Datasets:

girrajjangid

/

mini-platypus

like 0

(CNN) -- In 1917, at age 24, Leo Foster went from being a musician to an instrument of war. The La Crosse, Wisconsin, native isn't in any textbook. His name didn't go down in history like MacArthur or Patton. But on Veterans Day, and every day, retired U.S. Navy Capt. Gary Foster remembers his grandfather. There are no more surviving World War I veterans. They were largely remembered in the 1920s and 1930s, but after World War II, the forgetting began, said Jennifer Keene, author and Chapman University professor. As time passes, their stories become lost, except for the families that preserve their words, photographs and memories. Some relatives reach out to the American Legion, which was created by World War I veterans, to share stories in its publication, Legiontown. It was an avenue that allowed Gary Foster to first share his grandfather's story. "The American Legion constitution includes 'to preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in the great wars,' " said Henry Howard, editor of Legiontown. "If we don't share these stories, they'll be gone." Through Gary Foster and historians, a picture of his grandfather's war experience emerges, and how the lessons from the first world war still reverberate a century after it began. A world on fire . A love of music set the tone for Leo Foster's life. Along with his two sisters, Mary and Cunigunda, Leo enjoyed performing in a musical trio. And had not America joined World War I, Gary suspects that his grandfather might have continued hosting community performances. But Leo saw the writing on the wall and registered. It wouldn't be an easy decision for him. Tragedy had surrounded the Foster family early. His father, John, had died in 1895. His mother, Barbara, had lost an infant son a year earlier. And now, the man of the house would leave his family. But protecting his family was also a big motivation for Leo. "The war in some ways was really a war for family," said Andrew Huebner, a University of Alabama associate professor and author. "The public culture around the war was draped in familial metaphors, a war to defend women and children from deprivation." The doughboys, as American troops were called, became youthful, iconic symbols for the nation. Because of exemptions from the draft, many of the men were sons, rather than fathers or husbands, Huebner said. Leo left his community for the first time to attend training camp. Camps were dangerous themselves, with the threat of disease such as the influenza epidemic, according to Keene, the Chapman University professor. After camp, shipping overseas was also hazardous, with waters infested with German U-boats keen to sink ships full of troops. Leo landed in the strange new setting of France in May 1918. He was surrounded by African, Vietnamese and Chinese troops, which would shift his view of the world. It was a hybrid army of less experienced American volunteers and conscripts melded with war-weary troops who had already endured three years of trench warfare. It was also a war of hybrid technology, Keene said. There were modern machine guns, poison gas, tanks, aircraft and submarines, but many artillery pieces were pulled into positions by horses, Keene said. Communication was key, so armies relied on sounds. A series of counteroffenses had pushed troops back toward Germany, and trenches were abandoned, rendering telephone and telegraph wires useless. Bugle calls were an old form of communication, but the archaic became necessary, Keene said. Leo's musical talent enabled him to become a bugler with the 32nd Division. Removing his gas mask, he used bugle calls for signaling advance, attack, charge and retreat as well as for mustering the troops. Leo was a main target for enemy troops. Knocking out communication in the heat of battle could further disrupt troops already shaken by the confusing fog of war. Leo's division saw heavy fighting and some of the worst battles at the end of the war. On August 1, 1918, Leo was wounded during the Aisne-Marne Offensive by shrapnel in his arms, chest and legs. Officials sent a notice to his family that Leo had been killed in action, and his grandmother raised a flag over their home, honoring his life and service. Three days later, the Red Cross arrived to say that the message had been delivered in error, and that Leo was alive. But given the severity of his injuries, his family worried that he might not survive. Leo wrote home often, brushing off the injuries and letting everyone know that he was improving. Read one of his letters (PDF) Near the end of September, Leo rejoined the fighting in time for one of the most well-remembered battles of World War I -- the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The fighting broke through the German line and pushed back through five miles of territory. It wasn't long afterward that an armistice was declared. Leo received the Wound Chevron, gold stripes that were worn on the cuff .

As time passes, the stories of many World War I veterans have become lost . Gary Foster shares the experience of his grandfather, a World War I bugler . The American Legion and the War Letters Project allow these stories to be shared .

Vardzia, Georgia (CNN) -- In an isolated mountain valley on the southern edge of the former Soviet Union stands a cliff honey-combed with caves. This is Vardzia -- a cave monastery built in the 12th century by Georgian kings and queens. In the 800 years since its construction, Vardzia has been destroyed by an earthquake and further damaged by invading armies. In the final days of winter, when snow coats the surrounding peaks, the caves look all but deserted. But Vardzia does have several permanent residents: seven Orthodox monks who have become the de-facto guardians of this ancient site. They live much like their ancestors did, in spartan cave dwellings on the side of the cliff. They draw their water from a spring deep within the mountain that is only accessible via a series of tunnels. The well is called "Tamar's Tears," after Queen Tamar, who completed construction of Vardzia eight centuries ago after the death of her father King Giorgi. Uncorking Georgia's wine heritage . One of the monks who lives in the cliff is Father Lazar. He roams the tunnels and staircases that hug the cliff-side, dressed in flowing black robes. Though he is only 28, his thick beard and pony-tail make him look far older. "It puts joy in my heart to live here," the priest says, as he looks out of the doorway of his incense-scented cave at the rushing river below, where he sometimes fishes for trout. "In the winter this is a quiet place. The frost sets in and the trees die. It is a holy place. A spiritual place." In fact, Father Lazar says aside from the monks, the only other people who live in this valley, are the nuns who inhabit a small convent beyond a bend in the river. Speaking a mixture of Georgian, Russian and English, the monk takes visitors on a small tour of the complex, pointing out the remnants of an irrigation system that once provided water to up to 30,000 residents. He also shows Vardzia's crown jewels: two cave chapels whose domed ceilings are hewn directly out of the rock. The domes are coated with ornate, icons, from the 8th century, depicting saints, Georgian royalty, and the dog-shaped demons that await the damned on Judgment Day. In the summer, the monks endure a different kind of torment which disturbs their ascetic mountain life: tourists. "For the priests, it is not very good because they make a lot of noise," Father Lazar says. "Different kinds of tourists come here, some of them yell a lot and run around here and there. They holler." Vardzia has long been a tourist destination for hardy tourists willing to brave hours of driving down pot-holed mountain roads. But road crews are now re-paving the road - and there are big plans to further develop this quiet corner of Georgia. "Visitors to Georgia are going to Vardzia and there is no infrastructure there at all," says Tengiz Bendukidze, an executive with Rakeen, an Emirati real estate development company. "That's why Rakeen is going to invest up to 20 million dollars. And we are going to build a 4-star hotel and villas also." There are big hopes that through tourism, Georgia can overcome the chaos and conflict of nearly two decades of post-Soviet independence. In years gone by, this small Caucasus country was a prize destination, due to its unique combination of rich cuisine, ancient mountain-top monasteries, Black Sea coast line and full-throated polyphonic choral music. "During the Soviet era, Georgia was the number one tourist attraction for almost all the Soviet Union," said Nika Gilauri, the prime minister of Georgia, in an interview with CNN. "We are getting back now this title for the region." Executives at Rakeen say they are still working out the final concept of the new Vardzia hotel project. "The main attraction is the caves. The cave city. And also we'll include [a] service package like hunting, rafting, camping and stuff like that," says Bendukidze. The new hotel is expected to be constructed on a hillside directly across the river from the cave complex, on a patch of territory that was occupied by a Soviet-era hotel until it was demolished a few years ago. Father Lazar has little positive to say about the old communist hotel...or its capitalist replacement. "It's a bad idea to build a big hotel right there, directly across from Vardzia," he says. "If there's going to be a bar or a night club there, then that's also not good." But, he concedes, the tourists will probably appreciate the view.

Vardzia is an isolated mountain valley, home to a 12th century cave monastery . In 800 years it's been destroyed by an earthquake and damaged by invading armies . It looks deserted, but the caves have some dedicated residents: seven Orthodox monks . Tourists boost the local economy, but they are also disturbing the monks' way of life .

(CNN) -- A 22-year-old man from Pakistan hopes to soon swim the English Channel with an American friend -- but first he's got to navigate the currents of bureaucracy. College teammates David Gatz (left) and Usman Javaid want to swim the English Channel for charity. Usman Javaid, an Ohio college student who has won national swimming titles in his native Pakistan, wants to swim the channel with his best friend, David Gatz, a fellow member of the swim team at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. They want to honor their international friendship by working together to accomplish a great feat: a relay across the English Channel. They also hope to raise money for charity. "With teamwork and cooperation you can tackle even the toughest of challenges," Javaid told CNN in a phone interview Wednesday from Islamabad, Pakistan. Yet the British government has denied Javaid's request for the visa that would let him enter the country. British authorities say they can't grant a visa because they have questions about Javaid's student status, the young man said. "They weren't satisfied I was going to Britain for the stated purpose," he said. Javaid said his passport contains a valid student visa for the United States and he sent documentation from the Channel Swimming Association with his visa application to prove he is scheduled to do the swim. The United Kingdom Border Agency told CNN in a written statement that "all visa applications are considered on their individual merits, taking into account all the information provided." "Where an applicant fails to demonstrate they meet the relevant rules, their application will be refused," the statement said. The agency noted that anyone who is refused can reapply with additional information. Mark Cooper, the director of marketing and communication at Ohio Wesleyan University, said British authorities have not contacted the university to ask about Javaid's student status. "We did send ... documentation to [British authorities] to follow up" after Javaid's application was denied, he said. Javaid has since applied to the British high commissioner in Islamabad for an emergency visa. Meanwhile, Gatz and the university's head swim coach, Dick Hawes, are waiting in Dover, England, hoping things will work out so the men can try to accomplish their goal. The Channel Swimming Association has granted them permission to try their crossing between July 29 and August 6, Javaid said. The association determines such "swim windows" after considering the expected tides and the schedules of pilot boats, which accompany the swimmers. The association sent a letter Thursday to the British high commissioner in Pakistan to confirm Javaid's mission, said Joan Metcalfe, the association's chairwoman. As the clock ticks, Gatz remains in Dover, where he passes the time by training in the channel. "There is some frustration," he said Thursday, "but we're also optimistic." Gatz is the captain of Ohio Wesleyan University's varsity swim team. He swam twice for the university at the NCAA national championship meet and holds numerous records. Javaid is a gold medalist on the Pakistani national swim team and represented his country at the South Asian Federation Games. Their coach said he's proud of the pair, no matter the outcome of their attempt. "I think it's great. It shows so much maturity on their part -- first, to take on such a large endeavor, but it also speaks so much about their friendship," Hawes said. Their relationship reflects the unity of the entire swim team at the school, he said. "This is an international family," the coach said of his swimmers. "It's a phenomenal environment. This has just been such a great experience." As they work to accomplish their goal, Gatz and Javaid also are accepting donations for Doctors Without Borders, an international medical humanitarian organization also known by its French name, Medecins Sans Frontieres. Gatz, who is double-majoring in biochemistry and pre-med, said the idea came as they followed news reports of Pakistan's campaign against the Taliban this year, which displaced thousands of civilians in the country's northwest. "We wanted to donate to an organization that was helping people there," he explained. Javaid added Thursday, "That was a big reason we chose Doctors Without Borders, because there are a lot of people suffering in that area and they are assisting them." Some of the donations will cover costs associated with their anticipated channel swim, he added. But even if they don't get to do their relay, Javaid said, their effort is still worthwhile. "Even if my visa doesn't go through, we'll continue with Channeling Peace," he vowed, referring to the organization they set up for their effort. "Even if I have to swim in a lake in Pakistan while David swims in the English Channel, it's still a powerful symbol," Javaid said. "Symbols gather power not from the act itself but from the people who are supporting them," he said. "A lot of people around the world are supporting us and our message. As long as they support it in their hearts and minds, we have been successful."

College teammates want to swim English Channel for charity, international harmony . Swim was to happen between now and August 6, but one denied visa to Britain . Usman Javaid, an Ohio student from Pakistan, says U.K. questioned student status . Javaid reapplies for visa, waits for decision .

(CNN) -- The world's most famous scientist, with his iconic wild hair, crumpled suit, and pens peeking from breast pocket, poses not in a laboratory -- but on the deck of a ship. It's a candid image of Albert Einstein in his leisure time, taken on one of many trips aboard Red Star Line vessels between Europe and America in the 1930s. Three years after this photograph was taken, the Nazis came into power in Einstein's homeland Germany, and he traveled to the U.S. on one of these huge passenger steamers for good, in a journey that may well have saved the Jewish physicist's life. The Nobel Prize winning scientist was one of 2.5 million people who sailed across the Atlantic with the boat company between 1873 and 1934 -- a quarter of them Jewish. Now their remarkable stories -- many escaping persecution in Europe and investing their savings in a better life in the New World -- have been immortalized in a new $25 million Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp, Belgium. "The most important artifact we're showing is the actual building -- it was the control center for all third class passengers," said museum co-ordinator Luc Verheyen, of the renovated red brick warehouses on the Rhine Quay, which until now had been left to rot. "Inside we have a collection of ship models, stories, pictures, letters, even a Belgian waffle iron, and the piano of composer Irving Berlin -- it shows something about what was important to people of the time." Lifesaver . Along with Einstein and Irving Berlin -- the composer of famous songs "White Christmas" and "There's No Business Like Show Business" -- was another passenger who fled Europe to forge a successful career in the U.S. Lawyer, author and prominent feminist, Sonia Pressman Fuentes, was just five years old when her family traveled from Antwerp to New York in 1934. Today she is believed to be one of just five surviving Red Star Line passengers, and the only who attended the museum's opening last month. The daughter of Jewish Polish clothing merchants living in Berlin, 85-year-old Fuentes says she would have died at the hands of the Nazis if her family hadn't caught the SS Westernland that fateful day. "It was a lifesaver, absolutely," said the mother-of-one, adding that the Antwerp authorities had planned to deport the family before they boarded the ship. "There's no question of the role the Red Star Line played in the lives of people who escaped the Holocaust." Historic journey . While Fuentes was too young to remember the 10-day journey across the Atlantic, her 18-year-old brother Hermann, who had convinced the family to join him in Antwerp, kept a diary of the voyage, copies of which now appear in the museum. "My brother wrote that we were seasick the whole time," says Fuentes, and indeed, life on the ships was cramped and dreary for third class passengers. "In the early years, third class passengers were in large, communal cabins without water or light. They could go outside for some air once a day," said Verheyen. "But towards the end, it got a lot better and they started investing in small dormitories with six people in a room." "First class however, was more like a luxury hotel, with huge ballrooms for dancing." With a third class ticket valued at around $1,300 in today's money, a laborer would have had to work 75 days to cover the cost. Third class passengers also had to undergo rigorous health checks before boarding, with anyone refused entry at Ellis Island immigration center in New York sent back at the expense of the shipping line. Passengers would take hour-long showers with hot vinegar and benzene, cleaning them of lice, while their luggage was disinfected in large steam sterilizing machines. Ship-shape . Founded by Antwerp and Philadelphia ship brokers almost 150 years ago, the Red Star Line heralded a golden era for transatlantic ocean travel, and during its heyday two vessels left for North America each week. "People left Europe for a variety of reasons -- poverty, the rise of industrialism meant a lot of small family businesses went bankrupt, political or racial persecution, and adventurers with small capital who had heard about the prosperity on the other side of the ocean," said Verheyen. For Fuentes, the most emotional moment of her return to Antwerp, was standing at the very same water's edge where her family set sail 80 years ago. "If it wasn't for that journey I wouldn't have had a life, or a daughter," she said. "My brother wouldn't have had children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. My parents wouldn't have had lives, none of that would have happened if we hadn't traveled on the Red Star Line."

Albert Einstein escaped Nazi rule by sailing on Red Star Line ship 80 years ago . One of 2.5 million Europeans to travel on the company's vessels to North America . Red Star Line Museum opens in Antwerp, includes over 5,000 pieces of memorabilia . Passenger Sonia Pressman Fuentes says would not have survived Holocaust without trip .

Hong Kong (CNN) -- The news that Alex Ferguson is stepping down as Manchester United manager after 26 trophy-laden seasons will be reverberating far beyond British shores Wednesday, and no more so than in Asia where the club has a huge following. To put this in perspective, a study recently commissioned by the newly-crowned English Premier League champions showed that the team's global fan base had doubled to 659 million people between 2007 and 2012 -- with 325 million fans from Asia alone. The figures are staggering, though the number of Manchester United shirts -- official merchandise or not -- that can be seen around the streets of any major city in the region, from Bangkok to Shanghai, goes some way towards illustrating this phenomenal interest. Social interest . And the interest goes beyond simply wearing a replica shirt. Within minutes of the shock announcement, football fans in China flocked to Weibo, the country's version of Twitter, to lament Ferguson's departure. "Farewell Fergie," posted one netizen, known as @HuxuanzheChuckHoo. "Sir Alex Forever!" declared @Yesmanduomehao. Another, known as @Drshankui, said: "Although I don't really like Manchester and their red polo shirts, I have to say Ferguson is one of the most respected coaches. Now that he's going to retire soon, I felt really sad. I want to thank him for bringing all the splendidness to the team!" Wednesday's news also found its way into the mainstream media in China, including 163.com, one of the country's most popular news platforms. Lucrative . United has not been slow to recognize the benefits of this global appeal, regularly taking part in lucrative pre-season tours at packed venues across Asia to connect with local fans. In July, the team will visit Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan and Australia. The club has also signed a number of sponsorship deals with "Asian partners," including banks in Vietnam and a Japanese social gaming company -- though this Asian "sweet spot" has also been clear in the minds of sponsors beyond the region. "We've gone from no brand awareness in countries like Japan and South Korea to incredible brand awareness," Phil Clement, chief marketing officer at Aon, told the Financial Times when explaining the U.S. insurance giant's decision to put pen to paper on a $23 million sponsorship deal earlier this year. United even explored the idea of an Asian stock market floatation in either Hong Kong or Singapore last year, as it eyed investors -- though market volatility at the time put these plans on hold. Winning habit . So why is the club so popular in Asia? The reason is fairly straightforward, according to James Porteous, a sports journalist at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. "The one thing Asian football fans value above anything else is winning, and under Alex Ferguson, Manchester United have simply been one of the most successful clubs in the world. Liverpool have a big following in Asia because of their great history, but that's taken a dent given their recent trophy-starved years. "While newer champions such as Chelsea and Manchester City have been on the rise, United have had a consistent record of success under Ferguson, gaining new fans in Asia with every trophy won over the last two decades. "United's history also gives them great glamor and prestige, from the great names of the 1960s and the tragedy of the Busby Babes, and that is also attractive to fans in the region. But most of their popularity is down to their triumphs in the last 20 years under Ferguson. Title after title, the Champions League twice, global megastars such as Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo ... all these ingredients have made United's football brand Asia's best-loved." United has also invested wisely in talented Asian players, most recently signing Japan's brightest talent, Shinji Kagawa. The attacking midfielder follows in the footsteps of South Korean star Park Ji-Sung, who spent seven hugely successful years at the club. The result is United's appeal borders on the fanatical at times. When the club announced plans to play in Hong Kong this year, its first visit to the city since 2005, tickets for the friendly against a local club sold out almost instantly. Porteous said former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel was mobbed by fans when he arrived at Hong Kong airport to promote the game, and again by local journalists at a press conference -- despite leaving the club in 1999. "The reception I've had in only a couple of hours is incredible," Schmeichel told journalists at the time. "No doubt the club's vast marketing arm will have many plans to maintain this popularity in Asia," said Porteous. "But the key factor is simple: whoever the new manager is, he'll have to keep winning trophies." CNN's Feng Ke in Beijing contributed to this report.

Under Alex Ferguson, Manchester United has become hugely popular globally . Recent survey reveals United has 325 million fans in Asia alone . English champions regularly play in lucrative pre-season Asia tours . Journalist: "The one thing Asian football fans value above anything else is winning"

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Los Angeles survived what officials warned could have been a traffic nightmare this weekend when a section of one of the nation's busiest freeways, closed for construction, was reopened ahead of schedule Sunday. "Carmadegeddon, shmarmageddon," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, as he and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced at midday Sunday that Interstate 405 would reopen 17 hours before Monday's morning rush hour begins. Despite Los Angeles' reputation as "the car capital of the United States of America, the congestion capital, the city most addicted to the single-passenger automobile," motorists found alternatives to driving for the weekend, Mayor Villaraigosa said. A 10-mile segment of the freeway was closed Friday night to allow crews to demolish a section of bridge to make way for a car pool lane. Workers completed the demolition faster than expected, Mayor Villaraigosa said Sunday morning. "The fact that we were able to do it sooner meant that things went very, very smoothly," Villaraigosa said Sunday. "Had they not, we might have had this press conference on Monday afternoon." Barriers that had detoured northbound and southbound traffic away from the 405 since late Friday were removed at noon Sunday, with the opening of interchanges and ramps to follow. The real story may be how Los Angeles residents reacted to dire warnings to keep their cars parked or else get struck in predicted gridlock that Yaroslavsky had dubbed Carmadegeddon. The number of cars driving on Los Angeles roads dropped a dramatic two-thirds Saturday, Yaroslavsky said. "I propose a yearly carmageddon holiday! What a lovely chill summer day in Santa Monica," resident Novena Carmel said in a Twitter posting Saturday afternoon. Yaroslavsky and Villaraigosa both agreed Sunday, sounding as if they were only half-joking. "I like the idea of us taking a time out once a year," Villaraigosa said. "I think everybody has realized that we can get out of our car once in a while and survive." The mayor said he was pleased with reports of "people going to their neighborhood restaurants, going to a coffee shops, talking with neighbors, having family dinners or barbecues that they might not otherwise have done in the rat race that we live in." In fact, the city will do it again in 11 months when the second half of the Mulholland bridge is demolished to complete the expansion project. While fear of gridlock motivated the change in habits this time, Yaroslavsky suggested Los Angeles residents may have learned an unexpected lesson. "I think a lot of people in Los Angeles have learned that you can get along without taking long rides in your cars on weekends these past couple of days," he said. "There's a feeling in Los Angeles that if you don't get in your car on a weekend that you're somehow being cheated of something." Demolition of a section of the southern half of the Mulholland bridge, necessary to make room for a northbound car pool lane, was expected to keep the freeway closed for 53 hours, ending at 5 a.m. Monday, the start of the morning rush hour. Crews closed ramps late Friday on the 405, where it passes over the Santa Monica Mountains, California Department of Transportation officials said. The $1.2 billion construction project calls for replacing a portion of a bridge at Mulholland Drive, a mountain summit road that is featured in many Hollywood films, authorities said. A year from now, crews will have to shut down the 405 again to replace a final portion of the Mulholland Drive bridge, officials said. The project also calls for adding a car-pool lane in each direction, creating "the largest HOV system in the world" at 48.6 miles in length between the San Fernando Valley and Orange County, said Mike Miles, the California Department of Transportation's director for Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The two-year project will replace two more bridges, also to accommodate the widening of the 405, and will improve about two dozen on-off ramps and add 18 miles of sound-deadening walls for nearby residents, Miles said. The 405 is usually one of the busiest freeways in the country, carrying about 500,000 cars a day through the Sepulveda Pass, a critical artery connecting Californians along the coast. The 405 achieved notoriety on national television as the corridor that former NFL player O.J. Simpson used as he was being slowly chased by police in 1994. The highway also cuts through the west side of Los Angeles, an area that includes the high-status communities of Bel Air, Brentwood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. CNN's Michael Martinez, Sara Weisfeldt, Sonya Hamasaki and Zohreen Adamjee contributed to this report.

