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STOCKHOLM, Sweden (CNN) -- I am sitting in a Stockholm hotel over a breakfast of meatballs, eggs, crisp bread covered with salty caviar paste, toast with a dollop of lingonberry jam and a cup of strong Swedish coffee. Life is good. Boats line up along the waterfront outside the five-star Grand Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden. But there is little time to linger. I have one day to explore Stockholm before catching a flight back to the United States, a bonus excursion squeezed in after a trip to another country in Europe. My plane landed at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport the day before under gray skies, a steady drizzle and a temperature hovering around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Not a promising start. It's late May, but the first walk around the city requires three layers of clothing and an umbrella. Thankfully, the sun reappears for my full day of sightseeing, and I get a taste of the long Scandinavian summer days, with sunrises bathing Stockholm in light before 4 a.m. and soft twilight hanging around until 11 p.m. this time of year. From my guidebook, I know that Stockholm is built on 14 islands that separate the Baltic Sea from Lake Mälaren, earning it the nickname "Venice of the North." Still, strolling around the pedestrian-friendly city is a surprise: You're never far away from a beautiful waterfront walkway or a bridge or the cries of seagulls, but walk along any busy street, and you feel the hustle and bustle of a thriving European capital. See photos of the Old Town, the Royal Palace and other Stockholm sites » . The crowds include lots of blond and blue-eyed Swedes but also feature plenty of Middle Eastern, black and Asian faces. I start exploring Stockholm by heading to where it all began in the 13th century: Gamla Stan, the Old Town, "one of the best preserved medieval city centers in the world," according to the Stockholm Visitors Board. Gamla Stan offers winding, cobblestoned streets full of cafes, restaurants and shops that sell everything from amber jewelry to mock Viking hats. The buildings are painted in striking yellows and oranges, while impossibly narrow side alleys tempt visitors with hidden galleries and private eateries. Always crowded with tourists and locals, it's a great place to people watch. The Old Town is also home to Kungliga Slottet, the 600-room Royal Palace and official residence of Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Crowds gather at noon to watch the elaborate changing of the guard ceremony, which features the Royal Guards in pointy helmets marching to the palace's courtyard accompanied by a military band on horseback trumpeting their arrival. Surprise excursion . To give my feet a break, I plan to take in the sights from the water by boarding one of Stockholm's many sightseeing boats, which ferry tourists to the most visited spots around the city. There are several operators to choose from, and most give you the option to either stay on board for an hour round-trip or "hop on, hop off" all day. Because I want to stop and visit the Vasamuseet, one of Stockholm's most popular museums, on the island of Djurgården, I choose the latter option, paying 100 kronor -- about $13 -- for my ticket. Suddenly, I'm in for an unintended adventure. A boat arrives at the appointed time, and everyone lines up at the dock, so I join them and hop on board. It's not until we're well on our way that someone starts to check tickets and points out that I'm on the wrong boat. Oops. Instead of heading toward the museum, we are en route to Stora Fjäderholmen, a charming little island in Stockholm's archipelago. Thankfully, it's only 25 minutes away, and the ferry turns right around for a return trip to the city. Lesson learned: Many boats dock at tourist spots in Stockholm, so be careful which one you board. From shipwreck to art . Once back from the surprise excursion, I am finally on my way to the Vasa Museum, home to the majestic warship Vasa, which capsized just after it sailed for the first time in 1628 and spent more than 300 years at the bottom of Stockholm's harbor. Salvaged in 1961, it prompted a restoration that's been called the largest jigsaw puzzle in the world. Magnificently ornate and seemingly ready to fire its cannons as it sits on display, the ship looks like something straight out of "Pirates of the Caribbean." Outside the museum, an arts and crafts fair tempts visitors with fried herring sandwiches. The fish, prepared in a variety of ways, plays a big role in the Swedish diet. Marinated herring was a tasty part of the breakfast buffet at my hotel, offered in mustard or sour cream sauce. Grocery stores also stock a wide selection of pickled herring sold mostly under the label Abba, which might make you think the former Swedish pop group is branching out in a new direction but is actually made by a company founded in 1838. For a final stroll, I hop back on the boat, head to the city center and walk along Drottninggatan, a busy pedestrian-only street full of restaurants, shops and fashionable Stockholmers. It's finally time to linger.

Stockholm is built on 14 islands that separate the Baltic Sea from Lake Mälaren . The Old Town is one of the best preserved medieval city centers in the world . Boats are a great way to sightsee, but make sure you get on the right one . Vasa Museum displays ship that spent 330 years at the bottom of the city's harbor .

(CNN) -- Lawmen subdued and disarmed a Seattle-area man suspected of writing an expletive-laden e-mail threatening President Barack Obama, a Secret Service agent says. Anton Caluori, 31, was arrested Tuesday at his home in Federal Way, a Seattle, Washington, suburb, Agent Bryan Molnar said in an affidavit. Caluori is charged with making threats against the president and assaulting a federal officer, according to the affidavit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Texas judge warns of civil war if Obama reelected . Molnar wrote that the e-mail, received by the FBI earlier Tuesday, said, "I will kill the president !!!!!" and "You can't afford to call my bluff." The message said that dying "isn't frightening ... it's peaceful ... you will see..." and spoke of a "cop killing spree ... just over the hill," Molnar said. The e-mail included an address and challenged authorities to "come and get me." A database check confirmed that Caluori lived at the address in the e-mail," Molnar said in his affidavit, and the username of the e-mail account appeared consistent with his name. Molnar said he and Federal Way police officer Andy Hensing went to the apartment complex at the address, where an employee told them Caluori was a "hothead" with a "temper" who lived with his mother. The officers knocked on the apartment door twice with no answer. The third time, a man later identified as Caluori opened the door, Molnar said. "Caluori was wearing a black bandoleer filled with 12-gauge shotgun shells around his torso. Attached to the bandoleer at chest level was a large black fixed-blade knife. On his ankle, Caluori was weaving a revolver in an ankle holster. Caluori's right hand was placed out-of-view behind his back," the affidavit said. The officers commanded the man several times to "show us your hands." At first he didn't comply. But then he "moved his right hand from behind his back revealing a stockless black pump-action shotgun with a pistol grip," the affidavit said. After he raised the firearm, the officers scuffled with Caluori. By the numbers: Guns in America . "Officer Hensing and I were able to take Caluori to the ground. Caluori continued to struggle and would not comply with our commands," Molnar said in the affidavit. "Ultimately, Officer Hensing and I together were able to restrain Caluori and disarm him." More Federal Way police arrived. Molnar said one of them asked Caluori if there was anything in the apartment that "would hurt" law officers and he replied, "There are things inside that go boom." The bomb squad was called to the scene and the residence and other apartments were evacuated. But police found no explosives. The shotgun Caluori pointed was "loaded to capacity, including a round in the chamber. The safety was not engaged," the affidavit said. The pistol on his ankle was loaded with "five hollow point .38 special caliber rounds," it said, and about 50 12-gauge shotgun rounds were recovered from the shotgun and the bandoleer. A search of the apartment produced an AK-47-type rifle, a .45 caliber pistol, a Bushmaster AR15 rifle, more ammunition and a laptop computer, Molnar said. Caluori's mother, identified as R.B. in the affidavit, said Caluori "spends a lot of time on the computer" but she "does not know what he does on it." According to the affidavit, R.B. said Caluori has "negative views of President Obama and in the last few days, most recently that day, has made negative statements about the president." After reading Caluori his Miranda rights, Molnar asked him if he knew why the police were at the scene. "I think I do, but I don't want to say it," he said. He was shown a copy of the e-mail to the FBI and, asked if he wrote it, said, "possibly," Molnar wrote. Asked if he had any "issues with the president," Caluori replied, "You don't have a high enough security clearance. Call the CIA or run it up the chain of command," Molnar said. Threatening the president is punishable by up to five years in prison and assault of a federal agent is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, the U.S. attorney's office said. "Recent national events are a stark reminder that we must take these threats of death or violence seriously," U. S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan said in a news release. "This case had all the troubling ingredients: threats of violence and explosive devices, multiple weapons with hundreds of rounds and even brandishing of a weapon at law enforcement." "The United States Secret Service takes all threats against its protectees seriously. This situation is indicative of how a routine investigation can very easily turn violent," said James Helminski, special agent in charge of U.S. Secret Service in Seattle. "We appreciate the professionalism of the Federal Way Police Department in defusing this potentially volatile situation and in the ongoing investigation." Caluori is in custody at the Federal Detention Center at Sea-Tac, Washington. A detention hearing has been set for Monday, the U.S. attorney's office said. His attorney, Kyana Stephens, would not comment on the case or the charges. CNN Poll: Gun control opinions following shootings .

The arrest took place in a Seattle suburb . The suspect, Anton Caluori, was armed, the affidavit says . The man's mother said he made "negative statements' about Obama, the affidavit says . A detention hearing is set for Monday .

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A process that started months ago among White House lawyers to compile a list of possible Supreme Court picks has accelerated with word Justice David Souter plans to step down from the bench in June. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the only female high court justice. Women likely will be high on the Souter successor list. The nominee would give President Obama an immediate opportunity to place his stamp on the nation's highest court, and perhaps to begin cementing his legacy with a lifetime appointment to that bench. Obama on Friday said he will seek "somebody with a sharp, independent mind and a record of excellence and integrity." That person must honor traditions, respect the judicial process and share Obama's grasp of constitutional values, he said. The president said he intends to consult with people in both political parties as he makes his choice to replace Souter. Legal sources say Obama's legal team will begin refocusing what had been an aggressive effort to fill federal vacancies on lower federal court seats. Now their attention will be directed into a search for Souter's replacement. Administration officials have been working closely with key senators and Democratic legal advisers on possible choices. "The [Obama] White House and the Justice Department certainly have people there already thinking about the issues, compiling lists, starting to vet the backgrounds of those candidates," said Edward Lazarus, a Supreme Court legal expert and a legal adviser during the Obama transition. A mix of federal judges and political allies are among the names the administration is said to be informally considering, said legal and political sources. Among them are federal appeals court judges Sonia Sotomayor, 55, of New York; Diane Wood, 59, of Chicago; and Solicitor General Elena Kagan. Those sources say women candidates will be at or near the top of the list of finalists. "The president has long recognized the need for more gender diversity on the high court," said one source who asked not to be identified. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 76, is the only woman on the high court. Sotomayor is near the top of the list of many sources consulted by CNN. She is a Hispanic-American named a federal trial judge by President Bush in 1992 and elevated to her seat in 1996. Her supporters call her a moderate who would enjoy bipartisan support in the Senate. But conservative legal blogs in recent weeks have been sharply questioning her judicial philosophy, perhaps anticipating a high court vacancy. Fights over judicial nominees have grown increasingly partisan and nasty in recent years, sparked by the confirmation fights over Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court. Bork was rejected by lawmakers, while Thomas sits on the high court. Many of President George W. Bush's judicial choices were blocked by Democratic senators, and his two Supreme Court picks were the subject of massive ad campaigns launched by advocacy groups on both sides of the political debate. Conservatives have vowed to give Obama the same treatment over his choices. Most of Bush's lower court choices were not named until August 2001, seven months into his first term. The political and practical stakes are high. Sources have said privately the president is not interested in choosing "extreme" liberals to the bench, an idea echoed by some legal analysts. Watch CNN's Bill Schneider examine Obama's options » . "I don't expect to see President Obama naming some real firebrands, the kind that might be real lightning-rods for controversial confirmation hearings," said Lazarus. Conservatives "are assuming that in his heart of hearts, Obama is an activist, old-fashioned, liberal firebrand on judicial issues, and, at least if one goes by what President Obama has written on the subject, he's not." Obama, a Harvard Law School graduate, has taught constitutional law in Chicago. Republicans have warned the White House not to shut them out of the overall judicial selection process. In a March 2 letter, 41 GOP senators urged Obama "to consult with us as it considers possible nominations to the federal courts from our states." If not consulted, they said, "The Republican Conference will be unable to support moving forward on that nominee." Watch CNN's Dana Bash report on how Republicans might respond » . Translation, say liberal groups: filibusters and obstructionist tactics. "Republican senators fought hard against some of President Clinton's candidates," said Nan Aron, who heads the the Alliance for Justice. "I think we saw it during Eric Holder's hearing [for attorney general]. Republican senators were testing out messages, not designed to deny confirmation to Eric Holder but to test them to see whether those tactics would work with some of Obama's judicial nominees," Aron said. "That's going to happen. There's no question about it." The fight over Souter's seat could be just the opening act to perhaps two more high court vacancies under Obama. Bush burnished his conservative credentials by naming Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito to the high court, and helped increase the overall conservative bent of most federal courts. Republicans have controlled the White House -- and thereby court nominations -- in 28 of the last 40 years. Seven of the nine high court members were named by GOP presidents. Obama has said Justices Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- liberals named by President Clinton -- are his kind of judges, but Obama has spoken only in general terms about the type of person he would nominate. "I will look for those judges who have an outstanding judicial record, who have the intellect, and who hopefully have a sense of what real-world folks are going through," he said at the October 15 presidential debate.

President Obama has chance to place his stamp on the Supreme Court . Sources: Women candidates to be at or near the top of the list . Republicans hint at confirmation confrontation if they are ignored . Seven of the nine high court members were named by GOP presidents .

(CNN) -- Lady Gaga announced that she's going to sing in space. Everyone is raving about "Gravity," the new movie starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as astronauts in orbit. And India just launched its first Mars mission on Thursday. Clearly, we Earthlings are still madly in love with space. But what about the moon? It's sad how far America has fallen in our space aspirations. So far that we can't even get into Earth orbit without help from the Russians, let alone get back to the moon. But NASA is trying to get back in the game. Two months after launch, its Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer -- LADEE, pronounced "laddie" -- has finished its looping journey and it is gathering important information about the moon's dust and thin atmosphere. Already, this modular spacecraft has tested a new system for interplanetary communication using pulsed lasers, delivering a blistering 622 megabits per second. Try getting that from your Internet service provider. LADEE is a worthy mission, but it's a far cry from the romance and ambition of space exploration 50 years ago. When Frank Sinatra released a swing version of "Fly Me to the Moon" in 1964, the song captured the optimism of the U.S. space program. President John Kennedy had challenged the country to a manned moon landing three years earlier and NASA's budget rose by a factor of five to accomplish the goal. The moon landings were a phenomenal achievement. Even knowing that they were motivated by a rivalry with the Soviets and fueled by an unsustainable budget didn't tarnish their luster. The Saturn V was the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, and the Apollo program was the most technically complex human undertaking in history. Two dozen brave and daring astronauts reached their target with computer processors less powerful than those inside our modern-day smartphones. The 12 who loped across the lunar soil are the only people to set foot on another world. Today, the Apollo moon shots fade and flicker in the public consciousness, like the grainy black-and-white TV images that many of us recall from just over 44 years ago. About 6% of the American public thought the moon landings were a hoax, despite high resolution images that show the landers and tracks left by the rovers, and ongoing scientific experiments using the hardware we left behind. I used to get annoyed at the Apollo deniers. (Buzz Aldrin at least managed to get even; YouTube videos where he decks conspiracy theorist and filmmaker Bart Sibrel have been watched more than half a million times). Then I realized that a list of things that one in 10 Americans believes would include some pretty outrageous things. But willful cultural ignorance is sad. New players are stepping into the vacuum. Google announced the Lunar X Prize in 2007, riffing off the successful Ansari XPRIZE, where private teams were challenged to build a reusable spacecraft to reach the boundary of outer space. A $20 million prize will go to the first team to land a robot on the moon that can travel 500 meters and transmit images and video. Twenty teams are still in the running. The competition expires when all the prizes have been claimed or at the end of 2015, whichever comes first. China is likely to beat all these teams to the punch. A few weeks ago the Chinese announced that the Chang'e 3 lunar rover will be launched by the end of the year. If successful, it would be the first soft landing on the moon since the Russian Luna 24 in 1976. Less than a decade old, China's space program is well-funded and aggressive. China has put 15 astronauts in orbit and plans to complete a 60-ton space station by 2020. Following Chang'e 3, they plan sample return by 2020 and a manned landing by 2025. So, more than half a century after Eugene Cernan left the last human footprint on the moon, the next may be made by someone who speaks Mandarin. Meanwhile, other countries are getting into the act. The European Space Agency has long-term plans to send robots and astronauts to the moon. Japan and India also have advanced plans for lunar rovers. The United States led the world in space but NASA is cooling its heels, with a vision that has shrunk along with its budget. America's space program would be best served by continuing the mission started 50 years ago. The moon still has much to teach us about how the solar system and the Earth formed. It's not the sterile place we once thought; there's enough water and oxygen in the soil to easily sustain a base. It's the perfect place for learning how to live and work beyond the Earth. When Sinatra performed "Fly Me to the Moon" on his TV show in 1969 he dedicated it to the Apollo astronauts "who made the impossible possible." LADEE was designed to characterize the lunar environment in preparation for future human missions. But the Constellation Program that would have gotten us back to the Moon was canceled in 2010. LADEE will set the table but no one's coming to dinner. By partnering with other countries or private sector companies, NASA can rekindle the dream and fulfill our destiny to explore beyond our planet. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Chris Impey.

Chris Impey: It's sad how far America has fallen in our moon aspirations . Impey: NASA is trying to get back in the game with the launch of LADEE . He says other countries and private companies are more ambitious in exploring . Impey: The moon has much to teach us, let's continue the mission started 50 years ago .

(CNN) -- I remember the exact moment when I first thought I could move back to Ohio from California. It hit me on a hot August morning on a visit to my sister in Columbus, as I walked to a local coffee shop. "You could live here." The thought was so foreign it caused a physical response. I stopped and shook my head, as though an errant bird had plowed into me. "No, I could not," I said firmly to whatever voice had popped into my psyche. I could not possibly choose to live in a city that's nickname was -- somewhat unrighteously -- "cowtown" over San Francisco, the city by the bay, the city where people leave their hearts, sing the blues and honeymoon, drinking Champagne and lime. I could not. And yet, here I was, stopped on the sidewalk in the blistering morning sun, trying to decide if the next step I took was toward something hopeful and necessary or a step away from everything I believed was important to my life. This visit to Columbus was just my latest over the past 18 months. I had started flying into Ohio's capital city from where I lived in San Francisco because it was cheaper than flying into Dayton, my true hometown, some 75 miles to the west, where my father lie battling pancreatic cancer. Ours had been a complicated relationship, distant and wary. But in his final months, the past didn't matter. I understood -- finally -- that I wanted to be a daughter who sat by his side as often as I could until the very end because that's who I was, not because I thought it would make him the kind of father I wanted him to be. After he died, everything shifted. San Francisco, where I had lived for the past six years working as a food writer and restaurant critic, no longer felt like home. Wednesday's story: Can you vacation in your hometown? How was that possible? The job, the life, the city itself represented everything I had dreamed of from the moment I had shut the door on my family and Ohio more than a decade before to first move to California. I had flittered all over the Golden State before finally landing in San Francisco, a city that quickly enchanted me with its fog and food. And yet now, in these months since my father's death, I felt empty and lost. The city didn't seem to sparkle as brightly; my job no longer offered the glow of accomplishment it once had. I continued to make pilgrimages to the Midwest, longing for closeness to my sister who was starting to build her family and to a life that I somehow believed would be simpler than the one I was living on the West Coast. Isn't that what so many of us are looking for when we consider moving home: an ease to living without complications, a time from our childhood when our concerns were no bigger than the towering soft serve ice cream cones we tried to balance while riding our bikes? So I stood now on Grandview Avenue, with the aroma of coffee beckoning me to move forward, and a voice in my head telling me I should stay. I could, of course, live here. I could quit my job with the Chronicle, pack up my studio apartment and drive to Columbus. I could find a job writing or cooking or something. And I could settle into what I imagined would be a quiet existence. Because that's what it would be if I moved to Columbus, right? Just a simple life in my hometown state with the pop-up thunderstorms and fireflies of summer followed by college football games and Christmas with snow. I believed Ohio would not include traffic or crazy housing prices. I had myself convinced that the endless search for the next best restaurant or food trend would cease, too, because I would be finished with the food writing part of my career. And the snob I had become said I would be through with drama of relationships because there couldn't possibly be anyone that could hold my interest or steal my heart in central Ohio. It all sounded so appealing, in those early weeks of grief after losing my second parent (my mother had died years before). I took the plunge: I did quit my job and move to Columbus a few months after that summer morning. But aside from the fireflies and football and snow, none of it turned out as I envisioned. The traffic here can be brutal, and the housing prices in the past 10 years have fluctuated wildly. I'm still chasing stories, mostly about food, just now at the Columbus Dispatch. My desire to be close to family actually included making one of my own. I married a widower with three young children -- because my heart was stolen by not one person but by four. Very few things about motherhood in general are simple or quiet and, I could argue, that's doubly true with stepmotherhood. Some might say -- and I do -- that the voice I heard on the sidewalk on that day wasn't my own internal longing, but was capital "g" God calling me to a new life. I wasn't called away. And I didn't run away. The middle of Ohio didn't turn out to be my escape, but it was the beginning of a new kind of life. Not one of tranquility -- in fact often the opposite -- but one that forces me to focus outward toward my family and my faith, not inward on my own fears and thoughts of self-importance. Robin Davis is a food writer for the Columbus Dispatch and the author of "Recipe for Joy: A Stepmom's Story of Finding Faith, Following Love and Feeding a Family." Where is home for you and where do you want to return to visit or stay? Please share in the comments below and participate in our iReport assignment.

Newspaper writer Robin Davis left Ohio for California to chase her dreams . On visits home to her dying father, she realized she wanted to move back . The move proved more difficult -- and more rewarding -- than she anticipated . Where is home for you and where do you want to return to visit or stay? Share via iReport.

Washington (CNN) -- Don't expect President Barack Obama or Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to talk about the issue of gun control in the wake of last week's deadly mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado -- there's little to gain from bringing up the issue. While gun rights issues are split along party lines, independents, who will determine the outcome of the election, are also divided over the issue. Both men and their surrogates have steered clear of discussing thorny Second Amendment issues since the shootings. Polls, such as one conducted by the Pew Research Center in April, have found that 55% of highly coveted independents feel it is "more important to protect gun ownership than to control guns," with 40% saying controlling gun ownership is more important. The poll also found that 72% of Republicans feel protecting gun ownership is important, while 27% of Democrats feel that way. This tracks with similar polls conducted after other mass shootings such as last year's assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, in Tucson in which six people were killed. A Pew poll conducted after the shooting found that "49% of Americans say it is more important to protect the rights of Americans to own guns, while 46% say it is more important to control gun ownership." And the issue likely won't play well in a battleground state such as Colorado, with its culture of strong and proud gun ownership but a recent history of deadly mass shootings such as Friday's theater massacre and a similar event in 1999 at Columbine High School, said Alan Lizotte, dean and professor at the State University of New York at Albany's School of Criminal Justice. "It's political suicide to" to advocate greater gun control in Colorado, Lizotte said. Colorado is also a state with a fast-growing segment of independent voters, according to a study by the Third Way, a Washington-based, moderate-leaning think tank. "No politician in their right mind would say anything about gun control in Colorado because you simply won't get it," said Lizotte, who grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado. "Growing up I didn't know anyone who didn't own a gun." So despite New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent, calling for Obama and Romney to debate gun issues, the two candidates are unlikely to move gun policy discussions from anything more than a back-burner debate. That's because in moving the conversation about guns front and center both politicians could get burned. Romney has had a mixed history on the issue of gun control, according to the Pulitzer Prize-winning PolitiFact website, which grades the accuracy of political comments. "During his campaigns for statewide Massachusetts office, Romney openly spoke of his support for -- to use his words from 2002 -- 'tough gun laws,' " PolitiFact found. During the 2008 Republican primaries, Romney said, "I don't line up 100 percent with the NRA." However, the GOP presidential hopeful's "pro-gun rhetoric has become sharper and virtually all nuance was erased. He even touted the bill he signed in Massachusetts by scrubbing any reference to the provisions banning assault weapons," the site found. The site noted that "even in the 1994 campaign (Romney) didn't take a full-blown, pro-gun-control stand." And though Romney's messaging sounds more pro-gun, he "has never gone so far as to specifically renounce his prior positions, such as his signing of the 2004 Massachusetts law," an assault weapons ban mirrored after a similar federal ban. Romney earned a "Half Flip" from the site for messaging on guns that "has been more on the rhetorical level than substantive." Meanwhile, Democrats long gave up the messaging battle on guns. "Democrats finally figured out that this was an issue that they were getting walloped on in many Western, Southern states and many swing states," said Jim Manley, who worked in the Senate for more than 20 years as a top aide to Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "So they began a subtle shift to try to coordinate and/or get more pro-gun Democrats to run." He said, "For many Democrats, it's smart politics not to get into the gun control debate." Talk of gun rights was largely absent from Obama's speech in the aftermath of the Fort Hood shooting in 2009 and after Giffords and others were shot in Arizona last year. Obama mentioned gun safety only in passing after the Tucson shootings to describe the polarizing nature of the issue. The president penned an opinion piece two months after the Tucson shootings that acknowledged the importance of the Second Amendment and called for a "focus" on "effective steps that will actually keep those irresponsible, law-breaking few from getting their hands on a gun in the first place." Political discourse on guns is unlikely to increase since polls indicate Americans don't want to make gun laws more strict and overall gun violence has actually decreased, said Kristin A. Goss, an associate professor of public policy and political science at Duke University and author of "Disarmed: The Missing Movement for Gun Control in America." "Historically the pro control side has struggled to come up with a compelling narrative that will help people come over to the case of stricter gun control laws," Goss said. "For a long time these gun violence rates and massacres speak for themselves. They relied on that to make the case but were up against a very powerful but very well-disciplined and skillful army that was good at taking those arguments apart." CNN's Dana Bash and Allison Brennan contributed to this report.

President Obama, Mitt Romney are unlikely to tread further into thorny gun rights, control issues . Public fairly divided on issue of protecting gun ownership . Both Romney and Obama have a complicated history on gun issues .

Washington (CNN) -- No blood was spilled. But otherwise, a packed Senate hearing room Tuesday watched the political equivalent of a heavyweight fight. Top Senate Democrat Harry Reid sat just feet from rival Republican Leader Mitch McConnell for a rhetorical battle royal over campaign finance and Reid's push to change the Constitution to limit that spending. "The Constitution doesn't give corporations a vote, and it doesn't give dollar bills a vote," said Reid. The Nevada Democrat is pushing for a Constitutional amendment to override the Supreme Court's 2010 "Citizens United" decision and allow Congress to set firm limits on independent and corporate campaign spending in federal elections. The proposal, sponsored by Democratic Sens. Tom Udall of New Mexico and Michael Bennet of Colorado, would also allow states to set more campaign limits in their elections. The Judiciary Committee hearing set up a rare side-by-side appearance by Reid and McConnell, two powerful leaders who are known for their sometimes bitter disagreements over process and policy in the Senate. The effect was electric as the hearing started. Hundreds of seated spectators craned their necks to see both men. As McConnell looked straight ahead at the panel of senators, Reid swung. "Campaign finance reform has been proposed a number of times before -- even by my counterpart, Senator McConnell," Reid said. The Democratic leader pointed to the Republican's 1988 proposal that would have restricted some PAC and so-called "soft-money" contributions made to organizations. McConnell's office has said that the proposal was an alternative to a much more limiting campaign finance bill and insists he has not voted for any funding restrictions since. But Reid kept at it. "Senator McConnell had the right idea (in 1988)," he offered. The Nevada senator also employed his signature move in the debate, blasting conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch, saying the brothers run 15 "phantom" or "phony" campaign funding organizations. Who are the Koch brothers? McConnell waited his turn. Reid finished but then surprised some in the room, indicating he would not stay to hear McConnell's response. Reid's office later told CNN that he had to give remarks at a meeting about mental health and suicide prevention. As he moved to leave, Reid joked that his Republican counterpart likely would not be upset by his departure. "Nope, no problem," McConnell deadpanned. To scattered laughter, Reid exited. Then, the Republican punched back. "Given how incredibly bad this amendment is, I can't blame my friend, the majority leader, from wanting to talk about the Koch Brothers or what I may have said over a quarter century ago," McConnell said. The Kentucky Republican jabbed at the proposal to give Congress control of campaign limits. He called it a threat to basic speech rights and then got to the basic disagreement of the debate: Whether limiting campaign dollars is also limiting speech. Supreme Court allows more private money in election campaigns . By setting spending rates, McConnell argued, Congress would choose who gets how much influence in politics. "Not only would (this proposal) allow the government to favor some speakers over others, it would guarantee preferential treatment," McConnell argued. Other senators in the hearing soon rang in, exchanging quotes from the founding fathers and debating which political party was truly protecting free speech. "This amendment is about power and it is about silencing citizens," boomed Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican of Texas. "When did the (Democrats) abandon the Bill of Rights? ... This would give Congress the power to ban books and muzzle movies." Members of the group Public Citizen, which opposes the "Citizens United" ruling that removed legal barriers preventing corporations and unions from spending unlimited sums on federal elections, laughed mockingly as Cruz spoke. A few rows ahead, some others shot them stern looks. 2014 Midterms: What's at stake . Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer responded directly to Cruz' strike at Democrats. "I think if Thomas Jefferson were looking down at what's being proposed here, he would agree with it," Schumer said. The New Yorker noted that the Supreme Court has upheld some limits on speech, including restrictions on things like child pornography. He directly challenged the Texas tea party favorite. "I want to ask you Sen. Cruz - are you against anti-child pornography laws?" Schumer asked. At the time, Cruz was gone, voting on the Senate floor. When he returned, he was not pleased. "I understand that in my absence Sen. Schumer very kindly gave a lecture on civility and encouraged me not to go over the top, while he then in the same breath accused me of supporting child pornography," Cruz told the committee sarcastically. "So I appreciate that demonstration in senatorial restraint from the senior senator from New York." The hearing was both a serious, powerful debate and an exercise in the tricky personal and political barbs that now litter the Senate. Attendance alone indicated the high stakes and interest in the topic -- with a long hallway full of people being sent to an overflow room to watch the hearing from the building next door. The subject has keen advantages to both political sides, both use it to stoke their bases. But while the hearing may have been high-interest, McConnell ultimately raised the bottom-line question: Where will this constitutional amendment push end up? "Everybody on this committee knows this proposal is never going to pass Congress. This is a political exercise and that's all this is," McConnell told the committee. Democrats insist they will fight for the change, but there is no vote scheduled yet on the proposal and it is not clear when there could be one. Primaries Roundup .

Democrat Harry Reid and Republican Mitch McConnell in a rare joint appearance at Senate hearing . Reid is pushing to change the Constitution to override a court decision opening up campaign spending . The hearing was an exercise in the tricky personal and political barbs that now litter the Senate .

New York (CNN) -- A pamphlet designed to help heroin users with advice has come under fire, with some now questioning whether the public health brochure can actually be used as a how-to guide on drug use. While concerns over the 16-page pamphlet have arisen in recent days, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene created its "Take Charge, Take Care: 10 Tips for Safer Use" brochure in 2007. Its purpose, according to a statement from the department, is "to help people who are injecting drugs reduce the harm associated with this type of drug use until they are able to get into treatment and recover." According to the Health Department, "accidental overdose is the fourth leading cause of early adult death in New York City, claiming more than 600 lives each year." The agency says about 70,000 pamphlets have been produced at a cost to city taxpayers of slightly more than $32,000. "The pamphlet provides potentially life saving advice" reads a health department statement. But critics such as New York City Councilman Peter F. Vallone Jr., chairman of the council's Public Safety Committee, believes the pamphlet is "an indefensible waste of taxpayer money" and is effectively spreading a lie that there is a safe way to inject drugs. "Heroin use is at epidemic levels in New York, and we should be spending money to address that, not teach first-timers how to use," says Vallone. Information in the publication takes the form of "ten critical tips for reducing the harm that illicit drug use, and especially injection drug use can cause." Tip topics include "how to prevent overdose," "prepare drugs carefully," "take care of your veins" and "ask for help to stop using." Within each of the 10 broad tips, the brochure presents several "simple but valuable" related ideas for users about how to lessen potential problems when injecting drugs. One suggestion reads, "Use with someone else. If you're alone and something goes wrong, no one can help." Another says, "Use a new syringe, cooker, cotton, tie, and other supplies every time." Plus, "Warm your body (jump up and down) to show your veins." Along with, "Find the vein before you try to inject." There is also information regarding HIV and hepatitis-C testing, depression and contact information for emergencies and for finding help to quit. New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg addressed the pamphlet controversy on Monday, explaining how "the health department does have an interest in -- if you're going to do certain things -- to get you to do it as healthily as you possibly can." Don Des Jarlais, research director for the Chemical Dependency Institute, said the principle behind the pamphlet has always been to emphasize treatment and to reduce the spread of disease like HIV/AIDS. However, if people still engage in risky behavior, the "Take Charge, Take Care" information is meant to mitigate risks associated with intravenous drug use and present guidance for people to partake in the safest manner possible. But Vallone believes the pamphlet goes "well beyond clean needles" advice, providing anyone who wants to experiment with information about how to prepare drugs and find veins -- information that an already-using addict would find useless. New York state's top Drug Enforcement Administration official, John P. Gilbride, echoes Vallone, saying the pamphlet is essentially a "how-to guide" for drug use. Gilbride expressed his concern that the pamphlet could send a message that leads individuals to believe they can use heroin in some safe manner. "Using heroin can never be safe. It's akin to playing Russian roulette with a loaded gun" Gilbride told CNN. Indeed, "there is no safe way to inject" agreed Des Jarlais, in response to criticism that the pamphlet presents heroin use as harmless. "I think the word 'safely' is wrong," he said, but if people do inject drugs, he hopes large information campaigns can help lessen risks. "Using hard drugs is just not a smart thing to do," Bloomberg said Monday. "But we have an obligation no matter what the people do in this city to make sure they do it as safe as they can." Vallone, meanwhile rhetorically asks, "What's next, a kids' guide for playing safely in traffic?" Vallone said he sent a letter to the city's health commissioner Monday to immediately cease circulation and funding for the pamphlet, and he plans to "hold his feet to the fire during upcoming budget meetings" unless the health department admits its mistake. The pamphlet is just one component of a larger municipal effort, explained Des Jarlais. Along with the informational brochure, there are also face-to-face community outreach initiatives, expansion of drug abuse treatment facilities and 47 state-authorized syringe exchange program throughout New York City's five boroughs. Des Jarlais points to an 80 percent reduction of HIV reported among new drug users in New York City as proof that programs such as needle exchanges are working. The health department reports that overdose deaths have declined by 25 percent from 2006 to 2008, representing at least 200 fewer deaths. "I don't think there is a healthy way [to use heroin[, but there may be less dangerous ways to do certain things," Bloomberg said. CNN's Cassie Spodak contributed to this report.

16-page pamphlet under fire for being a "how-to" guide for drug use . New York City Health Department published brochure in 2007 . Councilman: Money should be spent to curb use, "not teach first-timers how to use" Bloomberg says drug use isn't smart, but city has duty to help make things as safe as possible .

(CNN) -- Police met a wayward jet that overshot the runway by 150 miles -- while not responding to control tower communications -- and said the pilots were "cooperative, apologetic and appreciative." Authorities are reviewing the plane's cockpit voice recorder as well as its flight data recorder. The Minneapolis-St. Paul [Minnesota] Airport Police report on the incident, released Friday, said officers asked flight attendants to keep passengers in their seats while they checked out the cockpit, where, they said, "the door was standing open." The police report identified the pilot as Timothy B. Cheney and the first officer as Richard I. Cole. "The pilot ... indicated they had become involved in conversation and had not heard radio communications," the report said. "They indicated there had been no involvement from anyone in the cabin." "Both volunteered to a preliminary breath test with the result being .000 for both parties," the report said. The lead flight attendant, the report said, told officers that she was unaware there had been an incident aboard. Northwest Flight 188 -- carrying 144 people and five crew members -- flew past the Minneapolis airport during a mysterious 78 minutes of radio silence beginning about 7:56 p.m. ET Wednesday night. The Airbus A320 was carrying 147 passengers and an unknown number of crew members, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Air traffic controllers re-established radio contact after the plane had flown about 150 miles past its destination. Watch how Flight 188 drama unfolded » . The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the incident, is hoping the plane's cockpit voice recorder will either confirm the pilot's account or provide evidence of another possible explanation, including whether the captain and first officer had fallen asleep. However, approached outside his home Friday, the first officer told CNN affiliate KGW that "nobody was asleep in the cockpit and no arguments took place." Cole was referring to NTSB's earlier statement that said, "The crew stated they were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness." "There's a lot of misinterpretation going on," Cole said, though he refused to comment further. The voice recorder is capable of recording only 30 minutes of audio, federal accident investigators said Friday. The plane was in the air for another 45 minutes after radio contact was restored, meaning that if the recorder was working properly, anything the pilots would have said during the time they were not answering radio calls would have been recorded over. But a former accident investigator told CNN the voice recorder may still provide valuable information, because the pilots could have discussed the earlier events on the way back to Minneapolis. The separate flight data recorder also could prove valuable because it would have recorded actions taken by the pilots during the 78 minutes they did not respond to repeated calls from air traffic controllers, the former accident investigator said. The safety board said Friday afternoon that experts were reviewing the solid-state voice recorder. It said only that the recorder "captured a portion of the flight that is being analyzed," and added there would be no further comment. Watch as former NTSB official calls long silence "unacceptable" » . Meanwhile, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which scrambled fighter jets for the wayward plane did not launch them, said it was reviewing procedures for launching the fighters to track potentially hijacked or suspicious aircraft. At issue, according to a senior U.S. official directly familiar with the timeline of the incident, is the FAA's apparent delay in notifying NORAD that the Northwest jet was not in contact with controllers. The official, who declined to be identified because both the military and the FAA are reviewing the entire incident, said that the FAA's request for military involvement came after the plane passed the Minneapolis airport. NORAD scrambled fighter jets at two locations. But as they approached the runway for takeoff, the FAA reported being back in contact with the Northwest flight, and the fighters stayed on the ground. "My real question is why we did not know of the 'radio out' situation from the FAA sooner," the officials said. "The FAA is also looking into that," the official told CNN. Since the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, NORAD has regularly launched fighter jets to track aircraft in unusual situations such as when they deviate from flight plans, lose radio contact or enter restricted airspace. According to a second U.S. official, NORAD is in constant contact with the FAA so it can respond when situations arise. Reported instances of two pilots falling asleep are rare. In August, the safety board concluded its investigation into a February 13, 2008, incident in which two pilots aboard a Go airlines flight fell asleep and traveled 26 miles beyond the destination of Hilo, Hawaii, before waking and contacting air traffic controllers. Northwest Airlines is part of Delta Air Lines, which issued a statement Thursday, saying it is "cooperating with the FAA and NTSB in their investigation, as well as conducting our own internal investigation. The pilots have been relieved from active flying pending the completion of these investigations." It said Flight 188 landed safely in Minneapolis just after 9 p.m. Delta suffered another major embarrassment this week when a Delta pilot landed a passenger jet on a taxiway at Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport instead of the runway. The NTSB is investigating that case as well. CNN's Mike M. Ahlers and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.

NEW: Airport police report identifies pilot and first officer . NEW: NORAD reviewing procedures after delay in learning of wayward airliner . Northwest Airlines flight overshot Minneapolis airport by about 150 miles . NTSB: Crew said they were in "heated discussion" and "lost situational awareness"

(CNN) -- I was 23 and a graduate trainee journalist when Marie Colvin survived an ambush in Sri Lanka that robbed her of an eye. To me, she was already part of a small band of women war correspondents, starting with Martha Gellhorn, who were my role models. To me, these women lived the story, gave voice to the voiceless and urged the myopic world to sit up and give a damn. The romantic in me yearned for their life of exotic travel, dangerous liaisons and hushed confidences over drinks and cigarettes in dingy bars, where stories were written and lifelong friendships made. The realist in me did not understand the risks then. It wasn't until later that I realised I am not brave enough to be like Marie and some of the women I've met in my work. I've travelled to some dark places and reported from some danger zones, but nothing of the magnitude that she and they have encountered. I had first come across Marie while doing work experience on the foreign desk at the Sunday Times. To a young, hungry, aspiring foreign correspondent, she was an inspiration. But her experience in Sri Lanka several years later gave her added gravitas in my eyes. She was a survivor in a world where safety had not yet really become part of the culture and conversation in news rooms and, even then, in the years before the inexorable rise of social media raised the stakes and cacophony of information for traditional journalists, she was a rare breed. Having decided in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti that I no longer wanted to report from these so-called hostile environments, that I no longer wished to do so as the mother of a small daughter, I now work for the International News Safety Institute, a charity that provides safety advice and training to journalists working in dangerous situations. At INSI, I've seen the risks journalists take and face across the world and I've learned about the people whose names and lives are hidden behind the statistics -- who represent the 120 or so men and women working in the news media killed every year trying to do their job. Unlike Marie, most of them aren't well-known journalists, reporting for famous newspapers. Most come from countries like Pakistan, the Philippines and Mexico, where ineffective governments and corrupt officials, businesspeople and gangs want to silence them. Along with Tim Hetherington and Anthony Shadid, Marie Colvin is probably the best known journalist to die whilst covering the Arab Spring. However, almost 30 more news media workers have died doing their jobs since the uprisings took root across the Middle East last year. With their unknown names and faces, they are unlike her. But like Marie, they are men and women who felt compelled to fight against injustice, armed only with their words and images. Marie knew that no war was risk free. And, after Sri Lanka, she knew that more than most. But she knew too that journalists have a responsibility in helping write that first rough draft of history. In a speech that's been much quoted in the past 24 hours, which she gave at a service in 2010 paying tribute to journalists killed in their work, she said: "Our mission is to report these horrors of war with accuracy and without prejudice. We always have to ask ourselves whether the level of risk is worth the story. What is bravery, and what is bravado?" There are many who turned back before Marie. Her mother said she wanted to finish "one more story". Her bosses urged her to leave the besieged Syrian city of Homs. One friend, the BBC's Jim Muir, says he sensed in her a vulnerability he'd not seen before in the days before she left for Syria. Shortly before she died, she told another friend, Channel 4 News' Lindsey Hilsum, that it was the "worst they'd ever seen". And, yet she felt compelled to continue shining a light on the worst suffering humans can inflict on each other, to give voice to the voiceless and expose the truth - in her case at a terrible price. Her death and that of the brilliant French photographer Remi Ochlick have highlighted risks that journalists take to do their jobs. It has shown that there still remains a rare breed of talented, humane journalist who believes it is worth risking everything to tell the story of the victims of war. At INSI, we want to pay tribute to Marie and the men and women like her. I hope her death will make the world sit up and realize what's going on in Syria and I hope her death will make people realize the risks that journalists across the world take every day to bring home the news. Marie Colvin remains for me a role model, the Martha Gellhorn of her generation: An extraordinary woman who combined grit and glamour. Women like her are rare in an industry long dominated by men. Often the risks they face are no different from their male counterparts. But, on many occasions they are. At INSI, we're launching a book dedicated to the safety of women journalists. In it, 40 women from around the world, including CNN's Hala Gorani, tell of covering war and civil unrest, corruption and disaster. They detail episodes of desperate detention, of kidnap, assault, extraordinary escapes and moments of awe-inspiring bravery, as they share their experiences of being a female journalist. The decision to put together this unique book was triggered by the terrible attack on Lara Logan in Tahrir Square last year. It went to print just days before Marie's death. "No Woman's Land: On the Frontlines with Female Reporters" will be published on March 8, International Women's Day. It will be launched with a tribute to Marie. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Hannah Storm.

Former reporter Hannah Storm says Marie Colvin was an inspiration to journalists . Storm, of International News Safety Institute, says reporters face dangers in course of work . Storm: Colvin "shone a light on the worst suffering humans can inflict on each other"

(CNN) -- Since the time of Nicolaus Copernicus five centuries ago, people have wondered whether there are other planets like Earth in the universe. Today scientists are closer than ever to an answer -- and it appears to be that the Milky Way galaxy is rich in Earth-sized planets, according to astronomer Dimitar Sasselov. Drawing on new findings from a NASA telescope, he told the TED Global conference in Oxford, England earlier this month that nearly 150 Earth-sized planets have been detected so far. He estimated that the overall number of planets in the galaxy with "similar conditions to the conditions that we experience here on Earth is pretty staggering. It's about 100 million such planets." A Bulgarian-born scientist with Ph.D.s in astronomy and physics, Sasselov is a professor of astronomy and director of the Harvard Origins of Life Initiative, which brings together scientists from many disciplines to explore how life began. He titled his talk at the Oxford conference: "On Completing the Copernican Revolution." Until technology was developed to detect planets outside the solar system 15 years ago, scientists were only able to speculate about the existence of Earth-like planets. The new technology paid off in the discovery of some 500 planets. The disappointing fact though was that very few of the newly identified planets were the size of Earth. "There was of course an explanation for it. We only see the big planets. So that's why most of those planets are really in the category of 'like Jupiter,' " he said. Read more about Dimitar Sasselov on TED.com . There was no indication that these large planets were suitable for life to begin. "We were still back where Copernicus was. We didn't have any evidence whether planets like the Earth are out there," Sasselov said. "And we do care about planets like the Earth because by now we understood that life as a chemical system really needs a smaller planet with water and with rocks and with a lot of complex chemistry to originate, to emerge, to survive. And we didn't have the evidence for that." In March 2009, NASA launched Kepler, a telescope-carrying satellite that can detect the dimming of light caused by a planet orbiting around a star. "All the stars for Kepler are just points of light," Sasselov said. "But we learn a lot from that, not only that there is a planet there, but we also learn its size. How much of the light is being dimmed depends on how big the planet is. We learn about its orbit, the period of its orbit and so on." The discovery of many potential planets means "we can go and study them -- remotely, of course -- with all the techniques that we already have tested in the past five years. We can find what they're made of, would their atmospheres have water, carbon dioxide, methane." At the same time, Sasselov believes, scientists can make progress in the laboratory on better understanding how chemicals can produce life. "And in one of our labs, Jack Szostak's labs, it was a series of experiments in the last four years that showed that the environments -- which are very common on planets, on certain types of planets like the Earth -- where you have some liquid water and some clays, you actually end up with naturally available molecules which spontaneously form bubbles. But those bubbles have membranes very similar to the membrane of every cell of every living thing on Earth. .... And they really help molecules, like nucleic acids, like RNA and DNA, stay inside, develop, change, divide and do some of the processes that we call life." Copernicus is famous for the then-revolutionary idea that the Earth orbits the sun rather than that the universe is centered around Earth. But Sasselov pointed out that with the Copernican revolution came a humbling sense of mankind's insignificance in the universe. "You've all learned that in school -- how small the Earth is compared to the immense universe. And the bigger the telescope, the bigger that universe becomes. ... So in space, the Earth is very small. To demonstrate the minuteness of life on Earth, Sasselov took off his tie. "Can you imagine how small it is? Let me try it. OK, let's say this is the size of the observable universe, with all the galaxies, with all the stars. Do you know what the size of life in this necktie will be? "It will be the size of a single, small atom. It is unimaginably small. ... But that's not the whole story, you see." The other dimension of life on Earth is time -- and life has existed for a good portion, nearly a third, of the time the universe is believed to have existed, Sasselov said. "This is not insignificant. This is very significant. So life might be insignificant in size, but it is not insignificant in time. Life and the universe compare to each other like a child and a parent, parent and offspring. "So what does this tell us? This tells us that that insignificance paradigm that we somehow got to learn from the Copernican principle, it's all wrong. There is immense, powerful, potential in life in this universe -- especially now that we know that places like the Earth are common. And that potential, that powerful potential, is also our potential, of you and me. "And if we are to be stewards of our planet Earth and its biosphere, we better understand the cosmic significance and do something about it. And the good news is we can actually indeed do it. "

Dimitar Sasselov: Earth-sized planets are plentiful in the galaxy . He says planets of such size are suited for the chemical processes that can produce life . Sasselov says biologists are finding clues to origin of life in laboratories . He says Earth life is notably old, representing nearly a third of age of universe .

(CNN) -- Twenty years ago last month, the North American Free Trade Agreement was born. The goal of NAFTA was straightforward -- to encourage the free movement of goods and capital between the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Few points in history have been as important in forging bonds between our three countries. While NAFTA is a relatively new pact that ties our nations, there are some things that go back far longer that bind us. Like the annual monarch butterfly migration, which started long before the trades, borders or foreign affairs were even an issue. There's no record telling us when monarch butterflies first began their journeys of up to 2,800 miles between southern Canada, the northern U.S., and central Mexico. It's easy to assume that an end date for the migrations is just as elusive, but reality tells a different story. In January, we got grim news from the central mountains of Mexico, the southernmost destination for migrating monarchs and sanctuary for their winter hibernation. According to surveys carried out by World Wildlife Fund, together with Mexico's National Commission on Protected Areas and other partners, the entire hibernating population of monarch butterflies in the 2013-2014 season occupied an area of forest not much bigger than a football field -- a mere 1.6 acres. This is a 44% drop from the previous season, and a continuation of the freefall migrating monarchs have taken since data collection began two decades ago. 2013 was the worst year for these butterflies in recorded history. Now people are talking about the migration disappearing altogether. There are several reasons for the decline, including extreme climate events in the U.S. and Canada as well as deforestation in Mexico. Yet the biggest culprit is likely the widespread extermination of milkweed, a flowering plant critical to monarch butterfly reproduction and development. Across much of the monarch's range, particularly in the midwestern U.S., milkweed has fallen victim en masse to changing land use and the advent of herbicide-resistant crops. In short, the cupboard is bare for monarch caterpillars, and as a result one of North America's most dazzling natural wonders is on the brink of vanishing entirely. If you've been fortunate enough to witness any part of the monarch spectacle, you understand why we can't let this happen. Whether a blanket of orange against a deep blue sky; a forest draped from root to leaf in dormant monarchs; or a single butterfly fluttering past you en route to join the masses, there is nothing quite like it. The proverbial silver lining to this dark news on migratory monarch numbers is that it may have come at an opportune time. Next Wednesday, February 19, U.S. President Obama will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Peña Nieto at the North American Leaders' Summit in Toluca, Mexico. Toluca is just a short distance from the monarch's hibernation sites. During the summit, the butterflies will still be in nearby forests, poised to emerge from a four-month siesta that began in early winter. White House officials have said the three leaders will discuss "a range of issues important to the daily lives of all of North America's people." What isn't clear is whether the plight of the monarchs will make the agenda, and if the three countries bound by an age-old butterfly migration will together show resolve in making sure this unique connection isn't permanently severed. Whether monarchs flying south from Ontario, across America's heartland to converge on the oyamel fir trees of the Sierra Madre; gray whales hugging the California coast as they migrate from Baja to the Beaufort Sea and back again; or pronghorn antelope clinging to strongholds from the Northern Great Plains to the Sonoran Desert, the natural bonds connecting the U.S., Mexico and Canada stretch back millennia and transcend anything that can be traded or written on paper. They are bonds to take pride in, that unite the countries of North America in unexpected, beautiful ways. Something we simply cannot let disappear. The summit in Toluca may be the last hope we have of saving the monarch migration. President Peña Nieto himself has been committed to the conservation of the monarch sanctuaries of Estado de Mexico since he served as governor there from 2005 to 2011. He knows firsthand the significant efforts and sacrifices of Mexico's local indigenous communities, authorities and civil society organizations to protect the sanctuaries. He also knows the important contribution the butterflies bring to local social and economic well-being. Only a joint effort from all three countries will turn the tide in favor of the monarch. Our leaders must re-energize efforts to conserve the monarch butterfly, like those under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation that was born alongside NAFTA. This plan must include concrete actions to halt destruction of milkweed in the U.S. and Canada, restore monarch habitat in all three countries, and strengthen law enforcement in Mexico to stop deforestation. If together we could pull off something as big and ambitious as NAFTA, solving the monarch crisis must be within our means. We urge our heads-of-state, on behalf of all the people of North America, to use this opportunity to commit to the long-term preservation of one of our most ancient and spectacular bonds. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Carter Roberts and Omar Vidal.

President Obama and his counterparts from Canada and Mexico will meet at summit . Carter Roberts, Omar Vidal: They should discuss plight of monarch butterflies . 2013 was the worst year for these butterflies in recorded history, they say . Roberts, Vidal: They're a special to North America, we must stop their decline .

