6 7-5 7-6 (6) win at the World Tour Finals in London and it reportedly led to a verbal bust up between the men who captured doubles gold together at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Federer then handed only the third walkover of his career to an opponent, the back not healthy enough to take on world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. At least on the relationship front, though, things appear to be better between Federer and Wawrinka ahead of the affair at the Stade Pierre Mauroy, the home of Lille in football's Ligue 1. Federer posted a picture on Twitter of a united looking Swiss side and members of the squad said Tuesday in Lille that any tension was gone. "We had a conversation after the match," Federer told reporters. "Everything's totally relaxed about the situation. We're old enough. "There's no hard feelings whatsoever. We're having a good time here. We are friends, not enemies. But obviously it was maybe one of those moments, heat-of-the-moment situations." Wawrinka blamed the press for blowing things out of proportion. "For us it's nothing," he told reporters. "It took us five minutes to talk about it, to think about the next main goal that we have -- the Davis Cup this weekend." Heading into the semifinal at the O2 Arena, the Swiss appeared to have the upper hand in the Davis Cup final. Federer maintained his excellent 2014 form, while Wawrinka -- the Australian Open champion -- arrested a slump by winning two matches and extended his compatriot to three tight sets. He even had four match points. The eventful Saturday changed the complexion of the series. Making the transition from one surface to another is difficult -- the home team chose clay for the Davis Cup final and has practiced on it for weeks -- although at least a long flight wasn't needed for the Swiss to get to northern France. Wawrinka actually took the train from London. But Federer's back is of greater concern. His spot was confirmed in the draw Thursday -- he will face Gael Monfils on Friday after Wawrinka battles Jo-Wilfried Tsonga -- but being at 100 percent seems unlikely. The majority of the at least 27,000 expected to be in attendance per day -- the largest tennis crowd for a professional match remains the 27,200 who turned up to watch Spain defeat the U.S. in the 2004 final in Seville -- probably wouldn't mind if Federer is sub-par since it would give France a massive advantage. Federer practiced on the clay for the first time Wednesday. "I'm just really pleased that I'm actually able to play tomorrow," Federer said at the draw Thursday. "I'll give it a go. Definitely looking forward to playing against Gael. "Things have been going very well for me the last week. It's been a difficult week, but I'm happy where I am today." Federer declined to reveal whether he had taken a cortisone injection for his back. All the turmoil in the Swiss camp doesn't mean tennis loving France -- desperate to end a 13-year drought in the competition -- can relax, according to French No. 1 Tsonga. "I think for this weekend, the important thing for us is to stay focused on ourselves, on our team," Tsonga told reporters. "What we need is to have a perfect performance. "What we can do is just play tennis. Anything else is not really our business." Federer and Wawrinka were sure things to play singles for Switzerland if deemed fit, with France holding more options. French captain Arnaud Clement didn't pull off a major surprise, however, when he named Monfils as the No. 2. Monfils habitually shines at home, spurred on by the crowd and raising his level. One of his two victories over Federer came at the Paris Masters and he held two match points against Federer at the U.S. Open in September. Federer, however, has topped Monfils three times on the clay of Roland Garros. Federer was omitted from Saturday's doubles, as was Wawrinka, though changes can be made on the day. If France falters early, the large crowd may not be beneficial. The French have been known to boo their own at Roland Garros, for example. "This is a competition that you want to win," former French No. 4 Sebastien Grosjean, Gasquet's co-coach who played in three finals, told CNN.com. "You play for your country and you play for your friends but you try to focus on yourself, on your game -- a simple plan."

France hosts Switzerland in one of the most anticipated Davis Cup finals in decades . Roger Federer is bidding for his first Davis Cup title this weekend in Lille . Federer's back is a question mark and so is his relationship with teammate Stan Wawrinka . The French are desperate to win the Davis Cup to end a 13-year drought in the team event .

LONDON, England (CNN) -- English football clubs have always attracted wealthy owners. Traditionally, club chairmen were bluff local businessmen with a few spare millions in the bank, perhaps looking to put something back into their local community, somewhere to schmooze clients and colleagues, and seduced by the idea of being a player -- albeit at boardroom level -- in a sport that is an obsession for millions. Long-suffering City fans overnight saw their club transformed into one of the world's wealthiest. But this week's purchase of Manchester City by an Abu Dhabi-based consortium from the controversial former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra provided further proof that the English Premier League has become an altogether different ball game, attracting an altogether different caliber of super-rich investor. For decades City have lived in the shadows of local rivals Manchester United. While United are one of the world's most famous clubs and current champions of England and Europe, it is now more than 40 years since the last of City's two league titles. City followers have long sought solace in the hackneyed idea that all United supporters are glory hunters while they represent the true spirit of long suffering, gray-skied Mancunian fandom. Yet now City supporters find themselves following a club capable overnight of breaking the British transfer record in an audacious $58 million swoop for the highly-rated Brazilian Robinho, formerly of Real Madrid, and with aspirations of both out-spending and out-playing their red-shirted rivals. "We are going to be the biggest club in the world, bigger than both Real Madrid and Manchester United," multi-billionaire property tycoon Sulaiman al-Fahim, the public face of the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment which has taken over City, declared in an interview Monday with Arabian Business magazine. "This is like all their Christmases come at once," World Soccer magazine's Kier Radnedge told CNN. "Manchester City have been a great soap opera over the years; lots of hope, lots of dreams and really very little to celebrate and cheer along the way. All of a sudden, out of the blue, it seems as if they really can compete with Manchester United and that is really all their fans have ever wanted to do." Watch why the sky is now the limit for the Blues » . Middle Eastern football expert James Montague, author of "When Friday Comes: Football in the War Zone," sees the Abu Dhabi's group's purchase of Manchester City as an attempt to steal a march on rival emirate Dubai, which has itself been linked with a move for City's Premier League rivals Liverpool. "There is an almost messianic love of Premiership football in the Middle East, especially in the Gulf countries," Montague told CNN.com. "But this move isn't about profit, or business acumen. This is about prestige. For the Abu Dhabi group, which is basically a consortium of the emirate's royal family, this is more about putting their flag in the sand and putting Abu Dhabi -- and the United Arab Emirates -- on the map." In recent seasons English football has become a billionaire's playground with foreign owners drawn to the game by the global success, international exposure and financial strength of the Premier League. Accountants Deloitte estimate that the combined revenue of the Premier League's 20 clubs for the 2007-08 season from television rights, gate receipts and global marketing will reach £1.9 billion ($3.4 billion). The financial landscape of English football was transformed in 2003 when Russian oil tycoon Roman Abramovich bought west London club Chelsea and bankrolled them to back-to-back Premier League titles under the leadership of Jose Mourinho. Since then other clubs have followed foreign money in an effort to compete. Manchester United are now controlled by the family of U.S. sports magnate Malcolm Glazer while Liverpool are co-owned by American pair George Gillett and Tom Hicks. Elsewhere in the Premier League, Aston Villa, Portsmouth, Fulham and West Ham all have foreign owners while the trend has also spread to lower league clubs. Last year London side Queen's Park Rangers were bought by Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, Renault F1 team chief Flavio Briatore and steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal. But not all supporters have welcomed the transformation of clubs rooted in local communities into multinational businesses. A core of Manchester United fans have bitterly opposed the Glazers' involvement at Old Trafford, going as far as forming a breakaway club called FC United of Manchester. At Liverpool meanwhile, where relations between Gillett and Hicks have soured amid continuing rumors that the club will be sold to a Dubai investment group, supporters have launched a campaign -- ShareLiverpoolFC -- to buy the club themselves, attracting interest from thousands of fans. "Clubs like Liverpool -- and there are many others -- feel like family to those who love and support them," Rogan Taylor, a lifelong Liverpool fan and founder of the Football Supporters' Association, wrote in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper. "The biggest may have international brands, which accounts for their attraction to multinational investors; but at heart the brand is their fans and the history of their club. It can never really belong to anyone else." Yet many fans appear happy enough to see foreign investment coming into their clubs if it means better players, better football and success on the field. At City that is likely to mean "fireworks" when the transfer window reopens in January, according to Montague. "Abu Dhabi is so awash with cash, they have difficulty spending it all," he said. "They will turn the transfer market on its head. They've already smashed the British transfer record with Robinho and have targeted the six biggest players in the world with a transfer kitty of $400 million."

Abu Dhabi investment group agree takeover deal for Manchester City . Club immediately breaks British transfer record to sign Brazilian Robinho . English Premier League has become a playground for billionair foreign owners . New owners say they plan to turn City into the world's biggest club .

(CNN) -- Is the Central African Republic the world's next Rwanda? That's the question some are beginning to ask about a crisis that has been going on for most of this year but has only just burst through into the mainstream international mass media. Warlords ruling the countryside by terror, a government that is almost toothless and the collapse of institutions have forced 0.4 million people to flee their homes and left a million dependent on aid. And now reports of Muslim and Christian communities engaged in inter-communal violence have sparked concern about a slide into religious conflict. The "G-word" -- genocide -- has even been floated as a real risk by some observers. In fact the country has not yet sunk that far. There is no sign of ideological motivation or the systematic political organization of mass killings. Read more: What's happening in the Central African Republic . Humanitarian agencies active on the ground believe the Central African Republic (CAR) can still be pulled back from the brink of utter disaster. But time is pressing and it is only now that the international community has fully appreciated the danger of the situation. The U.N. Security Council is next week expected to vote, authorizing the deployment of a reinforced peacekeeping force under the banner of the African Union or, potentially, the U.N. itself. Meanwhile, France, which already has 400 troops in the CAR, has announced the dispatch of a further 800-1000, to work alongside African peacekeepers. Read more: France to send 1,000 more troops to Central African Republic . Until recently the CAR had not been a priority focus of concern, even within Africa. By contrast, Mali shot right to the top of the agenda when its northern regions were taken over by jihadist armed groups in March-April last year. Yet even then, it took many months of diplomacy to secure U.N. Security Council endorsement of African and, ultimately, French military intervention to tackle the crisis. Read more: Fighting surges in northern Mali . The CAR is rather less well placed to grab global attention. As its name suggests, the country lies at the very heart of the African continent, away from major trade routes and population centers, and very far indeed from public attention. With only 4.5 million people but a territory the size of France it matters in strategic terms but has rarely hit the headlines, at least not since the dictator Jean-Bedel Bokassa proclaimed himself emperor back in the 1970s -- a story of almost picturesque caricature that distracted attention from the harsh underlying reality of poverty, isolation and incompetent government. Chronic instability . The country has slid into its present condition of almost complete state collapse, leaving free rein to looting and murderous rebel groups, partly because the outside world did not perceive its earlier condition of chronic instability and political weakness as a risk to Africa or even the region as a whole. For many years the CAR's persistent problems have been a sad humanitarian story, with a daunting incidence of diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and sleeping sickness, and depressingly high rates of child mortality and malnutrition. Even before the present crisis, life expectancy, at just 48 years, was the second lowest in the world. But in spite of these dismal health and development conditions, the CAR's problems impinged little on neighboring states -- other than occasional localized movements of refugees into remote fringe regions of Cameroon, Chad or Democratic Republic of Congo. Over recent years the then president, François Bozizé -- who himself originally came to power through rebellion in 2003, before repackaging himself through a democratic election -- found himself confronting a string of rebel uprisings. These were fueled by local grievances, the ambitions of disgruntled warlords and faction leaders and the heavy-handed tactics of Bozizé's presidential guard. Peace-keeping . Through a peace process hosted by Gabon and the presence of a small peacekeeping force, African neighbors attempted to contain these problems and nudge the CAR towards a consensual domestic settlement. In January this year a respected human rights lawyer, Nicolas Tiangaye, was appointed as a neutral prime minister. But some faction leaders stayed out of this peace process, combining their forces to launch a military campaign to depose Bozizé. As this rebel movement, Seleka, advanced south towards the capital, Bangui, government forces crumbled, while South African troops sent to help Bozizé suffered defeat with heavy casualties. The president fled and Seleka leader Michel Djotodia proclaimed himself head of state. But almost immediately he found his authority disintegrating. Read more: CAR president fled to Cameroon . The kernel of Seleka are native Central Africans, mostly from the country's northern Muslim minority. But many of the rebellion's fighters were foreigners, particularly from Darfur, in Sudan, and from Chad. They expected to be rewarded for their efforts -- but Djotodia had found no cash to pay them. Faction commanders turned on the civilian population instead, engaging in months of looting and brutal violence, and seizing local resources such as diamonds -- which are mined in several areas of the CAR. Their brutality towards the largely Christian population sparked the latter into forming self-defense groups -- who have taken revenge on local Muslim communities with whom they peacefully co-existed before. Meanwhile, the state has stood by powerless, lacking the military and political means to bring a halt to this deepening crisis -- or the practical resources to help civilians. It is this spiral of state collapse and spreading violence that the new reinforced African and French deployment hopes to halt. Read more: U.S. must act now . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Paul Melly.

A coalition of rebel groups ousted the Central African Republic's president in March . Since the, 0.4 million people have been displaced and a million left dependent on aid . Reports of inter-communal violence have sparked fears of a slide into religious conflict . France is sending 1,000 troops to join 400 already deployed in the African nation .

Dublin, Ireland (CNN) -- The sky is overcast, the wind is howling, and - like every day in Ireland - lashing rain could come at any moment. Yet Sam Hopkins is walking on a sunbeam. This summer, Hopkins will be working in London for a firm managing the 2012 Olympic summer games. The position is a major coup for the Dublin Business School student, largely because the prospects in Ireland are dim. "It's quite limited," Hopkins explains. "We're such a small country, we do have certain events, but they are on such a small scale compared to other countries." Finding a job in Ireland, Hopkins says, can be a difficult task - especially for young adults. The Irish economy is in the toilet. Double digit unemployment, high government debt and a glut of unoccupied housing have silenced the roar of the Celtic Tiger, and left many of its cubs struggling to find employment. "I've had a few interviews and things but it's really, really tough," says Dublin City University Masters Student Owlen Sheedy. "There are an awful lot of masters students going for the jobs in Ireland at the moment, and it's very difficult for us with just degrees to get a job." For those without degrees, the job search is even harder. According to the Irish government, a third of young men under 25 are unemployed, in large part because of the failing housing market. Many young carpenters, bricklayers, plumbers and electricians have left the island country for Canada or Australia, two countries where building is still a strong sector in the economy. Contractors in those countries have been quick to exploit the influx of young, semi-skilled workers. But Hopkins says the mass emigration of construction workers has made it difficult for young white collar Irish workers to find employment outside of Ireland. "I definitely feel like we're being [painted] with the one brush," says Hopkins. "They think of us as being skilled in electric, or like plumbers and brick layers, but there's a lot more to the Irish culture and the Irish people." With each generation, emigration . Emigration is a rite of passage for many young Irish adults looking to explore new cultures and gain a global outlook. Take David McWilliams - long before he became an economist, he left Ireland to attend college in Brussels. But now many of those leaving the country have already been educated and are looking for employment, McWilliams says. "You have one person emigrating every seven minutes out of Ireland, adding up to about 66,000 every year," McWilliams says. "It's substantial, it's a very educated portion of the population, and a very young part of the population." Many Irish economists, including McWilliams, are concerned a prolonged 'brain-drain' could further slow the country's financial growth. "These kids [that are leaving] are clever and hard working," McWilliams explains. "Immigration is quite self selecting. Those that go tend to be the ones with more get up and go, so you lose an enormous demographic catalyst to growth and to prosperity." Previous Irish emigrants say they also notice a stark difference in the mood of the country during this period of exodus. Andy Donnellan lives in Galway, on Ireland's west coast. Donnellan says after he came back to Ireland from the United States in the 1990s, there was a sense of optimism as the country began to excel economically. Now, Donnellan says, many young emigrants have little idea when they'll return. "Everybody is touched by it," Donnellan says. "I have nephews that have left, I have friends that have left. And I always think it's a good thing for any young person to go away and learn another culture and another language. But the unfortunate thing is the vast majority are leaving because there is absolutely nothing here." That sense of hopelessness seems to permeate throughout Ireland, as frustrated family members and job seekers vent to radio call-in programs and newspapers. As one woman recently wrote in the Irish Times, emigration used to feel like a life style choice. Now, "it feels like a life sentence." Is 'laziness' fueling emigration? For some young Irish adults, the mass emigration is more of a fad than necessity. As more young Irish leave, these critics say, the ones that stay behind feel like they are left out of a mass cultural experience. "At the moment, all I've heard is positive feedback because they're in a different country and they're young and they're living the life," says Ireland Student Union Vice President Karl Miller. "It's just kind of a thing where half the people I went to school with are over there now and they just are going around delivering pizzas and just doing part time jobs that have no relevance to their future," Miller says. "I think there's a certain laziness as well," adds Miller, who believes some people are using the poor economy as an excuse to party abroad. There are no wide demographic studies showing why young Irish adults are leaving. Meanwhile, a small number of entrepreneurs have returned to Ireland after starting successful companies in Ireland, New Zealand and Canada. Overwhelmingly on blogs and other online postings, young Irish adults express anxiety about their country's economy, and seem ready to embrace better financial opportunities abroad. Yet others, like recent college graduate Sinead Donlon, seem to view emigration as a chance to add some excitement to life. Donlon plans on moving to England to live with her cousin. Trained as a personal care assistant, Donlon says she's looking for bar work in London as a way to meet new people. "I did special needs assistance and I'm qualified in that, but there's no jobs for that at the moment [in Ireland]," Donlon says. Asked if she thinks whether there might be jobs in her field in London, Donlon pauses for a moment before laughing. "Yeah, I didn't really think about that!" Donlon says.

One third of Irish men under 25 are unemployed . Many of the young emigrants are extremely skilled . Some young people blame emigration on laziness .