NEW: Interstate 405 reopened 17 hours ahead of schedule . NEW: Los Angeles traffic dropped by two-thirds because of dire gridlock warnings . NEW: "We can get out of our car once in a while and survive," Mayor Villaraigosa says . "Carmegeddon" was not the traffic nightmare predicted for Los Angeles drivers .

(CNN) -- From the moment I stepped onto the tarmac in New Delhi two weeks ago, I was struck yet again by the sheer breadth of India's diversity -- ethnic, religious, cultural, geographic. It is what makes India a remarkable country, home to the world's largest democracy. Earlier this year, some 550 million citizens went to the polls to cast their vote, in the largest election the world has ever seen. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Washington, D.C., for the first time as the leader of India, he will bring with him the aspirations and concerns of 1.2 billion people. The task before him and President Obama will be to reaffirm the strategic partnership between our two nations -- a partnership that relies not only on government ties but also on steadily expanding relations between our business communities, civil society groups and cultural institutions. The U.S. and India form what President Obama has called the "defining partnership of the 21st century." But this partnership can only reach its full potential if it is given the kind of attention and commitment it deserves. So what tone will President Obama set when he first sits down with the new Prime Minister? I will venture to suggest a few key points: . For the sake of peace and prosperity not only in Asia but also globally, India and the U.S. must work together across a range of economic, political, environmental, and security issues. We must recognize, however, that we will not always agree on every issue. That is the nature of a deep and close bilateral relationship. Indeed, over the past year, there have been bouts of distrust, uncertainty and perceived drift, but I am convinced that both leaders have every intention of establishing a positive tone during Mr. Modi's visit. Over the past decade, the two countries have made rapid strides towards strengthening the relationship without headline-grabbing developments (the exception being the 2008 civil nuclear cooperation agreement). This is not a bad thing. Significant progress has resulted from "small" steps in people-to-people exchanges, scientific collaboration, and educational exchanges that have accreted over time. For a first meeting between leaders of two great, and often noisy, democracies, it will be important for both sides to engage in the mutual setting of expectations. Mr. Modi comes to office with a set of ambitious plans for India In an era of considerable turmoil in various regions of the world, India can be a major force for stability. Democratic states with a well-established rule of law and adherence to international norms, as President Obama recently invoked before the U.N. General Assembly, are the best guarantors of regional stability and prosperity. President Obama's rebalance to Asia does not come at the expense of trans-Atlantic relations (more important than ever in light of current events on the eastern border of NATO). Similarly, we should welcome the Prime Minister's engagement with traditional U.S. allies in Asia, including South Korea, Japan and Australia, and emerging partners such as Vietnam, as part of his "look east and act east" policy. As President Obama underscored this past week at the U.N., the world faces a stark threat in ISIL and must come together to counter extremism wherever it takes root. Mr. Modi's visit to the 9/11 Memorial on Saturday reflects the shared suffering of our two countries at the hands of terrorists. Since the devastating Mumbai attacks of 2008, our cooperation against terror has grown exponentially. Washington should continue to expand its information sharing and other counterterrorism exchanges with India. The President should also encourage the negotiation of a new Defense Framework Agreement with India, to replace one that is expiring in 2015. Our defense cooperation is increasingly robust, featuring major naval exercises, military exchanges and high-level consultations. These should continue, as should the trend of Washington permitting higher levels of sensitive technology to be released to Indian defense forces. Domestically, Mr. Modi's biggest challenge is returning India to the level of economic growth that is necessary to provide opportunity for the nation's fast-growing, youthful workforce. An important part of this effort will require a focus on improving the trade and investment climate, for example, by following through on India's commitments to the World Trade Organization. He has been very clear that he wants to expand the Indian economy by improving trade numbers and attracting more foreign investment. And, with his "Make in India" campaign officially launched just days before his U.S. trip, he has already signaled his commitment to turn India into a global manufacturing hub -- including by addressing the daunting regulatory challenges that investors, both foreign and domestic, face. This is an encouraging sign. India and the United States share the objective to build a strong manufacturing base and create jobs. This should be an area of cooperation between our countries, not a point of conflict. Both India and the United States must commit to rebuilding mutual trust and focus on moving our partnership forward. The world has too much to gain for these two great democracies to do otherwise.

Madeleine Albright: Visit of India PM Modi a chance for he and Obama to reaffirm trust . They must tackle political, environmental, economic, security issues; won't always agree . She says India can be force for stability amid regional turmoil; shows solidarity against terror . Albright: India, U.S. should cooperate, build partnership for economic growth .

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Iran remains a danger to the world even though it stopped a program to develop a nuclear weapon four years ago, President Bush said Tuesday. President Bush tells reporters Tuesday that Iran still poses a threat to the world. "Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous and Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon," Bush said, pointing out that Tehran continues to try to enrich uranium for civilian purposes and therefore develop technology that could be used for a weapon. A declassified summary of a National Intelligence Estimate released by the U.S. government on Monday said Iran had stopped working toward a nuclear weapon in 2003 and is unlikely to be able to produce enough enriched uranium for a bomb until at least 2010. Enriched uranium at low concentrations can be used to fuel nuclear power plants, but much higher concentrations are needed to yield a nuclear explosion. The new estimate is less severe than a 2005 report that judged the Iranian leadership was "determined to develop nuclear weapons despite its international obligations and international pressure." Earlier Tuesday, Iran ripped the Bush administration for rhetoric that came before Monday's release of the estimate. "U.S. officials have so far inflicted ... damage on the Iranian nation by spreading lies against the country and by disturbing public opinion, therefore, they have to pay the price for their action," Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham is quoted as saying on the Web site of the official Islamic Republic News Agency. In another posting, IRNA called the updated estimate "a necessary and positive step in Tehran-Washington relations, but undoubtedly is not sufficient." "The U.S. administration should know that only admitting a mistake is not enough," the IRNA report said. But Bush said Tuesday he saw the latest estimate on Iran as "a warning signal." Watch why Bush says he sees a danger in the report » . "What's to say they couldn't start another covert nuclear weapons program?" Bush asked. The latest estimate shows "Iran needs to be taken seriously as a threat to peace," Bush said. See how the 2005 and 2007 estimates differ » . U.S. national security adviser Stephen Hadley said Monday that Iran remains a serious threat. "We have good reason to continue to be concerned about Iran developing a nuclear weapon even after this most recent National Intelligence Estimate," he said. "In the words of the NIE, quote, Iranian entities are continuing to develop a range of technical capabilities that could be applied to producing nuclear weapons, if a decision is made to do so." Hadley said U.S. policy toward Iran has not changed because of the new report. "If we want to avoid a situation where we either have to accept Iran ... with a path to a nuclear weapon, or the possibility of having to use force to stop it, with all the connotations of World War III -- then we need to step up the diplomacy, step up the pressure, to get Iran to stop their so-called civilian uranium enrichment program," he said. "That's our policy going forward -- no change." Britain on Tuesday also called for continued pressure on Iran. "The report confirms that we were right to be worried about Iran seeking to develop nuclear weapons, and it also shows that the sanctions program and international pressure were having some effect," a spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown said. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak echoed Bush's comments Tuesday. "Iran is a main threat to the world and Israel," Barak said. "The entire world and the state of Israel should prepare to deal with this threat and thwart it." Iran has insisted its nuclear program is strictly aimed at producing electricity, and the country has refused the U.N. Security Council's demand to halt its enrichment program. Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, said Tuesday that even the allegations that Tehran was pursuing a nuclear weapon up to 2003 were false. "I categorically reject any allegation that Iran has had before, has now and will have [such a program] because a nuclear weapon is not in our defense decree," Soltanieh said. "We are of the belief that a nuclear weapon would create a vulnerability and therefore we are and have and will be against nuclear weapons," he said. The IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, has reported that Iran is cooperating with inspectors by providing access to declared nuclear material, documents and facilities. However, the agency also said Iran is withholding information in other areas, and as a result, the IAEA's knowledge about the status of the program is "diminishing." Iran says its uranium enrichment work is allowed under the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty. The U.N. Security Council has passed two rounds of sanctions against Tehran, but Washington missed its goal of reaching consensus on tighter restrictions by the end of November, the State Department said last week. E-mail to a friend .

NEW: Iranian envoy says Iran has never sought nuclear weapons . Iran could transfer civilian nuclear work to military, President Bush says . U.S. intelligence estimate says Iran stopped nuclear arms work in 2003 . U.S. national security adviser says U.S. policy toward Iran unchanged .

(CNN) -- At first glance the Eurovision Song Contest may seem like any old talent show. Singers perform live on TV, the public and special juries vote, and at the end of the night a star is born. But don't call this "X Factor" or "American Idol". This is reality TV on steroids. Every year around 40 nations from Spain to Azerbaijan field a musical act, each singing an original song in front of a huge television audience. As part of the European festival of kitsch, some contestants sashay across the stage in barely-there dresses, and shriek into wind machines with the force of hurricanes. Pyrotechnics, fire, and massive LED screens are de rigeur. It's a big draw. In 2013 more than 180 million viewers in 45 countries tuned in to the action. This year's final takes place on May 10 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Although officials describe Eurovision as a non-political event meant to unite Europe through song, politics inevitably colors the voting and the performances. William Lee Adams, a Eurovision expert and the editor-in-chief of Wiwibloggs.com, the popular Eurovision website, has been in Denmark for the buildup since late April. "Eurovision is about music, but it's also about identity and nation branding," he says. "The artists and their songs become symbols of the countries they represent." This year is no different. Tensions over Crimea are already coloring the perception of acts from Russia and Ukraine. During the semi-finals on May 6, some of the audience inside Copenhagen's B&W Hallerne booed the Russian act, a pair of 17-year-old twins called The Tolmachevy Sisters. "Months of frustration over Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and Putin's anti-LGBT laws have left Europeans angry," Adams says. "The booing was a release, a statement of solidarity with Ukraine and Russia's sexual minorities." It doesn't help that Russia's love song features lyrics that some see as hinting at a border incursion: "...living on the edge, closer to the crime, cross the line, one step at a time...maybe there's a day you'll be mine." In the past, Russia has relied on support from voters in the former Soviet bloc. Those votes seem less certain this year. Russia's loss could be Ukraine's gain. Mariya Yaremchuk, this year's Ukrainian act, will sing a song about love called "Tick-Tock." Her act features a man running inside a giant hamster wheel. The act is not explicitly political, but in press conferences Yaremchuk has stressed that her goal is to show that art is stronger than politics, and that music lasts longer than warring politicians. It's not all about Russia and Ukraine. During the semi-finals, the act from Poland featured women in traditional dress churning butter and washing clothes as a woman rapped about Slavic women: "Cream and butter taste so good /We will prepare for you delicious food/ Our beauty is famous all over the world/ You gotta see it for yourself and then you will know." "Poland, one of Eastern Europe's economic success stories, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in the European Union," Adams says. "Their song is a brilliant parody of Polish stereotypes, and a rebuke to all those who view Poland as backwards and behind-the-times." In the past officials have disqualified songs with explicit political messages. In 2009, the Republic of Georgia was forced to pull its entry "We Don't Wanna Put In." It was a clear poke at Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the wake of the 2008 South Ossetia War. Creative license allows other songs with political messages to slip through. In 2011 the Portuguese entry, which translated as "The Struggle is the Joy," was a call for Portuguese to fight against the government's planned austerity measures. It became an anthem of protest during the financial crisis. Political leaders, particularly those in the East, see the Eurovision results as a matter of international standing. Last year, when Azerbaijan failed to give any points to its political ally Russia, the Azeri president ordered a vote recount and the foreign ministers of two countries convened a meeting in Moscow. Riding a wave of sympathy, Ukraine has emerged as one of the bookies favorites to win this year. That won't sit well with authorities in Moscow. Nor will the reality that televoters in Crimea may still be counted as Ukrainian by their mobile phone companies. "When the points are counted and the hair extensions come off, one government is going to be very disappointed," Adams says. "This isn't just a song contest. It's a battle in the war." Opinion: The soft politics of Eurovision .

The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most watched non-sporting events in the world . Every year around 40 nations from Spain to Azerbaijan participate in the competition . This year tensions over Crimea could spillover into the contest . In the past officials have disqualified songs with explicit political messages .

Louisville, Kentucky (CNN) -- Wilson Perez believes his father's killer is one of the hundreds of stable workers who live and care for horses in an area known as the "backside" of the Churchill Downs horse racing grounds. "I imagine he's wandering around here," Wilson Perez told CNN in an exclusive interview first aired on "Erin Burnett OuFront", near the barn where his father's body was found. "It has to be someone who lives here because no one else can come in." Louisville Police investigators have released few details about the death of 48-year-old Adan Perez. Police say Perez's body was discovered around 5 a.m. Sunday morning by barn workers, just several hours after the final races of Kentucky Derby Day. The body was left in Barn No. 8, which backs up to the backstretch of the famed Churchill Downs horse racing track. The "backside" of Churchill Downs is made up of dozens of barns that house more than a thousand horses. It's also where some 600 stable hands live. It's a secluded and often overlooked world. It's home to the transient workers of the horse racing industry. Most workers are Central American immigrants who move around the country looking for work with stables and trainers. "The outside world doesn't see this world. They don't know what the backside of the racetrack is like," Churchill Downs chaplain Ken Boehm said. "It does concern us that there's someone back here or there could be someone back here still that could commit such an act." Police say there are no suspects in the slaying of Adan Perez but are looking into several altercations that occurred at the track. Wilson Perez said he last heard from his father around 11:30 p.m. Saturday night. Both men talked on the phone for several minutes at the end of a hard day's work during the Kentucky Derby. "He called me to see how I was doing and where I was," Wilson Perez said. This was almost a daily routine for both men. Father and son worked in different barns on the Churchill Downs grounds and could go most of the day without seeing each other. "He told me he was outside (the racing grounds) at a restaurant with friends," Wilson Perez added. "Everything was normal, like every time he called me. He never told me there were any problems." Wilson Perez said he hasn't heard any stories of his father getting into any altercations the night of the murder. He also said he never heard his father talk of having enemies or having any problems with anyone around the grounds. Wilson Perez first walked through the gates of Churchill Downs two years ago. He had convinced his father to let him leave home in Guatemala and find work in the barns caring for horses. Adan Perez worked for horse trainer Cecil Borel, the brother of three-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Calvin Borel. Wilson Perez said he wanted to leave Guatemala to get closer to his father, who had been working in Kentucky since 2008. "I asked him to bring me here," said Wilson Perez. "I wanted to be with him." The backside of horse racing tracks is the forgotten side of the horse racing grounds. It's an area that highlights the stark class structure of horse racing. It's where you see millionaire horse owners standing shoulder to shoulder with stable hands who roughly earn between $250 and $800 a week for a variety of jobs caring for the prized horses. "Such a mash of people back here, the richest of the rich, the poorest of the poor and everyone in between," said Boehm, who ministers to the stable hands. But it's also a secluded and difficult world for outsiders to penetrate. Workers often move around the country, from horse track to horse track following the work wherever it goes. Boehm said on any given day there are about 600 people who live on the backside of Churchill Downs. They can live on the grounds for free, but the workday usually starts early. Around 4 a.m. workers start cleaning the stables and feeding horses. Other workers prepare the horses for their daily workouts on the racetrack. Boehm hoped stable workers who might have information about Adan Perez's slaying won't be reluctant to come forward. "I'm hoping someone will say something, if not to me, to a trainer or to a friend that they become comfortable with," he said. Wilson Perez said he still loves the work at Churchill Downs. In fact, since his father's death he's kept working through the pain and anguish even as he makes arrangements to get his father's body sent home to Guatemala for a burial. Wilson Perez said he doesn't want to return to Guatemala; he wants to keep working at Churchill Downs. "He was a good father," Wilson Perez said. "Everything he knew; he would pass on to me."

Victim's son thinks his father's killer is one of Churchill Downs' stable workers . "Backside" of horse racing track is a secluded, overlooked world . No suspects in slaying, but police looking into altercations at track . Son said father never said anything about enemies or troubles .

Rome (CNN) -- The pope's former butler, Paolo Gabriele, was convicted Saturday of aggravated theft for leaking confidential papal documents and sentenced to 18 months in prison. He was also ordered to pay the costs of the trial at the Vatican City courthouse. The case is the biggest to go before the Vatican court in decades. It has been the subject of intense interest because a book based on the leaked papers revealed claims of corruption within the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy. Presiding judge Giuseppe Dalla Torre said he was reducing the three-year term requested by the prosecution to 18 months because of mitigating circumstances. These included the fact that Gabriele had no previous criminal record and his acknowledgment of "having betrayed" the pope's trust, Dalla Torre said, in a reading of the verdict broadcast on Vatican TV. Gabriele, who could have faced up to eight years in prison, looked relieved as the 18-month sentence was handed down. Pope's ex-butler had trove of documents 'of interest' It is not yet clear whether the former butler will serve the full sentence in an Italian prison or whether it may be suspended. He could also be pardoned by the pope, of whom he has asked forgiveness for his actions. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, head of the Holy See media office, told journalists at a briefing that Gabriele would remain under house arrest for the time being. His lawyer has three days time to present an appeal Lombardi said. If an appeal is presented and an appeal trial takes place, Gabriele would remain under house arrest during this time, he said. "There is a concrete possibility that the pope might pardon him (Gabriele), but it is up to him to decide when and how," Lombardi added. Prison terms handed down by the court are served in the Italian prison system under an agreement between Vatican City and Italy, since there are no long-term detention facilities within the tiny city-state. Gabriele had defended his actions as having a moral objective in his final remarks before the jury of three lay judges retired to consider its verdict. "I feel strongly the conviction inside of me that I did it because of my overwhelming love, I would say visceral, for the Church of Christ and for its visible leader," he told the court. " I repeat, I don't feel like a thief." His father was also in court Saturday to hear the final arguments. Defense lawyer Cristiana Arru said she was pleased with the verdict, according to a briefing by the small pool of journalists allowed to attend the trial. In her closing statement, Arru, who called for the jury to reduce the theft charge to a lesser one, had told the court that while her client's actions were illegal, they were the result of "the evil he saw" within the Church. Pope's former butler claims innocence in 'Vatileaks' trial . Arru told the court that Gabriele's actions were morally motivated and that she hoped that "one day they will be recognized and applauded." The court heard this week how police found more than 1,000 important documents among a stash of hundreds of thousands of papers in Gabriele's apartments in Vatican City and Castel Gondolfo, a town near Rome. Among them were original papers signed by Pope Benedict XVI, some of them stamped with an order for destruction, according to the journalists allowed to attend the trial. Also found in his possession were a gold nugget belonging to the pope, a signed check made out to Pope Benedict XVI for 100,000 euros and an original version of Virgil's Aeneid from 1581. In his testimony Tuesday, the former butler declared himself not guilty of a charge of aggravated theft in connection with the leaked documents -- but said he had abused the pope's trust. He told how he had photocopied many confidential papal papers, saying he did so because he wanted to expose wrongdoing and corruption. Observers say that despite the trial, questions remain about how Gabriele managed to remove such confidential and potentially damaging documents from Vatican City. There is also continued speculation over whether someone high up in the Church, perhaps a cardinal, may have helped him, although Gabriele denied having an accomplice. Some of the private documents contained allegations of financial corruption, claims the Vatican might have preferred to keep under wraps. Gabriele was arrested in May, following a Vatican investigation into how the pope's private documents appeared in the best-selling book "Sua Santita" ("His Holiness"), by Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi. Corruption claims resulting from the book's publication, based on the leaked materials, rocked the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church and could even affect who becomes the next pope. Pope's butler leaked papers to shock 'corrupt' church, prosecutor says . Journalist Barbie Nadeau contributed to this report.

NEW: Judge says there were mitigating circumstances in Paolo Gabriele's case . NEW: Gabriele is placed under house arrest pending a possible appeal . NEW: "There is a concrete possibility that the pope might pardon him," says official . A book based on the leaked papers revealed corruption claims within the Church hierarchy .