Beijing (CNN) -- Demonstrators braved a heavy police presence and the threat of arrest by massing Thursday in the streets of Kunming, China, to protest the planned construction of a chemical plant, they said. "It was mostly a peaceful protest," said an activist who asked to be identified only by his family name, Young. "We were singing the national anthem, shouting 'Get out, refinery!' together." He added, "We were scattered by the heavy police force in the area. I saw locals scuffling with police, people getting arrested and pulled away." Read more: Can social media clear air over China? The plant is a hot topic in the city, which is the capital of Yunnan province in southwestern China. "Every Kunming person cares about this issue," said another Kunming native, a 50-year-old man who said rows of police thwarted his efforts to reach the heart of the protest. "The police kept blocking off the protest, block by block." Local government officials did not respond to CNN phone calls for comment. Photos posted on Chinese social media sites showed uniformed and riot police surrounding groups of demonstrators. The five activists who spoke to CNN asked not to be named for fear of reprisals from Chinese authorities. The oil refinery and chemical plant would be built in Anning city, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of Kunming, according to Xinhua, China's state news agency. Report: China lax in treating, policing lead poisoning . Opponents fear the chemical plant would produce tons of paraxylene, a carcinogenic chemical identified by the acronym PX. Several days after a May 4 protest, the Kunming mayor joined executives from the state China National Petroleum Corp. and the Yuntianhua Group for a joint news conference. "The government will call off the project if most of our citizens say no to it," said Mayor Li Wenrong, according to Xinhua. The provincial general manager of China National Petroleum Corp. has said the refinery will not use the chemical. "The project has no PX facilities, nor will it produce PX products," Hu Jingke said, according to Xinhua. Kunming residents expressed deep distrust of government officials and the state-owned enterprises behind the refinery project. Several said authorities took draconian measures in the days running up to Thursday's protest in an attempt to prevent demonstrators from taking to the streets. Opinion: Why booming China needs to act fast . A 25-year-old Kunming native who asked to be identified as Claire told CNN that police detained and interrogated her for more than nine hours after she was caught distributing anti-refinery fliers on a city street Tuesday. "I understand we need oil refineries," Claire said in a phone interview. She said she opposed this one because "it's just so close to the city and the fact that the whole process was not transparent and we're not allowed to ask questions." Claire said police accused her of staging an "illegal gathering." As part of the interrogation, she said, police took her to the print shop where she had made copies of her fliers. Then they escorted her to her parents' home, where they demanded that she erase files about the refinery from her computer. Finally, she said, they threatened her and banned her from attending Thursday's protest. CNN Blog: Why China's leaders should worry about climate change . "Basically, they're saying if I have this on my record, I won't get any government job or state-owned enterprise job," Claire said. Several other Kunming residents said students and employees of state-owned companies had been warned not to attend the demonstration. "Kunming is a beautiful city, where we have cleaner air than any other cities in this country," Young said. "We fear the refinery will destroy the city's natural environment, and we demanded to see the environmental impact assessment report of this project. But we were rejected by the government who told us it's a 'state secret.' " An executive from Yuntianhua, which also has a major stake in the chemical plant, told journalists that an environmental impact assessment for the project had not been completed, Xinhua said. In March, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao promised that health safeguards would be improved and efforts would be made to control air pollution and make water supplies safer. China air pollution: 'Slightly polluted' or 'hazardous'? "We should adopt effective measures to prevent and control pollution and change the way we work and live," Wen said. The emphasis on environmental and health issues comes as China's leaders confront growing anger about choking pollution, contaminated food, and water that is unsafe to drink. The statistics are staggering. China now burns 3.8 billion tons of coal each year, nearly as much as the rest of the world combined. In January, the smog over Beijing was so thick, it could be seen from space. China's CO2 emissions rose by 720 million tons in 2011 -- a 9.3% increase. Pollution and dust generated in China have been found as far away as California. Maintaining blockbuster growth has sometimes come at the expense of environmental protections. The government has made explicit its intention to weigh environmental regulation against the cost to the economy. But analysts say the public outcry over pollution has tipped the scales. China has already tried to boost the use of alternative sources of power, setting standards for solar energy installation and switching from coal to gas in some cities. CNNMoney's Charles Riley contributed to this report.

Photos posted on social media show riot police surrounding demonstrators . Protester: "I saw locals scuffling with police, people getting arrested and pulled away" "Every Kunming person cares about this issue," another protester says . Opponents fear the plant would produce tons of paraxylene, a carcinogenic chemical .

(CNN)As Wisconsin prepares to try two children as adults in an attempted murder case allegedly inspired by the mythical Slenderman, the prosecution of two preteens in adult court challenges our faith in the juvenile justice system. The entire juvenile justice system is premised upon one bedrock principle. It's an immutable fact that our parents and forebears have known for millennia, and it's something that science is increasingly backing up: Juveniles are different. They are irresponsible. They say the darndest things. I believe children are our future; teach them well and let them see the way. Show them all the beauty -- well, everything Whitney Houston said in that song, you get the point. The point is, this is why we have a juvenile justice system in the first place. Not only are children developmentally different, but even the Supreme Court has long recognized that they are also constitutionally different. As recognized by Justice Anthony Kennedy in a recent court opinion, a child's immaturity leads to recklessness, impulsiveness, and risky behavior. Children are more vulnerable to negative influences and outside pressures both from lousy family members and from ne'er-do-well peers. They have limited control over their environment and lack the capacity to extricate themselves from bad situations. The flipside to all this is that because a child's character is not as fixed as an adult's, bad behavior is not necessarily indicative of irretrievable depravity. Children are redeemable because they may simply "grow out" of their bad behavior. The bottom line, according to the court, is that these differences diminish the traditional penological justifications for harsh punishment of juveniles -- even when they commit the most horrific crimes. The juvenile justice system is different because kids are different. Modern science agrees, providing biological explanations for juvenile delinquency: . "The most noteworthy features of adolescent brain development relate to changes occurring within the brain's frontal lobes -- in particular the prefrontal cortex -- and in the connections between the prefrontal cortex and other brain structures. These areas and interconnections are critical to 'executive' functions such as planning, motivation, judgment, and decisionmaking, including the evaluation of future consequences, the weighing of risk and reward, the perception and control of emotions, and the processing and inhibition of impulses," the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the National Association of Social Workers wrote in a friend-of-the-court brief filed with the Supreme Court in 2012. This research -- plus our firmly entrenched notions about juvenile responsibility -- have informed the operation of our juvenile justice system since its inception. Instead of punishment and incarceration, the juvenile system focuses on treatment and rehabilitation. At least that's the theory. But how is it executed? Typically, a juvenile court can send a child to a secure educational facility instead of prison, and juvenile courts generally lose jurisdiction over children at a statutory age -- usually anywhere from 21 to 25. Their juvenile records are customarily sealed and not public like adult criminal records. The idea is this: Once you are an adult, you get a fresh start. After all, your childish behavior is now behind you. Unless -- well, unless what you did was really, really, really bad. In that case? You're going to prison at Shawshank with the rest of the adults. Although all states differ, the general rule is this: Juvenile court has jurisdiction over a child unless he or she is alleged to have committed something awful, like murder or attempted murder, and then the case is automatically (or at the discretion of the court or prosecutor) placed in adult court, where the child is subject to adult penalties. But what happened to all that "prefrontal cortex" talk and the Supreme Court, and "children are fundamentally different"? Apparently, children are different -- but if they really make us angry, they can go be different in prison. It's a paradox. We treat children according to their developmental culpability, with a colossal exception: If the consequences of their behavior are really serious, we instead deal with them according to the outcome -- even though the biological genesis of that behavior remains exactly the same. If a child punches an adult, the child may land in juvenile court. If a child punches an adult, and that adult falls and dies, then the child might be in adult court. Same root causes of bad behavior, different judicial outcome. The neurology remains the same in all cases, but we inconsistently demand disparate treatment. Why the judicial hypocrisy? It's as if society is saying it acknowledges all the science about adolescent brain development and is fine with it as long as we're talking about crimes like spray-painting cars, smoking pot, or a fistfight at school. But for those most egregious crimes like murder, the scientific mumbo jumbo goes out the window. When kids kill, society wants retribution. Adult-style retribution. Maybe it's just legislative recognition of what we ultimately believe: Sure, child development has as a general rule that kids are redeemable, but there are exceptions to every rule. Some kids are just bad to the bone -- they are trouble, and they will always be trouble. And if your mind just wandered to a specific kid in your neighborhood, maybe you agree with that concept. But there's probably one notable exception: your own kid. Your little snowflake is really a good kid and would never do anything wrong. When it comes to the juvenile system, we should address the inconsistency; it borders on hypocrisy. If we agree the juvenile mind is less culpable, we should treat it that way, without exception.

Two girls are accused of stabbing a friend to impress the fictional Slenderman . Danny Cevallos: Children developmentally, constitutionally different .

(CNN) -- Will Michael Jackson stop the world? Fans have set up impromptu shrines to Michael Jackson, including this one at his family's house. Thousands are expected to swamp Los Angeles, California, to mourn him Tuesday at the Staples Center, and the accompanying media crush will be enormous. The tribute to the King of Pop at Harlem's Apollo Theater earlier this week drew coverage from all over the world, along with a public turnout in the thousands. Given the feverish interest in all things Jackson, the Los Angeles memorial could be one of the most-viewed events of all time. "This will obviously be a huge media event, and with Web streams of the funeral, it may be impossible to say for sure how many people watched once all is said and done, because there's still no comprehensive way to measure Web viewing," said Toni Fitzgerald, of Media Life, in an e-mail interview. A handful of events have earned the kind of worldwide coverage to put the world on pause, if only for a moment. The 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy "had the nation locked in a trance for two or three days," recalled TV critic Ed Bark of UncleBarky.com. The world audience for the Apollo 11 moon landing has been estimated in the hundreds of millions. The BBC estimated 2.5 billion people watched the 1997 funeral of Princess Diana. Watch Jermaine Jackson talk about his brother's legacy » . The numbers are easily exaggerated -- nobody knows how many people are watching in groups or in public places -- and the Web has complicated matters further. But in a multichannel, satellite TV, computer-and-cell phone world, the Jackson memorial could have an audience in the hundreds of millions. It was first believed the event would take place at Jackson's Neverland Ranch. But the family announced Thursday that it will hold a private ceremony Tuesday, and then a massive public memorial service at the Staples Center. Fans had until 6 p.m. Saturday to register for free tickets to the memorial service. Organizers used a computer to choose 8,750 names from 1.6 million who registered since Friday. Watch a tour of Neverland » . "You have to go back to the Beatles, the death of John Lennon perhaps, and the death of Elvis Presley to find a comparable figure in, not just pop music, but pop culture," said Entertainment Weekly critic-at-large Ken Tucker. (EW, like CNN, is a unit of Time Warner.) "And Jackson so self-consciously turned himself into not just an American pop icon but a global pop icon. I think this does have worldwide implications and interest." See how interest in Jackson's music has skyrocketed » . The circumstances of Jackson's death have led to comparisons with Presley's in 1977, but in terms of coverage, the two can't compare. The news wasn't even the top story on CBS' "Evening News," Bark recalled, and there certainly wasn't wall-to-wall nationwide live coverage of his funeral. A public viewing drew about 30,000 fans; the funeral, two days after his death, was held in Graceland's living room. But Bark said there are parallels, at least in terms of coverage, with the Kennedy assassination. "These days it's so much harder to get a bulk audience on any given venue the way the [broadcast networks] did back then, but still the enormity [of the event] -- it's the syndicated tabloid shows ... and TMZ and all the cable networks devoting lots of attention to it, [and] the broadcast networks can't seem to do enough specials in prime time," said Bark. "I do think it's comparative but in a very different way." Officially, the sorts of events that have attracted the largest mass audiences have been scheduled entertainment or sports programs. Sixty percent of America watched the 1983 "M*A*S*H" finale; more than half watched the 1980 "Who Shot J.R." episode of "Dallas" and the 1977 "Roots" conclusion. The Beatles' first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964 drew about 45 percent of the country. The Super Bowl is routinely the year's most watched program, with audiences north of 80 million -- about 40 percent of U.S. television households. Although interest in Jackson has been high, the number of viewing choices (and, perhaps, the traditional decline in summer viewing) has kept the ratings for individual Jackson-oriented shows down. "Jackson's death came up in just about every conversation I had from Thursday to Sunday, and yet only 5 million people tuned in to some of those broadcast specials," Media Life magazine's Fitzgerald observed. Still, the public memorial service might be different. "I expect you'll see very big tune-ins on the cable news networks and on BET, if they cover it; they had huge numbers for their BET Awards focused on Jackson over the weekend," Fitzgerald said. The BET Awards was watched by 10.7 million, the most ever for a cable awards show. "With the celebrity factor thrown into the funeral, who'll be there, who'll talk, I would guess tens of millions in the U.S. will watch it on TV," she said. It is certain is that the news media will be there in force. "I guess we're all going to wait and see what the spectacle is," Bark said. "There may be no precedent for this."

Public memorial Tuesday could be one of the most-viewed events of all time . It could have a television and online audience in the hundreds of millions . Jackson's death has led to comparisons with Elvis Presley's death . Others see parallels, at least in terms of coverage, with the Kennedy assassination .

(CNN) -- Sodden and crumbling, the Pin Oak levee was the only thing standing between Winfield, Missouri, and the flood-swollen Mississippi River on Wednesday. James Burt sits on an embankment near a neighborhood inundated with floodwaters in Winfield, Missouri. "The currents are already doing enough to our levees, but a 2-inch wake can cause an entire levee to break," said Andy Binder, public information officer for Lincoln County Emergency Operations Command. "Right now, we are using the Missouri State Water Patrol to keep people from using their boats around the levees." On Tuesday, the 2½-mile levee was hit by a "down slide" along a 160-foot section of its northern wall. The Army Corps of Engineers rushed in with sandbags and extra dirt for the base to keep the soil from slipping further. The Army Corps of Engineers and Army National Guard announced Wednesday that the troubled section had been fixed, but a 100-foot-long slide west of the original was starting to crumble. Watch the Mississippi's waters rise » . For the 5,000 residents of Lincoln County, it is now a matter of waiting and hoping the levee holds until the Mississippi crests and begins to fall. The river level stood just above 37 feet Wednesday on its secondary crest, 11 feet above flood stage, and is expected to crest again Saturday afternoon at 37.5 feet, The Associated Press reported. At Winfield High School, halls normally dominated by teens are being shared with volunteer workers and evacuated families in the school's gymnasium, which has served as an American Red Cross rescue shelter since June 16. Floodwaters have damaged 692 homes. "Right now, I'm feeling pretty desperate and in need," said Sam Payne, who is staying at the high school with his wife and two children. Payne, who left his home June 17, watched as water rose to the roof after one of the first levee breaches. "It's positive that my family is still together," he said. "We're trying to hold back [our emotions]. The hard part -- the working part -- is going to be after the water finally recedes." About 20 Lincoln County residents are completely dependent on the emergency center at the high school, according to the American Red Cross. "What we have been doing is feeding people three times a day, even those who aren't sleeping in the gym, and giving others food and snacks to take home with them," said Dan Flippen, the shelter's manager. "Luckily, the turnout of the businesses have been outstanding up here, and the school's principal and staff have been gems for us." iReport.com: Take a flood tour of Lincoln County, MO . The administration and staff memberse have been cleaning, cooking and making space inside the school for people who have been displaced by the flooding. Students have also been taking time to help. "The students here are constantly trying to help out in the gym," Flippen said. "We have to turn anyone who isn't 18 away, but most of those kids just go outside and sandbag." While the gym has been turned into a makeshift headquarters for the Red Cross and Salvation Army, the Army Corps of Engineers has created a loading depot for levee sandbags behind the school. Rescue officials were rushing to fill to 50,000 sandbags to fortify the levee. They brought in 200 tons of sand and called on anyone who wants to volunteer in the sandbagging effort to report to the high school. Their efforts have been vital to keeping the Pin Oak levee intact and protecting the southern end of Winfield. But with the river approaching its cresting level, sandbagging activities at the high school will stop Sunday afternoon, according to Binder. While they wait, officials watch the water levels and keep boats away from the levee. The Missouri State Water Patrol is also looking out for potential looters and people breaking into unattended cars. Only a few incidents have been reported, and law enforcement released a statement saying those caught looting flood victims would be prosecuted "with the utmost prejudice." Evacuations are still being scheduled for people in areas close to the rising water, and the Red Cross and Salvation Army are stocking up on supplies from individual donors, local businesses and the St. Louis Red Cross chapter. Pending the rains, the weather service said the river wouldn't begin to recede at St. Louis -- where there is flooding, but it is not significant -- until Thursday night. Forecasters said the last point on the river to finish cresting would be near Chester, Illinois, about 80 miles south of St. Louis, on Friday. On Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for Lincoln County. Early Tuesday, water broke through one of the main levees in neighboring St. Charles County. Officials working around the levee are required to wear life jackets, with the levee now able to "go at any time," according to Binder. Meanwhile, President Bush declared 22 Missouri counties to be disaster areas on Wednesday. The declaration makes federal funding available to state and local governments for disaster-related damages. Even with the approaching water, residents are trying to remain optimistic. "There have certainly been some tears shed here," Flippen said. "But people here are used to getting flooded, and they'll try to do the best they can. "Just the other day, we had a a couple of guys who were driving from Oklahoma just to sandbag. It shows the type of effort people are putting in to help us out."

Town of Winfield, Missouri, hopes crumbling Pin Oak levee holds until river crests . Mississippi expected to crest Saturday at more than 11 feet above flood stage . Winfield High School becomes staging ground for relief efforts, temporary shelters . Floodwaters have damaged 692 homes in Winfield .

(CNN) -- The other day I was engaged in a rather thoughtful conversation with one of my CNN co-workers, an Ivy League-educated, award-winning journalist who's admired for her compassion and charm. She asked me to fart. Now, I don't want to embarrass this individual by sharing her name, but it was definitely Jessica Ravitz. The conversation went like this. Jessica: "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I sort of want you to do it." (I fart. It was silent.) Me: "How's that for you?" Jessica: "No! You didn't!" Me: "Oh, I did." Jessica: "Really? Seriously? I can't smell a thing." We give each other high fives. You see, I was wearing Shreddies, a new flatulence-filtering underwear that recently made news all over the Web. It was actually trending several weeks ago, and I was hoping to write about the product then, while it was still a big talker online. However, I'm a serious journalist with literally hours of experience, and I felt it just wasn't enough to simply mention that these things exist. I had to actually try them out. So they shipped me a fresh pair from the UK. At least I hope they were fresh. Either way, they're not now. Eventually, they arrived. And after a three-day trial run on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week, it's finally time for a serious conversation about farts. Which is great, because it's basically my beat. "We've got breaking fart news! Bellini, you need to fly to Pittsburgh right away." "Will this assignment require pants?" So, yeah, we're talking about farts. And I apologize for nothing. In fact, if you think this topic is gross or lowbrow, just consider some words by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In June, while speaking to an audience in Australia, he explained that, at our core, all people are the same. And then he shared this wonderful anecdote. "When in aeroplane, sometimes this gas problem comes," he said. "Then, you see, it is difficult to let out. So, occasionally, you see, look around, then you go like that." His Holiness leaned over to the side as though he was letting out a big ripper and then proceeded to laugh like a 12-year-old boy. Because farts are funny. Even to the Dalai Lama. THE PRODUCT . Shreddies were invented by a British industrial designer named Paul O'Leary, and the name comes from a colloquial term used for underwear that originated with the British Forces. I was told that soldiers would literally shred their underwear from marching so much. Hence, Shreddies. But these Shreddies are nothing like the worn and torn undies that the name suggests. Or the ones I bought from Target in 2003, which are still clinging to life. Here, O'Leary actually worked with lingerie designers from De Montfort University's lingerie design course (where the hell was this when I was in college?) and utilized something called Zorflex, an activated carbon cloth that has traditionally been used in chemical warfare suits. So, basically, it's like attaching a military-strength Brita to your butt. Though you definitely don't want to try this at home unless you long for an awkward conversation at the emergency room. "... and that's how it happened." "Sir, I'm not a doctor. This is the cafeteria." But there doesn't appear to be anything bulky or dangerous about this Zoflex cloth, which is perfectly comfortable, sewn naturally right into the rear of the underwear. And as you release gas, the stink particles -- that's a technical term -- get trapped in the magic science filter, allowing you to confidently eat all sorts of horrible things and fart in the company of friends and strangers. Which is exactly what I did. THE EXPERIMENT . Day One started out like any other: sad and mired in self doubt. But after peeling myself out of bed, I made some coffee, had a banana and drank down some dark chocolate almond milk before leaving for the office. This would be my standard breakfast throughout the experiment, a more or less healthy start to the day. Everything else was pure terror. We're talking pizza and tacos and soda. And when all that wasn't working, I thought, "Welp, a heaping pile of roast beef ought to do it." And it did. A little. But, how was I to know if the Shreddies were actually working? This experiment needed a control. So, I did what absolutely had to be done. I cupped one. (Pause for completely unrelated question: Why don't women like me?) Now, for the sake of the more puritanical among our audience, I won't go into too many more details. Just know that the experiment was working and, over the next two and a half days, I would continue this aggressive line of eating, consuming everything from shepherd's pie to a dank, soupy bowl of cheap fast food chili. All in the name of journalism. And here's the end result: These things work. I put Shreddies through the ultimate endurance test, and they lived up to their promise. And Jessica was right there to back me up. "I can't say I've ever asked someone to fart for me, and I'm not particularly proud that I did," she said. "But someone had to fact-check what Jarrett was doing. Thankfully, those undies work." I apologize for nothing. Follow @JarrettBellini on Twitter.

Shreddies are a flatulence-filtering underwear made in the UK . Designer used Zorflex, activated carbon cloth traditionally used in chemical warfare suits . Bellini: They work .

(CNN) -- Joe Palese took his first yoga class in the 1990s, right as the practice began gaining in popularity in the United States. "They didn't even have any yoga mats," he said, recalling the New York sports club that offered the class. It wasn't until Palese started taking classes at yoga studios that he realized a lot of the previous sessions were "watered down" versions of yoga. The loose interpretation wasn't bothersome; yoga by definition is a diverse practice with more than a dozen different styles. But as Palese remembers, some of the poses the inexperienced teachers were demonstrating were simply not right. "The instructors were cool people, and they'd play good music, but students didn't know they were being taught poorly," said Palese, who became a yoga instructor himself 14 years ago. And, according to author and New York Times science writer William J. Broad, some of the common yoga poses can cause serious injuries like nerve damage, torn cartilage, and strokes, among others. An article adapted from Broad's upcoming book on yoga featured in the New York Times Sunday Magazine earlier this month with the title "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body," sparked a lively debate within the yoga community about how to keep practitioners safe. In the article, Broad noted that yoga is a "free-for-all" with "no hierarchy of officials or organization to ensure purity and adhere to agreed-upon sets of facts and poses, rules and procedures, outcomes and benefits." Broad is correct -- there isn't a government oversight committee dedicated to yoga practice. And that's because many practitioners prefer it that way. "Yoga comes from India. Things are not uniform by tradition," said Gyandev McCord, who has taught yoga for 25 years. In an effort to provide a common ground for the diverse practice of yoga, a group of seasoned yoga practitioners -- "yogis" -- came together in 1999 to form the Yoga Alliance, a nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to create minimum standards for yoga teacher training. Fearing government or insurance companies might step in and start calling the shots, the alliance set forth to self-regulate, said McCord, who is the co-founder and vice chairman of the organization. It is for yogis, by yogis. After all, McCord said, those "who don't understand the landscape of yoga aren't qualified" to regulate the standards for teaching. Anyone trained by schools registered with the Yoga Alliance completes 200 or 500 hours of training, based on the following five principles: yoga techniques, including poses, breathing and meditation; general teaching methodology; anatomy and physiology; yoga philosophy and ethics; and training, practicum, and supervised teaching, in which senior instructors observe trainees to identify and correct any issues. McCord said the five principles allow for "a lot of wiggle room," and aim to protect and promote the teacher's individuality. Once trained, the instructors are certified by their school and their names are listed on a registry that informs the public of teachers in their area who have completed the minimum standards for yoga instruction. Yoga Alliance-trained teachers may also use the trademarked "RYT" -- registered yoga teacher -- behind their name, indicating they've completed the required hours. Not all members of the yoga community are on board with this approach, however. Leslie Kaminoff, co-founder of the Breathing Project, a nonprofit that provides continuing education to yoga practitioners, disagrees with yoga regulation of any kind. He believes in a free market approach to regulations for yoga teacher training. "Yoga is about freedom," he said, "The market place is the ultimate quality control." Yoga instruction, he said, is about a relationship between a teacher and a student. If a teacher is trained to teach yoga on the Internet or by a DVD at home and the student is fine with it, it's really nobody's business. McCord said he has no problem with that approach. "It's not illegal to teach without training as a teacher," he said. But Palese is more wary. He believes that learning how to align properly is something that needs an "expert eye," one that can't be achieved by watching a DVD. "Anyone can tell you what to do, it's explaining how to do it," he said. And that is what separates effective teachers from the rest, according to Palese. "It's alignment with awareness," he said. Palese trains teachers at a studio where he teaches in suburban Atlanta. His 200-hour training class meets one weekend a month for 10 months, a long stretch of time imperative to the teaching process. "You need time for information to settle," Palese said. Since yoga instruction is far more complex than just leading students to do poses, Palese said he reserves the right to extend the training past 10 months if needed. He wants to give his new teachers whatever time they need to assimilate the information so that they can feel confident teaching others. "It's the integrity and the awareness that the teacher brings to class that is most important," Palese said. Palese said successful teachers are committed to the safety for their students and will provide suggestions for modification, as well as props like belts, blankets and blocks to make those modifications. A willingness to adapt the practice for different audiences and environments helps too. "I've taught yoga in the oddest of places," he said. Good teachers "can teach yoga in an auditorium, a prison, a hospital." They "can transform the whole thing just by who they are."

A recent New York Times Magazine article created shock waves in the yoga community . Titled "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body," the author claimed yoga can cause serious injuries . There's no formal oversight of yoga, and most instructors prefer it that way . Many yoga practitioners disagree on whether teachers should be formally trained .

(CNN) -- Coming out of the closets of our culture seems to be the thing to do these days, but it is not a new phenomenon. In the inaugural issue of Ms. magazine in 1972, dozens of American women signed a statement declaring "We Have Had Abortions," even though abortion was still mostly illegal in the United States. Celebrity names dotted the list—Gloria Steinem, Nora Ephron, Lillian Hellman and Billie Jean King among them. This consciousness-raising maneuver played a key role in changing public attitudes toward abortion. It contributed to what legal scholars Linda Greenhouse and Reva Siegel call the "successive waves of arguments" that "prompted growing public support for liberalizing access to abortion." A year later, the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision decriminalized most abortions. In 1978, former first lady Betty Ford entered the Long Beach Naval Hospital's Drug and Rehabilitation Service, and publicly admitted her own alcohol and drug dependency. In 1982, she became founding director of the Betty Ford Center for the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse. While many remained silent, celebrities Liza Minnelli, Elizabeth Taylor and Ali MacGraw all chose to openly share their experience at the center. At a 1991 press conference, NBA megastar Magic Johnson announced that he had tested positive for HIV. He retired from basketball and subsequently served as a public voice for HIV-AIDS education, prevention and anti-discrimination efforts. Opinion: Jolie's choice carries risks along with benefits . Last month, NBA player Jason Collins announced that he is gay. While he justly deserves praise for an action that puts him among the first active American athletes in any of the four major professional team sports to publicly so identify, it has also been widely noted that he is far from early or alone in the coming out ranks of major athletes. Celebrity names already dot that list too -- Greg Louganis, Martina Navratilova, Sheryl Swoopes and former NFL player Wade Davis among them. Tuesday, Angelina Jolie made public the fact that she elected to undergo a double mastectomy, at the age of 37. This was her attempt to lower her risk of breast cancer, given the fact that she carries "the breast cancer gene." She hopes to encourage other women to consider the potentially life-saving procedure for themselves. No doubt, other women will now come forward. A new list of celebrity names will coalesce. What is particularly remarkable about the public statement made by Angelina Jolie is that she is a young, beautiful, sex symbol. She risks her career by changing her image in this way. To medicalize her breasts in the public's perception is potentially to de-sexualize them. The bodily care of cancer prevention is far from the glamorous dream world that Hollywood sells. Clearly, Jolie has chosen the high moral ground of trying to save lives by publicizing the procedure and stating that she feels as beautiful as ever. We should be grateful for her straightforward and courageous statement. Indeed, we should be grateful for all -- celebrities or not --who have driven social change by publicly outing themselves. It is arguable that we might not have had as much support for abortion reform, or addiction treatment, or HIV-AIDS research, or marriage equality, without them. Destigmatizing cancer prevention surgery will happen more quickly if celebrities and others get publicly vocal about their personal health choices. Sambolin: I feel empowered, supported in cancer fight . Importantly, abortion and addiction and HIV-AIDS and love are different issues from preventative mastectomy. Abortion is a difficult but fundamentally ordinary choice in an untenable situation. Addiction is a disease that is relatively well understood, even if it is still difficult to treat. HIV-AIDS is a global pandemic that is by now well known. Marriage equality is a function of health and happiness in the first place. But the phenomenon of breast cancer still eludes scientists. We still do not know how to prevent it or reliably cure it, save perhaps by surgically removing a vulnerable organ. Furthermore, it seems that a lot of our current ideas about it are not even correct. While the public receives the message that getting regular mammograms is an effective preventive strategy, it has recently been reported that such screenings turn out to be only minimally effective in lowering the morbidity of the disease. As Peggy Orenstein wrote in the New York Times, our war against cancer has been a "feel-good war." In fact, given the incidence of false positives, and of cancers that do not actually need to be treated, such screenings can cause harm. According to a survey of 30 years of screening published in the New England Journal of Medicine in November 2012, as cited by Orenstein, "mammography's impact is decidedly mixed: it does reduce, by a small percentage, the number of women who are told they have late-stage cancer, but it is far more likely to result in over diagnosis and unnecessary treatment, including surgery, weeks of radiation and potentially toxic drugs." When a celebrity such as Angelina Jolie makes such a generous and powerful intervention, it is right for the world to pay attention. But the list needs to grow longer, as well, of those demanding greatly increased support for primary cancer research and stricter environmental controls on the toxic substances we eat and breathe. Cancer needs a social movement demanding change. Otherwise, no matter how many celebrities and others come courageously forward, and how well the world adapts to preventive mastectomy, it will not be enough. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Laura Wexler.

Laura Wexler: Angelina Jolie deserves credit for disclosing her preventive mastectomy . She says Jolie joins tradition of celebrities whose openness has improved life in America . Wexler: There's much we don't know about breast cancer; a movement for change is needed .

London (CNN) -- UK food safety officials have ordered the testing of all beef products following the discovery of horsemeat in beef lasagna sold by UK firm Findus, only weeks after many meat lovers were dismayed to learn horse and pig DNA had been found in burgers. Testing revealed between 60% and 100% horsemeat in samples of the Findus lasagna, food inspectors in the United Kingdom and Ireland said. More: Horsemeat found in hamburgers in Britain and Ireland . Findus said it had withdrawn its lasagna -- labeled with the British spelling, "lasagne" -- from stores Monday as a precaution after its French supplier, Comigel, raised concerns about the type of meat used. Meanwhile, Findus France has temporarily withdrawn three ready-prepared dishes -- lasagna bolognese, shepherd's pie and moussaka -- because of the discovery of horsemeat in purported 100% beef products, the firm said. The company added, however, that the three products could still be eaten without health risk. The latest discovery in the United Kingdom comes less than a month after the Food Safety Authority of Ireland found that 10 out of 27 hamburger products it analyzed in a study contained horse DNA, while 23 of them tested positive for pig DNA. In nine out of the 10 burger samples, the horse DNA was found at very low levels, the inspectors said, but in one sample from Tesco, Britain's largest retailer, the horse meat accounted for about 29% of the burger. The revelation prompted the withdrawal of millions of burgers from supermarket shelves. The uproar over dubious processed meat has international ramifications, with companies in Poland and France involved as well as some in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Referring to the horsemeat controversy, British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "this is completely unacceptable - this isn't about food safety but about proper food labeling (and) confidence in retailers," according to his press office's Twitter account. In the wake of the Findus discovery, the chief executive of the Food Standards Agency, Catherine Brown, said UK firms must test all their beef products by next Friday. "The FSA is now requiring a more robust response from the food industry in order to demonstrate that the food it sells and serves is what it says it is on the label," she said. Read more: Horse: Coming soon to a meat case near you? "We are demanding that food businesses conduct authenticity tests on all beef products, such as beef burgers, meatballs and lasagne, and provide the results to the FSA. The tests will be for the presence of significant levels of horse meat." In Sweden, the nation's three largest food retailers have withdrawn packaged lasagna suspected of containing horsemeat from their shelves, the press secretary of the Swedish National Food Agency told CNN Friday. Lukas Linne said the agency is monitoring the retailers' withdrawal of these items in accordance with Swedish labeling laws, which stipulate that packaged food can only contain what is marked on the label. Linne did not identify the supplier or suppliers that provided the produce to retailers. While horsemeat itself is not considered a food safety risk, its unauthorized use in certain products has raised concerns it could contain the veterinary drug phenylbutazone, or "bute," commonly used to treat horses. Meat from animals treated with phenylbutazone is not allowed to enter the food chain as it may pose a risk to human health. Findus has been ordered to test the lasagna withdrawn from the shelves for the drug's presence. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland said Friday that the affected Findus lasagna had also been sold in Ireland. It urged consumers not to eat them, but to return the product to the store. Findus issued a statement Thursday saying it is confident it has fully resolved the "supply chain issue" that led to the discovery of horsemeat in its lasagna. Neigh it ain't so: Burger King finds horse meat at European supplier . "We understand this it is a very sensitive subject for consumers and we would like to reassure you we have reacted immediately. We do not believe this to be a food safety issue," the firm said. "Fully compliant beef lasagne will be in stores again soon." CNN has reached out to Comigel France but has not yet had a response. Horsemeat is generally considered taboo in Britain, although it is commonly eaten in neighboring France and other countries, including China, Russia, Kazakhstan and Italy. The discovery of pig DNA in beef products is of particular concern to Jews and Muslims, whose dietary laws proscribe the consumption of pig products. Jewish dietary laws also ban the eating of horsemeat. The Justice Ministry confirmed last week that a number of meat pies and similar items supplied to prisons in England and Wales were labeled and served as halal -- prepared in compliance with Islamic dietary law -- but contained traces of pork DNA, the Food Standards Agency said. "This is an unacceptable situation and people have a right to expect that the food they are eating is correctly described," the agency said. The furor over the Findus lasagna prompted humor as well as outrage on Twitter. "If you think the Findus Lasagnes are bad, you should try their Filly Cheese Steak," wrote James Martin, posting as @Pundamentalism. Comedian Adam Hills, posting as @adamhillscomedy, joked: "Those horses wanted to be uncovered in British Lasagne. Even the brand was called Findus." CNN's Erin McLaughlin, Alexander Felton and Michael Martinez contributed to this report.

NEW: Sweden's 3 largest retailers pull packaged lasagna suspected of horsemeat . Findus France pulls three products because of horsemeat discovery . Tests on Findus beef lasagna samples reveal horsemeat, UK inspectors say . UK firm Findus pulled the lasagna, made by a French supplier, from stores Monday .

(CNN) -- Sharp-witted. Direct. In control. Loyal. Jenny Sanford, here with her husband, was a Wall Street executive before she married Mark Sanford. That's how friends describe Jenny Sanford, the wife of Gov. Mark Sanford, who confessed to the nation in a rambling news conference that he was having an affair with a woman in Argentina. Jenny Sanford, unlike so many wives of cheating politicians, was not there facing the cameras, standing beside her husband. A reporter asked the governor if he and his wife of 20 years were separated. "I'm here, and she's there," he replied. As romantic e-mails between her husband and his mistress were published by a local newspaper Thursday, the state's first lady, a former Wall Street executive, stayed far away from reporters. She was at the family's home on Sullivan's Island in South Carolina with her four sons and a few friends. "Don't you know that is what Jenny Sanford is about? That is what is authentic about Jenny Sanford. She is not going to humiliate herself by standing next to a story," said Cyndi Mosteller, a friend of the Sanfords since 1992 and the former first vice chairwoman of the South Carolina GOP. "She will stand next to Mark emotionally, but she cannot stand in the glare of others," Mosteller continued. "She is out there taking a dignified road, one that is defined by principle, even if her heart might have difficulty following that principle. But her overriding priority is to protect her children." Jenny Sanford released a lengthy statement late Wednesday making clear she had learned of her husband's infidelity before his recent secret trip to Buenos Aires. His whereabouts were a mystery for six days, leaving his family in the dark and creating a power vacuum and considerable confusion in the Capitol, with aides telling reporters he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail. "When I found out about my husband's infidelity I worked immediately to first seek reconciliation through forgiveness, and then to work diligently to repair our marriage," she wrote. "We reached a point where I felt it was important to look my sons in the eyes and maintain my dignity, self-respect, and my basic sense of right and wrong. I therefore asked my husband to leave two weeks ago. "This trial separation was agreed to with the goal of ultimately strengthening our marriage. During this short separation it was agreed that Mark would not contact us. I kept this separation quiet out of respect of his public office and reputation, and in hopes of keeping our children from just this type of public exposure." Mosteller's brother-in-law was with Jenny Sanford on Thursday as the e-mails penned to "Maria" became public. The messages from Mark Sanfordcompliment the woman on her "tan lines" and "gentle kisses." The e-mails were published by The State newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina's capital, which said the governor's office confirmed they are authentic. When contacted by CNN, the governor's office would neither confirm nor deny their authenticity. "[The e-mails] are almost like reading a novel that you would embarrassed to buy," Mosteller said. "To be one of his four children and know that is there for the world to see, it is incredible to all of us." Jenny Sanford grew up in Winnetka, Illinois, and earned a degree in finance from Georgetown University. She met Mark Sanford when they worked for investment firms in New York, she at Lazard Freres and he at Goldman Sachs. The two married and moved to his native South Carolina, and she managed his campaign for Congress in 1994. "Mark started out with five other opponents, and he didn't really have a shot. That was the opinion of most people," Mosteller said. "But she and Mark worked together and turned that thing around so that candidate three, four and five ended up throwing their support behind him, and he won." The two are equals intellectually, according to people who know them. She went on to manage his gubernatorial campaign in 2002, turning her home into campaign headquarters. Jenny Sanford was more than a visible first lady of South Carolina; she was involved in the finances of her husband's office to an extent that drew heated criticism from his opponents. She also took a $70,000 deficit from the operations of the governor's mansion and put its finances into the black. "I pretty much am in his office in the mornings most days, and I do pretty much anything he wants me to do for him. I help to bridge the gap between things that have been commonplace themes in his life and make sure everybody in the office is on pace with his agenda," Jenny Sanford told Charleston's Post and Courier in June 2005. The governor told the newspaper that his wife is "particularly good with financial analysis [and] working with numbers." She took up health as a key issue in her role as first lady, advocating nutrition, exercise and cancer prevention, serving on major boards and speaking at various functions to raise funds for disease research. "This is a classy woman who lacks pretension," Mosteller said. "I took a road trip with her last year, and she just automatically got into the back seat. When we were making a lot of appearances, and the schedules were hectic, she called and said, 'I've figured out that the key is changing your deodorant.' "Jenny is someone you can talk politics with, you can talk about grand issues with, and you can also discuss deodorant," Mosteller said. "She's a remarkable, classy woman with a lot of integrity who is trying to keep it together."

Friend: Jenny Sanford, former Wall Street executive, is avoiding media . Gov. Mark Sanford's wife ran his political campaigns, was major force in his career . Governor's e-mails called "novel that you would be embarrassed to buy"

(CNN) -- If the reports of a proposed $13 billion settlement between the Justice Department and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are correct, the public and the company's shareholders will not see justice done. While the tentative deal is being portrayed as a larger settlement, it really represents the company coming forward with an additional $9 billion. The other $4 billion represents loan workouts that JPMorgan would do anyway to reduce its losses on mortgages that would otherwise cause it greater losses through foreclosure. From the perspective of the company's shareholders, the problems amount to an even bigger loss because of alleged fraud. The full $13 billion would represent a loss to the shareholders, and JPMorgan estimates its future increased legal and investigative costs for its past scandals at $9.2 billion. And so, it will cost JPMorgan's shareholders heavily to buy what could well be a "get out of jail free" card from DOJ for wrongdoers at JPMorgan and the banks it purchased. While the reported settlement wouldn't close down a federal investigation based in California, it remains to be seen whether it will target any current employees of JPMorgan. A settlement of this kind would release JPMorgan and its officers from civil and criminal liability for a wide range of alleged frauds. Many of these alleged frauds added to the profits of JPMorgan and the companies it acquired. The shareholders should not be enriched by fraud. Where officers' frauds created profits that enriched the shareholders, JPMorgan should fire such officers, and the Justice Department should prosecute and recover any fraud proceeds. JPMorgan should pay the damages it caused to others through fraud. In cases where a firm's senior officers engage in a wide range of frauds, the courts should award punitive damages against the officers and the firm. CNN Money: Five things to know about JP Morgan settlement . The problem in terms of justice is when the frauds created fictional profits that enriched corporate officers through unjust bonuses but also created real losses that were booked by the company years later. The shareholders suffer twice from such frauds -- they paid the unjust bonuses and then have to bear the losses. The shareholders' losses are compounded by the legal fees, which are primarily driven by the desire to keep the officers from being prosecuted or their unjust bonuses recovered, and by the fine. The appropriate policy would be for JPMorgan to fire such officers and for DOJ to prosecute them and recover their unjust bonuses. There is a triple failure of accountability for officers of Wall Street companies. DOJ failed to prosecute any elite Wall Street banker for the frauds that drove the financial crisis. The banks have failed to fire and "claw back" the compensation of the officers who led these massive frauds. We cannot deter frauds when we do not prosecute them, fire those responsible or recover the wealth they gained through fraud. JPMorgan's supporters argue that the settlement is unjust for two reasons. First, they argue that DOJ is engaged in a "vendetta" designed to shrink JPMorgan's size to the point that it no longer poses a "systemic" risk to the global economy. Dick Bove, a Wall Street analyst, made the vendetta and shrinkage claims without presenting any supporting evidence. I wish that it were true that the U.S. government was requiring the systemically dangerous institutions (the "too big to fail" banks) to shrink to the point that their failures will no longer cause a global financial crisis. The Bush and Obama administrations have refused to require these huge institutions to shrink. The Dodd-Frank Act does not require them to shrink and though it gives the regulators power to require these companies to shrink, they have refused to use the power. No DOJ settlement requires any of these institutions to shrink. Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan's CEO, was an early and strong supporter of President Barack Obama (though he became critical of the administration subsequently), so he is an unlikely vendetta target. Second, JPMorgan's supporters argue it is unjust for the Justice Department to hold JPMorgan financially liable for the damages caused by the frauds of the two enormous failed banks it acquired: Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual. It's true that the Bush administration did encourage JPMorgan to buy Bear Stearns and WaMu. The owners are liable for the liabilities of companies they buy. Any other rule would leave victims of misconduct and fraud unable to recover their losses. Dimon knew that acquirers of failed banks can refuse to buy unless the FDIC agrees to bear the banks' liabilities for fraud. Dimon appeared eager to buy WaMu and Bear Stearns despite their terrible reputations and their collapse. Bear Stearns was notorious in the finance industry, inspiring the phrase: "Bear Don't Care." Yet Dimon chose not to insist that the FDIC retain the banks' fraud liabilities or indemnify JPMorgan against losses because of those alleged frauds. First, the purchase price would have increased substantially if the FDIC had to bear the banks' fraud liabilities. Second, Dimon knew that if the FDIC offered broad indemnification, rival banks could outbid JPMorgan and buy the banks. Without doing the due diligence essential to judging the banks' fraud liabilities, Dimon likely decided that the purchase prices were so low that it was better to buy them immediately without indemnification. It would be unjust to allow Dimon to change the deal five years later because his business decision proved disastrous. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of William Black.

JP Morgan Chase is reported to be in talks with U.S. over $13 billion settlement . William Black says if reports are correct, the public and shareholders will not see justice . Reports say California criminal probe will continue, but it's not clear what may result, he says . Black: Shareholders pay bonuses to execs who profit from frauds, then pay the fines .

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House of Representatives passed a $3.55 trillion budget for fiscal year 2010 Thursday night, capping off weeks of acrimonious partisan debate and a long day of voting marked by the defeat of several alternative plans. The U.S. House passed a $3.55 trillion budget for fiscal year 2010 Thursday night. The House version of the budget passed by a margin of 233-196 in a virtual party-line vote. All but 20 House Democrats supported it; no House Republican voted in favor. In London, England, where he has been attending the Group of 20 summit, President Obama lauded the House vote. "Tonight, the House of Representatives took another step toward rebuilding our struggling economy," he said in a statement. "And by making hard choices and challenging the old ways of doing business, we will cut in half the budget deficit we inherited within four years. With this vote comes an obligation to pursue our efforts to go through the budget line-by-line, searching for additional savings. Like the families we serve, we must cut the things we don't need to invest in those we do." The Senate plans a vote on its $3.53 trillion version of the budget later Thursday night. That vote, too, is expected to fall on party lines. Moderate GOP Sens. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, who voted in favor of Obama's stimulus bill last month, intend to vote against what is essentially the blueprint of Obama's economic policies going forward. The House budget largely tracks Obama's initial proposed spending plan, with the exception of a decision to drop his $250 billion request for potential future bailouts of struggling financial institutions. Watch more on Obama's budget details » . Fiscally conservative House Democrats, known as Blue Dogs, also negotiated with House Democratic leaders to cut $7 billion from the president's $540 billion request for nondefense discretionary spending. Under the House Democrats' plan, the federal government will run an anticipated deficit of $1.2 trillion in the next fiscal year. Their plan promises to cut the deficit by more than half by 2013. House Democrats agreed to extend the middle class tax cut that was included in the recently passed economic stimulus plan, but failed to specify how the cut would be paid for after 2010. They also included language that allows for the controversial procedure called "budget reconciliation" for health care, a tool that would limit debate on major policy legislation. Senate Democrats did not include reconciliation in their version of the budget. The matter is guaranteed to be a major partisan sticking point when the two chambers meet to hammer out a final version of next year's spending plan. If it passes, it would allow the Senate to pass Obama's proposed health-care reform without the threat of a Republican-led Senate filibuster. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyoming, speaking for most of his GOP Senate colleagues, warned Tuesday that if a health-care "reconciliation winds up in the budget bill, it'll be like a declaration of war. ... I hope that that wedge doesn't get thrown in there." Both the House and the Senate version of the budget allow former President George W. Bush's tax cuts for couples who make more than $250,000 to expire in 2010, and both plans let Obama's signature tax cuts -- $400 for individuals and $800 for couples -- expire as well, unless the White House finds a way to pay for them. Under the House plan, the cuts would expire in 2010; in the Senate plan, they would expire in 2012. Key differences between House and Senate include deficits and nonmilitary discretionary spending. The House budget would reduce the deficit from $1.7 trillion in 2009 to $598 billion in 2014, House Democrats said, while the Senate Democrats say their plan would bring the deficit down an additional $80 billion. The House rejected an alternative proposal put forward by the GOP leadership, which called for $4.8 trillion less in overall spending over the next decade, in part through a five-year freeze in most non-defense discretionary spending. "House Republicans were united in the desire to find reasonable solutions for middle-class families, focused directly on creating jobs, tax relief and empowering small businesses to survive and grow," said House Minority Whip Eric Cantor. "The Republican budget was crafted to help those Americans worried about their jobs, their health care, their financial security, and their real fears that Washington is spending and borrowing money that America does not have. Republicans offered a comprehensive budget that provides the American people with the ideas, energy and common-sense solutions they are looking for." Among other things, the House GOP's version of the budget would have repealed the entire $787 billion economic stimulus package except for an extension of unemployment insurance benefits. It also would have rolled back a recently passed 8 percent spending boost in the budget for the remainder of the current fiscal year. Watch more on the GOP budget alternative » . Thirty-eight Republicans voted against their own leadership's bill in that vote, while two Democrats voted in favor of it. The final vote was 293-137 against the GOP proposal. Overall, the Republican version of the budget called for $3.6 trillion less in borrowing over the next 10 years. CNN's Dana Bash and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report .

NEW: In England, President Obama praises House vote . Budget passes 233-196 in party-line vote; no House Republican voted in favor . Budget drops Obama's $250 billion request for potential financial institution bailouts . Senate plans vote on its $3.53 trillion version of budget later Thursday night .

(CNN) -- It says it all when Europe turns to China for a bailout. That was what happened last week when the man in charge of the European Financial Stability Fund flew to Beijing to see if he could interest Chinese investors in propping up the finances of the eurozone. How the mighty are fallen. Thirty-five years ago the average German was roughly 15 times richer than the average Chinese. Today the ratio is less than 3-to-1. Back in 1980 the Chinese economy accounted for just 2.2% of global economic output, one third the size of Germany's share. By 2016, according to the International Monetary Fund, the Chinese share will be 18%, six times larger than Germany's. We are living through an extraordinary reversal of economic fortunes after 500 years when the big story was what historians call "the great divergence." Beginning in 1500, Europeans and European settlers in North America began to get richer than Asians (and everyone else, too). The gap between the "West and the Rest" widened at an accelerating rate until the later 1970s. But then -- on our watch -- that trend went into high-speed reverse. Watch Niall Ferguson's TED talk . So what has been going on? The West first surged ahead of the rest thanks to a series of institutional innovations that I call the "killer applications": . 1. Competition. Europe was politically fragmented into multiple monarchies and republics, which were in turn internally divided into competing corporate entities, among them the ancestors of modern business corporations. 2. The Scientific Revolution. All the major 17th-century breakthroughs in mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry and biology happened in Western Europe. 3. The rule of law and representative government. An optimal system of social and political order emerged in the English-speaking world, based on private-property rights and the representation of property owners in elected legislatures. 4. Modern medicine. Nearly all the major 19th- and 20th-century breakthroughs in health care were made by Western Europeans and North Americans. 5. The consumer society. The Industrial Revolution took place where there was both a supply of productivity-enhancing technologies and a demand for more, better and cheaper goods, beginning with cotton garments. 6. The work ethic. Westerners were the first people in the world to combine more extensive and intensive labor with higher savings rates, permitting sustained capital accumulation. For hundreds of years, these killer apps were essentially monopolized by Europeans and their overseas cousins in North America and Australasia. Westerners not only grew richer than "Resterners." They grew taller, healthier and longer-lived. They also grew more powerful. By the early 20th century, just a dozen Western empires -- including the United States -- controlled 58% of the world's land surface and population, and a staggering 74% of the global economy. TED.com: Does democracy stifle economic growth? Beginning with Japan, however, one non-Western society after another has worked out that these apps can be downloaded and installed in non-Western operating systems. That explains about half the catching up that we have witnessed in our lifetimes, especially since the onset of economic reforms in China in 1978. The other half is explained by our tendency to delete the secrets of our own success. Ask yourself: Who's got the work ethic now? The average South Korean works about 39% more hours per week than the average American. The school year in South Korea is 220 days long, compared with 180 days here. The consumer society? Did you know that 26 of the 30 biggest shopping malls in the world are now in emerging markets, mostly in Asia? Only three are in the United States. Modern medicine? Well, we certainly outspend everyone else. But the results in terms of public health are pretty miserable. The rule of law? For a real eye-opener, take a look at the latest World Economic Forum Executive Opinion Survey. On no fewer than 15 of 16 different issues relating to property rights and governance, the United States fares worse than Hong Kong. TED.com: Joseph Nye on global power shifts . What about science? Statistics from the World Intellectual Property Organization show that already more patents originate in Japan than in the United States, that South Korea overtook Germany to take third place in 2005, and that China is poised to overtake Germany, too. Finally, there's competition, the original killer app that sent the fragmented West down a completely different path from monolithic imperial China. Well, the World Economic Forum has conducted a comprehensive global competitiveness survey every year since 1979. Since the current methodology was adopted in 2004, the U.S. average competitiveness score has fallen from 5.82 to 5.43, one of the steepest declines among developed economies. China's score, meanwhile, has leapt up from 4.29 to 4.9. Hands up readers who thought the future would, like an iPhone, be designed in California and only assembled in China? You were wrong. Western predominance is ending on our watch. And it's ending not just because the rest of the world finally figured out how to download our killer apps. It's ending because we deleted them. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Niall Ferguson.

Niall Ferguson: For 500 years, the West had enormous economic advantage . He says the work ethic, modern medicine, consumerism helped power the West . In recent decades, rest of world has caught up and adopted these concepts, he says . Ferguson: The fact that Europe is seeking bailout help from China says it all .

(CNN) -- Do you ever get sick of your phone ringing? What about Facebook fatigue? Does Twitter sometimes give you stress headaches, making you occasionally wish you could just yank the plug on your online life? Do you get nervous when your smart phone rings? A report says you're not alone. Well, you're not alone, according to a recent report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, a nonprofit research group in Washington. The report, written by John Horrigan, the project's associate director of research, says 7 percent of Americans use the Internet as their primary means of social communication and also feel conflicted about that fact. These online social network users, which Horrigan calls "ambivalent networkers," are so connected they feel like they can't quit. But Horrigan, who counts himself among this group, says there is hope for these conflicted techies.Take a quiz to find out what kind of tech user you are . "I do think it's a matter of society and individuals in society understanding these tools. So tools can be used for good and tools can be used for ill as well. They can have negative impacts," he said. CNN spoke with Horrigan by phone about the various ways people are using cell phones and the Internet today, including the 14 percent of people who use neither. The following is an edited version of that conversation: . CNN: Tell me about the report. Horrigan: We recently produced a report called "The Mobile Difference," which places American adults into 10 different user types, depending on how they feel about information technology, what kind of information technology they have in their lives and how they use information technology in their lives. CNN: You give the names for these categories some fun titles. Tell me more about what we know about these groups of people. Horrigan: The most high-tech group we labeled the "digital collaborators." The digital collaborators are the ones with the most technology, doing the most with it and loving it the most, and really are about not just using technology to communicate with others but to cultivate their creative lives. Another is the "ambivalent networkers," which is a fun group in that they're the youngest of any group ... they're the most active in using mobile devices for a range of different purposes, yet, at the same time they express fairly high levels of concern about always being available to others. CNN: I find that group interesting. What's behind that conflicted sentiment? Horrigan: There's a sense that it might be costly for them not to be on the network. So if you think of that group of "ambivalent networkers" as being a youthful group, all of whom have cell phones, probably the very majority of their social networks are online. They're always texting or communicating or e-mailing to keep in touch and make plans. So if you're in a social milieu like that and you want a break, you may feel like going off the grid would be a bad thing, because you won't know what your friends are up to, you won't know what the plan is for Saturday evening, or you might worry that your friends will be worried if you're not instantly responsive to their queries. CNN: Do you have a sense whether those negative feelings are a growing trend, or if people are becoming more mobile and on the whole are liking it? Horrigan: What I think the message is with all these new tools -- Twitter, for instance -- is that Twitter is a great way to put yourself out there. It also could be a tool for managing your connectivity. You might start to use your Facebook page or your Twitter account as a means to say, "Hey guys, I'm shutting down for a while, so don't worry about me if I don't respond to you immediately." So I think a challenge for people going forward is to see these tools as tools, meaning you can use them to identify yourself as being offline at a particular moment, and not see them as perpetual obligations to be available at all times to all people. CNN: Have you heard of any interesting ways people might be dealing with that? Horrigan: I think it's fairly well known in the tech community that traffic for blogs and so-forth dives on the weekends, so I think people tend to use the weekends as a way to take a little bit of a breather. CNN: The people who are off the network entirely, do you have a sense if that population is growing, or if those people will eventually end up on the network? Horrigan: The off-network share of Americans was approximately the same in 2008 as it was in 2006, when we looked at it before. I think that will shrink over time as people become more dependent on the cell phone, which we do see as a rising trend. People who are off the network tend to be older and lower income. I think as time marches on you'll see technology that's tailored more towards older Americans. So we can expect that [group] to shrink over time, but maybe not at a tremendously rapid rate. CNN: If you were to pick one of these groups, which would you fall into? Horrigan: I took the test and I was an "ambivalent networker." I answered on the quiz that I sometimes don't get all too charged up when that cell phone rings or vibrates. So I'm someone who does like to have a bit of a break from the Internet from time to time or with cell phone availability. And I kind of struggle with that occasionally. CNN: How do you handle that? Horrigan: It's a matter of self-discipline: turning the cell phone off from time to time and spending, when I can, part of the workday not in front of the computer.