(CNN) -- A German citizen of Afghan descent was the source of much of the information on a potential "Mumbai-style" terror plot in Europe, a German counterterrorism official said Wednesday. The man, Ahmed Sidiqi, was detained in Kabul in July and transferred to U.S. custody where he has "revealed details about the terror plot," said the official, who did not want to be named because he is not authorized to talk to the media. The man and several other Germans traveled from Hamburg to the Afghan-Pakistan border area in 2009, where he joined the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, an extremist group allied with al Qaeda, German intelligence officials said. Sidiqi, once captured, "started to talk a lot," and detailed a "Mumbai-style" attack in Europe, the German official said. Eiffel Tower evacuated after bomb threat . Ten men launched a carefully planned attack on buildings in Mumbai, India, on November 26, 2008. The attack on such prominent sites -- such as the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel, the Oberoi-Trident hotels, the historic Victoria Terminus train station and a Jewish cultural center -- lasted three days and killed 164 people. Sidiqi is from Hamburg where he worked for a cleaning company at the Hamburg international airport, the German official said. He attended the Masjid Taiba mosque, formerly known as the Al-Quds mosque, in Hamburg, which became known as the meeting place of those behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington. Among those who prayed there was Mohammad Atta, one of the hijackers who commandeered the first plane that crashed into New York's World Trade Center. Sidiqi was part of Atta's circle, the official said. Hamburg shut down the mosque this year, not long after Sidiqi's capture. National Intelligence Director James Clapper would not talk about a plot Tuesday evening. "We are not going to comment on specific intelligence, as doing so threatens to undermine intelligence operations that are critical to protecting the U.S. and our allies," he said. "As we have repeatedly said, we know al Qaeda wants to attack Europe and the United States." Meanwhile, a federal law enforcement official in the United States, said "the volume seems to be turned up" on the threat information coming out of Europe. The intelligence indicates there is interest in using people with Western passports in an attack, that official said. This source says the potential operatives may be a mix of Europeans and others possibly including North Africans, Pakistanis, Turks, Uzbeks, and Tajiks. There is concern about an "active shooter" scenario that would create as many casualties and as much chaos as possible in a short period of time. The Mumbai attacks showed how effective this kind of an attack can be in drawing attention. According to this source, economic targets in Europe could be possible targets, including institutions such as banks and stock exchanges. A separate law enforcement source said "the belief is" that Osama bin Laden signed off on a European attack plan, and that source confirmed the intelligence related to a Mumbai-style attack. The German government is increasingly concerned about the number of Germans becoming jihadists. According to a senior German counterterrorism source, some 200 individuals have traveled to train with Jihadist groups in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region since the 9/11 attacks. The potential plot against Europe was one factor contributing to the uptick this month in missile strikes by unmanned drones against terrorist targets in Pakistan, according to a U.S. official. "We would be remiss not to try to take action to thwart what might be under way in Europe," said the official. The official emphasized that the potential plot was not the sole factor. U.S. officials say they are taking advantage of what they call "precise intelligence." Most of the drone attacks this year have been focused on North Waziristan, a mountainous area bordering Afghanistan where Pakistani security forces have little control. That has continued to be the pattern this month. Based on information from Pakistani officials, CNN estimates there have been 20 drone attacks in the area in September alone, a higher number than in any previous month, and more than twice the monthly average. Acknowledging the spike, one U.S. official told CNN: "Our operational tempo has been up for a while now, we have good information driving it, and given the stakes involved, we hope to keep the pressure on as long as we can." According to the official, the mix of threats remains the same. It comes from groups like the Haqqani network, al Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistan Taliban. The threats they pose are "all deadly," said the official. Pakistani officials say many recent strikes have been aimed at compounds in or around the town of Miramshah, a stronghold of the Haqqani network. Western intelligence officials have long regarded the Haqqanis as one of the most dangerous terror groups and have linked them to several attacks in Kabul. Intelligence analysts point to other reasons for the escalated drone attacks. They include better information from sources in the border area and better surveillance technology -- including the growing use of spy balloons fitted with high-powered cameras. In addition, the rising number of drone strikes is designed to deprive the Afghan Taliban of "strategic depth" as the Obama administration's campaign to defeat the insurgency enters a crucial phase and tighten the noose on the senior al Qaeda leadership. Pakistani officials say one strike last weekend killed Sheikh Mohammad Fateh al Masri, described as the group's senior operational commander. CNN's Pam Benson, Tim Lister and Jeanne Meserve contributed to this report.

NEW: Clapper: We're not going to comment on specific intelligence . Man talks about a "Mumbai-style" attack in Europe, official says . He attended the same mosque in Hamburg as 9/11 hijacker Atta . Europe plot is one factor in the increase in drone attacks in Pakistan .

(CNN) -- A parade of world leaders took the lectern at the United Nations on Wednesday. But days before the speeches on a host of issues, the global body quietly undertook an issue that often flies under the radar: Women. The United Nations consolidated four agencies that tackle women's issues and created a new super agency. Last week, the United Nations consolidated four agencies that tackle women's issues and created a new super agency. Humanitarian workers around the world embraced the move. It was about time, they said, that the world got serious about how half its population lives. The 1945 charter on which the United Nations was founded mandates equal rights for men and women. Since then, the United Nations has added new agencies that focus specifically on children, the environment, refugees, health, education, atomic energy and Palestinians. All report directly to the secretary general, except the agencies pertaining to women. Women's advocates said the agencies were run by lower-ranking officials and lacked clout. In 2006, a high-level panel on U.N. reform described the women's agencies as "incoherent, under-resourced and fragmented." It recommended that the United Nations create a dynamic agency focused on gender equality and women's empowerment. And last year, a coalition of 300 private development agencies launched the European Campaign for Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR), which pressured the United Nations to create a single organization to address what it described as consistent neglect of women's needs. Paula Donovan, co-director of AIDS-Free World, said a double standard persists, despite the image of the United Nations as a strong women's advocacy machine. The only thing the U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has in common with the well-known U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) is a similar sounding name, Donovan said. UNIFEM had neither the high-level U.N. staff nor the money of UNICEF, said Donovan, who worked at UNICEF for 15 years. She said UNIFEM's entire global budget equaled the budget of the UNICEF operation in Ethiopia. Donovan hopes the new agency will "lift the ideals that are worded so eloquently in U.N. declarations and resolutions off of the inert pages they're written on and plant them in real women's lives." "Women who have been leading and achieving for decades without the help of the U.N. system will now enjoy the strengths and benefits that the U.N. can offer," she said. Development agencies shared high expectations for the new agency's promotion of women's rights in a world where a disproportionate number of the suffering and persecuted are female. "This is a great move," said Helene Gayle, president of CARE, an international humanitarian agency that focuses on empowering women and girls in developing nations. "Now, what's needed are resources, a clear mandate and strong leadership," she said. "But I think what we're looking for most is the accountability to make sure gender is integrated into all U.N. strategies. It's up to member states to move quickly, get this new agency off on the right foot and turn the plan into reality." Ahead of this week's U.N. meetings, UNIFEM issued a report on the progress of women's rights, part of a set of development goals that global agencies have committed to achieving by 2015. "Implementation still has a long way to go in translating commitments to women's rights into changes in women's lives," UNIFEM said. Roughly 60 percent of the world's population living in poverty are women and girls. According to UNIFEM: . • Women are outnumbered four to one in legislatures around the world. • Over 60 percent of all unpaid family workers globally are women, and women still earn on average 17 percent less than men. • About one-third of women still suffer gender-based violence during their lives. • In some parts of the world, one in 10 women dies from pregnancy-related causes even though the means for preventing maternal mortality are cost-effective and well-known. "Gender gaps on this scale are symptomatic of an accountability crisis," UNIFEM said. "Governments and multilateral organizations have a responsibility to do a better job of answering to women." Last week, the General Assembly voted to merge UNIFEM and three other U.N. women's agencies to better address glaring gender inequities. In Kenya, for example, the Parliament adopted a new sexual offense bill that hands a minimum 10-year-sentence to a man who is convicted of rape. If he is acquitted, his accuser goes to jail for 10 years. The bill was adopted two years ago over the objections of women lawmakers. Donovan cited the Kenyan law as an example of the uphill climb women face in developing nations. She said AIDS-Free World and other non-governmental organizations are urging the United Nations to fund the new women's agency with an initial $1 billion budget. Advocates would also like to see a presence of the agency in every developing nation, she said. HIV/AIDS agencies especially welcomed the news. "This is a historic opportunity to advance the rights of women and girls," said Michel Sidibe, executive director of the U.N. agency on HIV/AIDS. He noted that 60 percent of people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa are women. Some aid agencies say that number is as high as 75 percent. Donovan said the new agency has the potential to change the way the United Nations functions in everything it does, as every institution -- whether it's a courtroom or classroom, a political party or a pub, a gymnasium or a country club -- opens its doors to women. And treats them differently, once they step inside.

United Nations consolidates agencies, creates group focused on women's issues . Women's advocates say previous agencies lacked clout . Roughly 60 percent of the world's population living in poverty are women and girls .

(CNN) -- A Sikh farmer in India has surpassed a month on a hunger strike, demanding the release of six men from his community jailed since the 1990s during a period of a deadly Sikh separatist movement in the country. Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa, 48, began his protest on November 14, his aide, Harpal Singh Cheema, told CNN. His hunger strike brings attention to the fates of Sikhs who were arrested and convicted for their actions during the separatist movement, but who, unlike others, have not had their sentences shortened. The fact that other Indians sentenced to life have been released earlier, but not the Sikhs, has some accusing the justice system of discrimination against the group. Those who support Khalsa's hunger strike say it is long overdue that the cases of those Sikhs be reviewed. An armed Sikh rebellion operated in Punjab, the heartland of the faith, from the 1980s to the early 1990s, when it was crushed. Hiding from the massacre: 1984 remembered . Many political leaders were assassinated during the insurgency. India's then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was killed by her Sikh bodyguards in October 1984, the same year she had ordered a military raid on the Golden Temple, the holiest of the Sikh shrines, to flush out militants holed up inside. Three of the six convicts whose freedom Khalsa is fighting for were arrested in 1995 for their alleged role in the assassination of Punjab's then-Chief Minister, Beant Singh, in a car bombing. They were sentenced to life in prison. The others were convicted under a draconian anti-terror law that has since been repealed, civil rights lawyer H.S. Phoolka said. "It is not unusual to set lifers free after they have served 14 years in prison," Phoolka said. "These prisoners should also be freed, as normalcy returned to Punjab long ago and they should be joining the mainstream now." International rights groups have accused both the Sikh separatists and Indian forces of serious violations during the insurgency. The six Sikh inmates are lodged in the jails of the federally-administered territory of Chandigarh and in Punjab, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh states. Khalsa is "weak but says he will not end (his hunger strike) until he sees those six prisoners free," his aide said. iReport: 'Free those political prisoners [who] should be legally free' Khalsa's protest, which has drawn support from across the Sikh political and religious spectrum, has gained a viral online attention, although the story is not prominent on India's national media. "A number of Sikhs were falsely arrested, charged and convicted. Many of them are still in jails despite their old age. It's my personal opinion all such prisoners — whichever community they may belong to — should be set free now," said Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, general secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the top Sikh religious administration in Punjab. "It's up to the discretion of those governments, administrations to reconsider their cases. We are trying our best," Punjab government spokesman Harcharan Bains said. In India, state authorities can review a lifer's case after a prisoner serving that sentence has spent 14 years, Bains and lawyer Phoolka said. "But, otherwise, a life sentence means sentence until the last breath of the prisoner," Bains said. Rights attorneys, however, say authorities are selectively rejecting reviews of Sikh inmates incarcerated during the Punjab militancy. "There are numerous examples where life convicts have been prematurely released after undergoing imprisonment of 12 to 14 years or even less," Phoolka said. "It is a great discrimination against... because of their religious beliefs." Meantime, Human Rights Watch, in a statement to CNN, called upon Indian authorities not to let prisoners remain behind the bars beyond their sentences. "There were serious human rights abuses during the Punjab insurgency," the human rights group said. Both militants, with their attacks, and the security forces, abusing the now repealed terror law, committed human rights violations, the group said. Sikhs and rights bodies have also accused successive Indian governments of going soft on high-profile politicians suspected of perpetrating a massacre of Sikhs in and round New Delhi in the wake of Gandhi's assassination. Official figures put the number of those killed in the 1984 anti-Sikh attacks at 2,733 in the Indian capital alone. Human rights activists say the death toll was much higher. "Despite the findings of independent commissions, government forces or officials responsible for excesses, including during the 1984 riots, are yet to be properly prosecuted," Human Rights Watch said in its statement. Himself a Sikh and the country's first non-Hindu head of government, Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh issued a public apology for the deadly events -- 21 years after their occurrence. "I have no hesitation in apologizing not only to the Sikh community but the whole Indian nation because what took place in 1984 is the negation of the concept of nationhood and what enshrined in our Constitution. So, I am not standing on any false prestige. On behalf of our government, on behalf of the entire people of this country, I bow my head in shame that such thing took place," Singh told India's Parliament in an impassioned address in 2005.

Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa has been on a hunger strike for more than a month . He is demanding the freedom of a group of Sikh separatists . Both sides in the conflict during the 1980s and 1990s committed violations . But some argue that the justice system has been harsher on the Sikhs .

(CNN) -- American Airlines is making Karen O'Laughlin a little nervous. O'Laughlin, a longtime fan of the airline, already bought her American plane ticket to fly from St. Louis to New York to visit her grandsons next month. "I choose American because it's a straight flight, no stops, and it's the right time, (but) I do have some angst about my flight being canceled," she said. Who wants to fly American? The troubled airline has been beset by labor troubles, delays and flight cancellations and, most recently, two aircraft that couldn't keep several seats in place. American, which filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late last year, persuaded a judge to throw out its contract with the pilots union last month. Since then, the pilots have been engaging in what the airline calls a slowdown that has caused the number of flights that are delayed and canceled to skyrocket. Broken coffee pots and reading lights, torn seat pockets and precautionary maintenance checks that lead to nothing wrong: Those are some of the complaints by pilots that are slowing American flights, according to spokesman Bruce Hicks. American Airlines plane makes emergency landing . "Clearly, our operation is nowhere near where we want it to be, where it has historically been and the kind of quality operation American Airlines runs day in and day out," Hicks told CNN in an interview two weeks ago. "We are working as hard as we can to try and mitigate this and do all we can to resolve it. We certainly understand; we very much do apologize for any delay or cancellation that we have seen." The solution, Hicks said, is for the pilots to stop their slowdown. The airline threatened last week to seek an injunction in court, if the pilots union doesn't "take steps to end the disruption of American's operations by some pilots," according to a letter to the union from Denise Lynn, American's senior vice president/people. Customers are piling on . Stories of American employees making choices that upset their customers are starting to proliferate, possibly driving existing customers away. In his "Friends Don't Let Friends Fly American Airlines" blog post on Slate, Matthew Yglesias wrote of a delayed first flight turning into a missed connection because the pilot chose to leave rather than let a group of passengers on board two minutes before his scheduled departure time. At least that flight left on time. Gary Shteyngart described a trans-Atlantic flight that should have taken a few hours turning into a 30-hour Kafkaesque ordeal that included a stop in a third country. Aeroflot came off looking good in his absurdly humorous New York Times tale. Travel agents shying away . Travel agents say they can't count on American flights to depart -- or those that do depart to land on time. So they started directing their customers away from American after the troubled airline began canceling flights last month. In the past month, more than 1,000 American flights have been canceled and 12,000 delayed. "It's just getting too risky with the threat of probable cancellations on the horizon," said Jay Johnson, president of Coastline Travel Advisors, a Virtuoso travel agency in Garden Grove, California, that temporarily halted sales of American tickets until "we have confidence that there will not be widespread cancellations." "It's an unfortunate situation, as we really don't have a lot of other options, especially to the Caribbean, where they dominate the market," he said. "To be proactive, we are in the process of looking for alternative flights for those passengers who have booked refundable tickets." Why did aircraft seats get loose? Passengers already feeling the bumpy impact of that labor dispute had another concern over the weekend when a row of seats dislodged during a flight and prompted an emergency landing, the airline said Monday. A Boeing 757 from Boston to Miami carrying 175 passengers diverted to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport on Saturday when three seats in row 12 came loose shortly after takeoff. A second American Boeing 757 returned to JFK on Monday morning after a similar seats issue was discovered. "An initial internal investigation into why a row of seats became loose on two American Airlines Boeing 757s has indicated that there could be a possible issue with a certain model of seats and how they fit into the tracking used to secure the seats," the airline said in a statement. "Out of an abundance of caution, American has decided to proactively reinspect eight 757s today that could possibly have this same issue. The seats were installed by American maintenance and contract maintenance. The issue does not seem to be tied to any one maintenance facility or one work group. "This afternoon, the company flew engineers, tech crew chiefs and inspectors from its Tulsa maintenance base to New York to evaluate the aircraft and determine the next course of action to correct the problem." The Allied Pilots Association, the largest independent pilot union and a certified collective bargaining agent for the 10,000 American pilots, said the interior overhaul of the Boston plane was performed by third-party maintenance workers, according to spokesman Gregg Overman. 'I'm not looking for headaches' One Atlanta-based travel agent shifted one set of clients traveling to Europe this fall from an American flight to a Delta flight. "Price was about the same. American had a slightly better schedule, but I am not looking for headaches and canceled flights are big headaches." "In our business, it is very hard to recommend something that you know is not certain," wrote the travel agent, who didn't want to be named, in an e-mail. "Any time you have labor disputes and/or financial problems, the dependability factor goes down." iPad use picking up in cockpits . Teen with Down syndrome stopped from boarding plane . Golden days of air travel: How glorious were they?

Broken coffee pots and reading lights, torn seat pockets could be delaying flights . More than 1,000 American flights have been canceled and 12,000 delayed in the past month . Some travel agents have started directing their customers away from American Airlines .