(CNN) -- A young woman steals her way down darkened passages in Korogocho -- one of Kenya's largest slums. Crime, prostitution and drug use are rampant in the locality where a quarter of a million people reside and the young woman's eyes dart around erratically on the lookout for danger. It should be one of the happiest days of her life -- she is pregnant and has just gone into labor. She is also one of the fortunate few that can afford to go to hospital. Some women face a homebirth where, instead of medical equipment, they must make do with cotton wool and razorblades. But the journey to hospital leaves her vulnerable to opportunistic assault. For Aggrey Otieno, a human rights activist, this scenario is exactly what he is trying to prevent. A facilitator of social change, he has dedicated his life to improving the living conditions -- especially for women and children -- in the Kenyan slum where he spent his childhood. "Korogocho has been in the news for all the bad things ... HIV/AIDS is very rampant. People who do drugs are here. People who do prostitution are here," says Otieno. "It is our responsibility who stay in the slum, to bring the change that we want." Read this: African midwife, Nobel Peace Prize? In his mission to help the area where he grew up, Otieno established Pambazuka Mashinani, -- meaning "grassroots awakening" in Swahili -- with an ethos of empowering "urban poor in Nairobi slums." After being granted a scholarship through the Ford Foundation, Otieno attended Ohio University in the United States, receiving a Masters degree in communications and development and a diploma in African community health. Using these learned skills, Otieno returned to Kenya to begin passing on his knowledge and start Pambazuka Mashinani. "So many people in this community look up to me -- in fact I think I am the most educated person here because I have a Masters degree," he says. "Because of that, I feel I have to really give back to this community." He adds: "It is out of that I am trying to bring other people together to save lives in Korogocho." Otieno's organization now has a number of programs including reproductive health, research and advocacy, youth and women's empowerment. One of the most widespread obstacles for women in the slum is the fact that most cannot afford healthcare so part of Otieno's mission is to bring healthcare directly to them in the form of support groups with trained professionals. "(Local people) get trained on a number of topics -- like today's topic is on breast feeding ... when you support them, they end up supporting their children and the whole community and they end up being empowered. "I believe by empowering one woman, I have empowered so many communities." In addition to community education workshops, Otieno has also set up a network of 24-hour mobile medical units called telemedicine centers, which provide assistance for pregnant women from afar via text messages and, where necessary, vans are sent to pick up women from the slums and take them to a local hospital. "We are making use of simple technology to save lives in the community -- through some laptops and computers," says Otieno. "We have integrated them with software installed in health facilities around Korogocho and we also have mobile phone texting technology. "What we have done is come up with some software to link the front-line health workers that are supporting us -- these people have mobile phones and they visit pregnant women in their homes -- and at the moment they see complications, they send text messages to the telemedicine center." Doctors then review the text messages and provide analysis and support for pregnancy-related matters. "Eight percent of Kenyans -- regardless if you are poor -- own a mobile phone. People do a lot of texting. It is very cheap for you to text ... so that really inspired me." One doctor on the end of a mobile phone is Peter Muguma who greatly admires the work Otieno has done to lower maternal mortality rates in Korogocho. "So many women are dying during delivery, dying during pregnancy," says Muguma. "In the slums it is due to poverty, lack of awareness, transport." "We get a text message on our computer. This tells us the mother is sick or in labor and then I make arrangements for (an) ambulance or for someone to pick her up and take her to hospital ... When you save a life a lot of satisfaction comes out of that," adds Muguma. Otieno takes a lot of pride in what he is doing to change the lives of those in Korogocho, saying that facilitating social change at the grassroots level can have a ripple effect for years to come. "I have seen my friends going through prostitution, drugs and a lot of my friends are criminals that were my classmates," he says. "I am offering myself that you can also live here and be the change you want to be and at the same time you can be a role model that they can look up to so they can bring change in the community."

Aggrey Otieno grew up in one of Kenya's poorest slums . He created tele-medicine centers, which provide assistance via text message . The human rights activist says empower one person and it will have a ripple effect .

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Another Taliban leader has been seized in neighboring Pakistan by security forces, sources said. Mullah Abdul Salam was arrested last week, according to Afghan government officials, Taliban sources and a U.S. official. Word of Salam's arrest comes days after news of the capture of the Afghan Taliban's reputed second-in-command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. "The Taliban is down another 'shadow governor,' " the American source said of Salam. The source declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the information. The news came against the background of an intensified U.S.-led campaign against insurgents on both sides of the border. Taliban fighters are resisting Operation Moshtarak, an allied military push into areas the Taliban control in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province. "They know this is their last stronghold. They're not backing down," CNN's Atia Abawi reported from the battlefield, where she is embedded with U.S. Marines. The crackle of small-arms fire and the whoosh of outgoing mortar rounds from the Marines were clearly audible on the line as she described the battle. "About five minutes ago, Taliban started attacking our area," she said shortly before 8 a.m. ET. "The Taliban are not giving up -- they seem to be coming out in squads, [but] they know they can't group together in large numbers" because it would make them easier targets. The Taliban seem to include "foreign fighters who will fight to the death," she said. It will take NATO-led military forces "another 25 to 30 days to secure that which needs to be secured" in Helmand and a further three months to ensure insurgents are kept out of the area, British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter said Thursday in a briefing from Afghanistan broadcast by the Pentagon Channel. The Nad-e Ali district is "broadly secure," Carter said, noting there is still Taliban resistance in Marjah. "It will be some days before we can be completely confident that Marjah is secure," said Carter, the International Security Assistance Force's head of Regional Command South. Ten civilians were killed on the second day of the operation, he said. Reports at the time said 12 were killed. There have been five casualties among the NATO-led forces during the operation, the forces said in a statement Thursday, without giving further details. It said later that four ISAF servicemembers died Thursday -- two of them in an improvised explosive device strike; another after a separate IED attack; small-arms fire killed the fourth servicemember. It was not immediately clear whether the four were among the five casualties noted earlier. The four deaths bring to 44 the number of Americans killed this year in Afghanistan. In all, 78 coalition forces have died this year . Across the border in Pakistan, four people were killed and five were wounded Thursday when a drone fired on a suspected militant compound in the country's tribal region, intelligence sources and a local political official said. The four dead were suspected militants, two intelligence officials said. It was not clear whether the wounded also were militants. The remote-controlled aircraft fired two missiles at the compound in the Danday Darpakhel area of North Waziristan, one of seven districts in the tribal region along the Afghan border, the sources said. They asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to the media. The U.S. military does not comment on reported attacks by the pilotless aircraft, but the United States is the only country operating in the region known to have the ability to launch missiles from drones. Salam was arrested in Pakistan, the Afghan government and Taliban sources said, but they named different cities as the location of his capture. Gov. Muhammad Omar of Afghanistan's Kunduz province said Salam was detained in Quetta, where the Afghan Taliban reportedly has its leadership councils. The Taliban sources said he was nabbed in Faisalabad. Salam is believed to be the Taliban commander for Kunduz, Omar said. Salam was directing Taliban military operations in the province, including ordering terrorist actions, mine planting and suicide attacks, said Abdul Razaq Yaqubi, police chief in Kunduz. Yaqubi said Salam and another Taliban "shadow governor," Mullah Salih, were arrested last week in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. He said the information came from Pakistani authorities. Salih was the shadow governor of Baghlan province, the police chief said. There was no immediate confirmation of Salih's arrest. Taliban sources and Omar said other suspected members of the Afghan Taliban were arrested with Salam, but their identities are not clear. CNN's Pam Benson in Washington and journalist Mati Matiullah in Kabul contributed to this report.

NEW: NATO-led forces will secure Helmand in "25 to 30 days," British general says . Mullah Abdul Salam arrested in Pakistan, say U.S., Afghan, Taliban sources . Salam is Taliban "shadow governor" of Afghanistan's Kunduz province . Four suspected militants reported killed in drone strike in Pakistan .

(CNN) -- A multistate kidnapping targeting a North Carolina prosecutor turns out to be a complicated web of mistaken identity and intrigue, court documents show. Nine people stand accused of participating in a conspiracy to kidnap a Wake County assistant district attorney who had prosecuted Kelvin Melton in 2012. But one of the suspects bungled an Internet search and came up with an address for her father, 63-year-old Frank Janssen, who was kidnapped earlier this month and abused before being rescued from an Atlanta apartment five days later. The plot seemingly begins and ends with Melton, according to a federal indictment handed down from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina on Tuesday. After a jury convicted Melton of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole at Polk Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina. It was there, federal documents say, that Melton obtained a cell phone and contacted Patricia Kramer and Tianna Maynard, accused of orchestrating the scheme. Melton instructed Maynard and Kramer to "assemble a team to travel to North Carolina and kidnap the (assistant district attorney)," the indictment says. "Maynard used the Internet to research what she thought was the address of the ADA," federal documents say. "Unbeknownst to Maynard, she had actually found the address of the ADA's father." Melton oversaw the four-member kidnapping team with a heavy hand, documents say, even instructing each person on their specific role during the abduction and advising them to wear khakis and collared shirts. On April 5, the team left Georgia and arrived at Janssen's home in Wake Forest. One kidnapper stayed with the car. Two more, armed with a handgun and stun gun, lay in wait, while the fourth knocked on the door with a clipboard in hand, according to the indictment. When Janssen opened the door, the assailants "forced their way into the house and abducted him," the indictment reads. Janssen was shocked with the stun gun, pistol-whipped, then restrained and forced into the car for the drive back to Georgia. The ride was not pleasant. "The ADA's father was forced to remain lying on the backseat floorboard and a blanket was put over his body," the indictment says. Kidnapping suspects Quantavious Thompson and Jakym Tibbs "also restrained the victim with handcuffs, pistol whipped him, and used the stun gun on him dozens of times." Janssen would remain held against his will at an apartment complex in Atlanta, taped to a chair inside a closet, for the next several days, the indictment says. On April 7, Melton dictated text messages to one of his accomplices to send to Janssen's wife, according to court documents. "We will send him back to you in 6 boxes, and every chance we get we will take someone in you [sic] family to italy [sic] and torture them and kill them, we will do a drive by and gun down anybody in you [sic] family and we will throw grenades in you [sic] window," read one text, according to the indictment. The messages ordered that "various demands benefiting Melton must be satisfied," the document said, and warned that harm would come to more family members and the prosecutor herself if "cooperation was not forthcoming." A photo of Janssen, tied to a chair in a closet, was sent to Janssen's wife two days later, along with another text: "Tomorrow we call you again an [sic] if you can not tell me where my things are at tomorrow i will start torchering [sic]." The kidnappers did not know the authorities were by then aware that Melton was allegedly masterminding the abduction from his jail cell and that the FBI was already watching two homes in Georgia where members of the plot were staying. That evening, Melton received a chilling text message, court documents show: "we got car, spot, and shovel." After Melton allegedly exchanged texts with his co-conspirators ordering them to kill Janssen, bury him and cover up the crime, authorities moved in, the documents say. Just before midnight, the FBI rescued Janssen, and by the next morning, most members of the kidnapping plot were in custody. On Wednesday, Kramer, the only member of the conspiracy who wasn't in custody when the indictment was filed Tuesday, surrendered to the FBI in Atlanta and had a first appearance in court. Kramer, Melton, Thompson, Maynard, Jakym Tibbs, Clifton Roberts, Jenna Martin, Michael Gooden and Jevante Price each face several counts, including a federal conspiracy kidnapping charge. None has entered a plea.

Nine people face charges in kidnapping of Frank Janssen, a prosecutor's father . Kelvin Melton allegedly masterminded plot from jail, as revenge for his prosecution . Indictment: Botched Internet search led kidnappers to wrong house in North Carolina . Janssen rescued after Melton allegedly told kidnappers to kill him, documents say .

Boston (CNN) -- Graphic testimony from a forensic anthropologist, including images of decomposing bones and brain matter, continued Thursday in the federal case against Boston's reputed mob boss, James "Whitey" Bulger. Dr. Ann Marie Mires, a Massachusetts state forensic anthropologist, showed jurors gruesome photos of human remains found in shallow graves in the Boston area. One grave was at Tenean Beach in Dorchester, and two sets of remains were excavated along the Neponset River. The remains at Tenean Beach were found in a 3-foot grave in September 2000, Mires told the court. Jurors were shown several photos of the remains there, including parts of a pelvic bone, a fractured skull with decomposed brain matter and a claddagh ring with part of a decomposed finger bone. Earlier this week, Kevin Weeks, Bulger's longtime crime associate, told jurors that at this location, Bulger said, "Drink up, Paulie," in reference to Paul McGonagle. Authorities believe Bulger killed McGonagle, who was a leader of a rival gang in Boston. Expletives fly between Bulger and ex-partner . Most of McGonagle's remains were severely decayed due the shallow grave and the corrosive damage from the water, Mires explained. Some of his remains were very much intact, though. Jurors were shown a picture of a pair of shoes, socks and leg bones extending straight out of the socks. Bulger is charged in the deaths of 19 people during some two decades when prosecutors say he ran Boston's Irish mob. He also faces charges of extortion, racketeering and money laundering. Two set of remains that were found along the Neponset River had also been damaged by water and tidal currents, Mires said. The first set of remains was excavated there in late September 2000, and it included part of a skull with a bullet hole, she said. The remains were found with a bulletproof vest, a navy, three-piece suit, driving gloves and a claddagh ring around a finger bone. Mires testified that these were the remains of Thomas King. John Martorano, one of Bulger's hitmen, testified earlier in Bulger's trial that Martorano himself shot King in the back his head, and he knew where King's body was dumped. "I was driving over Neponset Bridge (in Boston) one day, and Whitey said, 'tip your hat to Tommy .... He's over there,' " Martorano testified. The remains of Debra Davis were discovered about a month later along the river. Most of her remains were discovered in plastic bags along with rope around the bags, Mires explained. Almost all of Davis' bones were recovered. Because her body was in bags, even some of her hair was preserved. Mires showed the jury photos of the remains, the hair found on the skull, and how the tidal movement corroded Davis' skull. Her hair, along with pieces of her bones, were tested for DNA and were positively identified as the remains of Davis, according to Mires. One of the shortest and more emotional testimonies of the day came from Elaine Barrett, the widow of alleged Bulger victim Arthur "Bucky" Barrett. Earlier in the trial, Weeks testified that he saw Bulger shoot Barrett in the back of his head after Barrett had tried to buy his way out of death. "He called at 11, said he wouldn't be home for a while; he had to get money," Elaine Barrett told the court. "Did your husband, Bucky Barrett, ever come home?" Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak asked the widow. "No." Barrett answered, tearing up. She said she never saw or spoke to her husband again. Earlier in the day, before the jury entered the courtroom, the judge heard a request from J.W. Carney, Bulger's attorney, to postpone the trial until next week. He said the defense team needed more time to go over the materials and evidence and that Bulger, 83, was tired. Bulger imitates machine gun, talks about a killing in recorded jail visit . Assistant U.S. Attorney Zach Hafer argued against the motion, telling the judge that the victims and their families have waited long enough for justice and the defense had enough time to go over the materials. U.S. District Judge Denise Casper dismissed Carney's request. Thomas Donahue, a son of one the alleged Bulger victims, told reporters outside of court on Thursday, "I don't care if he (Bulger) is tired," in response to Carney's request. "Like it was said in court he (Bulger) had 16 years to relax... He will be fine," said Steve Davis, brother of Debra Davis. Bulger's trial continues Friday when the prosecution plans to call a forensic dentist as well as Steve Davis.

A forensic pathologist walks jurors through photos of the remains of alleged Bulger victims . Several bodies buried in shallow graves had decomposed, Dr. Ann Marie Mires says . Widow of one alleged victim describes the last time she spoke with her husband . Reputed mob bass James "Whitey" Bulger is charged with murder in 19 deaths .

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama on Tuesday admitted he made a mistake in handling the nomination of Tom Daschle as his health and human services secretary, saying Daschle's tax problems sent a message that the politically powerful are treated differently from average people. President Barack Obama is interviewed by CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday. Daschle, the former Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate, withdrew earlier Tuesday as news that he failed to pay some taxes in the past continued to stir opposition on Capitol Hill. "I think I screwed up," Obama said in a wide-ranging interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper. "And I take responsibility for it and we're going to make sure we fix it so it doesn't happen again." Daschle had apologized Monday for what he said were honest mistakes, calling them an embarrassment. The series of errors included improperly reporting $15,000 in charitable donations, failing to list $80,000 in lobbying income due to what Daschle said was a paperwork error, and not reporting as income a car and driver loaned to him by a friend and business associate. Watch Obama admit mistake » . Daschle recently filed amended tax returns and paid more than $140,000 in back taxes and interest for 2005 to 2007. Those tax issues, as well as questions over whether work he did after his stint in the Senate amounted to lobbying, gave critics ammunition to question Obama's call for a change of culture in Washington. "Ultimately, I campaigned on changing Washington and bottom-up politics," Obama said. "And I don't want to send a message to the American people that there are two sets of standards -- one for powerful people and one for ordinary folks who are working every day and paying their taxes." Watch the full interview with Anderson Cooper » . Obama defended Daschle's original appointment, saying "nobody was better-equipped to deal both with the substance and policy of health care." "He understands it as well as anybody, but also the politics, which is going to be required to actually get it done," Obama said. Earlier, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs insisted Daschle's decision to withdraw was made on his own, not as a result of any prodding from the administration. In a written statement, Daschle acknowledged the political problem he had created for the administration. Still, Obama insisted the mistake was his. Read how CNN analysts assess the situation » . Obama also said he's going to crack down on businesses using taxpayer money to excessively pay executives. He plans a Wednesday announcement of mechanisms to keep that from happening. "I'm going to be talking about executive compensation and changes we're going to be making there," he said. "We've now learned that people are still getting huge bonuses despite the fact that they're getting taxpayer money, which I think infuriates the public." Watch Obama discuss getting tough on executives » . The president also spoke about the struggling economy, the use of the label "war on terror," and lighter topics, including the family dog and his efforts to stop smoking. Thinking about the nation's faltering economy keeps him up at night, Obama said. He also addressed criticism that there is too much spending in the current stimulus package bill written by House Democrats. iReport.com: Was Daschle properly vetted? "Look, the only measure of my success as president when people look back five years from now or nine years from now is going to be, did I get this economy fixed. I have no interest in promoting a package that doesn't work," Obama said. Cooper also asked Obama about reports that he is not using former President Bush's phrase, "war on terror," to refer to the wars in Iraq in Afghanistan. "Words matter in this situation because one of the ways we're going to win this struggle is through the battle of hearts and minds," Obama said. "I think it is very important for us to recognize that we have a battle or a war against some terrorist organizations, but that those organizations aren't representative of a broader Arab community, Muslim community." Watch Obama talk about the phrase "war on terror" » . Moving on to lighter topics, the president said the first family hasn't decided what type of dog to get, but will wait until spring. Obama, an intermittent smoker, also said he has not smoked on the White House grounds. "Sometimes it's hard. But, you know, I'm sticking to it," Obama said. iReport.com: 'People should give him some slack' Asked about the greatest lesson he'd learned about the presidency from studying about Abraham Lincoln, Obama said: . "You know, when I think about Abraham Lincoln, what I'm struck by is the fact that he constantly learned on the job. He got better. You know, he wasn't defensive. He wasn't arrogant about his tasks. He was very systematic in saying, 'I'm going to master the job, and I understand it's going to take some time.' "

Obama tells CNN's Anderson Cooper: 'I take responsibility for it' President says message was sent that the politically powerful are treated differently . Daschle apologizes for what he says were honest mistakes involving taxes . Obama also discusses declining economy and fight against terrorist groups .

(CNN) -- Thanks to a crop of how-to dating shows, such as Bravo's "The Millionaire Matchmaker" and VH1's "Tough Love," more people are reaching out to matchmakers, making an age-old art fashionable again. Back in 19th-century Russia -- around the time of "Fiddler on the Roof" -- women dreaded visits from the village matchmaker and longed to choose their own men. Today, real-life dating experts are in high demand. "Millionaire Matchmaker" star Patti Stanger says her off-screen business, Millionaire's Club International, is growing just as fast as her TV series, which, in its third season premiere, increased viewership by 30 percent, according to Nielsen Media Research. It's great having more clients, Stanger said, though there's more dross to sort through. "We're on the map, everyone knows the brand, but it takes 30 to 45 guys until we find a real guy," she said. "Crazy people come in [out of] the woodwork." And while certain aspects of her club have been sensationalized for TV -- like having millionaires pick their dates out of a room full of men or women looking to date them -- Stanger tells it like it is, whether or not the cameras are rolling. "I'll tell [clients] off. I'll say, 'You want to be 80 [and alone] in the nursing home?' " "Tough Love" features Steve Ward, chief executive officer at Master Matchmakers, a matchmaking service his mother JoAnn Ward -- who also appears on the show -- founded more than 20 years ago. On the show, Ward works closely with single women who he says "need an objective third party to give them constructive feedback that can help them find what they're looking for." There are many people looking for answers, especially young people with nowhere else to turn, Ward said. About half of the 20,000 people who applied to be on his new spin-off "Tough Love Couples" were younger than 21, he said. Hiring a matchmaker can be pricey. Some services charge thousands of dollars for one-on-one consultations. However, many matchmakers will list you in their database for a smaller fee. The success of the shows has rubbed off on the matchmaking industry. Despite her general dislike for "The Millionaire Matchmaker," Janis Spindel said the Bravo hit, which debuted in 2008, is somewhat responsible for spiking interest and boosting her client base. Her company, Janis Spindel Serious Matchmaking, has seen a 41 percent increase since these programs found a place on cable TV. One client, a former bachelor from Austin, Texas, contacted Spindel after his daughter inadvertently introduced him to "The Millionaire Matchmaker." "His teenage daughter was watching it in the living room, and when he walked in, he heard what the show was about and took interest in the art of matchmaking," Spindel said. Samantha Daniels of Samantha's Table, a bicoastal matchmaking service, said she has also watched her business boom since matchmaking shows first appeared on TV. "Miss Match," a romantic dramedy based on Daniels' life as a matrimonial attorney turned matchmaker, aired on NBC in 2003. Whether it aired about six years too soon, or just settled in to an unfortunate time slot, the series was canceled after one season because of disappointing ratings. Despite "Miss Match's" missed mark, Daniels plans to give TV another shot. She's is in the planning stages of her own reality show to teach women to be better daters. "Putting that show on the air and going forward with more shows on the air, people are coming to understand what the business is more," Daniels said. "A lot of people will say ... 'You do that in real life? I want someone to do that for me.' " Jan Yager, author of "125 Ways to Meet the Love of Your Life," said fear is the main reason people are reluctant to contact matchmakers, and she's glad that reality matchmaking shows are doing their part to ease that fear. Yager, who met her husband of 25 years through the personals, said it's important to get past the stigma that comes with hiring a matchmaker. Some people have an "if it happens, it happens" attitude when it comes to finding love, she said. "But did you get to [be successful at work] because 'if it happens, it happens'? Didn't you have to plan and put time into it? Think about it." In addition to educating viewers about how to find love and sustain healthy relationships, matchmaking shows have helped to eliminate the stigma often associated with hiring a matchmaker, said Stanger, who met her fiancé through her own service. "Now it's not taboo to hire a matchmaker." she said.