CNN talks with researcher about how people today use phone and Internet . Some high-tech people feel conflicted about their gadgets . Research group says 7 percent of U.S. adults fit this category . About 14 percent of adults don't have cell phones or Internet access, Pew says .

(CNN) -- Now, this just may be the best entertainment news of the summer. It has nothing to do with movie blockbusters. They're coming, as they always do when the weather gets warm: the mass-produced, mind-deadening barrage of predictable sequels, computer-generated explosions and space battles, dreary comedies about groups of wacky buddies, and high-decibel car chase after high-decibel car chase. Which is what makes what happened on a recent Saturday afternoon in Granite Falls, Minnesota, population 2,897, so delightful. A one-day musical theater production was presented that had taken three months to write, rehearse and produce. It took place along an eight-mile stretch of the Minnesota River. More than 200 people attended. And that entire audience was in canoes. For three hours, they paddled from scene to scene. "The river was the real star of the show," said Andrew Gaylord, 33, of St. Paul, Minnesota, who wrote the play and the music for it, and who co-directed it with his producing partner, Ashley Hanson, 29. He said that their intention was to honor and salute the concept of community and place: to provide for their audience an afternoon of entertainment that they couldn't possibly find anywhere else. In dreaming up the idea and getting it done -- putting the audience in those canoes, and having them paddle to each of the six scenes in the play along the eight miles of water -- Gaylord and Hanson may have displayed more sheer ingenuity and grin-inducing creativity than you'll find in any dozen movie-multiplex blockbusters in the months ahead. The play was called "With the Future on the Line," and it told the story of how three Western Minnesota River Valley communities, in the late 1800s, competed to become the county seat. The Minnesota River, though, was without question the leading character, "with its slow meanders and brutally carved banks, with its fish jumping, turtles sunbathing, eagles soaring, and pelicans taxiing," in Gaylord's words. There was a cast of 34, all volunteer amateur actors, and a crew of nearly 100. The scenes took place in six locales along the river ranging from an island to a small bluff overlooking the water; from a campground on the water's edge to a beautiful meadow. The audience would paddle up in their canoes (there were 18 10-person canoes, plus smaller canoes that just sort of tagged along); the audience would sit right there in those canoes and watch the actors play the scene on the shore. Then some of the actors would race ahead in cars to the next location so that they would arrive before the canoes did. "For me, this was 100% about the celebration of community," Ashley Hanson told me. "We keep being told that, all over the country, the traditional sense of community is being fragmented, is disappearing. That's why it felt so good to put such a tremendous amount of work into something so ephemeral. Something magical that is there for one day only." She and Gaylord are new at this; they have formed a theater company in St. Paul they call PlaceBase Productions, in the hopes of presenting community-specific shows like this around the nation. They received some financial underwriting for the Granite Falls endeavor from Minnesota organizations devoted to the betterment of life along the river, but on the subject of making enough money doing this to support themselves, "we're still kind of trying to figure that out," Gaylord said with a laugh. Like the rest of us, Gaylord has sat in movie theaters and witnessed that annoying glow as people in row after row check their cellphone screens for messages even while the film is playing. He said one of the nicest parts of the Paddling Theatre (that's what he and Hanson called it) afternoon was that "I didn't see anyone yakking in their canoes -- I didn't see them on the phone. They seemed like they didn't want to be anywhere else in the world than where they were at that moment." No professional theater critics attended the production, but outdoors writer Tom Cherveny of the West Central Tribune in nearby Willmar, Minnesota, watched the entire show from a canoe. I asked him what he thought, both of the day and of the performance. "It was great," he said. "It really did work." There was something I kept thinking about as I spoke with Gaylord and Hanson, and I hoped they wouldn't be offended if I brought it up, because I meant it as a compliment. One of my favorite movies is "Waiting for Guffman," Christopher Guest's sardonic yet ultimately hopeful 1997 comedy about the fictional small town of Blaine, Missouri, and its against-all-odds attempt to put on a one-day musical for the town's 150th birthday. What happened in Granite Falls felt a little like Guffman-with-paddles, and I wanted to know if that had occurred to Gaylord and Hanson. "'Guffman' is my battle cry," Ashley Hanson said. "Not the comical elements in it, but the sweetness. "The importance of making the effort. The sense of sincerity, of caring for a community. "That's what fuels me. Getting people excited about where they're from. Reminding them of why it matters. Because it does." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene.

Bob Greene: A theater troupe put on a play at various spots along 8 miles of Minnesota River . He says audience travels to scenes by canoe, pulls up to bank to watch from the river . He says creators of play want to deliver a sense of place to audiences . Greene: Like "Waiting for Guffman," play celebrates community sweetly, sincerely .

(CNN) -- The wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told CNN's Larry King on Wednesday that she is not offended by a much-publicized comment made toward her husband in Tuesday night's debate. Michelle Obama talks about Williams Ayers, Hillary Clinton and her husband's campaign on Larry King Live. In the presidential matchup at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, GOP nominee John McCain criticized his Democratic rival for supporting the 2007 Bush-Cheney energy bill. "It was an energy bill on the floor of the Senate, loaded down with goodies, billions for oil companies, and it was sponsored by Bush and Cheney. ... You know who voted for it? You might never know. That one," he said, gesturing toward Obama. "You know who voted against it? Me." When asked whether McCain's reference to Obama as "that one" was offensive, Michelle Obama simply said "No," adding that the issue has nothing to do with what's affecting average Americans hurting from the economic downturn. "I think there are two conversations that have been going on throughout this whole election. There's the conversation that's been happening with the pundits ... and then there's the conversation that's been happening on the ground," she said. Watch Michelle Obama talk about McCain's comment » . She said Americans "right now are scared" and "nervous about the economy." "They don't care about the back and forth between the candidates. ... They want real answers about how we're going to fix this economy and get the health care benefits on track so, you know, this is part of politics," she added. King asked Obama about the McCain camp bringing up her husband's ties to William Ayers. Ayers was a founding member of the Weather Underground, a 1960s radical group known for bombings of police stations, the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol. Fact Check: Is Obama 'palling around with terrorists'? Ayers is a university professor who lives on the South Side of Chicago, where Obama cut his political teeth. Michelle Obama said her husband served on a Chicago education board with Ayers. "I don't know anyone in Chicago who is heavily involved in education policy who doesn't know Bill Ayers," she said. "But, you know, again I go back to the point that, you know, the American people aren't asking these questions." "You don't think it affects the campaign?" King asked. "You know, I think that we've been in this for 20 months and people have gotten to know Barack. He's written a book, books have been written about him. He, like all of the other candidates have been thoroughly vetted. And I think people know Barack Obama. Watch Michelle Obama discuss William Ayers » . "They know his heart, they know his spirit, and the thing that I just encourage people is to judge Barack and judge all of these candidates based on what they do, their actions, their character, what they do in their lives rather than what somebody [else] did when they were 8." Michelle Obama was referring to the fact that Ayers allegedly committed his most radical acts when Barack Obama was a child. McCain's running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, has lobbed some intense attacks on Barack Obama over the Ayers issue. "Our opponent is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country," Palin told a crowd of supporters this week. King played the clip and asked Michelle Obama if that statement made her "mad." Obama replied, "I don't watch it." "What do you make of her running for a vice president and having many kids and being a good parent and bouncing all the balls?" King asked. "I think she provides an excellent of example of all the different roles that women can and should play," Michelle Obama responded. "I'm a mother with kids and I've had a career and I've had to juggle. She's doing publicly what so many women are doing on their own privately. What we're fighting for is to make sure that all women have the choices that Sarah Palin and I have." At one point, King asked her if her husband likes McCain. "Do these two candidates, as has been reported, not like each other?" King asked. "I can only speak for Barack, and I know that Barack has the utmost respect for Sen. McCain. He said so on so many occasions," she said. "I think this has been a long, tough fight. And politics sometimes leads to things said between the candidates. But again, what we found is that people are really focused on who is going to -- who has got the vision that's going to take us to the next level?" She said campaigning is exhausting but she likes it more than she expected. "When I'm tired, I get more energy coming out of a rally where I get the -- get hugs and I see people on the rope lines tearing up because they never thought they'd see this moment," she said. "I see kids who are focused and engaged in a way that I've never seen before. That gives us both energy." Obama also talked about Sen. Hillary Clinton. "Are you happy with the way she's supporting your husband?" King asked. "She has been phenomenal. ...She has always been just cordial and open. I've called her, I've talked to her. She's given me advice about the kids," Obama said. Watch Michelle Obama call Hillary Clinton 'phenomenal' » . "We've talked at length about this kind of stuff -- how you feel, how you react. She has been amazing. She is a real pro and a woman with character." CNN political producer Ed Hornick contributed to this report.

Michelle Obama talks to Larry King in an interview Wednesday night . She responds to her husband being referred to as "that one" in Tuesday debate . Michelle Obama: Americans "don't care about the back and forth"

(CNN) -- When Tad Agoglia started to clean up the mess caused by Hurricane Katrina, he couldn't help thinking he was weeks behind schedule. It was two months after the storm, and his crane operating company had just been hired to help in Louisiana. "I wondered what it would have been like if I had been there on day one," Agoglia said. Frustrated by the kind of bureaucratic red tape that delayed aid after Katrina, Agoglia started the First Response Team of America, a mobile, "24-hour-a-day firehouse" that provides free emergency aid within hours of a catastrophe. Since 2007, the nonprofit group has responded to many of the country's worst natural disasters, including floods in Rhode Island and Tennessee and tornadoes in Alabama and Mississippi. Today, Agoglia finds himself back in Louisiana. But this time he's dealing with a manmade catastrophe: the Gulf Coast oil spill. "This is a different kind of disaster," said Agoglia, one of three CNN Heroes featured in a recent TV special, "CNN Heroes: Coming Back from Katrina." "When a hurricane comes in, it can be cleaned up. Oil is not that easily cleaned up. Oil could stay around for decades." The First Response Team has spent the past two months setting up dams and using specialized equipment to vacuum oil from Louisiana's barrier islands. "I remember clearly the first day the oil reached the beaches of Grand Isle, where we were serving," Agoglia said. "And it was a very emotional response ... to seeing these beautiful beaches and these beautiful animals covered in oil. And the only thing I can explain is that I felt very patriotic. I felt like, this is our land, this is our soil, this is our beaches, our wildlife, and it was being destroyed and contaminated. It was sad to see in person." Agoglia said the spill has also delivered a devastating blow to a community still reeling from Katrina. "You're dealing with people that have already lost everything -- everything," Agoglia said. "They had nothing left but each other basically to begin with. And now, only a short few years later, their livelihoods are being threatened." Phasing out the FEMA trailers . Many families in Louisiana are still living in trailers that were provided after Katrina by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Liz McCartney is trying to change that. McCartney and her boyfriend, Zack Rosenburg, started the nonprofit St. Bernard Project in 2006. "Our goal is to get those last 1,000 families out of FEMA trailers and back into their homes," said McCartney, who was voted CNN Hero of the Year in 2008. The St. Bernard Project, based in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, rebuilds damaged houses with the help of volunteers and skilled supervisors. McCartney says it costs, on average, about $12,000 to turn a gutted home into a livable one. "To date, we've done just about 300 houses," she said. "We've got more than 50 under construction." The St. Bernard Project has also opened up a mental health clinic in its office for those struggling to cope with the Katrina and oil spill aftermath. "We decided we couldn't sit by and not do anything [about the spill]," McCartney said. "So we've launched our oil spill response that is focusing primarily on providing mental health services to people in the fishing communities." Focusing on children . Another CNN Hero, Derrick Tabb, is helping to shape Louisiana's future with his after-school music program, The Roots of Music. Headquartered in New Orleans' French Quarter, the Roots of Music provides free instruments and tutoring to more than 100 students between the ages of 9 and 14. The idea is to connect children to the city's rich musical tradition while keeping them off its dangerous streets. "We have got a lot done in New Orleans, but we have a lot more to do, especially when it comes down to the kids," Tabb said. "I think we have to focus on them a little a bit more, what's going on in their lives and what's catching their attention and what's keeping their attention." The Roots of Music caught the attention of actor Tim Robbins, who donated money to its cause and helped organize a benefit concert in May. "This organization has a goal of taking someone in middle school and putting them on the road to a college education, self-confidence and leadership," Robbins said. The program is so popular that Tabb has had to freeze applications for the time being. But he said he has been approached about possibly turning the Roots of Music into a charter school. "If I take 500, 600 kids in the program, I might as well take them in a school," he said. "They can be with me more than just part of the day. You have more interaction with those kids, and you can start to [know] the kids more and really start to help them out in the areas they need help in." While he acknowledges that much work still needs to be done in New Orleans, Tabb says he is hopeful about the future. And he is proud at how his city has bounced back from Katrina. "New Orleans has been a model city as far as recovery," he said. "It's really shown everybody how to pull together and make things work with little resources."

A trio of CNN Heroes is still working to restore the Gulf after Hurricane Katrina . Tad Agoglia is helping to clean up the oil spill, which has complicated comeback efforts . Liz McCartney is trying to get families out of FEMA trailers and back into homes . Derrick Tabb is reaching out to the youth of New Orleans with his after-school music program .

(CNN) -- Arizona's immigration law, Senate Bill 1070, has generated a lot of ink recently, especially with a court ruling last week that allowed a controversial provision that in my view will result in racial profiling to move forward. The law's goal is chilling: ramp up deportations of undocumented people by forcing local police into the difficult role of immigration agents. And with last week's ruling, police are now required to go out of their way to investigate the immigration status of everyone they "suspect" might be undocumented whom they arrest or stop. In practice, that will mean targeting people just for the way they look or speak, separating families, and trapping undocumented people in local jails for minor infractions to await deportation. As an undocumented American -- and I am, in my heart, an American -- it is my hope that our nation doesn't follow Arizona's discriminatory example. Will Arizona become the norm, or can we work as a nation to fix dysfunctional immigration policies so that they reflect our best values as Americans? All eyes are now on California for a key part of the answer. Sitting on the Gov. Jerry Brown's desk is the most important piece of legislation for immigrant communities this year. By signing the bill, called the TRUST Act, Brown can prevent the separation of thousands of families, establish an alternative to Arizona's approach and send a powerful message to the nation: In a state built and replenished by generations of immigrants, fairness and equality matter. Under the TRUST Act, local law enforcement would only be able to hold people for extra time, for deportation purposes, if the person has been convicted of, or charged with, a serious or violent felony. With the TRUST Act, Juana Reyes, the "tamale lady," never would have been stuck in Sacramento County Jail for 13 days on an immigration hold after the most absurd of arrests. With the TRUST Act, Reyes' children wouldn't have spent weeks worrying if they would ever see their mother again. She's still undocumented. If Brown signs the bill, he will bring hope to millions of undocumented Americans like me, and some relief to our family members who fear that if we are arrested for even the most trivial of charges, they will never see us again. Undocumented people and their allies -- their relatives and friends, their neighbors and co-workers -- have created a new political climate in which the passage of the TRUST Act is not simply the right thing to do, but the politically strategic thing to do, with supporters from across the political spectrum, from Nancy Pelosi to right-leaning think tanks such as the Cato Institute and Competitive Enterprise Institute. The enactment of TRUST would also help turn the page on a painful era of our state's history that the implementation of the Arizona law evokes. A year after I arrived in this country at the age of 12, four years before I knew about my own undocumented status, I watched with anxiety as California voters passed Proposition 187. That ballot initiative, in many ways, was the precursor to SB 1070 and House Bill 56, Arizona's and Alabama's "show-me-your-papers" laws, respectively. Although courts would ultimately reject Proposition 187, fear immediately gripped immigrants in California upon its passage in 1994. The specter of local police acting as immigration agents was one of the measure's most unsettling provisions. And despite how much California has changed in nearly two decades, the federal Secure Communities deportation program, which was supposed to target people "convicted of serious criminal offenses," has instead effectively done what Proposition 187's backers tried to do -- turn local law enforcement into de facto immigration authorities. What if while driving from my alma mater, San Francisco State University, down to my hometown of Mountain View, I were stopped for the most minor traffic infraction? Or, perhaps, simply profiled? I could be detained for driving without a valid license. Then, under "Secure Communities," my fingerprints would be sent to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement no matter how minor the charge. ICE would then ask the jail to hold me for extra time, at local expense, until it came to pick me up for deportation as my grandmother, a naturalized American citizen, waited for me at home in Mountain View. This is essentially what's happened to about 80,000 Californians who have quietly been torn from their families under the ridiculously named federal deportation program, "Secure Communities." Seven out of 10 people detained nationally under Secure Communities either had no convictions or committed minor offenses, according to ICE statistics. And even though top law professors have confirmed that requests to detain immigrants for additional time are "optional," many California jurisdictions have submitted, no matter the damage done to community-police relations. Enter the TRUST Act, which limits responses to ICE's requests to detain people in local jails for additional time for deportation purposes. It should not be lost on anyone that the bill's author is Democratic Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, who was San Francisco's first openly gay teacher. Ammiano fought for equality alongside Harvey Milk in the 1970s. As a gay man myself, I see many parallels in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and immigrant communities' fights for inclusion. Brown's signing of the TRUST Act would be a watershed moment in the long journey toward permanent reform to recognize our common humanity. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jose Antonio Vargas.

Jose Antonio Vargas: Law awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown's action important for immigrants . He says it would stop practice of police holding nonviolent offenders for deportation by ICE . Vargas says 80,000 people in California have been deported; vast majority aren't criminals .

(CNN) -- The Obama administration's Making Home Affordable program was designed to help homeowners like Mark Kollar and Angela Baca-Kollar keep their homes. Mark Kollar and Angela Baca-Kollar took part in the Making Home Affordable program. When the recession hit, the Arizona couple's income plummeted. They tried everything they could think of to hold on to their house: They drained their savings account, sold their 401(k), changed jobs. It wasn't enough, and foreclosure is set to begin in a week. The Kollars thought they had one last hope: the Making Home Affordable program, which should have reduced their monthly mortgage to affordable payments. In theory, it'd be a win-win: The Kollars and their two children keep their home, and the nation avoids one more foreclosure. The problem? The bank hasn't been playing along, and the Kollars have no place to turn. "I don't want a handout. I want to do the right thing," Mark Kollar said. "I thought this was supposed to give us a chance." A CNN investigation revealed that the Kollars are far from alone. Housing counselors, homeowners and consumer advocates tell endless stories of banks giving homeowners the runaround: declining apparently eligible applicants; pressuring them into loans they can't afford; placing homes in foreclosure while the owners are being considered for a modified loan; lenders telling homeowners to waive their legal rights, even though the program prohibits it; or banks telling homeowners that they have to be in default to qualify, which isn't true. Watch more about how the program has worked so far » . According to the Treasury Department's most recent report, only 230,000 of the up to 4 million eligible homeowners have new mortgages under the program. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has told bankers that he's not happy with the pace. Banks say that it took 90 days to get the program's rules and procedures and that they're still training staff members to handle it. The most common complaint from those applying for help: banks losing paperwork or dropping calls while the foreclosure clock is ticking. Watch more on home mortgage problems » . Mark Kollar can testify to that. Since receiving his Making Home Affordable offer, he's spent hours trying to reach someone at his bank who can help. A number of representatives told him that this is his only offer; accept it or lose his house. After insisting on speaking to a supervisor, he was eventually told to resubmit the documentation he'd been submitting for months. In return for billions of dollars from the government to help banks recover from bad loans, the banks are supposed to help homeowners make their mortgage payments more affordable. As President Obama said unveiling the program in March, helping "responsible folks who have been making their payments" because it will "leave money in their pockets and leave them more secure in their homes." Under the Making Home Affordable formula, the Kollars' payment should have been reduced to 31 percent of their $3,000-a-month income. The bank's offer? A payment of $2,892 a month, or 96 percent of their income. Diane Thompson of the National Consumer Law Center says this isn't uncommon. "We've seen gross errors of banks putting in wrong income to get ... payments," she said. Bank of America, which holds the Kollars' loan, says the offer it made was based on incorrect information from a government-approved housing counselor. Bank of America spokesman Rick Simon said it's difficult to determine what the Kollars should pay because Mark Kollar recently started a commission-based job, and his monthly income fluctuates. The bank plans to watch his earnings for a few more months before it moves ahead "with consideration of a trial modification offer." Simon said the bank is offering the Kollars a temporary new mortgage payment while it watches their earnings. "Bank of America is committed to the success of the Making Home Affordable program and helping homeowners avoid foreclosure whenever a borrower has the ability to make a reasonable mortgage payment," Simon said. By one measure, the Kollars are more fortunate than others in the same predicament; the bank hasn't sold their house out from under them. Beth Goodell, a lawyer with the nonprofit Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, says she's seen that happen. "Its outrageous," said Goodell, who represents low-income families in foreclosure. "It has to be clearer that foreclosure should stop altogether while people are being considered." She says the only outlet for these homeowners is the courts. An official with the Treasury Department said that "in all identified instances where loans have been denied to eligible borrowers, the administration has worked with servicers to correct the problem and provide modifications." And Michael Barr, the Treasury Department's assistant secretary for financial institutions, says the program is "off to a strong start." He admits that "servicer performance has been uneven" but believes that the lenders are on track to make improvements. And he vows that the administration "will hold these institutions accountable for their progress." But Goodell has seen plenty go wrong, and she said, "There's not adequate recourse." Frustrated with the bank, Angela Baca-Kollar called the Obama administration's helpline, 1-888-995-HOPE, but the representative told her that the hot line "can't strong-arm the bank" and urged her to call a government-approved housing counselor. The Kollars had been working with such a counselor for months. "There is nowhere to go," Angela Baca-Kollar said.

CNN told numerous stories of banks giving homeowners the runaround . Making Home Affordable program set up by Obama administration . Treasury: 230,000 of 4 million eligible homeowners have mortgages under program .

(CNN) -- Election Day will be consequential, perhaps a nail biter. Senate control may turn on a fistful of ballots in key states. Millions of Americans will be reminded again of their ramshackle election system. Lines are long, registration lists are error-filled, machines break down, and puzzled poll workers offer little help. This year, private citizens seeking to stop "voter fraud" could worsen the mess. Such unofficial and perhaps overheated activism may prove a far worse problem than phony voting itself. Nobody condones voter fraud. Every citizen has a right to know that ballots are legitimately cast and fairly counted. But illegal voting simply is not a widespread problem. An epidemic of voter fraud is an urban myth, like alligators living in the sewer. Fear of imaginary fraud must not be an excuse to block actual voting by real people. A recent example of the confusion sown by politically overheated allegations of fraud can be found in the much-ballyhooed charges by John McCain of voter fraud in 2008, all of which proved to be false. Some canvassers were arrested for submitting fake registrations, a practice made worse by state laws requiring private groups to submit all registration applications, even the ones they know might be wrongly filled out. But phony voters never showed up to vote. One reason: First-time voters must always show ID. If Mickey Mouse registers to vote, he still must show ID. (Even in Orlando, where they know him!) Of course, from our democracy's earliest days, politicians zestfully have stuffed ballot boxes. Boss Tweed bragged: "So long as I count the votes, what are you going to do about it?" Robert Caro, in his masterful biography, recounted how Lyndon Baines Johnson won his Senate seat in 1948 when officials "found" a lost box of votes, in which every single voter supported Johnson -- conveniently in alphabetical order. Even JFK joked about how Mayor Daley had stolen votes on his behalf. When misconduct occurred, it was overwhelmingly by politicians, rarely by rogue individual voters. And it is largely a thing of the past. Far more worrisome is another ominous strain in American history: ugly efforts to block legitimate voters, often targeting racial minorities. Evidence abounds. Future Chief Justice William Rehnquist got his start in politics striding up to Hispanic voters and demanding they prove their eligibility. In 2004, partisans planned to challenge voters in Ohio. A federal judge who blocked the move found that less than one in five voters in majority white precincts would have had their eligibility questioned, while nearly every voter in African-American majority locations would be challenged. All of which brings us to today. In 2010, there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud -- none. That's not because nobody was looking. The Bush administration made vote fraud a top Justice Department priority. Yet from 2002 to 2005, federal prosecutors convicted just 17 people nationwide for casting fraudulent ballots. Recall that it was the failure of prosecutors to move against nonexistent fraud that led to the political purge of U.S. attorneys in 2006, a scandal that prompted the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Yes, many registration lists contain mistakes or wrong names. But that is a product of slipshod and inaccurate paper records, not because crooks wrongly sought to vote. Statistically, an individual is more likely to be hit by lightning than to vote fraudulently. Yet fear of fraud continues to grip many activists. According to a 2009 poll by Public Policy Polling, an astonishing 52 percent of Republicans believed the now-defunct group ACORN stole the presidential election for Barack Obama in 2008, even though there's no evidence that such a theft occurred. During its voter registration campaign that year, ACORN said it signed up 1.3 million voters, a small percentage of which were fraudulent -- an amount that independent analysts said had negligible effect. Hardly a stolen election. On Election Day, some conservatives may fan out to polling places, demanding proof of eligibility and generally raising a ruckus. The Michigan GOP website describes a plan to post 3,600 challengers at Democratic-leaning polling places. The Illinois Republican candidate for Senate brags he will mount the largest "voter integrity program" in 15 years. More troubling are new efforts by angry private citizens. Tea Party groups have hosted challenger training sessions in at least four states. Talk show hosts are urging vigilance. People can now report voters they deem suspicious with two new iPhone apps. "Ballot security" squads manned by angry, under-trained activists at a polling place could easily spawn intimidation or chaos. How can we make sure this doesn't happen? Tea Party members and others must take care that monitoring does not cross the line into intimidation. Law enforcement should make clear what is illegal, including strong presence by local police when appropriate. And in the longer run, conservatives and liberals alike should agree on reforms to voter registration so that all eligible citizens are on the rolls permanently, minimizing any possibility of fraud while maximizing participation. Many states are moving in this direction already. When it comes to voting, let's all agree: vigilance, yes; vigilantism, never. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michael Waldman .

Michael Waldman says recent charges of widespread voter fraud turn out to be urban myth . He says ballot box-stuffing in U.S. is history; new, real worry is blocking legitimate voters . He says evidence of challenging voters at polls, often minorities, abounds in recent years . Waldman: Voting activists must prevent intimidation for political advantage at polls .

Washington (CNN) -- The United States has contacted authorities in Hong Kong to seek the extradition of Edward Snowden, the man who admitted leaking top-secret details about U.S. surveillance programs, a senior U.S. administration official said Saturday. Federal prosecutors charged Snowden with espionage and theft of government property, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court in Virginia on Friday. The United States based the extradition request on the criminal complaint and a treaty between the United States and Hong Kong that covers the surrender of "fugitive offenders" and their extradition. Washington already asked Hong Kong, where Snowden is believed to be in hiding, to detain the former National Security Agency contract analyst on a provisional arrest warrant, The Washington Post reported, citing unnamed U.S. officials. "If Hong Kong doesn't act soon, it will complicate our bilateral relations and raise questions about Hong Kong's commitment to the rule of law," the administration official said. The complaint charges Snowden with theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information, and willful communication of classified communications intelligence to an unauthorized person. The latter two allegations amount to espionage under the federal Espionage Act. Snowden, 30, has admitted in interviews he was the source behind the leaking of classified documents about the NSA's surveillance programs. Those leaks were the basis of reports in Britain's Guardian newspaper and The Washington Post this month. The Guardian revealed Snowden's identify at his request. The documents revealed the existence of top-secret surveillance programs that collect records of domestic telephone calls in the United States and monitor the Internet activity of overseas residents. There is a question about whether the espionage charges will be considered political offenses. The U.S. agreement with Hong Kong makes an exception for political offenses, in which case the treaty would not apply to Snowden. Hong Kong Executive Council member Regina Ip said authorities can arrest Snowden if his actions qualify as a crime under Hong Kong law, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported early Sunday. But if his actions are deemed to be political charges, she told Xinhua, then Snowden will not be extradited. "We will work under the framework of Hong Kong law, and won't allow any illegal or unfair judgment," Hong Kong Secretary of Justice Rimsky Yuen told Xinhua. Prominent U.S. lawyer Alan Dershowitz, a professor at Harvard Law School, said the espionage charge complicates the case. "I think it's a dumb decision by the Justice Department to charge him with espionage," Dershowitz told CNN. "That's a political crime under the extradition we have with Hong Kong. It gives Hong Kong an excuse to say we don't have to extradite him. "They should have indicted him only for theft and conversion of property. Then Hong Kong would have to comply with the extradition treaty and turn him over." The revelation of the leaks rocked the Obama administration and U.S. intelligence community, raising questions about secret operations of the NSA and whether the agency was infringing on American civil liberties. Obama, top legislators and national security officials defend the surveillance programs as necessary to combat terrorism and argue that some privacy must be sacrificed in a balanced approach. They say the law allows collection of metadata, such as the time and numbers of phone calls, and that a special federal court must approve accessing the content -- listening to the call itself. In interviews earlier this month, Snowden said he fled with the classified documents after taking a leave of absence from his job as an intelligence analyst for NSA contractor Booz Allen Hamiliton. The company has since fired him. A series of blog posts this week purportedly by Snowden said he leaked classified details about U.S. surveillance programs because President Barack Obama worsened "abusive" practices, instead of curtailing them as he promised as a candidate. However, Obama "closed the door on investigating systemic violations of law, deepened and expanded several abusive programs, and refused to spend the political capital to end the kind of human rights violations like we see in Guantanamo, where men still sit without charge," a blog post said. The Guardian newspaper and website identified the author as Snowden. Snowden said that he had to get out of the United States before the leaks were published by the Guardian and The Washington Post to avoid being targeted by the government. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, he said he plans to stay in Hong Kong to fight any attempt to force him to return to the United States because he has "faith in Hong Kong's rule of law." The U.S. signed the extradition treaty with Hong Kong in 1996, seven months before the British colony was handed back to China. Hong Kong's extradition laws had previously been governed by the United States-United Kingdom extradition treaty. This new treaty established an agreement under what is known as "one country, two systems": Hong Kong has autonomy from Beijing in all matters apart from defense and foreign policy. Snowden told the South China Morning Post, in an interview published Sunday, that the U.S. government is hacking Chinese mobile phone companies to steal millions of text messages. The Guardian also reported Snowden's latest claims. Last week, Snowden told the Post that U.S. intelligence agents have been hacking computer networks around the world, including in China, for years. Melissa Gray reported and wrote from Atlanta; Dan Lothian reported from Washington. CNN's Carol Cratty, Tom Dunlavey, Steve Brusk, and Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report.

NEW: Hong Kong authorities say they'll examine the charges against Snowden . U.S. contacts Hong Kong to seek Edward Snowden's extradition . Snowden has said he plan to fight any extradition attempt . Snowden tells paper that U.S. government is hacking Chinese mobile phone firms .

(CNN) -- MTV is hoping to give its get-out-the-vote campaign a viral boost with an online game, inspired by fantasy sports, that rewards players for participating in the 2012 elections. Gamers will rack up points in "Fantasy Election '12" for registering to vote, watching debates and publicly supporting candidates with transparent fundraising records and who refrain from political mudslinging. "This can be can be a crash course in what people should demand from those pursuing the privilege of elected office," said Jason Rzepka, MTV's vice president of public affairs, who revealed details about the game to in advance of its Tuesday launch. As in fantasy football or baseball, "Fantasy Election" is an online social game in which participants strategically build virtual teams of candidates and compete against other players from around the country for glory and prizes. Players can "draft" any candidate running for the U.S. presidency, the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. To encourage players to select honest, inspiring politicians, the most valuable candidates will have measurable integrity as well as strong poll numbers. Each candidate's "value" will be an aggregation of several key data points from specific partners: . ● Polling data from poll aggregator, RealClearPolitics.com. The longer a candidate is winning his or her race, the more points they'll earn. ● A transparency fundraising score from the Center for Responsive Politics, which publicizes campaign contribution and spending data. For instance, Ron Paul would score well in this category, given that he famously tried to disclose every single campaign expenditure -- even a 22-cent purchase at FedEx. ● Frequency of social media engagement on Twitter and Facebook. ● Declaring their stances on Project Vote Smart's "Political Courage Test," which "measures each candidate's willingness to provide citizens with their positions on key issues." ● Discussing substantive issues rather than airing "uncivil, personal ads", as ranked by the Wesleyan Media Project, which houses a public database of information on the "content and targeting" of broadcast television advertisements from around the country. "There's a lot of young people who are at the beginning of their civic career," says Rzepka. "When you're 18 and you're voting for the first time, you don't necessarily know what you deserve from a politician." He says he hopes the game will instill the habits of good citizenship among young voters. Additionally, MTV hopes that highlighting the most virtuous political candidates will re-energize young citizens, many of whom are disheartened by the sputtering economy and a perception among some voters that President Obama failed to meet the high (and perhaps unrealistic) expectations they had for him. According to Gallup, the so-called Millennial generation -- mostly people now in their twenties -- are the only age group to show a significant drop in whether they "care a good deal who is elected president next year," from 81% in 2007 to 69% in 2011. Russell Dalton, a political science professor at the University of California, Irvine, credits distrust in government with the substantial percentage of Generation Y citizens who would rather spend hours creating a viral campaign video than cast a ballot. "I think because of their cynicism and lack of control, they would rather do something direct," said Dalton, author of "The Good Citizen: How a Younger Generation Is Reshaping American Politics." "The paramount objective [of the game] is to get young people to register to vote," said MTV's Rzekpa. Being a savvy spectator won't be enough to win the game, he says. Players will need to keep abreast of the latest news, register to vote via a streamlined application on the Rock the Vote website and exert subtle peer pressure on their fence-leaning friends. They also earn points by checking in at town halls and voting stations via Foursquare. The details of the game won't be finalized until the private beta launch around June, but Facebook is the likely hub of "Fantasy Election." The invite-only beta will give MTV's "Fantasy Election" team some room to tweak the game before its public debut in late summer or early fall. Rzepka expects MTV will leverage "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in prizes to fuel sustained enthusiasm for the game. Big-ticket items will likely be a coveted invitation to the network's annual Video Music Awards or an invitation to an inaugural ball next January in Washington. Columbia University political science professor Daniel Green says he's skeptical that "Fantasy Election" will motivate young people who are not engaged with the political process. He believes face-to-face interactions are the most effective way to increase turnout and that the game's success will depend on whether its players experience the same kinds of emotions via Facebook as older generations do through real-life conversations. "To people who are really only distantly connected, I'm not sure the blandishment of Facebook wall posting would necessarily be all that influential," Green said. But for someone's inner circle of close friends, "Facebook could be quite powerful." Even if MTV can't make Generation Y a huge voting bloc, Rzepka believes the network can still be influential. "We're not going to solve the problems we face with voting alone," he said. "If we as MTV can get them [young citizens] when they're 18 and when they're 22, they are a long way on their way to being active and informed participants in our democracy from now on."

MTV to launch game that rewards players for being informed about the 2012 elections . "Fantasy Election," will measure each candidate's "value" via an aggregation of data points . MTV hopes that highlighting noble political candidates will inspire young citizens to vote .

(CNN) -- Recently, a reader dropped the following query into our inbox: . "This may be a stupid question, but recently a friend told me he's heard of people using Facebook as a dating service. My FB friends and I (admittedly middle-aged) can't figure out how you "meet" people on Facebook. I (and most of my friends) are FB friends with people we actually know. How would one use Facebook as a dating site?" - Flummoxed by Facebook Flirting . Oh, Flummoxed! There are no stupid questions -- only painfully, painfully stupid people. But I digress.... . Social media flirting is a phenom that has been around since the message board/chatroom days, when starry-eyed 13-year-olds and rheumy-eyed 61-year-olds traded "A/S/L?"s with optimistic abandon. A quick survey of my social followers -- on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Instagram -- revealed that, among my socially savvy circle of folks, people have dated/married suitors they met on MySpace, Facebook, Tumblr, Foursquare, MyYearBook, Yahoo Messenger and Usenet, to name a few. In fact, this past week, the story of how one couple met on Words With Friends swept the blogosphere: Megan Lawless and Jasper Jasperse started playing the smartphone-based word game and were pitted against each other randomly. After talking via the game's "Chat" feature and later communicating on Skype and e-mail, the pair met in person, and, eventually married -- Jasperse moving from his native Netherlands to Chicago to be with his bride. While all of this may seem weird/creepy/slightly sad to anyone who didn't grow up a digital native, consider this: Americans now spend about a quarter of their online time using social networks. If you're giving your monitor the old glassy eyeball instead of tipping back highballs at your local TV-plastered sports bar, that's likely where you're going to make connections. However, the actual process of meeting people via social media is still rather, well, creepy. (Less creepy than back in the days of message boards and AOL chatrooms, but creepy all the same.) Assuming that you are not, in fact, a weirdo who collects spleens (we give you guys so much leeway on this factor), here are some tips on how to make any social media site a dating site without being a creep. Don't: . Compliment incessantly: You know that dude who staggers up to you at the bar, breathes whiskey into your face and murmurs, "Hey lady, you got mad cleavage, yo." He's creepy, right? He's even kind of creepy when he goes a less aggressive route and compliments something benign, like your eyes ("You have lovely orbs... May I have them?"). Why? Because he's stating his intentions off the bat, and our society -- addled by years and years of romantic comedy-viewage -- prefers a bit of a chase. When engaging with people via social media, talking about their appearance/demeanor/eyeballs is even more unsettling than at the bar, because you don't know the person in question and you can't see their face in the flesh. Instead of going directly for flattery, start up a conversation with the object of your desire, thereby charming them with your wit and whimsy rather than empty poesy (or straight-up sexual harassment). Come to think of it, that's probably good advice for comporting yourself at ye olde sports bar as well. Repeat yourself: If your hoped-for intended doesn't reply to the first five tweets you send him about your shared love of fossils and tesseracts, cease and desist with your wooing. He doesn't like you. Here's a tissue. Erase your face: No one wants to date a picture of a donut. When choosing your avatar, make sure to show your face, or, at the very least, link to a website featuring a picture of your mug. If you're sensitive about your big-ass nose or your shiny head, just chill out. Ugly people get married, too -- I see their progeny on the subway daily. Exhibit your courtship: Some initial public bantering is fine -- via Twitter, Facebook Walls, etc -- but if you carry on your heavy flirting ("OMG! I love the shape of your broken nose! You look like a matador!") in a public forum, you risk annoying your friends and followers or, worse, embarrassing your potential date -- especially if you ask out said potential date publicly. Have we learned nothing from that dude who asked that girl to marry him on the JumboTron? Twitter allows you to DM people, Facebook boasts private messages and even Tumblr has an internal messaging service called Fan Mail now -- there's no excuse for blithely PDA'ing the hell out of your swain. Play phantom: We're assuming that you actually want to meet the object of your late-night Google stalking, so when it comes to digital flirting -- bring it offline ASAP. We're also assuming that said person wants to meet you (we're trusting you again here, guys -- hopefully you possess the social skills to recognize interest, unlike that aforementioned dude in the sports bar). So why not ask them to hang in person? Or, better yet, in the presence of tons and tons of friends who can waylay a possible kidnapping/murder scenario.

People meet and date on MySpace, Facebook, Tumblr, Foursquare and other sites . Americans now spend about a quarter of their online time using social networks . Don't compliment incessantly, repeat yourself or keep flirting online too long .

(CNN) -- Just over a year ago, a U.S. staff sergeant in Iraq decided to practice his shooting skills. His target: the Quran, Islam's holiest book. Pvt. Nicole Wright, 20, learns cultural awareness by watching an interactive DVD. The military issued a formal apology, promptly dismissed the soldier from his regiment and reassigned him to stateside duty. But news of the shooting had already made its way onto YouTube, and a firestorm of outrage was ignited across the Islamic world. Protests turned deadly in Afghanistan. Back at the Army's Intelligence and Cultural Awareness Center at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, commanders knew they had a problem. In the 21st century, the Army was sending younger soldiers into an arena they had little cultural experience in, and at the same time, new social networking sites were poised to broadcast their mistakes to the world. Maj. Gen. John Custer, the leading officer at Fort Huachuca, knew that the Army not only needed trained linguists, but it also needed a new language of its own. "The advent of social networking has changed the world. The soldiers who I see coming from basic to the intel center, what is the first question they ask? 'Are you Wi-Fi?'," he said. Today, a third of the men and women the Army has deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan are between the ages of 20 and 24, and Custer believes the military has now entered the age of the "strategic private" -- a young soldier reared on video games. And because of social networking, that private is now armed with the ability to severely cripple a mission and spark the kinds of reactions that the world saw after the Quran shooting. So Custer decided his young recruits needed some extra training in cultural awareness. For help, he turned to a group of former military men who also saw an opportunity to engage today's Iraq-bound soldiers. Russ Phelps spent a career in the Navy before starting a Denver, Colorado-based company called InVism, which combines live-action video and virtual-reality technology to create simulators that become learning tools for the military and other clients. "I was watching the rise of the gaming world, and the impact and the power it was having over how people were interacting with information, and I thought there is something here," Phelps said. So Phelps, a trained Arabic linguist, worked with two other companies, Combat Film Productions and Quest Pictures, to help him create realistic, movie-like combat scenarios. Hollywood veterans shot the scenarios on an elaborate set in Southern California, adding real footage from Iraq whenever possible. The result: an immersive cultural simulation program that is part video game, part blockbuster Hollywood movie. Soldiers use computers to train on an interactive DVD that plunges them into a series of scenarios and presents them with choices, such as whether to accept a cooler full of drinks from an Iraqi youth. At the end of each scenario, the recruit clicks on his or her choice, then discovers whether it was the right one. (Hint: That cooler could contain a bomb.) In this way, the DVD becomes an immersive learning tool that trains soldiers in a way that lectures and textbooks cannot. Ken Robinson, an Army Ranger turned Hollywood guru, is the project's executive producer. He's convinced that by grabbing soldiers' attention with stunning graphics and compelling characters, and then engaging them in the decision-making process, the project will deliver the ultimate payoff. "They're gonna live," he told CNN. "They're gonna make choices on the battlefield that will prevent their first choice from being to use their weapon. They're gonna use their mind." Robinson believes the simulator program is more effective then a traditional video game because soldiers relate more to human characters than virtual avatars. "Nobody cares about an avatar that gets killed. You just get another avatar," he said. "It's a 'band of brothers' mentality," agreed Steve Wilson, Chief of Training at Fort Huachuca. "You are building a camaraderie." Wilson hopes that the soldiers build enough of a bond with the characters onscreen that they will be able to sense the shock and stress that come with the life-or-death situations they'll soon be immersed in for real. But can a soldier really save a life, or multiple lives, just by using more cultural sensitivity? Does it really matter if a U.S. soldier knows the difference between a Shiite and a Sunni? Custer thinks so. "If an untrained soldier walks through a market, he's gonna come back and tell you 'there are a lot of tomatoes here today,' " Custer said. "The guy who has cultural training is gonna come back and say, 'All the Sunnis in the market are talking about al-Dari, a meeting tonight.' " Pvt. Nicole Wright, 20, who doesn't know yet when she'll be deployed, has found the training useful. "I'm going to be a little more aware of what I'm looking for, the people and the environment," she said. Spc. Andrew Omernick, 23, who grew up playing video games, agrees. "The format was a little bit different from most video games I've seen. It was intuitive," he said. "I thought this training was a significant step forward." Every soldier who takes the DVD immersion course is given a pre- and post-training test to measure the change in their cultural acuity. But there is an even more immediate feedback about whether the Army has achieved its mission of connecting with its young soldiers. "If it were a video game, I'd buy it," Omernick said.

The U.S. Army is using interactive videos for soldiers' cultural sensitivity training . The videos help recruits understand and adapt to Iraq and Afghanistan . Soldiers watch DVDs that plunge them into a series of wartime scenarios . Recruits face choices, click on options, then find out how they scored .

(CNN) -- In most of the old TV Westerns, there was a moment at the end where the cowboy rode away. He's delivered justice, empowered the townsfolk and ended the crisis. The good guy knows he will be needed elsewhere. It's mythology, of course; the historical American West was bloody and brutal and often without honor. But there were still a lot of people who hoped the cowboy icon was precisely the self-image Texas Gov. Rick Perry was realizing as he took the stage to make an announcement about his "exciting future plans." But this is not the scene where the cowboy rides away. It's a bit more like the one where he refuses to leave the saloon and has to be thrown out onto the street. In spite of promoting his Monday event in San Antonio for a week, Perry didn't speak in any detail about his plans. Democrats and progressives had a bit of excitement, however. The governor said he was not running for re-election to the state's top political job. It will be 18 months before Perry leaves office after a 14-year tenure as the longest-serving governor in Texas history. And that final year and a half and what he's going to do with it is where Perry exercised his skills at being politically vague. Which is why pundits tend to say Perry is hard to predict. But he's not. Since the day he switched political parties under the tutelage of Karl Rove almost a quarter century ago, Perry has been an extreme conservative who gave away hundreds of millions in taxpayer money to corporations. And when the tea party metastasized into Texas politics, he walked his conservatism over to the right edge of the flat earth. His lust for guns and God and his hatred of abortion rights and gay rights make him a strong Republican primary candidate among the activist voters, but an unlikely voice for most of America seeking a president in 2016. But he's still going to try, bless his heart. Perry will use his remaining time in office to raise money. The signal for this was the site of his announcement, which was a Caterpillar plant outside San Antonio. The manufacturer's chief executive reportedly has given Perry more than $680,000 since he became governor, and Caterpillar received millions in tax abatements and a $10 million grant from the Texas Enterprise Fund, which has disproportionately awarded money to generous Perry campaign donors. An Emerging Technology Fund and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas offered the same fiduciary delights for GOP business leaders that are believers in Perry. In fact, the institute's operation was so political all of the top scientists drawn to the project resigned and the district attorney in Austin launched a criminal investigation. When the district attorney was arrested on a driving while intoxicated charge, however, Perry vetoed funding for her unit, which was investigating his potential misconduct. Case closed. It's good to be king. And he kind of is in Texas. No one should expect anything new out of Perry. He will keep traveling the country annoying other state leaders while talking about jobs in Texas and acting like he persuaded God to pour dinosaur wine into our soil and then seduced California tech companies into moving where real estate and labor are less expensive. Texas has always been a job engine because of natural resources, weather and people, not politicians. No mention will be made by Perry of the fact that a large number of jobs lured to Texas using taxpayer money are minimum wage, nor will he talk about how Texas is 50th in the percentage of population with a high school diploma, or how it's first in the nation with 28.8% uninsured. The governor will keep arguing against Obamacare regardless of the fact it insures 3 million more Texans and reduces the uninsured overall to 12%. Don't expect him to detail, either, that his state is 50th in per capita spending on health care, 51st in benefits for the Women, Infants and Children program, and, even though he is pushing abortion restrictions, Perry will certainly not let anyone know he presides over a state ranked 50th in the percentage of women receiving prenatal care in their first trimesters. And if his leadership has been so inspiring, why is it that Texas is also last in the percentage of the voting age population that actually votes? Instead, look for Perry to associate more publicly with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative state think tank founded by one of his biggest donors. He'll try to gin up a little gravitas on issues, work on keeping three items in his head at one time, and launch a Super PAC that he can use to support conservative candidates in 2014, and then call upon them for returned favors when he runs in 2016. The two Super PACs associated with his previous presidential stumble have about $500,000 already, and Perry has been consistently skilled at leveraging the governor's office to raise cash for his political fantasies. The Texas governor has a good life. And he knows it. He's already drawing his $7,698 a month pension from the state, and his $150,000 salary, living in a beautiful mansion in downtown Austin, and traveling on jets with an entourage of security and sycophants. But that's nothing compared with being president. So, no, the cowboy isn't riding away. He's hanging around the saloon. And trying to get another drink. The opinions in this commentary are solely those of James C. Moore.

James Moore: Rick Perry says he won't run for governor again but was vague on future plans . Moore: Perry will run for president, even though his extremism is out of step . Perry will use remaining time in office to raise money, launch Super PAC, he says . Moore: He gave millions to corporations but has abysmal record on education, health care .

Baghdad (CNN) -- As the last U.S. soldiers exited Iraq Sunday and debate was raging about the nation's future, political crisis erupted in Baghdad that raised fears of more sectarian strife to come. Iraqiya, a powerful political bloc that draws support largely from Sunni and more secular Iraqis, said it was boycotting parliament, a move that threatens to shatter Iraq's fragile power-sharing government. The move pits the largely Sunni and secular coalition against the government of Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Iraqiya contends al-Maliki is trying to amass dictatorial power and many believe al-Maliki was simply waiting for the Americans to leave before making his move. It all makes for burgeoning political chaos and raises serious questions about whether democracy and human rights can take root in the war-ravaged nation. "The only country that makes U.S. politics look like a picnic is Iraq," said Christopher Hill, the former U.S. ambassador in Baghdad. Al-Maliki, Hill said, is a man who perceives concessions as weakness. He's a tough guy who knows what he's doing, Hill said. He managed to forge relationships with the Kurds and peel off some Sunni support to build the majority he needed to put together a government, Hill said. But whether he is the man to unify Iraq, to lead it now, without American presence, is uncertain. His rivals say that al-Maliki still controls the country's security ministries and all decisions go through him. They also say that the hundreds of people seized by the government in October for backing terrorism and supporting the banned Baath Party are Iraqiya supporters. Iraqiya spokesman Haider al-Mulla said the bloc has always warned about power-sharing and deal's risks that al-Maliki's State of Law Alliance party has been violating the law. "Iraqiya has always expressed its rejection to the policy of exclusion and marginalization, lack of power sharing, politicization of the judiciary, the lack of balance within the government institutions," al-Mulla said. Al-Maliki is asking lawmakers to withdraw confidence from his deputy after Saleh al-Mutlaq made controversial comments this week over American forces withdrawing from Iraq, state media reported late Saturday. In a CNN interview, al-Mutlaq had accused al-Maliki of amassing dictatorial power. "There will be a day whereby the Americans will realize that they were deceived by al-Maliki ... and they will regret that," said al-Mutlaq, a leader within the Iraqiya movement. Also at issue were reports that an arrest warrant had been issued for Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi for masterminding a recent car bombing targeting al-Maliki and the parliament. Ali al-Mussawi, al-Maliki's media adviser, said there were confessions that linked the Sunni vice president to the bombing. Al-Mussawi dismissed the notion that linking al-Hashimi to terrorism was politically motivated. He would not confirm whether an arrest warrant had indeed been issued, saying that was a matter for the judiciary. But tensions were running high after the Iraqiya bloc, headed by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, made its move Friday night. There had been fears of renewed bloodshed between Iraq's majority Shiite and minority Sunni populations and that prompted U.S. officials to work out a power-sharing agreement, bringing the Iraqiya movement into the government. Al-Mutlaq told CNN that Washington is leaving Iraq "with a dictator" who has ignored the power-sharing agreement, kept control of the country's security forces and rounded up hundreds of people in recent weeks. He said he was "shocked" to hear U.S. President Barack Obama greet al-Maliki at the White House on Monday as "the elected leader of a sovereign, self-reliant and democratic Iraq." "America left Iraq with almost no infrastructure. The political process is going in a very wrong direction, going toward a dictatorship," he said. "People are not going to accept that, and most likely they are going to ask for the division of the country. And this is going to be a disaster. Dividing the country isn't going to be smooth, because dividing the country is going to be a war before that and a war after that." Neighboring Iran, predominantly Shiite and led by a Shiite regime, views al-Maliki as its man in Baghdad and has dictated the shape of the current government, al-Mutlaq said. But he said al-Maliki is playing games with both Washington and Tehran. Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish member of parliament, said lawmakers discussed the Iraqiya move on Saturday and said it reflects "a level of mistrust between the blocs, the government, Iraqiya and others. "The problem is that Maliki isn't sharing any security decisions with Iraqiya, he doesn't trust them and this is a big problem," he said. "Power-sharing was never power-sharing. We are in a government of conflict. Power-sharing was never successful. "The Kurds don't want to take sides, we want them (Iraqiya and State of Law Alliance) to get together to solve their problems." He is worried that the problem could morph into fighting between Sunnis and Shiites or violence against the government. "This isn't just political," he said. "It's sectarian."

The largely Sunni and secular Iraqiya bloc is boycotting parliament . It could unravel Iraq's fragile power-sharing government . Critics of Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki say is amassing power . The political chaos raises fears of sectarian strife .