Beijing (CNN) -- Until about four years ago, farmer Zhou Jie and his family had been living in rural Anhui province, growing grain and other staples on a small plot of land. Now they live in the outskirts of Beijing, renting a tiny house owned by a local farmer. In the morning he drives a minivan to drop off his seven-year-old daughter to a migrants' school before he plies his trade selling construction materials. His wife augments the family's income by working in the city as a household maid. The Zhous are among the millions of peasants who have moved away from the land into the cities. They are the new urban dwellers in China and their ranks are growing. At the end of 2011, China counted over 690 million urban dwellers -- or 51.27% of the country's 1.347 billion people -- according to a report this week from the National Bureau of Statistics. That marks an increase of 21 million from the previous year. During the same period the rural population dropped by over 14 million to 656 million. So for the first time, China's urban population now outnumbers the rural population. "This is one of history's most important population shifts," said Aprodicio Laquian, population expert and professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. "It resembles the 19th century Industrial Revolution in Europe, except that in China it's compacted into only a few decades." Most Chinese traditionally made a living from subsistence farming. While many still do, their ranks have significantly shrunk. China's rapid economic growth over the past three decades has expanded the size of China's cities and towns. There are now over 160 cities in China with a population of over 1 million, according to China Today. Mega-cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou have served as the engines of this growth, creating jobs and wealth. Lured by the prospect of wages much greater than those available in the countryside, millions of farmers headed for urban areas. They constitute the "liudong renkou," or floating population, that moves in and out of China's urban areas every day, taking up odd jobs in construction sites, public infrastructure projects, restaurants and households. Officials say there are about 200 million of them nationwide. "They do the heavy, dirty and dangerous jobs that we urbanites are no longer willing to do," said Wu Huan, a Beijing resident who works for a government agency. These farmers, also known as "mingong" (migrant workers), work in cities but most of them remain as farm residents. It is difficult for them to become legitimate urban residents because of the "hukou" system, a centuries-old household registration system which categorizes the population into rural and urban residents. Without an urban hukou permit, they are often denied access to the subsidized health care, housing and education for their children that urbanites enjoy. This hukou system has been a source of controversy among experts who advocate its abolition and city planners who worry about mass migration. Critics of the policy say it causes discrimination against the mingong and exacerbates social tensions between the haves and have-nots. Some rural migrants secure temporary residence certificates but getting them is a cumbersome and expensive process. "It's almost as difficult as getting a 'green card' in the United States,'" Wu quipped. But with the aim of sopping up excess rural labor and pushing China's urbanization goal, Chinese authorities have gradually relaxed the enforcement of the regulations. It has yet to officially scrap the hukou system but more cities are now allowing farmers to move in, some temporarily and some permanently. The urbanization movement is changing the face of China, making it more metropolitan and prosperous. "Urbanization will be the engine to big-scale social changes and provide employment opportunities," said Li Peiling, director of the Institute of Sociology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "It will affect people's lifestyle, way of production, occupational structure, consuming habits and value systems." But it is also bringing problems, such as rising criminality, traffic and housing congestion and social tensions. Just as worrisome, experts say, is the enormous pressure the new urbanites place on the cities' finances and infrastructure. "The increase of urban population poses a challenge on the distribution of resources," said Li Jianmin, a professor at Nankai University's Institute of Population and Development. That is why, he says, megacities like Beijing and Shanghai are trying to limit population growth, even as small and medium-sized cities are encouraging migrant farmers to shift from being rural to urban hukou residents. China hopes to avoid the "city diseases" such as mass unemployment, over-crowding, water and power shortages, and slums. Zhu Xiang, a professor at Hunan Normal University, cautions against the emergence of "a kind of 'over-urbanization' like those in some Latin American countries where the speed of urbanization exceeds that of economic development," and the emergence of a "new poor alongside urbanization, like in many African countries." Not everyone is impressed with this week's report on the demographic shifts. "China simply pulled off an urbanization of geographical land mass, not an urbanization of people," said Guangmotuan, a Chinese netizen on Sina.com, a Twitter-like micro-blogging site. "Many of our population still live in medieval peasant state.Their lifestyle and cultural level do not fit modern cities." Another micro-blogger frets about food. "If we have more urban residents, more people will lose their farm land," wrote Chi Yu, "With less people tilling the land, in a few years the price of rice will be more expensive than housing."

In 2011 China counted over 690 million urban dwellers -- 51.27% of its 1.347 billion people . For the first time, China's urban population now outnumbers the rural population . China's rapid economic growth has expanded the size of China's cities and towns . Many experts worry about the enormous pressure on cities' finances and infrastructure .

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Trent Lott, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, intends to resign by the end of the year, the Mississippi Republican announced Monday. Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, is serving his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. "Trish and I have decided that it's time to do something else," Lott said, referring to his wife. "Let me be clear: There are no problems," Lott said. Lott, a four-term senator, said he lamented the GOP losing control of the House and the Senate after the 2006 elections and "some of the negativism that we're dealing with now" but that was not why he was leaving the Senate. Watch Lott explain why he is stepping down » . "I get up every day believing that I can maybe have a positive effect on what we do in the Senate," the Republican whip said. "I like being a happy warrior." While announcing his decision to leave the Senate in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Lott said he made the choice to pursue a new course in life after listening to a church sermon on Ecclesiastes that says there is a time for everything. "I don't know the future holds for us," said Lott, whose term would have expired in 2012. Lott said he would continue to work on the issued he cared about until "the last day I will be alive." "I still feel strongly about national defense. I still feel strongly about fiscal responsibility," Lott said. Lott said he did not have a position lined up for him after he leaves the Senate, but sources tell CNN Lott plans to join the private sector. Lott also said he was considering teaching. Two GOP sources close to Lott said they were not surprised by Lott's decision to retire. "He's wanted to go into the private sector for a long time," one source said. "He stayed because of Katrina. Mississippi is doing very well, and he's delivered what he needed to deliver." "He struggled hard with the decision to run for re-election. He decided he needed to work on more Katrina aid, but he's not fully enthused about another 6 years." Republican sources close to Lott said one reason for Lott's decision to resign is the new lobbying restrictions on former lawmakers. A law kicks in on January 1 that forbids lawmakers from lobbying for two years after leaving office. Those who leave by the end of 2007 are covered by the previous law, which demands a wait of only one year. "He wants to go make a living; he has no money," a GOP source said. "He'll be acting as a lobbyist and political adviser." The source also said Lott wanted to leave now so that the person appointed to replace him would have almost a year in the Senate before facing the voters during the elections in November 2008. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is responsible for appointing someone to hold Lott's seat until a special election next year. Rep. Chip Pickering, who has previously announced his resignation from the House, and Rep. Roger Wicker are both considered possible contenders for the seat. Five other GOP senators -- John Warner of Virginia, Wayne Allard of Colorado, Pete Domenici of New Mexico, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, and Larry Craig of Idaho have said they will not seek re-election next year. Since Lott's Mississippi seat is considered safe for Republicans, GOP sources say Lott's resignations should not affect the Republicans' mood going into the 2008 elections. "While the Republican mood is somewhat dark, this is not one of those examples of Republicans feeling they don't have good electoral prospects in '08," one source said. "Lott's decision is about Lott. This is just a changing of the guard and a safe seat, and Republicans have nothing to worry about." Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, currently the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, will run for the whip position Lott is vacating, Ryan Patmintra, Kyl's press secretary, told CNN. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, praised the man who had been his counterpart when Lott served as the Republican leader. "Senator Lott has been a true friend, consistently reaching across the aisle to serve the interests of the people of Mississippi and to help me serve the interests of the people of Nevada," Reid said in a statement. Senator Lott is one of the strongest defenders of the institution of the Senate and one of the most pleasant senators I have ever worked with." The current Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, also praised his whip. "Trent is the best whip I've ever worked with, and I'm pretty familiar with the requirements of the job," McConnell said in a statement. "I am deeply grateful for Trent's friendship; he is truly one of the great ones." Lott's resignation will bring to an end his more than three decades in Congress. He won a House seat in 1972 and was first elected to the Senate in 1988. He is the first person to serve as whip in both the House and Senate. Lott, 66, served as Senate majority leader when Republicans controlled that body but was pushed out of the leadership post after he told a 2002 birthday gathering for former Sen. Strom Thurmond that the country would have avoided "all these problems" if Thurmond's 1948 segregationist presidential bid had succeeded. Lott later apologized for his "poor choice of words." E-mail to a friend . CNN's John King, Mark Preston, Dana Bash, Jessica Yellin contributed to this report.

NEW: Sen. Trent Lott announces he will leave . Sen. Jon Kyl will run for Lott's whip post, the GOP's No. 2 Senate post . Mississippi Republican served as Senate majority leader . Lott lost leadership post in 2002 after remarks perceived as racially insensitive .

Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- For more than a week, opponents of Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak had the upper hand in Cairo, protesting with near impunity in the face of police and an army that did little to stop them. That all changed on Wednesday. The morning after Mubarak dramatically announced he would not run for re-election in September, his supporters waded into Tahrir Square by the thousands, and suddenly serious, prolonged violence reigned in central Cairo. There were immediate suspicions that the pro-Mubarak demonstrators were not simply average citizens standing up for the man who has led Egypt for three decades -- suspicions that proved at least partly founded. As battles raged between the two sides, some pro-Mubarak protesters were captured by his opponents. Some were terrified to be caught and begged for their lives, screaming that the government had paid them to come out and protest. Others turned out to be carrying what seemed to be police identification, though they were dressed in plain clothes. Shadi Hamid, a Brookings Institution analyst based in Qatar, told CNN that the use of hired muscle to break up demonstrations "is a longtime regime strategy." "There are usually a line of thugs outside a protest who are waiting there," he said. "They're dressed in plain clothes, and then they'll usually go and attack the protesters. Egyptians have seen this for quite some time, and that's why they were able to recognize what was going on fairly quickly." The global rights group Amnesty International said it has documented the use of unsavory forces by Egyptian authorities to disperse political gatherings in election years. "It looks like much of this violence is being orchestrated by the Egyptian authorities in order to force an end to the anti-government protests, restore their control and cling onto power in the face of unprecedented public demands for them to go," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, the deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International. An Interior Ministry spokesman denied on state-run television that police identification cards had been confiscated from demonstrators. He said if they had been, they were were stolen or fake. But state television reporting Wednesday did not always match CNN's own observations of what was happening in Tahrir Square. Several CNN journalists heard from pro-Mubarak demonstrators that they worked for the government. Staff from the national petrochemical company said they had been ordered to come and protest. Amnesty International researchers said witnesses told them of "lorry loads" of pro-Mubarak supporters leaving Wednesday morning from Mahalla, north of Cairo. "These (pro-Mubarak) protests were organized by the government and the ruling National Democratic Party," analyst Kamal Zakher told CNN. The government mustered government workers and lawmakers whose seats are threatened, he said. "They were ordered to go out today. They are well organized and that is suspicious -- especially the use of camels and horses. These are abnormal techniques to demonstrate," he said, referring to the shocking charge of about 50 or 60 mounted men through Tahrir in the middle of the afternoon. And Emad Shahin, a Mideast analyst at the University of Notre Dame, said "reliable contacts in Egypt" told him the counter-protesters were organized "by Mubarak himself," with the aid of businessmen who support him. "The whole objective is actually to give the impression that there is still support for Mubarak and to force the demonstrators out of Tahrir Square," Shahin said. He said the embattled president "is presenting a very difficult choice before the Egyptian people -- either liberty or security -- and he is hoping that they will choose security at the expense of liberty." In Washington, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs expressed concerns about the outbreak of violence. "The president and this administration strongly condemn the outrageous and deplorable violence that's taking place on the streets of Cairo," Gibbs said. "Obviously, if any of the violence is instigated by the government, it should stop immediately," Gibbs added. State television called the pro-Mubarak demonstrators tourism workers. At least some Egyptians working in the tourism industry are known to be genuinely upset at the anti-Mubarak demonstrators, accusing them of hurting their business by bringing instability. Zakher also said it was suspicious that security forces did not intervene to break up the violence. "There were no police or military to separate the two crowds at the beginning and that's also suspicious enough to implicate the security agencies," Zakher said. Journalist and protestor Reham Saeed told CNN she saw men with police uniforms go into hotels on the way to Tahrir Square and then come out wearing civilian clothes, joining the pro-Mubarak protesters. She called that an act of "betrayal." State TV interviewed several people at the demonstration who said they backed the president because he had provided stability and independence. "For 30 years, we lived in peace. President Mubarak kept us safe and secure for 30 years instead of being a country that takes orders from external forces just like (U.S. President Barack) Obama now wants," Iman Abu Futuh, a pro-Mubarak demonstrator, said on Nile TV. "They want us to be another Iraq and this will not happen." Another man said, "I didn't cry when my father died. I cried when Mubarak spoke yesterday. I grew up watching him, seeing him, having him as my leader and the great president of this nation." And a female demonstrator said: "Mubarak is our father. No one can insult and ridicule their elders. If we do that, we belittle ourselves. This is how we destroy our country." CNN's Amir Ahmed, Frederik Pleitgen, Saad Abedine and Journalist Ian Lee in Cairo contributed to this report.

Some state workers told CNN they had been ordered to protest . Anti-Mubarak demonstrators say some opponents are police . The government says the police IDs are fake or stolen . Some demonstrators say Mubarak is like a father to them .

Washington (CNN) -- If President Barack Obama fancies himself a modern Will Kane of "High Noon," standing up for what's right when his allies desert him on Syria, he might be following advice the marshal got in the iconic 1952 Western film. Kane, played by Gary Cooper, goes to his mentor and predecessor Martin Howe in a last-ditch plea for help, but the former lawman -- crippled by age and arthritis -- declines and explains why everyone from the judge to the deputy to the church-going folks of Hadleyville backed off. "It figures. It's all happened too sudden," says Howe, played by Lon Chaney Jr. "People got to talk themselves into law and order before they do anything about it." Obama bought himself time for that discussion on whether to attack Syria over the use of banned chemical weapons by putting the question to Congress, setting up Senate committee hearings this week and votes in both chambers after the House returns from summer recess on September 9. Stunned by what U.S. officials call a major chemical weapons attack on August 21, less than two weeks ago, Obama initially tried to put together an international coalition to respond immediately to punish the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and signal widespread resolve. With Russia undermining any U.S. Security Council action, Obama hoped for a coalition similar to the one forged for the 2011 air strikes on Libya -- led by NATO allies with backing from Arab League states. Congressional hawks tie Syria to military budget cuts . That plan crumbled last week when Britain's Parliament voted against taking part in a military intervention in Syria. Both France and Germany, while agreeing that the international community must respond to the Syrian chemical weapons attack, also have balked at military intervention without U.N. approval. Even with backing for an international response from regional powers Turkey, Saudi Arabia and others, Obama decided to force Congress to take a stand instead of using presidential authority to order a U.S. strike. His arguments for acting sound like a modern "High Noon" script. Obama looks to Congress to bolster legal case for Syria strike . "This attack is an assault on human dignity," he said Saturday in detailing his decision to seek congressional authorization. "It also presents a serious danger to our national security. It risks making a mockery of the global prohibition on the use of chemical weapons." Citing a possible escalation in the use of chemical weapons without a response, he added that "in a world with many dangers, this menace must be confronted." "We cannot raise our children in a world where we will not follow through on the things we say, the accords we sign, the values that define us," Obama said. However, the response he then outlined sounded a bit less direct than Marshal Kane's shootout in the streets with Frank Miller's gang. A U.S. strike would be self-wounding . "This would not be an open-ended intervention," Obama said. "We would not put boots on the ground. Instead, our action would be designed to be limited in duration and scope. But I'm confident we can hold the Assad regime accountable for their use of chemical weapons, deter this kind of behavior, and degrade their capacity to carry it out." To CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen, Obama's surprise decision to seek congressional authorization was strategic. "He probably calculates that for Republican skeptics in Congress, they will have to explain to the American public why it is that they will not sanction military action on Syria after its large-scale use of chemical weapons while they continue to describe Syria's closest ally, Iran, and its nuclear weapons program -- which still has yet to produce any nuclear weapons-- as a grave threat to the world," Bergen wrote Monday.. For liberal Democrats who generally oppose any U.S. military action, "Obama can essentially ask, 'If not now, when?'" Bergen continued. Obama posed that question Saturday in his remarks to the nation. Syria vote could have consequences for 2016 . "What message will we send if a dictator can gas hundreds of children to death in plain sight and pay no price?" he said. "What's the purpose of the international system that we've built if a prohibition on the use of chemical weapons that has been agreed to by the governments of 98 percent of the world's people and approved overwhelmingly by the Congress of the United States is not enforced?" Insisting the decision goes well beyond the issue of chemical warfare, Obama argued that "if we won't enforce accountability in the face of this heinous act, what does it say about our resolve to stand up to others who flout fundamental international rules, to governments who would choose to build nuclear arms, to terrorist who would spread biological weapons, to armies who carry out genocide?" Opinion: Obama on war -- a realist and risk taker . "We cannot raise our children in a world where we will not follow through on the things we say, the accords we sign, the values that define us," he said, channeling a bit of Marshal Kane. Rep. Mike Pompeo, a conservative Kansas Republican, told CNN on Monday that Obama is "standing up for what he believes, and I agree with the president" on the need to respond militarily to what he called "horrendous war crimes being committed against the civilian population" of Syria. "I just don't think it's something we can look the other way and say, 'Well, it's halfway around the world. Who cares?'" Pompeo said. "We do care. And we also have a strategic interest there because our adversaries are not stopping." That sounded like Obama, not Martin Howe in "High Noon," who tells Kane the reason nobody will back him is that "maybe because down deep, they don't care. They just don't care." Military has concerns about Syria mission .

President Obama may feel like Marshal Will Kane in the iconic Western film . Abandoned by his allies, Obama decides to go to Congress for political cover . In the film, Kane is told that "people got to talk themselves into law and order" By seeking congressional approval, Obama buys himself some time .