Nielsen Media Research: "Millionaire Matchmaker" season 3 ratings show up season 2's . Matchmaker Janis Spindel's business up 41 percent since matchmaking shows hit TV . About half of the 20,000 who applied to be on "Tough Love Couples" were younger than 21 .

(CNN)"Birdman" flew high and "The Grand Budapest Hotel" was truly grand at the nominations for the 87th Academy Awards, each earning nine nominations to top all films. "Birdman," subtitled "The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance" -- which led to many multisyllabic mouthfuls during the Oscar announcements -- stars Michael Keaton as a former superhero actor trying to revive his career and his life by mounting a Broadway play. It earned nominations for best picture, best actor for Keaton, director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, supporting actor (Edward Norton), supporting actress (Emma Stone), original screenplay and cinematography, as well as some technical nods. Others receiving nominations for best picture are "American Sniper," "Boyhood," "The Imitation Game," "The Theory of Everything," "Selma," "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and "Whiplash." Complete list of Oscar nominations . The rush of honors for "Budapest," about the denizens of a European hotel in the years between the world wars, was somewhat unexpected, though the film had won best comedy/musical at the Golden Globes (defeating "Birdman," among others). The film was nominated for best picture and director (Wes Anderson), along with original screenplay, cinematography, score and a host of other awards. "The Imitation Game" received eight nominations. The drama stars Benedict Cumberbatch as British mathematician Alan Turing, who helped break the Germans' Enigma coding machine in World War II and was a pioneer of computer science. Cumberbatch earned a best actor nomination to go along with the film's nods for picture, director (Morten Tyldum) and supporting actress (Keira Knightley). "Boyhood," which won the Golden Globe for best drama, also performed well, earning six nods. Director Richard Linklater picked up a nomination, as did supporting performers Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette. The movie follows the maturation of a child over 12 years and was filmed for a week or two each year so that audiences could see the actors age in real time. Overlooked . A number of favorites were left off various lists. Though civil rights drama "Selma" did get a best picture nomination, actor David Oyelowo was snubbed despite earning raves for his nuanced portrait of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Director Ava DuVernay, who would have been the first African-American woman to receive a best director nomination, was also overlooked. Jennifer Aniston had received a Golden Globe best actress nomination for "Cake," and had been widely expected to get her first Oscar nomination. But she didn't make the list. Critical and commercial hit "Gone Girl," adapted from the best-seller, did earn a best actress nomination for Rosamund Pike, but struck out in all other major categories. And then there were the lack of nominations for "The Lego Movie," one of the biggest hits of the year both with critics and audiences. Widely seen as a favorite among animated films and a possibility for original screenplay, it earned just one nomination, for best song ("Everything Is Awesome"). The nominees for best animated feature are "Big Hero 6," "How to Train Your Dragon 2," "The Boxtrolls," "The Song of the Sea" and "The Tale of Princess Kaguya." Some surprises . On the other hand, though "Foxcatcher" missed out for best picture, the tragic story of a du Pont heir and two wrestling brothers scored in a number of other categories, including director, actor (Steve Carell), supporting actor (Mark Ruffalo) and adapted screenplay. Also exceeding expectations: "American Sniper," director Clint Eastwood's film based on the life of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. It earned nominations for best picture, actor (Bradley Cooper) and adapted screenplay. Glen Campbell picked up a nomination for best song, "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," from the documentary "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me." The musician is suffering from Alzheimer's, a battle depicted in the film. And though not really a surprise -- she's been here many, many times before -- Meryl Streep earned her 19th acting nomination Thursday morning. This one was for best supporting actress for her performance as the Witch in "Into the Woods." Streep was the movie's bright spot among the major categories, as "Woods" missed out on a best picture nomination. The announcements of the nominees drew some inadvertent laughs when Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs mispronounced the name of cinematographer Dick Pope, nominated for his work on "Mr. Turner," as "Dick Poop." The malaprop quickly became a Twitter meme. The 87th Academy Awards will take place Sunday, February 22, at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre. Neil Patrick Harris will host. The show airs on ABC.

"Birdman," "Grand Budapest Hotel" lead all Oscar nominees with 9 nods apiece . "The Imitation Game" follows with 8; "Boyhood" gets 6 .

Washington (CNN) -- The grounding of Boeing Dreamliners entered its second week with the company and investigators working non-stop in the United States and Japan to try to pinpoint fire risk in the 787 electrical system. U.S. aviation authorities are evaluating data but still do not have a handle yet on the cause of a battery fire on one Dreamliner and the reason behind a related incident on another plane that prompted regulators worldwide to idle the $200 million wide body until further notice. With battery and related components under microscopic examination and a new round of testing at manufacturing facilities underway this week, U.S. government officials at the center of the issue expressed eagerness to get to the bottom of the matter. But they also said it was crucial to let experts do a thorough job and the plane be re-certified as safe before lifting the order barring further flight. "We don't know what is causing these incidents yet," Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Huerta told reporters at an industry event in Washington on Wednesday. "We need to let them finish their work," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said at the same event. "These are expert people. They'll get to the bottom of it and then we'll let all of you know what they find out," LaHood said. Experts: Quick fix for Dreamliner looks less likely . Boeing said in a statement that its technical experts are working "around the clock" and are focused on "resolving the issue" and returning the 787 to service. "We are working this issue tirelessly in cooperation with our customers and the appropriate regulatory and investigative authorities. The company is eager to see both investigative groups continue their efforts and determine the cause of these events, and support their thorough resolution," said company spokesman Marc Birtel. A battery-related fire in the underbelly of an empty Japan Airlines 787 on the tarmac in Boston on January 7 triggered an FAA review of the aircraft. But regulators said the plane was still safe to fly. The FAA then grounded the fleet on January 16 after an emergency landing by an All Nippon Airways flight in Japan that was prompted by a battery alarm and a report of a burning smell. Analysis of a flight recorder from that plane showed that a lithium-ion battery experienced a sudden drop in voltage and was not overcharged, the Japan Transport Safety Board said Wednesday. Opinion: How Boeing can bounce back from Dreamliner problems . The agency is still investigating the cause of the battery's sharp fall in voltage, Norihito Goto, its chairman, said at a news conference. GS Yuasa, the battery's maker, is now disassembling the device to examine it in detail. The Japanese findings come after the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said over the weekend that the battery in the Boston fire had not been overcharged, eliminating a relatively simple potential cause but adding new complexity to the investigation. Additional details released by the safety board said all eight cells of the lithium-ion battery involved in the Boston 787 fire showed varying degrees of thermal damage. Investigators scanned and dismantled six of them to expose electrodes for microscopic examination. Those batteries are used to power electrical systems, especially when the plane's engines are idle. Dreamliner woes explained . The U.S. safety board also oversaw a series of new tests on battery systems and related components with manufacturers on Tuesday in Arizona. In Washington on Wednesday, U.S. officials were asked about the timing of the very unusual order to ground a fleet of planes. "On the day we said the planes were safe, they were. On the day we announced that there was another incident and we were grounding the plane, we felt this was the time to ground the planes," LaHood said. Huerta explained that the second incident occurred during a flight. "And that for us was an important consideration where we needed to identify what was causing these power- and battery-related incidents," he said. The FAA order applied directly to the six Dreamliners operated by United Airlines, the only ones flown by U.S. carriers. But its directive was picked up aviation authorities globally and requires that the planes be deemed safe before they fly again. Although there are only 50 wide body Dreamliners in service, there are several hundred on order. The world's largest aircraft manufacturer has made a big bet on the most technologically advanced airliner. The 787 is highly touted because of its mostly lightweight carbon fiber construction, which airlines expect will help them save billions in fuel costs on long-haul routes. Its cockpit design and cabin appointments are state of the art. The high level of attention and widespread concern about its problems and image now are partly due to the Dreamliner's difficult development. The 787 program at Boeing was plagued by cost overruns and production delays. The first one flew commercially last year . Why Dreamliner batteries worry experts . CNN's Junko Ogura in Tokyo contributed to this report.

NEW: Japanese authorities say battery experienced a sudden drop in voltage . U.S. aviation officials evaluating data as part of investigation of 787 problems . Dreamliners were grounded last week after fire in Boston, another incident in Japan . Fifty Dreamliners in service globally, but Boeing has orders for several hundred .

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The power of women hit the State Department on Wednesday when first lady Michelle Obama joined Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to celebrate champions of women's rights around the world. Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton present the State Department Women of Courage Awards. The event was to celebrate the State Department Women of Courage Awards, but highlighted how both the current and former first ladies have made women's rights a signature issue. Since calling women's rights a human rights issue at a women's conference in Beijing in 1995, Clinton has made it a personal mission to champion the rights of women. Her first two trips as secretary of state have been packed with events promoting the importance of women's rights. "These personal experiences have informed my work, and I will continue to fight for human rights as secretary of state in traditional and especially nontraditional ways and venues," Clinton told the audience. You "can't solve problems of financial crisis, climate change, disease and poverty if half of the population is left behind," Clinton said. The rights of women will "always be central to our foreign policy." In a commentary published Monday in honor of International Women's Day, Clinton warned that "women still comprise the majority of the world's poor, unfed and unschooled." "Global problems are too big and too complex to be solved without the full participation of women," she wrote in the article, which ran in more than 50 newspapers around the world. "Strengthening women's rights is not only a continuing moral obligation -- it is also a necessity as we face a global economic crisis, the spread of terrorism and nuclear weapons, regional conflicts that threaten families and communities, and climate change and the dangers it presents to the world's health and security." Ambiga Sreenevasan, a Malaysian lawyer who won an award Wednesday for her work on behalf of justice for women, called Clinton "a woman of courage who has encouraged woman around the world." Clinton's speech declaring that women's rights are human rights, Sreenevasan said, has "resonated with a lot of us here." Clinton also heaped praise on the current first lady, saying that in a very short time, Michelle Obama "through her grace and her wisdom [has] become an inspiration to women and girls, not only in the United States, but around the world." Obama spoke about the importance of proper health care, education and justice for women in ensuring strong families and communities. "The difference between a broken community and a thriving one is the presence of women who are valued, where relationships among women and between women and men are based upon mutual respect," Obama said. Obama said the work done by the honorees has not just changed their own circumstances, but by inspiring hope and motivating others to act, that work also has changed women's lives around the world. "This is how real change occurs, one determined woman at a time. And change is coming," she said. "The women we honor today teach us three very important lessons. One, that as women, we must stand up for ourselves. The second, as women we must stand up for each other. And finally, as women we must stand up for justice for all." On Wednesday, President Obama created a White House Council on Women and Girls, charged with devising a coordinated federal response to various challenges faced by American women. The council, which will be led by senior presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett and which will include most members of the president's Cabinet, will be charged with ensuring that all governmental agencies take the needs of women into account. The president said the council will also help ensure a more coordinated federal response on a range of issues, including equal pay, family leave and child care. He also nominated Melanne Verveer, Clinton's chief of staff when she was first lady, as ambassador-at-large for global women's issues. In addition to Sreenevasan, the Women of Courage honorees make up an impressive list of advocates on behalf of women under difficult and often dangerous circumstances. Hadizatou Mani escaped caste-based slavery in Niger to help fight for rights of other people still enslaved in the country. Veronika Marchenko was honored for her activism on behalf of slain soldiers' families in Russia. Suaad Allami won an award for running a nongovernmental organization on behalf of women in Sadr City, Iraq, that is considered a "one-stop shop" for legal, educational and domestic violence counseling for women. Mutabar Tadjibayeva is one of the most vocal activists in Uzbekistan fighting on behalf of women's rights, despite being arrested and beaten by police. In Guatemala, where an average of two women each day die a violent death, Norma Cruz provides support to families of women who are murdered. One honoree, 12-year-old Reem al-Numery of Yemen, was unable to attend because she is in court fighting her forced marriage to a 30-year-old cousin who allegedly raped and beat her. Her battle in the courts to divorce her husband has sparked an avalanche of activism on behalf of Yemeni preteens sold into wedlock.

First lady, secretary of state honor champions of women's rights . Event celebrates State Department Women of Courage Awards . Clinton: Rights of women will "always be central to our foreign policy" Obama: "As women we must stand up for justice for all"

(CNN) -- A man suspected of fatally shooting two Tampa, Florida, police officers is a suspect in another homicide and is sought for questioning in two others, Police Chief Jane Castor said Thursday. All the homicides have taken place since Dontae Morris was released from prison in April, Castor told reporters. "We just want to make the public aware of who we're dealing with here in Dontae Morris," she said. "... he's a cold-blooded killer." Morris, 24, is accused of shooting Officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis during an early-morning traffic stop Tuesday near downtown Tampa. The officers, both 31, later died at a hospital. Morris is also suspected in the killing of a man at an apartment complex, Castor said. That homicide occurred May 18, according to the Tampa Tribune. "We are continuing to track down some very, very positive leads," the chief said, and police remain confident Morris will be apprehended. She said she didn't believe the community was at risk, but said Morris could be moving about, and the situation could be "unpredictable." Meanwhile, Morris' picture was featured on FBI billboards in Florida, Georgia and Alabama, authorities said Thursday. Although it's not the first time authorities have featured fugitives' pictures on billboards, the posting of Morris' photograph marked the first time authorities could post such images themselves, through a partnership with outdoor advertising companies, said Chris Allen, spokesman for the FBI's Tampa bureau. "Beforehand, it would have taken the better part of a day or two" to get the photos up by contacting the companies, he said. While the initiative was on standby for the Times Square bombing attempt, it was not used, he said. The billboards went up in Florida shortly after the crime occurred Tuesday, he said. Authorities recently decided to feature the picture in Alabama and Georgia. Other states can be added, too, he said -- authorities simply create the alert on a computer and use a drop-down menu to select states. Asked whether officials plan to use the billboards in other states, Allen said it depends on where the investigation leads authorities. Morris' picture and information was also put on the website of the television program "America's Most Wanted." Meanwhile, Tampa police said Wednesday afternoon the reward for information leading to Morris' arrest has increased to $100,000 -- the biggest in the city's history. "The intensity will keep up until we capture him," said Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio. Anyone helping or harboring Morris is "making a huge mistake," she said. Asked about some citizen complaints about being inconvenienced by the ongoing search, Castor said, "I am very sorry for anyone's inconvenience. We don't want to inconvenience anyone, but our ultimate goal is to keep the citizens of Tampa safe ... I believe that anger should be focused on Dontae Morris. He's the one that's causing all this." Iorio said the evacuation of a building or the closure of a street is a "small inconvenience" given what authorities are trying to do. Asked about officers' anger toward Morris, Castor said police are "reeling over the loss of two family members" but are professionals who will take Morris into custody safely if at all possible. She reiterated, however, that the best course of action would be for Morris to give himself up. Authorities have arrested several of Morris' associates, she said. According to CNN affiliate Bay News 9, police are also searching for Morris' 21-year-old brother for questioning. Public services for the fallen officers will be held Friday evening at a church in Lutz, Florida, Bay News 9 reported. Funeral services are planned for Saturday. The officers were shot after Curtis pulled a vehicle over about 2:15 a.m. ET Tuesday, and the driver -- identified by police as Cortnee Brantly -- gave him identification and vehicle registration that did not match the vehicle, Castor said. Running a criminal history check, Curtis found that the passenger -- identified as Morris -- had an outstanding misdemeanor worthless-check warrant from Jacksonville, Florida. Curtis called for backup, and Kocab responded, police have said. As the two attempted to arrest the suspect, he pulled out a gun and shot them both, Castor has said. A gun was not found at the scene, she said, and police believe Morris still has it. Brantly was taken into custody Tuesday and authorities released her after seven hours of questioning, Castor said. Brantly provided police with information, she said, but "I would not describe her as cooperative." Although police had enough information to arrest Brantly, their focus is on apprehending Morris, the chief said. She defended the decision to release Brantly, saying "there is still a very, very distinct possibility she will be charged down the road ... The community needs to trust in the ability of the TPD." Kocab's wife is due to give birth next week, police said at the time of the shootings. Curtis leaves a wife and four sons, ages 9, 6, 5 and 8 months.

NEW: All 5 homicides took place since suspect's release from prison . Shooting suspect featured on billboards in Florida, Alabama, Georgia . Reward for information leading to Dontae Morris' arrest at $100,000 .

Houston, Texas (CNN) -- Stephen and Sara Stone say they never thought their six-month marriage would be tested so soon. But on April 20, a day before her husband was scheduled to come home from a three-week stint on the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, Sara Stone found herself waiting to hear whether he was dead or alive. "My phone call was that there's been an emergency evacuation on the rig," she said. She went back to their home in Houston, turned on the television "and saw that the rig was on fire." Stephen Stone, a laborer aboard the rig, was asleep in his room after working a 12-hour shift when an explosion erupted. He was one of the 115 workers rescued from the Gulf of Mexico -- but it would be more than a day before he was allowed to call his wife. Meanwhile, she was calling hospitals and praying her husband was still alive and unhurt. "I finally was able to get a hold of an emergency response team, and they informed me that he was on the OK list," she said. "And ... where they'd been taken to, which was a hotel in Kenner, Louisiana." The night of the blast, Deepwater Horizon marked seven years without an accident. It burned for two days before sinking, taking 11 men into the deep with it and unleashing the worst oil spill in U.S. history. BP, which owns the well; Transocean, which owned the rig; and oilfield services contractor Halliburton, which performed the cementing on the well, all blame each other for the disaster. Transocean workers have told investigators that rig managers and a BP executive argued over plans to finish up the well, which was several weeks behind schedule. And Stone told the House Judiciary Committee in May that work on the rig had to stop at least four times because of a loss of drilling fluid in the well, which indicated either an unstable or cracked formation. Stone still works for Transocean. But he's filed suit against his employer, BP, Halliburton and other companies working on the doomed rig, alleging negligence. Transocean has not responded to the claims in court, but some of the other companies have denied the allegations. Stone said he always tried to be safe on the rig, even stopping work at times to call attention to safety issues. But there were consequences, he said. At one point, he said, he was called in for a talk with "one of the senior guys for Transocean" aboard the rig. "They were saying my work performance had been slipping," Stone said. He said he told his bosses, "I always thought I'd try to pace myself. You know, we're out here 12 hours, so you try to pace yourself and not wear yourself out. And think about what I'm doing and work safe. "As soon as I was done saying that, they were like, 'Well, don't use safety as a crutch.' So, you know, you kind of get mixed signals." As a roustabout, Stone's job involved assisting crane operators and mixing the "mud" used as a counterweight and lubricant in the drilling process. It was a "bottom of the barrel" job, an entry-level position at Transocean. But he said that the drill crew was under pressure to work faster and that pressure worked its way down the chain. "I think everybody feels it, and especially the guys lower down, because I'm sure the toolpushers and whatnot are getting plenty of pressure from the people above them," he said. "But you know, we're getting pressure from everybody, pretty much, down at the bottom." Stone was awakened by the explosion. He said he ran outside to see the barrack spaces aboard the rig "just all fire" and the crew scrambling for the lifeboats. "You can't see anything like that and not expect, you know, possibly to die. So you just kind of wait for it, you know?" he said. He watched the rig burn for eight hours, first aboard a lifeboat and then aboard a supply ship that picked up the survivors. Back in Houston, Sara Stone took the first flight to New Orleans, Louisiana. Though told her husband was safe, she still hadn't heard from Stephen. "The main question that all of us had was, are they really on that boat? Why can't we speak to them?" she said. Stephen Stone was finally allowed to call his wife 26 hours after the explosion and after submitting to a drug test. He showed up at the hotel a few hours later. "It started out as the worst day of my life, and it ended up as the best," Sara Stone said. "I think we probably hugged each other for as long as we could." Stone says he doesn't think he'll return to the offshore drilling business. But he said he did manage to salvage his most important possession before the rig sank: his wedding ring. "This amazing person decided to go get his wedding ring from his room," his wife said. "I mean, he just has kind of really blown my mind as far as who he is."

Stephen Stone was to come home from oil rig April 21 . Sinking was an early test for young marriage . Wife saw rig burning in TV but didn't hear from husband for a day . "Amazing" husband saved wedding ring, she says .