(CNN) -- The enthusiasm gap between football fanatics and those who can't tell a Raven from a Falcon can widen into a chasm come Super Bowl Sunday. It's hard to resist a nationwide party, so you'll find the clueless mingling with the season ticket holders, which can lead to bitterness from both quarters when apathy meets with bone-crushing enthusiasm. As a colleague wrote in an e-mail upon discovering that a friend who doesn't care for football was hosting a Super Bowl party, "I think it's totally annoying and now I have to find a reason to tell you to keep your chips and dip to yourself because I don't want to constantly listen to you ramble on while I'm trying to watch the game. Wanna have a party? Then have one. Just don't hijack my Super Bowl. I'm about to go into mourning about football season being over." Plenty of non-fans are perfectly comfortable taking a pass and indulging in an alternate activity on game day. Many hosts are warm and welcoming to guests who don't know a blitz from a drop kick (so long as they bring a sufficiently chilled six-pack or a semi-competent guacamole). But the occasional "Shush! I'm trying to hear Jerome Boger's call!" is bound to happen. Granted, any thematic gathering stands a chance of widening the gulf between devotees and dilettantes. There's always the blowhard at the Oscars party rolling his eyes, delivering a dull indictment of celebrity culture and yammering on about not having seen any of the films (all while hogging the artichoke dip). That's a pretty serious fumble in the decency department. So how about a little teamwork this Sunday? Here are tips on how not to ruin a Super Bowl party for those disinterested in the game yet game for a celebration. Opinion: I hate, hate Super Bowl parties . For the non-fan: . Keep off the field of play . If you go to the beach and you spend the whole time crabbing about sand between your toes while the rest of your friends are frolicking, perhaps you're meant for the museum or the mall instead. It's not fair to bring everyone else down just because football isn't your bag. Have a "me" day, indulge in something you love ("Law & Order" marathon? Puppy Bowl perhaps?) and console or celebrate with the gang after the game. Perform some drills . Dig the company, but know you'll be bored stiff even before kickoff? Assign yourself a labor-intensive task that will benefit everyone. Assemble a 47-layer dip, serve up freshly made guacamole to order or squeeze a few dozen limes to ensure everyone's margaritas stay replenished. Just clear it with the host beforehand, and everybody wins. Consult your bookie . Not into the game, but want to get your share of chicken wings and halftime hijinks? While it would be terribly rude in most other social circumstances, feel free to retreat to a quiet corner with a book or the (quiet) communication device of your choice. Just remember to look up and smile every once in a while (especially if you've been dragged there as someone's plus one) so you aren't just remembered as that party pooper who spent the whole time scowling. Rally an ally . Around bowl time, the Internet abounds with articles about how to sound like you know what you're talking about at a Super Bowl party. That seems exhausting. While the assembled masses might not have time or patience for your questions about what's happening on the gridiron, there's bound to be at least one person dying to take you under his or her wing. Keep that person's nacho plate topped off and he/she will be your No. 1 fan. Hut or shut up . Perhaps you think football is dull, barbaric or hopelessly unsophisticated. There's an awesome place where you can go and yelp about that to your heart's content: It's called the Internet, and it's right there in your pocket. Feel free to tweet, comment or text your heckling to the sympathetic masses -- which might be rather passive-aggressive, but at least you're not out-loud harshing the buzz of the folks who were kind enough to let you take up couch space. For the host: . Kick it off properly . Are casual or non-fans welcome? If your aim is to party down with only the die-hards, (politely) make that clear in the invitation so less-fanatical friends can make alternate plans. Make room on the sidelines . If your gathering is going to be split between die-hard football fans and folks who are just in it for the dip and halftime nip slips, consider drawing some clear lines on the field of play. This might mean you'll have to clean up your bedroom or den, but that's a small price to pay for peace. Draft backup hosts . You might be the best host in the history of the game, and have all your bases covered (apologies for the mixed sports metaphor), but accept offers of help if you can. The guest might simply be at a loss for something to do. Consider tasking them with beer runs, cheese grating or dish duty and consider it a victory for your mad hospitality skills. Are you a non-fan who plans to attend a Super Bowl party with die-hard fans? Share your strategy in the comments section below.

If you aren't a football fan, you might feel out of place at a Super Bowl party . Try to be inoffensive to hard-core fans if you're just there to socialize . Helping the host with chores is one way to be useful and keep busy . Asking a friend who is willing to explain the game can make it more fun for you .

(CNN) -- "When the history is written of this era, this is how you'll be remembered: 'He was the first black president.' Okay, not a bad accomplishment, but that's it. That's it, Mr. Obama."-- Michael Moore . We have become used to sky-is-falling rhetoric from filmmaker Michael Moore, but what isn't hyperbolic about the sentiment packed into that quote is the disappointment many supporters of Sen. Barack Obama have in President Barack Obama. Earlier this year, one in four Democrats and two in three Independents said this administration has let them down, according to a CBS News/New York Times Poll. It seems once the euphoria of 2008 wore off, voters were shocked to learn the country's first black president wasn't as radical as his election. He's shown himself to be idealistic but methodical. A compassionate figure with a thing for drones and kill lists. These days, he is thinking legacy. But what will history say about the man who was voted into office with a mandate to end the war in Iraq and now will likely leave that office with a new war in Iraq trailing behind? As the bombing in Syria by the United States, and to a lesser extent, a cadre of allies, was getting under way, Obama delivered a thoughtful address to the United Nations on Wednesday. He called out Arab nations that "accumulate wealth through the global economy, and then siphon funds to those who teach children to tear it down." He dared to challenge Muslims to reject those who rally around a bastardized version of the Islamic faith and then use that doctrine to justify chaos. He spoke of a crossroad between "war and peace," "disorder and integration," "fear and hope." Remember that word? Hope. It was the word Obama used to ignite the movement that would lift him from his position as a little-known junior senator from Illinois into the White House and onto the world stage. He promised to change the way things had always been. Now Moore and others are disappointed because they believed him. After winning the Iowa Democratic caucus in January 2008, Obama told the rabid crowd that the country was choosing unity over division and that "this was the place, this was the moment where America remembered what it means to hope." Six years later, a Gallup poll found fewer Iowans approve of the job Obama's doing than the national average -- 38% to 43%. What will history say about the man who encouraged immigrants to dream big and then left them hanging for the sake of the midterm election? Who has overseen 54 consecutive weeks of private-sector job growth, the longest stretch in history. Who pledged to close Guantanamo Bay. Who OK'd the mission that led to the death of Osama Bin Laden. Who promised to be transparent. In 2007, Oprah Winfrey gave a speech in support of Obama. She said, "We need a new way of doing business in Washington, D.C. and in the world. ... I'm tired of politics as usual." And yet here we are. George W. Bush left Afghanistan and Iraq for Obama to sort through, and now it is likely Obama will leave behind Iraq and Syria for his successor. Opinion: America's wartime president . At the U.N., Obama explained in detail why it was important to defeat ISIS. Instead of a soaring delivery, he spoke plainly about the choices that lie in front of us all, intelligently shifting the point of emphasis from destroying terrorist groups to derailing their instruments of recruitment, funding, and their very philosophy. "No God condones this terror," he said. "There can be no reasoning -- no negotiation -- with this brand of evil," he said. "The only language understood by killers like this is the language of force." And then he reiterated that he is prepared to lead in this force for the remainder of his presidency. It was the kind of rhetoric we were accustomed to hearing from his 2008 opponent, Sen. John McCain, who has yet to see a war he didn't want us to be a part of. It was the kind of rhetoric his 2012 opponent, Mitt Romney, said would make him the better leader. It was the kind of rhetoric that has become as much a part of Obama's complicated legacy as the Affordable Care Act, the rise in LGBT rights and the slow, but real, economic recovery. Syria now becomes the seventh predominantly Muslim country in which he has authorized military strikes. Perhaps his earlier persona contributed to his resistance to do so sooner, despite the advice of his inner circle. When one takes power under the guise of a peaceful change agent, one should pause before ordering airstrikes, if for no other reason than not wanting to contribute to the Earth's carnage. But for the next two years, he is committed to doing just that. He doesn't have much of a choice, really. Terrorists are reportedly developing articles of clothing that explode. I shudder to think what will be in store for airline passengers dealing with TSA screenings if such a thing comes to pass. How will history remember Obama? What will his legacy be? It appears a lot of that will depend on how many people the U.S. kills before he leaves office. That's not why many of us voted for him, but I guess the rest of the world didn't get the memo. We voted not to bomb people. To end the wars. To stop spying. I wonder if he's as disappointed in the way things have turned out as the rest of us.

LZ: Syria bombing a reminder that Obama is not the president his supporters expected . Polls show Dems, independents disappointed. Will war, in the end, be Obama's legacy? Elected as war-ending change agent, Obama spoke this week about U.S. strikes on terror . LZ: Despite Obamacare, better economy, and more, many are disappointed. Is Obama too?

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (CNN) -- Iceland may be best known for world-famous musical export Bjork but there's a new star quickly gaining this island nation worldwide acclaim -- clean energy. This hydrogen fuel cell car is leading an energy revolution in Iceland. For more than 50 years Iceland has been decreasing its dependence on fossil fuels by tapping the natural power all around this rainy, windswept rock of fire. Waterfalls, volcanoes, geysers and hot springs provide Icelanders with abundant electricity and hot water. Virtually all of the country's electricity and heating comes from domestic renewable energy sources -- hydroelectric power and geothermal springs. It's pollution-free and cheap. Yet these energy pioneers are still dependent on imported oil to operate their vehicles and thriving fishing industry. Iceland's geographic isolation in the North Atlantic makes it expensive to ship in gasoline -- it costs almost $8 a gallon (around $2 a liter). Iceland ranks 53rd in the world in greenhouse gas emissions per capita, according to the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center -- the primary climate-change data and information analysis center of the U.S. Department of Energy. Retired University of Iceland Professor Bragi Arnason has come up with a solution: Use hydrogen to power transportation. Hydrogen is produced with water and electricity, and Iceland has lots of both. "Iceland is the ideal country to create the world's first hydrogen economy," Arnason explains. His big idea has earned him the nickname "Professor Hydrogen." Arnason has caught the attention of General Motors, Toyota and DaimlerChrysler, who are using the island-nation as a test market for their hydrogen fuel cell prototypes. One car getting put through its paces is the Mercedes Benz A-class F-cell -- an electric car powered by a DaimlerChrysler fuel cell. Fuel cells generate electricity by converting hydrogen and oxygen into water. And fuel cell technology is clean -- the only by-product is water. Watch the F-cell navigate through Reykjavik » . "It's just like a normal car," says Asdis Kritinsdottir, project manager for Reykjavik Energy. Except the only pollution coming out of the exhaust pipe is water vapor. It can go about 100 miles on a full tank. When it runs out of fuel the electric battery kicks in, giving the driver another 18 miles -- hopefully enough time to get to a refueling station. Filling the tank is similar to today's cars -- attach a hose to the car's fueling port, hit "start" on the pump and stand back. The process takes about five to six minutes. See some of the F-cell's unique features » . In 2003, Reykjavik opened a hydrogen fueling station to test three hydrogen fuel cell buses. The station was integrated into an existing gasoline and diesel station. The hydrogen gas is produced by electrolysis -- sending a current through water to split it into hydrogen and oxygen. The public buses could run all day before needing refueling. The bus project lasted three years and cost around $10 million. The city will need five refueling stations in addition to the one the city already has to support its busy ring road, according to Arnason. The entire nation could get by on 15 refueling stations -- a minimum requirement. Within the year, 30-40 hydrogen fuel-cell cars will hit Reykjavik streets. Local energy company employees will do most of the test-driving but three cars will be made available to The Hertz Corp., giving Icelanders a chance to get behind the wheel. Learn more about fuel cells » . "I need a car," says Petra Svenisdottir, an intern at Reykjavik Energy. Svenisdottir, 28, commutes to work from her home in Hafnarfjorour to Reykjavik. The journey takes her about 15 minutes if she can beat traffic. "If I didn't have a car I would have to take two or three buses and wait at each bus stop to arrive at work more than an hour later, cold and wet!" Most Icelanders drive cars, says Arnason. Around 300,000 people live in a place about the size of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Transportation is limited to cars, buses and boats. "Everyone has a car here," Arnason says. And it's very typical for an Icelandic family to own two cars. Arnason drives a small SUV. Fuel cell cars are expected to go on sale to the public in 2010. Carmakers have promised Arnason they will keep costs down and the government has said it will offer citizens tax breaks. He figures it will take an additional 4 percent of power to produce the hydrogen Iceland would need to meet its transportation requirements. Once Iceland's vehicles are converted over to hydrogen, the fishing fleet will follow. It won't be easy because of current technological limits and the high cost of storing large amounts of hydrogen, but Arnason feels confident it can happen. He predicts Iceland will be fossil fuel free by 2050. "We are a very small country but we have all the same infrastructure of big nations," he said. "We will be the prototype for the rest of the world." E-mail to a friend .

Iceland turning to hydrogen to power its cars, buses and fishing fleet . Professor Bragi Arnason: Iceland will be the world's first hydrogen economy . Iceland wants to eliminate its dependency on oil by 2050 . Icelandic homes, powered, heated by domestic renewable energy sources .

(CNN)If you think you are tech savvy all because you know what "LOL" means, let me test your coolness. Any idea what "IWSN" stands for in Internet slang? It's a declarative statement: I want sex now. If it makes you feel any better, I had no clue, and neither did a number of women I asked about it. Acronyms are widely popular across the Internet, especially on social media and texting apps, because, in some cases, they offer a shorthand for communication that is meant to be instant. So "LMK" -- let me know -- and "WYCM" -- will you call me? -- are innocent enough. But the issue, especially for parents, is understanding the slang that could signal some dangerous teen behavior, such as "GNOC,'" which means "get naked on camera." And it certainly helps for a parent to know that "PIR" means parent in room, which could mean the teen wants to have a conversation about things that his or her mom and dad might not approve of. Katie Greer is a national Internet safety expert who has provided Internet and technology safety training to schools, law enforcement agencies and community organizations throughout the country for more than seven years. She says research shows that a majority of teens believe that their parents are starting to keep tabs on their online and social media lives. "With that, acronyms can be used by kids to hide certain parts of their conversations from attentive parents," Greer said. "Acronyms used for this purpose could potentially raise some red flags for parents." But parents would drive themselves crazy, she said, if they tried to decode every text, email and post they see their teen sending or receiving. "I've seen some before and it's like 'The Da Vinci Code,' where only the kids hold the true meanings (and most of the time they're fairly innocuous)," she said. Still, if parents come across any acronyms they believe could be problematic, they should talk with their kids about them, said Greer. But how, on earth, is a parent to keep up with all these acronyms, especially since new ones are being introduced every day? "It's a lot to keep track of," Greer said. Parents can always do a Google search if they stumble upon an phrase they aren't familiar with, but the other option is asking their children, since these phrases can have different meanings for different people. "Asking kids not only gives you great information, but it shows that you're paying attention and sparks the conversation around their online behaviors, which is imperative." Micky Morrison, a mom of two in Islamorada, Florida, says she finds Internet acronyms "baffling, annoying and hilarious at the same time." She's none too pleased that acronyms like "LOL" and "OMG" are being adopted into conversation, and already told her 12-year-old son -- whom she jokingly calls "deprived," since he does not have a phone yet -- that acronym talk is not allowed in her presence. But the issue really came to a head when her son and his adolescent friends got together and were all "ignoring one another with noses in their phones," said Morrison, founder of BabyWeightTV. "I announced my invention of a new acronym: 'PYFPD.' Put your freaking phone down." LOL! But back to the serious issue at hand, below are 28 Internet acronyms, which I learned from Greer and other parents I talked with, as well as from sites such as NoSlang.com and NetLingo.com, and from Cool Mom Tech's 99 acronyms and phrases that every parent should know. After you read this list, you'll likely start looking at your teen's texts in a whole new way. 1. IWSN - I want sex now . 2. GNOC - Get naked on camera . 3. NIFOC - Naked in front of computer . 4. PIR - Parent in room . 5 CU46 - See you for sex . 6. 53X - Sex . 7. 9 - Parent watching . 8. 99 - Parent gone . 9. 1174' - Party meeting place . 10. THOT - That hoe over there . 11. CID - Acid (the drug) 12. Broken - Hungover from alcohol . 13. 420 - Marijuana . 14. POS - Parent over shoulder . 15. SUGARPIC - Suggestive or erotic photo . 16. KOTL - Kiss on the lips . 17. (L)MIRL - Let's meet in real life . 18. PRON - Porn . 19. TDTM - Talk dirty to me . 20. 8 - Oral sex . 21. CD9 - Parents around/Code 9 . 22. IPN - I'm posting naked . 23. LH6 - Let's have sex . 24. WTTP - Want to trade pictures? 25. DOC - Drug of choice . 26. TWD - Texting while driving . 27. GYPO - Get your pants off . 28. KPC- Keeping parents clueless . Know any other Internet acronyms parents should learn about? Tell Kelly Wallace on Twitter or CNN Living on Facebook.

Acronyms are widely used across the Internet, especially on social media and texting apps . Some acronyms can be a shorthand for sex, drugs and alcohol . Experts say parents should be aware of acronyms and talk to their children about them . Expert: "Asking kids not only gives you great information, but it shows that you're paying attention"

New York (CNN) -- A federal jury in New York ruled Tuesday that a man who identifies as black and Hispanic and the nonprofit he founded must pay punitive damages to an African-American employee after a previous ruling that the use of the "n-word" is inappropriate among minorities in a workplace. The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by Brandi Johnson, who is African-American, against STRIVE, the employment center where she worked, claiming she was a victim of a hostile workplace after enduring verbal harassment and a series of statements filled with profanity and racial slurs from her supervisor. The employment center in East Harlem argued that the use of the word was part of a "tough-love culture." The jury ruled Tuesday that center founder Rob Carmona must pay $25,000 and his organization must pay $5,000 in punitive damages. Jurors last week awarded $250,000 in compensatory damages to Johnson, 38, who sued Carmona personally and STRIVE, which he founded in 1984. Carmona's lawyer, Diane Krebs, issued a statement that said in part: "We are disappointed by the verdict, as we do not believe that it comports with the full facts applicable to the case. Nevertheless, we respect the jury's decision and the judicial process. We are exploring all our options moving forward, including appeal, and look forward to the judicial process taking its entire course." Papa John's CEO apologizes to Florida customer for employee's racist rant . Carmona's n-word-peppered rant toward Johnson was captured on a four-minute audio recording on Johnson's iPhone without her boss knowing in March 2012 and was played for a federal jury last week. "You and (a previous employee) are just alike. Both of you are smart as s---, but dumb as s---. You know what it is ... both of you are n------, y'all act like n------ all the time," Carmona said to Johnson, according to audio evidence played in court and obtained by CNN. Carmona called Johnson the n-word eight times during the recording. "And I'm not saying the term n------ as derogatory; sometimes it's good to know when to act like a n-----, but y'all act like n------ all the time ... both of you very bright, but both y'all act like n------ at inappropriate times," Carmona said in the audio recording. From the stand Tuesday, Carmona explained tearfully that he was only trying to help. "I come from a different time ... What I'm trying to do is help ... that's the transition... (this case) has showed me I got to take stock in that at my age," said Carmona, 61. According to STRIVE, Carmona is a Harlem native who spent his early teenage years addicted to drugs and in and out of prison. He found solace in an alternative incarceration program where he cleaned up and eventually attended college. The center's website says that it has helped nearly 50,000 individuals across America enter the workforce. 'Cracker' conveys history of bigotry that still resonates . "This case is most important because this is the first where we essentially have the n-word on trial," said Johnson's attorney, Marjorie Sharpe. "You have heard the connotation that the n-word can have different meanings depending on the speaker; there is an undisguised belief that if the person saying the n-word is black or African-American, somehow it makes it OK. "There are a number of cases where the n-word has been used in a workplace, but usually it's been done between people of different races, and when we're having that discussion, it seems that it's clear that if you're not African-American and you use the n-word, absolutely it's insulting," Sharpe said. Johnson claimed she was a victim of a pattern of negative comments and that the audio recording was her last stand. "This has been a long and arduous journey for me working at STRIVE, and to be belittled and degraded by the founder and to have him justify him disrespecting me was hurtful," Johnson said Tuesday. "So for the jury to make a statement saying that the n-word is not permissible in the workplace and or any business I was happy about that, yes." Johnson claimed Carmona targeted her with negative comments after she tried to defend a graduate from a STRIVE program who had allegedly been sexually harassed by a STRIVE employee, according to the complaint. After many attempts to have the issued addressed, Johnson claims Carmona showed no interest in the allegations and told other employees not to socialize with Johnson, according to the complaint. On April 11, 2012, Johnson sent a formal complaint to Phil Weinberg, the organization's CEO, telling him of the numerous harassing, discriminatory and retaliatory acts she had endured from Carmona. Weinberg said that he did not wish to discuss Carmona's actions and that Johnson was being "out of line" and "emotional," according to the complaint. On June 11, 2012, Weinberg fired Johnson. Johnson said she was terminated in retaliation for her complaints about the graduate's sexual harassment and because of her race and gender. "Hopefully this sets an example that it won't be tolerated no matter what your race is," Johnson said after the ruling Tuesday. Judge tosses race discrimination charge against Paula Deen .

A black employee sues, claiming her black boss used the n-word in a rant against her . A jury awards Brandi Johnson a total of $280,000 in damages . Jury hears recording in which nonprofit founder Rob Carmona uses the n-word eight times . "I come from a different time ... What I'm trying to do is help," Carmona says during trial .

(CNN) -- While 12-year-old Zachary Reyna fights for his life against a brain-eating parasite, the Florida Department of Health has issued a warning for swimmers. High water temperatures and low water levels provide the perfect breeding ground for this rare amoeba, called Naegleria fowleri, officials said. They warned the public "to be wary when swimming, jumping or diving in freshwater" with these conditions. Zachary's family told CNN affiliate WBBH-TV that the boy was kneeboarding with friends in a water-filled ditch by his house on August 3. He slept the entire next day. Zachary is an active seventh-grader, his family said, so sleeping that much was unusual. His mother took him to the hospital immediately. He had brain surgery, and doctors diagnosed him with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, according to WBBH. The family said he is currently in the intensive care unit at the Miami Children's Hospital. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it has been in touch with Zachary's doctors and has released the same experimental anti-amoeba drug used to treat 12-year-old Kali Hardig recently in Arkansas. The Arkansas girl is only the third person in the last 50 years to survive this deadly parasite. Kali was infected with the same parasite a couple of weeks ago and was at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock. The cases are nearly always deadly, but Kali's condition is giving the Reyna family some hope. "We continue to be amazed by Kali's progress," her family said in a statement Thursday. "Today she's able to sit up on her own, write some words on a white board and stand with assistance for very brief stretches. She's even able to throw and catch a ball with her therapists. We are grateful for the continued prayers from Kali's supporters, which no doubt drive her recovery." Her attending physician, Dr. Vikki Stefans at Arkansas Children's Hospital's Progressive Rehab Unit, said in a statement Thursday: "Kali's progress is definitely a credit to her wonderful family and support system," Stefans said. "There is no longer a question of whether she'll survive and do well, but just how well." Zachary's family is hoping he becomes survivor No. 4. "He's strong," his brother, Brandon Villarreal, told WBBH. "He's really, really strong." Getting Naegleria fowleri is extremely rare; between 2001 and 2010, there were only 32 reported cases in the United States, according to the CDC. Most of the cases have been in the Southeast. Naegleria fowleri is found in hot springs and warm freshwater, most often in the Southeastern United States. The amoeba enters the body through the nose and travels to the brain. There is no danger of infection from drinking contaminated water, the CDC said. "This infection is one of the most severe infections that we know of," Dr. Dirk Haselow of the Arkansas Department of Health told CNN affiliate WMC-TV about Kali's case. "Ninety-nine percent of people who get it die." Why 'nightmare bacteria' on the rise . Dr. Sanjiv Pasala, one of Kali's attending physicians, said doctors immediately started treating the girl with Impavido, an experimental anti-amoeba drug they received directly from the CDC. They also reduced the girl's feverish body temperature to 93 degrees. Doctors have used that technique in some brain injury cases as a way to preserve undamaged brain tissue. Several weeks ago, doctors checked the girl's cerebral spinal fluid and could not find any presence of the amoeba. Willow Springs Water Park in Little Rock is the most likely source of Kali's infection, the Arkansas Department of Health said. Another case of the same parasite was reported in 2010 and was possibly linked to Willow Springs, a three-acre sand-bottom, spring-fed lake. "Based on the occurrence of two cases of this rare infection in association with the same body of water and the unique features of the park, the ADH has asked the owner of Willow Springs to voluntarily close the water park to ensure the health and safety of the public," the health department said. Willow Springs' website says its water is pH-balanced, chemically treated, chlorinated and routinely monitored by the health department. What's in your pool water? The first symptoms of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis appear one to seven days after infection, including headache, fever, nausea, vomiting and a stiff neck, according to the CDC. "Later symptoms include confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance, seizures and hallucinations," the agency website says. "After the start of symptoms, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within one to 12 days." Here are some tips from the CDC to help lower the risk of infection: . • Avoid swimming in freshwater when the water temperature is high and the water level is low. • Hold your nose shut or use nose clips. • Avoid stirring up the sediment while wading in shallow, warm freshwater areas. • If you are irrigating, flushing or rinsing your sinuses (for example, by using a neti pot), use water that has been distilled or sterilized. CNN's John Bonifield and Caleb Hellerman contributed to this report.

NEW: Kali, infected with amoeba, is making progress . Florida Department of Health issues warning about amoeba in warm freshwater . Family says Zachary Reyna is receiving same drugs as Kali Hardig . Arkansas girl is in rehab in fair condition, the hospital says .

(CNN) -- Women must make their voices heard in climate negotiations. The role of women as agents of change in their homes, places of work and communities is often underplayed. Yet their role is critical: Women understand the inter-generational aspects of climate change and sustainable development. We women think in time horizons that span the lives of our children and grandchildren. We need to use this understanding to influence the political process and to inject a much needed sense of urgency into the climate change negotiations. Time is not on our side; report after report has shown this. This is not a trade discussion and we cannot wait until the next meeting or the meeting after that to take action. Time is running out for the planet. 2020 is too late to put a legally binding agreement in place. A legal framework with clear and common rules to which all countries are committed is critically important. It is the only assurance we have that action will be taken to protect the most vulnerable. This COP (U.N. Climate Change Conference in Durban) must agree to initiate negotiations towards this end -- with a view to concluding a new legal instrument by 2015 at the latest. Climate change is a matter of justice. The richest countries caused the problem, but it is the world's poorest who are already suffering from its effects. The international community must commit to righting that wrong. More: In austere times, world needs a climate change 'Plan B' For me, a high point of the Durban Conference was that it demonstrated once again the value of women's leadership in global efforts to deal with climate change. The outgoing COP President who did an excellent job in Cancun last year is a woman, Minister Patricia Espinosa. The COP President at Durban is a woman, Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane from South Africa and the Executive Secretary of the Convention is also a woman, Ms Christiana Figueres. Collectively these and other women leaders are playing a vital role in highlighting the gender dimensions of climate change. Awareness of the differential impacts of climate change on men and women is increasing. We know that in continents like Africa, where women are responsible for 60-80% of food production, unpredictable growing seasons and increased incidence of droughts and floods place women, their families and their livelihoods at risk. All over the world women are adapting to these changes, showing incredible resilience in the face of crop failures, water shortages and increases in environment-related diseases such as malaria. They are growing different crops, planting trees, harvesting rainwater and growing fodder for livestock to minimize the impacts of climate change. We need to continue to support women to be innovative, creative and resilient in a climate-constrained world as we strive to ensure equitable solutions to the climate problem. Investing in climate smart agriculture and capacity building for vulnerable rural communities will not be sustainable without the inclusion of women in the decision-making process. But we also need to see the value of women as drivers of economic growth -- as educators, carers, farmers, entrepreneurs and above all, as leaders. A recent World Bank report found that "women now represent 40% of the global labor force, 43% of the world's agricultural labor force, and more than half the world's university students. Productivity will be raised if their skills and talents are used more fully." The report also found that eliminating the barriers that discriminate against women could increase labor productivity by as much as 25% in some countries. Clearly we need to harness the contribution of women if we want to find our way out of the current economic recession and if we want to embrace inclusive, sustainable green growth. Last month, in remarks made at the International Forum on Women and Sustainable Development in Beijing, Sha Zuhang, Secretary General of the 2012 U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development, said "in many countries women are the champions of the green economy, practicing sustainable agriculture, nurturing our natural resources, and promoting renewable energy." More: Carbon footprint of the world's biggest cities . Around the world women are showing leadership and championing change, often due to more progressive policies and a greater social inclusion. Their voice and leadership on climate change can result in a low-carbon revolution for the 21st century that is sustainable and equitable. We can have a future where economic growth is not proportional to greenhouse gas emissions and where, for example, off-grid energy solutions could enable the 1.3 billion people without access to electricity to reach their full potential by providing access to affordable and sustainable energy technologies. At present burning kerosene for light and cooking over open fires damages women's health and limits their ability to engage in other work or education because they spend hours collecting wood. It also costs them a lot of money -- up to 20% of their weekly expenditure. Solar panels, improved cooking stoves and LED lights can transform lives, create jobs and contribute to our collective low-carbon future and are clear examples how intelligent climate change policies do not lead to a gray and dull existence but the opposite: They lead to a brighter future. I encourage all leaders to highlight the importance of gender throughout COP17 and at Rio+20 next year. We need to secure stronger references to the gender dimensions of climate change in the texts, institutions and mechanisms agreed by Parties to the Convention. Leaders informed by the experiences of grassroots women from around the world can and must make a difference. I call on women to speak out and lead the way. We cannot wait, we have to act. Our children's and grandchildren's future is at stake. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Mary Robinson.

Mary Robinson served as President of Ireland from 1990-1997 . Robinson: Durban conference showed women's leadership in global efforts against climate change . Recent World Bank report found that women now represent 40% of the global labor force . Robinson: We need to harness the contribution of women to embrace green growth .

Washington (CNN) -- Rep. Paul Ryan is trying to talk about the issue of poverty, but the talk so far has produced more problems than solutions. Trying to address the latest political snafu, the Wisconsin Republican said he was "inarticulate" when he talked on a conservative radio program Wednesday about a "tailspin of culture, in our inner cities in particular, of men not working and just generations of men not even thinking about working or learning the value and the culture of work." Ryan, the head of the House Budget Committee and 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee, has begun to examine the issue of poverty over the past 18 months. He made the statements on Bill Bennett's "Morning in America" radio program. California Rep. Barbara Lee called his statement "deeply offensive" and a "thinly veiled racial attack" and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's press office called it "shameful." But are Democrats Lee and Pelosi engaging in political double standards? The scarlet 'R' Andra Gillespie, political science professor at Emory University, said personal bias and perspective dictate their response. "Rightly or wrongly, when Republicans make comments about structural issues, that's going to be perceived by some as paternalistic," she said. Bob Woodson, who has known Ryan for years and heads the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, an organization that works with people on the outskirts of society, said people "should earn a right to be critical" by either living in or working with impoverished communities. Rand Paul fights for felon voting rights . While Woodson admires Ryan's interest in poverty and his willingness to travel to some of the most difficult neighborhoods with him and his organization, he said the lawmaker hasn't yet earned the right to be critical "at this point." What about President Barack Obama, who has made similar statements about the structural problems of race and poverty? Obama's advantage . At the launch of the new program "My Brother's Keeper," tailored to help African-American and Latino youth succeed, Obama reeled off statistics that show minorities are more likely to be arrested and suspended from school and less likely to graduate. "And the worst part is, we've become numb to these statistics," Obama said last month, adding that people should not make excuses. In addition to My Brother's Keeper, Attorney General Eric Holder has made recent announcements that attempt to change the structural disadvantages facing people of color, including his support of a plan that would reduce prison sentences for some drug offenses. But it's what a politician says and how he says it that matters. "It's going to be received differently from a black Democrat than from a white Republican," Gillespie said. But criticism isn't reserved only for white Republicans. Obama not immune . Since Obama, a black man who grew up without a father and worked in inner city Chicago, entered the national political scene, he has also been criticized for his rhetoric toward the black community. He was criticized by some for being patronizing after his commencement speech at Morehouse College last year, where he advised students to help a fellow young black man and be a good father and spouse. And after his Father's Day address in 2008, where he told black men to be involved in their children's lives, Rev. Jesse Jackson was caught off camera saying Obama talks "down to black folks." John Edwards says Dems should do more on poverty . Ryan's second strike . Ryan's comments, however, were doubly troubling to some because he referenced one of the most offensive authors on the issue of race and class. "You're buddy Charles Murray or Bob Putnam over at Harvard -- those guys have written books on this, which is -- we have got this tailspin of culture," Ryan said to Bennett. Murray, a self-described "right-wing ideologue," is the author of the book, "The Bell Curve," which hypothesizes that African-Americans social and economic disadvantages are because they are less intelligent than whites. Gillespie said that if a politician is going to talk about race and poverty and wants to be taken serious, "Don't invoke the man that wrote 'The Bell Curve.'" Woodson, who worked at the conservative think tank, the American Enterprise Institute with Murray when "The Bell Curve" was released in 1994, agreed, saying he constantly tells Ryan to stop quoting conservative scholars because their polarizing rhetoric "seeps into his speeches." "All of these guys ... do not talk to the people they write about," Woodson said. "The only thing they are passionate about is the failures of the poor." Ryan's recent interest in poverty is likely to culminate in policy proposals that are, based on his recent speeches, going to advocate fewer government-centered poverty programs. In a statement Thursday, one day after his controversial remarks, Ryan said he was trying to make a larger point: That "we cannot settle for this status quo and that government and families have to do more and rethink our approach to fighting poverty." This flare-up comes less than two weeks after he released a report analyzing 92 federal anti-poverty programs, concluding that are a confusing patchwork of often ineffective prescriptions to combating the problem. Woodson says Ryan's remarks damage his attempt to be authoritative on anti-poverty legislation and issues. It's only "a minor setback," he added. Instead, Woodson advised that Ryan needs to talk about the people he has met in the communities he has visited. Ryan did a version of that last week at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference where he told a story about a child who wanted to bring a brown bag lunch to school instead of receiving free lunch because it showed that someone cared. But that story was not true and he was forced to issue a correction.

Rep. Paul Ryan has responded to criticism about comments over inner city "culture" Ryan was addressing structural problems that lead to poverty on conservative radio show . President Barack Obama has made similar statements about inner-city poverty .

(CNN) -- We all like to think medical care is about science, but too often it's about professional interests. Last week, a 25-year follow-up of the Canadian National Breast Screening Study was published -- one of the eight major randomized trials of screening mammography. The headline was simple: Mammogram screenings don't reduce cancer death rates. The reaction by some American mammographers was predictable -- discredit the study. It's predictable because it is exactly what they did when they didn't like the first findings of the study published more than 20 years ago. The effort by the American College of Radiology to discredit the Canadian trial relies on two allegations: . The investigators were cheating: Let's look at the background on this. Randomized trials are a critical tool for clinical researchers. Study participants are placed at random in either one group (in this case those who get mammograms) or the other (those who do not). Who is in which group is solely based on the play of chance -- a flip of a coin. The allegation of cheating -- purposely putting women whom researchers knew had advanced cancers in the mammography group -- is an incredibly serious one. It sure was taken seriously by Canada's National Cancer Institute. It launched a two-year independent review of the entire randomization process. In 1997, the review found no credible evidence of cheating. But that didn't stop the allegation from being trotted out last week. The new study provides evidence that randomization did exactly what it is supposed to do: It created two identical groups of women. The rate of death in the two groups was exactly the same, every year, for 25 years. That can't happen by cheating -- that can only happen when the groups are formed solely by chance. Canada is a Third World country: More specifically, the Canadians used old mammography machines that produced inadequate images, interpreted by inadequate mammographers. It sounded as if Canada were Botswana, as if the nation had only recently gotten electric power and was still struggling to train doctors. For mammographers who need to point to the benefits demonstrated by earlier trials of mammography, this is an odd allegation. Why? Because the other trials used even older technology. In fact, one of the trials most favorable to screening -- the Health Insurance Plan of New York's -- dates from two decades before Canada's, in the early 1960s, when mammography technologies were primitive. Yet, in both New York and Canada, outmoded technology did exactly what it was supposed to do. It found small breast cancers. Armed with these two allegations, the mammographers followed a well-worn strategy: Make the allegations often and loudly enough and maybe they will stick. To be clear, not all mammographers share this view. A new generation has openly acknowledged the problems of mammography. But many in the old guard are more likely to attack any suggestion that screening doesn't work as well as advertised, characterizing researchers who raise the possibility as "malicious" or "dangerous" and questioning the editorial policies of the journals that publish their work. It's time to stop the unfounded allegations. It might be standard procedure for politics but not for science. Too much energy has been devoted to discrediting the Canadian study and not enough to understanding it. To make sense of information the Canadian trial offers, you need to understand its unique design -- specifically what is being compared with what. Most of the other randomized trials simply compared regular mammography with doing nothing. In the Canadian trial, one group received a regular physical exam of the breast -- a very careful exam performed by specially trained nurses. The other group received the same regular physical exam plus regular mammography. In other words, the trial tested the usefulness of adding mammography to a physical exam in an effort to detect abnormalities that are too small to feel. And the trial showed that finding these "too small to feel" abnormalities doesn't help women live longer. That's really important information. It doesn't mean that mammography can't help at all -- it is extremely challenging to standardize a physical exam of the breast across an entire population. It does mean, however, that if we are going to do mammography, we should be using it to find big, important things -- not small, unimportant things. Further, the Canadian trial confirms that the harm of being overdiagnosed by screening mammography is real: One in five invasive cancers found by screening represents overdiagnosis. Overdiagnosis happens when cellular abnormalities meet the pathologic definition of "cancer," yet never progress to cause clinical disease. Overdiagnosed women are told they have cancer, are treated for cancer, yet their "cancer" is not destined to cause them any problems. It is important to recognize this estimate doesn't include the smallest, earliest form of breast cancer found only by mammography -- ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS. If overdiagnosis is a problem in invasive cancer, you can imagine it might be a greater problem for a smaller, earlier form of cancer. Even mammography's old guard objects to having DCIS included in estimates of the amount of overdiagnosis. Why do they object? Because so much of DCIS represents overdiagnosis, including it makes the estimate even higher. It's time to get the science back in screening mammography and to recognize that mammographers may not be the ideal source for balanced information. It's too much like asking the dentists for balanced information about routine dental X-rays. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of H. Gilbert Welch.

A recent Canadian study found that mammogram screenings don't reduce cancer deaths . Mammographers slammed it, saying researchers cheated and screening machines were old . Gilbert Welch: Cheating charges unfounded, and pro-screening studies used older machines . Welch: The real problem is that mammography results in women getting treatment they don't need .

(CNN) -- The photo from Ferguson, Missouri, that stopped me in my tracks was taken by a local educator. One man was on his knees, arms outstretched to prove to the police that he had no weapon. The other man was still standing, but had his hands up in the air; his shirt covered his mouth, a feeble defense against tear gas. In the right hand of each man was a cell phone. The standing man was holding his phone so that the camera pointed toward the police. I wondered to myself, was he recording this confrontation? The interplay between amateur media -- like this photo, taken by Liz Peinado on her phone and immediately posted to Twitter -- and professional media has been impossible to ignore in the days since 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by police in Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis. Brown was unarmed. A town in turmoil -- 5 things about Ferguson, Missouri . For every cool-headed account from a reporter, there's been an impassioned Facebook post or Instagram photo from a community member that illustrates, I think, strengths and weaknesses of both traditional and social media. These days we need both. After all, it's one thing to hear a news anchor say that police fired nonlethal rounds to disperse protesters on Monday night; it's another to see photos of the pepper balls and wooden pellets and the bloody injuries they caused. Jon Swaine, a Guardian reporter on assignment in Ferguson, wrote on Twitter that a St. Louis police spokesperson claimed on Monday night "he didn't know what I was talking about when told protesters claimed they were shot with wooden pellets." On Tuesday morning, Swaine held some of the pellets in his hand and said they matched protesters' descriptions. The police subsequently confirmed the pellets were fired. Peinado, the local educator who posted the photo I mentioned earlier, wrote on Twitter that she was "devastated" by the use of "tanks, tear gas, rubber bullets, hand launchers, and sheer intimidation of county police." Peinado's photo of the two men holding cell phones was captioned, "Men armed with nothing but phones ordered to get on their knees. I witnessed tear gas thrown at them." The same two men were also shown in a Vine video by Antonio French, a local alderman who was perhaps the most prolific citizen journalist during tense protests Sunday and Monday. French's six-second videos of tear gas in the streets of Ferguson were picked up by CNN and other news outlets -- giving audiences at home a raw, close-up view of the situation. "For the most part, social media has helped bring home the impact of this death in the local Ferguson community in a way that traditional media probably could not have," said David Clinch, the executive editor of Storyful, a company that specializes in finding and verifying newsworthy material on the Web. What we know about Michael Brown's shooting . There have also been online attempts to hold traditional media outlets accountable. The best example of this is the Twitter hashtag #IfTheyGunnedMeDown, which posed the rhetorical question, "If they gunned me down, what photos would the media use to portray me and my life?" The hashtag was born after a photo of Brown circulated over the weekend. Some saw the teenager holding up a peace sign; others speculated that it was a gang sign. Resentment and disappointment about media portrayals of African-Americans was evident in the commentary about the use of the photo. Yesha Callahan, a writer for The Root, wrote that Brown's death "has once again shown that the narrative the media paints surrounding black people in America more often than not includes depicting us as violent thugs with gang and drug affiliations." On Twitter, contributors to #IfTheyGunnedMeDown shared pairs of photos -- one stereotypical or unsavory, another showing the same person on graduation day or surrounded by family. The same site, however, was also a tool for inflammatory rumor-mongering. Monday night, for instance, some Twitter users shared false claims that another citizen had been shot by police. And, according to local reports, social media erroneously identified a police officer as the one who shot Brown. "It is very important to be careful in stories like this, when emotions are running high, to make sure that information and content is verified," said Clinch, who formerly worked at CNN. Clinch said he has spotted instances of people sharing images and saying they were from Ferguson, when in fact they were from years-old protests in other states. Teen was two days away from starting college . Perhaps the best example of the interplay between amateur and professional media is also one of the rare bits of good news to come from the current unrest in Ferguson: A photo of local residents cleaning up one of the locations that was looted on Sunday night went viral on Monday: . I saw a number of complaints on Twitter along the lines of "the traditional media will never show you THIS side of the story." But the photo was originally shared on Facebook with a small group of friends -- it went viral with the help of local reporters and television stations. Some of the volunteers were subsequently interviewed by a local newspaper, the Riverfront Times, widely amplifying their act and the message therein. "We just all put our heads down and got to work," one of the volunteers, Kathryn Banks, told the newspaper. "We'd felt hopeless and helpless watching everything unfold on the news the night before. This was a way we could give back. We felt like there was something we could do."

Twitter, other social media light up with firsthand accounts of protests in Ferguson, Missouri . Social media users have drawn attention to details the traditional media have missed . However, such impassioned reporting has also spawned speculation, and major errors . It's important to check your facts "when emotions are running high," says verification specialist .

(CNN) -- Here's something you probably didn't imagine doing today: entering a name-that-pangolin contest. But I hope you'll make room in your busy schedule for a humble and endangered creature that truly could use some help. P26 is the current name of that shy-looking pangolin in the photo above. What kind of name is that for such a rare and fascinating mammal, the modern world's tiny dinosaur, a "walking pinecone" that can defend itself against lions and tigers by rolling up into a little scale-covered ball? P26 sounds like a line in a spreadsheet. He deserves a way better name. The generous researchers at Vietnam's Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Program have agreed to let CNN's readers suggest and then vote on a new name for P26, who was recently released back into the wild after being rescued from the black market. Suggest a name by commenting below. You can up-vote the names in the thread you'd like to be considered. I'll ask readers to vote on five of the best (non-profane) and most popular names next week. P26 will assume whatever name you pick. You can also tweet this to encourage friends to vote: . Pangolins like P26 are endangered, and they're thought to be the most-trafficked mammals in the world. As I found out on a recent reporting trip to Southeast Asia, activists fear that they could go extinct before most people so much as realize they exist. They're shipped around the world for their scales, which are used in traditional medicine, and for their meat, which is a delicacy and status symbol in Vietnam and China. You voted for me to research and report on the illegal animal trade as part of my Change the List project, which focuses on bottom-of-the-list issues and places. Find more stories in this reader-led series at CNN.com/Change. On my trip to Indonesia and Vietnam in February, I met P26 and other rescued pangolins at the vastly underfunded rehabilitation center in Vietnam. The group operates on $27,000 a year, its manager told me. That's for seven employees at two national parks. I also went undercover to talk with mafia-type pangolin traffickers and poachers. My take-away is that celebrity would bring the pangolin a form of protection. As long as it remains an obscure and little-known creature, it's easier for pangolin bosses to keep packing up these animals by the tons and shipping them to market. And it's also easier for restaurants to sell pangolin and consumers to justify buying it. Pangolins are remarkable animals: Their tongues are longer than their bodies; they hang from trees by their tails; they're pretty much invincible to predators in the wild. It would be unthinkable if they went extinct because they're not conventionally cute. There are easy, workable solutions. Humans are their biggest threat. Given the seriousness of the trade, maybe this naming contest seems goofy or inappropriate, but I think of it as a way for CNN's audience to adopt a pangolin and to get to know P26. He's one of the shyest pangolins the researchers in Vietnam have worked with (all pangolins are super-shy, by the way, and they actually die of "stress" in captivity, which is why you almost never see them in zoos). He was released into Cat Tien National Park on March 19, and I'm told he's making his way into the world with extreme timidity, like a Great Dane walking onto a sheet of ice. That's, of course, understandable considering he was hunted and was likely bound for a restaurant table or a bag of scales before he was seized by the Vietnamese government and, luckily, turned over to the researchers. When researchers put P26 in a box out in the forest and encouraged him to walk away, he just sat there, terrified. "With other releases the animal has happily come out the box and started investigating the area. P26, however, was lot more nervous," Louise Fletcher, who's handling his release, wrote on a blog where she documents the pangolins' journeys. "It is bad practice and stressful to tip the box or lift the animal out. Better just to leave it open and let them climb out by themselves. So, instead, we stood back and waited, but he still did not want to leave." He was still in the box when they left that night, she said. The next morning, however, she was relieved to find the box empty. The researchers are monitoring P26's movements with a radio tracking device that's attached to one of the scales on his tail. By March 24, P26 had left the den site -- a good sign -- but then "dug himself further under the roots of the tree," as if to hide, Fletcher wrote in an e-mail. "Hopefully now he will begin to become more familiar with the surrounding area." You can follow P26's journey on a blog written by Fletcher and other staff at the Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Program in Vietnam. I'll be back in touch with the top five names soon. What would you name the pangolin in the photo? Leave your picks in the comments, and vote up the names you like. We'll have a vote on the best of the best soon.

Pangolins are thought to be the most-trafficked mammas in the world by number . You can help name the pangolin in the photo, which is currently called P26 . P26 is among the shyest of the shy pangolins; he recently was released into a park in Vietnam . To submit a name, post it in the comments and up-vote your favorites .

(CNN) -- CNN is monitoring tweets and other messages from people in Haiti and reports from those who said they have been in touch with friends and family. CNN has not been able to able to verify this material. What people on the ground in Haiti are saying on Twitter: . "Felt that, loud and clear. We're in Cap Haitien. House (really the whole world) shook for about 30 seconds" -- From Twitter user firesideint (Luke Renner) at 5:20 p.m. ET . Watch Luke's interview with a Haitian student after quake . "this s***is still shaking ! major earthquake in haiti !" -- From Twitter user fredodupouxat 5:20 p.m. ET . "Just experienced a MAJOR earthquake here in Port au Prince - walls were falling down. - we are ALL fine - pray for those in the slums" -- From Twitter user troylivesay in Port-au-Prince, Haiti at 5:24 p.m. ET . "words on the streets part of Hotel Montana Fell , exagone is cracked. houses in canape vert fell down #haiti #eq" -- From Twitter user fredodupoux in Haiti at 6:05 p.m. ET . See CNN's Twitter list of feeds pertaining to quake . "In touch again with my friend, a new aftershock just happen, lot of emotions... #Haiti #HaitiQuake" -- From Twitter user InternetHaiti in Port-au-Prince, Haiti at 6:15 p.m. ET . "Phones and internet are mostly out - we don't have either at home - radio says the Palace fell down and buildings fell down all along Delmas" -- From Twitter user troylivesay in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, at 7:28 p.m. ET . "I can't imagine the devastation this has caused to such an overly stressed city - I think it will be suffering for quite some time" -- From Twitter user troylivesay in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, at 7:31 p.m. ET . iReport.com: Are you there? Send photos, stories . "If anyone in Haiti is reading this, please go out and help in the streets, it's very ug;y out there if you haven't seen it #haiti" --From Twitter user fredodupoux in Haiti at 8:04 p.m. ET . "In our area mostly exterior walls fallen - people afraid to re-enter their homes..." -- From Twitter user troylivesay in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, at 8:20 p.m. ET . "Tipap made it home from Carrefour - saw many dead bodies and injured along the way - said most buidings w/more than one story are down" -- From Twitter user troylivesay in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, at 8:22 p.m. ET . "I'm hearing singing and praying from from the carrefour feuilles area.. My prayers go out to the folks there" -- From Twitter user RAMhaiti in Haiti at 9:26 p.m. ET . "just saw a picture of the palace..it is destroyed" -- From Twitter user RAMhaiti in Haiti at 10:05 p.m. ET . "I'm told things aren't good at [Hotel] Montana.. an 8 story building behind me is rubble" --From Twitter user RAMhaiti in Haiti at 10:20 p.m. ET . CNN story commentors describing scene . "its crazy. we can here people wailing and crying. we know a lot of big buildings have fallen. we watched the mountain above the orphanage split. i have never experienced anything like this before. all of the nannies and kids are sitting out in the middle of our compound. a neighbor has already come over for medical help. i don't have words to express." -- Commentor relating details from sister-in-law in Jacmel, Haiti on the south coast at the Hands and Feet Mission/Children's Village. "Just got news that one of nannies,Francines school in Jacmel fell. She is injured but prayfor her. Many of her classmates are dead! She is at her moms house next door tonight. We also heardthat thehospital in Petionville (PAP) also collasped." -- Commentor Drex Stuart of the Hands & Feet Mission in Jacmel, Haiti. "My brother and I were able to speak to our mother right before the communication went down. The house had collapse and she was outside in the front yard on her cell phone. She described total destruction around her" -- Commentor on CNN story . "Hello I live in Santiago Dominican Republic , The haiti earthquake was felt as if the epicenter was located in Dom Rep. I was lying on my bed and everything started shaking , frames and loose items around my home fell all over the place. A building which serves as a hospital for children with severe burns collapsed and they are currently trying to remove debris and victims from the building. I also have friends who work and haiti and the last thing I heard is that the hotel located near petion ville where they stay at collapsed and are trying to rescue victims as well." -- Commentor on CNN story .

NEW: Tweets: "an 8 story building behind me is rubble," "the palace..it is destroyed" Mom "described total destruction around her" to family, CNN commentor writes . Tweet: "many dead bodies and injured," collapsed buildings in Haiti . CNN monitoring message, tweets after quake in Haiti; messages have not been vetted .

(CNN) -- New Jersey, one of the bluest states and where President Barack Obama won 58.3% of the vote in November's presidential election, is poised to re-elect Chris Christie, the state's incumbent Republican governor, this fall. Having been deeply engaged in New Jersey politics since his youth, Christie seems to relish his role as one of the nation's most powerful and prominent governors. Yet many are wondering whether Christie's popularity in the Garden State has come at the expense of his presidential prospects. Mitt Romney, for example, decided not to run for re-election as governor of Massachusetts in the 2006 race, sensing that the steps he'd need to take to achieve political success in his left-leaning state might doom his prospects with the more conservative national Republican primary electorate in 2008. Christie, in contrast, has spent a great deal of time and energy winning over New Jersey voters who had once dismissed him as a loudmouth ideologue. Has Christie made a serious miscalculation that could doom his prospects for national office? Or is he savvier than his critics understand? A year ago, conservative activists were enthralled with Christie, who had gained a national following for his quick wit and his combativeness in taking on his state's powerful public employee unions. Even after the Republican primaries were underway, a number of GOP stalwarts hoped that Christie would jump into the presidential race, despite that he was still in his first term as governor. Part of Christie's appeal was that as the hard-charging Republican chief executive of an overwhelmingly Democratic Northeastern state, he had the potential to scramble the electoral map. While the GOP fares well in rural areas and in the suburbs of the South and the Mountain West, the party has taken a beating in the big cities and suburbs of the coasts ever since the rise of Bill Clinton. Christie's common-sense conservatism, however, had managed to win over skeptical voters in one of the country's densest and most diverse states. But in recent months, Christie has lost some of his luster on the right. His keynote address at the Republican National Convention was widely viewed as a disappointment, with many suggesting that it had focused too much on Christie's biography and accomplishments rather than the virtues of the Romney-Ryan ticket. And in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, which devastated large stretches of New Jersey's coastline, the governor was fulsome in his praise of Obama's response, giving the embattled incumbent a crucial boost in the days before the election. Most recently, Christie excoriated House Speaker John Boehner and congressional Republicans for having failed to vote on a Sandy relief bill that promised tens of billions of dollars in aid to his beleaguered constituents. Christie's crossing of party lines has struck at least some of his erstwhile conservative admirers as disloyal in the extreme. Avlon: Chris Christie drops bomb on GOP leaders . At the same time, Christie's decisions to distance himself from the House GOP and to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Obama have greatly strengthened his reputation in New Jersey, where his approval rating hit 77% late last year according to a Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind survey. After having been one of the state's most polarizing political figures, Christie has been embraced by a growing number of Democrats, many of whom have come to see him as a bipartisan problem-solver. Indeed, Christie's political standing reportedly helped convince Cory Booker, the popular mayor of Newark, New Jersey's most populous city, to abandon his plans of running for governor in 2013. Louis: GOP civil war over Sandy disaster relief . Assuming Christie wins re-election this year, which is far from a foregone conclusion, he has one powerful asset going forward in national politics: The Republican brand has suffered a great deal in recent years. In a survey conducted by the firm Edelman Berland, voters were asked to compare Democrats and Republicans across a number of brand attributes. An overwhelming majority of respondents chose the Democrats as the party that "cares about people like me," "offers a hopeful vision" and "focuses on issues that matter to me." If a Republican presidential candidate is going to win in 2016, she or he will have to overcome this deficit. Leading Republicans such as Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana have made an effort to talk about issues of interest to middle-income voters, an area in which Republicans have been sorely lacking. Yet Christie's willingness to distance himself from congressional Republicans gives him added credibility in selling himself as "a different kind of Republican," and it is reminiscent of the strategy pursued by then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush, who was sharply critical of congressional Republicans for their willingness to cut anti-poverty programs. It is not obvious that a "kinder, gentler" Republicanism will fare well in the primary process come 2016, but it is a shrewd way to differentiate oneself from a primary field in which most challengers will be competing to demonstrate their conservative bona fides. And more to the point, a Republican nominee who manages to convey a softer, most centrist image will have a much easier time winning the next general election. That could be Christie's long game. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Reihan Salam.