London, England (CNN) -- A British aid worker who died during an operation to rescue her from kidnappers in Afghanistan may have been killed by a grenade thrown by American forces trying to free her, British Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday. Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, will launch an investigation into the failed attempt to rescue Linda Norgrove, 36, Cameron said. NATO and British officials had said earlier she was killed by her captors, who detonated an explosive. But Cameron said Monday that statements made about Norgrove's death over the weekend were "highly likely to have been incorrect," although they were made "in good faith." Petraeus contacted him Monday morning, he said, with new information. But Cameron said he could not make a firm statement about the cause of her death until the investigation is complete. It will be a joint investigation between the United States and United Kingdom, he said. U.S. President Barack Obama called Cameron on Monday to offer condolences for Norgrove's death, according to a statement from the Downing Street press office. "The Prime Minister and the President agreed that it was now essential to get to the bottom of what had happened in the course of the rescue operation. They looked forward to close co-operation between the UK and US authorities on the investigation and agreed to stay in close touch as it moved forward," it read. The investigation will start in the next day or two and will be led by a senior officer from U.S. Central Command, an International Security Assistance Force official told CNN. One of the key components in determining what went wrong will be the autopsy, which will be carried out by British officials, the ISAF officer said. Cameron and Petraeus are to meet Thursday in London. "It's a long-standing meeting and has been in the diary for a number of weeks," the Downing Street press office said in a separate statement, adding that the discussion will center on the strategy in Afghanistan. Petraeus also will meet with British Defense Secretary Liam Fox to talk about Afghanistan, it said. The initial report on the rescue mission by the troops who carried it out did not mention throwing a grenade, but a follow-up report "raised a lot of questions about what killed" Norgrove, U.S. Navy Capt. Gary Kirchner told CNN after Cameron spoke. The mission commander called Petraeus as soon as he learned a grenade had been thrown, Kirchner said, without naming the commander. The investigation will be done "with all due haste," Kirchner said. It will review the mission plan, communications and video from the operation, he said. A "review of surveillance footage and discussions with members of the rescue team do not conclusively determine the cause of her death," the U.S. military said in a statement Monday. The British government aims to share as much of the final report as possible with lawmakers, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Monday. Cameron said he believed "profoundly" that it had been the right decision to try to rescue her, although he looked shaken at times during his statement to reporters. The rescue operation was planned and carried out by U.S. Special Forces, Hague told the House of Commons Monday after Cameron spoke. He personally authorized efforts to rescue her by military action "within a few hours" of her being captured, Hague said. He said intelligence and weather conditions played a role in determining the timing of the operation. Norgrove, who had been held hostage since late last month, worked for DAI, an agency that provides various services to developing nations. She spent much of her career managing projects for farmers and rural workers. Cameron said in a statement Saturday that Norgrove "was doing valuable work for the Afghan people." Hague said in a written statement Saturday that his forces received information about where she was held and "decided that, given the danger she was facing, her best chance of safe release was to act on that information. "Responsibility for this tragic outcome rests squarely with the hostage takers," Hague said. "From the moment they took her, her life was under grave threat. Given who held her, and the danger she was in, we judged that Linda's best chance lay in attempting to rescue her." Norgrove was being held by two Taliban commanders, Mullah Basir and Mullah Keftan, who were both killed in the raid, an Afghan intelligence official said. An Afghan official said last month that the British woman, two Afghan drivers and a security guard had been kidnapped after an exchange of gunfire September 26 in the Chawkay district of eastern Kunar province. Abdul Marjan Adel, a local provincial official, had said that the four were being held in a "very remote area," and that Afghan and international forces were looking for them. He said they were healthy and located in the Dewcar valley. The three Afghans kidnapped with Norgrove had been released days ago, according to another Afghan intelligence official and a local provincial government official. James Boomgard, DAI president and chief executive officer, called the news of her death "devastating" and said his operation is "saddened beyond words by the death of a wonderful woman whose sole purpose in Afghanistan was to do good." "Linda loved Afghanistan and cared deeply for its people, and she was deeply committed to her development mission. She was an inspiration to many of us here at DAI, and she will be deeply missed." He was speaking before Cameron's statement about the confusion over the cause of her death. After Cameron spoke, Boomgard said: "Throughout this ordeal, we were satisfied that both the British and American authorities were doing everything in their power to secure Linda's release. ... We have neither the information nor the inclination to second guess the decisions made." CNN's Adam S. Levine, Barbara Starr, Ivan Watson and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.

U.S. Special Forces planned and carried out the failed rescue operation, official says . Troops did not initially say they had thrown a grenade during the operation, the military says . U.S. forces tried to rescue Linda Norgrove from captors in Afghanistan on Friday . NATO and British officials said earlier she was killed by her captors .

(CNN) -- Yet again we are struggling to bear the unbearable. How can we find meaning in the massacre of so many innocent children, savagely cut down in a hail of bullets? Abraham Lincoln is much on our minds these days and, fortunately, there is much his life teaches us about giving meaning to human horror. Eleven months from now, we will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of his journey to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where he consecrated a national cemetery in honor of the thousands slaughtered in the Civil War battle there. In the most eloquent address in American history, Lincoln told us, "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to (their) great unfinished work." In their honor, he concluded, "we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom." These were not idle words; he devoted himself to action. In the final months of his life, as the new film on Lincoln shows, he threw himself into the enactment of the 13th Amendment, outlawing slavery in the entire nation. After his death, the nation continued to act as he had asked, passing the 14th Amendment and quickening its progress toward realizing the dream of the Declaration: that all are created equal. The shootings in Connecticut are not Gettysburg, but surely the long, unending string of killings that we have endured must do more than touch our hearts. As Lincoln saw, we must find meaning in the madness of life -- and we do that by honoring the dead through action. The moment to act is now upon us, not to be lost as we rush headlong into the holiday season and more twists and turns ahead. We are better than that. There is a common thread running through most of the mass killings we have seen in recent years: A deranged gunman gets his hands on a gun, usually a semi-automatic, and rapidly cuts down innocents before anyone can stop him. Clearly, we must find better answers for the mentally unstable. We have the ability to recognize the characteristics of those more likely to commit such acts of violence, and we must do more to provide long-term treatment. But just as clearly, we need to change our culture of guns. There is something terribly wrong in a nation that has some 300 million guns floating around, easily accessible to the mentally ill. Of the 62 mass shootings in the U.S. over the past three decades, more than three-quarters of the guns used were obtained legally. Unless we act to change our laws as well as our culture, we will all be enablers when the next loner strikes. The blood will be on our hands, too. Experts can come up with precise policy prescriptions that will allow us to maintain the constitutional freedoms of the 2nd Amendment while also changing our gun culture. Contrary to what the National Rifle Association says, it is very possible to do both. What is needed immediately is a conversation determining what principles we want to establish -- and then action to realize them. From my perspective, there should be at least three basic principles: . FIRST: To own a gun, you must first have a license -- and it shouldn't be easy to get. The right parallel is to cars: Everyone over a prescribed age is entitled to drive. But cars are dangerous, so we first require a license -- determining that you are fit to drive. Citizens have a right to bear arms, but guns are dangerous, too. So, get a license. There are a number of issues with our current system of state-based permits. First, variation in gun regulations from state to state deeply complicates enforcement efforts. Arizona, for instance, allows concealed carry without any permit, while its neighbor California has implemented the strongest gun laws in the country. We must design a sensible federal gun control policy to address the current legal chaos. As we construct a federal licensing system, we should look to California. The state requires all gun sales to be processed through a licensed dealer, mandating background checks and a ten-day waiting period; bans most assault weapons and all large-capacity magazines; closes the nonsensical gun-show loophole; and maintains a permanent record of all sales. SECOND: If you are a civilian, you can't buy an assault gun. Hunters don't need military style weapons, nor do homeowners who want to be able to protect their families. They are far too popular among people who shouldn't have access to guns in the first place. We should restore the federal ban that has expired. THIRD: Parents should be heavily advised to keep guns out of their houses and out of the hands of kids. No one wants to blame the poor mother of the Connecticut shooter, but everyone wonders why she kept so many military-style guns in the house, so accessible to her son. It's hard to believe, but roughly a third of households with children younger than 18 contain at least one gun. In too many neighborhoods in America -- not just in big cities -- parents who don't allow guns in their homes are apprehensive, even frightened, by their kids playing at homes where they are kept. Some years ago, no one thought that we could change our tobacco culture. We did. No one thought that we could reduce drunk driving by teenagers. We did -- thanks in large part to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Years from now, no one will note what we say after this latest massacre. But they will hold us morally accountable for what we do. To honor all of those who have been slain in recent years -- starting with the first-graders in Connecticut -- we should highly resolve to change our culture of guns. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Gergen.

David Gergen says we should take a cue from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address . He says U.S. must deal with its culture of guns and find real solutions . Gun owners should be licensed, and assault weapons should be banned, he says . He says we will be held morally accountable for what we do -- or fail to do .

(CNN) -- We had a process. Congress proposed, and the president disposed with his signature. A law then went on the books. Courts might be asked to test its constitutionality, but by surviving legal challenges, a measure became the settled law of the land, which was the case with Obamacare. The American legislative system was, in spite of the disturbing influence of big money, actually quite elegant. But now it is broken. We have entered into an era of gunpoint government. Americans have discovered that a tiny, radical minority can immobilize their entire country and hold it as still as a robbery victim staring at the barrel of a pointed gun. And regardless of how this might anger the majority, they must live with the fact that it can happen again. And it likely will. Political accommodation for the common good is not even a consideration. Shutting the country down is the only objective, with no purpose beyond political destruction and personal ambition. Any argument that the temporary closing of the U.S. federal government did not accomplish anything, in this scheme, therefore, is wrong. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and his acolytes of extremism have cracked the Republican Party into two dissimilar parts. The corpus of the moderate version survives with frailties and reduced numbers that make its national leadership improbable in the foreseeable future, while the tea party offspring of the GOP remain vital, as they have felt the blood rush of being a bully. But neither part of the Republican Party won a thing. Except for the disdain of most Americans, and, possibly, much of the world. Global leaders undoubtedly wonder why the United States thinks exporting its version of democracy is sane. Political recalcitrance over the American debt ceiling threatened to toss international markets into chaos simply because a small cabal of conservatives did not like a new law to provide health care to millions of people who cannot otherwise afford premiums. Politics or petulance? The anger of the few in the minority was never supposed to be able to stop the will of the majority. The founders would be confounded. Exasperation, however, has to be tempered by the painful knowledge that we the people elected these people. Cruz of Texas, who has become the de facto leader of the national GOP and appears to be shepherding his party into a burning building, won office by defeating his state's lieutenant governor in a July runoff. The Texas tea party is made joyful by Cruz's exhortations, and in the obscure runoff 15 months ago, during the 100-plus-degree-burn of summer, they voted for him in big numbers, while moderates were hesitant to venture outdoors to even buy cold beer--or vote. The defeated David Dewhurst, his rival, who is still in office, clearly envies the network TV lights cast upon the neophyte Texas senator and has begun a rank imitation with calls for the President's impeachment. A reason hardly seems to matter. The inflammatory quote is what counts. But if we live in a democracy, don't we deserve what we have? Politics now is the art of screaming louder than the other person and claiming principles that are so profound they are more important than the preservation of the union. The streak of anarchy that runs through the politics of Cruz and the tea party ought to frighten sober Americans. His ideological strain thrives on the notion that government should do little more than protect the borders, pave the roads and then get the hell out of our way. Cruz is wrong, of course, and the obligations of liberty are considerably more complex. We might die to preserve our nation's principles but most of us won't kill our country to win an argument. If Cruz knew from the outset he was in an unwinnable fight, what was he really doing? What did he want? The obvious conclusion was that he lusted for attention to build a reputation among the tea party activists, whom he wants to begin thinking of him as their presidential candidate for 2016. They voted in disproportionate numbers to get him into the U.S. Senate and he hopes to animate that political base across the country and ride their cheers to the GOP nomination. Whether that happens is of considerably less importance to note than the fact that he was willing to jeopardize the lives and incomes of millions of Americans, along with global economies, simply to get cameras pointed in his direction. Is there any other conclusion? Cruz thinks he can speak directly to the voters and rise without the help of the political infrastructure of his party. Such an unconventional strategy may be his only hope, because there are few left in the GOP who will offer him any respect. The public has watched in abject horror as one office holder has pressed history's greatest democracy into a sausage grinder. And what has come out the other end is not immediately recognizable. Our deliberative government was not designed to be hijacked by a few dissidents. But fanatics have found a way to pry open the cockpit door and demand course corrections that put everyone on board at risk. Because of this, we may have no choice but to rethink the very mechanics of how we create law and run the nation. Cruz has at least done us the benefit of showing us that our system functions best as a platform for campaigning and getting re-elected and not for conducting the people's business; not even the disgraced Richard Nixon created such jeopardy with his betrayal. But it's our fault. We cast the ballots and gave office to Cruz and his compatriots. The politically craven have taken up arms to stop the peoples' business and the attention is intoxicating. They have no reason to put down their weapons. They like this game because now it only takes one person to storm the battlements that protect American democracy. Teddy got his gun . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of James Moore.

James Moore: Once elegant U.S. democracy now in era of gunpoint government . He says Ted Cruz and tea party, with minority ruling majority, flout democratic ideal . He says willingness to halt government until one man's goals met is Cruz's point . Moore: Cruz and company have broken GOP in two, shown how our system can be hijacked .

(CNN) -- As the world celebrates the long-awaited addition to the British royal family, it is worth taking some time to reflect on the women around the world for whom childbirth is not such a joyous, beautiful and celebrated occasion. Every year in sub-Saharan Africa, 162,000 mothers die needlessly because of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. That figure represents a staggering 56% of the global total. For an African woman, one of the most natural of events in a woman's life -- giving birth -- is also one of the most dangerous. As a result, each year close to 1 million African children are left motherless. Many of these deaths are avoidable, but not enough is being done to prevent them. Since the turn of the last century, maternal mortality rates worldwide have been in decline but remain high in developing countries, including many African nations. For these maternal death rates to improve in Africa, governments and international institutions must recognize and introduce policies that tackle the challenges faced by African women in accessing effective reproductive healthcare. Read this: Starting a revolution for teen mothers . Whilst sub-Saharan Africa has seen a decrease in maternal mortality rates over the past 20 years, there is still a long way to go if the region is to meet its Millennium Development Goals. This is largely due to a failure to address political, socio-cultural and financial challenges. There has been slow progress in meeting the 2001 Abuja Declaration, in which countries pledged to assign 15% of their national budgets towards healthcare. This is compounded by deficits within the health ministries for numerous countries resulting in inadequate funding for maternal services. Run down resources . With limited investment in health resources, many women in sub-Saharan Africa cannot access an adequate healthcare unit during pregnancy and childbirth. Many cannot access one at all, and countless women are forced to walk miles to their nearest health center. Without transportation most women give birth at home or on the way to hospital, a journey on which too many will suffer fatal complications. For women in many rural communities, the norm is for a traditional birth attendant (TBA) to assist the delivery instead of making the trip. TBAs often have no formal training and deliver without sterilized equipment, if any, causing yet more risks for mother and baby. Read this: 'Give African women a voice' However, even if a woman does make it to a hospital, she is likely to find herself in one so under-resourced that soon-to-be mothers have to sleep on the floor following delivery because beds are in such short supply. Women often have to arrive armed with basic resources such as paraffin to light lamps in the event that they go into labor at night. Without paraffin and power, midwives such as Uganda's Esther Madudu, who is also the face of the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF)'s Stand up for African Mothers global campaign, have to conduct deliveries using the light from their mobile phones and plastic bags over their hands as gloves. "There is so much work to do" Esther's health center is located in the Soroti district in rural Uganda and serves a community of 37,000 people. She works tirelessly round the clock to assist mothers in deliveries, as well as trying to offer antenatal and postnatal care. But coping with the demand is tough. She says there are occasions when she must travel long distances to reach mothers-to-be who cannot reach a health center -- sometimes arriving after they have given birth. Her own health center has just two midwives. "There is so much work to do and yet there are only a few of us. We are forced to work day and night," she says. Read this: African midwife, Nobel Peace Prize? And Esther's story is sadly not unique. Many health units are overstretched. With no doctors and few qualified midwives, most hospitals and health units cannot accommodate the women that do manage to reach a healthcare facility. Low pay and difficult working conditions lead to frustration within the existing workforce, which in turn leads to mismanagement of patients. Women testify that they are mistreated in hospitals and this is just one more reality that encourages them to give birth at home. Lack of information . For the majority of Western mums-to-be, the months leading up to the big day are full of scheduled antenatal appointments, classes and ultrasounds. The nine months of waiting and expecting are crammed full of information on how best to care for the growing life. Pregnancy and childbirth becomes the hot topic of discussion. And, it doesn't end when the baby arrives; postnatal care is a core part of midwives' duties in the West. For many women in Africa, an astounding lack of information means they simply do not see or understand the reasons for attending antenatal and postnatal health services, let alone see the value added by giving birth at a health center. Moreover, the absence of information has hampered initiatives designed to prevent mother-to-child infections, as well as immunization. Read this: Flying doctor takes to the skies . It's for all these reasons that AMREF launched its Stand Up for African Mothers Campaign, which aims to train 15,000 midwives by 2015 because, as AMREF asserts, midwives save lives. Increasing the number of trained midwives will mean more than seven million mothers annually will be cared for and informed, which means many more children will be raised in the arms of their mothers. The joyful birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's baby is a wondrous occasion, an everyday miracle that deserves to be commemorated and honored. But whilst we celebrate the arrival of a royal newborn, perhaps we should also spare a thought for those 440 women across sub-Saharan Africa who will lose their lives today simply giving birth. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Steve Murigi.

For many African women, giving birth is a dangerous process . 440 women in sub-Saharan Africa die giving birth every day . Many African women cannot access adequate care during pregnancy, says campaigner .