(CNN) -- The race-conscious admissions policy at the University of Texas appeared to be in trouble on Wednesday after the conservative Supreme Court majority repeatedly questioned its continued application and effectiveness. The Justices heard oral arguments in an affirmative-action case that explores whether the flagship state university's admissions practices aimed at creating campus diversity violate the rights of some white applicants. Abigail Noel Fisher sued the school after her application was rejected in 2008 when she was a high school senior in Sugar Land, Texas. Opinion: Keep affirmative action but reform it . Fisher claimed the individualized, discretionary admission policies violated her rights, and favored African-American and Hispanic applicants over whites and Asian-Americans. Fisher just missed the opportunity of automatic admission to the main campus at Austin for in-state students finishing in the top 10% of their high school graduating class. So, she had to compete in a separate pool. It is that selection process that is before the court. The Supreme Court was clearly divided along ideological lines about whether affirmative action essentially has run its social and legal course, and should no longer be used in the way schools like Texas and others have done. Student voices differ on diversity . "You're trying to gut it," Justice Sonia Sotomayor said to Fisher's lawyer about the current legal precedent set in 2003. She suggested that a university deserves some flexibility to create the kind of diverse campus environment it wants. But Chief Justice John Roberts repeatedly asked, "What is the 'critical mass' of African-Americans and Hispanics at the university that you are working toward?" When the school's lawyer said there was no specific number, Roberts pressed, "So how are we supposed to tell whether this plan is narrowly tailored to that goal? What is the logical end point?" Justice Anthony Kennedy may prove the deciding or "swing" vote and could strike a compromise position -- possibly toss out the specific plan in question, while generally preserving the future use of affirmative action in more limited circumstances. The school, with a 52,000-student body, defends its "holistic" policy of considering race as one of many factors -- including test scores, community service, leadership and work experience. The Obama administration backed the school. "Everyone competes against everyone else. Race is not a mechanical automatic factor. It's an holistic individualized consideration," said U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli. African-Americans in Texas as a whole represent about 12% of the population, but comprise about 5% of students at the University of Texas. Much of the discussion during arguments surrounded the definition of "critical mass" -- how a university can use metrics to determine when it has reached the right mix of minority students to achieve diversity. Justice Stephen Breyer wondered why his colleagues were even debating the issue following 2003 high court ruling that found state universities could narrowly set up admissions policies to consider an applicant's race. The relevant high court case from nine years ago dealt with the University of Michigan's admission programs. The issue was divisive, with Justice Sandra Day O'Connor the swing vote upholding the law school's admissions criteria. O'Connor, who is no longer on the bench, predicted affirmative action would no longer be needed in 25 years, offering a gentle push to institutions to keep that timeline in mind. Nearly a decade later, however, the newly-configured court may be poised to issue a more dramatic statement on the use of race. The Texas school modified its admission policy to include race as one factor shortly after the 2003. The court's more conservative members seized the initiative during arguments. Roberts questioned how schools were to measure classroom diversity among students who come from mixed race families. Justice Samuel Alito suggested it was unfair to place Asian-Americans into one group, when they come from a wide range of cultures-- Filipinos, Chinese, and Afghans among them. "I thought that the whole purpose of affirmative action was to help students who come from underprivileged backgrounds, but you make a very different argument that I don't think I've ever seen before," he told Gregory Garre, representing the school. Garre said the school wants minorities from different backgrounds. "We go out of our way to recruit minorities from disadvantaged backgrounds," he said. Kennedy jumped in. "So what you're saying is that what counts is race above all," he said. "You want underprivileged of a certain race and privileged of a certain race. So that's race." Kennedy added later: "I thought that the whole point is that sometimes race has to be a tie-breaker and you are saying that it isn't. Well, then, we should just go away. Then we should just say you can't use race, don't worry about it." The young woman who is challenging affirmative action . Fisher graduated this year from Louisiana State University. A ruling is not likely before early next year. The current case is Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (11-345). Should affirmative action still exist? Share your thoughts on CNN iReport .

NEW: Justices raise previous affirmative action case, wonder aloud why they're hearing new one . NEW: Conservative justices seize initiative in arguments on application of race-conscious policy . University of Texas sued by student who was rejected for admission .

Cairo (CNN) -- Egyptian Armed Forces sought Tuesday to portray itself as a stabilizing force fully capable of handling the anger and unrest that have divided the nation less than a week after overthrowing the first democratically elected president. "Destruction of public property or the stability of the state will not be tolerated," the military said in an audio statement broadcast on state television. "A constitutional declaration has been issued and the road to transition is clear, so people should feel secure." The announcement came a day after 51 people were killed in clashes between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military over the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsy and as the fledgling new government announced it had filled key roles. Hazem El-Beblawi, a liberal economist who was finance minister and deputy prime minister, will serve as the interim prime minister; Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning diplomat, will serve as interim vice president, it said. Cabinet posts also will be offered to the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party, as well as to the Salafist al-Nour Party, MENA, Egypt's official news agency, reported. ElBaradei: Morsy's ouster was needed so Egypt cannot 'fail' The military's projection of confidence contrasted with the mood that surrounded a demonstration outside the Raba'a Al-Adawiya Mosque in Cairo, where thousands of people packed a square, some of them waving the country's red, white and black flag and others holding aloft pictures of Morsy. The Brotherhood's highest official of religious law said Tuesday he does not recognize the authority of the nation's interim president and will not negotiate until Morsy regains power. What is the Muslim Brotherhood? After that happens, "we will have a national and comprehensive reconciliation in which all the problems can be discussed over a negotiation table but through a prior constitution," Grand Mufti Abdulruhman Albir told the Reuters news agency. He said he recognized neither last week's military coup nor any of the moves by those who have seized power. "Therefore, there is no need to speak about any decrees, because they were issued by people without authority." Albir was referring to Interim President Adly Mansour, who had issued a constitutional declaration giving himself limited power to make laws and outlined a timetable for parliamentary and presidential elections, according to state media. Adly Mansour: Interim president, veteran judge, mystery man . There was no official word on the decree from the president's office. If the state media reports are accurate, the 33-article decree would grant Mansour limited legislative powers after consultation with a cabinet, which would wield veto power. The decree also would lay out a timeline for voting on an amended constitution and for holding parliamentary and president ballots. The declaration calls for a constitutional referendum in November, followed by parliamentary elections in December and a presidential poll in February. Without confirmation from the president's office, it is impossible to say whether the reports -- carried by state-run Al-Ahram and MENA -- are accurate. Also on Tuesday, funerals were held for the victims of clashes between the Brotherhood and security forces on Monday -- the deadliest day in Cairo since the revolution that forced then-President Hosni Mubarak from office in 2011. The interim Egyptian government announced Tuesday that it would investigate the violence. The White House has refused to describe as a coup the military's ouster of Morsy, who was reportedly being held under arrest at the Republican Guard headquarters. Doing so would require the United States to suspend its $1.3 billion in annual military aid to Egypt. When is a coup not a coup? It is in the interest of the United States and the Egyptian people "in their transition to democracy to take the time necessary to evaluate the situation before making such a determination," White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday. But he added that U.S. officials were "cautiously encouraged" that the interim government's plan "includes a return to democratically elected government that includes presidential and parliamentary elections." In response to a question, State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki told reporters that, "broadly speaking," the administration still believes that continuing military aid is a U.S. national security priority. But Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, has called for a suspension of military aid to Egypt. Some financial heavyweights in the region have offered financial assistance of their own. Saudi Arabia's finance minister said the kingdom has pledged $5 billion in grants and loans to the interim government, according to the official Saudi news agency SAPA, and the United Arab Emirates will give $1 billion to Egypt and lend it another $2 billion as an interest-free central bank deposit, state news agency WAM reported Tuesday. CNN's Reza Sayah reported from Cairo. Chelsea J. Carter and Tom Watkins reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali, Samira Said and Mitra Mobasherat contributed to this report.

NEW: Cabinet posts will be offered to the Muslim Brotherhood, Salafists . The decree would grant Adly Mansour limited legislative powers . No deadline is set for the announcement of a new government . The declaration outlines a timetable for parliamentary and presidential elections .

(CNN) -- A 4.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Ohio on Saturday, one week after a similar but smaller tremor rattled the region, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The quake was centered 5 miles northwest of Youngstown and 6 miles southeast of Warren, the agency said. The quake's epicenter was 55 miles east-southeast of Cleveland, and 145 miles northeast of Columbus. According to the preliminary estimate, the earthquake struck 1.4 miles deep. There was a lot of shaking "and a rumbling sound," said Jimmy Hughes, a former Youngstown police chief running for sheriff of Mahoning County. "I could see the house move... It seemed like the ground was moving. " The quake struck one day after Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director James Zehringer announced that work would be halted on a fluid-injection well in Youngstown, due to fears it could be contributing to a recent apparent spike in seismic activity in the area. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an injection well "is a device that places fluid deep underground into porous rock formations, such as sandstone or limestone, or into or below the shallow soil layer." The decision came after the state of Ohio invited experts from Columbia University to collect more information about seismic activity in the area. The well is owned and permitted to North Star Disposal, a Youngstown company, according to the state. "While conclusive evidence cannot link the seismic activity to the well, Zehringer has adopted an approach requiring prudence and caution regarding the site," the department said in a press release. Ben Lupo -- CEO of D&L Energy, an independent natural gas and oil exploration, production and marketing group that oversees the North Star well -- recently told CNN affiliate WKBN that there's full cooperation with experts, though he expressed grave doubts that the injection wells were to blame for the quakes. "We have approximately 1,000 wells between Ohio and Pennsylvania and we've never had a problem ... with an earthquake or spill," Lupo said. One of the Columbia University experts, Dr. Won-Young Kim, said that a problem could arise if fluid moves through the ground and affects "a weak fault, waiting to be triggered." He explained the underground waste "slowly migrates" and could cause issues miles away, adding that the danger could persist for some time as the water travels and seeps down toward the fault. "In my opinion, yes," the recent spate of earthquakes around Youngstown is related to this fluid-injection well, Kim claimed -- though there has been no definitive determination, by the state or authorities, indicating as much. There have been "moderately frequent" reports of earthquakes in northern Ohio since the first one was reported in 1823, the federal agency noted. A 1986 tremor, measuring magnitude 4.8, caused some damage. Another in 1998 measured a 4.5 and was centered in northwestern Pennsylvania. According to the Ohio Seismic Network, a 2.7-magnitude earthquake struck around Youngstown around 1:24 a.m. on December 24. "No damage was reported," the network said on its website. The state of Ohio has documented 11 "seismic events" in 2011 -- each of them, at that point, of magnitude 2.7 or lower. The Department of Natural Resources Director noted that a 4.0 magnitude quake, like the one on Saturday, releases approximately 40 times more energy than a 2.7 magnitude tremor. Youngstown police Sgt. Michael Kawa said that the latest tremor "shook the whole building we were in," but that there were no signs of significant damage in the city. That appeared to hold true elsewhere in the eastern Ohio city, based on early post-quake surveys. "A lot of house alarms, it shook the buildings," Kawa said of the aftermath. "The fire department hasn't reported any major damage." Within just over three hours of the quake, nearly 4,000 people from 357 zip codes and 23 cities -- including one as far as Salem, Massachusetts, 515 miles from the epicenter -- had submitted reports to the U.S. Geological Survey's "Did you feel it?" form on its website. Ohio is far from the Earth's major tectonic plates, with the nearest ones in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, the U.S. Geological Survey explains on its website. Still, there are many known faults in this region, with the federal agency noting that it is likely there additional "smaller or deeply buried" ones that haven't been detected. "Few, if any, earthquakes in the seismic zone can be linked to named faults," according to the geological survey. CNN's Dan Verello contributed to this report.

NEW: An expert says he thinks an injection well is related to the spate of Ohio quakes . NEW: An energy company owner says the wells have never caused any problems . NEW: A Youngstown man says after the tremor, "I could see the house move" The quake was centered 5 miles northwest of Youngstown and 1.4 miles below the surface .

(CNN) -- Comedians Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele, the brains behind the hit Comedy Central sketch show "Key & Peele," joked that President Barack Obama is the idol black nerds have longed for and needed. "Obama was the best thing for black nerds everywhere. Finally we had a role model," Peele humorously told reporters recently. "Before Obama, we basically had Urkel." Black nerds, aka "blerds," is a way to describe African-American intellectuals in a time when it's finally cool to be something other than an athlete or rapper. "There have long been African-American intellectuals," said Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., whose new genealogical show, "Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.," debuted last Sunday on PBS. "The difference with my generation and those after is that there are more of us in the spotlight," Gates said. "With my PBS specials, I drew a record 25 million viewers. I wouldn't have been able to do that without the platform I have." "It's good to see black intellectuals do well," he said. "We as a people are a whole range of things, and we're finally starting to see that reflected in the media." Because there is a growing number of prominent and successful people considered blerds such as President Obama, Gates and astrophysicist and PBS star Neil deGrasse Tyson, TV viewers are starting to see more and more blerd-type characters on their favorite comedies and even children's programs. That's right. Lance Robertson, aka DJ Lance Rock from Nickelodeon's "Yo Gabba Gabba!" is a total blerd. The list also includes comedic actor Jordan Carlos from "I Just Want My Pants Back" on MTV; Aisha Tyler from FX's "Archer" and "Happy Endings" star Damon Wayans Jr. on ABC. "I'm a black nerd and that was illegal until 2003," joked Donald Glover in one of his Comedy Central standup specials. Glover has also started blending his nerdy habits in with that of his "Community" character, Troy. A comedian and a former writer for "30 Rock," Glover has created a whole stand-up act trumpeting blerds like the president and rapper Kanye West. "Strange, specific stuff -- that's what makes a nerd a nerd," Glover has explained during his bit. "Kanye West is a black nerd. If you go up to Kanye West and say 'Hey, what are your favorite things?' He'd be like 'Robots and Teddy bears.'" "That's a nerd." Similar observations have been made by comedian and actor Kevin Hart (a guest star on ABC's "Modern Family"). Like Glover, Hart has created a new brand of dorky, self-deprecating humor that is completely different than that of their comedy predecessors, Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock. "It's fashionable to wear bowties and be educated," said Dave Nemetz, a TV content producer for Yahoo! "It's part of multiculturalism and with everything blending together, there's a certain subset of (black nerd life) that's becoming cool right now. "Nerds are cool right now in general and that's certainly an aspect." Nemetz said the rise in characters such as Brad (Damon Wayans Jr.) on "Happy Endings" is also the result of color-blind casting. "Damon Wayans' character wouldn't necessarily be a black character the way it was written," Nemetz said. "He's fantastic and that helped him get cast but I also think once you get people from different cultures coming in, and taking roles that may not have been written for them, you see this type of advancement. "Twenty years ago, it would've been out of place to have this character there because it wasn't happening culturally." Carlos, who also does standup, said his blerd character Eric on "I Just Want My Pants Back" was Jewish in the David J. Rosen book the show is based on. Rosen also created the TV show and Eric is a medical student. "I like that they were open to different people coming in and going against type," Carlos said of the show's producers. "I've been Pookie Crack Head No. 2, but I'd never been a member of a cast." Alphonso McAuley, plays a blerd on the Fox comedy "Breaking In." He said his character Cash is into "Star Wars" way more than he is in real life, in spite of the fact that he owns not one but two "Star Wars" Lego sets. "Up until now, black nerds weren't being celebrated," McAuley said. "We've seen the thug, the athlete, the rapper and the comedic best friend. This is something different. "It's cool to be uncool."

Black nerds or 'blerds' are increasingly visible in pop culture . Actors like Donald Glover, Damon Wayans and Alphonso McAuley are playing nerds . Expert says "It's fashionable to wear bowties and be educated"

(CNN) -- Several days in a row, violent storms ripped through America's heartland with the most devastating hitting on Monday. Much of Moore, Oklahoma, which is just outside of Oklahoma City, is now a devastated pile of rubble. The rescue and recovery efforts continue and the clean up has begun after a massive tornado touched down Monday afternoon. CNN affiliate KFOR reported that at one time, the tornado was estimated to be at least 2 miles wide, and the National Weather Service said the tornado was an EF5, the most severe rating for a tornado on the scale. It is clear the days ahead are grave for the people of Oklahoma and the need for help will be immense. There are several organizations already mobilizing on the ground in Moore, and you can help as well through these groups: . Emergency care: . The Red Cross . The Red Cross of Oklahoma has activated its "safe and well" website for those who are trying to reconnect with loved ones. Red Cross officials and volunteers are also beginning to open shelters. There are a handful open now and this map provides location information. You can help their efforts by donating to the Red Cross online or by texting REDCROSS to 90999. This will automatically charge $10.00 to your cell phone bill. In addition to shelter and emergency care, the Red Cross is also providing hot meals to those affected. They are operating fixed feeding sites at the Little Axe Resource Center Carney Oklahoma Senior Center and in Shawnee at the Shawnee Expo Center located at 1700 W. Independence, Shawnee, Oklahoma, 74804. If you are outside of the U.S. and wish to contribute to the efforts of the Red Cross, please visit their international partner International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent. Samaritan's Purse . Samaritan's Purse deployed a group of staff members to travel from its North Carolina headquarters to head to Oklahoma with a Disaster Relief Unit. The unit is a tractor trailer stocked with emergency supplies and equipment. AmeriCares . Global health and disaster relief nonprofit AmeriCares has an emergency response team helping in Oklahoma. They will coordinate aid deliveries and assess the needs of survivors and medical organizations in the area. Team Rubicon . Team Rubicon, a group of military veterans who respond to disaster, have issued the call to members and is heading to the region. By Tuesday morning, initial assessment teams will be on the ground, and they will then mobilize a full response to help the people affected by these storms. Food and Shelter . The Salvation Army . The Salvation Army has also jumped into action. It's in multiple locations throughout cities in Oklahoma providing food, hydration and emotional support to first responders and storm survivors. You can contribute to the Salvation Army by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769), online on their website, by texting "STORM" to 80888 to make an automatic $10 donation or by mail: . The Salvation Army . PO Box 12600 . Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73157 . Feeding America . Feeding America is responding by providing food, water and supplies to the residents of the devastated towns in Oklahoma. The group will continue to assess the need on the ground for more assistance as recovery efforts continue. World Vision . World Vision has a team headed into the disaster zone with emergency food kits, blankets, cleaning supplies, hygiene items and tarps. Once the team arrives, they will assess the needs and respond accordingly. Feed the Children . Feed the Children has also mobilized and are sending supplies to families and children in need in Oklahoma. You can also help their efforts by making a monetary donation. Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma . The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, in partnership with Oklahoma Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), is asking that the public support all rescue, recovery and disaster relief efforts by making cash donations. Donations of items such as clothing and supplies are strongly discouraged. Give blood . The Oklahoma Blood Institute . As the recovery efforts progress and more and more of the walking wounded are found the need for blood donations increases. Many of the injured will require blood to help in their recovery. The OBI team says they are particularly seeking O-negative and Rh-negative blood types. If you are local in Oklahoma you can donate here. Outside of the immediate area, please donate to your local blood bank which will help replenish the national supply. You can find your local center through the Red Cross. Heartbreaking scenes in Oklahoma City after the twister . Help injured or displaced pets . The Humane Society of Central Oklahoma . The Oklahoma Humane Society is working with the city of Moore to assess and shelter animals affected by the storms. Many pets are displaced in violent storms like these and the Humane Society is dedicated to make sure these animals get the necessary immediate care they need. They ask now for monetary donations to help their efforts but will update their page with volunteer and in-kind donations as they get a better grasp on the supplies, food and medical assistance needs.

Oklahoma suffered a second day of devastating storms Monday . A massive tornado demolished much of Moore, Oklahoma, just outside of Oklahoma City . There are many fatalities and more expected as search and rescue continues . Several organizations have mobilized to help the survivors .

(CNN) -- Voices around the Middle East and North Africa gave mixed grades to Barack Obama's address on the region Thursday, with Libyan rebels calling it "good enough" and a Palestinian official calling it a "half-full glass." In Benghazi, the heart of the Libyan revolt against longtime strongman Moammar Gadhafi, a rebel leader pronounced Obama's speech in support of democratic movements across the region "good enough." "Overall, the speech was positive for Libya," said Jalal el-Gallal, a spokesman for the National Transitional Council. Rebel leaders were pleased to hear Obama call their provisional government "legitimate and credible," remarks that raised hopes of eventual U.S. recognition as the country's rightful government -- and accompanying aid. "Hopefully, they will recognize our aspirations," el-Gallal said. "They will recognize us fully, and we can bring this chapter to an end." In his Washington speech, Obama pledged U.S. support for reform efforts across the Middle East and North Africa, warning leaders facing popular upheavals that "strategies of oppression and strategies of diversion will not work anymore." It comes amid the Arab Spring, popular revolts that have driven two regional autocrats from power and fueled calls for reform or open revolts in several other countries. He also pledged additional economic aid for longtime U.S. ally Egypt and said the United States and European Union would push for expanded trade with the region. That was good news for Riad Greiss, who watched Obama's address from a Cairo coffeehouse. Greiss said tourism -- one of the pillars of Egypt's economy -- has dried up since the pro-democracy protests that drove Hosni Mubarak from power after three decades. "We are feeling it's getting worse, not better," Greiss told CNN. Greiss, an engineer from Egypt's Coptic Christian minority, said Egypt's revolution "needs time. It needs a steady push, but time." On the eve of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the American leader restated the U.S. desire for a comprehensive settlement of the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His call for an agreement based on Israel's pre-1967 borders drew criticism from Netanyahu, who called those frontiers "indefensible," but Obama also poured cold water on Palestinian efforts to seek a unilateral declaration of statehood at the United Nations. Nabil Shaath, a senior adviser to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, called the speech a "half-full glass." He told CNN that Abbas would review the speech with all Palestinian factions and present Obama with some "specific requirements" for translating his rhetoric into "a real peace process." On Syria, Obama praised the courage of Syrian protesters who have defied a violent crackdown by President Bashar al-Assad and blasted al-Assad's government for choosing "the path of murder" in response to calls for democratic change. Al-Assad, he said, "now has a choice: He can lead that transition or get out of the way." But on the social media site Twitter, a supporter of the Syrian revolt sounded a note of disappointment. "We Syrians started this alone and if ur too afraid to take action, we can handle this alone," the poster said. Obama's passing reference to Yemen, in which he urged embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh to "follow through" on his reported agreement to step down after 32 years in power, drew mixed reviews from anti-government protesters there. "We wanted Obama to directly call Saleh to leave office the same way he did with Mubarak," said Saleh Kayyat, a youth leader in the capital Sanaa. "He did not do that. This is wrong, and he is not being honest with the wave of change in the Middle East." Another protester, Ala'a Jarban, told CNN, "We had hoped to hear more." But Obama "spoke directly to the Yemeni people," Jarban said. "That's something we're not used to hearing, and it's an improvement. But we realize that President Obama cannot give as much to the Yemeni people as we can give to ourselves." And Michele Dunne, a former White House and State Department expert on the Middle East, said Obama's address was "a lot more timid than it needed to be." "He spoke a lot more about self-determination and reform than he did about broader concepts like democracy and freedom," Dunne told CNN. "He has been pretty cautious about approaching these changes in the Middle East," added Dunne, now an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "At least now he has said openly ... that the United States will stand up for its principles in its actions toward the Middle East." CNN's Frederik Pleitgen, Sara Sidner, Rima Maktabi, Mohammed Jamjoom and journalist Hakim Almasmari contributed to this report.