Chris Christie has been taking steps that could offend conservatives in GOP . Reihan Salam: The governor's actions strengthen his popularity in blue-state Jersey . On the surface, he says, Christie's moves would seem to harm his presidential chances . Salam: Christie's moves may be shrewd since GOP brand is tarnished .

Washington (CNN) -- Monday marks the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Gideon v Wainwright in which the justices unanimously affirmed a constitutional right to a lawyer for criminal defendants too poor to afford one. Much has been written about the case, which overruled an earlier decision and forced states to create taxpayer-funded public defender offices. Movies and documentaries have also been made. Clarence Gideon was charged with breaking into a Panama City, Florida, pool hall on June 3, 1961. The place was vandalized and money stolen from a cash register. A witness later claimed he saw Gideon leaving the business at 5:30 a.m. with a wine bottle and money in his pocket. Based on that, he was charged with petty larceny and breaking and entering. He was denied a court-appointed lawyer in state court, represented himself and was convicted. Here are some of the key moments of the case in the words of those involved: . "Mr. Gideon, I am sorry, but I cannot appoint counsel to represent you in this case. Under the laws of the state of Florida, the only time the court can appoint counsel to represent a defendant is when that person is charged with a capital offense. I am sorry, but I will have to deny your request to appoint counsel to defend you in this case." -- Trial judge. Gideon, to the trial judge: "The United States Supreme Court says I am entitled to be represented by counsel." -- Bay County, Florida, courtroom, August 4, 1961. "Gideon seemed a man whose own private hopes and fears had long since been deadened by adversity -- a used-up man, looking (15) years older than his actual age of (52). He appeared gaunt, a stooped 6 feet, 140 pounds." He spoke "in a slow, sad, defeated voice." -- Anthony Lewis, author of "Gideon's Trumpet," a 1964 book about the case. An appeal to the Florida Supreme Court was denied, so he launched another. "I, Clarence Earl Gideon, claim that I was denied the rights of the 4th, 5th and 14th amendments of the Bill of Rights." -- Gideon's 1962 handwritten petition to the Supreme Court. "It makes no difference how old I am or what color I am or what church I belong too [sic] if any. The question is I did not get a fair trial. The question is very simple." -- Gideon's petition. "I think Betts vs. Brady [the 1942 precedent] was wrong when it was decided. I think time has made that clear. And I think that the time has come that the correct rule, the civilized rule, the rule of individualism, the rule of due process must be stated by this court." -- Abe Fortas, the court-appointed attorney and future Supreme Court justice who argued Gideon's appeal before the high court, January 15, 1963. "I believe that this case dramatically illustrates the point that you cannot have a fair trial without counsel. Indeed, I believe that ... a criminal court, is not properly constituted ... under our adversary system of law, unless there is a judge and unless there is a counsel for the prosecution and unless there is a counsel for the defense. Without that, how can a civilized nation pretend that it is having a fair trial? -- Fortas in his oral argument. "In our adversary system of criminal justice, any person haled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided for him. This seems to us to be an obvious truth. ... The right of one charged with crime to counsel may not be deemed fundamental and essential to fair trials in some countries, but it is in ours. From the very beginning, our state and national constitutions and laws have laid great emphasis on procedural and substantive safeguards designed to assure fair trials before impartial tribunals in which every defendant stands equal before the law. This noble ideal cannot be realized if the poor man charged with crime has to face his accusers without a lawyer to assist him." -- Justice Hugo Black, writing the March 18, 1963, Supreme Court opinion. "In the decades since this remarkable case-- and Gideon's retrial, at which he was found not guilty-- public defender systems have been established in some states and strengthened in others. Additional court actions have expanded the right to counsel in juvenile and certain misdemeanor cases. And our nation has made significant strides in fulfilling the promise of Gideon - and ensuring quality representation for more of those who need it. "Yet, despite half a century of progress -- even today, in 2013 -- far too many Americans struggle to gain access to the legal assistance they need. And far too many children and adults routinely enter our juvenile and criminal justice systems with little understanding of the rights to which they're entitled, the charges against them, or the potential sentences they may face. In short, America's indigent defense systems exist in a state of crisis. -- Attorney General Eric Holder at Friday's 50th anniversary event. "I will not be proud of this biography. There will be no cause of pride, nor will it be the absolute truth. I cannot remember or desire to remember that well. Also, being only a human being, I will try, though I know I cannot to justify myself through this outline." -- Clarence Gideon.

Landmark Supreme Court case affirmed the right to a lawyer for criminal defendants . Clarence Gideon was charged with breaking into a Florida pool hall in 1961 . He was denied an attorney, represented himself and was convicted at trial . Gideon was represented before the Supreme Court by future justice Abe Fortas .

New York (CNN) -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration faced its first public oversight hearing Monday as a part of a probe into what went wrong during last month's blizzard, with administration officials saying they should have declared a snow emergency. City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn called the response "unacceptable," as New Yorkers braced for another winter storm that forecasters say could dump six to 12 inches of snow beginning Tuesday night. She said the holiday blizzard "brought New York to its knees in a way we have never seen before," asking administrators why a state of emergency was never called. Deputy Mayor of Operations Stephen Goldsmith said the decision not to call an emergency was based on its requirement to remove unchained cars from roadways, which could have created confusion among the thousands of drivers who would have been forced to look for parking. It was a move, he said, that later proved to be the wrong decision. Goldsmith -- who is responsible for city agencies that include police, fire and sanitation -- identified several issues that led to the slow response. He said New York had insufficient accountability tools, which led to a lack of information on street conditions, and delayed using city snow removal equipment. The city also failed to get and use private resources fast enough, didn't communicate enough with the public and had problems with emergency communications, he said. Goldsmith also added that only half the city's sanitation trucks were equipped with radios, making it hard for them to respond to changing weather conditions as snow began falling at up to 2 inches per hour. Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty called it the "most difficult storm" he had ever faced, blaming the coincidence of the holiday travel season that brought higher numbers of weekend travelers. But Councilman Peter Vallone said the administration failed in the planning stages, including carrying out adequate pre-salting of roadways, plus what he called its failure to communicate the seriousness of the blizzard to the public. Bloomberg came under intense criticism after telling New Yorkers to go to a Broadway show, seemingly downplaying the gravity of the crisis, during the height of clean-up operations. He later reorganized the Sanitation Department and rolled out a series of measures and pilot programs meant to improve city response during future storms. Goldsmith said the administration planned to outfit every sanitation truck with global positioning systems and other monitoring measures, including "scout teams," meant to send up-to-date information back to City Hall. However, Vallone said equipment problems "may explain missing a few blocks," but does not explain "missing a few boroughs." As the city grappled with one of the largest storms in its history, some neighborhoods in the city's outer boroughs remained snowbound for days. The snow hampered morning commuters, delayed first responders and even prevented aircraft service personnel from reaching airports where 29 international flights were stuck on the tarmac for more than three hours, officials said. Thousand of emergency calls to 911 dispatchers remained backlogged, prompting the mayor to urge residents not to dial 911 unless it was a life-threatening emergency. Hundreds of city buses and ambulances remained stuck, prompting officials to ask the states of New York and New Jersey for ambulance loans to help reduce the backlog of emergency services requests. In one instance, a newborn died in Brooklyn after the mother waited nine hours for emergency responders, according to New York Fire Department spokesman Steve Rittea. "Why did we not err on the side of caution (in declaring a state of emergency) when lives were at stake?" asked Sanitation Committee Chairwoman Letitia James during Monday's hearing. Goldsmith said the city needed a broader range of options in an emergency declaration, including one that would not require car removal. Sanitation union representatives, who have defended workers against accusations of an intentional slowdown amid rumors of a supervisor retaliation for budget cuts and demotions, did not speak during Monday's hearing. Department of Investigations Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn said she is conducting an independent review into the allegations. But the rumors that appeared to reflect an inner-city squabble have also raised deeper questions into how state deficits could affect public-sector services, and vice versa. During last month's blizzard, an army of private contractors joined thousands of public sector employees in New York, working overtime to salt, plow and shovel the city's five boroughs. New York hired 86 private firms to bolster snow removal efforts, Doherty said, at a price tag that remains unclear. The snow also strained budgets across the region, forcing neighboring state administrators to face the added costs of more winter weather. In the week that left many New Yorkers stranded, Mayor Bloomberg called snow removal a top priority while also reminding residents of a state deficit "that's going to filter down to us." New York state's $9 billion budget gap for fiscal 2012 is inherited by newly appointed Gov. Andrew Cuomo. But it could be just the beginning. The state's budget gap looms in the $14 billion range for fiscal 2013, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. And New York is not alone. Neighboring New Jersey has similar problems, with projected budget gaps of $10.5 billion for the next fiscal year, according to the Conference of State Legislatures. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's budget presentation is due February 22. Cuomo's is due on February 1. And with another winter storm expected Tuesday, state and municipal governments are again expected to reach into the public coffers.

NEW: NYC hired 86 private firms to bolster snow removal at a price that remains unclear . NEW: Winter weather could continue to strain state and municipal budgets . Forecasters say another storm could dump 6 to 12 inches of snow beginning Tuesday night . Deputy Mayor Goldsmith said the city didn't communicate well, respond fast enough .

Amman, Jordan (CNN) -- In Jordan and Lebanon, women married to foreigners are taking to the streets to fight for their children's citizenship rights. In both countries, women who marry non-nationals are unable to confer nationality on their child or spouse, rendering their families foreigners in the eyes of the law, and denying them rights and access to key public services. In contrast, men from those countries who marry foreigners face no such obstacles. The same situation applied throughout most Arab countries until 2004, when -- following years of campaigning by women's groups -- Egypt changed its laws. In the subsequent years, reforms followed in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Yemen, Libya, the Palestinian territories, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. But in Amman and Beirut, change is slow in coming. Nima Habashna, a 53-year-old Jordanian, has been campaigning for five years for citizenship to be granted to her children. She began her campaign online through a blog called "My mother is Jordanian and her nationality is my right," and last year took her activism to the streets. "I am a citizen of this country, I pay taxes and it's my right to be treated the same way a Jordanian man is treated," she said. "If we were in any other part of the world where democracy exists, we wouldn't have had to go through this to demand a basic right." Habashna has six children with a Moroccan man she married in Jordan in 1974. Since he left six years ago, the children have been in a state of limbo. Four have no passports, effectively rendering them stateless. The family must pay for public healthcare and education, freely available to their peers, because the children are not considered Jordanian. Read also: Saudi women slam dunk sports taboo . Habashna's 17-year-old daughter, Rola Habashna, says she is treated differently at school over the nationality issue, even though she was born and bred in the country. "Even if I don't have a Jordanian passport or citizenship, I consider myself Jordanian," she said. "I was born here, raised here and live my life like any other Jordanian." An estimated 40,000 Jordanian women and children are affected by the country's citizenship laws, according to government-funded think tank, the King Hussein Foundation. Among them is Salwa Al Arabi, the Jordanian wife of a Pakistani, who joined the protests after her three children repeatedly encountered problems over their nationality. She said it was unfair for the law to discriminate against people for whom they fall in love with. "What can I do? I found him and I loved him, and it's destiny," she said. "Why can't we be like Egypt or Dubai ... they gave (the children) citizenship." Habashna agreed: "People say that the problem is with us marrying non-Jordanians, but it's not that. The problem remains in the laws." In Lebanon, where the same issue exists, women's rights campaigners marched in the streets earlier this month to call for law reform. Lina Abou Habib, a Beirut-based activist who has campaigned on the issue throughout the region since 2002, estimated 15,000 people in Lebanon were affected by the nationality laws. A year ago, campaigners handed a draft law to Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and in March the issue was addressed by Cabinet for the first time, with a ministerial committee formed. But the committee has yet to meet and Abou Habib believes no action will be forthcoming any time soon. She said the reasons given by politicians to maintain the status quo -- including that doing so would upset Lebanon's fragile demographic balance between the major faith groups -- does not hold water. "The same politicians are asking for Lebanese nationality to be given to Lebanese immigrants, and we know this will actually benefit one particular confessional group over the others," she said. Read also: Tire burning - from symbol of Lebanese conflict to sign of peace . Another common justification is that changing the rules would encourage an influx of Palestinian refugees, and undermine the right of the estimated 400,000 Palestinians already living in Lebanon to return. "We are talking about equal rights for Lebanese women and men," said Abou Habib. "There is no link between this and undermining the Palestinian cause. The real reason is our political system ... is incredibly patriarchal." Jordan's government takes a similar position, saying a large influx of refugees from the Palestinian territories, Iraq and Syria makes the issue a political problem. Nadia Hashem, Jordan's women's affairs minister, told CNN she was pursuing the issue. "I sympathize with them quite a lot. I want to find a solution for these people," she said. "This business of falling in love business is a troublesome area." But Habashna does not accept the ministry's explanations for her predicament, and says she will continue her "battle" until the laws are changed. "There are a lot of given excuses," she said. "But the real deal is that it's ... discrimination against women." Follow the Inside the Middle East team on Twitter: Presenter Rima Maktabi: @rimamaktabi, producer Jon Jensen: @jonjensen, producer Schams Elwazer: @SchamsCNN and writer Tim Hume: @tim_hume and digital producer @mairicnn .

In Jordan and Lebanon, the children of women married to foreigners are denied citizenship . By contrast, men from those countries can confer their nationality on their families . Neighboring countries have reformed similar laws over the past decade . Politicians say changing the laws will create issues with refugee populations .

(CNN) -- The man being detained in the case of a missing American woman in Aruba is no longer cooperating with authorities, an official in the Caribbean nation said Thursday. Taco Stein, Aruba's solicitor general, said that Gary Giordano is claiming that it is within his rights not to talk. This approach prompted Aruban authorities to change their tactics, including releasing the suspect's photo in an attempt to generate tips and requesting assistance from the FBI, said Stein. Richard Wolf, an FBI spokesman in Baltimore, Maryland, confirmed Thursday that Aruban authorities have requested the U.S. agency's help. The assistance includes conducting interviews in the state, where 35-year-old Robyn Gardner lives. Gardner was last seen August 2 near Baby Beach on the western tip of the Caribbean island, said Ann Angela, a spokeswoman for the Aruban prosecutor's office. In a press release Thursday, the prosecutor's office continued to identify the 50-year-old American man "who was arrested as a suspect on August 5" by his initials, GVG. They also released a photo of the man, who appears to be Giordano. Giordano's attorney Michael Lopez has not responded to calls from CNN. The lawyer has told reporters that his client is being held as a suspect in Gardner's death. According to Aruban prosecutors, the missing woman and the suspect arrived on July 31 from the United States. Gardner's friend, Christina Jones, told HLN's Nancy Grace that the woman had known Giordano for "over a year" and flew to Aruba with him. Jones said that she had some concerns about the trip, but Gardner "calmed me and said it was OK -- that the trip to Aruba was what she needed." Giordano had told authorities that he had been snorkeling with Gardner behind Nanki Country Club when he signaled to her to swim back, according to a statement. When he reached the beach, the woman was nowhere to be found, the man allegedly said. But no witnesses have come forward to say they saw Gardner and Giordano snorkeling off Baby Beach, Stein previously has said. Witnesses have said they saw the couple on the beach. "The statements made by the traveling companion led to such questions that on Friday, August 5, 2011, it was decided to detain him for further questioning on the possible drowning of the woman," the prosecutor's office said. Lopez, Giordano's attorney, said Tuesday his client came to Aruba on vacation with a female friend he had met on a dating site and has known for years. Lopez earlier told reporters that his client had been cooperating with police. Lopez said that on his client's last scheduled day in Aruba, he asked authorities if he needed to stay. "They didn't answer it, and on his way to the airport, they detained him as a suspect for murder," Lopez said. Angela would not say what evidence led authorities to suspect his involvement in Gardner's disappearance. After finding no trace of Gardner, authorities stopped their active search for her on Saturday and are now searching "passively," Angela said. Police helicopters and search and rescue officials are keeping their eyes out for any clues to her disappearance, "but it's not an active search anymore," she said. The Aruban solicitor general's office said Thursday that "on short notice" it will formally request assistance from the U.S. Justice Department.Stein had said earlier that Aruban officials have had informal conversations with the FBI to verify information and would request help, including seeking telephone records and conducting background checks on both Gardner and Giordano. Investigators in Aruba will analyze a rental car and electronic devices that were in Giordano's possession, Aruban officials said Wednesday. Richard Forester, also of Maryland, told CNN he and Gardner have been dating for the past seven or eight months. He told HLN's Nancy Grace on Wednesday evening that Gardner wasn't the type to go into deep water, and would more likely stay by the pool. "It's just not her to go out and snorkel," Forester said. Forester said Tuesday that before Gardner's trip, the two argued over "the circumstances of her travel" to Aruba. He last heard from her on August 2 in a Facebook message, in which she said they would "work it out" when she got back. Earlier that day, Forester said, Gardner posted on her Facebook wall "this sucks," with no further explanation. She was scheduled to return to the United States on August 4, Forester said. In an interview with HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell on Thursday -- the same day he was interviewed by authorities -- Forester described Gardner as a woman who "loved life." "She loved to be happy, loved to have fun, loved to be active," he said. "She had a very loving, warm heart." The Natalee Holloway Resource Center -- named after a young American woman whose disappearance in Aruba made international news -- said Forester brought their attention to the case Monday. The Aruban public prosecutor's office, as well as Forester, urged people in the Caribbean, the United States and elsewhere to come forward with information about Giordano, Gardner and the case. "It's very hard not knowing," Forester told HLN's Grace on Thursday. "I would ask everybody who knows anything about (Giordano) to come forward." CNN's Martin Savidge and Josh Levs contributed to this report.

NEW: The missing woman had known Giordano for "over a year," her friend says . Aruba's solicitor general says the suspect now is not talking to authorities . The FBI is helping in the case by conducting interviews, a spokesman says . Both the missing woman and the man termed the prime suspect are U.S. citizens .

(CNN) -- According to a Russian proverb, God makes the priests. Jesters come from the devil. Heath Ledger dominates as the Joker in "The Dark Knight" in a performance already garnering raves. You won't have any trouble believing that aphorism when you see Heath Ledger's mesmerizing performance as the Joker in "The Dark Knight," Christopher Nolan's hotly anticipated and often brilliantly executed follow-up to "Batman Begins." His face caked in cracked white greasepaint, his smile a grotesque red lipstick scar, kohl rimming his eyes, the Joker is a cruel kind of clown, the kind that is only interested in the last laugh. Slouched in his purple suit, Ledger gives him a lopsided shuffle, a permanently craning neck and an insinuating, deceptively neighborly voice. But there's something reptilian about the way his tongue flicks through his pursed lips like a pickpocket. He's hungry for trouble, a maniac for mayhem -- and in Gotham City, where crime is still running wild, he can make himself right at home. Ledger dominates this movie as a living presence, a live wire, dangerous and unpredictable. It's an astonishing performance, as extravagant and free ("deranged" might be a better word) as his Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain" was inhibited and tongue-tied. See how Ledger made the Joker his own » . And "The Dark Knight" takes him -- and its world -- very seriously. Even more than Batman himself, the Joker would usually scream "camp" (and has in the TV series and other movies) but Nolan refuses to go there. His Gotham is cement and glass, a "real" city not so different from what we might find in any contemporary action thriller. (Chicago doubles for Batman's metropolis.) Unlike Tim Burton or Joel Schumacher, who directed previous Batman films, Nolan favors location work over studio artifice, and he seems determined to keep the computer-generated imagery within the bounds of gravity. Even the fetishistic attention to Batman's toys -- his suit, his weaponry and transport -- emphasizes utility and design; this is not a superhero in the supernatural sense. (He may not be a hero, either, according to the serious-to-a-fault script by Nolan and his brother Jonathan.) "Batman Begins," which came out in 2005, was about the politics of fear, the power of nightmares. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) overcame his own phobia to turn fear back on the fear mongers and restore hope to Gotham. In "The Dark Knight" (Nolan must have been tempted to add "of the Soul" to the title), the Joker might be his shadow or his evil twin. In some sick way, they need each other. "You complete me," the Joker lisps to Batman, mimicking (mocking?) "Jerry Maguire." Watch co-stars defend Ledger » . The word is nowhere stated, but this Joker is unmistakably a terrorist -- he blows up hospitals, rigs bombs to commuter ferries, burns his own ill-gotten gains. (He even manages to put Gotham's crime syndicates under his thumb.) That makes Batman a kind of one-man Department of Homeland Security. And if he has to ride roughshod over civil liberties to get the job done -- eavesdropping on the entire city's cell phone data, for example -- then so be it. To their credit, neither Nolan nor Bruce Wayne is comfortable with this glorified vigilante figure. However, the only legitimate alternative turns out to be a civic crusader, District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). Dent, who carries around a double-headed coin, may seem honorable, but he was once known as "Two-Faced Harvey." With whom will he cast his lot? That's the movie's ultimate ideological battleground. iReport.com: Lining up for 'Batman?' Send photos, video . Unfortunately, if Dent gives the movie a classic character arc, Eckhart's disappointingly bland performance fails to nail the narcissism that must be the flip side to his zeal, making his ultimate about-face hard to accept. That's the film's most obvious flaw. Whenever the Joker and Batman are in the vicinity, the movie hums with finely tuned dread and anticipation. But the longer it goes on (and yes, it does go on too long), Dent triangulates the equation, ultimately pulling it out of whack. Still, for the most part, "The Dark Knight" is an exceptionally smart, brooding picture with some terrific performances. In a summer when action overwhelms intelligence (and even good sense), here's a movie that works on many levels. It even features the single most awesome truck stunt I've ever seen. And though Ledger's tragic death in January can't help but cast a morbid pall over the proceedings -- and that's saying something, given some of the film's plot points -- when he's on the screen the movie lights up. It's a bravura turn. I'll be surprised if Ledger doesn't get a posthumous Oscar for it. "The Dark Knight" runs 152 minutes and is rated PG-13. For Entertainment Weekly's take, click here.

CNN.com reviewer: "Dark Knight" is an exceptional follow-up to "Batman Begins" Heath Ledger is brilliant as the Joker in Oscar-worthy performance, reviewer says . Film pits Batman against the Joker, who's come to wreak chaos .

(CNN) -- The spectacular rise of Jeremy Lin, the first Asian-American to achieve basketball stardom, has been utterly thrilling to witness. We've watched with pride as he's broken through stereotypes to prove that an Asian-American can play alongside -- and beat -- the best in the NBA. And we've been gratified by the way Lin's story has been embraced by the American public, with fans of all races cheering him on. But we've also been reminded of the ugliness with which Asians have often been depicted in American culture. After Lin's 38-point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 10, Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock tweeted an offensive joke about Lin that played off stereotypes of Asians' lack of masculinity. Boxer Floyd Mayweather has asserted that "all the hype" around Lin is just "because he's Asian." And after New Orleans snapped the Knicks' Lin-led seven-game winning streak, ESPN posted a story with a headline that was an obvious anti-Chinese slur. Mayweather: 'Lin hype is based on race not talent' Stereotypes of Asians have been a staple of American popular culture since the 19th century, from newspaper cartoons of menacing, bucktoothed Chinese to film characters like the evil Dr. Fu Manchu and the bowing, pidgin-speaking Charlie Chan. In contemporary America, Asians -- when they appear at all -- are generally depicted as comical foreigners with "ching-chong" accents, from exchange student Long Duk Dong ("What's happening, hot stuff?") in "Sixteen Candles" to Han Lee, the stereotyped Korean restaurant owner in CBS's hit comedy "2 Broke Girls." American culture tells us, in short, that Lin shouldn't exist. Every time he drives to the basket, he upends stereotypes of Asians as short, weak and nerdy. Every time he talks to the media, he dispels the idea that all Asian-Americans are like foreigners speaking broken English. Throughout his career, Lin has endured racist taunts from opponents and fans. And he's been overlooked repeatedly. After a spectacular high school career, no college offered him a scholarship. After he starred at Harvard, no NBA team drafted him. He was dropped by Golden State and Houston before landing on the Knicks' bench, and only got his shot when his team got desperate. Is the 'Linsanity' hype caused by race? Even as "Linsanity" gripped the nation, commentators and fellow players continued to play down Lin's talents. From the declarations that Lin was a "fluke" and a "flash in the pan" to Kobe Bryant's grudging comment that Lin was "a testament to perseverance and hard work," the message was clear: Asian-Americans don't really belong on the basketball court. We've heard again and again that "no one knew" how good Lin was, but let's get real. Lin was overlooked because when people looked at him, they saw a stereotype, not a basketball star. As Lin led the Knicks to victory after victory, I watched with giddy excitement, but also a sense of worry: What would happen when the inevitable loss came? Would the resentment captured in Mayweather's tweet rear its head? Sure enough, the night the Knicks lost to the Hornets, there was the offensive headline from ESPN. I imagine that many Asian-Americans got the same sinking feeling as I did: Here is the moment where the media will turn on Lin, bringing back the racist stereotypes that have been held at bay by Lin's winning streak. To my surprise, something else happened. ESPN quickly apologized, then announced that it had fired the author of the headline and suspended an anchor who had used the same phrase on the air. This was remarkable, because although certain kinds of racist attacks against African-Americans in the media have become unacceptable, anti-Asian rhetoric typically goes unpunished. Asian-Americans have become accustomed to having our protests against media stereotypes shrugged off and ignored. But on this one, ESPN took quick action. Ex-ESPN writer says slur was 'honest mistake' Phil Yu, of the popular blog Angry Asian Man, wrote about this "Jeremy Lin Effect." Slurs and stereotypes that would previously have been used with impunity were getting a good, hard look, and a major media outlet responded to Asian-American critics with a swiftness that would have been unimaginable a few weeks ago. We shouldn't romanticize this: ESPN knows that Lin is the biggest story in sports right now, and it can't afford to alienate or offend those hungry for their daily dose of Lin. But perhaps that's precisely the point. Lin has become so big that simply by being himself -- an Asian-American, comfortable in his own skin, playing basketball brilliantly on the world's biggest stage and enjoying himself as he does it -- he may be revolutionizing our culture. The Jeremy Lin Effect won't end racism, but it does mean that Asian-Americans will never be seen the same way again. Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to the origin of the phrase, "Jeremy Lin Effect." It was first used by The Fung Brothers, not Phil Yu. Follow CNN Opinion on Twitter . Join the conversation on Facebook . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Timothy Yu.

Timothy Yu: ESPN posted article about Jeremy Lin with a headline that was obviously racist . Yu: Media stereotypes of Asian-Americans are frequently ignored and shrugged off . He says that even though ESPN took quick action, it's because Lin is a big story right now . Yu: Lin's success won't end racism, but people will begin to see Asian-Americans differently .

(CNN) -- Roman Abramovich is seeking to buy back Chelsea's home ground in order to switch to a new location that he hopes will help the English Premier League club remain competitive on an international scale. Stamford Bridge, which dates back to 1876, once hosted a crowd of almost 83,000 people. But many decades since that 1935 landmark, its capacity is now only 41,841 -- having been converted into an all-seater venue in the safety-conscious 1990s . However, ownership of the stadium was given to a fans' collective long before billionaire Abramovich bought the west London club in 2003, in order to fight off the prospect it would again be bought by property developers. The terms of the deal which eventually sold Stamford Bridge to Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO) in 1999, a move that required a £10 million ($15 million) loan from the club, meant the team cannot keep its name if it relocates. Can football chants ever go too far? "We know only too well how close the club came to losing our home prior to the formation of CPO, but that threat has now gone under Mr. Abramovich's ownership," Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck told the club's website. "And with the CPO structure in place, we cannot plan with certainty for the future. I hope all shareholders vote in favor of the proposal." The CPO members will make their decision at a special meeting on October 27 that will have a massive bearing on Chelsea's future plans. With the introduction of UEFA's financial fairplay rules looming, Chelsea's need to maximize revenue and become less dependent on the club's Russian benefactor is growing. Premier League rivals Manchester United can entertain more than 75,000 fans at every home game, while Arsenal's Emirates Stadium holds some 60,000. Bigger grounds are seen as the way ahead, with Tottenham recently losing out to West Ham in a bitterly-contested bid to take over London's new Olympic Stadium after 2012. However, English clubs have some way to go before catching their European rivals. Barcelona's Camp Nou has the continent's largest capacity at almost 100,000 while Spanish rivals Real Madrid top 85,000 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Borussia Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park is the biggest football ground in Germany with a capacity of 80,000 for domestic matches, while Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena regularly brings in almost 70,000. In Italy, the two Milan clubs can draw crowds of 80,000 -- though Juventus bucked the trend by moving to a smaller 41,000-capacity ground this season, leaving behind the unpopular 60,000-plus Stadio delle Alpi. Success in Europe's biggest club competition, the Champions League, still eludes Abramovich despite the vast fortune he has pumped into Chelsea. A move to a new venue -- which would be within a three-mile radius of the club's current home if completed by 2020, under terms of the offer to the CPO -- would be a big statement of his desire to make Chelsea a worldwide force. "I am sure all Chelsea fans have enjoyed the football and success we have witnessed at Stamford Bridge since 2003, and Chelsea Football Club and Mr. Abramovich are determined to ensure that the club continues to compete at the highest level of world football," chief executive Ron Gourlay said. "We continue to look at options for expanding the Bridge, and I should be clear that we have not identified a site for a new stadium elsewhere." Chelsea's offer to the CPO's 12,000 stakeholders is at the original price of £100 per share -- an investment of £1.5 million. "Bear in mind that no-one bought these shares as a financial investment," Buck told the UK Press Association. "Everyone bought these shares as a way of helping the club and they also bought them as mementos and souvenirs. "We haven't considered making them a big offer because we believe that they are fans of Chelsea Football Club and want to do what's best for Chelsea." On offer is a promise that 10% of the planned minimum 55,000 seats will be available to families and fans aged under 21. CPO shareholders who vote for the sale will be listed on a roll of honor at any new stadium, and would get priority for buying season tickets. The Chelsea Supporters' Club, however, is not convinced that the club should leave its longtime home. "Where is the proof that Stamford Bridge can't be expanded? Undoubtedly many fans would prefer to stay, and I suspect loss of hotels/restaurants would not be a major concern for many," Peter T. wrote in a statement on its website. "The 'walk of honor' proposal is risible and insulting. Given that any new ground would be bigger, the 'priority season ticket' offer is surely nebulous as well, as well as morally reprehensible." He also questioned why the vote had been called at such short notice, without any future venues being identified, and why the offer did not take into account inflation since the original 1993 CPO deal. Needing a 50% majority approval from the CPO shareholders, Abramovich may yet find more obstacles in his dreams of world domination.

Chelsea's owner seeking to buy back Stamford Bridge so club can move . The west London stadium is owned by a fans' group in order to protect its future . English Premier League team hoping to build new ground to maximize revenue . Supporters' club could block the move if fans decide not to sell their shares .

(CNN) -- It is by no accident that the AIDS Memorial Quilt -- which now measures more than 50 miles laid side by side and weighs 54 tons -- is gracing the National Mall in Washington this weekend as the global HIV and AIDS community gathers nearby for the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012). As scientists, doctors, and program experts articulate a new and hopeful AIDS narrative at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the Quilt will serve as a not-so-gentle reminder that this devastating disease continues to claim the lives of too many, too soon. The Quilt lends voice and volume to the nearly 94,000 individuals whose names are lovingly sewn into panels by more than 100,000 friends and family members -- and symbolically to the 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS in this country alone. Due to its vastness, The Quilt blankets the national capital region, with sections of the tapestry on display in 50 other host venues throughout the area. Today, worldwide, more than 34 million people now live with HIV/AIDS, and 3.4 million of them are under the age of 15. Every day more than 7,000 people contract HIV—nearly 300 every hour. The global numbers are staggering, but so are some of the numbers in the hardest-hit cities in this country. Indeed, recent research shows some U.S. cities have HIV rates that rival Africa in their magnitude. Opinion: End the HIV stigma . Yet behind the cold statistics, there are faces and stories with legacies. The faces on the Quilt are our fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters. They are our aunts and uncles, grandparents, daughters, sons, neighbors, our doctors and ministers, our best friends, and co-workers. And, after the tears that are shed for them subside, they are celebrated with lace and mink and bubble wrap...with pearls and buttons, and their favorite T-shirt or logo stitched into the 3-by-6-foot panels, roughly the size of a human grave. These are the stories and lives that together make up the world's largest living work of folk art. Throughout its 25-year history, this masterpiece created "by the people, for the people" has been used to fight prejudice, and to raise awareness and funding for direct service and advocacy groups. The Quilt is a catalyst and conduit, a tool for healing and grief therapy, a springboard for frank dialogue, both civic and private. It gives voice to far too many lives lost, telling us that never again should we ever leave a community in need and dying, ignored and uncared for. It is a stark reminder that we can never forget that we are all inextricably linked in life. In America: A quilt displays an American tragedy . More than 20 million individuals around the world have attended displays and witnessed the extraordinary power, beauty, love, rage and sorrow of this multitude of voices. The Quilt's powerful lessons and poignant imagery provide compelling evidence that HIV/AIDS can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any age. What started out as an activist action has become a powerful voice with artistic and cultural expression, now considered an American Treasure by an act of Congress. It is indeed difficult to walk away from the Quilt, whether a single panel, a block, or miles of expressions of love on material, unmoved. And yet, unfortunately, almost every day, a new panel arrives at the NAMES Project Foundation, which curates, cares for and manages the Quilt. Each new panel is then added to the Quilt and helps to advance the cause of human rights and social justice. In 1988, a lone panel was delivered quietly to the NAMES Project in Atlanta. Unlike any other panel among the tens of thousands of panels made at that time, this special panel arrived simply with a handwritten note that read: "I hope this quilt will find a permanent place and help mark the end of this devastating disease." The panel itself was stark in design, white letters on a black background, simply saying "The Last One." In the decades since this panel was left on our doorstep, we have held on to it with hopeful anticipation that we would one day reach "The Last One." We unveiled this panel publicly for the first time on the National Mall during our opening ceremony Saturday. (It will remain on display until Wednesday.) We did so with heavy hearts, with hopeful hearts, but we still can't yet stitch it into the Quilt. Not until we see the last new infection, the last AIDS case, the last death from AIDS, the last one left orphaned, the last person to face discrimination for living with HIV. In the meantime, as AIDS 2012 goes about its mission to push the boundaries of science and medicine to find an end to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, we will continue to preserve, care for, and use the AIDS Memorial Quilt to foster healing, to be a bully pulpit for social justice and, most important, to inspire action in the age of AIDS and beyond. Everyone can help us live to honor "The Last One." Educate, help prevent infection, be an advocate, volunteer in the many communities around the country who host displays, donate to keep hope alive. Only then will we know our work -- like the work of our scientists and researchers the world over -- by our artists and advocates, communities and corporate partners, friends and family members was not in vain. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julie Rhoad.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt is on display this weekend in the National Mall . Julie Rhoad: Quilt serves as reminder that AIDS continues to claim lives . She says one day in the battle against AIDS, we will reach "The Last One" Rhoad: In the meantime, we can work together to help prevent HIV infections .

Washington (CNN) -- The looming decision on Syria is likely to preoccupy Congress for the next couple of weeks and complicate President Barack Obama's domestic agenda. Obama's push for military intervention against Bashar al-Assad's regime over alleged chemical weapons use could push aside his top priorities on immigration and health care. Because he decided to seek congressional approval and now faces strident opposition from many lawmakers and the public to his idea, Obama is having to go all-in in his sales job. His vigorous public relations campaign is all-consuming -- precious time that could have been used guiding an immigration bill through the House and informing the public about a new program to obtain health insurance under Obamacare. Need vs. want . In the world of need and want, though, immigration falls under the "want" category. The House scheduled only nine days of work this month. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said a vote on the Syria resolution might not come until next week, the second and last week the House is in session this month. What about October or November? Good question. The House has other pressing matters to address -- issues that have deadlines. The new fiscal year begins October 1 and that's wrapped up in a whole host of difficult topics, including the forced federal budget cuts that went into effect this year (and will have an even greater impact on defense and domestic programs next year). If Syria takes up a good portion of the House's work period in September and it doesn't get to work on government spending, two things could happen: The government shuts down or Congress could pass a short-term spending bill to keep it running for a limited amount of time. House Speaker John Boehner has indicated he will propose a spending bill to keep the government open until December, pushing the contentious but mandatory debate to later this year. Government funding is not the only complication to immigration. The nation's debt limit -- or its ability to borrow money to pay its bills --- will need to be raised by Congress sometime in "mid-October," according to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. He said that's when the United States will hit its $16.7 trillion borrowing limit and be unable to meet its credit obligations. Both raising the debt limit and passing mandatory government spending bills are common duties of Congress that have been fraught with crippling partisanship in recent years. Republicans have indicated this time will be no different. They plan to force the president's hand on either one or both issues to force additional spending cuts or defund the president's health care law. In other words, in addition to Syria, two complicated, political and mandatory issues are going to take far greater precedent over immigration -- an item on the president's wish list. The immigration bill could be "dealt a pretty serious blow," congressional scholar Norman Ornstein with the American Enterprise Institute said. A crowded megaphone . Now that he has to sell a war-weary public about an intervention in Syria, his rollout of a massive public relations campaign on Obamacare could suffer. The success of public outreach on health care is vital for the law to work. As people can start signing up for the health insurance program on October 1, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that one-third of the country, and 43% of the uninsured have heard "nothing at all" about the public health care option. If people don't know about it, people won't sign up for the public exchanges. A detrimental factor for the law as participation is critical for viability of the law. Obama announced that he will address the nation on Syria on Tuesday night. Also on Tuesday, the president is personally lobbying members of Congress on Capitol Hill on the resolution to authorize a limited military strike. While the president turns his full attention to Syria and the vote in Congress, previously scheduled items are falling by the wayside. Obama canceled a speech to the annual AFL-CIO conference in California, an opportunity to discuss domestic issues, including health care. The president's complete focus on Syria not only means he will have fewer opportunities to talk to the public about domestic priorities, but the media is focused on the drama building in Congress, too, drowning out any coverage of health care. A cursory search for news stories on the health care law shows a paltry 50 articles. (That's bad news for the president because the articles contained good news for the health care law. A report found that premiums for the government-sponsored exchanges would be much more affordable than expected.) Comparatively, a simple Internet search for news articles on Syria resulted in more than 2,000 news stories. "There's only a certain amount of bandwidth of issues that can be discussed on TV or voters will be talking about," Ornstein said. Republican agenda at risk, too . While the president's fall agenda is at risk, the Republican agenda might suffer, too. Some of the most conservative members of Congress hoped to throw a massive wrench in the gears of Obamacare as they began to turn by attempting to defund the program. Senators Rand Paul, R-Kentucky and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, are among those taking part in a Tea Party Patriots rally to defund the program Tuesday in Washington. With Congress in its first week back from vacation and the agenda topped by Syria, it's likely to get little attention -- or the message could morph into an anti-Syria rally. Congressional scholar Thomas Mann with the Brookings Institution said there could be a "silver lining" to Syria crowding out immigration and health care. He said the seriousness of the issue could make it more difficult for lawmakers to "engage in this kind of brinksmanship."

Prospects for House to take up immigration reform this fall in jeopardy . Efforts to inform public about Obamacare could be overshadowed . Possible government shutdown over budget looms huge as end of fiscal year nears . Congress must also consider raising the debt ceiling to pay nation's bills .

(CNN) -- CNN Flims' "An Unreal Dream: The Michael Morton Story," describes in chilling detail how a young father's life was turned upside down and forever changed after his wife was murdered and he was wrongly convicted of the crime. Like nearly all the 311 DNA exonerations in the United States, Morton's story exposes enormous flaws in the criminal justice system. Morton almost certainly would have never been convicted if the prosecutor had not failed to turn over critical evidence pointing to his innocence. But if there can be a silver lining to a situation in which someone serves nearly 25 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, Morton's case has revealed a valuable tool for holding errant prosecutors accountable for their deliberate misconduct. Morton was exonerated of the 1986 murder of his wife, Christine, after DNA testing of a bloody bandana that was found in the woods near the couple's Williamson County, Texas, home was shown to contain the blood of Christine and Mark Allen Norwood. Norwood, who has an extensive criminal history, was subsequently convicted of Christine's murder. Based on DNA testing conducted during the Morton investigation, Norwood has also been charged with the long unsolved murder of another young wife and mother, Debra Baker, who was killed under chillingly similar circumstances two years after Christine Morton's murder. During the Innocence Project's investigation of Morton's case, we learned that the prosecutor, Ken Anderson, who was subsequently made a judge, failed to turn over evidence to Morton's attorney. That evidence was a detailed account of the murder from Morton's 3-year-old son Eric. Eric told his maternal grandmother that Morton was not the attacker. Other evidence that wasn't shared also pointed to a third-party assailant. Last month, in an extremely rare instance of a prosecutor being criminally punished, Anderson entered a plea "not to contest" proceedings of "criminal contempt of court" related to Morton's case, according to Williamson County, Texas, court documents. Anderson was sentenced to 10 days in jail, a $500 fine, 500 hours of community service and was forced to permanently surrender his license to practice law. He had submitted his resignation from the bench a few weeks earlier. Read more about Morton's case and Ken Anderson's response . Texas was able to prosecute Anderson with criminal contempt because there was evidence he had violated a specific court order and made false statements to a judge. During the trial, when it became clear that Anderson was not planning to call the lead investigator in the case, Morton's trial lawyers became suspicious and brought it to the judge's attention. The court in turn ordered Anderson to turn over the investigator's complete report for it to review. At that time the judge also asked Anderson directly whether he had any evidence that would be favorable to the defense to disclose, and Anderson said he did not. Because there was evidence that Anderson violated a direct order of the court, he was charged through a unique Texas procedure called a Court of Inquiry with criminal contempt and concealment of official records for deliberately disobeying the trial judge's directives. Because court orders have been shown to be the key to holding prosecutors accountable, courts should routinely order prosecutors to look in their files or a specified police file for all exculpatory material and to disclose it in a timely fashion. The prospective standard for determining what is exculpatory should be a version of the American Bar Association Rule of Professional Responsibility 3.8(d) that by law applies to prosecutors in 49 states and the District of Columbia. It has been adopted by the Department of Justice, and requires prosecutors to disclose all evidence that "tends to negate the guilt of the accused or mitigates the offense." Most importantly, the order should clearly state that "willful and deliberate failure to comply is punishable by contempt." Wording here is significant. It means that negligent, inexperienced, stupid or even reckless prosecutors will not be held in contempt, but those few prosecutors who deliberately and willfully suppress exculpatory evidence can be. Experienced and ethical prosecutors will recognize that the issuance of such orders will be an effective tool for teaching new prosecutors about their obligations and will help expose those "bad apple" prosecutors who discredit the profession. These orders create a mechanism for judges to deal with unscrupulous prosecutors in a way that directly addresses the problem. In cases where there is a deliberate violation of such an order, judges can punish offenders directly through contempt citations. Because contempt is generally not subject to statutes of limitations, prosecutors can be punished even if it takes years -- or decades -- to uncover the failure to disclose, which happened in the Michael Morton case. The orders -- which are known as Brady orders -- also make it easier for state bar disciplinary systems to sanction prosecutors. Prosecutors yield enormous power over life and liberty, and there must be effective systems in place for making them accountable. While the number of prosecutors who deliberately break the rules is small, history shows they tend to be repeat offenders. If there is to be justice for Michael Morton and all the other people who have been wrongly convicted at the hands of unscrupulous prosecutors, every state and federal judge in the nation will start Brady orders tomorrow to deter those few prosecutors who would otherwise deliberately violate their ethical and legal duties. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Barry Scheck.

Michael Morton spent nearly 25 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit . Innocence Project's Barry Scheck: Case reveals valuable tool against bad prosecutors . Courts can order prosecutors to turn over key evidence or face contempt charges . Prosecutors who break the rules are few, but they often repeat themselves, Scheck says .

Adelaide, Australia (CNN) -- It is just a brief moment in time, the time it takes to draw a breath, to click your fingers, the time it takes to detonate a bomb. Life, as you knew it, changed forever. On the morning of July 7, 2005, I was just another anonymous commuter on my way to work during rush hour in London's crowded metropolis. I was short and spritely, weaving through what seemed like a never-ending sea of people to ensure I had a chance of getting on a Tube train. What I didn't know then was that a 19-year-old named Jermaine Lindsay, determined to detonate a bomb he was carrying in his backpack, was boarding the train carriage at the same time as me. We were just seconds out from the station platform when "click" -- no bang, no boom, no noise at all, just a split second between life and death, between light and complete darkness. Although we were all anonymous strangers in that carriage, in those crucial moments we became each other's saviors, a much-needed hand to hold, a comforting and reassuring voice to hear, we became united in our disbelief, our shock, our pain and our absolute horror. An hour passed before rescue could reach us, although the memory is one of timelessness -- the world had ceased to be, nothing made sense and my mind was trying desperately to process every aspect of what I was experiencing. I felt no physical pain, and yet as the thick darkness began to break, the light revealed it was only a thread of skin that was left attaching my legs to my body. It was the brutal images of those who had lost limbs from the Boston Marathon bombing being carried from the scene that resonated deep within my heart -- for I knew, I knew what life is without legs, I knew what they would face in the coming days, weeks, months and years. For me, it was the euphoria of survival, of having Life that ultimately saved me from feeling hatred, bitterness or indeed to seek revenge for my loss. I was Alive and I was still "Gill" and yes, although there was a significant part of my body missing, somehow my understanding of life grew. It was witnessing and indeed being a recipient of the brilliance of humanity that also shaped my "new" life -- and there was no better sign of this absolute brilliance than in my hospital wristband. It chillingly read "One Unknown -- Estimated Female." I remember vividly reading those words again and again and each time they revealed a deeper sense of humanity and what was important. That tag said to me that people actually put their own lives at risk in trying to save mine, trying to save as many as they could. To them, it didn't matter who I was, whether I had a religion, if I was rich or poor, if my skin was dark or fair, indeed if I was male or female -- all that mattered was that I was a precious human life. Being "One Unknown" also told me that on that morning Jermaine Lindsay didn't set out to kill or maim me, Gill Hicks. He didn't know me, he didn't know what I thought or what I felt: to him I was conveniently placed in a group called "Them" as opposed to "Us." I've often thought, what if we had the chance to talk before he detonated his bomb? I wasn't given a choice, I wasn't offered a chance to "defend" my life; instead he presumed that I was his enemy. Terror knows no names. Its list is broad and cruel, sweeping from Baghdad to Boston, killing and maiming those who have innocently been in detonation range. Humanity knows no names -- just the value of every single life. But must "we" forgive our hurt in order to heal? For me, the person whose actions took my legs is dead. He's gone. He is only a name to me. There is no chance for dialogue or for to say "sorry," to even want my forgiveness. My healing is what I now understand to be a continuous journey, one where I must always find strength in love, of self and humanity and to stay focused on what really matters; leading a life that honors my great gift. Replacing the idea of recovery with a strategy for adjusting, adapting and ultimately accepting "change" has equally helped me to understand that I will never know what it is like to have my legs back -- to have that physical freedom again. I had to create a "new" idea of normal. To be filled with hatred, as those who created such devastation, was never an option. I allowed the brilliance of the unconditional love that I had experienced throughout my rescue and the following months and years to fill me and show me how to live. I knew that my life, this Life number 2 had to be dedicated to making a positive difference and to building a sustainable peace -- to endeavor to eradicate ignorance in the world, replacing it with empathy. While I wish the world would just "Stop" -- for there to be an end to innocent lives being killed or maimed by acts of terrorism or extreme conflict, I now realize, after years of deep thought, that all we can Change is ourselves. I hold onto the belief that If each of us, each "One Unknown" made a positive contribution to our own lives, that if we strived to grow to our full potential and truly honour the preciousness of being "here" -- then when multiplied, the acts of one become many and the acts of many can change the world as we know it. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Gill Hicks.

Gill Hicks says euphoria of survival saved her from feeling hatred for her loss . Images of those injured in Boston bombings resonated with her, she says . Hicks asks if we must forgive our hurt in order to heal . After years of thought, she says she realizes all we can really change is ourselves .

(CNN) -- Most kids, and parents, think of college as the place you go to get a "higher education." It didn't turn out that way for at least 3,100 students at the University of North Carolina. CNN reporter Sara Ganim has been reporting the story out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, that university staff and athletic coaches encouraged student athletes to take "fake classes" in order to get fake grades that would allow them to keep playing sports and spend their extra time practicing instead of studying. University staff saw so-called paper classes and the artificially inflated grades they handed out "as key to helping some student-athletes remain eligible," a former prosecutor wrote in an independent report documenting 18 years of such cheating. CNN reports at least four UNC employees have been fired and five have been disciplined in the scandal. "As an athlete, we weren't really there for an education," Rashad McCants, the second-leading scorer on the championship University of North Carolina basketball team 10 years ago, told CNN's Carol Costello. "You get a scholarship to the university to play basketball," he said. In other words, the point wasn't for him to actually learn. That's just sad. "The university makes money off us athletes," McCants told Costello, "and they give us this fake education as a distraction." When McCants first made these remarks, university representatives tried to shoot the messenger, attacking him and his credibility. Now, an official report suggests that not only was McCants telling the truth but that at least 3,100 other students share his story. And I think it's safe to assume that while the degree of inventing classes from thin air in order to pass athletes may have reached extreme levels of immorality, if not criminality, at UNC, thousands and thousands of other student athletes have been robbed of a quality education at universities all across America because their bodies are treated as far more important than their minds. Players and their loved ones are understandably angry. In March, Northwestern University's scholarship football players won the right under the National Labor Relations Board to form a union. Players voted in April, though the results have not yet been made public. If the union vote succeeds by a majority vote, the athletes could be covered by workers' compensation, qualify for unemployment benefits and even participate in revenue sharing. As is, football players are practicing 50 to 60 hours a week — more than most full-time jobs — and risking all kinds of long-term health effects, not the least of which are head injuries. In rare cases, players who are hurt can have their scholarships revoked and lose access to whatever paltry education they were receiving in the first place. These kids, many of whom are young black men, are plainly being exploited. As the hype around college sports has intensified — especially the astronomical money to be made by universities in increasingly lucrative TV deals — universities have gained more and more from sports programs. Meanwhile, the demands on student athletes have risen as well, but the compensation and support for athletes have remained the same. College sports increasingly look just like professional sports except for one big difference: the amateurish, abusive treatment of college athletes. Not surprisingly, universities and their athletic departments oppose college players forming unions. "I look at them as part of our family in a way," University of Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops told ESPN around the time of the Northwestern vote. "We're here to support them and help them in every way possible, and help guide them and help them get their education and develop them to be as good of athletes as they want to be." Family, eh? That's a coded metaphor: the coach and university as the strong parents, the students as kids who should just be grateful for a roof over their heads and do whatever they're told. How does that play out in real life? One study found that 10% of University of Oklahoma athletes in sports that make revenue read below a fourth-grade level. "College presidents have put in jeopardy the academic credibility of their universities just so we can have this entertainment industry," Oklahoma professor Gerald Gurney, who conducted the study, told CNN. That "entertainment industry" seems to be working fine for the pseudo "parents" who run college sports. This season, coach Stoops will be paid $5.25 million. It's not looking likely that my own daughter, who is in first grade, will eventually get a sports scholarship to college. She's still trying to figure out her left foot from her right foot. But if she gets a music scholarship or a drama scholarship or maybe some recognition for macrame skills or what have you, I fully expect that her talent will be fully drawn upon while she's at college — but also that she'll get an education. After all, most French horn players don't go on to careers in professional orchestras — they become doctors or lawyers or accountants or elementary school teachers. And for that, they need an education. The same is true of college athletes. The vast majority won't play post-college professional sports, and they need that education, not just a nominal version but a quality one, to prepare for later in life. My view is that elite college athletes should form unions. There are plenty of practical reasons why, as effective athletic employees, they should do so. But at the very least, the basic bargain of college scholarship sports — that you play on the team in exchange for an education — shouldn't be a con game, with students worked to the bone but robbed of the chance to learn. Let's hope the revelations at UNC will help start to fix this profound problem in college athletics.

Report says UNC enabled fake courses for 3,100 student athletes . Sally Kohn: Colleges are breaking the promise made to students in sports . She says in return for hard work on the athletic field, colleges owe students an education . Kohn: Unionization move would provide protections for student athletes .