(CNN) -- Maybe it is the year of the fox, but as Better Homes & Gardens executive editor Oma Ford said, that's not stopping all the other forest critters -- and their habitat -- from showing up in Christmas decor. "The fox is having this huge moment. In the past it's been the squirrel and the owls and deer always have their place in fall and into winter," she said. "It's part of this much larger theme, a full-on woodland sensibility." From big box stores to craft stores, department stores to chic boutiques, all manner of Christmas ornaments and decor items are surrounded by bits of nature-inspired elements, she said. "I don't think woodland is going away," she said. What is "woodland?" It's a decor trend that brings the woods indoors. Think about what kinds of things you would find in a forest, Ford said. Everything from pine cones, acorns, tree bark, mushrooms and moss to all styles of furry and feathered creatures. In fact, home decor blogger Emily A. Clark routinely ventures to her North Carolina back yard for a touch of woodland to augment her Christmas tree and the rest of her house during the holidays. "If you expand on nature, you really can't go wrong," she said. Clark finds the texture of just-clipped holly, bare sticks and conifer branches to be the perfect starting point when decorating for Christmas. That doesn't mean that every corner of her house looks like some kind of enchanted forest. "I don't think you have to stick with one theme for your entire house. I think each room can feel a little different when you're decorating for Chrismas," she said, but what ties them together is a wintery inspiration. There is plenty of room for cherished family ornaments, playful, childlike decor and sophisticated decor that adults appreciate, she said. "While it may seem as if the theme has been in the marketplace for a while now," said Stephen Cardino, vice president and fashion director for the Home Store at Macy's, "(woodland decor) has evolved." What he's noticed in the Christmas ornaments and decor items offered at Macy's is a saturation and refinement of colors, a new and healthy dose of sparkle and an increase in the kinds of materials used to make them. And when it comes to decorating the tree, Cardino points out that there is no one rule of thumb. "Some decorate by theme, some by color and some prefer an eclectic theme with each ornament having special meaning," he said. And when he buys ornaments for the department store, he keeps in mind that very few people go out and buy all their Christmas tree ornaments at once. "Customers are looking for holiday decorations that support their existing room decor," he said. "The nature-based items we offer are elevated and refined." Many homes may already have some of these woodland decor elements displayed, Ford said. Faux taxidermy, antlers, moss and pine cones have become everyday decor. "(The woodland theme) is huge in nursery decor as well as Christmas decor, I mean, it's enormous," she said. When those elements are blended with holiday decor, instead of covered up, "it feels like an extension of what you're already doing," she said. Designer Rina Norwood works with colors she already has in her home, like blues and greens, when she decorates for Christmas. Southern cypress and pine provide the perfect texture to balance out the smooth, shiny ornaments and twinkling lights of either modern or traditional decor she said, and their rich green tones make an appearance in her holiday decor. The formality of peacocks, however, is her secret to really bringing color to her Christmas decorations. "I think the peacock brings colors than we typically see with (other) critters," she said. Woodland decor can range from whimsical to high style, Ford said, and had truly taken hold in the decor world during the last decade. One of Ford's favorite examples of the woodland style comes from a recent find: Birch bark made into a paper chain for a Christmas tree garland. "It just takes the literal natural element and brings it to a very traditional Christmas decorating idea," she said. Clark ascribes to some classic woodland decor tricks that Ford described: bare twigs tucked into Christmas trees and very au curant pine cones, birch bark and shed deer antlers. With a decorator for a mom, Clark's five children have learned to expect different looking Christmas decor each year. "This year I went for a less-is-more approach," she said. The simplicity of a plain, natural pine swag across her mantel, a color scheme of green, white and gold and even some paper snowflakes set the mood Clark hoped for. But what if there are some woodland elements that kind of creep you out? Clark remembers the mounted deer head that played a central part in her grandmother's holiday decor. "That is a vivid memory for me" she said. "They put a Rudolph nose on it and tinsel on the antlers. It always really disturbed me." Norwood knows what she means. "If you happen to have a moose above the mantle, which I have seen," she said, "some people go beyond leaving them as they are." Some wives, she said, might compromise with their husbands over a taxidermied woodland decor element. Perhaps, she said, the solution could be, "OK, let's keep the moose head, but let's paint it white to bring in that modern element." "It's just how you approach it," she said. "We can definitely work around something as long as it's done with tasteful grace." All that hunting trophy really needs for Christmas, Norwood said, is a natural garland around its neck. Do you use the woodland trend in your holiday decor? Share your approach in the comments, below!

Woodland critters and botanical elements are a constant in holiday decor . Many retailers offer woodland decor, but you can get it from your back yard . Woodland decor blends easily with other styles of Christmas decorations .

(CNN) -- Several surveillance videos show her walking and running alone. But police say new footage of a missing University of Virginia student appears to show someone following her the night she disappeared. Police in Charlottesville, Virginia, have been searching for 18-year-old Hannah Graham since Sunday. On Thursday afternoon, investigators said they were offering a $50,000 reward for "information leading to the cause" of her disappearance. Her parents say they're worried something happened to her after she left a gathering with friends Friday night. "Hannah is beyond precious to us," John and Susan Graham said in a statement released by police Wednesday. "We are truly devastated by her disappearance. It's totally out of character for us not to have heard from her, and we fear foul play." Business surveillance cameras captured video of a man following Graham downtown early Saturday, Charlottesville Police spokesman Lt. Ronnie Roberts told CNN. The man in the video later came to the police department and told officers he was following Graham because she looked distressed, authorities said. He told police he saw Graham with another man, and the two appeared to know each other. On Thursday afternoon, police released a description of that man, who does not appear in the videos, saying they wanted to speak with him. The teen's mysterious disappearance comes nearly five years after the unsolved killing of another student in the area, sparking fears from some that there could be a connection. Morgan Harrington, a 20-year-old Virginia Tech student, went missing after attending a Metallica concert in Charlottesville in October 2009. Her remains were found on a farm months later. Police have yet to track down her killer, and her family has long said they suspected there could be other victims. Could there be a link to the Harrington case? "Certainly the question has arisen. It's certainly a legitimate question," Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo told reporters Wednesday. "If there comes a time where we believe there is a substantive link to those two investigations, we'll share that with you," he said. So far, the police chief said, investigators haven't found anything to tie the two cases. And they haven't found any sign of foul play, despite the concerns the teen's parents have expressed. "As a parent, I'd be very concerned, but we don't have any substantive evidence to confirm that," he said. "But you know, they're speaking from their heart." Surveillance videos offer clues . Police describe Graham, a sophomore, as a straight-A student, an accomplished athlete and a good friend. She's from Northern Virginia. She's about 5-foot-11 with blue eyes, light brown hair and freckles, the university said in a release asking for tips about the teen's disappearance. She left a dinner with a group of friends around 11 p.m. Friday. Around 1:20 a.m. Saturday, she sent a text to friends saying she was lost, CNN affiliate WTVR reported. Police believe she may have been under the influence of alcohol, Longo said, and may have been vulnerable or unable to defend herself. Investigators have tracked down several surveillance videos that show her that night outside a pub, near a gas station and in a downtown shopping mall, Longo said. But it's not clear where she's going or whether she's in trouble. One video shows her running along the road near a Shell station. That initially concerned investigators, Longo told reporters. But in later videos, he said "it does not appear at least at that point that she's being pursued." Investigators are looking for more surveillance videos that they believe could show Graham in downtown Charlottesville. They've interviewed 50 people and received more than 100 tips in the case, police said. And the search is far from over. As time passes, investigators say their search area grows. Search teams from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management are helping, CNN affiliate WVIR reported. "This investigation has been aggressive and will continue to be aggressive," Longo said. CNN affiliate: Corridor has 'infamous reputation' Gil Harrington told CNN affiliate WTVR that it's too soon to draw a direct connection between her daughter's death and Graham's disappearance. "Your mind goes there, but I think that's premature in a way," she told WTVR. "We have the possibility of having a good outcome with Hannah. We need to keep that in mind." Right now, Gil Harrington has a poster with pictures of the University of Virginia student on her fridge, beneath the word "MISSING." Through "Help Save the Next Girl," an organization founded after her daughter's disappearance and death, she's pushing residents of Charlottesville to call in tips. On Wednesday, the organization tweeted that the Harringtons had left a message in large letters taped on Charlottesville bridge spelled out their support of the search: "PLEASE FIND HANNAH." "Your mind just sickens," Gil Harrington told CNN affiliate WVIR. "You think, how can it be, another girl taken." This isn't the first time a woman has gone missing in the area. The disappearances of Harrington and Graham, along with several other past cases in the area known as the Route 29 corridor has given the area an "infamous reputation," WTVR says. "I don't know. Either there is a commonality or a crime spree," Harrington told WTVR. "We have long passed a critical mass that needs looking at. If you look at the map of missing and abducted along Route 29 -- it's not a normal pattern." Missing nursing student's remains found in Tennessee . CNN's Gabe LaMonica, Greg Seaby, Morgan Winsor and Patrick Cornell contributed to this report.

NEW: Authorities offer a $50,000 reward in the Hannah Graham case . NEW: Police search for a man a witness saw with Graham . Surveillance footage appears to show a man following her, police say . Parents fear foul play in the University of Virginia student's disappearance .

(CNN) -- Caroline Kennedy, who spent most of her life looking to steer clear of the spotlight, is capping off a year of unusually public -- and political -- activity with interest in the Senate seat that would be vacated by Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton. Caroline Kennedy could join her uncle Edward in the United States Senate. And her interest in that seat could mean the continuation of a Kennedy legacy in the Senate that began 56 years ago with the election of her father, John F. Kennedy, as the junior senator from Massachusetts. Her uncle Edward has represented Massachusetts in the Senate for more than four decades. Her uncle Robert served as junior senator from New York from 1965 until he was assassinated in 1968. "Remember, [Clinton's] seat in the Senate was once held by Robert Kennedy," CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider said Saturday. "Her other uncle, Ted Kennedy, is ill right now. If [New York Gov. David] Paterson appoints Caroline Kennedy to the Senate, it means there could be a Kennedy staying in the Senate for quite a long time." And a Senate appointment for Caroline Kennedy would mark a change for the woman who has rarely run into the glare of political attention. "Apparently, she has acquired a taste for politics, having endorsed Barack Obama early this year," Schneider said. "She wants to be part of this new regime in America, clearly playing a key role in the Senate if she gets that appointment." Watch CNN's Bill Schnieder discuss Caroline Kennedy's prospects » . Widely described as extraordinarily shy, self-deprecating and down-to-earth, Kennedy has tended to limit her forays into the public sphere to nonpartisan activity, penning books on civil liberties and serving as the de facto guardian of her father's legacy. But in January, she backed a political candidate for the first time, announcing her endorsement of Obama during the Democratic primary season with an opinion piece in the New York Times that drew days of the kind of media attention she has spent her life avoiding. "I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them," she wrote. "But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president -- not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans." Kennedy willingly lingered in the spotlight, serving on Obama's vice presidential search team, speaking at the Democratic National Convention and stumping for him through the primary and general election seasons. In a campaign ad that featured video images of her father followed by images of Obama, Kennedy said, "People always tell me how my father inspired them. I feel that same excitement now." There are a slew of high-profile candidates for Clinton's Senate seat -- including Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, whose last name carries some star power of its own in the Empire State -- but their odds grew just a bit steeper when stacked against the wattage of a storied Democratic dynasty. Robert Kennedy was elected to the Senate with few ties to his adopted home state, but his niece's New York roots run deep. Jacqueline Kennedy relocated to New York City after her husband's assassination in 1963, with children Caroline and John F. Kennedy Jr. Caroline Kennedy has spent most of her life in the city, working there after graduating from Harvard, meeting her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, on the job at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and attending Columbia Law School there. Her most prominent public roles to date involved overseeing her father's presidential library and presenting the annual Profiles in Courage Award. She's also edited several books, from a volume of children's poetry and an updated edition of her father's book "Profiles in Courage" to a collection of patriotic verse ("A Patriot's Handbook: Songs, Poems, Stories, and Speeches Celebrating the Land We Love.") Most of her leadership positions have been based in the arts: hosting the annual nationally televised Kennedy Center Honors in Washington and serving as the honorary chairwoman of the American Ballet Theatre, as her mother had. Still, in late spring and early summer, she was whispered as a possible vice presidential candidate -- and more recently as a contender for secretary of education in an Obama Cabinet -- but elected office would mark a major shift for Kennedy. Her history of avoiding partisan efforts, her limited policy track record and the lingering legacy of her father's presidency translated into a far less brutal Republican criticism than that experienced by the other members of Obama's vice presidential search committee, and there was a widespread continuing sense that she would not want to put herself in line for the tough criticism aimed at elected officials. "I don't think she'd go that far," Kennedy White House speechwriter Theodore Sorenson told USA Today this summer after being asked whether he thought Kennedy wanted to hold office herself. In his memoir, "Counselor," he quoted Jacqueline Kennedy saying her daughter had "gotten her horror of the press from me" and said the younger Caroline Kennedy used to hide her face when she spotted a cameraman. But in a 2002 Time magazine interview promoting the updated "Profiles in Courage," Kennedy would not rule out the possibility of a run for public office. "I don't have any plans to do that right now," she said. "I don't plan ahead. My kids are young, and I'm really happy to be able to be around. But I do care about issues, and I'm interested in them. So I don't see that now, but you know, I have a long life ahead of me." The 51-year-old mother of three has still not spoken publicly about her interest in the job -- or whether, after months of campaign-trail conditioning, she might be comfortable with the idea of seeking election in her own right when Clinton's term ends. CNN's Rebecca Sinderbrand and Monte Plott contributed to this story.

Late president's daughter has expressed interest in Hillary Clinton's office . Move would put Kennedy in seat once filled by her uncle Robert . Kennedy has a history of avoiding partisanship and spotlight . She said this year she was inspired by Barack Obama .

(CNN) -- The father of a Marine whose funeral was picketed by the Westboro Baptist Church says an order to pay the protesters' legal costs in a civil claim is nothing less than a "slap in the face." "By the court making this decision, they're not only telling me that they're taking their side, but I have to pay them money to do this to more soldiers and their families," said Albert Snyder, whose son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, was killed in action in Iraq in 2006. Members of the fundamentalist church based in Topeka, Kansas, appeared outside Snyder's funeral in 2006 in Westminster, Maryland, carrying signs reading "You're going to hell," "God hates you" and "Thank God for dead soldiers." Among the teachings of the church, which was founded in 1955 by pastor Fred Phelps, is the belief that God is punishing the United States for "the sin of homosexuality" through events such as soldiers' deaths. Margie Phelps, the daughter of Fred Phelps and the attorney representing the church in its appeals, also said the money that the church receives from Snyder will be used to finance demonstrations. But she also said that the order was a consequence of his decision to sue the church over the demonstration. "Mr. Snyder and his attorneys have engaged the legal system; there are some rules to that legal engagement," said Phelps, a member of Westboro who says she has participated in more than 150 protests of military funerals. "They wanted to shut down the picketing so now they're going to finance it," she said. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday ordered that Snyder pay more than $16,000 in costs requested by Westboro for copies of motions, briefs and appendices, according to court documents. In a motion filed in October, Snyder's lawyer, who is representing him for free, asked the court to dismiss the bill of costs, or, alternatively, reduce the 50-cent fee per page or charge Snyder only for copies that were necessary to make their arguments on appeal. "We objected based upon ability to pay and the fairness of the situation," Sean Summers said. The mostly pro-forma ruling is the latest chapter in an ongoing legal saga that pits privacy rights of grieving families against the free speech rights of demonstrators, however disturbing and provocative their message. Snyder's family sued the church and went to trial in 2007 alleging privacy invasion, intentional infliction of emotional distress and civil conspiracy. A jury awarded the family $2.9 million in compensatory damages plus $8 million in punitive damages, which were reduced to $5 million. Westboro in 2008 appealed the case to the 4th District, which reversed the judgments a year later, siding with the church's claims that its First Amendment rights had been violated. "The protest was confined to a public area under supervision and regulation of local law enforcement and did not disrupt the church service," the circuit court opinion said. "Although reasonable people may disagree about the appropriateness of the Phelps' protest, this conduct simply does not satisfy the heavy burden required for the tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress under Maryland law." The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case to address issues of laws designed to protect the "sanctity and dignity of memorial and funeral services" as well as the privacy of family and friends of the deceased. The justices will be asked to address how far states and private entities such as cemeteries and churches can go to justify picket-free zones and the use of "floating buffers" to silence or restrict speech or movements of demonstrators exercising their constitutional rights in a funeral setting. Both Phelps and Snyder's attorney said they were surprised that the 4th District chose to weigh in on the issue of legal costs when they could have waited until after the Supreme Court hearing. Phelps believes the ruling bodes well for her side. "It is a good harbinger of the fact that the Supreme Court will remind this nation that you don't have mob rule. The fact that so many people hate these words does not mean you can silence or penalize them. That's supposed to be the great liberty that we congratulate ourselves on protecting in this nation. We strut all around the world forcing people to give all the liberties we supposedly have," she said. Phelps anticipated that a Supreme Court ruling in the church's favor would be unpopular, but she said Westboro's members viewed the potential outcome in Biblical terms. "When the Supreme Court unanimously upholds the 4th Circuit, it's going to put this country in a rage, and we will be expelled," she said. "But whenever it was time for an epic event in the Bible, the thing that happened right before is the prophets were removed from the land, and that's what's going to happen to us. ... We're going to sprint to the end of this race." Snyder claims he is unable to pay any legal costs in the case and is attempting to raise funds on his son's site, http://www.matthewsnyder.org/. He is equally optimistic that he will prevail before the Supreme Court. "The American people keep my spirits lifted a lot and give me hope. I think most of the country is on my side on this issue," he said. "Too many people have died to protect our rights and freedoms to have them degraded and spit upon like this church does." CNN's Bill Mears contributed to this report.

Father of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder calls order to pay legal costs "slap in the face" Westboro lawyer says order consequence of lawsuit, says money will fund protests . Snyder's family sued Westboro Baptist Church for protesting Marine's funeral in 2006 . 4th Circuit reversed judgments against Westboro in '09; high court will hear case .