Reaction pours in to Obama's Arab Spring speech . Rebels call Obama's speech "positive for Libya" An Egyptian viewer says reform needs "a steady push" A U.S. analyst calls the speech "more timid than it needed to be"

KAMPALA, Uganda (CNN) -- A fight between Ugandan and Libyan presidential guards sparked chaos during a ceremony attended by the heads of state from 11 African nations on Wednesday. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni attend the opening of the mosque. Several of the guards to the visiting heads of state from Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Mali, Somalia, Sudan and Djibouti sustained serious injuries in the fight, which included punches, kicks and the drawing of guns. No leaders were hurt in the melee, though several were knocked over. Several journalists also were caught up in the fracas and suffered injuries or lost their grips on cameras and recorders. The incident occurred at the opening of a massive Gadhafi National Mosque in Kampala, a structure begun by the late Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in 1972 and completed with financing from Libya, according to African media reports. Minutes after Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and his host, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, jointly unveiled a plaque to mark the event, the Libyan guards pushed away the guards of other delegations at the mosque's entrance. The Ugandan guards -- who had traded hostilities with the predominantly-Arab Libyan guards at every joint event since Gadhafi's arrival in the country Sunday -- reacted with fury and fought back. Museveni briefly lost his balance when a hefty Libyan guard pushed him to a wall. Another Libyan guard pushed Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who also lost his balance but was caught by his own guards. The vice president of Tanzania was knocked over by fighting guards as he was taking his shoes off to enter the mosque. Guards to the rest of the visiting presidents and prime ministers kept their respective leaders out of the fray, with some drawing their guns as the dignitaries looked on in disbelief. Some leaders -- notably those from Somalia, Burundi and Djibouti -- were visibly uneasy as guns were drawn on all sides. By the time the fight was over more than six minutes later, about a dozen presidential guards were left bleeding from compound fractures and the Libyan and Ugandan protocol officials traded bitter accusations of disrespect and racism. "What are your people up to? Do you want to kill our leader?" a Libyan protocol official said to his Ugandan counterpart. The Ugandan official, who declined to be named, shouted back, "Why do think you're superior? What makes you think Uganda has any ill intention against Gadhafi?" The Ugandan official said Museveni's guards were simply doing their job as security for the host country and had a right to respond when the Libyan guards pushed them back. It has taken 36 years to complete the giant mosque on a hill in the heart of Kampala. It used to be a colonial fort named after British Capt. Frederick Lugard. The mosque can accommodate as many as 17,000 people at one time, according to the engineers, who call it the largest mosque in sub-Saharan Africa. Many Muslims interviewed said the mosque's opening evoked sweet memories of Amin, the deceased dictator. "It is a great day and thanks be to Allah for the completion," said Salim Abdul Noor, 39. "This should remind us that while Amin is demonized as Africa's worst dictator, there are many things he did for this country that successive governments largely depend on, and much of the completed installations and structures like this beautiful mosque was Amin's dream, may Allah rest him in peace." The Swedish vice president of the European Islamic Conference, Adly Abu Hajar, 57, said the mosque heals rifts in a religion introduced to Uganda in 1844 by Arab slave traders. "I find this complex has brought unity among Muslims in Uganda. There have been so many factions, but this attraction has brought them together, identifying themselves with a common home." The fight prompted a crisis meeting by Ugandan security authorities, after which invited diplomats from mainly the European missions in Uganda expressed dismay. "It's disgrace. It shows there is something wrong yet unknown between the two parties," said the head of one European mission in Kampala, who declined to be named. The police chief, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, and the head of the army, Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, declined to comment on the fight. But Capt. Edison Kwesiga, the spokesman of the Ugandan Presidential Guard Brigade, confirmed their hostile relationship with the Libyans. "It is our responsibility to ensure the safety of any visiting head of state. We have to do our job using any means. But our Libyan brothers always want us to fail. True, it's not the first time they come and act as you see," Kwesiga said. E-mail to a friend .

Ugandan officer reports tensions with Libyan leader's guards during visit . Leaders gathered for opening of massive mosque in Kampala, Uganda . About a dozen presidential guards seen bleeding from compound fractures .

(CNN) -- Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was left raging after claiming Robin van Persie "could have been killed" following an altercation with Swansea's Ashley Williams. Ferguson, whose side moved four points clear at the top of the English Premier League table following Sunday's 1-1 draw, accused Williams of deliberately kicking the ball at the striker's head while he lay on the ground. Van Persie and Williams squared up to each other following the incident as both sets of players tried to break up the confrontation. Blog: Has Ferguson gone too far? Referee Michael Oliver booked both men, but Ferguson wants the Football Association to take action against the Wales defender. "The Van Persie situation you can clearly see that he could have been killed," Ferguson said on Sky Sports News. "The FA has got to look into it regardless that he has been given a yellow card. "He should be banned for a long time because that was the most dangerous thing I've seen on a football field for many years. "It was absolutely deliberate. The whistle has gone, the game has stopped and he has done that right in front of the referee -- he could have killed the lad. "It was a disgraceful act by the player, he should banned for a long time." Real Madrid to face Manchester United in European Champions League . Williams was quick to play down the incident after the game. "I tried to clear the ball it hit him on the head," he said. "I was trying to clear the ball. "He was obviously a bit angry about that. It was much ado about nothing." Patrice Evra's 16th-minute header from a Van Persie corner had given United the lead before Michu equalized with his 13th Premier League goal of the season -- which put the Spaniard one clear of Van Persie as the leading scorer. Can revived Torres rescue Chelsea's season for Benitez? Meanwhile, Chelsea went goal crazy by crushing Aston Villa 8-0 at Stamford Bridge to move up into third position. Striker Fernando Torres headed the home side ahead after just three minutes -- his 14th in all competitions this season, and seventh in the league -- before converted midfielder David Luiz curled home an exquisite free-kick. Defender Branislav Ivanovic headed a third before the break as Chelsea ran riot against a team that had been unbeaten for five matches following a poor start to the season. Any thoughts of Rafa Benitez's men easing up after the interval were soon extinguished when veteran midfielder Frank Lampard grabbed a fourth. That strike established him as the club's leading goalscorer in the top flight as he marked his 500th Premier League start with his 130th goal. Benitez takes over Chelsea . Substitute Ramires added another two and both Eden Hazard and Oscar also got on the scoresheet. It could have been worse for Villa, who were indebted to several impressive stops by U.S. keeper Brad Guzan, including a penalty save from Lucas Piazon. "Everything (impressed me) the performance of the team," Benitez said. "We have been talking before about the mentality of the team; attacking, creating chances we had good movement, we were good in defense. As a team we had the balance we are looking for." The defeat was Villa's worst in the top flight in its entire history and left manager Paul Lambert's team three points off the relegation zone. "We were second best. We have to hold our hands hold our hand up, we never turned up at this level we can't play like that," Lambert said. "We always learn, it will certainly be a wake-up call. It's been going fine for us and it is only Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs that have turned us over. We will bounce back." Meanwhile, Netherlands striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has signed a new two-year deal with Bundesliga side Schalke. The 29-year-old, whose contract was set to expire at the end of the season, will now remain in Germany until 2015. "I have thought long and hard over this decision and I am very grateful that the bosses at Schalke gave me this time," he said on the club's official website. In France, Marseille moved level on points with Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain and second-placed Lyon following a 1-0 win over Saint Etienne. Andre Ayew scored the only goal of the game to put Marseille third in the table on 38 points but with an inferior goal difference at the halfway stage going into the winter break. Elsewhere, Valenciennes moved up to sixth with a 2-1 win over Evian, while Toulouse earned a 2-0 victory over Sochaux.

Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson believes Robin van Persie "could have been killed" Dutch striker hit in head with ball while on the ground after Ashley Williams kicked ball away . Patrice Evra's goal canceled out by Michu's strike as United held 1-1 by Swansea . Chelsea crushes Aston Villa 8-0 to move into third position in English Premier League .

(CNN) -- One St. Louis-area police officer resigned and another retired in the continued fallout from questionable police actions in the days after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri. The moves bring to three the number of police officers whose conduct was called into question after the August 9 fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an African-American teen shot multiple times by a white police officer. The three officers are: Lt. Ray Albers, who threatened and pointed an assault rifle at protesters; Dan Page, an officer caught on camera pushing a CNN correspondent before a video surfaced of him ranting about the Supreme Court and Muslims; and Matthew Pappert, an officer fired after making what his chief called "very ... inappropriate" Facebook comments about the protests in Ferguson. Albers, a 20-year veteran of the St. Ann, Missouri, police department, resigned Thursday, according to City Administrator Matt Conley. Albers stepped down after the city's board of police commissioners recommended to the board of aldermen that he be fired or resign, St. Ann Police Chief Aaron Jimenez told CNN on Saturday. "He's one of my best friends but we have to do what's best for the city," Jimenez said. "It doesn't mean he's a bad guy, but he made a mistake after 20 years of solving crimes." Albers was the officer who pointed a semiautomatic rifle at a Ferguson protester and threatened to kill him on August 19 -- a tense moment caught on video and posted online. A day after the incident, police officials announced that the officer had been "relieved of duty and suspended indefinitely." In the video, Albers can be seen walking around with his assault rifle raised, then pointing it in the direction of protesters. "I'm going to f---ing kill you," he says. "Get back. Get back." Police said the protester involved in what it deemed "a verbal exchange" was "peaceful." Another man in the crowd said out loud, "Did you threaten to kill him?" When the officer was asked for his name, he responded: "Go f--- yourself." Protesters mocked the officer before he was led away by another member of law enforcement. A CNN crew also saw the officer point his weapon at those around him as he cursed, shouted and threatened people by saying he'd kill them unless they stayed away. Jimenez said of Albers: "He's not doing well, but he's trying to stay positive. He knows over his 20 years, he's done a lot of good work. You do one thing and it can ruin your career. He recognized what he did was wrong. That's his first step in moving on. He feels remorse. He said he was scared and wasn't thinking." Page, an officer with the St. Louis County Police Department, retired effective August 25, according to St. Louis County police spokesman Brian Schellman. Page was caught on camera pushing CNN's Don Lemon. He was placed on administrative leave after a video surfaced of him ranting about the Supreme Court and Muslims, among other things. He also refers on the video to Barack Obama as "that illegal alien who claims to be our President." This week, officials in the city of Glendale, Missouri, confirmed that Pappert was fired after making what his chief called "very ... inappropriate" Facebook comments, according to a city official. "These protesters should be put down like a rabid dog the first night," Pappert wrote in one post, according to CNN affiliate KMOV. There were reportedly five inappropriate posts, KMOV said. Pappert, a six-year veteran of the Glendale force, was originally suspended on August 22 after the comments came to light. An inquiry was initiated that day. "Officer Pappert was dismissed following the conclusion of the investigation," City Administrator Jaysen Christensen said. "Our focus at this point is to move past this, and turn the focus back to healing in ... Ferguson." Glendale, like Ferguson, is a municipality in St. Louis County. The two suburbs are about 15 miles apart. A week ago, Glendale Police Chief Jeffrey Beaton suspended Pappert and cited what he called the "inappropriate posts on his personal Facebook page," according to the Webster-Kirkwood Times, an online news outlet in the area. Police in the area have come under fire for their heavy-handed response to the Ferguson protests following Brown's death. An attorney for Pappert said his client was sorry for his online comments. "Officer Pappert is deeply remorseful about what he posted on social media," lawyer William Goldstein said. "We ask for (the) same spirit of forgiveness and the opportunity for redemption." Complete coverage of Ferguson shooting and protests . CNN's Greg Botelho, Joe Sutton, AnneClaire Stapleton and Joshua Berlinger contributed to this report.

Two St. Louis-area cops resign or retire following questionable actions related to Ferguson protests . Three officers have either been fired, resigned or retired because of their conduct, officials say . One officer threatened and pointed rifle at protesters; another retired after video rant about Supreme Court, Muslims . Third officer was fired for making inappropriate Facebook posts .

(CNN) -- The latest constitutional amendment being floated by some Senate Republicans -- to deny citizenship to children born in the United States to unauthorized immigrants -- is not new. Calls for modification of the 14th Amendment's birthright citizenship guarantee have appeared during other moments of immigration-related hand-wringing. The question is whether the idea is a good one. And the reform is not unthinkable from a democratic point of view. In fact, the United States and Canada stand apart from other major immigrant-receiving societies in the breadth of birthright rules. The United Kingdom amended its laws in 1981 to provide that only children born to citizens, or permanent residents born in the U.K., are citizens at birth. In 2004, voters in Ireland amended their constitution along similar lines, in part for reasons familiar to the American audience: fear that birthright citizenship attracted asylum claimants who could use their children as anchors. The French rule allows children born to foreign parents to become citizens at the age of majority (when the state no longer considers a person a minor), rather than at birth. But if ever there were a case for maintaining American exceptionalism, the 14th Amendment is it. Rejection of universal birthright citizenship would upend practices vital to the success of the American venture. The proposed amendment's implicit premise, that children of parents who have broken the law do not deserve U.S. citizenship, contradicts a basic American value: the sins of the parents should not be visited upon the children. Justice Robert Jackson put it succinctly in dissent from the Korematsu decision (1944), which found Japanese internment policies during World War II constitutional: "If any fundamental assumption underlies our system, it is that guilt is personal and not inheritable." Justice Harry Blackmun reasoned similarly in Plyler v. Doe (1982) when striking down a Texas law that would have denied unauthorized children access to public schools. Frustration with illegal immigration, he wrote, ought not lead to unequal treatment of children who had no hand in creating their "illegality." U.S. courts and most legal scholars have consistently interpreted the Citizenship Clause to apply universally, save to the children of diplomats, invading armies and Native Americans (though the Supreme Court has never directly addressed the status of children born to unauthorized immigrants). The clause thus operates as a constitutional reset button. Each generation born in the U.S. stands on its own, with equal citizenship status, regardless of parentage. Given our history as a society of immigrants, this rule has been crucial to our development into a cohesive political community and to our ability to integrate each new immigrant cohort. It ensures that those who are born and raised in the United States have an equal opportunity to participate and contribute and are regarded by others as full Americans. Not all children born in the U.S. remain, and perhaps those Senate Republicans envision deporting all unauthorized immigrants and their children. But clear-eyed pragmatism tells us that most children born here also go to school, become socialized and enter adulthood here, making them functionally American. Unless we are prepared to tolerate the emergence of castes based on parentage, universal birthright citizenship and a robust naturalization regime should remain in place. The goals of the proposed amendment are not strictly punitive, though its effects inevitably would be. Its supporters argue it would reduce incentives for illegal immigration. But this argument is not serious. The obstacles to passage are nearly insurmountable, and this particular amendment has never come close to succeeding. More important, changing the birthright rule would have little to no effect on illegal immigration. No doubt stories exist of Mexicans crossing the border just to give birth or of tourists arranging vacations to produce U.S.-citizen children. But the actual causes of illegal immigration are complex and overwhelmingly related to the absence of job opportunities in Mexico and the demand for immigrant labor in the U.S. Precisely because illegal immigration is difficult to prevent, lawmakers substitute symbolic posturing for genuine policymaking. Though the 14th Amendment is likely safe, it is instructive whenever politicians propose manipulating it to remember its historical role. The reset principle can also inform debates over other issues, such as the DREAM Act, which would legalize high school graduates who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Even the debate over whether to legalize existing unauthorized immigrants, which is more complex because of their culpability, would benefit from an appreciation of how second chances can advance equality and integration. The conventional interpretation of the 14th Amendment reminds us that we take our aspirations to equality seriously. We are willing to risk certain costs, such as opportunistic immigration and the creation of citizens who may never develop ties to the U.S., to ensure political equality. For the United States to stand alone on this principle does nothing less than reaffirm traditions that have helped turned a collection of people from all over the world into an integrated and powerful success. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Cristina Rodriguez.

14th Amendment guarantees U.S. citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil . Cristina Rodriguez says that's been crucial for cohesive, casteless U.S. society . She argues modifying Constitution would not reverse tide of illegal immigration .

Key Largo, Florida (CNN) -- It was more than 40 years ago, but Ken Nedimyer still remembers the first time he went diving in the Florida Keys. "It was just the most magical place I'd ever been to," said Nedimyer, 56. "The coral reefs were so pretty. So many fish and so many neat things to see." Nedimyer became a commercial fisherman and tropical fish collector, working in the ocean nearly every day of the year. But by the mid-1980s, he noticed a troubling trend. Two of the region's most important corals, staghorn and elkhorn, were in drastic decline. The corals -- tiny, stationary marine animals that make up the reefs -- were dying because of many reasons, including climate change, pollution and overfishing, experts said. Today, they're on the endangered species list. "The coral reefs of the Florida Keys are the most threatened and the heaviest-used coral reefs in the world," said Billy Causey, southeast regional director of the National Marine Sanctuaries, an entity of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Reefs are often referred to as the rainforests of the sea. They attract more marine life than anywhere else in the ocean because of the natural shelter they provide. But they're declining worldwide, not just in Florida, and some scientists fear that they could all be gone by 2050. "Coral reefs provide protection for our coastal areas, habitat for fish and recreational opportunities for millions and millions of people," Nedimyer said. "It's very important to protect that whole ecosystem." Reefs also have great economic value. Many people around the world depend on fisheries and the ocean for their livelihood. In the Florida Keys alone, more than 50 percent of the local economy is connected to a healthy marine environment. "If coral reefs died completely, entire economies would be disrupted," Nedimyer said. As Nedimyer saw reefs die over the years, he became very concerned. "It became a consuming passion (for me) to try to find ways to protect and restore coral reefs," he said. That passion led to Nedimyer starting the Coral Restoration Foundation, which has grown more than 25,000 staghorn and elkhorn corals in underwater nurseries. He and his staff of volunteers work three days a week maintaining the nurseries just off Key Largo. The nurseries cover more than an acre of the ocean floor. "Ken's coral nursery is the largest in the wider Caribbean," Causey said. "It's probably 10 times larger than any others that I know of." Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2012 CNN Heroes . Nedimyer's methods for growing corals have evolved over the years, but they're all simple, easily duplicated and can be taught to anyone who can dive, he said. After the corals spend about a year growing in the nursery, they are transplanted to a reef in the wild. The goal is to get them to reproduce on their own and repopulate an area where they no longer exist. "We've been able to recreate one of the biggest thickets in the Florida Keys of staghorn coral, and that's something we can duplicate throughout the Keys and throughout the Caribbean," Nedimyer said. Through education and awareness, Nedimyer has built a community committed to bringing coral reefs back to the Keys. His organization often collaborates with other groups, including the NOAA and the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit conservation group. Nedimyer also spends a lot of time showing high school students his methods and working with them at his nurseries. "This isn't just about me," Nedimyer emphasized. "It's about engaging a lot of people and training people, and I think it has a lot of hope." The impact is already noticeable in areas where corals have been transplanted. Fish and other marine life are starting to come back, and Nedimyer is hopeful that in time, the Keys' ecosystem will recover. "Most people think coral takes forever to grow, but some of these corals grow really fast," he said. "They grow fast enough that we could make a big difference in a lifetime or less." Nedimyer's most ambitious project is just ahead. Within the next five years, the Coral Restoration Foundation plans to grow and transplant 50,000 corals in the Keys, which he says is the largest effort of its kind in Florida and the Caribbean. "Before, I felt helpless watching corals die," Nedimyer said. "Now I think there's a way for everybody to get involved. There's hope." Want to get involved? Check out the Coral Restoration Foundation website at www.coralrestoration.org and see how to help.

Ken Nedimyer is helping to restore dying coral reefs in the Florida Keys . He and his group are growing coral in nurseries before transplanting them to the wild . Nedimyer: Coral reefs are critical to marine life, many economies . Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2012 CNN Heroes .