(CNN)Durban's beachfront promenade was whipped by thin sheets of rain as Stan Engelbrecht and Nic Grobler sat at a seaside café to have breakfast. Coffee was in order. The two photographers were still trying to shake off their morning tiredness, having just arrived at the coastal city after cycling some 1,600 kilometers from Kimberley, a town at the heart of South Africa. "Just as the coffee arrived, I saw this guy fly by with no shirt on, riding this strange-looking bike," recalls Engelbrecht. "Nic and I just looked at each other and it was like, 'we've got to get this guy!' Nic just said 'go, go, go,' so I jumped on my bike and started chasing him in the rain." It took more than seven kilometers and several screams before Engelbrecht finally managed to catch up with the shirtless rider -- named Brandan Searle -- and talk to him. "He stopped and allowed me to get his photograph and do a quick interview with him," says Engelbrecht. "He was on his way to work -- he works as a gym instructor -- but he told me an amazing story; he'd been traveling the world with that exact bike." That story and photograph can be found in "Bicycle Portraits," an image-led three-book series by Engelbrecht and Grobler documenting South Africa's bicycle commuter culture. Starting in 2010, the two friends and bike enthusiasts were keen to explore who cycles in the country and how their bicycles fit into their daily life. "We decided just to get on our bikes and cycle around and see who we would meet," says Engelbrecht. "It happened organically," adds Grobler, 34. "We didn't set out with a strict plan of what we wanted to do...We were thinking maybe we'll be working on it for six months." Read this: Cape Town draped in color for 'slave' carnival . Instead, Grobler and Engelbrecht ended up spending over three years on the project, cycling thousands of kilometers across South Africa -- from big urban centers, through steep hills and mountains, to small towns and rural areas. Along their journeys, they'd speak to, photograph and sometimes even ride together with the cyclists they'd meet on the road, people who used their bikes not for recreation but as an everyday way of transport -- everyone from die-hard commuters to people making a living from their makeshift bicycles. Engelbrecht and Grobler say these "brave" and "inspirational" individuals, are defying dangerous roads and social prejudices by making the everyday decision to use bicycles to get around. "In South Africa there's no culture of commuting by bicycle," says Engelbrecht. "Some of the friends that we made were really colorful and interesting people, very eccentric I would say," he adds. "It's really an alternative choice to ride a bicycle -- it's often a choice that comes out of necessity because of the rising costs of transport and in fact people have to travel long distances to get to work. Often people live in townships and they work in the cities where it's actually very far from their home." Grobler and Engelbrecht, who turned to crowdsourcing website Kickstarter to fund their project, say that riding a bicycle themselves helped them create an instant bond with the cyclists they'd encounter, allowing different people from all walks of life to open up to them and have a friendly discussion. "There is a pride around having and using a bicycle, especially because in South Africa it's not being used as much for commuting," says Grobler. "It kind of felt like you get a different holistic image of the country, after hanging out one on one with everyday people," he adds. "A very different image of the country, of the situation and the state of racial interactions and political interactions ... than you get from, say, reading the newspaper or always being aware of the extremes." The photographic project was published in December 2012, yet that didn't signal the end of Grobler and Engelbracht's journey. Since then, they have been on their bikes again, cycling back to meet the people featured in the books in order to give them a copy. "It was a very natural thing to do," explains Grobler. "We never felt that the right thing was to pay anybody for their time or taking their photo -- that'd be kind of compromising the integrity of it," he adds. "As far as our project goes, it's probably the best part of the experience." Engelbrecht agrees. "It's very rewarding being able to go back to someone and say, 'remember I met you two years ago, I took your photo and this is what I did with it,'" he says. The two photographers have so far gone back to about 70% of the people they'd photographed and are still planning to visit the remainder 30%. "People's reactions are always very positive," says Engelbrecht. "They feel very proud, they really love it, it's a nice feeling to make someone feel so proud and also ... when you're able to give them a copy of the book, they can see themselves amongst other South Africans that have a similar interest to them. And also the stories -- you can read a lot about other people's personal history and culture and socioeconomic background, it's just very interesting for these people." Click through the gallery above to read excerpts of stories by the cyclists featured in the "Bicycle Portraits."

'Bicycle Portraits' documents South Africa's cycling culture . The three books show people depending on bikes for everyday transport . Stan Engelbrecht and Nic Grobler cycled 10,000 kilometers for project . They are now revisiting the cyclists they photographed .

(CNN) -- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ended Roger Federer's hopes of winning a record-equaling seventh Wimbledon title on Wednesday as the French 12th seed staged a stunning fightback to reach the semifinals. Federer appeared to be cruising into the last four after winning the first two sets, but Tsonga inflicted the Swiss world No. 3's first defeat from that vantage point in 179 grand slam matches. It was only the third time in the 29-year-old's glittering career that the 16-time grand slam champion had surrendered a two-set lead. Tsonga, ranked 19th in the world, triumphed 3-6 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-4 6-4 on Centre Court, serving out to love as he earned a clash with second seed Novak Djokovic. The Serbian, who beat Tsonga in the 2008 Australian Open final, ended the dream run of Australian 18-year-old Bernard Tomic. Tsonga defeated Federer for just the second time in six meetings, their first on grass. "It was amazing. I played unbelievable. It's never easy to come back against Roger. I'm so happy, it's crazy," the 26-year-old told reporters after reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon for the first time. "He's the biggest champion in the sport. He has achieved so much and is the best player in the world. To be two sets down and come back was unbelievable. I served really well. Against Djokovic I will have to come out and do the same again." Federer has now lost in the quarterfinals two years in a row, being beaten by eventual runner-up Tomas Berdych in 2010. "Jo played great. Really from start to finish I don't remember seeing a break point after I broke him in the first game," Federer said. "But I was close. I had all my chances. I'm actually pretty pleased with my performance today. It's kind of hard going out of the tournament that way, but unfortunately it does happen sometimes." Tsonga's shock win also ended hopes of a rematch of the French Open semifinals from the start of this month, when Federer halted Djokovic's unbeaten start to 2011 before losing to Rafael Nadal in the final. Djokovic is now only one win away from overtaking defending champion Nadal at the top of the rankings following his 6-2 3-6 6-3 7-5 victory in two hours and 41 minutes. Tomic, who to come through qualifying rounds, was the youngest player to reach the quarterfinals since Boris Becker won the tournament for a second successive year in 1986. He leveled the match in the second set and led 3-1 in the third, but Djokovic stormed back to take seven successive games as he clinched his 46th victory in 47 matches this season. The 24-year-old will seek to reach his first Wimbledon final, having lost in the semis in 2007 and 2010. Nadal extended his unbeaten run in south-west London to 19 matches as he set up a rematch of his French Open semifinal against Andy Murray by ending the run of American 10th seed Mardy Fish. Fish eliminated Berdych in the previous round but was unable to go one step further, losing 6-3 6-3 5-7 6-4 to the Spaniard. Nadal played within himself against the 29-year-old, having injured his foot against Juan Martin del Potro on Monday, but the 10-time grand slam champion was never seriously threatened by a man he had beaten on five previous occasions. "My foot is not fine, but this is the Wimbledon quarterfinals so I had to play," Nadal said. "We decided to sleep the zone of the foot to play the rest of the tournament. When you sleep the foot before the match, the anesthetic is for five hours, so you don't feel nothing. "This is my last tournament for a month or six weeks. It is always a dream for me to play at Wimbledon. I had to do it to play in the quarterfinals, and I'm going to do it for the semifinals too." Fourth-ranked Murray reached the semifinals for the third successive year, beating Spain's Feliciano Lopez 6-3 6-4 6-4. The British player will on Friday have the chance to avenge his Paris defeat by Nadal, who also beat him at this stage at Wimbledon last year before winning his second grass-court grand slam. "I think Feliciano was a little bit tired, but I served well for most of the match," Murray said. "I'm playing well. I'm sure in the next round I'm going to get pushed even harder so I'll have to raise my game even more." Lopez, a three-time quarterfinalist, played with his right leg strapped up following his win over Poland's Lukasz Kubot, when he came back from two sets down.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga reaches Wimbledon semis for first time after beating Roger Federer . Six-time champion Federer surrenders two-set lead for first time in 179 grand slam matches . Tsonga next plays No. 2 Novak Djokovic, who beat teenager Bernard Tomic . Top-ranked Rafael Nadal faces fourth seed Andy Murray in Friday's other semifinal .

Istanbul (CNN) -- For the second time in a week, Turkish officials searched a civilian airplane headed to Syria in what appears to be the enforcement of a new Turkish air blockade against the Syrian government. Armenian and Turkish diplomats confirmed to CNN that an Armenian cargo plane destined for the battle-scarred Syrian city of Aleppo stopped first in the Turkish city of Erzurum for an inspection of its cargo Monday morning. Also on Monday, the European Union added to Syria's growing isolation by announcing a 19th round of sanctions against the regime. One of the punitive measures bans Syrian Arab Airlines planes from all European Union airports. "This comes in addition to an existing ban on Syrian cargo flights," the EU Council announced in a news release. The Armenian cargo was eventually allowed to fly on to Syria after remaining grounded and searched in Turkey for at least five hours. Read more: Report: Turkey diverting civilian planes to avoid Syrian airspace . Unlike last week's unexpected grounding of a Syrian passenger plane flying from Moscow to Damascus, the inspection of the Armenian airplane appeared to have been agreed upon ahead of time by Armenian and Turkish authorities. "The plane is transporting humanitarian aid to Syria and its stop in Turkey was planned," Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Tigran Balayan wrote in an e-mail to CNN before the cargo was allowed to leave. "An Armenian civilian cargo aircraft requested overflight permission from Yerevan to Aleppo," explained Selcuk Unal, a spokesman for Turkey's Foreign Ministry. "We provided a license for use of our airspace provided they first make a 'technical landing.' " Read more: Turkey to Syria: Don't send arms through our air space . "We are exercising our sovereign right," Unal added. Last Wednesday, Turkey made a conspicuous show of force, dispatching F-16 warplanes to escort the Syrian passenger plane headed from Moscow to Damascus to an unplanned stop in the Turkish capital, Ankara. After a search of the aircraft, Turkish authorities confiscated an unspecified number of items in the plane's cargo hold that officials said were being shipped to Syria's Ministry of Defense. The Turkish government says it is a violation of international and Turkish law to transport military materials on civilian planes. The embattled Syrian government denounced the grounding of the aircraft, calling the incident an example of "air piracy." On Monday, Turkey's prime minister defended the decision to confiscate cargo from the Syrian plane. "These containers that have been taken off the plane, the sender company is KBP Instrumental Design Bureau," Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced in a live television broadcast. "The receiver? The Syrian National Defence Ministry. This material that we confiscated is without a doubt military equipment. Calling it radar equipment or some other type of equipment is a deflection." The English-language website for KBP Instrumental Design Bureau describes it as a "developer and manufacturer of high-precision weapons." Headquartered in Tula, Russia, the company advertises itself as a manufacturer of rocket systems, tanks, artillery, and short-range air defense systems. In the wake of the search and confiscation of the Syrian plane cargo, both Turkey and Syria have closed their airspace to each others' aircraft. Read more: New Syrian flashpoint erupts; Turkey releases Syrian plane . The once intimate relationship between the Turkish and Syrian governments is one of the many casualties of the Syrian civil war. Since Syrian security forces first began attacking anti-government protests in March 2011, Turkey and Syria have gone from lifting visa restrictions on each other's citizens and holding joint Cabinet meetings to routinely denouncing each other. Turkey's prime minister has backed the Syrian opposition and provided a staging ground for rebels, while repeatedly calling on Syria's president to step down. Read more: U.N. still has no plan for Syria . Damascus has accused the Turkish government of arming and funding "terrorists." Both countries have frozen diplomatic ties. This month, escalating tensions flared yet again, when Syrian artillery killed two women and three children in the Turkish border town of Akcakale. Since then, Turkey and Syria have repeatedly engaged in artillery duels along the 900-kilometer (560-mile) border dividing the two countries. On Monday, Turkey's Foreign Ministry announced more than 100,000 refugees had now fled Syria to take shelter in Turkish refugee camps. But over the weekend, a new kind of "refugee" fled to Turkey. Read more: Syria's attack on Turkish plane could ignite conflict . Turkey's Foreign Ministry confirmed to CNN Turkish media reports that at least 12 Syrian soldiers, running away from clashes with Syrian rebels, escaped across the border and surrendered to Turkish border guards. "They swam through the Orontes River," said a Turkish government official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to discuss border security with the media. The Orontes makes up part of the border between Turkey and Syria. "Some of the soldiers are wounded and are being treated in hospital. They left their weapons in Syria," the Turkish official continued. Unlike thousands of other soldiers and officers who have defected from the Syrian armed forces throughout the 19-month conflict, the Turkish official said the 12 new arrivals did not appear to be deserting the military. "They wanted to escape from the fighting," he said, adding that the 12 Syrian troops were being kept at a separate location from other camps housing refugees and defectors.

NEW: Prime Minister Erdogan details cargo taken from plane last week . A plane headed for Aleppo is stopped in the Turkish city of Erzurum for a cargo inspection . The action appears to be the enforcement of a new Turkish air blockade against Syria . The European Union announces 19th round of sanctions against Syrian regime .

(CNN) -- How much should the rest of the world worry about the crisis unfolding in Europe? For anyone who cares about the state of their personal finances and the size of their reserves for retirement, the answer is: A lot. For investors, it's a time of risk and opportunity. Investors exhaled with some relief Sunday after voters in Greece gave a narrow victory to New Democracy, a party that vows to work with European leaders to keep the struggling country in the eurozone. But the crisis is nowhere near solved. Greece has to find a way to stability while Spain and Italy, much more important economies, show worrisome signs. When scenarios of "Europocalyspe" and "Eurogeddon" are evoked, you know things are getting bad. Because in today's interdependent and hyper-connected world, no continent can feel secure while another is sliding economically. What happens in Europe has the potential to determine the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in November. It could trip up America's feeble recovery, create more unemployment and take a toll on the global stock market. Conversely, if Europe manages to avoid a financial storm, it could remove a huge cloud of uncertainty hanging over the global economy and brighten the outlook -- and the portfolios -- of investors everywhere. Pro-Euro Greek right tries, again, to form government . If you doubt that European problems could affect U.S. shores, take a quick glance at history for a chilling lesson. Prominent economists have drawn an eerie parallel between today's events and those of the early 1930s when, as the world limped in the aftermath of the 1929 Wall Street crash, a banking crisis in Europe took the world economy into another downward spiral and led to an explosion of extremist politics that, ultimately, set the pathway to World War II. If you don't care about the politics, consider just the stock market in the last 100 years. The Dow Jones Index, which stood at 381 in early September 1929, lost half of its value in the two months after the Great Crash of October. But the worst was yet to come. By 1932, the index had plummeted a breathtaking 90% from the September highs, dropping to just 41. The years after the 1929 crash brought a stomach-churning roller-coaster ride. The Dow climbed more than 400% from 41 to 194 and then back down to 92, before stabilizing and resuming a relatively steady climb during World War II. Imagine seeing your savings, your retirement funds, cut to one-tenth their size. It took a quarter of a century for the market to return to pre-crash levels. Those who bought stocks when the index stood at 41 saw their investment eventually soar to spectacular heights -- especially those who picked the right stocks at the right time. (The tycoon, J. Paul Getty, among others, started building his fortune by snapping up bargain stocks.) So what do those events in the 1930s, which unfolded when bankers, politicians and investors knew so much less about the economy, have to do with our world, the age of the Internet, the era of unlimited access to information and advanced economic theories? If European leaders and the voters who elect them glean the right lessons from history and manage to steer their continent away from the edge of the cliff, then we won't see a repeat of that disaster of a global crash. But no one knows whether Europeans will get their economic problems straightened out. This means that anyone who owns stocks or other investments should take a deep breath and decide just how much risk he or she is willing to accept. Most Americans own stocks through mutual funds. Millions have their money in employee-provided retirement accounts and rely on the stock market for their future without realizing it. Many top-rated investors are minimizing their stake in the market. The legendary Jim Rogers says he's pessimistic and not buying stocks. He's buying gold and other commodities. The investment giant BlackRock is telling clients to stock up on cash and safe-haven bonds and treasury bonds even though this is not the best strategy in the long run since it provides negative returns when you factor in inflation. For the more adventurous and optimistic, there's the lure of potentially huge returns, if Europe dodges disaster, or, in the aftermath of a crash. European leaders are getting strong advice from all directions. While the Greeks suffer, the Spaniards face severe unemployment, and fringe political parties spring up and grow stronger, economists from both sides of the Atlantic are urging German Chancellor Angela Merkel to reverse course from her push for strict austerity, which is choking economies already in depression. My sense is that Merkel will do whatever it takes to not let the eurozone come apart and will ease up on austerity while the storm passes. But nobody has a crystal ball; not for the market, not for the politicians. For investors, the most important point to keep in mind is that these are not days like others. It is a time of crisis, of great risk and, as happens when there is great risk, also of potentially great rewards. Those who wish to take the risk should do it with eyes wide open, not by accident, neglect or inertia. The epicenter of the crisis may be in Europe, but the shockwaves will know no boundaries. Everyone should pay attention. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Frida Ghitis.

Frida Ghitis: Anyone who cares about personal finance needs to pay attention to Europe's crisis . Ghitis: Europe's problems could have huge impact on the U.S., just look at the 1930s . She says investors are reducing their stake in the stock market in fear of a big crash . Ghitis: It's a time of great risk, but also of potentially great reward .

London (CNN) -- The relationship between rock stars and royalty has not always been a cosy one. Back in 1977, The Sex Pistols stuck a grubby finger up to the silver jubilee with a raucous barge party on The Thames. In 2012, a day after a flotilla of 1,000 boats took to the same stretch of water, it seems that peace has been made. The diamond jubilee was marked with an entertainment extravaganza on a stage built around the Queen Victoria Memorial outside London's iconic Buckingham Palace. Smoothing the marriage of music and monarchy was Take That's Gary Barlow, who curated a star-studded line-up designed to represent the best of Queen Elizabeth II's 60-year reign. Barlow's friend and sometime bandmate Robbie Williams opened the show, performing his boisterous "Let Me Entertain You" with the trumpets and drummers of the Royal Scots Guards. In the crowd, Queen guitarist Brian May nodded approval: he's qualified to do so, having opened 2002's "Party at the Palace" playing the national anthem on the roof. But the real VIPs were in the royal box, where Prime Minister David Cameron stood with Prince Charles, The Duchess Of Cambridge, Princes William and Harry, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and numerous other Windsors. Prince Philip, the queen's husband, was absent, having been admitted to hospital with a bladder infection. Britain's Prince Philip hospitalized . The evening opener seemed geared more to the tastes of younger royals. Will.I.Am sang "I Gotta Feeling" with octave-hopping pop singer Jessie J, X-Factor alumni JLS produced a medley of hits, while Barlow performed a duet with a painfully out of tune Cheryl Cole. Before long, the old guard showed the whippersnappers how it's done. Enter Cliff Richard, a man with hits in every decade of Elizabeth's reign and a mega-mix to prove it. A closing "Congratulations" was as kitsch as his powder pink suit, but The Duchess Of Cambridge waved her Union Jack approvingly. Monday was not all about pop though. Classical pianist Lang Lang thumped out "Rhapsody In Blue," before tenor Alfie Boe segued "O Sole Mio" into "It's Now Or Never," jiving on the spot for the latter in a matter unbecoming of most opera singers. However, the curveball of the evening was yet to come: enter the brilliant Grace Jones, who took to the stage dressed like a sci-fi villainess, and spun a hula hoop for the duration of her sensual anthem "Slave To The Rhythm." "Happy Birthday, our queen," she concluded, missing the entire point of the occasion. Meanwhile, young crooner Ed Sheeran looked positively pedestrian in comparison, though with his shaggy red hair the people far off in the cheap seats must have wondered why Prince Harry popped up on stage with an acoustic guitar. At 9 p.m. local time, the crowd stood for the queen. Her majesty's arrival was marked by the live debut of The Commonwealth Band's "Sing," a track written especially for the jubilee by Gary Barlow and Andrew Lloyd Webber. "Hear a thousand voices shouting loud," the syrupy lyrics commanded. As darkness fell, the procession of stars continued -- Shirley Bassey performed the aptly titled "Diamonds Are Forever," while Kylie Minogue, dressed as a Pearly Queen, and Elton John whipped the crowd into a frenzy with a storming version of "Crocodile Rock." By the time Stevie Wonder appeared, the stage was beginning to resemble a Who's Who of pop music. The American legend sang "Isn't She Lovely" with lyrics re-worked for the occasion: "Isn't she special, a young 86-years old," he crooned. He also played "Happy Birthday," perhaps having conferred with Jones. Our attention was then drawn to the roof of the palace, where 80s British band Madness sang "Our House" as a light projection transformed the imposing royal residence into a row of typical British terraced houses. Then it was back to the stage, where former Beatle Paul McCartney concluded the show. McCartney has provided the finale for so many star-studded galas that the image of him performing "Ob La Di, Ob La Da" as Elton, Shirley Bassey and Cliff Richard clapped along en masse brought on a strange feeling of déjà vu. But, as ever, his humble, unifying charm made for a warm ending. Before the majestic fireworks display and the heart-thumping national anthem, Barlow led the Queen, the Duchess Of Cornwall and Prince Charles on stage. "Your Majesty, Mummy," began Prince Charles, as he delivered a touching speech with the right mix of levity and respect. The audience was treated to three hours of big names and big tunes, but -- acerbic comedians and Grace Jones aside -- the Diamond Jubilee Concert was a safe bet. Cynics might argue that a more accurate view of modern Britain could come from the likes of Plan B, whose "Ill Manors" single sticks the knife into Cameron's Britain, but a gig at Buckingham Palace was never going to be the place for punk sentiment.

Three-hour concert outside London's Buckingham Palace for the diamond jubilee . Concert opened with Robbie Williams and Royal Scots guard performing "Let Me Entertain You" Paul McCartney concludes the show with star-studded version of "Ob La Di, Ob La Da"

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama took his case for attacking Syria overseas and gained some momentum in the Senate, but his deputies faced another line of tough questioning from lawmakers about military involvement and Russia cautioned about unilateral U.S. action and sought to influence the political process in Washington. Here are five things we learned from Wednesday's developments on Syria: . 1) 'The world set a red line' Obama headed for the G-20 summit by first stopping in Sweden where he directed his pitch for military action against Syria to the world leaders he will soon meet in Russia. The president challenged other nations to join him in upholding global treaties banning the use of chemical weapons, saying the red line he drew on that issue more than a year ago should be recognized globally, not just by him. Inaction on Syria, he said, "becomes more dangerous not only for those people who are subjected to these horrible crimes, but to all of humanity." Secretary of State John Kerry said there are a number of countries that have indicated they would support some action against Syria if they believe the allegations are true. Senate panel backs strike plan . 2) No escalation of conflict . On Tuesday, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee made it clear they wanted no ground forces to be part of any military action in Syria. On Wednesday, their House counterparts grilled Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey at a hearing on the potential for any U.S. military strike to escalate the Syrian conflict and require additional American involvement. Kerry stressed the limited nature of the proposed mission to degrade Bashar al-Assad's ability to deliver chemical agents. But Dempsey, on multiple occasions, had to say there were no guarantees. "I can never drive the risk of escalation to zero," Dempsey said, though adding that the limited scope of the strike and the U.S. partnerships in the region "limit that risk." 3) Momentum for military action . The Senate Foreign Relations Committee gave Obama some momentum on proposed military action in Syria, but not before rewriting his plan. The panel voted 10-7 to move ahead with a punitive strike with Ed Markey -- Kerry's replacement in the Senate from Massachusetts -- not taking a position. The committee set a 60-day deadline for use of force, with an option for an additional 30 days. An amendment accepted by the panel from Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Christopher Coons of Delaware added language to say the military response was intended to reverse al-Assad's battlefield momentum, a stronger objective than the one being pushed by the administration. The White House commended senators for swift action with polls showing that a majority of Americans oppose a U.S. military strike. Kerry told one House lawmaker that he expects Obama to address the nation on military action. Many members of Congress have been calling on Obama to make his case directly to the public. 4) Putin weighs in, Russia to lobby Congress . Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday in an interview that he "doesn't exclude" backing a U.N. resolution for military action, though only if there is irrefutable proof Syria's government is behind the latest attack. Samples taken by U.N. inspectors at that site were due at the world body's laboratories this week and will be tested "strictly according to internationally recognized standards," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. Putin also said, in the same interview with Russia's state Channel 1 television and The Associated Press, that it would be "absurd" for al-Assad's forces to use chemical weapons when they have the upper hand over rebel fighters. The Syrian government not only has denied waging chemical weapon attacks, it has accused opposition fighters -- whom it routinely refers to as "terrorists" -- of using them. A new wrinkle in the lobbying equation is Russia, which said it sent an official request to meet with congressional leaders to discuss Syria. A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner told CNN that he would not meet with the Russian delegation. What's the evidence? 5) The political calculation . So far, the politics of seeking congressional approval have favored bipartisanship even though it's far from certain whether Obama's wish for military action will be approved. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee plan was put together and approved across party lines, and in the House, the reception for Obama lieutenants at a hearing on Wednesday was respectful. The only sharp exchange centered around last year's Benghazi terror attack -- not Syria. A White House statement on the Senate committee action said America is stronger when "the president and Congress work together" and promised to "build on this bipartisan support" for limited military action. This follows statements on Tuesday by top leaders of the Republican-dominated House in support of Obama's drive for military action. Of the congressional leadership, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is alone in not supporting Obama's call for military strikes. He says he's still undecided. Most criticism or concern from Capitol Hill has so far centered around the wisdom of the mission or aspects of how it would be carried out. There was, however, one pointed criticism of Obama on Wednesday by House Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ed Royce, who said the president's policy on Syria has been adrift for two years. Though, he followed up by saying there were "no easy answers" on Syria. How will Senate vote? How will House vote? Ashley Killough, Tom Cohen, John King, and Lisa Desjardins contributed to this report.

Obama says the "red line" on Syria should reflect a global commitment to deter chemical weapons . House members grill Obama deputies on risk military action will escalate Syrian conflict . Senate committee gives Obama momentum by rewriting and approving plan for military strike . Putin says U.N. should decide, but Russia plans to lobby Congress .

(CNN) -- The White House has announced that on Wednesday, at the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Obama will speak in Berlin at the city's landmark Brandenburg Gate. The president's subject will be the transatlantic alliance and the enduring bonds between the United States and Germany. Berlin comes as a welcome relief for Obama. It gives him a chance to put aside for the moment the difficulties he is having in the Middle East and with the National Security Agency spying scandal. The president's Berlin appearance also reminds us that he is following in historic footsteps. June 26 marks the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, praising the citizens of West Berlin for their refusal to be intimidated by the massive East German-built wall that since 1961 had divided their city. The reaction of the crowd listening to Kennedy address them in front of West Berlin's City Hall was so overwhelming that, on the plane leaving Germany, he remarked to his aide, Ted Sorensen, who had written most of his speech, "We'll never have another day like this one as long as we live." Kennedy is always given style points for his Berlin speech because of its easy-to-remember rhetoric. But the speech is worth recalling today because it amounted to such a profound pivot away from the prevailing nuclear logic of the Cold War. In Berlin, Kennedy recast how he believed the Cold War should be waged in the future in a way that made his thinking clear to the European and American public. For Kennedy, the chance to speak near the Berlin Wall two years after it was built was a major opportunity to redefine his foreign policy leadership. In his 1961 Vienna summit meeting with Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, Kennedy had gotten off to a rocky start. In 1962, during the Cuban missile crisis, he had regained his footing. He had resisted calls by some of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for a massive airstrike against Cuba and made sure he and the Soviets avoided backing each other into a nuclear exchange. In Berlin, Kennedy showed that he had learned from both confrontations. Instead of treating the Cold War as simply a battle over which side had the most military power and the will to use it, he framed it as a battle that also included the fate of captive peoples and their right to self-determination. It was an emphasis that would bear fruit in the Prague spring of 1968, in Poland's Solidarity movement and finally in Ronald Reagan's 1987 Brandenburg Gate speech with its memorable line, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Kennedy's rhetoric in Berlin was equal to his good intentions. "Two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was 'civis Romanus sum' ("I am a Roman citizen"). Today, in the world of freedom the proudest boast is 'Ich bin ein Berliner,' " Kennedy declared. His words paid tribute to those Germans trapped in a divided Berlin, but his overriding point was, "Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free." Kennedy was doing the opposite of saber-rattling. He was updating the ideas behind the Declaration of Independence so they spoke directly to contemporary Europe. When his audience heard Kennedy's words, they were reminded of the Berlin Airlift of 1948, in which America responded to the Soviet ground blockade of West Berlin with an airlift that brought West Berliners the food and supplies they needed without U.S. troops firing a shot. Earlier in June 1963, Kennedy had established the groundwork for his Berlin speech with an address he gave at American University in Washington. There, he spoke about establishing the conditions for an "attainable peace" that was neither a Pax Americana nor a peace of the grave. The Soviet Union, Kennedy cautioned, needed to abandon its distorted view of an America ready to unleash a preventative nuclear war, but at the same time America needed to make sure that it did not fall into the same trap as the Soviets by seeing Russia through a distorted ideological lens. Ever the practical politician, Kennedy conceded that he had no "magic formula" for bringing about such a change in the world's two superpowers, but it was possible, he concluded, to debate the Cold War without each side making new threats. "We can seek a relaxation of tensions without relaxing our guard," he insisted. Today, the American University speech is widely praised, but at the time, the speech was seen primarily as a policy statement. The public reaction to the speech was minimal. One day later, the American University proposals were replaced as a front-page story by the highly charged racial confrontation between the Kennedy administration and Alabama Gov. George Wallace over the admission of two African-American students to the formerly all-white University of Alabama. Berlin was a different story in terms of its popular impact and a sign that Kennedy was becoming increasingly sophisticated in using his personal popularity to promote policy change. In Berlin, the still-young president took advantage of being on the global stage to make it easier for friend and foe alike to see him as a leader eager to steer America and the world away from nuclear confrontation. His efforts were not wasted. Two months after his Berlin speech, the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union signed the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the first such agreement since atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Nicolaus Mills.

President Obama is to give a speech in Berlin on transatlantic alliance . It comes on the eve of anniversary of JFK's famous Berlin speech . Kennedy used the occasion to signal his solidarity with people of West Berlin . Nicolaus Mills says JFK's overriding point was: When one is enslaved, all of us are not free .

(CNN) -- Severe weather's assault on middle America continued Tuesday, as tornadoes and thunderstorms pulverized communities and claimed at least six lives in Oklahoma and Kansas. Twisters also brewed in Dallas and several northern Texas counties, according to the National Weather Service, with at least one tornado reported on the ground. There was no rest for the weary and grieving. Joplin, Missouri, where 124 died in a tornado Sunday, was briefly under a tornado warning late Tuesday, but it was later lifted. Still, the city braced for high winds. Two motorists died when an uprooted tree slammed into their van in Stafford County, Kansas, according to the state adjutant general's office. The deadly string of tornadoes that rampaged through central Oklahoma killed at least four people, injured dozens and destroyed homes and vehicles, officials said. Canadian County, Oklahoma, Sheriff Randall Edwards told CNN a large tornado that crossed I-40 near El Reno destroyed residences and caused a gas leak at an energy plant west of the state capital. Four people died in the county, said Cherokee Ballard, spokesperson for the state medical examiner. The twister injured motorists on I-40 and U.S. 81, Canadian County Emergency Management Director Jerry Smith said. There were reports of property damage in the area. El Reno city spokesman Terry Floyd said 20 workers were injured at a drilling rig. Police and fire crews are searching for a missing 3-year-old old child in Piedmont, northwest of Oklahoma City, according to an emergency services worker who asked not to be named because she was not authorized to speak to the media. "Our town is totally leveled," she said. "All you can find now is debris and foundations," said the emergency services worker, her voice cracking with emotion. "We're still searching for survivors. We'll be here all night." Another tornado was seen at Chickasha, about 40 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. It later reached Newcastle, before pushing through Moore and Norman, suburbs of Oklahoma City. The National Weather Service warned residents and I-44 drivers to take precautionary action. About 1,200 people packed a shelter in Newcastle, a bedroom community near Oklahoma City, during the storm, said City Manager Nick Nazar. "That saved lives." "We have been extremely lucky," he said. "Minor injuries so far." About 100 people were displaced, and 50 homes were rendered uninhabitable, Nazar told CNN. Two or three businesses were damaged, as was an elementary school. Statewide, at least 60 people were hurt and nearly 58,000 homes lost power, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. The tornado that passed through Chickasha also damaged several other communities, including Newcastle. "It came right past the store," said Chickasha AutoZone employee Nathaniel Charlton. "They had a little debris thrown across the parking lot. It was on the ground, but it wasn't bad." Sirens went off about 20 minutes before the storm pushed through, Charlton told CNN. State officials received reports of damaged businesses in Chickasha. "This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation," the National Weather Service said during the storms. No tornado damage was immediately reported within Oklahoma City's borders. Some employees at the weather agency's Storm Prediction Center in Norman briefly took shelter as a tornado approached, a spokesman told CNN. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin cited the storms' intensity. "We're still not out of the woods yet," she told CNN's Anderson Cooper as strong storms moved across her state Tuesday evening. First responders were heading toward communities that have reported damage to homes, Fallin said. Randy McCown, administrator at First Baptist Church of Piedmont, said the church was operating as a shelter for residents. CNN Oklahoma City affiliates broadcast images of funnel clouds that dumped rain as they moved into more populated areas. KWTV broadcast images of destroyed and damaged homes in El Reno. The University of Oklahoma, based in Norman, on Tuesday afternoon suspended classes at its three campuses. At Norman's Tarahumara Restaurant, which specializes in Mexican food, all 20 employees showed up for work, though none of the customers did for nearly two hours preceding the storm's arrival, said manager Juan de Leon. As the storm struck at about 5:45 p.m., he and the wait staff watched news programs on the restaurant's 10 television sets in fear, he said. But when it hit, they were unimpressed. "Just rain," said de Leon in a telephone interview. "It looked like normal rain." Hail was mixed in, but the bits of ice were nothing special, "little bitty ones," he said. Two hours later, he said, the restaurant had filled up and it was business as usual. Tornado watches were in effect Tuesday evening in Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas. In anticipation of the severe weather, American Airlines canceled 126 arriving and departing flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, spokesman Ed Martelle told CNN. Operations were suspended late Tuesday afternoon at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. A tornado was reported Tuesday in the Texas community of Bedford. The tornado that struck Joplin on Sunday killed at least 124 people, authorities said Tuesday, making it the deadliest single U.S. tornado since modern record-keeping began more than 60 years ago. CNN's Dave Alsup, Matt Smith, Tom Watkins, Phil Gast, Dana Ford, Rick Martin, Sean Morris and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.

Tornado warning lifted in Joplin, Missouri . A young child is missing in Oklahoma city . Two are killed during Kansas storms . 1,200 people jam into shelter in Oklahoma City suburb .

(CNN) -- The 1970s were the first full decade after civil rights legislation all but obliterated racial segregation in the United States. And it was in large part because of this great sea change that a bright, bold flowering of African-American popular culture affecting music, movies, fashion, television, sports and literature burst forth, its impact resonating with a breadth and force that had never been witnessed before -- or seen since. Don Cornelius, who was found dead Wednesday, at age 75, in his Los Angeles home, was one of the significant figures of this transformative era. As the creator and longtime host of the TV music-and-dance show, "Soul Train," Cornelius took an established broadcast genre of dancing teenagers, hit records and live performances by pop stars and infused it with assertively African-American style and attitude so electrifying that its appeal crossed racial, ethnic and even generational lines. As filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles helped set off the black-movie boom with 1971's "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song"; as Richard Pryor's ribald, so-real-it's-surreal stand-up comedy hit its stride by mid-decade; as Alex Haley's 1976 epic family saga "Roots" became the keystone to a nationwide phenomenon whose culminating TV miniseries is still talked about 35 years later, so did Cornelius establish, through "Soul Train," a crucial gauge for pop music's ebb and flow that no one in the entertainment business could ignore. The elite of late-20th century black pop musicians, from Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, James Brown, Teddy Pendergrass, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Diana Ross and Gladys Knight, to the Jackson Five, O'Jays, Spinners, Gap Band and Commodores took live turns on the "Train" -- and frequently delivered some of their more potent televised performances. Eventually, white artists such as Elton John, David Bowie, Sting and Robert Palmer played on the "Soul Train" stage. Though he wisely never made himself more conspicuous than the music or the dancers, Cornelius' buttery smooth baritone, colorful attire -- though relatively understated when compared to the dancers' flashy duds -- and avuncular presence provided an anchor for the show's dazzling grooves and slick moves. He also became something of a star himself, making appearances at live concerts and political gatherings looking to share some of the youthful energy he presided over as host from 1970 to 1993. Other TV shows may have had live acts. But if you wanted to know how to move your body to funk, disco and soul music, "Soul Train" provided the first and best lesson for much of its long and legendary run. Fred Astaire, in a "60 Minutes" interview, said he was a "Soul Train" fan. One imagines the great man studying and perhaps even attempting many of those moves. If you were a true dance aficionado, you waited every week for the "'Soul Train line" in which improbably limber young couples enacted breathtaking inventories of what would become known as "breaking" and "popping." Before he became an innovator, the Chicago-born Cornelius sold insurance for Golden State Mutual Life for $250 a week. In 1966, he decided to change his destiny, and reduce his salary by $200, to work as a substitute disc jockey, news reader and interviewer at WVON radio. Within two years, he had acquired enough facility as a broadcaster to secure an on-camera job as sports anchor on Chicago's WCIU-TV show, "A Black's View of the News." With his own money, Cornelius produced a pilot episode of an all-black version of Dick Clark's venerable "American Bandstand" to be telecast on WCIU. He had trouble interesting sponsors until the locally based Sears Roebuck & Co. expressed interest, believing the show could boost its record sales. The program, dubbed "Soul Train," debuted in 1970, achieving such formidable ratings among the city's black community that it was nationally syndicated the next year. Cornelius not only served as "Soul Train's" host, but was also responsible for drumming up advertisers and seeking more stations nationwide. Some of these advertisers were black-oriented companies such as Johnson Products Co., the beauty specialists behind Afro-Sheen hair spray. By mid-decade, "Soul Train" had powered its way to more than 100 markets. By the time it ceased production in 2006, after a series of guest hosts, "Soul Train" had become one of the longest running syndicated television programs in history. One wonders whether it's possible in this digitized age to build a cultural phenomenon from the ground up as Cornelius did. If so, his example of chutzpah and daring will serve as the template for future dreamers and cultural mavens to follow. That, along with the blend he suavely, fervently prescribed to his audiences week after week at the end of each "Train": "Love! Peace! And -- all together now -- Soul!" Join the conversation on Facebook. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Gene Seymour.

Gene Seymour says in 1970s, black culture burst forth in fashion, music, dance . He says Don Cornelius contributed singular dance show with cross-cultural appeal . He says the elite of black pop music performed; Soul Train showed teens how to dance . Seymour: Cornelius was self-made impresario, innovator who built cultural phoneomenon .

Washington (CNN)Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the Republican campaign trail, Sarah Palin and Donald Trump are back. All it took to set Twitter abuzz at the first big GOP campaign bash at the weekend was for The Donald and the 2008 vice presidential nominee to clear their throats and muse, yet again, about presidential campaigns. But the idea that they're both seriously searching their souls and considering a run for the White House doesn't pass the smell test. Trump and Palin are now more at the reality show end of the political spectrum than serious contenders -- but they sure know how to get a headline. They snatched more than their fair share of attention at Congressman Steve King's cattle call in Iowa on Saturday -- even as an impressive line-up of bona fide potential candidates tried to road test early 2016 messaging. There are serious candidates out there who are almost certainly running for president -- including Chris Christie, Rick Perry, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, Carly Fiorina and Mike Huckabee, all of whom were at the Iowa event. And there are those who just want some people to believe they might, just, might, run. Given all the available evidence, Palin and Trump belong in the latter category. Both are past masters at self publicity and appeared to view the massive media spotlight of the first big campaign event in Iowa as a great opportunity at the start of another campaign cycle. Palin launched a bizarre, stream of consciousness rant against Hollywood the left, President Barack Obama and the strange social media palaver whipped up by pictures of her son Trig standing on his labrador. Her performance was all the more odd since she had deliberately raised expectations that she might be mulling a return to top-level politics ahead of the speech. She told ABC News that anyone like her with a "servant's heart" had no choice but to think about it. Then, after bumping into reporters at a Des Moines hotel, Palin said "who wouldn't be interested?", according to The Washington Post. So is Palin really considering a run for president? SEE ALSO: Jeb's invisible man strategy . Her largely inconsequential speech offered easy ammunition for her political enemies, making for an ineffective start. And there's no evidence that Palin is taking the serious moves needed of a candidate in an age when the price of entry for the presidential sweep stakes is millions of dollars. There's also no buzz that Palin has sounded out top party donors or wants to snap up big name consultants. Though some of her attack lines hit their mark with the audience of conservative activists, Palin was a pale imitation of the rock star who burst onto the scene in 2008 showing raw and rare political talent. And the notion of a Palin presidential campaign seems a lot more remote than when she teased a run, but ultimately decided against it, in the last presidential cycle. Her performance on Saturday dismayed key figures in conservative media, including some who thought she was unfairly put to the sword by the press in 2008. Conservative columnist Byron York wrote in his Washington Examiner column that the Republican Party has a Palin problem. "If there is indeed nothing behind her 'seriously interested' talk — and it appears there is not — should she be included in events leading up to the 2016 caucuses?" York wrote. Conservative blogger Erick Erickson meanwhile said Palin's speech was best "left uncommented on." Democrats are jubilant. Democratic National Committee communications director Mo Elleithee put out a simple statement reading "Thank you." The pro-Clinton super PAC Ready for Hillary fired out a fundraising email on the back of Palin's comments. SEE ALSO: Pro-Clinton group raises money off Palin speech . Trump meanwhile used the Freedom Summit to relaunch his own political sideshow, in mothballs since his 2012 presidential musings and his campaign to get Obama to publish his birth certificate. But he touched raw nerves in the GOP, launching a fierce attack on potential establishment frontrunners Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney who skipped the event. His broadsides seemed to fly in the face of efforts by party bosses to remove the circus atmosphere which marred the 2012 GOP presidential debates. 'Mitt had his chance," he said. "He should have won and he choked. You don't want to give a choker a second chance." "We've had enough of the Bushes," Trump blasted. There is a long tradition of long-shot candidates launching presidential runs without any expectation of victory. While many hope lightning will strike -- comparative unknowns like Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama built campaigns in Iowa that ended at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue -- most know it won't. But running for president in Iowa, even if you don't make it to the caucuses themselves can be a good career move. Former Gov. Tom Vilsack for instance parlayed a campaign that never got off the ground into a job as secretary of the Agriculture Department. Other candidates -- like Democratic gadfly Dennis Kucinich and libertarian Ron Paul -- have used presidential campaigns to build personal political brands. Joe Biden got less than 1% of the votes in the Iowa caucuses in 2008 -- but ended up as a two-term vice president. In each of those cases, the candidates offered more steak than sizzle; more policy than pizzazz. And then there are those like Trump, who thrives on attention, and Palin, who needs to maintain a brand on the fringes of conservative media, for whom the oxygen of publicity as a new campaign grinds into gear seems too enticing to ignore.

Sarah Palin and Donald Trump flirt with media with 2016 talk . No sign of serious campaigns . But candidates have an incentive to keep their names in the frame .

(CNN) -- When the last surviving soldiers of the First World War -- British Tommies and French poilus alike -- died a few years ago, national newspapers in London and Paris, but also in Canberra, Wellington and Ottawa, responded to this transition with numerous articles. The reason was obvious: For the French as for the British, the former Dominions, but also for the Belgians, World War I is seen still today as the main historical watershed of the 20th century. And it is not by accident that in the political and historical language of these countries this fact is reflected accordingly. The war is not so much commemorated as the first of two world wars but as La Grande Guerre, The Great War, De Groote Oorlog. Commemorating the war in Germany has always been and still today is much more complicated. Whatever were the consequences of the war after 1918, there was another history that came to overshadow the war and made it only the first of two catastrophes. In the light of National Socialist dictatorship, the Second World War and the monstrosity of the Holocaust, the war of 1914 became, in the eyes of many Germans, a kind of past past, a prelude to the total war which started in September 1939 and which would lead to the final catastrophe of a German nation state in the 20th Century. It is against this background that even after 100 years, for many Germans the fatal shots in Sarajevo mark the beginning of a second Thirty Years War of unprecedented violence between 1914 and 1945 -- in other words there is a stark tendency to view the First World War in relation to 1933 and 1939, and to see the rise of Hitler as a consequence of the burden which the war and the following peace treaty of Versailles brought about. The prize of this retrospective logic is a very deterministic view on history: As if the Weimar Republic had been doomed to failure from its very beginning, and as if there had never been any alternative to dictatorship, mass murder and total war. This constellation also explains why in German discussions, the dimension of the war is reduced to the question of a specific war guilt. Since one cannot possibly deny the responsibility for the outbreak of war in 1939, the debate on 1914 is all the more intensive -- even 50 years after the so-called Fischer debate of the 1960s, caused by the Hamburg historian Fritz Fischer who argued that German political and military elites deliberately caused the war in an attempt to break off the perceived encirclement of the country. In a fierce controversy, Fischer was attacked by many conservative colleagues, many of whom had fought in the war. They accused him of confirming, ex-post facto, the allied position after 1918 vis-à-vis Germany and of legitimizing the Versailles treaty's logic, which had so much poisoned the Weimar Republic's political culture. The amazing success of Christopher Clark's book "The Sleepwalkers" in Germany a hundred years after the outbreak of the war underlines just how important the question of war guilt still is in the eyes of many Germans. The book's argument of shared responsibility, of all international actors and a complex interaction in July 1914, is translated into some kind of historical exculpation: Yes, Germany caused the Second World War, but it is not the main and sole culprit behind the escalation in 1914 -- and hence German responsibility for what went wrong in the first half of the 20th Century seems to be put in relative terms. At the moment one can witness how historical analysis is translated into the politics of history. At first sight this is the core of what seems to be the continuation of earlier debates of the 1960s between followers and critics of Fischer. But behind this, another debate becomes visible: One about Germany's self-positioning in Europe and the world. Because for decades the experience of two world wars and the catastrophe of the German nation state meant that Germany would abstain from a leading political role, including military engagements, corresponding to the country's economic strength. Against this background it is hardly surprising that some political commentators argue that now, with the war-guilt of 1914 put away, it is high time to re-formulate a more outspoken European and world-wide responsibility of German politics. However it seems surprising that all of this is still a very German perspective on a world war that was so much more than what happened at the Western and the Eastern front. From a German perspective it is all too easy to fall into the retrospective logic of history, to view 1914 in the light of 1933, 1939 and 1945. But the first of two world wars was more than a prelude, and it was more than an explosion of violence in Europe. When writing my own book on the First World War in Harvard, many colleagues from the Americas, from Africa, from China, Japan and from India were right in asking for a global view on a truly global war. Compared with this perspective the German view on the First World War is still heavily impregnated by the boundaries of national memory. READ MORE: Should nations pay price for leaders' misdeeds? READ MORE: Seven things to know about man who sparked WWI . READ MORE: Meet the 'bionic men' of World War I .

Commemorating WWI in Germany has always been complicated, Leonhard says . Germans tend to view WWI in relation to 1933 and 1939, and rise of Hitler a consequence . In Germany, the question of guilt for the war tends to dominate discussion . Some argue it's time for Germany to move on and be more outspoken in the world .

Washington (CNN) -- Federal firearms agents in Arizona cringed every time they heard of a shooting after letting waves of guns pass into the hands of Mexican drug gangs, some of those agents told a House committee Wednesday. It was part of an operation aimed at tracking the flow of weapons across the U.S.-Mexican border, but the operation has come under intense criticism since the December killing of a U.S. Border Patrol officer. Operation Fast and Furious, as the program was known, was "a colossal failure of leadership," said Peter Forcelli, a supervisor at the Phoenix field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. When U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was wounded and six others were killed in a January assassination attempt in Tucson, Forcelli said, an agency spokesman told him "that there was concern from the chain of command that the gun was hopefully not a Fast and Furious gun." Another agent, Lee Casa, said, "This happened time and time again." "Every time there's a shooting, whether it was Mrs. Giffords or anybody, any time there is a shooting in the general Phoenix area or even in, you know, Arizona, we're fearful that it might be one of these firearms," Casa told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The killings of three people connected with the U.S. consulate in Juarez, Mexico, caused similar anxiety, Casa said. And a third agent, John Dodson, told lawmakers: "I cannot begin to think of how the risk of letting guns fall into the hands of known criminals could possibly advance any legitimate law enforcement interest. I hope the committee will receive a better explanation than I." Operation Fast and Furious focused on following "straw purchasers," or people who legally bought weapons that were then transferred to criminals and destined for Mexico. But instead of intercepting the weapons when they switched hands, Operation Fast and Furious called for ATF agents to let the guns "walk" and wait for them to surface in Mexico, according to a committee report. The idea was that once the weapons in Mexico were traced back to the straw purchasers, the entire arms smuggling network could be brought down. Instead, the report argues, letting the weapons slip into the wrong hands was a deadly miscalculation that resulted in preventable deaths, including that of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Terry was killed last year just north of the Mexican border in Arizona after he confronted a group of bandits believed to be preying on illegal immigrants. Two weapons found near the scene of the killing were traced to Fast and Furious. "I was flabbergasted. I couldn't believe it at first," Terry's mother, Josephine, said of when she learned that the ATF may have let some of the guns used in the attack slip through its fingers. Terry's family said they want all those involved in his killing and who helped put the weapons in their hands to be prosecuted. "We ask that if a government official made a wrong decision, that they admit their error and take responsibility for his or her actions," Robert Heyer, Terry's cousin and family spokesman, testified. The committee's chairman, California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, called the operation "felony stupid." As many as 2,000 semi-automatic rifles reached the hands of the cartels as a result, and Issa said the top two ATF officials were briefed the program regularly. Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich testified that the ATF never knowingly allowed the sale of assault weapons to straw purchasers, who then transported them into Mexico. But Issa and other congressmen said the claim was deceiving. Although it is technically true that straw purchasers didn't cross any weapons into Mexico, they did transfer them to third parties who did, they said. Issa also was upset over heavily redacted documents that his committee had received from the attorney general's office. Weich said his office was cooperating to the greatest extent possible, given concerns about disrupting the ongoing investigation. But Weich said he did not know or was not able to answer questions about who authorized the operation. "The attorney general has said he wants to get to the bottom of it," he said. Speaking before the committee, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said that the operation started with the flawed assumption that there was a large arms trafficking network that was operating. "That kind of assumption can cause you to start with a conclusion and work backwards, looking for facts that fit the case. Until you figure out that you've got the cart before the horse, you're probably not going to get anywhere," he said. Casa said ATF supervisors in Phoenix, where the project was based, brushed off several agents' concerns over letting guns go. And Dodson said that despite evidence that straw purchasers were giving their weapons to cartels, the agency went no further than to do some surveillance. "Knowing all the while, just days after these purchases, the guns that we saw these individuals buy would begin turning up at crime scenes in the United States and Mexico, we still did nothing," he said. Forcelli, also criticized the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona for what he described as a tendency not to prosecute arms trafficking cases, and said "toothless" laws against straw buyers made it difficult to recruit low-level operatives as witnesses. "With these types of cases, for somebody to testify against members of a cartel where the alternative is seeing a probation officer once a month, they're going to opt toward not cooperating with the law enforcement authorities," he said.

NEW: Agent tells of fears over possible link to Giffords' shooting . NEW: Committee Chairman Darrell Issa calls the operation "felony stupid" A report says the ATF let guns "walk" into Mexico without being intercepted . Operation Fast and Furious was "colossal failure," supervisor says .

(CNN) -- A man whose financial management business is under investigation faked a life-or-death emergency in his private aircraft before secretly parachuting out and letting his plane crash in the Florida panhandle, authorities said Monday. Marcus Schrenker exited his small plane before it crashed, and investigators are looking for him, police say. The pilot, identified as Marcus Schrenker, 38, later checked into a hotel in Alabama under a fake name and then put on a black cap and fled into woods, authorities in Alabama said, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office in Milton, Florida. Authorities are searching for Schrenker. The manager of the airport in Indiana from which the six-seat Piper PA-46 took off Sunday said that no one else was on board at takeoff. The plane crashed Sunday night in a swampy, wooded area within 50 to 75 yards of some homes in East Milton, Florida, the sheriff's office said. Watch more on the mysterious flight » . An Indiana judge on Monday froze Schrenker's assets at the request of investigators looking into his business dealings, said Jim Gavin, spokesman for the Indiana secretary of state. Public documents list Schrenker as president of an Indianapolis agency called Heritage Wealth Management. Records also show Heritage Insurance Services at the same address. The address is listed in the telephone directory as the site of Icon Wealth Management. Those three companies are under investigation for possible securities violations, according to Gavin. A search warrant was served in connection with that investigation December 31. The judge's asset-freezing order, which applies to Schrenker's wife and his three companies, is aimed at protecting investors, Gavin said. CNN's attempts to reach a representative for Schrenker were unsuccessful. The phone number for his business was disconnected, and public records do not list his home phone number. Schrenker "appears to have intentionally abandoned the plane after putting it on autopilot over the Birmingham, Alabama, area and parachuting to the ground" Sunday night, the sheriff's office said in a news release. The plane crashed at 9:15 p.m. CT on Sunday in a swampy area of the Blackwater River in East Milton, authorities said. It's unclear what time Schrenker made the earlier distress call. He told air traffic controllers that the window of his plane had imploded and he was bleeding profusely. That call came in when the aircraft was about 35 miles southwest of Birmingham. Controllers tried to tell the pilot to divert the flight to Pell City, Alabama, but he did not respond. The plane appeared to have been put on autopilot around 2,000 feet altitude, said Sgt. Scott Haines, a spokesman for the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office. The plane had been scheduled to land in Destin, Florida, authorities said. After the call came in, military aircraft were dispatched to intercept the plane. The jets spotted the Piper and deployed flares to illuminate the plane as it was flying and noticed that its door was open and the cockpit was dark, according to the Santa Rosa authorities. The jets continued to follow the plane until it crashed. Rescuers searched the area where the plane went down and began a search for the pilot. Meanwhile, Schrenker reportedly was more than 220 miles north of the crash site. The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office got a call at 2:26 a.m. Monday from the Childersburg Police Department in Alabama saying that a white male, identified as Schrenker by his Indiana driver's license, approached a Childersburg officer at a store. Schrenker, who was wet from the knees down and had no injuries, told the officer that he had been in a canoeing accident with friends, the Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office said in a news release. Schrenker had goggles that looked like they were made for "flying," according to the release. The Childersburg police didn't know about the plane crash, so they took Schrenker to a nearby hotel, authorities said. When police found out about the crash, they went back to the hotel and entered Schrenker's room. He was not there, they said. According to Santa Rosa authorities, Schrenker had checked in under a fake name, paid for his room in cash and "put on a black toboggan cap and ran into the woods located next to the hotel." CNN affiliate WVTM obtained surveillance video from the Harpersville Motel that WVTM says shows Schrenker checking in. It also shows Schrenker putting on a black cap and leaving, the station reported. Harpersville is 30 minutes east of Birmingham, and about 223 miles north of Milton, Florida, near where the wrecked plane was found. iReport.com: Are you near the crash scene? Tell us what you've seen . Federal investigators were helping in the probe. "The FBI is looking into the matter, along with other agencies," said Paul Draymond with the Birmingham, Alabama, FBI office. Kathleen Bergen, spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said a "detailed review of radar data" and the fact that the plane had switched to autopilot suggested the pilot might have parachuted. The corporate plane does not have an ejection feature, said Steve Darlington, the airport manager of the Anderson Municipal Airport in Anderson, Indiana. Darlington described the pilot as "accomplished" and said he owns "a couple of airplanes" and flies regularly.