(CNN) -- He shouldn't even have been playing but Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic played a vital role in ensuring his side held Barcelona to a 2-2 draw in an engrossing Champions League quarterfinal in the French capital on Tuesday. The Swede was originally banned for the first leg but after winning an appeal with UEFA last week, the 31-year-old scored PSG's first equalizer before setting up their second for Blaise Matuidi, who scored with the very last kick of an entertaining game. Barcelona's sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta had raised questions about Ibrahimovic's eligibility before the match, after PSG succeeded in halving a two-game ban following the former Barca player's dismissal against Valencia in the Round of 16. Zubizarreta may have been shaking his head in knowing fashion at the end, as may coach Tito Vilanova who returned to the Barca bench for the first time in two months following cancer treatment as the French league leaders hosted their Spanish counterparts. The four-time European champions led at halftime with Lionel Messi having converted Dani Alves' exquisite pass after 38 minutes but Barca fans will be worried by the hamstring pull the Argentine suffered at the end of the first period. It prevented him from reappearing for the second half and in the absence of a player with 57 goals, Vilanova's side struggled to break down a PSG team who stuck to their game plan, one which featured a surprise call-up for former Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham. The England man, 37, was playing his first Champions League tie since appearing for Milan in 2010 and departed -- moments after being booked -- with 20 minutes to play, whereupon the drama began to unfold. Eleven minutes from time, Ibrahimovic -- who signed a five-year deal with Barcelona in 2009 but whose spell at the Nou Camp was so unhappy he left after just twelve months -- converted from close range, despite being in an offside position, as he reacted quickest to a towering header against the post by the outstanding Thiago Silva. With two minutes left, PSG's hard work seemed empty as Xavi converted a penalty but redemption came in the 94th minute as Ibrahimovic -- who had had a goal disallowed moments earlier -- guided a knockdown to Matuidi, who fired home thanks to a slight deflection. "They have an amazing team who keep the ball very well but in the first half, we had some amazing chances and if we had put one of them away it could have been different," Beckham told ITV television after the match. "I think we deserved the draw. I'm enjoying being part of these nights again. They are very special. They don't get better than this. We'll go to their place and it could be difficult, but there's no reason why we can't get a result." "We all hope Messi is fit and ready to go - we wish him the best," added Beckham, who had warmly embraced the Argentine before the game. The late equalizer ensured that PSG -- whose fortunes have immeasurably improved in recent times thanks to the significant spending of the club's Qatari owners -- defended their six-year unbeaten home record in Europe. Barcelona, meanwhile, have now won just three of their last 15 knock-out ties away from home in the Champions League. "We have paid a heavy price because we lost Leo Messi and (Javier) Mascherano, who could be out for four to six weeks," said assistant Barca coch Jordi Roura. "With Messi we shall see what the scans say on Wednesday." "There were also some questionable refereeing decisions and what is not up for debate is that we deserved better. Ibra's goal was certainly offside. I don't know what this will do for PSG's morale in that they twice came back but for us it is a favorable result." The dramatic finale added extra gloss to a game which PSG, whose average attendances were worryingly low just two years ago, say they could have sold up to a million tickets for, with the club contesting a first Champions League quarterfinal in 18 years -- with the return leg coming next Wednesday. In Germany, it was business as usual for Bayern Munich as last year's Champions League runners up hosted Juventus three days after thrashing Hamburg 9-2 in the Bundesliga. Like the game in Paris, this clash also pitted league leaders against one another -- with Bayern demonstrating their strength in depth by starting with Claudio Pizarro, who netted four goals against Hamburg, on the bench. The hosts were the far stronger side in Munich and dominated proceedings in a 2-0 win, so much so that they may feel a little aggrieved to only lead by goals from David Alaba -- after 26 seconds -- and Thomas Mueller. "It was a very intense game and our attacking players invested a lot into defensive work, which displayed great commitment," said goalscorer Mueller. "It's a bit of a shame that we didn't score a third goal." Bayern were also rocked by a groin injury to Toni Kroos, which could keep the midfielder out for six weeks. "We know there is still the return leg to play and we can certainly hope for a comeback," rallied Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo. "Bayern played better than us for the entire 90 minutes. It was very difficult for us to play our normal game." By the time they meet again, Bayern may be the German champions as they can wrap up the title on Saturday should the Bundesliga leaders, who have a 20-point lead, win at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Ibrahimovic scores one and makes on as PSG hold Barcelona to a 2-2 draw in Paris . Lionel Messi opens the scoring but is forced off with a hamstring injury . Bayern Munich impress in a comprehensive 2-0 defeat of Juventus .

(CNN) -- According to a TIME/Pew research poll released last week, 40 percent of Americans believe that marriage is becoming obsolete, up from just 28 percent in 1978. In that same poll, only one in four unmarried Americans say they do not want to get married. And among currently married men and women, 80 percent say their marriage is as close as or closer than their parents' marriage. These seemingly contradictory responses reflect the public's recognition of a new and complex reality. On the one hand, marriage as a voluntary relationship based on love and commitment is held in higher regard than ever, with more people saying that love is essential to marriage (Consider that in 1967, two-thirds of college women said they'd consider marrying a man they didn't love if he met other criteria, such as offering respectability and financial security.) But as an institution that regulates people's lives, marriage is no longer the social and economic necessity it once was. People can construct successful lives outside marriage in ways that would have been very difficult to manage 50 years ago, and they have a far greater range of choices about whether to marry, when to marry, and how to organize their marriages. This often makes them more cautious in committing to marriage and more picky about their partners than people were in the past. In the 1950s, when half of all American women were already married in their teens, marriage was an almost mandatory first step toward adulthood. It was considered the best way to make a man grow up, and in an economy where steady jobs and rising real wages were widely available, that often worked. For a woman, marriage was deemed the best investment she could make in her future, and in a world where even college-educated women earned less than men with a only a high school education, that often worked for her too. Marriage was also supposed to be the only context in which people could regularly have sex or raise children. Divorced or unmarried men were routinely judged less qualified for bank loans or job promotions, sexually active single women were stigmatized, and out-of-wedlock children had few legal rights. Today, however, there are plenty of other ways to grow up, seek financial independence, and meet one's needs for companionship and sex. So what might have seemed a "good enough" reason to enter marriage in the past no longer seems sufficient to many people. Marriage has become another step, perhaps even the final rather than the first step, in the transition to adulthood -- something many people will not even consider until they are very sure they are capable of taking their relationship to a higher plane. Couples increasingly want to be certain, before they marry, that they can pay their bills, that neither party is burdened by debt, that each has a secure job or a set of skills attesting to their employability. Many are also conscious that as rigid gender roles erode, marriage demands more negotiation and relationship skills than in the past. They often want firsthand experience with how their partner will behave in an intimate relationship, which is why the majority of new marriages come after a period of cohabitation, according to census figures. These higher expectations are good news for many marriages. People who can meet the high bar that most Americans now feel is appropriate for the transition to marriage -- people who delay marriage to get an education, who have accumulated a nest egg or established themselves in a secure line of work -- typically have higher quality marriages than other Americans, research shows, and their divorce rates have been falling for the past 25 years. But these higher expectations pose difficulties for individuals with fewer interpersonal and material resources. Over the past 30 years, job opportunities and real wages have declined substantially for poorly educated men, making them less attractive marriage partners for women. When such men do find stable employment, they often tend to be more interested in a woman with good earnings prospects than someone they have to rescue from poverty. Today, several studies have shown, economic instability is now more closely associated with marital distress than it used to be. If a low-income woman finds a stable, employed partner, she will likely be better off by marrying. But if the man she marries loses his job or is less committed and responsible than she had hoped, she may end up worse off than before -- having to support a man who can't or won't pull his own weight. So the widening economic gap between haves and have-nots that America has experienced in recent decades is increasingly reflected in a widening marriage gap as well. Today two-thirds of people with a college degree are married, compared with less than half of those with a high school degree or less. Those who begin married life with the most emotional and material advantages reap the greatest gains in those same areas from marriage. The very people who would benefit most from having a reliable long-term partner are the ones least likely to be able to find such a partner or sustain such a relationship. This is a troubling trend that deserves attention from policy-makers. But the problem does not lie in a lack of family values. The poor value marriage just as highly as anyone else, and they may value children even more. Unfortunately, they are now less and less likely to believe they will be able to live up to the high expectations of modern partnerships, even if they are in love. There is no easy fix for this problem. But the good news is that families still matter to Americans, including those who are not married. According to the Pew poll, 76 percent of Americans say family is the most important, meaningful part of their life. Seventy-five percent say they are "very satisfied" with their family life. And 85 percent say that the family they live in today, whatever its form, is as close as or closer than the family in which they grew up. We have a lot of challenges ahead of us, but that's comforting news. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Stephanie Coontz.

40 percent of adults in study say marriage becoming obsolete, yet most say they want to marry . Stephanie Coontz asks, why the disconnect? She cites changed gender roles, raised expectations for financial stability in marriage . Coontz: Widening economic gap in U.S. is reflected in marriage gap .

(CNN) -- It was a homecoming rally to cheer on the Waverly Wolverines football team. They were undefeated this year. Everyone was proud. Then, in the midst of the cheers and a sea of red and white pom poms came a 30-second skit that, for some, turned an afternoon of school pride into one of shame. Three white male students involved in the skit made light of domestic violence, and they did it in racist manner, say some. Two were in blackface as they re-enacted a 2009 domestic abuse incident in which singer Chris Brown assaulted then-girlfriend Rihanna. The student who played Brown was vying for the school's "Mr. Waverly" title -- a school tradition in which skits are performed and the one that garners the most applause wins the title. On Monday, Waverly alum Matthew Dishler posted a photograph of the skit on CNN's iReport. He says someone shared the image on Facebook. The photo went viral. By Tuesday afternoon, the CNN iReport had more than 46,000 views and showed up on Huffington Post, Buzzfeed and Gawker and in local newspapers. Suddenly, Waverly High School became synonymous with racism and sexism. Twitter lit up with comments about the skit. Many were critical, but some defended the skit. "I don't think it was offensive at all," said Chelsea House, who earned her high school diploma from Waverly last year and moved to Alabama but returned for homecoming last week and saw the skit. "There's nothing wrong with blackface. There's nothing wrong with dressing up as a black person. Black is but a color," House said. Waverly Central School District Superintendent Joseph Yelich said Tuesday that he did not believe the students in the skit intended to offend anyone. Waverly resident Thomas Rumpff, a 2007 graduate of the high school, said he believed most of the kids were unaware of the historical context of blackface, a form of theatrical makeup used by white people in minstrel shows that perpetuated racist stereotypes of African-Americans. Rumpff said the Rihanna incident had also been satirized online and on television before. "Was this a little bit inappropriate? Yes," he said. But said the incident "has been completely blown out of proportion." Other incidents of blackface have surfaced this year, including a Colorado Springs second-grader who offended a teacher when he painted his face black to resemble the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The Waverly High skit was approved by school officials before it was performed, Yelich said. He acknowledged the problem and said he was speaking with students, teachers and staff at the school in the coming days. "My concern is to start making something teachable out of this particular circumstance," he said. The desire to win likely fuels outrageous behavior, said Fran Bialy, assistant director of A New Hope Center, an agency that aids victims of rape, domestic violence, assault and hate crimes. Other skits at the pep rally involved Tarzan and a dairy farmer milking his cows. Last year, a student played Tiger Woods, also in blackface. "I have heard about blackface, but ... they're portraying Hollywood events," alum Ryan Bronson said. "It would be the same thing if he bought a mask." Bottom line, Bronson said: People are being too sensitive. "They go crazy about every little thing," he said. "The school and everybody are going to basically stop letting kids be kids." Dishler said he posted the image not to cast a harsh light on anyone but to prod the school to do better with issues of diversity. "I don't believe the kids really knew what they were doing is as offensive as it is," Dishler said. "The administration was watching this go on, and they let it happen." Alum Vlad Chituc also blamed school officials. He said Waverly, a small town off Interstate 86 just west of Binghamton, New York, could easily be seen as a place that affirmed stereotypes of all sorts. Of Waverly's 4,444 people, 4,312 were white, according to 2010 census data. Chituc said he was "extraordinarily offended" by the skit and ashamed that his school seemed to be OK with it. "On the one hand, I can't blame the kids for being ignorant," Chituc said. "It's a small town, and the kids don't know any better. It's the responsibility of the administration to let the kids know this is not how you behave in 21st-century America. ... They've been failing at that spectacularly. "The administration should be creating an environment where minorities are welcome, not the butts of racist jokes that make light of domestic violence." Chituc contacted Waverly High School Principal Kim Forero by e-mail. He sent CNN Forero's response, which read in part: . "Thank you for your concerns. We will continue to address issues of diversity and respect for all. The format of pep rally will need to be reconsidered. I appreciate your concern for your alma mater." Yelich, for his part, said he could see how the skit could have been misconstrued and that he intends to set clearer expectations for behavior. "I have some opportunities here to make positive change," he said. CNN was not able to obtain the names of the students involved in the skit. Whatever their intentions were, one thing was clear: Their portrayals of Chris Brown and Rihanna fell short -- the kid who played the dairy farmer was crowned Mr. Waverly. CNN's Katie Hawkins-Gaar contributed to this report.

Some students at a New York high school don't see anything offensive . Others are outraged that the school allowed such a skit to take place . The superintendent doesn't believe the students were intentionally malicious . A photo of the skit posted on CNN's iReport went viral .

(CNN) -- Days of escalating government protests failed to halt the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday, which took place even as nearby streets were blocked with burning tires and trash. Opposition calls for large protests had raised fears the Grand Prix would have to be canceled for a second year in a row and pose a threat to Formula One crews, workers, and fans. There were no major signs of protest at the race itself. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel secured the win, followed by Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean of Lotus-Renault. Activists said police arrested a group of at least seven female protesters inside the circuit who held up a signs demanding the release of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a member of the opposition who has been on a hunger strike for more than two months. A government spokesman said he could not confirm those reports. "It has been reported but not confirmed that two women have been detained out of 50,000 attendees," Bahraini government spokesman Abdul-Aziz bin Mubarak Al Khalifa said. "They tried to cause a scene at the end of the race, but they did not get very far." Sunday's race was a "huge success," he said. In addition, television reporter Jonathan Miller and members of his crew from Britain's Channel 4 were taken into custody, though there was no immediate explanation as to why. British Foreign Secretary William Hague wrote on Twitter, at what was then early Monday morning in Bahrain, that he was "very concerned about (the journalists) detention" and that embassy officials were "seeking urgent consular access." A short time later, Miller sent a message himself on Twitter declaring he'd "been released with my crew. Breakneck drive to Bahrain airport in police van. Being deported now." The foreign affairs correspondent wrote that police "refused to give us back our cameras and computers," and that his driver and an activist accompanying them were still in custody. "We are assured they will be freed soon," Miller said. Anti-government protesters had called the race a publicity stunt by the country's rulers to make the nation appear more unified. The Bahrain Grand Prix was canceled twice last year amid an uprising sparked by the success of popular revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia. Bahrain's Sunni-ruled government brutally crushed the Shiite uprising, though the opposition has continued to demand political reform in protests and, occasionally, clashes with authorities. The February 14 Youth Coalition, an opposition group that took its name from the day the Bahrain uprising began last year, had urged protesters to turn out during the race Sunday. "We ask the rebels in the western villages to escalate the revolutionary mobilization to the highest levels and to continue to target the street leading to the Bahrain circuit," the group said on its Facebook page. Protests with burning tires and trash blocked most of the secondary roads leading to the race track, though the main highway remained open, said Mohammed al Maskati of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights. There were also protests in many nearby villages, he said. The government spokesman said there were "pockets of violence in remote parts of the country, but there has been no activity that has been seen anywhere around the circuit or on the way to the capital." Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa had said another race cancellation would play into extremists' hands, according to the state-run Bahrain News Agency. And the sport's governing body vowed the event would go on, despite continuing high tensions. On the eve of the race, security forces in a suburb of Manama clashed with thousands of protesters who were attempting to march to the highway that leads to the Formula One circuit. At least three people were injured during clashes, al Maskati said. The demonstration was in response to the death of a protester whose body was found early Saturday on a farm outside Manama, a day after he took part in a demonstration that was broken up by security forces, according to opposition groups. Bahrain's leading opposition party Al-Wefaq and the Bahrain Youth Society identified the man as Salah Abbas Habib Musa. The Bahrain Interior Ministry confirmed the identity of the 36-year-old man, and said the case is under investigation. Formula One is the world's most popular motor sport, and races have a TV audience of more than 500 million. Canceling the race last year cost Bahrain an estimated $480 to $800 million in potential investments. The Bahraini government has played down any risk to visitors, saying the Grand Prix will act as a unifying force amid the nation's civil unrest. Bahrain has declined to extend the visas of non-sports reporting crews from CNN, Reuters and other news outlets and told them they would not be allowed to stay for the race. Protesters, meanwhile, are using the international spotlight on the Grand Prix to call for the release of al-Khawaja, who was arrested about a year ago. Al-Khawaja is protesting the life sentence he received for his role in anti-government demonstrations. Denmark's ambassador met Sunday with al-Khawaja, who once lived in the country and holds Danish citizenship. The Danish government has asked that Bahrain turn him over; Bahraini officials have refused. He was in stable condition Sunday, the Bahraini government spokesman said. Al-Khawaja can appeal his life sentence during a hearing Monday, the government has said. CNN's Fred Pleitgen, Salma Abdelaziz, Becky Anderson and Paul Gittings contributed to this report.