(CNN) -- Tiger Woods' agent says he may take legal action after the world's No. 1 golfer was accused of cheating on the course this year. Mark Steinberg, who has helped the American become the planet's wealthiest athlete, criticized a "shameful, baseless" report on the Golf.com website by TV commentator Brandel Chamblee. Chamblee, a former pro golfer, said in his end-of-season summary that Woods had been "cavalier with the rules" -- and he made parallels with one of his own school experiences when he was caught cheating in a math test and marked down from a grade of 100 to an "F." He said his teacher quoted the 19th-century poem "Marmion" by Walter Scott: "Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!" "I never did ask my teacher how she knew I cheated and I certainly didn't protest the grade," wrote the 51-year-old, who gave Woods an "F" for his season's achievements, crossing out a "100" mark. "I knew I had done the wrong thing and my teacher the right, but I never forgot the way I felt when I read that quote. "I remember when we only talked about Tiger's golf. I miss those days. He won five times and contended in majors and won the Vardon Trophy and ... how shall we say this ... was a little cavalier with the rules." Woods was named the PGA Tour's player of the year for the 11th time after a season in which he won five tournaments and had two top-10 finishes in the four majors. However, at April's Masters he was controversially not disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard after taking an improper drop, but was penalized. The 37-year-old was also given two-stroke penalties in Abu Dhabi in January and last month at the BMW Championship for rule infringements, while he was suspected by some of taking a favorable drop at May's Players Championship after hitting a water hazard. "There's nothing you can call a golfer worse than a cheater. This is the most deplorable thing I have seen," Steinberg said in a statement he later verified to CNN. "I'm not one for hyperbole, but this is absolutely disgusting. Calling him a cheater? I'll be shocked, stunned if something is not done about this. Something has to be done. There are certainly things that just don't go without response. It's atrocious. I'm not sure if there isn't legal action to be taken. I have to give some thought to legal action. "This is, 'Hey, look at me,' in its lowest form. Brandel Chamblee's comments are shameful, baseless and completely out of line. In his rulings, Tiger voiced his position, accepted his penalty and moved on. There was no intention to deceive anyone. "Chamblee's uninformed and malicious opinions, passed on as facts, and his desperate attempt to garner attention is deplorable. Brandel has a right to form his opinion. If he wants to give him an 'F' for his year? It's silly. But this goes so far above that and is out of bounds. It's stunning." Chamblee debated the issue on his Twitter account, where he denied calling Woods a cheat. "To be accurate, I said he was cavalier with the rules. How is it anyone would argue to the contrary," he wrote. British golf journalist James Corrigan responded: "The fact you wrote that and gave him an 'f' meant you called him a cheat. That isn't right." Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy -- whose season has gone from bad to worse since missing the cut with Woods in Abu Dhabi when they were No. 1 and 2 in the rankings -- dropped out of contention at the Korea Open Saturday. The Northern Irishman, now sixth in the world, blamed a "weird" day after his third-round 75 left him 10 shots behind leader Kim Hyung-tae of South Korea, who was four clear. "It was weird. I actually started the round really well," said the 24-year-old, who has begun legal proceedings against his management company and reportedly also split from tennis star girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki. "I just think the story of the day is that I missed a lot of putts, missed a lot of chances for birdies at the start of the round and then mixed a few short ones for pars in the middle and end of the round. That's really what it was. "So yeah, a frustrating day because I was in contention after two days and if you shoot a solid score today you're right in there tomorrow."

Report giving Tiger Woods an "F" for 2013 is called "absolutely disgusting" by his agent . Mark Steinberg considering legal action over comments by Brandel Chamblee . The TV commentator says Wood was "cavalier with rules" but denies calling him a cheat . Woods, the PGA Tour's player of the year, was penalized for three rule infringements in 2013 .

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- The general who seized control of Thailand in a coup last week said Monday that he has received royal endorsement to run the politically unstable country and warned of a potential crackdown on people protesting military rule. Dressed in a white uniform and flanked by more than a dozen other military officials, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha addressed reporters in Bangkok, saying he had received a royal command from the country's deeply revered King to head the ruling military council. Saying there was "no set time period" for when new elections might be held, Prayuth outlined the steps he said his junta plans to take, including setting up a committee to introduce reforms. But he also issued a warning to the groups of protesters who have gathered in Bangkok in recent days to voice their opposition to the coup and call for democratic elections. The demonstrators, who numbered in the hundreds on Sunday, have scuffled with soldiers in the streets. So far, the military has allowed the small-but-growing protests to take place, even though martial law forbids gatherings of more than five people. With more protests expected Monday, Prayuth suggested the military wouldn't tolerate public displays of dissent indefinitely, saying the situation was reaching a "boiling point." He urged people to stop demonstrating, warning that they risk a stricter enforcement of martial law and prosecution in military courts, and told journalists and social media users not to transmit provocative messages. Coup criticized . The Thai military carried out the coup Thursday -- tearing up the constitution and imposing a curfew -- after months of unrest that had destabilized the elected government and caused outbursts of deadly violence in Bangkok. But the sudden intervention by the armed forces -- the latest in a series of coups that have punctuated modern Thai history -- has been criticized by human rights activists and foreign governments, including the United States. Receiving endorsement from King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand's ailing but widely admired monarch, adds legitimacy to Prayuth's credentials. But it appears unlikely to change the opinions of many of the protesters who have been taking to the streets to demonstrate against the coup. Other Thais have expressed hope that the military will succeed in bringing an end to the crisis that has plagued the country for months.. Politicians, academics summoned . Since taking power, military authorities have summoned -- and in some cases detained -- scores of leading political officials and other prominent figures, such as academics and business leaders. Travel bans have also been imposed. Among the most high-profile figures who've turned themselves in is former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who was in office when the current phase of political turmoil began in November. Yingluck, who was removed from office by the courts earlier this month, was released from a military facility over the weekend after she followed a summons to report to military authorities on Friday. A military source said Yingluck was asked to "help us maintain peace and order and not to get involved with protesters or any political movement" and now has freedom of movement and communication. But a close aide to Yingluck disagreed with the assertion that she was free to move and communicate. She is yet to make any public statement since the coup. Thaksin's influence . The recent unrest was driven by months of protests against Yingluck's government. The protest leaders said they wanted to rid Thailand of the influence of Yingluck and her wealthy brother, the exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed in the country's last military coup in 2006. The Shinawatras' powerful political movement, which has dominated elections for more than a decade, draws its support from Thailand's populous rural regions in the north and northeast. But it is unpopular among the Bangkok elites, who accuse it of buying votes through ill-judged, populist policies. The protesters who campaigned against Yingluck's government claimed Thailand needed reforms to be imposed by an unelected council before any further elections could take place. With the military's intervention, they appear to have got their wish, although some of the protest leaders were taken into custody after the coup. Suthep Thaugsuban, the ring leader of the anti-Yingluck protests, was released on bail of 600,000 baht ($18,000) with instructions he can't leave the country, his organization said Monday on its Facebook page. It remains unclear how the pro-Thaksin red shirt movement, which held mass rallies in central Bangkok in 2010, will respond to military rule. Some of the top red shirt leaders are also among those who were detained by military authorities. CNN's Paula Hancocks reported from Bangkok, and Jethro Mullen reported and wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Kocha Olarn and journalist Kiki Dhitavat contributed to this report.

NEW: The leader of rallies against the former government is released on bail . Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha urges people to stop protesting or risk crackdown . He says he has the King's approval to head the ruling military council . The military took power last week after months of political turmoil .

(CNN) -- As John Avlon has recently calculated, there is a real possibility that the Republican primary process could fail to yield a majority winner. What would happen then? Journalists like to speculate about "brokered conventions": the kind of conventions we had 50 and 100 years ago, where party bosses chose presidential nominees in smoke-filled rooms. But you can't have a "brokered convention" in a system where there are no "brokers." Here's an example of how the old system worked: . In 1952, most rank-and-file Republicans wanted to nominate Sen. Robert Taft of Ohio, the leader of the party's conservative wing. In the dozen or so primaries and caucuses held that year, Taft won nearly 2.8 million Republican votes, as compared with only 2 million for Dwight Eisenhower. But about three-quarters of the states had neither primaries nor caucuses. Their delegates were chosen at state party conventions, and those delegates answered to powerful state officeholders, typically the state governor. So when the GOP convened in Chicago in 1952, those powerful state officeholders could negotiate among themselves, confident that they controlled the delegate count from their state. That's how Eisenhower won in 1952. The two most powerful Republican governors in the country -- Thomas Dewey of New York and Earl Warren of California -- preferred Eisenhower, and so Eisenhower it was. That's not how it would happen today. Modern governors do not control their state parties the way governors did in the 1950s. And today's delegates won't do as they are told. What would happen today? Two possible scenarios: . 1) Imagine that Romney falls just slightly short of the 1144 needed to nominate. In this scenario, an individual party chairman from a smaller state with more old-fashioned rules might be lured to find some way to redirect his state's votes to Romney. That is what happened in 1976, when Gerald Ford narrowly defeated Ronald Reagan by gaining the last-minute support of the Mississippi state delegation; that's the most recent occasion when a convention chose a nominee. The problem is that there are many fewer such old-fashioned states today than there were in 1976, with the result that the price such "available" states might be able to exact will be considerably higher than it was back then. Ford only needed to replace his vice presidential candidate, dumping Nelson Rockefeller, anathema to party conservatives, in favor of Bob Dole, then a conservative hero. But what price would be exacted from Romney? And what effect would that have on the election? Romney badly needs to pivot back to the center for the general election. Would a convention-season deal to get the votes of strongly conservative delegates veto that pivot and doom his hopes? 2) Imagine now that Romney falls substantially short of the 1144. He might have won more votes and delegates than anybody else, but it becomes hard to argue that he is a clear favorite. Party insiders begin to murmur again about the need to find another candidate. In an earlier era of American politics, that could be done. In 1920, a conclave of Republican Party bosses could bypass stronger candidates to choose Sen. Warren G. Harding, a politician whose main claim to fame was that he had kept on good terms with all party factions, and who would go on to win the presidency. In 1940, Republican Party leaders chose a total outsider, Wendell Willkie, a businessman who had not only never been elected to anything, but who had actually been a Roosevelt delegate at the Democratic convention of 1932. But now? Who even are the Republican Party leaders -- aside from Roger Ailes, that is? The big donors? But they already chose Romney and now find they cannot make their choice stick. The big change in American politics over the past two decades has been the decline of followership. Party members expect the party to serve them -- one major reason that both parties have drifted to the ideological extremes since the 1970s. That expectation would only be intensified and concentrated in a party convention with Fox News and talk radio whipping and riling the delegates into angry emotionalism. A decision-making convention in modern times won't submit to the edicts of smoke-filled rooms. The delegates will want their own way. If Romney fails to win the primaries over the next few months, brace yourself: not for a replay of 1920, when Republican bosses made their coldly calculated deal, but for a replay of 1896, when the Democratic Convention went wild for William Jennings Bryan after one thrilling speech. Of course, Bryan went on to lose in a landslide. Follow CNN Opinion on Twitter . Join the conversation on Facebook . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Frum.

David Frum: It's possible no candidate could reach delegate total to claim nomination . He says an open convention wouldn't follow historical pattern . Media spotlight and indepedent-minded delegates could sway the outcome, he says . Frum says Mitt Romney might be forced to take positions unpopular in general election .

(CNN) -- The answer to the question will now never be known -- for many football fans had been wondering how Borussia Dortmund's Mario Gotze would fare when taking on future employers Bayern Munich in Saturday's Champions League final at Wembley. After both German teams booked their place in the final, supporters, journalists and former players had asked how the 20-year-old would handle a situation whereby he had the chance to shatter Bayern's Champions League dream but such thoughts now lie idle. Last month, it was announced the midfielder was joining Dortmund's biggest Bundesliga rivals after the recently-crowned German champions activated his release clause with a bid of $47 million. The move was criticized by many Dortmund fans, disappointed that a player who had been developed by the club's academy since the age of 8 was being lost so readily and by the timing of the news. The announcement came on the eve of the opening leg of Dortmund's Champions League semifinal with Real Madrid, which the 2012 Bundesliga champions ultimately won 4-3 on aggregate to reach their first final in 16 years. Gotze was highly influential in the first leg but tore his hamstring 14 minutes into Dortmund's 2-0 defeat in the return fixture at the Bernabeu on April 30 -- a game that has proved to be his last for the club. "It was my big aim to play in the final and I have been working hard to reach that in the last few weeks," Dortmund's website quoted the German international as saying on Wednesday. "I am incredibly sorry that I can't help the team in this really important game. I have full confidence in the team and will of course be going to London to support the boys from the sidelines." The attacking midfielder had maintained hopes of playing in London until Tuesday, when he managed an hour of training in his first full session since April until an adverse reaction curtailed his dream -- and so perhaps his chances of repairing his damaged relationship with some fans. For while the absence of Dortmund's main playmaker represents a major tactical blow for coach Jurgen Klopp, it has been welcomed by a section of the club's supporters. The intensity of feeling following the April announcement found some fans burning a replica of his Dortmund jersey in online videos and others labeling him 'Judas' among other protests. When hosting Bayern in a league match on May 4 that ended 1-1, Dortmund fans unveiled a massive banner reading 'The quest for cash reveals how much heart you really have, get lost Goetze'. "What you find on the internet is that some Dortmund fans are not that disappointed that Gotze cannot play," said Peter Penders, a sports journalist with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine. "A lot of them never wanted to see him in a Dortmund jersey again as they no longer saw him as the club's player after he signed for Bayern." "He had grown up at Borussia Dortmund and was seen as a player wholly created by Borussia Dortmund, which is why they were so disappointed." When the transfer was announced, the charismatic Klopp revealed that Gotze's departure had hinged on the fact that former Barcelona Pep Guardiola, who will take charge of Bayern after this season, had identified him as a key player. "The reason Gotze is leaving? He is the favorite transfer of Guardiola," Klopp told reporters. "So if it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I cannot make myself 15 centimeters smaller and learn Spanish. Gotze wants to work with this extraordinary coach that is Guardiola." Despite the apathy of some supporters, Dortmund - who finished runner-up to Bayern in this season's German championship -- will miss the creativity of a player with 12 league goals and 13 assists in both the Bundesliga and Champions League this season. "Gotze's absence is a major problem in attack because they have to change some other things," added Penders. "Perhaps Marco Reus will take his position behind striker Robert Lewandowski, with Kevin Grosskreutz filling Reus' usual position on the wing." Dortmund are also waiting on the fitness of defender Mats Hummels, who is receiving intense treatment on the ankle he damaged in Saturday's surprise home defeat by Hoffenheim. Meanwhile, one of the players Gotze will link up with next season says Bayern must atone for final defeats to Inter Milan in 2010 and to Chelsea in their own stadium last year. "We have to win for the fans, the club and the whole team," said Franck Ribery, who joined the Bavarian club six years ago. "This is our third time, we have more experience, know what it means to play in a final, so it's nothing new for us, everyone knows what they have to do and how we have to play against Dortmund. "The defeat to Inter was hard, but the loss to Chelsea really hurt, it was a huge shock for everyone," added the French winger.

Dortmund's Gotze ruled out of Saturday's Champions League final against Bayern Munich . Midfielder alienated some Dortmund fans by agreeing to move to Bayern on 1 July . Dortmund also sweating on fitness of key defender Mats Hummels .

(CNN) -- With Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign officially over, she is focusing on making sure her supporters back Sen. Barack Obama's bid. Sen. Hillary Clinton suspended her presidential campaign on Saturday. Throughout the primary season, Clinton and Obama expressed confidence the Democrats would unify once a nominee emerged. As Clinton closed her campaign Saturday, she urged the cheering crowd of thousands to support Obama in his run for the White House, saying she and supporters should "take our energy, our passion and our strength and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama ... I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me." Her endorsement was met with a scattering of boos and thumbs downs from the crowd at the National Building Museum in Washington. Watch Clinton urge voters to back Obama » . In a CNN poll released Friday, 60 percent of Clinton supporters said they would vote for Obama, but 17 percent said they would vote for McCain and 22 percent, said they would not vote at all if Clinton were not the nominee. Watch how Clinton's speech might impact voters » . The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 7.5 percentage points. The poll was conducted after Obama clinched the Democratic nomination Tuesday. Clinton has vowed to do whatever she could "to ensure that Democrats take the White House back and defeat John McCain." Concern about the division in the party arose because Clinton and Obama appealed to such different segments of the electorate. Clinton did well with working-class voters and the elderly. Obama rallied the support of affluent, well-educated voters, African-Americans and the younger generation. Some of Clinton's top supporters say the best way to get the New York senator's 18 million voters behind Obama is by putting Clinton on the ticket. Democrats appear to like an Obama-Clinton ticket. A CNN poll released Friday suggested that nearly half of those voting Democrats, 54 percent, would support a joint ticket, but 43 percent would oppose it. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. "I've looked at every other possible candidate. No one brings to a ticket what Hillary brings," Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." But not everyone is behind the idea of a joint ticket. Former President Jimmy Carter said that would be "the worst mistake that could be made." "That would just accumulate the negative aspects of both candidates," Carter told The Guardian, a London newspaper, saying that both candidates' vulnerabilities could overshadow the ticket if the two team up. iReport.com: Share your thoughts on a "joint ticket" Feinstein said she thinks Obama needs to reach out to the Clinton supporters "using Sen. Clinton's help." "He needs to reassure them as to what he would do in the agenda for change, because the comparisons with McCain are very stark. Certainly with respect to the economy, extending unemployment insurance, building infrastructure," she said. Obama and Clinton met in Feinstein's Washington home on Thursday. They spoke alone for about an hour, in a move seen as the first step in healing the rifts in the party. Feinstein said she chatted with Clinton before Obama arrived. "She expressed to me the depth of her concern and caring, the fact that she had 18 million who put their hopes and dreams in her ability to create new opportunities for people. She wants to continue that. She recognizes that it's over, and I think every instinct in Hillary Clinton is to help," she said. The main page on Obama's Web site has been updated with a message that says, "Thank you Senator Clinton," and links to a form where visitors can send a message to her. Clinton's Web site now urges visitors to "support Senator Obama today." CNN analyst Gloria Borger said Clinton must speak to the female voters who supported her, "many of whom are so angry about this race." "She really has to tell women why Barack Obama is the best candidate for president," Borger said. "She has to go a long way to try [to] get rid of that anger." CNN senior political producer Sasha Johnson said Clinton's speech was a "first step" in making inroads to persuade her supporters to back Obama, but she said it's too early to tell what the effect will be. "I would argue that most of the people in that room want a Democratic president and will come around, and those that still aren't sure yet will probably come around, but again, I think some won't. This was a hard primary for Democrats," she said. Shortly after the speech, Obama released a statement praising Clinton's presidential run. "Obviously, I am thrilled and honored to have Sen. Clinton's support. But more than that, I honor her today for the valiant and historic campaign she has run. She shattered barriers on behalf of my daughters and women everywhere, who now know that there are no limits to their dreams. And she inspired millions with her strength, courage and unyielding commitment to the cause of working Americans."

Some of Clinton's 18 million voters are hesitant to back Obama . Obama's Web site urges visitors to thank Clinton for supporting his campaign . Clinton on Saturday suspended her campaign; endorsed Obama . Mixed feelings among Democrats whether a joint ticket is a good idea .

(CNN)It's not unusual for men to join the fight for women's rights. But it is if they choose to wear miniskirts while they do it. The brutal murder of a Turkish woman, Ozgecan Aslan, 20, who allegedly fought off a sexual assault before her body was burned and dumped in a riverbed, has sparked protests on the street and social media. The Twitter hashtag #OzgecanAslan prompted thousands of tweets, with many women posting photos of themselves clad in black. And in recent days, #ozgecanicinminietekgiy, translated as "wear a miniskirt for Ozgecan," has begun circulating, often accompanied with a photo of a man wearing a short skirt. And it apparently doesn't matter where the apparel came from, as long as it is worn. Some were not afraid to admit their reservations about the method of protest, but still voiced their full support for the message. Prominent Turkish lawyer and activist Hulya Gulbahar said the skirt protest is "very effective" and the first time women's rights have been so widely endorsed in Turkey. "The women's movement is trying to tell society, 'My dress is not an excuse for your rape or sexual harassment.' But society didn't want to hear these voices. "People try to find excuses for rapes and killings. But they didn't find any in this case, because Aslan was very innocent, purely innocent. The protest shows that a short skirt is not an excuse for rape." Women's rights in Turkey have been the subject of much debate in recent years. In December last year, U.N. Women signed an agreement along with Turkish conglomerate Koc Holding's CEO, Turgay Durak, to strengthen women's economic and social empowerment in the country. And in 2011, Turkey was among 14 countries to ratify a European Treaty aiming to combat violence against women. But official statistics strongly suggest the need for reform. In a joint statement last week, representatives from U.N. Women and UNFPA said: "Notwithstanding the progress in Turkish legislation and institutional structuring, recent data on violence against women shows insignificant improvement since 2008 and violence against women is still pervasive with two out of every five women in Turkey exposed to sexual and physical violence." President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who condemned Aslan's murder on Twitter, was criticized for claiming at an event last year that men and women are not equal. "At least five women are killed a day," says Gulbahar, citing a figure originally stated by Yasemin Yucel, the deputy chairwoman of the Tarsus branch of the Education Personnel Union. Gulbahar argues that the government's attitude is the first factor that needs to change, as it only views women as mothers. "Our President and government are saying to society everyday that they do not believe in women and men's equality; woman is [seen as] God's gift to man, the man protects the woman. "They try to make these ideas all of society's ideas. But some women and men are resisting now." Some, though, have questioned the wider significance of the miniskirt protest. "I don't know how effective it is," Istanbul-based journalist Andrew Finkel told CNN. "It's obviously a clever protest, Turkish men showing their feminine side. Whether it's going to move Turkish society, I don't know. "Reaction to the death has been massive. The miniskirt protest is not the main event in that protest -- it's not as if every man on Turkish streets is now wearing a miniskirt. "Whereas the reaction to this woman's death has been very substantial, and has made a lot of people think about their political attitudes." He adds that the murder has invoked a host of different reactions in Turkish people, proving both divisive and unifying. "A society like Turkey is so polarized between supporters and opponents of the government -- a snowdrop doesn't fall without some political significance and dividing people into political clans." With 69% of men in paid work in Turkey compared to 29% of women, more women in the workplace is a good place to start establishing gender equality, says Finkel. "Personal savings [in Turkey] are low because you don't have more than one earner in the household. There's a drive to get women into real jobs. If you get more women into employment, you have to change social rules which objectify and discriminate against women." Although there are deeper issues involved, the miniskirt protest has raised awareness and challenged views. "The real problem is a series of attitudes that have now been ingrained in the courts and in patriarchal society. Some people have begun to reconsider those and I guess the skirt protest is just one way of calling on Turkish men to reconsider their attitudes," says Finkel. "[The miniskirt protest is] small but I think the symbolic meaning is very good," says Gulbahar.