NEW: Indiana judge freeze's pilot's assets at investigators' request . Pilot faked emergency, jumped from plane before it crashed in Florida, police say . Pilot's business under investigation in Indiana, official says . Sheriff's office: Pilot Marcus Schrenker checked in to hotel under false name .

(CNN) -- Has Gary Player found the secret to eternal life? The 78-year-old completes 1,300 sit ups every day, follows a strict and mainly vegetarian diet and sleeps on average nine hours per night. During a remarkable competitive career spanning six decades, Player won nine majors and 165 tournaments, adopting a grueling fitness and a practice regime to help underpin his game. "The more I practice the luckier I get," was his most famous quote in reference to his unerring ability to hole shots from green side bunkers. Player's forays on to a golf course are now confined to exhibitions -- "Jack Nicklaus and I were 10-under for a better ball three weeks ago," he says -- though he still regularly beats his age by several shots. "I was 12-under par (18 holes in 66 shots) recently," added the South African, who turns 79 in November. The day before this interview he'd hit 100 practice shots, so it's hardly surprising Player is still able to average about 70 shots per round, which is the mark he achieved during his professional career on the PGA then Seniors Tour, one of the best of all time. Nowadays Player is driven by a different mission. "I have a passion to save lives," he says, in reference to his desire to help confront the western world's growing obesity and type 2 diabetes problem. "Thirteen percent of the world is now obese," Player told CNN ahead of the British Open, which starts on Thursday. "We talk about wars, the number of people dying from diabetes and cancer and heart attacks -- in comparison to the numbers killed in wars are insignificant, but nobody cares about health or exercise. "I don't know why only one out of 20,000 people taka exercise and has a proper diet. How can governments allow it? Golf's "Black Knight" -- a reference to his trademark all-black attire he wore on the fairways -- doesn't expect the world to emulate his own punishing fitness regime, but he does have some simple tips to stay healthy. "My advice to fellow menfolk is every day to take you wife by the hand and go for a brisk 30 minutes walk, or get yourself a dog, they demand to be exercised! "Secondly don't go for all these fad diets, just eat half the portion of food that you originally dished up. It will change your life." The golf icon's foundation, run by his son Marc -- Player has six children and 22 grandchildren -- has raised over $50 million for underprivileged children in South Africa and around the globe. It aims to improve educational outcomes and Player is passionate that his message about health, fitness and diet reaches the younger audience globally. "We are not teaching children in school, that's a great frustration for me." Player with Nicklaus and legendary American Arnold Palmer revolutionized golf in the early 1960s and under sports management guru Mark McCormack earned the label of the "Big Three" as they dominated the majors and took the sport to a new television audience. Player had an unquenchable thirst for victory, racking up more air miles than any athlete in history as he competed in tournaments around the world. He is particularly proud of his nine 'senior' majors -- in competitions for golfers aged over 50 -- helping to raise the standard and profile of the events as he battled it out with the likes of Palmer and Nicklaus again. Don't dare tell Player that golf isn't a physically demanding sport. The South African recounts a story about basketball legend Michael Jordan, a low handicap golfer, telling him that 36 holes of golf in a day was pretty much as exhausting as playing in a match in the NBA Finals. A slight exaggeration perhaps, but judging by the number of nonagenarians who still inhabit the fairways the notion of Golf: "A Game for Life" -- the title of Player's latest instructional offering -- might not be too far amiss. In keeping with his reputation for supreme physical fitness there is a clip which shows him -- donned in black golf wear -- running at maximum speed on a treadmill -- to the astonishment of the accompanying interviewer. Watch: Player in incredible running demonstration . It's a breathless demonstration that men several decades younger would fail to emulate but does back up Player's central theme about a healthy life. "I tell you, walk 18 holes, it's tremendous exercise and you can play golf for a lifetime," he said. On the evidence of Player's fitness -- a recent test showed he had a resting heart beat of 39 -- the South African will be gracing the fairways of golf courses for many years to come. But he clearly wants to leave a legacy stretching beyond his sporting fame. "I said when I'm a champion I'm going to change people's lives. "On my epitaph I want it to read: 'Here was a man who contributed to society and saved lives.'" So for now he continues his punishing schedule of travel to meet burgeoning business commitments,such as golf course design, real estate, a winery and farm, as well as work for his foundation, which runs four high profile tournaments each year. "Show me a busy man and I'll show you someone who gets things done." That work ethic was engrained in him from an early age, with his mother dying when he was just eight and his father having to travel away to earn a living in gold mining. "You must accept adversity with gratitude and never give up. You will overcome it," said Player.

Gary Player won nine majors and nine senior majors in stellar career . South African golfer renowned for his grueling fitness regime . Travels world to preach health and fitness message . Has a 'passion to save lives'

(CNN) -- A Dutch lawmaker's film critical of Islam has been posted on a London-based Web site, though other Web sites and hosts have refused to air the film and the U.S. government has warned that it could spark protests and riots. Geert Wilders' 15-minute film, "Fitna," Thursday was the top film posted on LiveLeak.com in both English and Dutch. In Arabic, its title means "strife" or "conflict" of the type that occurs within families or any other homogenous group. Wilders, a member of the Dutch parliament from the conservative Party for Freedom, has been outspoken in his criticism of Islam and his support of immigration restrictions. He says Islam and the Quran are a long-term threat to the Netherlands and the world, and that his film is a "last warning." "It's not a provocation, but the harsh reality and a political conclusion," Wilders told reporters on Thursday. Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende rejected the film in a statement Thursday, saying, "The film equates Islam with violence. We reject this interpretation. The vast majority of Muslims reject extremism and violence. In fact, the victims are often also Muslims." The film opens with a controversial caricature of Islam's prophet, Mohammed -- one of those that prompted demonstrations in early 2006 after newspapers published the images -- followed by translated portions of the Quran. The passages are followed by graphic images of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks against the United States juxtaposed with audio from 911 calls made by the victims trapped inside the World Trade Center in New York. The video includes disturbing images of other terror attacks; bloodied victims; beheadings of hostages; executions of women in hijab, the traditional full-body attire; and footage, with English subtitles, of Islamic leaders preaching inflammatory sermons against Jews and Christians. In one sequence, the film includes a series of newspaper headlines suggesting that Europe is under threat from Islamic beliefs and practices hostile to democracy, and that some Muslims want to create Islamic states in Europe. The film concludes with scrolling messages reading in part: "The government insists that you respect Islam, but Islam has no respect for you" and "In 1945, Nazism was defeated in Europe. In 1989, communism was defeated in Europe. Now the Islamic ideology has to be defeated." Another film -- "About Fitna, the Netherlands and Wilders" from Radio Netherlands Worldwide -- is posted on LiveLeak.com as a counterargument to "Fitna." It questions the lawmaker's motives and criticizes the Dutch government for not reprimanding Wilders. LiveLeak issued a statement Thursday saying the site "has a strict stance on remaining unbiased and allowing freedom of speech as so far as the law and our rules allow." On the site, LiveLeak's posting rules include a ban on illegal media, such as child pornography, and videos glorifying death with "gory scenes with no explanation and/or set to music." LiveLeak officials referred questions about posting "Fitna" to a statement issued Monday that says, "There was no legal reason to refuse Geert Wilders the right to post his film." However, the statement adds, "To many of us involved in LiveLeak.com, some of the messages therein are personally offensive. That being said, our being offended is no reason to deny Mr. Wilders the right to have his film seen." Some in the Muslim community rejected the film as nothing more than dangerous anti-Islamic propaganda. "This film is a direct attempt to incite violence from Muslims and help fan the flames of Islamophobia," Arsalan Iftikhar, a contributor to Washington-based Islamica Magazine, told CNN on Thursday. "Any reasonable person can see this is meant to spit in the face of Muslims and insult our religion." However, he called on Muslim leaders to react peacefully: "Calmer heads should prevail." Iftikhar said he doubted the film would spark the same type of violence that followed the caricature of Mohammed, adding, "We in the global community learned a lot from the Danish cartoon controversy ... I don't think it will be anything remotely like that." Balkenende said the Dutch government is aware of the concerns among Muslims about the film. "We have recently spoken with many people at home and abroad to promote mutual understanding," he said. "We will continue to follow this course." Wilders said he hopes that the film does not result in violence. But, "should this happen, which I don't hope, then it's the people who use violence or threats who are responsible." This week, a Web site promoting "Fitna" was suspended by its host company after the firm received unspecified complaints about its content. "This site has been suspended while Network Solutions is investigating whether the site's content is in violation of the Network Solutions Acceptable Use Policy," the company said in a posting on the Web site set up to promote the film. "Network Solutions has received a number of complaints regarding this site that are under investigation." The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI also warned this month that the release of Wilders' film could spark protests and riots. Last month, Pakistan's government blocked the popular video-sharing Web site YouTube because of a "highly blasphemous" and "anti-Quranic" video featuring Wilders, according to a government news release. The video was reportedly a trailer for his movie. E-mail to a friend .

Britain-based LiveLeak.com posts "Fitna," a film by Geert Wilders . Wilders, a member of the Dutch parliament, is outspoken in his criticism of Islam . 15-minute film includes disturbing images of terror attacks . 2nd film -- "About Fitna, the Netherlands and Wilders" -- is a counterargument .

TAMARAC, Florida (CNN) -- "Schlep." A senior discusses Sen. Barack Obama with organizers of the Great Schelp in Tamarac, Florida, on Sunday. A Yiddish word meaning to pull, yank or tug, schlep is a good way of describing what it took for Mike Bender to persuade his grandparents to vote for Sen. Barack Obama for president. Bender's grandparents, Kenny and Selma Furst, 90 and 87 years old, should have been an easy sell to support the Democratic nominee for president. Like many of the estimated 650,000 Jews living in Florida, the Fursts are lifelong, passionate Democrats and a crucial vote for any Democratic candidate hoping to win the battleground state. But when Bender -- who is not affiliated with Obama's campaign but supports him -- brought up the idea of voting for Obama over Thanksgiving dinner last year, he was met with an uncharacteristic silence. "Their reaction was, as they said, 'I'm a little meschugah,' " Bender said, adding that the expression meant "crazy." For Selma Furst, voting for an African-American for president seemed unthinkable. Watch a "few little known Jewish facts" on Obama » . "I grew up with Jewish people and Italian people, but I never lived in a neighborhood that was black," she said. "Somebody said to me, 'What do you object to about him?' I said, well, truthfully, our colors are different." Overcoming the prejudices of his grandparents' generation would be difficult, Bender realized. But he was not going to be alone. Ari Wallach, co-executive director of Jews Vote, a Jewish advocacy group, also said he saw reluctance among some older, traditionally Democratic Jews to support Obama. But Wallach said it wasn't just a question of race. He cited a months-long misleading Internet campaign that aimed to convince voters that Obama is a Muslim or that he would reverse the United States' policy of supporting Israel. Obama is Christian and says he backs a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. "The older demographic particularly were being hit with tons and tons of Obama smear e-mails," Wallach said. "If you really want to talk to them in a way that will bring them over to the Obama side, you want to do it one to one, ideally with people they love. And grandparents love no one more than their grandkids." And so the Great Schlep was born. The idea was that young, Jewish Democrats would flood Florida and convince their elders that voting for Obama was OK. To get the word out about the Great Schlep, Wallach and his colleagues turned to comedian Sarah Silverman. Silverman makes the case for Obama in a Web video in which she attempts to show similarities -- some tenuous -- between an African-American man and an older Jewish woman. She raves about the Democratic candidate's brisket and points out that Barack comes from the Hebrew word for "lightning." Watch the Great Schlep » . The video ends with Silverman advising Obama supporters to let their grandparents know that should they fail to vote Democratic in the presidential election in November, maybe they shouldn't expect many more family visits. The Silverman video quickly became a Web sensation, garnering about 2 million hits in the two weeks since it was posted on thegreatschlep.com, organizers said. Thousands of people pledged to call their relatives in Florida and more than 100 people volunteered to pay their own way to travel to the Sunshine State to campaign for Obama among Jewish voters, Wallach said. Bender saw the Silverman video on YouTube in Los Angeles, California, where he works as a writer. Despite the humor of Silverman's call to schlep, the video's message resonated with Bender because of the difficulty he faced convincing his own grandparents. "I thought it was brilliant," Bender said. He decided to go to Florida and try one more time. When Bender recently returned to his grandparents' retirement community in Tamarac, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale, he was greeted with several surprises. Months of telephone conversations and his trip had paid off: His grandparents told him shortly after he arrived that they were going to support Obama. The next surprise was that his schlep had generated interest around their retirement community. A lot of interest. So many other seniors wanted to hear about Obama that the venue for a meeting on the subject had to be changed from the Furst's living room to a ballroom in the community's clubhouse. An hour before Bender started to make his case about Obama on Sunday, groups of senior citizens were staking out space in the ballroom. Soon there were more than 100 people and no more chairs. Sporting an Obama T-shirt with Hebrew writing on it, retiree Morty Brill said, "The economy, the war, you think you can trust Republicans to fix them?" If there were any people in the room with reservations about Barack Obama, they kept those doubts to themselves. As Bender told the crowd that Obama was not a Muslim and that Obama was a staunch supporter of Israel, he was met with heads nodding in agreement throughout the room. However, Bender felt the need to drive the point further. If Obama was elected, he said, then Bender would not worry so much about politics and "would have more time to find a nice Jewish girl to marry." Whether Mike Bender's schlep really changed any minds is anyone's guess, but the applause from the crowd was deafening.

The Great Schlep has Jewish Democrats pitching Barack Obama to elders in Florida . Schlep is a Yiddish word meaning to pull or tug . Organizer: Some traditionally Democratic Jews reluctant to support Obama . Florida has 650,000 Jews, many of them Democrats .

Haifa, Israel (CNN) -- Nine years after an American activist was crushed by an Israeli army bulldozer, an Israeli civil court ruled Tuesday that Rachel Corrie's death was an accident. Corrie, 23, was killed in 2003 while trying to block the bulldozer from razing Palestinian homes. Her parents filed suit against Israel's Ministry of Defense in a quest for accountability and sought just $1 in damages. But Judge Oded Gershon ruled Tuesday that the family has no right to damages, backing an earlier Israeli investigation that cleared any soldier of wrongdoing. "I believe this was a bad day not only for our family, but a bad day for human rights, for humanity, for the rule of law and also for the country of Israel," her mother, Cindy Corrie, said after the verdict. "Rachel's right to life and dignity were violated by the Israeli military," she said, adding that her daughter and her family deserve "accountability." Driver says he did not see American activist . "A civil lawsuit is not a substitute for a credible investigation, which we never had. This lawsuit was our only recourse as a family," Cindy Corrie explained. But the state prosecutor's office said the driver of the bulldozer couldn't see Corrie. "The death of Rachel Corrie is without a doubt a tragic accident," the office said in a statement. "As the verdict states -- the driver of the bulldozer and his commander had a very limited field of vision, such that they had no possibility of seeing Ms. Corrie and thus are exonerated of any blame for negligence." Hussein Abu Hussein, the Corrie family attorney, regards the decision as a "bad ruling" for the family and all activists. He said the Corries intend to appeal to Israel's Supreme Court. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev countered criticism of the verdict by saying that "the whole idea that this was not a serious procedure is simply non-factual." "They (the Corries) have lost a loved one, and we can all empathize with them," Regev said. "But I thik their criticism of the Israeli judiciary is unfounded. The Israeli judiciary is known for its independence, which they fiercely guard." Corrie was nonviolently protesting the demolition of Palestinian civilian homes in Rafah, Gaza, when she died. She was working with the Palestinian-led International Solidarity Movement at the time. Corrie's parents say they have searched for answers in their daughter's death for years. "The more we found out, the more likely that the killing was intentional, or at least incredibly reckless," father Craig Corrie said in 2010. "As a former soldier, I was even in charge of bulldozers in Vietnam. ... You're responsible to know what's in front of that blade, and I believe that they did." Craig Corrie said the soldiers, too, are victims. He does not view them with disdain. "So I'm not full of hatred for this person, but it was a horrendous act to kill my daughter, and I hope he understands that." In 2010, the Israeli soldier who drove the bulldozer testified publicly for the first time -- from behind a partition. The driver's identity has never been revealed, and he was not charged after a monthlong Israeli investigation found that no Israeli soldier was to blame. Corrie's parents cannot take him to court because the Israeli Supreme Court has upheld a decision to shield him. The driver testified repeatedly that he did not see Corrie before he struck her, saying there was a pile of rubble impeding his vision. Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee and head of the PLO Department of Culture and Information, also condemned the ruling. She said that the evidence shows Corrie was "deliberately murdered" and that the Israeli court has victimized her again. "We must make sure that Rachel Corrie's death is not a senseless incident," Ashrawi said in a statement. "It must be stressed that Israel's habit of blaming the victim and exonerating the criminal is not (only) applied to Palestinian victims, but also it has extended its reach to international solidarity activists and victims of Israeli violence." Amnesty International said that the court upheld a "flawed Israeli military investigation, completed within one month" of Corrie's death and that the "verdict seems to have ignored substantial evidence presented to the court, including by eyewitnesses." "Rachel Corrie was clearly identifiable as a civilian, as she was wearing a fluorescent orange vest when she was killed," said Sanjeev Bery, Middle East and North Africa advocacy director for Amnesty International USA. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the United States has worked with the Corries "all through this process and we will continue to provide consular support. " "We understand the family's disappointment with the outcome of the trial. Under Israeli law the family has the right to appeal the verdict and we've seen reports that they are considering doing that. So we will see how this proceeds going forward." Since Corrie's death, soccer players in Gaza have honored the activist with an annual memorial tournament. "Rachel Corrie: The Palestinian People Won't Forget Their Highly Respected Friends," a wall near the makeshift concrete soccer field reads. "There's never closure," Cindy Corrie said, "when you have a family member killed in such a way."

A PLO member denounces the Israeli court ruling . The Corrie family's attorney says they intend to appeal . Prosecutor's office: Rachel Corrie's death is tragic, but the driver didn't see her . Corrie died in 2003 trying to block a bulldozer from razing Palestinian homes .

Copenhagen, Denmark (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday warned participants in the climate change conference in Copenhagen that they are "running out of time" to reach an agreement on what to do about global warming. Critics say those attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which began December 7, have made little or no headway toward developing a plan. U.S. officials in Copenhagen and at the White House confirmed that talks broke down Wednesday after the Chinese rejected American demands that they commit to transparency regarding their emissions reductions. Without mentioning China by name, Clinton said their continued refusal would be "kind of a deal breaker for us." The uncertainty over whether a deal could be reached before talks end Friday led to speculation that President Barack Obama might not travel to Copenhagen as planned, but White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters he would leave Thursday evening. "We all know there are real challenges that remain in the hours left to these negotiations," Clinton said. "And it is no secret that we have lost precious time in these past days. In the time we have left here, it can no longer be about us versus them. "We all face the same challenge together," she added. "We're running out of time. It's unfortunate that there have been problems with the process, difficulties with certain parties being willing to come to the table, all kinds of discussions and disagreements, sometimes about the past rather than about the future." Without mentioning China by name, Clinton said that nation's continued refusal to come to the table would be "kind of a deal breaker for us." Gibbs said the Chinese "balked" at the "strong transparency requirement," and he "hoped they would reconsider." "The president is going to travel in hopes of making progress for a strong operational agreement," Gibbs said. "There are no changes in the president's plans." The agreement Obama is hoping for out of Copenhagen would not be a treaty, nor would it be legally binding. Gibbs acknowledged it would be "a political agreement that would lead to a treaty" later. The last time the president traveled to Copenhagen -- in October to try to win the 2012 Olympic bid for Chicago -- he came back empty-handed. "Coming back with an empty agreement would far worse," Gibbs said Thursday. Clinton said the United States is concerned about the ability of needy nations to do their part. The United States is willing to work with other countries to raise $100 billion by 2020 to address the climate-change needs of developing nations, she said. She told delegates that the United States already has joined an effort to provide more immediate funding that would reach $10 billion in 2012. "After a year of diplomacy, we have come to Copenhagen ready to take the steps necessary to achieve a comprehensive and operational new agreement that will provide a foundation for long-term, sustainable economic growth," Clinton said. "We have now reached the critical juncture in these negotiations. I understand that the talks have been difficult. I know that our team, along with many others, are working hard and around the clock to forge a deal," she said. "But the time is at hand for all countries to reach for common ground and take an historic step that we can all be proud of." Clinton's announcement was "enormously encouraging," Tim Flannery, an internationally known zoologist, conservationist and explorer, said on CNN's "Amanpour." Clinton proposed several core elements that should be included in any plan: decisive national actions; an operational accord "that internationalizes those actions"; technical and other assistance for needy nations that are "the most vulnerable and least prepared to meet the effects of climate change; and standards of transparency that provide credibility to the entire process." "The world community should accept no less," she added. Kandeh Yumkella, director-general of the U.N. Industrial Development Organization, said on "Amanpour" he is optimistic that leaders can strike a deal before the conference ends. "Compared to yesterday, what we have now is that the negotiators have hunkered down," he said. "They're actually in drafting committees." Flannery agreed. "If the U.S. can commit to another couple of percent in terms of cuts (in emissions), if the Chinese can increase their efficiency gains by 5 percent, that'll probably be enough to bring the Europeans on board for a 30 percent target, and then we'll be there." Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who suggested the initial estimate of about $100 billion a year by 2020 to reduce emissions, urged leaders Thursday to reach an agreement that would limit "long-term, global temperature increases" to no more than 2 degrees. According to the 10 Downing Street Web site, Brown told the conference that wealthier countries must commit to provide immediate funding for developing countries to reach such a goal. He recommended that financing start in January, with nations providing $10 billion a year by 2012. He called on developing countries to commit to ambitious mitigation actions to handle climate change. "To the developed world I say: Environmental action is the most powerful engine of job creation in an economy urgently in need of millions of new jobs. "To the developing world I say: The technology now exists to gain the dividends of a high-growth economy without incurring the damage of a high-carbon economy. "And to all nations I say: It is not enough for us to do the least we can get away with when history asks that we demand the most of ourselves."

U.S. joins an effort to mobilize "fast-start" funding for developing counties. Talks intended to agree a global limits on carbon emissions to replace Kyoto . U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to join the talks Friday . Japan, EU pledge more than $20 billion in climate aid to developing nations .

(CNN) -- For the last decade, Carolyn LeCroy has been helping children stay connected to their incarcerated parents through video messages. LeCroy was honored as a CNN Hero in 2008, and has since expanded her Messages Project to prisons in five states. Her story inspired actress Holly Robinson Peete, who recently joined LeCroy on a visit to a maximum security prison. CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke with Peete about her experience. Anderson Cooper: What was it about Carolyn's efforts that first sparked your interest? Holly Robinson Peete: I learned about a subset of the population that I never thought of before, which are the children of incarcerated parents. There was something about how hard of a sell it is; anytime you are talking about inmates or people in prison, people automatically -- there's some pushback. But with Carolyn's brand of philanthropy, I just found myself intrigued, and I had to help her out. Read the 2008 story: Ex-con's videos keep inmates, kids in touch . Cooper: How does the Messages Project work? Peete: The Messages Project goes into prisons across the country and films messages of incarcerated parents who are either reading a book, a bedtime story, giving a very positive message, giving love to the caregiver watching these children. Something so simple you would think wouldn't be a big deal, but to a child who's lost their parent to incarceration, they watch these videos over and over again. It has a really positive effect on them. So many times, a lot of these children end up in prisons themselves, and this is something that might be able to stop that chain. I think about watching my father's video. My father's been deceased for many years. When he was at my wedding, he just said, "I love you." I watch it over and over and over again, and it just lifts me up. To these children, these are not hardened criminals. Oftentimes they are just looked at as Mommy or Daddy. So, it's very important that the children know it's not their fault and that they know they're loved. More: CNN Heroes . Cooper: How did you get involved with the program? Peete: I met Carolyn in 2008 and we've been trying to get together. ... The Messages Project is now in Oklahoma, in Nebraska, in Virginia. And we kept talking about California. It's the most incarcerated state in the country. And that's where I live. So I said, "We've got to get in there." And we finally made it in. It ... was a lot of pressure; I wanted it to go well. Cooper: What did that day involve? Peete: It involved me driving for hours and hours and hours to the middle of the desert, to the middle of nowhere California. ... It involved meeting five inmates who, most of them, may never come out of that prison. And they really didn't strike me as people who had done anything except that they were dads in that moment and they wanted to get messages to their children. Cooper: What's it like seeing someone who is incarcerated and you know why they are there, and yet you see them in kind of a different light when they are trying to get a message to their child? Peete: Apparently these are hardened criminals, people who are doing time for very, very serious offenses, often murder and armed robbery. I personally didn't want to know until I left what they did. I just wanted to appeal to them as a mom and as a parent. I think we don't think about the impact of what the children of incarcerated parents have to go through. Sometimes their parents are just yanked, right in front of their eyes in some very difficult situations with policemen and guns. So, it's a mind-boggling situation for children, and these tiny messages are so impactful. Cooper: It's an incredibly intimate act, the making of these videos. Peete: Even being there and watching some of these men, I was moved to tears because I saw how gut-wrenching it was for them to say, "I'm sorry. This is not your fault. Daddy loves you and I just want you to be the best person you can be." Those little anecdotal things sound very cliché. We take it for granted if we've got a parent in the home, but hearing that for a child can make all the difference in the world. I felt like I was doing something not necessarily for the inmates, but for their children. I was impacted by it for the rest of the day, and still am. Cooper: You were recognized by a couple of the prisoners. What was that like? Peete: We walked into the cell block, and ... two gentlemen that came out looked at me. One of them said, "Hey, Holly. What's going on? Remember you met me in Vancouver, and it was 1980. You were shooting '21 Jump Street.'" He said, "I've been trying to get a script to your agent." ... (laughs) Even in jail somebody has a script for you, Anderson. ... I was just very blown away at his resourcefulness, because sure enough, three days later my agent said, "Did you meet a screenwriter in jail?" Cooper: What is it about the CNN Heroes project that really caught your interest? Peete: I'm a CNN Heroes groupie. ... The Heroes just use whatever it is that is at their disposal, and I'm always blown away by what they are able to accomplish with so little. And for no other reason than it is their calling, it is something they are drawn to.

Program keeps kids connected with their parents in prison . CNN Hero Carolyn LeCroy has run the program for the last decade . Actress Holly Robinson Peete recently joins LeCroy to observe the program .

(CNN) -- Lyon scored a late equalizer against Real Madrid to deny Karim Benzema a victorious return to his old club on Tuesday, while Chelsea moved towards a place in the Champions League quarterfinals with victory at Copenhagen. Claude Puel's Lyon team are now unbeaten in seven encounters with Real in Europe's top club competition. Nine-time European champions Real had lost in three previous visits to the Stade de Gerland, and last season were knocked out of the competition at the last-16 stage for the sixth year in a row after losing the first leg 1-0. But this time, with Champions League-winning coach Jose Mourinho at the helm, the Spanish club have a better chance to end that poor run in next month's home leg after striker Benzema scored a vital away goal in France. The 23-year-old, who has struggled to win a regular place since his $50 million signing in 2009, was named as a substitute despite netting in Saturday's La Liga win over Levante. But he made an instant impact after replacing on-loan Togo forward Emmanuel Adebayor in the 64th minute -- within 60 seconds he burst into the area and poked a low shot over the line despite a desperate attempt to clear by Cris. "At home, in the first leg, we would have preferred them not to score," Puel told reporters. "It's a bit of a shame, especially because we played a great first half." However, Lyon captain Cris made a vital contribution to last season's semifinalists' 83rd-minute leveler when he rose highest to head a deflected free-kick into the path of France striker Bafetimbi Gomis, who calmly volleyed past goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Gomis made amends for a poor first-half miss, having blazed a shot over the crossbar with the goal at his mercy in the 34th minute. Real will be left to rue two efforts that hit the woodwork five minutes after the break. First Cristiano Ronaldo smashed a free-kick against the far post following a booking to Lyon midfielder Michel Bastos that ruled the Brazilian out of the match at the Santiago Bernabeu on March 16. Then defender Sergio Ramos, who had just narrowly missed glancing in Ronaldo's curled effort, headed against the crossbar from Mesut Ozil's corner. "In the second half we managed to find spaces and, to begin with, we were closer to a second goal than Lyon were to an equalizer," Mourinho told reporters. "But it sets things up well for the second leg, where we will hope to qualify in front of our supporters." Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti dropped striker Didier Drogba for the trip to Denmark, meaning $80 million signing Fernando Torres returned after being ineligible for the English FA Cup defeat by Everton on Saturday. But it was France forward Nicolas Anelka who stole the headlines with both goals in a 2-0 victory over Copenhagen, who were playing for the first time since December 5 due to the Danish winter break. Anelka broke the deadlock in the 17th minute with an opportunist effort after a loose pass by former Chelsea player Jesper Gronkjaer from near the halfway line gave the 31-year-old space to surge forward and drill a low shot past goalkeeper Johan Wiland. He was again on target nine minutes after the interval, firing his seventh goal of the competition this season from Frank Lampard's pass. He made way for Drogba in the 74th minute, then almost immediately Torres had a shot cleared off the line as Chelsea went on to complete a first win since February 1 to lift some of the pressure on Ancelotti ahead of the second leg at Stamford Bridge. Spain World Cup winner Torres is still looking for his first goal since leaving Liverpool three weeks ago and endured another frustrating night. "He played very, very well," the Italian said. "The key to this game was the work the strikers did, always dangerous. Torres was unlucky he didn't score, but had a fantastic game." Chelsea's chances of qualifying for next season's Champions League were boosted on Tuesday night when London rivals Tottenham suffered a 3-1 defeat at lowly Blackpool in the English Premier League. Tottenham, who beat AC Milan in the Champions League last week, would have gone third above Manchester City with victory but instead remained two points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea -- who now have a game in hand. Blackpool captain Charlie Adam, who almost joined Tottenham on the last day of the January transfer window, opened the scoring with an 18th-minute penalty and striker D.J. Campbell continued his scoring run with the second goal just before halftime. Substitute Brett Ormerod made it 3-0 with 10 minutes to play, while Russia striker Roman Pavlyuchenko scored a consolation in time added on with a deflected long-range effort as he started in place of San Siro match-winner Peter Crouch. The victory lifted Blackpool into 12th place, five points above the relegation zone. Chelsea's aspirations face a big test next Tuesday at home to Premier League leaders Manchester United, who have a 12-point advantage over Ancelotti's defending champions and can extend that at Wigan on Saturday.

Bafetimbi Gomis scores with seven minutes left to give Lyon a 1-1 draw . Real Madrid took the lead through former Lyon striker Karim Benzema . Nicolas Anelka scores both goals as Chelsea win 2-0 away to Copenhagen . Chelsea's hopes of qualifying next year boosted as Premier League rivals Tottenham lose .

(CNN) -- Florida millionaire John Goodman was found guilty Friday after being accused of driving drunk, hitting another vehicle and running it off the road into a canal, where its driver was later found dead in his submerged car. Goodman, 48, was found guilty on the two counts he was charged with. The first was DUI manslaughter and failure to render aid. The second was vehicular homicide and failure to give information to authorities or aid. The Palm Beach County jury reached its verdict after about 5½ hours of deliberation, following closing arguments Thursday afternoon. A sentencing hearing is set for April 30, with Goodman potentially facing 11½ to 30 years in prison. Until then, Circuit Judge Jeffrey Colbath revoked Goodman's bond and ordered that he be detained by authorities. The victim's mother, Lili Wilson, thanked the jury after the verdict and took solace in her belief that "justice has been served." "I'm always going to miss my son. He was the most wonderful," she said, choking up at the thought of her son. "I will always cherish his memories. And now, coming from me and the rest of the family and his friends, it's time for the healing process to begin." The incident occurred early the morning of February 12, 2010, when Goodman was driving his black Bentley convertible in Wellington, Florida, "at a high rate of speed while intoxicated," according to a probable cause affidavit. Goodman failed to halt at a stop sign, where the other driver -- Scott Wilson -- didn't have a stop sign and had the right of way, the affidavit said. The two men's vehicles collided, causing Wilson's car to go over a bank and roll over into a canal. "After the collision occurred, Goodman made no attempt to look for Wilson's vehicle and fled the scene of the collision on foot," according to the affidavit from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. "Goodman left the Bentley GTC at the scene ... and left Scott Wilson to drown in the canal, belted in the driver seat of his vehicle." A pair of tests taken three hours later showed Goodman's blood-alcohol content level was .177% and .178% -- and, based on those findings, a state toxicologist extrapolated that he was closer to a .20% or .23% at the time of the crash, more than three times Florida's legal limit. Prosecutor Sherri Collins further argued that Goodman could have saved Wilson's life had he gone after him after the crash rather than walk away. "He called his friend, and she had to talk him into calling 911," Collins said during closing arguments Thursday. "That is absolutely failure to render aid, that is absolutely failure to give information, that is absolutely not informing the authorities. "If the defendant had rendered aid, Scott Wilson would have lived." Goodman himself testified earlier in the trial, claiming he was "absolutely not" intoxicated when he left the second of two establishments he'd gone to that night. He blamed a malfunction with his vehicle for his failure to stop and the fact he hit Wilson's car. "I began to apply my brakes, and the car did not seem to be stopping as easily as I was used to," he said on the stand. "I continued to apply the brakes, I slowed before the stop sign and ... took my foot off the brake. And that's the last thing I remember." His lawyer, Roy Black, argued that the blood-alcohol readings don't jibe with eyewitness testimony, saying that people saw him have three drinks and not the 20 he would have needed for such a high reading. And Black said the observations that Goodman's reactions appeared slow after the crash, that he had trouble gauging where he was and that he seemed confused were "consistent with the symptoms of suffering a concussion." After Friday's verdict, Assistant State Attorney Ellen Roberts said she suspected the jury "saw through the defense experts," who she said "just weren't real credible" and offered "bizarre" theories. "(Jury members) were very careful, they gave it a lot of thought, they went over a lot of evidence, and I think that they probably returned the only verdict that they could," Roberts told reporters. In addition to his role in the fatal crash and the subsequent trial, Goodman made headlines a few months ago when he legally adopted Heather Colby Hutchins -- his "42-year-old girlfriend" -- according to a court order issued in late January. That court order was written by Dade County Circuit Judge Glenn Kelley in response to a motion filed by Wilson's relatives. They are suing Goodman -- as well as the International Polo Club Palm Beach, which he founded -- for punitive damages tied to Wilson's death in the crash. The adoption of Hutchins made her eligible for money from a trust fund created for Goodman's children. The court previously noted that any money from this trust fund "may not be considered a part of the net worth, or the financial resources, of Mr. Goodman for purposes of assessing punitive damages," the order said. The judge, in his order, granted the plaintiffs' motion to get more information on the adoption. He also said that Hutchins' "interest in the children's trust may be considered in connection with defendant John Goodman's financial resources."

NEW: Prosecutor: Defense experts weren't "credible" and had "bizarre" theories . John Goodman is convicted of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide tied to a 2010 crash . Prosecutors say the Florida millionaire was drunk when he hit another car, fled the scene . The mother of the man killed in that crash says "it's time for the healing process to begin"

Hong Kong (CNN) -- The list of house rules make it clear what one Singaporean working mother expects of her new maids. "You cannot choose your food... I will decide the type of food to buy for you. You cannot use the washing machine or dryer... you must hand wash your own clothes and bed sheets. And if (the children) fall down, it's your fault." "Tamarind," as she's known, lists the rules on her blog, which is advertised as "primarily for employers who have suffered at the hands of bad maids." She says her maids aren't punished, if they break the rules, but firm guidance is needed early on. Just over 200,000 maids, or foreign domestic workers (FDW), live and work in one in six households in Singapore, according to migrant advocacy group Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2). They came in large numbers in the 1980s when the government encouraged more women and highly skilled workers into the economy, creating the need for more help at home and the money to pay for it. Since then, the city-state has come to rely so much upon its imported help that the government is struggling to balance the demands of its local population with criticism that it's doing too little to protect workers' rights. "What's really striking is that Singapore has done a good job of addressing cases of physical and sexual abuse against domestic workers... but they have really fallen behind the norm in terms of not including these workers under the labor law and considering them as workers," says Nisha Varia from Human Rights Watch. "It's something Singapore should feel really embarrassed about." While maids are recognized under Singapore's Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, the legislation doesn't regulate pay or working hours. That is agreed in a contract between the employer and employee, along with their recruitment company. While the standard contract asks parties to nominate one day off a month (to be paid in lieu, if the maid chooses to forgo it), the Act only requires employers to provide "adequate rest." Employers who fail to comply can be fined up to $5,000 (US$3,900) and jailed for up to six months. In 2010, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) says it took action against 26 employers for failure to provide adequate food, rest or medical care. In the first half of 2011, nine were held to account. "Most FDW employers are responsible and treat their FDWs well," a government spokesperson said. Yet, according to a survey released this year by Transient Workers Count Too, only 12% of Singapore's foreign domestic workers, mostly women from Indonesia and the Philippines, were granted a day off each week. Just over half had a day off each month. "One of the things we noticed from the responses of employers is a kind of panicked reaction when we start talking about a day off," says TWC2's executive director Vincent Wijeysingha. "I think that's based on the fact that we've come to depend so much on our domestic workers for everything. You see them running the household, shopping, paying bills and looking after vulnerable people in the family. "The key reason why we need them is because there are no affordable childcare services and no affordable elderly daycare services. So this represents the cheapest social policy option," he says. Tamarind gives her current maid two days off a month and doesn't believe the law should be changed. "In Singapore, most Chinese husbands do not help with house work and children. If all maids have a day off every week that would mean that full-time working mothers have no rest at all," she told CNN. She adds: "Maids are not as vulnerable as you think. Many maids will agree to a contract with no day off at first. Then a few months later they ask for a day off; otherwise, they will ask to transfer to a new employer." "Many people think that maids are forced to work with one employer due to the contract. The truth is that the contract is useless," she says. Tamarind says her maid would prefer to earn extra money than take a day off -- something Human Rights Watch says only underscores how little domestic workers are paid. "They're being paid so little that they can't even afford to take off that one day a week," Varia says, adding, "A lot of them are doing this to survive and to support their families back home." Nining Djohar worked for three years as a maid in Singapore before she was allowed a day off. And even then it was only after she changed employers. "Of course I am very tired and I can not tell about anything. Three months after going with my employer I wanted to go out. Because the house is so big, there are two children also, two babies. Then after that... yell yell yell, everything is wrong. I try to call my agency, but the agency is no more," she says. Conditions have improved since Djohar left Singapore in 2003, with the introduction of the standard contract in 2006. Djohar now works for Migrant Care in Jakarta, helping other Indonesian women to navigate the system. "All of the people ask me one thing; one day off every Sunday," she says. Singapore's Ministry of Manpower says it's conducting an "ongoing" review of domestic workers rights and the responsibilities of employers, including the "suggestion" of legislated rest days. Human Rights Watch says no matter what the review reveals, the government has a moral duty to legislate days off.

HRW: Singapore "should be embarrassed" about record on domestic worker rights . Just over 200,000 foreign domestic workers live and work in one in six Singaporean homes . Survey shows only 12% of city-state's foreign domestic workers have a day off a week . Fierce resistance from employers to calls for legislated days off .

(CNN) -- Just as the sun peeked over the horizon, Brian Fuchs arrived at work. Eight floors up, he opened a Diet Coke, looked out his office window at the frozen Nebraska plains and smiled. Maybe the rest of America is tired of this winter's punishing snows, but Fuchs and his colleagues are thrilled. "Yeah, realistically we do like seeing that snow accumulation," he says, "because that water will go into the water cycle. There is a lot of moisture going into lakes and reservoirs and that is a good thing." Fuchs is with the National Drought Mitigation Center based in Lincoln. For the past decade, the center staff has watched dry conditions hurt farming, tourism and even city water supplies, so they can see good in this winter's storms, and even in the catastrophic floods that ravaged Colorado in September. Last year at this time, well over half the country was in drought. "Now, it's 37.6%," Fuchs says, "so we've had some improvement over that time." Whether a big snowfall is seen as lovely, treacherous or both depends, like beauty, on the beholder. Certainly, millions of Americans who have been pounded by storms are not pleased. Schools have lost days of education, airlines have lost millions of dollars, cars have been wrecked, houses plunged into darkness, and the entire industry of Valentine's Day has been thrown into a heart stopping tailspin. I can't even guess how many young lovers in the East were scrambling to find flowers and chocolates after being snowed in for the critical days before the holiday. It could be worse, of course. Modern meteorology gives us better warning about bad weather than mankind has ever known. Sure, the Al Roker- Bill de Blasio dustup suggests there is still room for disagreement about forecasts. But back in 1888, when the U.S. Weather Bureau was in its infancy, an unexpected blizzard on the Great Plains left more than 200 people dead, many of them children who were trying to get home from rural schools. It was a national tragedy, unimaginable today. Yet greatness grows beneath the drifts, too. At the same time as that disaster in the West, some of Europe's greatest impressionist painters were enthralled with winter scenes. Monet, Renoir, Gaugin, Pissarro, Sisley and many others stood in the freezing cold to capture landscapes of snow and ice. Although the whites, blues and grays of the winter scenes are often overlooked even by art enthusiasts, who tend to favor the bold colors of spring and summer, the artists themselves were fascinated by the delicate interplay of light on the luminous, frozen surfaces. Well before the impressionists took off, acclaimed painter Frederic Edwin Church, from Connecticut, unveiled a winter masterpiece. "The Icebergs" is huge, powerful and cools the Dallas Museum of Art even on the steamiest days. The Russians, of course, would love to have more snow at Sochi, where soaring temperatures have threatened to turn ski slopes into mudslides. But in Moscow, at the famed Tretyakov Gallery, one of the world's most treasured paintings is a winter scene. No one knows the identity of the beautiful young woman riding in a sleigh in Ivan Kramskoi's "Portrait of an Unknown Woman," but it captures something of the rare spirit of people around the world who find beauty and contentedness living in cold climes. Brutal snow and cold have informed many of the arts, and sometimes in ways that produce visceral reactions. Read Jack London's short story, "To Build a Fire," about a man freezing to death in the Yukon, and chances are you'll start to shiver. Recall the frosted face of Jack Nicholson at the end of "The Shining," and the cold fairly seeps into your bones. Science also enjoys the cold. Core samples of ice from the poles tell us volumes about climate change, natural history and perhaps even the origins of the Earth itself. Tiny bubbles, sealed in the ice, allow us to sample the air of the ancients. Mammoths and men alike, frozen in time, have been preserved in remarkable ways, giving us glimpses of life on Earth long, long ago. In the early 1990s, a German couple hiking around the Alps found the head and shoulders of a frozen man poking up from the ice. Turns out he was something of a time traveler. Researchers concluded he died during the Bronze Age, some 3,000 years before Christ. Yet the perpetual winter of the mountains preserved him so well, scientists knew he ate venison not long before dying, and they could even tell the color of his eyes. Brown. Greatness has come in from the cold. Polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship, The Endurance, was crushed by Antarctic ice in the early 1900s. His expedition was a failure. But the daring journey he and his men made in an open boat to escape the savage cold made him into a hero. Like I said, as hard as this winter has been, it's all in how you see it. So, with much of the West still hurting for water, maybe it's not surprising that back in Lincoln, Brian Fuchs and his pals look at reports of blizzards blanketing much of the nation and say, "From our perspective here, we wish we'd seen a little bit more." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Tom Foreman.

Tom Foreman: Snow has many benefits, especially for the drought-stricken Midwest . Winter has been the subject for many artists, from Monet to Renoir . Snow and ice serve as important indicators for scientists .

(CNN) -- Sometimes it seems like Barack Obama rules the Internet. President Obama speaks during a town hall meeting on health care in August. The president's Twitter feed is hugely popular, with more than 2 million followers. Funny White House photos of the first family wearing 3-D glasses went viral after the White House posted them to Flickr. And he's the first president who commonly addresses the nation on YouTube. Many pundits have argued Obama's mastery of online social networks and his image as a BlackBerry-addicted, tech-hip person helped win him the U.S. presidency in January. So if the Obama Administration is so Internet savvy, what's happening with health care? As the country's messy debate about health care reform continues, some online observers are starting to wonder if Obama has lost his grip on Internet discourse. They're also wondering if it's possible for any one person -- no matter how powerful -- to control public dialogue on a medium like the Internet, where conversations are driven by millions of users instead of TV pundits and heads of state. The health care fight is the first time the U.S. has had a major policy debate where all sides are represented and haggling openly online, said Joe Trippi, author of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Democracy, the Internet, and the Overthrow of Everything." Obama's success at mobilizing grass-roots support through online networks has inspired Republicans and interests groups to do the same, he said. That may give the impression that Obama is losing control of his online base, but it really means more people are conversing online, he said. "You're definitely seeing a diversity of voices and a diversity of opinions [online] that I think is due to Obama's success," said Trippi, a longtime Democratic campaign strategist. "It's the great awakening. People realized they need to do that too." Partly because of the vastness of opinion and discussion online, it's difficult for the Obama administration, or any single group, to control the health care debate, said David All, founder of TechRepublican.com. All said Democrats have made a number of "online gaffes" that have drawn attention away from their talking points. He said there is "so much noise" in the health care debate online that the party's missteps are overshadowing its message. For example, the White House raised privacy concerns after it asked people to send the administration e-mails and online writings that spread misinformation about health care reform, he said. Still, Obama remains active on many social networks -- from Twitter to Facebook to the video-sharing site Vimeo. And some people say he's still doing a fine job at being an up-to-date online communicator. Mark Milian, a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times who has written about Obama and social media, said Obama's online communications fell off when he first took office. But he says the president has rebounded online during the health care debate and is doing a good job of reaching constituents through that medium. But that doesn't mean he's the only one talking online. In trying to get their message across, administration officials have "just as good a shot as some 20-year-old college student from Chicago," he said. "It's just they have more people behind that issue. They have a greater pull." Some have criticized the online community and Internet spin-masters for creating, and spreading, disinformation about proposals for health care reform. On the whole, though, the Internet conversation about the subject is healthy in part because so much information is available, said Bill Adair, editor of PolitiFact.com, a nonpartisan site that fact-checks political statements. "People have access now to more information than ever before and that's generally a very positive thing," he said. "Although the Internet can be used to spread a lot of false things, it's also never been easier for journalists like myself to debunk these things, you know? So on balance, the reality is we just have a whole new dimension to the national discussion on any topic and that has positives and negatives." He encouraged people to check out statements made by bloggers, Twitter users or e-mailers before considering them fact. Prevailing images of the recent health care debate have been of constituents screaming at their legislators in a series of town hall meetings held around the county. Bernhard Drax, who has reported on health care meetings in the virtual world of Second Life, said conversations online have the potential to be much more civil and productive than those real-world town halls. "Social media could drown them out with reason, with substance," he said. "My idealistic view is that social media in general, including virtual worlds, can drown out that angry shouting." Daniel Palestrant, CEO of Sermo, an online social network for doctors, said Internet discussions tend to be ahead of those in the real world. Tort reform, he said, wouldn't be in the public conversation if not for the fact that people can bring up that issue up on the Web. He added that medical associations claim to represent physicians but often don't portray the nuances of peoples' views. The Internet lets people speak for themselves, he said. Trippi, the campaign consultant, said the shouting matches at health care town halls expose the limitations of online discourse today. But he said online debates and discussions will play increasingly important roles in public policy discussions. "All these new tools are still just in their infancy and they're still being used to a large extent just like everything else is used," he said. "But I don't think that will hold. I think you're starting to see people actually talking to each other."

Some say the Obama administration may be losing its Internet savvy . Others argue that more interest groups are online now, resulting in more noise . Author says health care is first policy issue to be debated online in big way . Journalist says more information is better, but that people should check facts .

New York (CNN) -- In one of the largest single-day operations against the Mafia in FBI history, federal agents working with local law enforcement fanned out across Italy, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island to arrest 127 people allegedly involved in organized crime, officials said. Alleged members from the five prominent New York families -- the Gambino, Colombo, Bonanno, Genovese and Lucchese families -- were arrested Thursday, based on 16 indictments in four different jurisdictions, Attorney General Eric Holder said during a news conference in New York. "Today's arrests and charges mark an important step forward in disrupting La Cosa Nostra's illegal activities," he said, referring to the criminal organization by its Italian name. Ninety-one members and their associates, including one in Italy, were charged with federal crimes that include conspiracy, arson, extortion, narcotics trafficking, illegal gambling, labor racketeering and murders that date back as far as 1981, according to a U.S. Justice Department statement. An additional 36 suspects were charged for their roles in the alleged criminal activity, the statement said. About 125 people, including several high-ranking members and much of the Colombo family leadership, are currently in custody following a raid that Holder described as the largest single-day operation against the notorious crime network. Four of those charged were previously in custody, officials said. Members of the New England Patriarca family and New Jersey-based Decavalcante family are also accused of related federal crimes. "Some allegations involve classic mob hits to eliminate perceived rivals," Holder told reporters. "Others involve senseless murders." He described two murder victims who were allegedly killed in a public bar over a dispute concerning a spilled drink. Holder's appearance in New York with leadership from local and federal law enforcement perhaps underscores the significance the Justice Department attributes to Thursday's sweep. Television images showed several men handcuffed and hand-checked by federal agents -- an apparent part of the "unprecedented" 800-person task force involved in the raid. The move comes amid concerns about a possible resurgence of organized crime despite a scattered recent history of defections, beginning with acting crime boss of the Lucchese family, Alphonse D'Arco, who admitted to "cooperating with the federal government" starting in 1991. Gambino family underboss Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano defected later that same year, providing testimony -- in exchange for a reduced sentence -- which led to the conviction of the infamous Gambino kingpin John Gotti. "If you look at the mob in the '50s and '60s and '70s, there were virtually no informants," said New York Waterfront Commissioner Ronald Goldstock. "The picture has changed dramatically today. The mob is practically unrecognizable." But Thursday's sweep may now do away with "the myth" of the mafia and the widely held notion that "La Cosa Nostra is a shell of its former self," said Janice Fedarcyk, assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York Division. "I think we made a serious dent today," Fedarcyk said, but she warned of a new generation of criminal leadership "coming up behind them." The mob revival concept, however, is the subject of debate. "Their leadership ranks have been battered by federal and local law enforcement over the years," said James B. Jacobs, a professor at the New York University School of Law. "It's very hard to see to how they could have ever reconstituted in the way they were before." Attorney General Holder said organized crime is not resurgent and no longer nationwide, but still subtracts millions of dollars from local businesses by way of a "mob tax," or tribute exacted through corrupt local officials. Holder described the phenomenon as "a major threat to the economic well-being of this country." On Thursday, New Jersey and New York prosecutors identified more than a dozen New Jersey residents with alleged mob ties who worked as officials for longshoremen's unions, charging them with racketeering and other related offenses, according to a joint statement from district attorneys in both states. A man described as a "soldier in the Genovese organized crime family" allegedly collected money from port workers, extorting payments after the workers received their annual Christmas bonuses. Police say workers from the International Longshoremen's Association, Local 1235, were forced to pay corrupt officials between $500 and $5,000 each year if they hoped to rise above entry-level dock jobs, according to New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. "Organized crime means what it has always meant on the waterfront: Mobsters getting rich on the backs of dock workers," he said. Despite declines in mob activity in other industries, dockyards in the U.S. Northeast are places where organized crime remains a threat, according to Waterfront Commissioner Goldstock. And with law enforcement focused on preventing terrorism and providing port security, organized crime is often left without the "day-to-day pressures" it may have felt in years past, he said. Last April, 14 members of the Gambino crime family -- including Daniel Marino, who was then considered the family head -- pleaded guilty to charges that included murder, racketeering, extortion and prostitution of minors, court officials said. CNN's Mary Snow, Deborah Feyerick, Terry Frieden and Brian Vitagliano contributed to this report.

NEW: Some 125 people are currently in custody, says Attorney General Holder . NEW: Four of those charged were previously in custody, officials said. 91 members and associates, including one in Italy, are charged with federal crimes . Another 36 suspects were charged for their roles in the alleged criminal activity .