NEW: A British TV crew is detained and then released and deported, one of them says . Protests fail to halt the Bahrain Grand Prix, won by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel . Activists say at least seven demonstrators are arrested inside the circuit . A government spokesman says women "tried to cause a scene (but) did not get very far"

(CNN) -- Driving over a pothole may not be a big deal for most people, but for Jeff Bell, it was a source of endless frustration. Jeff Bell found treatment for OCD very difficult, but says it helped him turn his life around. Afraid that he had injured a person, he would drive back to each pothole again and again to check, and he lost a lot of time in the process. "I knew that my behaviors made no sense. I knew that my thoughts that were triggering these behaviors made no sense, and yet I felt so helpless to do anything about it," he said. Bell, a news anchor with KCBS Radio in San Francisco, California, now knows that his condition has a name: obsessive-compulsive disorder. He frequently speaks out about it and has written a memoir called "Rewind, Replay, Repeat." Psychologists are debating where OCD belongs in relation to other psychiatric disorders, and whether certain symptoms are actually part of other conditions. The condition affects as many as 4 million Americans, according to the International OCD Foundation, for which Bell is a spokesman. In a class of its own? Currently, OCD sits with anxiety disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association to help diagnose mental illness. The next edition will be released in 2012, according to the APA. Many experts, such as Jonathan Abramowitz, professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, believe OCD should stay with anxiety disorders. That's because people with the disorder tend to engage in repetitive behaviors to reduce anxiety. Watch CNN's Elizabeth Landau talk more about OCD » . There is mixed evidence based on brain scans that OCD has a separate biological mechanism, leading some psychiatrists to favor classifying it separately, Abramowitz said. "We haven't exactly pinned down what might be the problem," he said. Categorizing related symptoms . Checking for evidence of harm done, as in Bell's case, is one of many manifestations of OCD. Some people are overly afraid of germs, while others are overwhelmed by thoughts of violence or sex, or fear that they have "sinned," and still others spend countless hours arranging objects, said Jeff Szymanski, executive director of the International OCD Foundation. There are also people with OCD who repeat behaviors a fixed number of times because "it will undo the thought or image that came to mind that you didn't want," he said. Behaviors such as compulsive gambling are in a different category, Abramowitz said. A key difference is that those people enjoy gambling, while a person with OCD does not get pleasure from the behaviors he or she repeats. There is also controversy over whether trichotillomania -- compulsive hair pulling -- falls under OCD, because it is characterized by a repetitive behavior, but not necessarily obsessive thoughts, Szymanski said. Tics and Tourette syndrome also are OCD-related. Most people with OCD realize that their compulsions are irrational, but about 4 percent do not, Abramowitz said. Hoarders, who compulsively acquire objects without throwing anything away, tend to have less "insight into the senselessness of their symptoms" than others with OCD, he said. This is one of the reasons that hoarding may be distinct from OCD altogether, he said. Hoarders also do not respond as well to traditional treatments. Randy Frost, psychologist at Smith College, said only 5 percent of hoarders have an OCD basis for it; the rest may have other OCD-related problems or none at all. Treating OCD and hoarding . Doctors may prescribe drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for OCD symptoms. But for some people this is only part of the solution, Szymanski said. The other first-line treatment is called exposure and response prevention, which forces people with the condition to confront their fears. This helps some people to stop engaging in behaviors, such as checking potholes, which would normally be their means of escaping those fears. Bell found this treatment so difficult that he initially lied to his therapist about doing the homework she assigned. But once he became serious about the therapy, he felt as if he was turning his life around. He also learned to externalize the force behind intrusive thoughts -- he calls it the "doubt bully." "The key is to find those things in life that motivate us to sit with the discomfort of our anxiety through this treatment process to get better," he said. Researchers at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, and Smith College and Boston University in Massachusetts, are collaborating on a new treatment for hoarders. They've just finished collecting data from 46 participants, Frost said. The treatment targets acquisition, discarding, and disorganization, Frost said. That's because people who compulsively hoard tend to buy or pick up too many things, keep things rather than throw anything out, and create clutter. To help with "acquisition," therapists try to help people understand their attachment to their possessions. For example, the therapist will ask the patient how upset he or she will be if a piece of paper is thrown away, and then test that prediction by throwing it away. Researchers have found that participants who hoard do not get as upset as they anticipated when they dispose of the paper, Frost said. OCD is sometimes as hard on loved ones as on the patients themselves, Bell said. Family members may even become enablers, unintentionally fueling the cycle, he said. "Often times, it involves family members meeting with a trained therapist who can help give them guidelines as to what is helpful and what's counterproductive," he said. For more information, visit the International OCD Foundation or Jeff Bell's outreach site Beyond the Doubt.

As many as 4 million Americans suffer from obsessive- compulsive disorder . There is some debate about whether it is an anxiety disorder or something else . Compulsive gambling is not a symptom of OCD . Hoarding may be separate from OCD, and there is a new treatment for it .

(CNN) -- Given the privacy concerns swirling around much of our digital activity these days, the idea of handing over one's fingerprints to Apple via its new iPhone 5S has some people nervous. The phone, which goes on sale September 20, will feature a fingerprint sensor in its Home button for added security. Users must "register" their print with the device, after which they can unlock the phone by placing a finger or thumb on the button. The idea is that fingerprints, being unique to each person, augment users' passcodes to offer an additional safeguard against hackers or thieves. But can we trust Apple or its partners with our fingerprints? And couldn't hackers, those resourceful and relentless probers of digital firewalls, find new ways to trick the phone's sensor? The answers, experts say, appear to be: 1) Probably, at least for now, and 2) Yes, although that's unlikely. "There should always be some concern with new technologies or functionality that has such a large base of users," says Joe Schumacher, a consultant for security firm Neohapsis, in an e-mail to CNN. "The fingerprint reader is more of a sales tactic than a strong security enhancement. "What still needs to be researched is how this digital fingerprint can be used once it is leaked, hacked or opened up to iCloud." Prints in the cloud? Some observers have wondered aloud on Twitter and elsewhere whether Apple, armed with a potential database of millions of thumbprints, might turn over some customers' prints to the National Security Agency (NSA) if ordered to by the government. After all, Apple was reported to have been a partner in the NSA's PRISM surveillance program and has acknowledged it hands over user data when mandated by the government. But Apple has said users' fingerprint information will be encrypted and stored securely inside the phone's new A7 processor chip instead of on Apple's servers or backed up to iCloud, the company's Web-based storage service. Apple also has said it's not allowing third-party applications to access the scanner -- at least not yet. That's good news for users' privacy, experts say -- even amid news reports that the NSA can spy on smartphones. "Your iPhone knows who you call. It knows where you are. And in the newest versions, it will know your thumbprint. Given revelations about how the NSA can access Apple devices, should you be worried about it having that biometric data? No. No no no no no no. Come on. No," writes Philip Bump in The Atlantic. "Your fingerprint ... isn't traveling anywhere. Is it possible that the NSA could ask Apple to upload a user's fingerprint from the phone so that it can be transmitted to the agency? Sure. But that likely wouldn't be a request that comes through PRISM; it would probably require a separate warrant. Not impossible, but, given the burden of demonstrating need for a warrant, not as easy as a few keystrokes." CNNMoney: iPhone fingerprint scanner will start security revolution . Fingerprint hacks . Then there's the question of hackers replicating fingerprints to break into phones. "Fingerprints are not private, you leave them lying around everywhere, and if someone has enough incentive -- and the resources available to them -- they may try to defeat any security system that you trust your fingerprint to unlock," writes noted security researcher Graham Cluley on his blog. "One thing is for sure. With the launch of the iPhone 5S, more people will be using fingerprint sensors as part of their daily security than ever before -- and the hackers will be certainly intrigued to see how they might circumvent it," Cluley adds. Dino Dai Zovi, co-author of "The iOS Hacker's Handbook," told CNNMoney that if he were trying to hack an iPhone 5S, he would first try to lift prints from elsewhere on the device "and figure out how to replay those to the sensor to log in to the person's phone." This is not as hard as it might sound. A decade ago, a Japanese cryptographer demonstrated how to fool fingerprint-recognition systems by transferring latent prints to a "finger" made from gelatin, the ingredient found in Jell-O and other sweets. It was informally known as the "Gummi bear hack." But Apple's new Touch ID technology is presumably more sophisticated than those old systems. In addition, latent prints may not provide enough of an overlapping match to unlock a phone, says digital-security expert Robert Graham. "You use a different part of your finger to touch the iPhone sensor than what you use to touch other things," writes Graham on the Errata Security blog. "That means while hackers may be able to lift your thumbprint from you holding other objects, or from other parts of the phone itself, they probably can't get the tip print needed to do bad things on your iPhone. "This means the fingerprint databases held by the NSA, FBI, and border security are largely useless at unlocking your phone: they don't cover the same parts of your fingers," Graham adds. But there is another potential vulnerability in the iPhone 5S's fingerprint scans. The Touch ID system also can be used as a secure way to approve purchases from iTunes or the App Store, which makes some security experts uncomfortable. "If Apple is right that fingerprints never leave the device, that means the new iPhones will be sending some sort of authentication token to Apple servers to verify that the end user has produced a valid print," writes Dan Goodin in Ars Technica, a CNN.com content partner. "If attackers figure out a way to capture and replay users' valid tokens, it could lead to new ways for criminals to hijack user accounts."

The idea of handing over fingerprints to Apple via new iPhone 5S has some nervous . The phone will feature a fingerprint sensor in its Home button for added security . Apple: Fingerprint info will be encrypted and stored in your phone, not on our servers . Security expert: "Hackers will be certainly intrigued to see how they might circumvent" system .

(CNN) -- Elmore Leonard -- the award-winning mystery writer whose snappy dialogue, misfit characters and laconic sense of humor produced such popular works as "Get Shorty," "Hombre," "Fifty-Two Pickup" and "Out of Sight" -- has died, according to his literary agent, Jeffrey Posternak. He was 87. The cause of death was not given, but Leonard had suffered a stroke two weeks ago. According to his website, the author died at his home in Bloomfield Village, Michigan. Leonard's succinct writing style -- he favored brief exchanges of dialogue leavened with wit and a keen sense of person and place -- made him a favorite of Hollywood, which turned several Leonard novels and stories into films and TV programs. (The newest Leonard adaptation, the film "Life of Crime," based on his novel "The Switch," will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival next month.) He was also incredibly prolific. At the time of his death, he was at work on his 46th novel. Grit on wry: A dinner with Elmore and Peter Leonard . His style went down easy but could be hard to imitate. The writers on the TV show "Justified," based on a Leonard character, wore wristbands with the initials "WWED" stamped on them, for "What Would Elmore Do?" Informed of this, he described it as "flattering." "I have a picture of all them and they're at their desk and they all have a different book of mine and each one is reading to get my sound," he told CNN last year. "That's very flattering, I'll tell you." Leonard was born in New Orleans but raised in Michigan, where his father worked for General Motors. After college, Leonard went to work for a local advertising agency, where he spent his days writing copy about cars and trucks. His nights, however, were devoted to his own work: mainly westerns in the 1950s. Two of his stories, "Three-Ten to Yuma" and "The Captives," were turned into movies. But Leonard kept his advertising job until 1961, rising at 5 a.m. to write before heading off to work. Despite his output -- and more movies, including "Hombre" with Paul Newman -- he said he didn't find his style until reading George V. Higgins' classic 1970 crime novel, "The Friends of Eddie Coyle." Higgins' book, which was turned into a 1973 movie, was almost all dialogue, much of it profane. "I read it and I changed my style somewhat," he told CNN. "Just somewhat. I started to use expletives where they belonged. I started to open my scenes with dialogue. Higgins set me free." He also spent time with Detroit homicide detectives, where he continued to hone his ear. Leonard made his mark on film . All this came just in time. He'd written one crime novel, "The Big Bounce," in 1966. Despite Leonard's bona fides, it was rejected 84 times and didn't see the light of day until being made into a 1969 movie. The new style gave his books new life -- and new fans. When the movies wanted crime stories with offbeat characters and settings, they knew to turn to Leonard. "Get Shorty" was made into a 1995 film starring John Travolta and Gene Hackman; "Rum Punch," a 1992 novel, was turned into Quentin Tarantino's 1997 film "Jackie Brown." "Out of Sight," which was made into a 1999 Steven Soderbergh film, helped rejuvenate George Clooney's movie career. In Leonard's stories, characters move from scene to scene, cracking wise while they do stupid, violent things. He thinks most crooks are dumb, and that dumb is funny. He likes a good caper and the violence seems to be almost incidental, more like an occupational hazard. The plots feature clever twists; the narrative style is so spare it reads like haiku. The simple beauty of it all can put a bullet through your heart. He created some of popular fiction's most memorable tough guys: trigger-happy federal marshal Raylan Givens, streetwise Hollywood wannabe Chili Palmer and smooth talking bank robber Jack Foley. A look inside Leonard's 45th novel, 'Raylan' In recent years, literary types took notice. Last year, the National Book Foundation awarded Leonard the 2012 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in recognition of his fiction. "For over five decades, Leonard's westerns, crime novels, serialized novels, and stories have enthralled generations of readers," the foundation said in a statement. Leonard also received an Edgar Grand Master honor from the Mystery Writers of America and a Peabody Award, among other distinctions. But to Leonard, writing was just what he did. "I don't have a trade," he told CNN. "I don't teach or anything. I just love to make up characters and gradually build up a story around them." For example, he said, the "Out of Sight" character Karen Sisco, later the lead of a TV series, was inspired by a newspaper photograph of a shotgun-toting Miami marshal. He also worked hard. Writing is rewriting, the old saying goes, and Leonard -- who wrote first drafts by hand -- would do three pages to get "one clean, typed page with every word in place." The key, he said, was to know when to stop. Wise advice from the man who wrote a book called "10 Rules of Writing." "I don't want it to sound like writing," he said. "Leave out the parts people tend to skip." People we've lost in 2013 . CNN's Ann O'Neill and Christian DuChateau contributed to this report .

Elmore Leonard mastered snappy dialogue and clever plots . He has racked up many awards and won widespread praise for his work . Before he embarked on crime writing, he wrote westerns .

(CNN) -- They are everywhere, Haiti's precious and beautiful children. They make up more than a third of the country's 10 million-plus population. You see them on rooftops -- where there are rooftops -- flying kites. You see them gathered in small circles on the ground --where the ground is not muddy -- playing marbles. You see them skip around where the ground is muddy, sometimes bathing in water from manholes. You see them link hands and run in a circle while singing a song associated with the won, the Haitian equivalent of "Ring Around the Rosie." You see them fight for a turn at jumping rope. You see them twirl a bicycle wheel with a bent rope hanger and in that act you can see the dream of one day actually driving the rest of the bike, or a motorcycle, a car or an airplane. You see them carry gallons and buckets of water on tiny heads that have no place to rest. You see them suddenly appear in the middle of Port-au-Prince's impenetrable traffic and, dressed in dirty rags, plop an even dirtier rag on the hood of your car. You see them file in and out of the same traffic wearing striking school uniforms with different color plaid tops. Sometimes you see them wearing their Sunday best in the middle of the week. For more about CNN's "Rescued" documentary, read here . You see them packed into tents made of sticks and bedsheets -- and if they're lucky, tarp or plastic -- and some of them appear listless, their bloated bellies and reddened hair competing for your attention. If you say hello, some will answer you but they will avoid your gaze, both out of respect for you and shame at their condition. You see them stand in lines, backs straight even while the sun beats down on their heads and sweat rolls down their faces, as they wait for a bottle of water or a plate of food. You see them wobble on makeshift crutches for their newly amputated limbs even as they wince from pain that even some adults would find difficult to bear. Nevertheless they are children, Haiti's future. The January 12, 2010, earthquake changed their lives. Many watched loved ones die, lost family members and other caretakers, one or both of their parents, siblings. Many were stuck in the rubble of their homes and were rescued several days later. Yet in spite of everything, they dream, they laugh, they live, they love. Like most other children, they adore seeing their faces reflected in the back of a digital camera. "Madame, Madame," they will say respectfully if they want to ask or tell you something. During such a conversation, I tell a little girl who is the same age as my eldest daughter, Mira, "At home I have one exactly like you." "There is no one exactly like me," she replies. She's right. No child is exactly like any other, but all children want and need some basic things: food, shelter, safety, education, love. Ti moun se richès, says the Haitian proverb. Our children are our treasures. Some of them are diamonds in the rough. Some of them are brilliant, nearly illuminated beings. Now some are also scarred, both physically and psychologically. In one large tent city, I find the 7-year-old son of a man I knew growing up. The boy is in the camp with his mother while his father is in Miami, Florida, with his baby sister, whose hip was broken during the earthquake. "I sleep during the day," he says, "because the thieves come at night." The child he plays with most often is an orphan who was taken in by a neighbor. After the earthquake, people kept asking me, "Why don't we see Haitians adopting Haitian kids? Why is it always the blan, the foreigners, the missionaries?" Many Haitians adopt informally. If they didn't you would see many more abandoned children on the earthquake-ravaged streets of Haiti's capital and in the countryside. Some kids do fall prey to the local restavèk system of child labor, but others are taken into loving homes, sharing equally the little bit their guardians have. Haiti's children have suffered more than any child, or adult, should have to, yet they still represent the best that Haiti has to offer. The potential for a better country rests on their shoulders. The survival of Haiti's children means the survival of Haiti. Their success guarantees the country's future. Like children all over the world, Haiti's children are resilient and brave, but they are also children, our children. If, as the African proverb states, it takes a village to raise a child, it will take several villages to raise these children. When it was discovered that the "orphans" who were being taken to the Dominican Republic by the 10 Idaho missionaries had parents, some people asked me how Haitian mothers and fathers could simply give their children away. I offered them the answer that a mother who turned her child over to an orphanage years ago recently gave me. "It's like the way they were cutting up people's limbs to save their lives after the earthquake. I cut my heart out by letting my child go. Even if it means I have to cry every single day for the rest of my life, I want my child to have a future." That future sometimes seems illusive. But it is as real as the children themselves. Worn out perhaps, but not totally defeated, dreaming, laughing, playing, living with a glint of hope and promise in their eyes. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Edwidge Danticat.

Edwidge Danticat says Haiti's children are brave and resilient . She says they have endured great hardship since the earthquake . Danticat: The survival of Haiti rests on the childrens' shoulders . CNN report on Haiti's children, "Rescued," airs Saturday, May 8 at 8 pm ET .