(CNN) -- A 44-year-old male teacher from my hometown is set to be released after just 31 days of incarceration for raping a 14-year-old girl who later killed herself. Someone believed Cherice Moralez of Billings, Montana, when she accused her 49-year-old teacher, Sandy Rambold, of forcible rape. He confessed, faced charges and then should have received a sentence commensurate with the crime of rape. But the legal process played out over three years, and just before her 17th birthday, Moralez, shamed and shunned by classmates, shot herself. District Judge G. Todd Baugh sentenced Rambold to just 30 days. (The public outrage that followed caused Baugh to attempt a review of his own sentencing, a move the Montana State Supreme Court denied.) "He'd suffered enough," Baugh said of Rambold at the initial sentencing, and besides, Moralez, "older than her chronological age," was "as much in control of the situation" as her teacher, he said. "Obviously a 14-year-old can't consent," the judge explained in the wake of public outrage, but this wasn't "some violent, forcible, horrible rape." It wasn't, said the judge, "this forcible beat-up rape." Where does this bizarre line of reasoning come from? We need only look around for clues at a media culture that regularly tells young girls that growing up means shedding all signs of pink princess innocence for a porn version of sexy. A culture that celebrates Robin Thicke singing, "I know you want it" at the VMAs as Miley Cyrus -- having made the lightening quick transformation from teen role model to sex object, whose job it is to give pleasure to a grown man -- twerks in his crotch. We reward girls and young women who take off their clothes, tell them that their sexual availability and sexual power are their most important assets. We grant them record deals, reality TV shows, and global news coverage. Once they cross over, slut-shaming and Judge Baugh-like sentences enable men like Rambold to take full advantage -- as long as it's not "this forcible beat-up rape." We rarely hear from young women themselves about what it's like to traverse this cultural terrain. So I asked members of the SPARKteam (girl activists ages 13-22 from SPARK Movement) to talk about what happened to Cherice. What does it feel like to be 14 and want to be wanted, to experience this new kind of power and illusion of control? Erin, 18, says she immediately identified with Cherice, because "I was her. I remember being 14 and talking to 30 year-olds on the Internet. I was feeling really alone and struggling to come to terms with who I was. I wanted to have some kind of social (and sexual) connection with people. That's what led me to leer in chat rooms and talk to men who were more than twice my age. Maybe they would love me and maybe I could feel less insecure." Erin knows firsthand how easy it is "to get caught up in your undying feelings for someone, especially someone who is manipulating you into loving them. At 14, you think that you know everything -- you think this person isn't doing anything wrong by having a relationship with you, and that no one understands. He becomes your world. You think that you're in love, when what you're really in is abuse." "When you're 14," 15-year-old Luci says. "It seems like the rest of the world is against you, especially if, as the judge described Morales, you're 'a troubled kid.' I can get that, and I can see why Cherice found refuge in a relationship with her teacher. When I was her age, there was this one teacher who everyone at my school adored. He saw potential in me that I was too insecure to see in myself. I looked like I could be in college. He treated me like I was grown up, so I thought I was more mature than I really was. But that's the thing: Looking older than you are in no way equals being emotionally mature." Celeste, 20, implicates Judge Baugh's unquestioned participation "in a culture where representations of Latinas prioritize sex appeal. Baugh's claims speak volumes about the way women of color are hypersexualized. Cherice was only 14, but when Baugh looked at her he saw someone older who was therefore experienced enough to understand, and even control, a sexual situation. She did not fit his image of 'youth' and 'purity,' so this 70-year-old Judge did not see a young girl who was victimized, but a sexually viable woman." Because the lines are blurred, we need judges who are educated and aware enough to see through the subterfuge of sexism and racism, who do the right thing -- whether in Steubenville, Billings, or my hometown. Whatever else is going on in girls' lives, whatever media messages we all receive about the commodification of their sexuality, we need to send a clear message that rape and sexual assault are crimes for a reason, that justice has nothing to do with how mature a girl looks or acts and everything to do with her suffering and her right to human dignity. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Lyn Mikel Brown.

Lyn Mikel Brown: Montana teen raped, teacher confessed, then judge gave one month sentence . Judge said girl looked older, was in control, teacher had "suffered" Brown: Culture's distorted message about girls gives men like rapist -- and judge -- a pass . Brown: Girls struggle to navigate this terrain; judges must be wise enough to understand it .

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Six U.S. troops were killed in Iraq on Monday, making 2007 the deadliest for the American military in the Iraq war. The grim record came despite lower death rates in recent months, which were not enough to offset death tolls that topped 100 during three months in the spring. Four soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in northern Iraq's Tameem province; another died in combat in Anbar province. A sailor was killed in Salaheddin province "as a result of injuries sustained from an explosion while conducting operations," the military said. According to a CNN count of Pentagon figures, 853 U.S. service members have died so far in 2007. The next highest death toll was in 2004, when 849 were killed. The total number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq stands at 3,856, including seven civilian contractors of the Defense Department. The high number of deaths this year corresponds with the U.S. troop buildup called the "surge" and a crackdown on insurgents in and near Baghdad. Monthly death tolls were highest in the first part of the year: 83 deaths in January, 81 in February and 81 in March. Numbers peaked in the next three months, with 104 deaths in April, 126 in May and 101 in June. The numbers have dropped from that level since -- with 78 in July, 84 in August, 65 in September, 38 in October and 12 so far in November. Civilian deaths have also dropped in recent months, U.S. and Iraqi authorities say. The Iraq war began in March of 2003 and in that year there were 486 U.S. military deaths. In 2004, major offensives were responsible for many fatalities, including the massive operation in Falluja in November and fighting between U.S. troops and Shiite militants in Najaf. The number of deaths in 2005 was 846 and in 2006 it was 822. The U.S. military also announced on Tuesday that it intends to release nine detained Iranians in Iraq "in the coming days," a move that dovetails with the American hope that Iranian authorities are honoring a recent pledge to stop Iranian help to insurgents in Iraq. "These individuals have been assessed to have no continuing value" and don't pose a "further threat" to Iraqi security, said Rear Adm. Gregory Smith. Two of them are from the "Irbil 5" detained in January. Irbil is the largest city in the Kurdish area of Iraq. The U.S. military had accused the five Iranians arrested in Irbil of having links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard-Quds Force, a military unit accused of aiding insurgent activity -- including the distribution of roadside bombs. Smith said Tuesday that materials for roadside bombs "do not appear to have arrived into Iraq after the Iranians have made their pledge to stop arming, funding and training extremists." "We hope in the coming weeks and months to confirm that Iran has indeed honored its pledge through further verification that the flow of ammunitions and other lethal aid has indeed stopped," said Smith, who noted that Iran, Iraq and the United States plan to hold another round of security talks. Last month, Gen. David Petraeus, the top-ranking U.S. military official in Iraq, told CNN the Iranian ambassador had given assurances to his Iraqi counterpart that such training and supplying of insurgents would end. Meanwhile, a Kurdistan Regional Government official on Tuesday confirmed to CNN that two Iranian consulates had been established in the region, offices created in the wake of the arrests in Irbil. At the time of the arrests, Iran insisted the arrested officials were "diplomats" working in a diplomatic mission, while Iraq's Foreign Ministry and the U.S. military said it was a "liaison" office which did not have diplomatic status. One of the new consulates is in a building in Irbil that had been closed down during the January raid, the Kurdistan official said. Also Tuesday, the U.S. military reported that U.S. and Iraqi troops found 22 corpses buried in Iraq's Lake Tharthar region. The Iraqi Army and local security forces "are investigating the mass grave to determine the identities of the deceased and the causes of death for notification of their families," the military said. Lake Tharthar is in both Anbar and Salaheddin provinces and northwest of Baghdad. U.S. and Iraqi troops have been conducting an operation in the same region since Sunday to target al Qaeda in Iraq. So far, they have found and destroyed two car bomb facilities and a number of weapons caches and detained 30 men. The military also said that coalition troops on Tuesday killed eight people described as terrorists and detained 10 suspects in operations targeting al Qaeda and foreign militant networks in central and northern Iraq. The military also said an operation involving Iraqi forces in the Tikrit area on October 30 led to the detention of 39 "suspected insurgents" and the discovery of a torture cell, a mobile hospital, car bombs, rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and a Katyusha rocket. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Jennifer Deaton contributed to this report.

NEW: Sailor's death brings Monday's U.S. death toll in Iraq to six . U.S. military says nine detained Iranians to be released in "coming days" U.S. and Iraqi troops find 22 bodies in mass grave .

(CNN) -- The escalation of tensions in ethnically Tibetan regions of China is the latest in a series that have resulted in deaths, frayed ties between the United States and China, and greater pressure from Beijing against the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet for India in 1959 after a failed uprising. March 2008 -- Hundreds of Tibetan monks gather in Lhasa in protests to mark the 49th anniversary of a Tibetan uprising against Beijing rule. Protesters sought the release of fellow Drepung monks, who apparently were detained, as they tried to celebrate the awarding of the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama months earlier, according to foreign Tibetan rights groups. As the week wore on, protests and violence escalated. Rights groups said more than 140 people died, while Chinese authorities put the figure at 22 dead. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao blamed supporters of the Dalai Lama for the violence in Tibet and said Chinese forces exercised restraint in confronting unrest there. April 2008 -- The global Olympic torch rally for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics begins but becomes a flashpoint for protests one month after the unrest in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Thousands protested on the streets of San Francisco, and the unruly scene of the London leg of the torch run was labeled "a public relations nightmare" by the Times. "We express our strong condemnation to the deliberate disruption of the Olympic torch relay by Tibetan separatist forces regardless of the Olympic spirit and the law of Britain and France," a China spokeswoman said at the time. Meanwhile in Tibet, 30 people were convicted of arson, robbery and attacking government offices related to the March violence and receive prison sentences ranging from three years to life. November 2008 -- China sentences 55 people for involvement in anti-China protests, out of the 1,300 originally detained, according to state media, although the charges and sentences they received weren't revealed. December 2008 -- Chinese authorities arrest 59 people in Tibet accused of spreading rumors and inciting sentiment against the state and public safety, state-run media reported. January 2009 -- Lawmakers in Tibet approve March 28 as a holiday to mark the date that China says about one million people were freed in 1959 from serfdom in the Himalayan region, state-run media reported. The legislation was aimed at "reminding all the Chinese people, including Tibetans, of the landmark democratic reform initiated 50 years ago," a parliament spokesperson said. March 2009 -- Near the one-year anniversary of the riots and 50th anniversary of the failed Tibetan uprising, a monk carrying a Tibetan national flag and shouting slogans set himself on fire in Sichuan Province and then was shot at by police, a human rights group reported. Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency, reported a local official as saying that the man had been taken to a local hospital immediately after police extinguished the flames. Foreign tourists are banned from visiting Tibet during the month. February 2010 -- China summons U.S. ambassador to express its "strong dissatisfaction of a meeting between the Dalai Lama and U.S. President Barack Obama. March 2010 -- Beijing appoints the 11th Panchen Lama -- handpicked by the Chinese government as the second highest Tibetan spiritual figure -- to the Chinese People's Consultative Conference. Beijing's critics, however, say that the inclusion of the Panchen Lama at the annual meeting is part of a stepped up effort to undermine the popularity of Tibet's exiled leader, the Dalai Lama. October 2010 --Tibetan students take to the streets in protest, claiming their culture is being wiped out, as China overhauls school curriculum and limits the use of the Tibetan language in schools. "The protest resulted from a new education policy which reduces Tibetan language teachings," a government official told CNN at the time. The government said 800 students protested, while the activist group Free Tibet said 4,000 to 6,000 students protested. March 2011 -- The Dalai Lama, at a speech marking the 52nd anniversary of the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule which caused him to flee into India, announces he will retire political responsibilities as head of Tibet's government-in-exile but will remain its spiritual head. Lobsang Sangay is elected by Tibetan exiles to take over day-to-day political responsibilities. On March 16, a monk named Phuntsog set himself on fire to protest the third anniversary of the 2008 protests, according to Free Tibet. August 2011 -- A 29-year-old monk, Tsewang Norbu, sets himself ablaze after chanting slogans, according to Free Tibet. The self immolations continue, and by October a nun -- the first woman -- is reported to have killed herself, the ninth Tibetan to commit self- immolation in protest. January 2012 -- Three more monks set themselves ablaze in protest, bringing the number who have self-immolated in protest to 16 since March 2011, Free Tibet claims. Twelve are thought to have died from their injuries. Thousands of Chinese security forces have flooded into an ethnically Tibetan area of southwestern China following large protests in the wake of the self-immolations.

Tensions has periodically swelled in ethnic Tibetan regions of China since March 2008 . Rights Group: Since March 2011, 16 people have set themselves on fire in protest .

(CNN) -- To project elections, CNN and its election experts use scientific statistical procedures to make estimates of the final vote count in each race. CNN will broadcast a projected winner only after an extensive review of data from a number of sources. CNN editorial policy strictly prohibits reporting winners or characterizing the outcome of a statewide contest in any state before all the polls are scheduled to close in every precinct in that state. CNN will receive information from the following sources: . The Associated Press: The Associated Press will provide vote totals for each race. The AP will be gathering numbers via stringers based in each county or other jurisdiction where votes are tabulated. Edison Media Research: To assist CNN in collecting and evaluating this information, CNN, the other television networks and The Associated Press have employed Edison Media Research (EMR). In previous elections, this firm has assisted CNN in projecting winners in state and national races. EMR will conduct exit polls, which ask voters their opinion on a variety of relevant issues, determine how they voted, and ask a number of demographic questions to allow analysis of voting patterns by group. Using exit poll results, scientifically selected representative precincts, vote results from The AP, and a number of sophisticated analysis techniques, EMR also recommends projections of a winner for each race it covers. Collecting data . The process of projecting races begins by creating a sample of precincts. The precincts are selected by random chance, like a lottery, and every precinct in the state has an equal chance to be in the sample. They are not bellwether precincts or "key" precincts. Each one does not mirror the vote in a state but the sample collectively does. The first indication of the vote comes from the exit polls conducted by EMR. On the day of the election, EMR interviewers stand outside of precincts in a given state. They count the people coming out after they have voted and are instructed to interview every third person or every fifth person, for example, throughout the voting day. The rate of selection depends on the number of voters expected at the polling place that day. They do this from the time the polling place opens until shortly before it closes. The interviewers give each selected voter a questionnaire, which takes only a minute or two to complete. It asks about issues that are important, and background characteristics of the voter, and it also asks for whom they voted in the most important races. During the day, the interviewer phones the information from the questionnaires to a computer center. Next, vote totals come in from many of the same sample precincts as the exit polls after the voting has finished in those precincts. These are actual votes that are counted after the polls have closed. Election officials post the results so anyone at the precinct can know them. The third set of vote returns come from the vote tallies done by local officials. The local figures become more complete as more precincts report vote returns. The county or township vote is put into statistical models, and EMR makes estimates and projections using those models. In addition, CNN will be monitoring the Web sites of the Secretaries of State offices to help analyze the outcome of early voting and absentee voting. Projections . The projections for CNN will be made from the CNN Election Analysis Center at the Time Warner Center. An independent team of political analysts and statistical experts will analyze the data that will lead to the final decisions on projections. CNN will decide when and how to make a projection for a race depending on how close the race is. In races that do not appear to be very close, projections may be made at poll closing time based entirely on exit poll results, which are the only information available when the polls close about how people voted. The races projected from exit polls alone are races with comfortable margins between the top two candidates. Projections from exit polls also take into account the consistency between exit poll results and pre-election polls. In the case of close races, CNN will wait for actual votes to be tabulated and reported. EMR may make projection recommendations to its clients, but CNN will make all final calls for broadcast. Shortly after poll closing time, CNN may make projections using models that combine exit polls and actual votes. This happens in closer races. For extremely close races, CNN will rely on actual votes collected at the local level. These are the races that cannot be projected when the polls close from exit polls or even from actual votes collected at the sample precincts mentioned earlier. The projection for these races will be based on a statistical model that uses the actual votes. If it is too close for this model to provide a reliable projection, CNN will wait for election officials to tally all or almost all the entire vote. What a projection call means . CNN analysts will make all projections for CNN broadcasts. When CNN's analysts project a winner in a race, whether it is based upon data from EMR or from the CNN computations, it means that when all the votes are counted, CNN projects that the candidate will win the race. A projection is as close to statistical certainty as possible, but that does not mean that a mistake cannot happen; rather, it means that every precaution has been taken to see that a mistake is not made. CNN will not "declare" someone a winner because that declaration is up to election officials. CNN will make projections based on our best estimate of how CNN expects an election to turn out. When a lot of vote returns have been tallied, a race may be referred as "too close to call" by CNN anchors and analysts. "Too close to call" means the final result will be very close and that the CNN analysts may not know who won. For the races that are the closest, the CNN Election Analysis Desk will keep CNN viewers up to date on the state-by-state rules regarding automatic recounts and will report immediately on any official candidate challenge regarding the results or voting irregularities.

CNN receives data from The Associated Press, Edison Media Research . Process of projecting races begins by creating a sample of precincts .

(CNN) -- Ed McMahon, the longtime pitchman and Johnny Carson sidekick whose "Heeeeeeerre's Johnny!" became a part of the vernacular, has died. Ed McMahon had suffered several health problems in recent years. McMahon passed away peacefully shortly after midnight at the Ronald Reagan/UCLA Medical Center, his publicist, Howard Bragman, said Tuesday . McMahon, 86, was hospitalized in February with pneumonia and other medical problems. He had suffered a number of health problems in recent years, including a neck injury caused by a 2007 fall. In 2002, he sued various insurance companies and contractors over mold in his house and later collected a $7 million settlement. Though he later hosted a variety of shows -- including "Star Search" and "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes," McMahon's biggest fame came alongside Carson on "The Tonight Show," which Carson hosted from 1962 to 1992. The two met not long after Carson began hosting the game show "Who Do You Trust?" in 1957. iReport.com: Share your memories of Ed McMahon . "Johnny didn't look as if he was dying to see me," McMahon, who was hosting a show on a Philadelphia TV station, told People magazine in 1980 about the pair's first meeting. "He was standing with his back to the door, staring at a couple of workmen putting letters on a theater marquee. I walked over and stood beside him. Finally the two guys finished, and Johnny asked, 'What have you been doing?' I told him. He said, 'Good to meet you, Ed,' shook my hand, and I was out of the office. The whole meeting was about as exciting as watching a traffic light change." Watch McMahon discuss meeting Johnny Carson » . Though McMahon was surprised to be offered the job as Carson's sidekick, the two soon proved to have a strong chemistry. Carson was, by nature, introverted and dry-witted; McMahon was the boisterous and outgoing second banana, content to give Carson straight lines or laugh uproariously at his jokes (a characteristic much-parodied by comedians). Watch Comedian Joan Rivers recall McMahon » . Carson made cracks about McMahon's weight, his drinking and the men's trouble with divorce. McMahon was married three times; Carson, who died in 2005, had four wives. McMahon was also the show's designated pitchman, a talent he honed to perfection during "Tonight's" 30-year run with Carson, even if sometimes the in-show commercial spots fell flat. For one of the show's regular sponsors, Alpo dog food, McMahon usually extolled the virtues of the product while a dog eagerly gobbled down a bowl. But one day the show's regular dog wasn't available, and the substitute pooch wasn't very hungry. McMahon recalled the incident in his 1998 memoir, "For Laughing Out Loud." "Then I saw Johnny come into my little commercial area. He got down on his hands and knees and came over to me. ... I started to pet Johnny. Nice boss, I was thinking as I pet him on the head, nice boss. By this point the audience was hysterical. ... I just kept going. I was going to get my commercial done. " 'The next time you're looking at the canned dog food ...' -- he rubbed his cheek against my leg -- ... reach for the can that contains real beef.' Johnny got up on his knees and started begging for more. I started petting him again ... and then he licked my hand." McMahon also promoted Budweiser, American Family Insurance and -- during the most recent Super Bowl -- Cash4Gold.com. Entertainment Weekly named him No. 1 on its list of TV's greatest sidekicks. Edward Leo Peter McMahon Jr. was born in Detroit, Michigan, on March 6, 1923. His father was a promoter, and McMahon remembered moving a lot during his childhood. "I changed towns more often than a pickpocket," McMahon told People. He later joined the Marines and served in World War II and Korea. Though McMahon was well-rewarded by NBC -- the 1980 People article listed his salary between $600,000 and $1 million -- his divorces and some poor investments took their toll. In June 2008, The Wall Street Journal reported that McMahon was $644,000 in arrears on a $4.8 million loan for a home in Beverly Hills, California, and his lender had filed a notice of default. McMahon and his wife, Pamela, told CNN's Larry King that McMahon had gotten caught in a spate of financial problems. "If you spend more money than you make, you know what happens. And it can happen. You know, a couple of divorces thrown in, a few things like that," said McMahon, who added that he hadn't worked much since the neck injury. McMahon later struck a deal that allowed him to stay in the house. He is survived by his wife, Pamela, and five children. A sixth child, McMahon's son Michael, died in 1995.

McMahon's biggest fame came alongside Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show" McMahon hosted "Star Search" and "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes" McMahon had suffered several health problems in recent years .

Beijing, China (CNN) -- Lazy, promiscuous, confused, selfish, brain damaged and overall hopeless are all labels that have been given to China's so-called post-90s generation, or those who were born after 1990 who are now mostly in their teens today. Whatever the post-90s are, one thing for certain is they are different from those born before them: they have no memory of China's tumultuous past, instead only experiencing it as a country with rapid economic growth underscored by rampant consumerism and globalization. "They have only known a life in China that is rising and affluent," Frank Yu, a Beijing-based internet analyst, said. "They are considered a wild card generation. They are very aggressive and outward looking and are pretty confident because they never felt hardship." And they are also the first generation that has grown up with the internet. And it is there, online, where they live lives that are a marked departure from age-old cultural norms that remain ingrained in Chinese society today. "When they turn away from the internet and look at the real world and they see that nothing has changed, there is this huge disconnect in their minds," said Kevin Lee, chief operating officer for China Youthology, a Beijing-based research firm. "Their minds are in this internet way of thinking, and when their real world is not even moving, not even budging, they feel powerless. And so where do they escape? They go back to the internet." The Web is one of the few, if only places, where those who are not post-90s can see their sometimes radical behavior, try to communicate with them and attempt to figure out who, exactly, they are and what, exactly, they are thinking. "On the internet, they have the chance to be individuals," said Zakfa Zhang, also with China Youthology. "It is a totally new space for the youth to feel independent. They can criticize anyone, and no one will tell them they are wrong, and they can express themselves online without many restrictions." The ways in which China's teens express themselves online vary. They hang out on Chinese social networks, like Kaixin001 and Renren, post comments on microblogs as well as use Tencent's highly popular instant messaging service QQ and Qzone, its social networking site and other online bulletin boards. On these platforms, they form what some have described as "tribes" or "clans" that can consist of thousands of members communicating via "Martian" language. "The 'Martian' dialect most closely identified with the post-90s alternative subculture is 'brain-damaged writing', which is essentially standard Mandarin written using the most obscure characters possible," writes Adam Schokora, a Shanghai-based internet analyst on the blog Fifty 5. The post-90s virtual world is also characterized by the photos and videos they share online. Young women often post cartoon-like pictures of themselves with pursed lips, Photoshop-enlarged eyes (to appear more like an animated characters) while wearing chunky glasses, sexy, doll-like clothing or goth and punk styles borrowed from Japan and Korea. "They want to show off: 'I am beautiful. I am special. I am a star,'" Zhang said. A post on the blog China Hush titled "A Series of Post-90s Generation's Bad Behaviors" shows some of the more shocking sexual content the teen post online: "The general impression is Post-90s kids are 'out of control,' behaving badly'...'have mental problems' and are 'engaging in sexual activities way too early,'" the post says. Not everyone views their behavior so negatively. "In the virtual world, they learn how to be leaders, to solve interpersonal conflicts," said Han Yinbo, co-author of "An Exploding Internet Revolution." "These online activities make them more mature, give them more options and enlarge their visions. Former generations didn't enjoy such colorful worlds. Their understanding of the outside is limited and monotonous." "Society views us as wanting to be different, wanting to be full of personality and full of individuality and wanting to be creative in not a good way," said Lin Li, an 18-year-old student at Fudan University in Shanghai. "We see the society as our enemy a little bit. We do not want to be so conventional because we think all of these things are old and especially in China we need some big changes. Maybe we want to take this responsibility even though we might not have a really clear goal or aim for the future," she said. The impact the post-90s will have in China in the future as they mature into adults and become employees is the question many are now asking. Some have already begun to trickle into the workforce, specifically in factories, a number of which have experienced strikes in recent months by young, rural workers unwilling to accept the low wages and poor working conditions of the past. According to Yu, the strikes can at least partially be attributed to the "jelly generation" (another term used to describe the post-90s) and their laissez faire, independent and entrepreneurial attitude towards life. "They are more picky about where they work," Yu said. Don Tapscott, author of "Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World" believes the post-90s generation are much more entrepreneurial than their elders. "Yes, they will effect change, and yes, they have a completely different culture than their parents," said Tapscott. "What happens online does materialize. It does drive behavior change in the real world."

Tech-savvy youth of China have become an increasingly studied demographic . Called post-90s generation with no memory of China's tumultuous recent past . They are avid social media and internet users . Some social commentators have criticized post-90s generation as lazy and immoral .

(CNN) -- In the ghettos of the Niger Delta, one woman is on a mission to bring glamor to the region while at the same time educating and inspiring promising young talent from the area. Caterina Bortolussi has always been interested in fashion. But what started as the dream of a young girl from a small town outside of Venice, Italy, has become a reality years later in the ghettos of Port Harcourt in the south of Nigeria. In December 2010, Bortolussi started her fashion label Kinabuti. With designs inspired by Nigeria, reflecting the vibrant colors and traditions of Africa, Bortolussi decided on an ethical twist to her organization. She wanted to use fashion as an instrument for change in the region. "I thought, 'Why can't we use fashion as a vehicle to make a difference?' We should lead by example," says Bortolussi. "We should do something that will make a difference and inspire other people. That is what I want to do with Kinabuti: positive action." Green is this season's color at Nigeria Fashion Week . The label's ethos is to engage with the local community as well as provide opportunities and training to the people who need it most, says Bortolussi. She held casting sessions in various local communities, choosing 21 young girls aged 16 to 25. With no prior experience in modeling, they underwent training at "Buti Camp" in professional skills such as make up and hairstyling, runway walking, posing and other fundamental tricks of the trade. These women became the "Kinabuti girls" and work with the label to promote and model the designs. Their role also gives them the opportunity to meet people, work with other designers and learn skills to take with them in the future. Bortolussi says: "I tell them, 'Not all of you will become a top model. Be realistic. Learn the most you can.' "It's a job that we enable them to explore themselves. Their mindset is changing. This [Lagos] is a city with 18 million people -- one of the biggest cities in the world. And now they are learning that if they work hard they can achieve anything." And Bortolussi's campaign of inspiration seems to be working. Twenty-year-old Abigail Okoye stumbled across Kinabuti by accident but says it has changed her life forever. She says: "I was just walking down the road and someone told me I looked like a model and asked me to go to the casting that was going on. So I went. "It has allowed me to learn so many things. I'm meeting new people and I can achieve more in life ... Apart from being a model, which is my dream, I also want to go into fashion designing because I love colors. It's a beautiful profession." Another young model from the region, Ini Godwin, was an unqualified teacher in a small local school. Like many others in the Port Harcourt ghettos, life before Kinabuti was a constant struggle for her family. Why African designers are finally in the fashion spotlight . She says: "You have to fight for your living ... I lived with my parents, my brothers, my sisters, and we tried to make ends meet. With Kinabuti, it was an experience that added something different and brought a new feeling to me. "It's not everyday in life that we have the opportunity to do what we want to do ... Being part of Kinabuti has showed me that I can do things. It made me believe in myself. Having that in my head ... has been the most exciting part of this experience so far." Bortolussi says that one year in, the journey has, at times, been difficult. "Nigeria is such a hard country. It is very real," says Bortolussi. "There are some very creative designers but no distribution. Production is challenging, and there is no light, no electricity. All the time we are running generators. It makes everything expensive and hard to run a business. It's very challenging." These obstacles were captured by Swedish filmmaker Marcus Werner Hed, who directed a documentary about Kinabuti called "In our Ghetto." The film follows the girls over three weeks providing an insight into the lives of the Kinabuti models as they prepared for the launch of the label. Werner Hed admires the message that Bortolussi is trying to send to the community. "I was mostly impressed with the amount of self-confidence that Caterina's project brings to these girls," he says. The Namibian women who dress like Victorians . "[Port Harcourt is] quite a hard and depressing place, but incredible and vibrant as well. It's a city that has overgrown its infrastructure and it's not got the amenities it needs to function as a city," he adds. Regeneration is part of Bortolussi's larger and rather ambitious plan for the region. As well as continuing with the brand and educational elements, she wants to try different types of training. "Our focus is on the community," she says. "What we want to do for next year is organize training for tailors in skills like draping, dress-making, making patterns and creating new fabrics. "We will show the participants the same way we got the models and I know they will be able to use those skills and get jobs straight away." Bortolussi believes Nigerians need to embrace products made in Nigeria, rather than imported items. "We need to create the capacity for manufacturing and development," she says. "It will take time and it is not a short-term project. But fashion is my passion so I want to make it an industry."

Italian designer Caterina Bortolussi has started an ethical fashion label in Nigeria . Bortolussi has trained and hired girls from the region to become models and brand ambassadors . Next year she hopes to inspire more locals and teach tailoring skills .

(CNN) -- Ayan Mohamed wears a niqab that covers her face, not for religious reasons but to hide what lies beneath. "She wears it to cover the deformity. She covers it because people would stare, children would cry," says Edna Adan Ismail, Somaliland's former foreign minister and first lady. "It's not easy to look at." Ismail founded the region's first maternity hospital, The Edna Adan University Hospital. The facility is now a bustling general clinic providing care to all. For 11 years, she's been seeking help to repair Mohamed's face, which was torn apart by shrapnel during the Somali Civil War. Mohamed was just two years old when she was injured. She is now 25 and can't close her right eye. Food falls from the hole in her cheek when she tries to eat. She's long learned to deal with stares and awkward questions. "The hardest thing for her is when somebody asks what happened to her face," Ismail says, translating the softly spoken words from Mohamed, who's seated beside her. "It just hurts me," Mohamed says. They're sitting at a press conference in Brisbane, Australia, a shiny modern city some 10,000 kilometers (6,000 miles) -- and a world away -- from her home and her daughter in Burao, northwest Somaliland in the Horn of Africa. Her child, Marwa, is just two years old, the same age as Mohamed when she was so horrifically injured. Oral and maxillofacial surgeon Dr. John Arvier from the Wesley Hospital is explaining the extent of the damage to her face and what's going to be done to fix it by a team of experts, who are offering their services for free. "Essentially Ayan is missing most of the tissue of her midface from the bottom part of the eye socket, the whole top jaw and most of the cheekbone and her palate," Arvier says. "The surgery will involve replacing, with a small synthetic implant, the rim of the eye socket. Then the bulk of the missing tissue will be replaced by muscle that comes up under the cheekbone on the side of the head." Skin taken from her forearm will be moved to her face, and a plastic surgeon will also use cartilage from her ear to rebuild her nostril. Extensive dental work will then be needed to reshape her smile. From behind her veil, Mohamed expresses her faith in the team of surgeons. "I'm confident, I'm not worried." Ismail adds, "She's a brave woman. She's had to live with this a long time... she's very relaxed. I'm the one who's falling apart." She first heard of Mohamed's plight when the girl's mother went to her hospital several years ago seeking help. Then, the hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland had been open just one year and didn't have the expertise to deal with Mohamed's problems. It still doesn't. Ismail spread the word about Mohamed's injuries and a website was built. Photos were taken. And, since it was uploaded to YouTube in 2009, a video about Mohamed's need for help has been viewed more than two million times. Two years ago, a group of Rotarians in Australia met and vowed to bring Mohamed to the country for surgery. It wasn't easy. There's no postal service in Somaliland so something as simple as sending a letter required outside help. And then there was the travel -- Mohamed had to travel hundreds of kilometers to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa for scans, x-rays and assessments. Just when the medical challenges seemed to have been resolved, the Australian government refused Mohamed's visa application. It was the second time a country had denied her approval to enter because her injuries weren't deemed to be life threatening. "Since this is not a growing cancer or a heart condition or a situation that could kill her overnight, I guess some people would classify that as not life threatening," Ismail says. "But then when you're a young women what's more life threatening than not having a face?" "The first visa denial was from the United States, and that was hard. And then when the visa was denied a second time in Australia, we thought 'who will have the courage to tell this to Ayan?'," she says. "Here's a woman who's only begging to have medical treatment which she's not able to access anywhere else. I'm glad that the decision was reversed," she adds. Since Mohamed arrived in Brisbane there have been a number of firsts. "She saw a river for the first time yesterday," Ismail says. "And walking up to this conference room she saw fish in a fish tank for the first time. "She rode an elevator for the first time (and) we had a few lessons to learn how to ride the escalator -- we had a few almost-trips but we're here," she laughs. Ayan will undergo surgery on Saturday. Recovery will take weeks, if not months. When the scars have healed Ayan hopes to be able to face the world for the first time with nothing to hide. "She says she's looking forward to removing this," Ismail says, motioning toward the black niqab that cloaks Ayan's features, "and to have a face like everyone else."

Ayan Mohamed to undergo surgery in Brisbane to rebuild her face . She was disfigured at the age of two during the Somali Civil War . Ayan is now 25 and has endured years of stares, pain and shame . Surgery in Brisbane is the result of an 11-year plea for help from Edna Adan Ismail .

CLEARWATER, Florida (CNN) -- One of four missing boaters was found Monday clinging to an overturned fishing vessel off Florida's Gulf Coast, and the search for the other three, including two NFL players, has narrowed, the Coast Guard said. Nick Schuyler clings to an overturned boat in this Coast Guard photo. "We now know we are looking for persons in the water, not a boat," said Coast Guard Capt. Tim Close. Nick Schuyler, a former University of South Florida football player, was the only person still with the small fishing boat when a Coast Guard cutter came across it about 50 miles west of Clearwater Beach on Monday, the Coast Guard said. Still missing Monday afternoon were Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper; NFL free agent Corey Smith, who played for the Detroit Lions for the past three seasons; and former University of South Florida football player William Bleakley. Schuyler told his rescuers that the boat was anchored Saturday evening when it was overturned by waves during a storm, Close said. He told them that all four men were clinging to the boat for a time, but became separated, Close said. The four men embarked in a 21-foot single-engine boat from the Seminole Boat Ramp near Clearwater Pass about 6:30 a.m. Saturday, the Coast Guard said. The search was launched early Sunday after friends and relatives realized they had not returned from their fishing trip. Schuyler appeared to be conscious and talking in video showing him being removed from a Coast Guard helicopter Monday afternoon. Watch Schuyler being moved on stretcher » . Although he was initially able to answer a few questions to help with the search for the three missing men, officials decided to wait until he was treated for hypothermia before talking with him again, Coast Guard Petty Officer Robert Simpson said. See photos of rescue » . Schuyler's parents, Marcia and Stu Schuyler, told reporters in Florida on Monday they were ecstatic that their son had been found alive. But Stu Schuyler said his "heart is still out" for the three missing men. "We're not going to talk too much until we find these guys. We're all praying for them," Stu Schuyler said. The Air Force Reserve sent a C-130 airplane and a Pave Hawk helicopter to assist the Coast Guard's search, which also included several other helicopters and airplanes. Three Coast Guard cutters were also on the water, Close said. Rough seas and high winds that hampered the search Sunday continued Monday. The Coast Guard reported winds of 15 to 20 knots and waves up to 9 feet in the search area Monday. "It feels like my greatest fear coming true -- it doesn't feel real," Cooper's wife, Rebekah, told CNN affiliate WTSP-TV in Tampa on Sunday. "I'm just waiting for a phone call." Watch relatives, friends express concern for missing boaters » . Cooper said she became worried Saturday night when she didn't hear from her husband. She called her husband's fishing buddy, Brian Miller, who contacted the Coast Guard with the coordinates of where the men planned to fish. "Usually I'm on the boat. It's a little difficult wondering if something would have been different if I had been there," Miller said. He said it was clear something was wrong when Cooper didn't call Saturday night. "He should've been within range to use his cell phone, and he knows enough to shut it off when he goes out so the batteries are still there," he said. Rebekah Cooper said her husband was aware of Sunday's weather forecast and for that reason picked Saturday for the trip. "Fishing is his first love, it always has been," she said, adding, "I have a lot of faith in him out there." Cooper's father said he learned of the situation Sunday morning from Rebekah. His son "routinely stays out on the water 12 to 14 hours," Bruce Cooper, a sports anchor for CNN affiliate KPNX-TV in Phoenix, Arizona, said in a statement. He called his son an "avid fisherman." "He goes deep-sea fishing any opportunity he gets," Cooper said in the statement. "Two years ago, I went deep-sea fishing with him. I swore I would never do so again; I didn't like the fact that I couldn't see land. Needless to say, I am very concerned. I am praying and hoping for the best." Smith and Cooper were teammates with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for part of the 2004 season, when Cooper was a rookie, according to the NFL's Web site. Smith, who entered the league with Tampa Bay in 2002, went on to play for the Washington Redskins before moving to the Lions for the 2006 season. Cooper has played for six teams in his five-season career. Cooper played college football at the University of Washington. Smith played at North Carolina State University. Bleakley lettered from 2004 to 2006 as a tight end for the University of South Florida, according to a spokesman for the university's athletics department. Schuyler was a walk-on defensive end for the school in 2006, but he never played in a game, the spokesman said. Schuyler's father told reporters Sunday that the four men knew each other from working out at a gym, and that his son had accompanied Cooper and Smith on a fishing trip last week that lasted 15 hours.

Search for missing men narrows after one found clinging to overturned boat . Man rescued off Florida coast identified as Nick Schuyler . Schuyler said boat flipped over Saturday during a storm, Coast Guard said . NFL's Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper and a third man remain missing .

(CNN) -- A military judge has accepted a plea deal that drops the most serious charges against a brigadier general -- formerly one of the top Army commanders in Afghanistan -- who'd been accused of sexual assault, a Fort Bragg spokeswoman told CNN on Monday. In the final case to be resolved, Jeffrey Sinclair is pleading guilty to adultery and mistreating his accuser in a deal that will see the sexual assault and sodomy charges against him dropped, his defense team said. Sinclair earlier this month pleaded guilty to other charges, including committing adultery, engaging in inappropriate relationships with three women, conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman, and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors said he broke military law through sexual relationships -- including threats to some women involved who held lower ranks -- between 2009 and 2012 in Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany, as well as Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Fort Hood, Texas. Sentencing in the court-martial at Fort Bragg was scheduled for Monday afternoon. Defense attorney Richard Scheff applauded the deal in the last case Sunday while attacking the Pentagon, which the defense has accused of interfering, and Sinclair's accuser in that case, an Army captain the defense has painted as a jilted lover who was upset that the general wouldn't leave his wife. "After wasting millions of taxpayer dollars, the Army finally admitted what it's known for many months: General Sinclair is innocent of sexual assault. Two successive prosecutors agreed that these charges should be dropped, as did two successive staff judge advocates," Scheff said in a statement. He continued: "The government understood that if it allowed BG Sinclair's accuser to be cross-examined, she would be caught in a thick web of her own lies. It shouldn't have taken two years for them to come to this conclusion, but they were driven by politics rather than justice." According to defense team spokesman Josh Zeitz, Sinclair and the government agreed to a maximum cap on penalties, and the general will receive the lesser of two sentences: either the terms agreed upon by the defense and prosecution, or the sentence issued by the military judge. The deal conforms to what Zeitz earlier said was Sinclair's condition for a plea deal: None of the charges to which he's pleading guilty will land him on a sex offender registry. Scheff said that the "reputational and financial costs" Sinclair has suffered because of "false rape allegations" should be factored into his sentencing. The testimony of the general's accuser in the final case was never fully aired. She testified for several hours on March 7, telling the court that the affair started with intimate exchanges and evolved into groping and demands for sex and oral sex, CNN affiliate WTVD reported. She also said the general threatened to kill her and her family, the station reported. She was scheduled to continue her testimony on March 10, but Col. James Pohl, the presiding judge in the court-martial, dismissed the jury after 22 pages of e-mails emerged that appear to point to alleged Pentagon interference in the case. At least one of the e-mails also seemed to indicate that a senior Army official felt the accuser had a credibility issue. While Pohl said there may have been "undue command influence" by Pentagon officials, he declined the defense team's request that he drop charges against Sinclair. Pohl instead ordered that the general be provided a possible plea deal. The defense team said Sunday that the plea deal put a stop to all three charges that would necessitate sex offender status for Sinclair, as well as a charge of defrauding the government and a charge that alleged "Sinclair 'coerced and compelled' his accuser to remain in their three-year, consensual relationship." The 27-year Army veteran will instead agree that his failure to end the relationship resulted in his accuser's emotional discomfort and distress, as did his refusal to divorce his wife and marry his accuser, the defense statement said. The general will also plead guilty to mistreating his accuser, which the defense team noted is "an infraction unique to the Uniform Code of Military Justice." Retired Rear Adm. Jamie Barnett, the accuser's attorney, said Monday that "our client stands by her sworn testimony in open court that Gen. Sinclair sexually assaulted her." "Gen. Sinclair has just pleaded guilty to multiple charges that clearly undermine his integrity and honesty for at least the last five years of his career," Barnett said in an e-mailed statement. "The strength of (our client's) testimony convicted him. It is ludicrous for his attorneys to claim, completely without support, that the charges of sexual assault were false." Once the deputy commander of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, Sinclair was moved to the North Carolina post from Afghanistan in 2012, the same year the last alleged incidents occurred and when he was originally charged. Sinclair's attorneys filed a Freedom of Information Act request for all Pentagon e-mail communication including keywords in the Sinclair case, identifying about 10,000 e-mails among a dozen senior Pentagon officials, Zeitz said. The Pentagon was reviewing the communications and would probably release them slowly, Zeitz said last week, but if something pivotal arose in those e-mails, the defense would file another motion to dismiss charges.

Sexual assault and sodomy charges against Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair to be dropped . Defense attorney says costs of "false rape allegations" should be factored into sentencing . General had said he wouldn't plead guilty to charges that put him on a sex offender registry . U.S. agrees to sentence cap; general knows maximum penalty, defense says .

(CNN)Gov. Bobby Jindal has been speaking in London recently, and he startled quite a number of people in the House of Commons when he talked about "no-go zones" in Britain, places where Sharia law trumps British law. He announced confidently to a group that included a number of British parliamentarians that the police in the United Kingdom don't dare to tread in these zones, where Sharia law is widely used. "Nonassimilationist Muslims establish enclaves and carry out as much of Sharia law as they can without regard for the laws of the democratic countries which provided them a new home," he said. This is the sort of ill-informed fantasy that plays well in certain right-wing circles. This probably works for Jindal back home in Louisiana. Oddly enough, Fox News got into trouble recently on the "no-go zone" nonsense, too, as when Steve Emerson, a so-called terrorism expert, explained to the American masses that Birmingham, a major British urban center, was populated entirely by Muslims and that "non-Muslims just simply don't go in." British Prime Minister David Cameron correctly labeled him "a complete idiot," and Emerson's remark caused a spokesperson for the network to admit that Muslim "no-go zones" don't actually exist, not in Britain, not in Europe. Needless to say, there are places where a lot of Muslim immigrants live in close proximity, and outsiders might feel uncomfortable walking around. The same would be true for parts of America where you might feel uncomfortable walking around if you were, say, black or white -- it would depend on the neighborhood. (An African American colleague of mine recently told me that her sons, in their 20s, often feel threatened in white neighborhoods, and I don't doubt the truth of this.) It's not unusual for socio-economic, even racial or ethnic, groups to cluster. My own grandparents came to the United States as immigrants in 1912, and they lived for some years in Italian ghettos in New York. Most immigrant groups start in ghettos somewhere, and many of them never get out. But the question of Sharia law is interesting. Unofficial Sharia courts will be found in Europe, here and there. But these arbitration bodies don't trump the legal system of the country where they occur. An article in The Economist noted, in fact, that there have long been rabbinical courts in Jewish neighborhoods in Britain -- not a dissimilar sort of thing. There are even places in the United States where Christians can work out their disputes in a kind of extrajudicial manner. Family law, for instance, is often the issue here, and there are cultural values that play into the need for this kind of culturally inflected arbitration. That in some Muslim neighborhoods there might be an accommodation to Sharia law seems not surprising, and this doesn't mean that sooner or later we can expect adulterous women to be stoned to death in Birmingham or thieves to have their hands lopped off in East London. Blasphemy will not soon lead to the gas chamber in Europe -- indeed, capital punishment is not legal in any European country (or any civilized country, for that matter, except for the USA). Getting back to Gov. Jindal, one has to wonder what prompted his ignorant outburst. Was this a lame attempt to play into the broad public fears of radical Islam that have arisen in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo killings? If so, that's not good enough for a politician with any shred of integrity. In my view, Jindal immediately disqualified himself from ever holding a national political office by making such a bizarre statement, though it hasn't stopped any number of American politicians with bizarre notions from winning major national offices in the past. Such behavior does, however, embarrass this country in the court of world opinion. The British, and most European countries, have struggled to accommodate Muslim immigrants, but they have nevertheless welcomed them in large numbers. For the most part, these immigrants have behaved well, despite the fear of their traditions and beliefs that leads to crazy exaggerations by politicians such as Jindal. There have been isolated and gruesome incidents of terrorism -- the murder of a British soldier, Lee Rigby, in the spring of 2013 comes to mind, or the vicious attacks in London of July 7, 2005, which left 52 dead and over 700 injured. The British have had to confront terror, and they've done so without vilifying large parts of their own population. Indeed, they've been forced to come to terms with what I would call British Exceptionalism -- the old imperial feeling that nobody who is not British can possibly lead a civilized way of life. (As Americans, of course, we struggle with our own feelings of exceptionalism, preferring to think that our ways are always the best and truest ways.) Jindal was apparently on a 10-day "fact finding" mission designed to bolster his credentials for a possible run at the White House in 2016. He's not as stupid as he sounds, in fact. (Indeed, he was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, where he must have learned something.) Let's hope that he is a quick study, and that he learns how not to say idiotic things in public that cause a good deal of offense, if not harm, to unsuspecting people, fueling hatred rather than coming to terms.

In Britain, Gov. Bobby Jindal speaks of "no-go zones," places where Sharia law supposedly trumps British law . Jay Parini says the GOP governor, on a fact-finding mission, needs to get his facts straight . Let's hope Jindal learns how not to say idiotic things that cause a good deal of offense or harm, Parini says .

(CNN)They're your neighbors, your friends, your colleagues, your parents. They are CNN Heroes, and each of them shows how one person can truly make a difference. Again this year, CNN encourages you to tell us about these everyday people changing the world -- by nominating them at CNNHeroes.com. Taking a few minutes to share their story with us could propel them to worldwide recognition. Maybe someone's selflessness has directly impacted your life. In 2013, Destiny Bush nominated her mentor and "second mother," Tawanda Jones, whose drill team provides discipline and inspiration to thousands of children in the often violent city of Camden, New Jersey. "It was important for the world to see this wonderful individual who commits herself effortlessly -- her heart, her body, her soul -- to our youth," said Bush, now a graduate student. Or maybe you know an individual in your community whose personal story and dedication inspires you. Denada Jackson's mom used to style Robin Emmons' hair. When Jackson bumped into Emmons years later, she learned about Emmons' efforts to help low-income neighborhoods access healthy, fresh food. "It just seemed right that I would nominate her, because I've never seen anyone that happy about helping other people," Jackson said. "She's making it happen for others in her community. Just to watch her be honored for that, to get a thank you, that was awesome." But you don't have to personally know the individual you nominate. Just be familiar with their work. Johanna Robinette, for example, lives in the same small town as Dale Beatty, who helps build and modify homes for injured veterans. Robinette had heard about Beatty's organization, and she saw nominating him as a way to help draw attention to his efforts. "To be able to take that time to do that, I was thankful that I did and thankful that (he was) honored in that way," Robinette said. "It felt great to be a part of that." It's easy to nominate an everyday person changing the world, but a thoughtful, well-written nomination is essential to help yours stand out from the thousands we receive. Here are some suggestions we hope will help you in crafting your nomination for consideration. • Think about what makes your hero special. Ask yourself: What makes my nominee unique? What specific accomplishment has he or she achieved that is truly remarkable? What impact has his or her work had on others? We encourage you to watch videos of previous CNN Heroes to familiarize yourself with the achievements of the inspiring individuals we honor as "everyday people changing the world." • Take a look at our nomination form. We suggest you review the information requested about yourself, your nominee and his or her work before filling out your submission. • Tell us about your hero. Take your time and write from the heart. Remember: What you share -- in your own words -- is the most important factor in advancing a nomination for further consideration. You can enter your answers to the essay questions directly on the form, or write them first in a word-processing document and cut and paste them into each answer field. Please note the information you provide will be used in accordance with our privacy policy. • Click "Submit." If your nomination has been successfully transmitted, you'll see a "thank you" message on your screen. This is the only confirmation you will receive. And yes, we read each and every one. That's it. Nominations for 2015 CNN Heroes remain open through September 1, 2015. Frequently Asked Questions . Q: Who is eligible to be considered as a CNN Hero? A: Nominations must be in the name of a single individual, at least 13 years of age, whose accomplishment occurred (or continued) after February 1, 2015. Groups and organizations are ineligible for consideration. Self-nominations will not be accepted. For complete details on eligibility requirements and other rules governing selection of CNN Heroes, please read our legal disclosures. Q: How will I know if my hero is selected? A: Because of the high volume of nominations received, we cannot respond individually to each submission. However, if your nomination advances, we will contact you and your nominee through the contact information you provide. Q: What if I don't know my nominee's address, email and telephone number? A: Please make every effort to provide as much contact information as possible. We require either an email address or telephone number so we may quickly contact your nominee to obtain permission for consideration as a CNN Hero. Q: May I submit additional supporting information about my nominee? A: There's space at the end of the form to provide links to articles or websites with more information about your hero. Please do not send additional material unless requested. Q: May I mail or fax my nomination? A: No. All nominations must be submitted online through our website. Q: What if my nomination form is rejected? A: When filling out your form, please note that certain information is required. Those fields are marked with an asterisk (*). CNN is not responsible for technical problems that may prevent your submission from being successfully transmitted. You may wish to first write and save the answers to essay questions in a word-processing document. That way, if you need to resubmit your nomination, you can cut and paste those answers into the form and avoid having to rewrite them. Q: Can I buy tickets to 'CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute'? A: Unfortunately, seating is limited and by invitation only. Air dates and times for the global broadcast of "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" will be announced in October.

Most CNN Heroes are selected after being nominated by someone like you . Here are some suggestions we hope will help you in crafting a nomination . 2015 nominations are being accepted online through September 1, 2015 .

Athens, Greece (CNN) -- Police cordoned off one of the busiest thoroughfares in the heart of the Greek capital Thursday as a bomb disposal team investigated a suspicious package found at the entrance to a bank. "This is the second bomb I've been to today," said one motorcycle police officer, who said he was not authorized to release his name to journalists, as he guarded a police line blocking off the five-lane Vassilissis Sophias Avenue, less than a block away from the Greek parliament building. Moments later, a bomb disposal expert dressed in the heavy green armor made famous in the movie "Hurt Locker" walked briskly away from the suspicious package. Another member of the team counted down loudly in Greek, and then a controlled explosion echoed down the empty boulevard. Authorities later said the package was not a bomb, but that wasn't the case earlier Thursday, when police destroyed another parcel at a courier office. Hellenic Police spokesman Maj. Athanasios Kokkalakis confirmed the parcel contained a "booby trap bomb." The parcel was addressed to the French Embassy in Athens and the bombers put the archbishop of Athens as the sender of the package. Greek officials said it was the 14th explosive device to be discovered originating from Greece in the past four days. The events came as the two suspects in the largest letter-bomb campaign in Greek history were remanded into custody after appearing for testimony before a prosecutor, the Citizens Protection Ministry said. The two men are accused of participating in a wave of attempted bombings that has forced the Greek government to suspend air postal deliveries outside of the country for 48 hours. They were arrested in Athens on Monday in possession of two parcel bombs, Glock pistols, a bulletproof vest, and a wig. Many of the packages were addressed to various embassies in Athens, but one arrived at German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office in Berlin and another, addressed to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, made it to Italy. Panagiotis Argyrou, 22, and Gerasimos Tsakalos, 24 were also in possession of a delivery slip for another parcel containing an explosive device which had been delivered to a courier service and was addressed to the Embassy of the Netherlands in Greece, police said. "These are stake-holders ... important members of a terrorist group," Kokkalakis said. Greek authorities have stressed that they believe the wave letter bombs is the work of a home-grown Greek terror group that does not have ties to international organizations like al Qaeda. Before this week's attacks, one of the suspects, Argyrou, already faced an arrest warrant for his alleged membership in an illegal organization called the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire. Both suspects have so far refused to cooperate with authorities, Greek officials said. "Until this moment, they keep silent. They don't talk to anyone," Kokkalakis told CNN. "It is their strategic tactic." When they appeared Thursday before a prosecutor Athens, they refused to testify, saying they "do not want to take part in this process." They were then remanded into custody. For decades, leftist- and anarchist-inspired radical groups have carried out acts of political violence in Greece. The most notorious and deadly of these groups, November 17, claimed responsibility for the assassination of the British Embassy Defense Attache Stephen Saunders in Athens in 2000. Greek police, backed by British investigators, eventually succeeded in arresting the masterminds of November 17 in the years that followed. Terrorism experts say they have seen an increase in Greek acts of terror since the 2008 shooting death of a Greek teenager by police in Athens. That incident sparked angry riots and a wave of small bomb attacks on banks and Greek police. The group Conspiracy of Cells of Fire is believed to have emerged during this period. "This new generation of terrorists have a different motive ... money, publicity," said Ioannis Michaletos of the Institute for Security and Defense Analysis in Athens. Michaletos compared these groups to the anarchists who terrorized Europe at the start of the 20th century. "They don't have a specific leftist ideology," he said. "They just state in their proclamations that their aim is to destroy the system." In June 2010, a Greek police officer was killed opening a letter bomb that was addressed to the country's top law enforcement minister. Authorities have so far avoided linking that deadly attack to this week's parcel bombs, which apparently contain smaller amounts of explosives and have so far wounded one female employee of a private courier service. In fact, some Greek officials have sought to downplay the threat posed by this week's letter bombers, by describing the suspects as young, poorly trained amateurs. "The police found them with bus tickets and cards to make telephone calls. A professional wouldn't do this," said Vassilis Papadimitriou, a spokesman for the office of the Greek Prime Minister. But the letter bombers have succeeded in forcing the Greek government to take the unprecedented step of halting international parcel delivery for 48 hours. They also have further rattled a society that is already struggling to deal with a deep financial crisis. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou denounced the bombers Wednesday, accusing them of trying to destabilize his government's efforts to rescue the Greek economy. "Democracy will not be terrorized," Papandreou announced on local television.

A suspicious package found outside a bank was not a bomb, authorities say . A parcel found earlier at a courier office was a bomb, police say . The two suspects in the case appear before a prosecutor but don't testify . Greek authorities believe the letter bombs are the work of a local group .