(CNN) -- Venture capitalist Tom Perkins is back in the news with a big (and ridiculous) idea: If you pay a million dollars in taxes, you should get a million votes. While some media outlets have since pointed out that Perkins was perhaps courting controversy, his system of wealthier Americans having more say at the ballot box follows an equally bizarre argument this week from Bud Konheim, CEO of luxury retailer Nicole Miller. Konheim took a different tack on the inequality debate, asserting instead that all Americans are wealthy. According to Konheim, "We've got a country that the poverty level is wealth in 99% of the rest of the world. So we're talking about woe is me, woe is us, woe is this. ... The guy that's making, oh my God, $35,000 a year. ... Why don't we try that out in India or some country we can't even name ... China, anyplace -- that guy is wealthy." For now, it's safe enough to assume that Perkins' dollar-a-vote initiative is unlikely to take off. But Konheim's argument actually falls into a growing category -- members of the wealthiest income group in the country trying to convince average Americans that they, too, are all very wealthy. Last summer, a commercial funded by the conservative Charles Koch Foundation tried to persuade people that the middle class in America is actually rich by pointing out that someone making over $34,000 -- a decidedly middle-class income -- was part of "the wealthiest 1% in the world." Seriously? Let's look more closely at this idea that the poor -- or even the middle class -- in America are actually wealthy. Konheim's argument probably does not hold much weight among millions of Americans who skipped filling a prescription in 2012 because of the costs, according to Commonwealth Fund's Biennial Health Insurance Survey. Nor does it likely ring true for many in the middle class who are trying to buy a home at a time when home prices have doubled since 1970. And let's not forget the cost of a public four-year college education, which has risen by an eye-watering 250% over the past 30 years. The federal poverty level in the United States for a family of four is $23,550, significantly less than estimated living expenses. More than 3 million Americans earn the minimum wage or lower, and today's minimum wage has 30% less buying power in real terms than the minimum wage in 1968. Or put another way, someone on minimum wage would have to work for more than 130 hours to buy the $950 dress that Konheim's company is selling right now at Saks Fifth Avenue. To be sure, Americans do not need to buy luxury dresses. But they do need to buy food. And according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 14% of Americans were food insecure at some point in 2012. In other words, in the wealthiest country on Earth, millions of Americans could not be sure where their next meal was coming from. And poverty is much more prevalent than you might think -- more than half of Americans between the ages of 25 and 64 will spend a year of their lives in or near poverty. As worrisome as these statistics are on U.S. poverty levels, there is also alarming data about the state of the middle class. Median incomes in America are actually lower now than they were in 2000, and household debt levels have skyrocketed. If we look at millennials -- the youngest part of our workforce -- there were 10 million of them who were unemployed or underemployed last summer, more than the entire population of New York City. Comparisons Konheim would have us make with developing countries miss the point. The United States is not a developing country, and it does not serve us well to try to ignore the real difficulties of many Americans. So the question is not whether a full-time retail worker earning $14,000 in Texas is better off than a full-time retail worker in India, or even whether a household with $34,000 in Philadelphia is doing better than many families in China. The question is whether the economic conditions we have now are serving us -- all of us -- well. And the answer to that is: not really. Or, more positively: We can certainly do better. Economic growth in the United States is lagging behind our historical average, and unemployment five years from the Great Recession is still too high. And the American Dream, the notion that if you work hard and play by the rules you can get ahead, is taking a serious knock when economic mobility -- the ability to move from the wealth you were born to another level -- is lower in the United States than in countries like Canada and Germany. Doing better for all Americans is not about creating divisions between income levels. And it's certainly not about trying to convince workers who are struggling to pay their rent that they are actually rich. Simply put, doing better for all Americans -- the wealthiest included -- and growing our economy in a sustainable way requires a growing and vibrant middle class that is contributing to an innovative and entrepreneurial workforce, while providing a stable source of economic demand. In short, we need Americans to be both productive workers and reliable consumers. Acknowledging the very real struggles many of our fellow Americans face is not just a moral imperative, it is also an economic one. And we can't have a constructive conversation about how we improve the country's economy if we ignore the difficult realities facing many Americans today. Konheim and Perkins can disparage their fellow citizens all they want, but the truth is that the American economy will do better when more Americans are doing better. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jennifer Erickson.

Jennifer Erickson: The rich like Tom Perkins and Bud Konheim live in a bubble . Erickson: Konheim's idea that the poor in America are actually wealthy is ludicrous . She says median incomes in American are lower now than they were in 2000 . Erickson: Without a vibrant middle class, America will fall behind in economic growth .

(CNN) -- President Barack Obama appeared on NBC's "Meet The Press" on Sunday, talking about the "fiscal cliff" negotiations and priorities for his administration in his second term. The president told host David Gregory that he was optimistic something will be worked out to keep tax rates from rising on Tuesday -- but if not, his first piece of legislation for the next Congress will be a bill to reduce tax rates on most Americans. Obama slams GOP 'priority' as fiscal cliff hours away . The president also spoke about his second term and what he wants to accomplish. Here are highlights of what he said: . Gun control after the Newtown killings . "Something fundamental in America has to change," said Obama, who visited on December 16 with families of victims of the Newtown, Connecticut, school shootings. The president said Sunday he will put forth a proposal next year to change firearm laws. Among the things the legislation will address are assault-style rifles, high-capacity ammunition magazines and background checks on all firearm sales. His comments echoed those made five days after the shootings in Newtown, where a gunman killed his mother at home, then 20 children and six adults at an elementary school. Obama said he hopes that the Newtown killings spur Americans to take action and not let the shootings feel like "one of those routine episodes," the emotions of which fade with memory. ""It certainly won't feel like that to me. This is something that, you know, that was the worst day of my presidency," he said. The president said he wanted to listen to all the parties involved in the gun control debate but was skeptical about the National Rifle Association's call to put armed guards in every school as the only solution. Obama said December 19 that a task force led by Vice President Joe Biden will have legislative recommendations in January. Benghazi attack . Obama said the security failures that led to the deaths of four Americans at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, were "severe," but he blamed human mistakes. "There was just some sloppiness -- not intentional -- in terms of how we secure embassies in areas where you essentially don't have governments that have a lot of capacity to protect those embassies," he said. The State Department will implement all of the 29 recommendations by a review board headed by veteran diplomat Thomas Pickering. The FBI also has some "very good leads" into who carried out the September attack that killed U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three others, Obama said. Among the recommendations in the report sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were strengthening security, adding fire-safety precautions and improving intelligence collection in high-threat areas. "But we'll try to do more than that," Obama said. U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice . The president said verbal attacks on Rice for her comments on the Benghazi investigation were "puzzling." "Of all the people in my national security team, she probably had the least to do with anything that happened in Benghazi," he said. Rice said on Sunday news programs in the days following the attack that it was the result of a protest against an online anti-Islam film. She was heavily criticized for those statements, to the point that she withdrew her name from consideration as the next secretary of state to avoid what she called a "lengthy, disruptive, and costly" confirmation process. Critics said Rice's comments were out of line with the true intelligence about the incident and were an attempt by the administration to avoid tying it to terrorism. "Most Americans recognize that these were largely politically motivated attacks as opposed to being justified," Obama said. Next secretary of defense . He has yet to make a decision as to who to nominate for secretary of defense, Obama said. Sources have said they think the president will pick Chuck Hagel, a Republican, who has met with controversy since his name has been connected with the position. Gay rights groups, which were strong supporters of Obama's election campaigns, have hit Hagel for questioning in 1998 whether a nominee for an ambassadorship was suitable because he was "openly, aggressively gay." Obama, without calling Hagel his preferred candidate for the job, said: "I've served with Chuck Hagel (in the U.S. Senate). I know him. He is a patriot. He is somebody who has done extraordinary work." Hagel has apologized for those comments, Obama said. He added that he didn't see anything in Hagel's political record that disqualified him as a potential nominee. Hagel currently is the co-chairman of the president's Intelligence Advisory Board. Leon Panetta, who has been secretary of defense since July 2011, has indicated he wants to return to private life next year. Four issues for the next term . When asked about his priorities for the next four years, Obama listed immigration, the economy, energy and debt reduction. He will introduce legislation to fix a broken immigration system in 2013, he said. "We have talked about it long enough," He said. "We know how we can fix it." Obama also wants to fix America's infrastructure. "If we are putting people back to work, rebuilding our roads, our bridges, our schools, in part paid for by some of these broader long-term deficit reduction measures that need to take place, that will grow our economy," he said . And he wants to increase further the amount of energy, especially green energy, that America produces. "We are producing more energy and America can become an energy exporter. (The question is) how do we do that in a way that also deals with the environmental challenges that we also have at the same time," Obama said. But the most pressing quandary is the fiscal cliff. "It is going to be very hard for the economy to sustain its current growth trends if suddenly we have a huge bite taken of the average American's paycheck," he said.

President speaks to NBC for nearly 30 minutes . Interview covers subjects like taxes, security at foreign embassies, gun control . Obama plans to introduce immigration legislation in next year . He thinks Chuck Hagel would be qualified to be next secretary of defense .

Washington (CNN) -- A clerical misstep? Failure to double-check a routine process? Whatever the cause, the seemingly accidental outing of the CIA's top intelligence official in Afghanistan could put the life of the spy and any family members in danger. It also raised the question of whether the official can continue working in Afghanistan after the revelation in a White House media report sent to about 6,000 journalists. "I think they are going to have to pull him out, now that he's been identified publicly," said CNN National Security Analyst Robert Baer, noting the Taliban would likely attempt to assassinate the official. "It will affect his career over the long term, too." Josh Rogin, who covers national security issues for The Daily Beast, told CNN on Tuesday the mistake was "catastrophic" for the official's career and "potential future as a covert operator, both in Afghanistan or anywhere else." The official "was in the middle of a very dangerous mission, which was to govern the transition of CIA forces in Afghanistan," Rogin noted. If forced to leave now due to danger over being exposed, the official's absence could hurt the mission, according to Rogin. Given the potentially dangerous nature of the situation, CNN has not broadcast or published online the name of the official. Administration officials expressed alarm over the mistake. Deputy National Security Adviser Antony Blinken told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that steps are being taken. "It shouldn't have happened. We're trying to figure out why it happened. In fact, chief of staff Denis McDonough asked the White House counsel to look into it, to figure out what happened and to make sure it won't happen again," Blinken said. Asked whether the official will have to leave Afghanistan, Blinken added, "You'll understand that I can't comment on the details, but you can rest assured that the security of this person is foremost in our minds and will be taken care of." The official's name was included on a list of people attending a military briefing for President Barack Obama during his surprise visit to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan on Sunday. It's common for such lists to be given to the media, but names of intelligence officials are rarely provided. In this case, the individual's name was listed next to the title, "Chief of Station." The common practice is for the print pool reporter -- a journalist representing the wider media contingent who relays information about an event to other reporters -- to copy and paste the list provided by the White House into what is called a media pool report. It then gets distributed to a large list of media outlets by the White House, which does not edit the list. In this case, the print pool reporter that day -- Scott Wilson, the White House bureau chief for the Washington Post -- noticed the unusual entry after the White House distributed the list. Wilson checked it out with officials, and the White House later distributed a shorter list from a different reporter that did not include the station chief's name. In his account to CNN, Wilson said that when the media pool accompanying Obama arrived in Afghanistan, he asked White House officials for a list of who would be briefing the President. A White House official then asked the military for a list to provide to the pool of journalists. The official got an e-mail back from the military with a subject line, "manifest for briefing for pool," Wilson told CNN. That e-mail was forwarded to Wilson, and he proceeded to copy and paste it for the pool report. Wilson then sent it to the White House official, who sent the report to the distribution list that reaches some 6,000 journalists. After the initial report was issued, Wilson noticed that the chief of station had been identified in the list. He flagged the White House official, who checked with the military and then said: "This is a problem." The White House official asked if Wilson would write another pool report that would advise journalists to disregard the previous report, which contained the chief of station's name. Wilson said he was open to the request and sent the White House a new report, but he was unsure if it got distributed. According to Wilson, another pool report from a different reporter that was distributed later included details from Obama's speech to the troops, as well as the shorter list of names that excluded the CIA official and a note saying, "This is the correct list of participants." Rep. Peter King, R-New York, called the accidental outing "unpardonable." "This is something that they had a chance to look at and look at again, and they still allowed it to be out," he told CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" Tuesday night. "To me, it's unforgivable and the message has to be sent that this type of incompetence -- six years into an administration -- is just inexcusable." A station chief heads the CIA's office in a foreign country, establishing a relationship with its host intelligence service and overseeing agency activities. The identity of station chiefs, like most CIA officers, are rarely disclosed to protect them and their ability to operate secretly. In the most recent case of a spy being outed, the Bush administration infamously leaked the name of former CIA officer Valerie Plame to a journalist in 2003. Plame, who resigned from the CIA after the incident, tweeted on Monday that the White House's mistake this past weekend was "astonishing." No one was punished for leaking Plame's CIA role to the media. Scooter Libby, the chief of staff to then-Vice President Dick Cheney, was convicted of perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI about the Plame leak. President George W. Bush later commuted Libby's 30-month prison sentence. Top U.S. spy pulled from Pakistan after terror threats . CNN's Jim Acosta, Ashley Killough and Matt Hoye contributed to this report.

NEW: "To me, it's unforgivable and the message has to be sent," Rep. King tells CNN . CIA chief of station in Afghanistan accidentally named in White House media report . If forced to leave Afghanistan, the official's absence could hurt the U.S. mission . Analyst: "They are going to have to pull him out"

(CNN) -- A heat wave blamed for as many as two dozen deaths settled over portions of the East Coast as the National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for much of the Mid-Atlantic, saying Friday would be the hottest day in the region. The highest heat index values -- how hot it feels -- could reach 115 degrees in some locations, the weather service said. "These triple-digit temperatures are forecast to remain in place across the eastern U.S. through Saturday," it said. How hot is it where you live? Share your photos, videos and stories . The weather was expected to cool slightly to the mid-90s by Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. The warnings came as the heat wave set 55 record highs and tied 60 more records in portions of the Midwest and the Ohio Valley, forecasters said. Millions were also being warned to avoid strenuous activity and exercise outdoors after the National Weather Service issued a number of code red air quality alerts -- meaning air pollution levels are considered unhealthy for the general population -- in a handful of cities, including Baltimore and Washington. Beat-the-heat advice from a pro . The heat has affected many outdoor activities, prompting one Minneapolis movie theater marquee to read, "We have AC. Who cares what's playing," and one Canadian couple to forgo their original plans while visiting the Twin Cities. Scott Hoffort and his wife, Colleen, of Saskatchewan arrived in Minneapolis on Sunday with their camping gear, planning for a vacation spent mostly outdoors at a campground. Instead they're now doing "more touristy" things. "We went from camping in a tent to staying in hotels so that we could get air conditioning," Hoffort said. "We spent a fair amount of time in the Mall of America yesterday because of the heat." Heat hurts your insides too . About 100 people, primarily teenagers, were overcome Thursday by the heat at the Vans Warped Tour in Camden, New Jersey, where more than 12,000 people gathered at the outdoor concert, authorities said. "I just, I guess got overheated and I got really dizzy," 17-year-old Maureen Meckly, who attended the concert, told CNN affiliate KYW. "I had to grab onto her (friends') shoulder to tell her I was passing out." In Wildwood, New Jersey, tourists and residents beat the heat by heading to the ocean. What a heatstroke feels like . But for some working hot food concession stands at Morey's Piers in Wildwood there was little relief. "Sometimes it's so hot, I can't even breathe," Erik Perez, who works at Curley's Fries, told KYW. In Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker announced that facilities were available in every ward to help keep citizens cool. "It is imperative that our residents drink plenty of fluids, stay indoors in a cool climate, and avoid strenuous activity," Booker said in a statement. "I urge our senior citizens and Newark residents who lack air conditioning to come to one of our cooling centers." In New York, Con Edison called on customers to stay cool and not waste energy. "Store owners who leave doors open with the A/C running could be subject to fines from the city," ConEd said. The first confirmed heat-related death in Kansas City was declared Thursday, but it stemmed from a death last month. A 57-year-old man was found dead in his home June 5, according to Dan Ferguson, who works for Jackson County. In addition to the man's death, there are 13 other possible heat-related deaths in Missouri: the youngest was a woman in her mid-30s and the oldest were two women in their mid-70s, said Jeff Hershberger, spokesman for the Kansas City Health Department. It may take six weeks to several months for officials to process toxicology tests to determine whether all 13 died of heat-related causes, Hershberger said. In Wisconsin, a 65-year-old man from Fountain Prairie was confirmed by health officials to have died from heat-related causes Thursday, according to CNN affiliate WKOW. Columbia County Medical Examiner Angela Hinze said the man had underlying medical conditions that were made worse when he was helping a family member outside with housework. In Oklahoma, four heat-related deaths have been confirmed since May, said Cherokee Ballard, a spokeswoman for the state medical examiner. Three of those occurred in the past 30 days, including a 3-year-old boy in a car in Norman and a 69-year-old man from Blackwell, she said. An additional eight Oklahoma deaths may be related to the heat, she said, with most occurring in July. CNN affiliate WPXI reported Thursday that a child accidentally locked in a hot car was rescued in Spring Hill, Pennsylvania. The girl's mother locked her keys in the car and immediately called for help, the report said. The girl was not hurt. The high heat is also taking its toll on animals. In South Dakota, 1,500 head of livestock have been lost to the heat, Larry Olsen of the Farm Service Agency told CNN affiliate KSFY. Dozens of cattle died south of Harmony, Minnesota, CNN affiliate KTTC reported. And on a cattle farm just across the border in northern Iowa, an estimated 100 cattle died, the report said. At the Brookfield Zoo just outside Chicago, staff kept water misters in exhibits and gave some animals huge blocks of ice filled with meat and fruit. CNN's Chris Welch, Sean Morris, Jacqui Jeras, Dave Alsup, Phil Gast, Chelsea J. Carter and Marlena Baldacci contributed to this report.

Weather service: Triple-digit temperatures to remain across the eastern U.S. Weather expected to cool off slightly beginning Sunday, forecasters say . About 100 concert-goers overcome by heat at Vans Warped Tour . One says she got "overheated and I got really dizzy"