Men have been wearing miniskirts in support of women's rights in Turkey . The murder of 20-year-old Ozgecan Aslan sparked an outcry . Women's rights in the country have been a subject of strong debate in recent years .

Hong Kong (CNN) -- Hong Kong art collector Alan Lo and his father share a love for Chinese art. The younger Lo buys modern Chinese art; his dad owns an important collection of traditional Chinese ink drawings. In the past, they've sold some of their pieces at auction without much drama. However, there was one particularly frustrating transaction. "My dad encountered an experience where he sold a piece of work upwards of $5 million to $10 million. It took the buyer almost half a year to pay the auction house," Lo recalls, saying the anonymous buyer was most likely from mainland China. Whether it's a cultural issue or a calculated financial move, non-payment causes major headaches for all players involved. The sellers don't get their money, the auction house doesn't get its commission, and storage and insurance costs add up. "With big-ticket items, it's becoming more and more of a concern with mainland buyers. To a certain extent, they have less of a tendency to follow the rules of the game," Lo says. "Sometimes, it's not so much about the money. They just can't be bothered. Their attitude is, 'I'm such a big customer. I can't be bothered. Maybe I'll pay a third now and then another third later'." The rise in deadbeat art buyers in the region comes in tandem with Asia's growing importance in the global art market. "Up until 2008, Asia was 2% to 4% of group sales," says Francois Curiel, president of Christie's Asia. "Today, 25% of our buyers come from this region." "Mainland buyers not paying seems to be a phenomenon that's increasingly prevalent," says fine art consultant Jonathan Crockett, based in Hong Kong. "They always have the money but they don't necessarily want to spend it. Yet, they still want the art. They want the best of both worlds." Crockett's worst experience was overseeing a transaction in which the buyer took two years to pay up. Sotheby's has been bitten hard in the past and now takes a very aggressive stance against deadbeat auction winners. Sotheby's Asia has filed 13 lawsuits since 2007 with five cases still unresolved. "Our lawsuits do not mean that we are experiencing more defaults than other auction houses. It just means that we take our obligations to our consignors seriously and are willing to take this step when necessary to protect them," Kevin Ching, CEO of Sotheby's Asia, wrote in an email to CNN. Sotheby's recently sued two mainland buyers, Ma Dong and Ren Chunxia, because they hadn't paid for winning bids that totaled $15 million. Sotheby's confirms Ren has since settled her payment while the case against Ma is still winding its way through Hong Kong's High Court. While mainland buyers get most of the bad rap, industry insiders say the problem also exists among buyers from other emerging markets like Indonesia and Malaysia. Christie's Asia says the problem is not a major issue for the auction house today but it was a problem back in 2010. "I always wondered why someone would come to an auction, raise their hand and bid, and decide not to pay afterward," says Curiel. "I thought it was something new for some customers -- like going to a gallery, deciding to buy and the next day changing their mind. I suppose it was because some collectors were new to the auction game and were not familiar with it." As a safeguard, major auction houses often require significant deposits before the bidding takes place. Last October, Sotheby's introduced an across-the-board deposit policy in which prospective bidders must put down a minimum deposit of HK $200,000 (US$25,800). At Christie's Asia "we ask you to pay a 20% deposit on what we think you're going to buy ... If you win the bid, that 20% goes toward the sale," says Curiel. "If not, we return the money to you the day after the auction." Before an auction, both Sotheby's and Christie's ask for bank references from bidders or talk to major dealers to find out if the bidder has a good track record. Still, buyer and seller beware. "The risk is inherent. Art is generally not the most liquid of assets. It's probably one of the most illiquid in terms of worth. So people trying to put off payment is just part of that," cautions Crockett. Lo explains why the risk may be worth taking at auction, compared to buying art through a gallery or middleman. "Chances are you are still getting the best price at auction," he says. "The risk is higher and there's more concern about getting payment, but it's the risk the seller has to take."

As art sales in China grow, so are the difficulties receiving payment for auction buys . Rise in art sales defaults comes in tandem with Asia's growing impact on the global art market . Sotheby's recently introduced a policy where all bidders must pay a minimum deposit . "Up until 2008, Asia was 2-4% of group sales. Today, 25% of our buyers come from (Asia)"

(CNN) -- The world-famous Hubble Space Telescope is owned by the U.S. government and operated cooperatively by NASA and an institute under contract to NASA. Now that the government has shut down, the institute can still use existing resources to continue Hubble operations for as long as possible. Its staff has tried to ensure that -- to the extent possible -- the shutdown will not affect telescope operations. But events can overtake plans. If Hubble encounters a problem or a glitch, as happens occasionally, science operations will be suspended and the spacecraft will be locked into safe mode until government employees can issue spacecraft commands to restore operations. Safe mode means orienting the delicate instruments away from the sun while keeping the solar panels illuminated, to make sure no instrument loses power and is ruined. But in safe mode, the instruments won't record any of the light coming to the telescope. The approximate cost of one hour of Hubble observing is somewhere between $8,000 and $25,000, depending on whether one adds the costs of operating and refurbishing the facility to its initial construction costs. That means a two-week government shutdown could waste $3 million, $5 million, even $8 million of taxpayer investment. Frankly, the loss to science is far greater. Each year thousands of astronomers from around the world compete to decide where Hubble will point -- toward particular stars or planets or galaxies or gravitational lenses. Special science panels spend weeks setting priorities for the most important proposed science investigations. For every 10 hours of observing time astronomers want to use, only 1 hour is eventually approved. U.S. shutdown threatens launch of NASA's next mission to Mars . That means each week the government is shut down could cost dozens to hundreds of critical astronomical observations. The James Webb Space Telescope, Hubble's successor, is undergoing critical tests at the Goddard Space Flight Center. This has to be done at extremely cold temperatures, mimicking conditions in space, and the amount of time to cool the system down is one of the drivers of schedule and therefore cost. As long as the government remains shut down, the testing will have to wait. If the shutdown lasts more than a few weeks, the JWST instrument module will have to be warmed up, probably pushing the launch date forward by a few months and raising the cost commensurately (about $1 million per day). NASA operates dozens of scientific spacecraft. A few look out at the cosmos, like Hubble. Many monitor the sun and the particle environment around Earth. Such observations have provided early warning of major sunstorms (known by solar scientists as "coronal mass ejections") that can knock out communications satellites and other fragile electronics. To check on the number of satellites that might be affected by the shutdown, this author tried to access a NASA website, only to see the following message: "Due to the lapse in federal government funding, this website is not available. We sincerely regret the inconvenience." This prompted further searching. The main NASA website defaults to the same error message. The education and outreach pages maintained by astronomers at the Goddard Space Flight Center -- and read by schoolchildren across the country -- are not accessible. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, because it is run under contract to NASA, still has a visible website. Their flagship mission, the Mars Science Laboratory and its Curiosity Rover, is apparently still active, operated by team members who work for JPL or Caltech or other participating institutions other than the federal government. But as for Hubble, if there is any kind of glitch, federal civil servants will be essential to the recovery of rover operations. NASA grounded by government shutdown . The work doesn't disappear, either. Scientists at NASA and the National Science Foundation are some of the hardest working people I know. The government shutdown means they are forbidden to do any work. They can't take their laptops home or phone into teleconferences from home, the way I might if a hurricane or snowstorm threatened Yale. So, you might think they are having a nice (though unpaid) vacation. But actually, the same work is sitting on their desk when they get back, and it all has to get done. So it means they'll work longer hours to catch up and for most civil servant scientists, there is no such thing as overtime pay. A NASA colleague at the Goddard Space Flight Center is designing a powerful new telescope. For the past few weeks, we've had intensive discussions with colleagues around the world about the science this telescope will be able to do. Now, there is radio silence. His last e-mail said, "This is going to be my last e-mail before the government shutdown ends. Any work during a shutdown is deemed a violation of the Anti-Deficiency Act. You are welcome to continue to e-mail me, but I might not be able to respond until the federal government opens for business." We are all waiting. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Meg Urry.

Government shutdown affects NASA, where employees are off the job . Meg Urry: A two-week shutdown could waste $3 million to $8 million of taxpayer money . She says loss to science is greater as critical astronomical work could be affected . Urry: NASA scientists can't do their work and must make up for it when shutdown ends .

(CNN) -- Once again a new Gallup Poll has reported that Vermont is the least religious state in the country, with only 22% of the people willing to call themselves "very religious." On the other side of the poll, there is Mississippi, where a whopping 61% of citizens lay claim to that self-description. But what does it really mean to be "very religious" and not just spiritual? I've been living in Vermont for much of my adult life, adding up to nearly four decades. And I've been keenly interested in the question of religion, having written a biography of Jesus and practiced Christianity as best I can for much of my life. I've also traveled in the South quite often, and understand where that 61% comes from: Not long ago I drove across Mississippi, and I couldn't find a secular radio station on the dial. It was all preachers, all sounding alike. Repent, repent, repent. Billboards everywhere shouted religious slogans. It seemed there was a church on every street corner in every town I passed through. So what's going on here? Do Mississippians have a direct line to the divine? Don't the majority of people of Vermont also have an interest in religion or belief in God? Is this why Vermont was the first state in the union to allow for civil unions? And does secularism run rampant here? On any given Sunday, while I'm sitting in church, many of my neighbors are out walking in the woods, skiing, or reading a book by the woodstove (it's what we do in Vermont). Indeed traditional churches in Vermont struggle to fill their pews, and one often sees churches being sold off to real estate developers, who convert them into apartments or places where secular business can take place under high ceilings that once filled with prayers. But it would be a mistake to assume the absence of the usual trappings of religion means that people in Vermont -- or anywhere, really-- aren't pondering the big questions. Religious affiliation doesn't necessarily equate with spirituality in any deep way. Indeed, when I step into my local co-operative food store in Vermont, the bulletin board is crammed with listings for local meditation groups or yoga classes or panel discussions on "spirit and nature." The community spirit is strong in this state, and the value of helping one's neighbor is cherished here as much as anywhere. And these values include things like spending money on education, on good health care for all, and making sure that the land itself is responsibly used, with a keen awareness of environmental consequences. Indeed, Vermont was chosen the No. 1 greenest state in a recent poll. I'm not sure that the religious fervor in Mississippi necessarily results in any of these things, For example, the state consistently ranks near the bottom in health care for low income people and environmental responsibility . For some years I've taught courses at Middlebury College on poetry and spirituality, and students often say to me: "I'm spiritual but not religious." They are, nevertheless, on a quest. They like to ask big questions about God, about human fulfillment, about spiritual practice in the widest possible terms. With them I explore major spiritual texts, including the Book of Psalms, ancient Taoist poems from China, Islamic poetry, and the work of such great Christian poets as John Donne, George Herbert, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and T.S. Eliot. My sense is that there is no end of genuine interest in spiritual matters among students in my neck of Vermont. Yet many of the traditional churches -- in Vermont as elsewhere -- fail to address questions of spirituality in ways that interest those who might have a deep spiritual longing but can't profess a simple faith in God or subscribe to any dogma. Jesus himself put forward the essential questions: What does it mean to live an ethical life? What is this mysterious thing called "spirit" and how does it relate to questions about God? How do we live, as people of faith, in communion with each other as well as God? In so many ways, Jesus was the ultimate seeker, hungry for the deepest kinds of experience. He looked for, and found, astonishing answers, inviting us to follow him in our quest. From what I can tell, God-hunger is alive and well in Vermont. But it tends to thrive outside the walls of traditional churches (though it can be found there as well, as apparently 22% of Vermonters will say). I would refer the good pollsters at Gallup back to the story of Jesus, who when asked by pesky Pharisees where the Kingdom of God could be found, said: "Don't say, look, it's here or there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21) That's a challenging response, but it might not register as an appropriate answer on any Gallup Poll. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jay Parini.

Jay Parini: Gallup poll finds Vermont least religious state. Mississippi is most religious . He says in South, religion all over radio, road signs, towns; in Vermont fewer go to church . But Vermont ranks high on environment, health care. Mississippi ranks at bottom . Parini: Vermonters spiritual seekers, God-hungry: neighbor-helpers more than churchgoers .

Boston (CNN) -- Courtroom drama erupted Friday when James "Whitey" Bulger stood and angrily addressed the judge, without the jury present, about how his murder trial was "a sham" and he wasn't going to take the stand in his own defense. That provoked an outburst from the widow of a man who is among 19 people Bulger is charged with killing. The judge quickly restored order. Bulger told the court Friday why he won't testify. "My thing is...I didn't get a fair trial. This is a sham. Do what ya's want with me," the reputed Irish mafia boss told the federal judge. His voice shaking, the 83-year-old Bulger told the judge he had a deal with now-deceased Jeremiah O'Sullivan, the head of the Justice Department's New England Organized Crime Strike Force who later became U.S. attorney in Boston during the height of Bulger's allegedly brutal reign. "In return he promised to give me immunity. As far as I'm concerned I didn't get a fair trial," Bulger said. He didn't elaborate on what the agreement was. Judge Denise Casper questioned Bulger on his decision not to testify. Bulger responded: "I'm making the choice involuntarily. I feel I've been choked off from making an adequate defense." Bulger's attorneys release photos designed to show his softer side . At one point, the widow of a man whom Bulger allegedly killed interrupted proceedings with an outburst. "You're a coward!" Patricia Donahue asserted when Bulger indicated he would not testify. Casper called for "silence" in the gallery. Bulger is charged with killing Donahue's husband, Michael. Jurors were not present when Bulger spoke or when Donahue made her outburst. When the jury returned to the courtroom, the defense rested, concluding 35 days of testimony. Bulger's claim to immunity seemed to contradict his legal defense: His lawyers spent a large part of the seven-week trial disputing assertions that Bulger was an FBI informant. The judge previously ruled that Bulger could not argue immunity as defense in this trial. The jury will begin hearing closing arguments Monday. Outside of court, Tommy Donahue, son of Michael Donahue, shared his mother's sentiment and called Bulger "a rat coward." "He is going to take his secrets to the grave with him," Donahue said of Bulger. Before resting its case, the defense read aloud the prior deposition of one witness who has brain cancer and could not deliver testimony in person. In all, the defense called 10 witnesses over five days. Prosecutors called 63 witnesses. One of the witnesses did double duty, called to the stand by each side. That means the jury heard from a total of 72 witnesses over the 35 days. Bulger witnesses' death ruled a homicide . Bulger's defense team said earlier in the day that Bulger is prepared to forfeit the assets found in his Santa Monica, California, apartment to the families of two men he is accused of murdering. Nearly $822,000 was found in the alleged Boston Irish mob boss's possession when he was arrested in 2011. "My client is prepared to have all the money forfeited to the victims' family that prevailed at trial first, but had it reversed because of ... a highly technical (court) process," J.W. Carney said Friday. The families of alleged murder victims Donahue and Brian Halloran -- whom Bulger is also accused of killing -- won a judgment in 2009, but an appeals court tossed it out, saying the suit was filed too late. The Donahue family has been in court virtually every day of this trial. There remains a question as to whether Bulger's offer is a meaningful one. The government has seized the money, so technically it no longer belongs to Bulger. Only if he is found innocent and the money is found to have been earned legitimately would it be returned. Carney confirmed outside of court that Bulger's decision not to testify was made shortly before it was announced, after his client heard all of the witness testimony. Tommy Donahue expressed appreciation to Bulger's defense attorneys Hank Brennan and Carney. "I tip my hat to Carney and Brennan," Tommy Donahue said, referring to the gesture of forfeiting Bulger's recovered assets to his family and Halloran's family. In a 32-count indictment, prosecutors accuse Bulger of participating in 19 murders, racketeering, money laundering and extortion during some two decades. CNN's Kristina Sgueglia and Deborah Feyerick contributed from Boston and Michael Martinez wrote from Los Angeles. Ross Levitt contributed to the report.

Widow of alleged victim shouts from gallery to Bulger, "You're a coward!" "He is going to take his secrets to the grave with him," her son says later . "This is a sham. Do what ya's want with me," Bulger tells the judge . He offers assets of nearly $822,000 to murder victims' families if convicted .

(CNN) -- The girlfriend of former NFL star Steve McNair first shot him in his right temple, then fired three more shots at close range, most likely as he slept, police said Wednesday. Steve McNair, 36, spent 13 seasons in the NFL, the majority with the Tennessee Titans. She then sat on the couch next to his body, and killed herself so that she would fall into his lap, they said. "The totality of the evidence clearly points to a murder-suicide," Nashville, Tennessee, Police Chief Ronal Serpas told reporters at an afternoon news conference. McNair, 36, and Sahel Kazemi, 20, were found fatally shot in a condominium in downtown Nashville on Saturday afternoon, authorities said. "McNair was seated on the sofa and likely was asleep, and we believe that Kazemi shot him in the right temple, then shot him twice in the chest, and then shot him a final time in the left temple," Serpas said. Watch police chief describe murder-suicide » . "Kazemi then positioned herself next to McNair on the sofa and shot herself once in the right temple and expired. ... We do believe she tried to stage that when she killed herself, she would fall in his lap." A trace of gunshot residue was found on her left hand, he said. Kazemi used a 9 mm handgun, Serpas said. McNair was married and had four children. Serpas said he had spoken with McNair's wife Wednesday to update her on the investigation. The police chief said Kazemi had become rattled over the last week, believing that McNair was involved with another woman. "She had become very distraught and on two occasions told friends and associates that her life was all messed up and that she was going to end it all," Serpas said. He said Kazemi had seen another person leave the condo a few days before and was concerned "whether or not her relationship was unraveling with Mr. McNair." "There was evidence that she was spinning out of control," Serpas said. He added that there was no evidence found at the condo indicating anyone else was there at the time of the deaths, which is believed to be after 1 a.m. Saturday. Dr. Feng Li, the assistant medical examiner who has been handling the case, told CNN earlier Wednesday that all evidence was "indicating that she killed Mr. McNair and killed herself." "It's almost an assured thing. We have to be convinced otherwise," Li said. See McNair's football bio » . The coroner said he will not finalize the "manner of death" on Kazemi's death certificate until he has final lab test results, which are a few days away. "I have to have everything together, and then I make the opinion," he said. "We want to be as thorough and as detailed as possible." Li said Kazemi was found face-down in the condo with the gun underneath her. The autopsy indicates she shot herself once through her right temple. "She was found on the feet of Mr. McNair, who sat on the sofa," he said. "It's very hard for everybody involved," Li said. "Our thoughts and prayers go to the families." Earlier in the week, police said that on Thursday evening, Kazemi purchased the pistol found at the scene. Hours before the purchase, Kazemi was pulled over in a traffic stop and charged with driving under the influence. She was accompanied by McNair in a Cadillac Escalade he had purchased for her. McNair was allowed to leave the scene in a taxi after Kazemi was given a field sobriety test. On Friday night, Kazemi who worked as a waitress told a co-worker "that she was thinking about ending it," Serpas said. Police found their bodies in the condo -- leased to McNair and his friend Wayne Neeley -- about 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The two had been dead for hours before Neeley, who had to use a key to enter the building, discovered the clothed bodies Saturday afternoon, according to police. Neeley then called his friend Robert Gaddy, who arrived at the condo and called police. Serpas said it is unusual for such a time gap, but "not unheard of." He said police do not believe the crime scene was tampered. McNair spent 13 seasons in the NFL, mostly with the Tennessee Titans, where he excelled on the field as quarterback. He was named the NFL's co-MVP in 2003 and spent his last two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before announcing his retirement in April 2008. The Titans reached the Super Bowl in 2000, losing to the St. Louis Rams. McNair led the Titans in a dramatic comeback that day, with a final tying touchdown coming up a yard short. "Any death is tragic," the Nashville police chief said, "and the deaths we're talking about today are tragic to the families of all involved and tragic to our community."

"The totality of the evidence clearly points to a murder-suicide," chief says . Coroner: "It's almost an assured thing. We have to be convinced otherwise" McNair and his girlfriend, Sahel Kazemi, were found shot to death Saturday .

(CNN) -- Richard III's burial was hardly fit for a king. The awkward position of the English monarch's body, and the inferior quality of his grave, suggests medieval gravediggers placed him there in a hurry or didn't care much for him, according to researchers. Or perhaps both. British archaeologists, in the first academic paper since the discovery of his skeleton under a parking lot, said Richard's body was buried in Leicester, central England, "with minimal reverence." The king, 32, was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. It was the last fight in the War of the Roses, which ended with the ascension of Henry VII and the Tudors. Richard's naked body was returned to Leicester for public display before he was interred three days after death. His torso was lowered into a too-short grave, leaving it in an "odd position" that left the head partially propped up against the grave side. "Only a little extra effort by the gravediggers to tidy the grave ends would have made this grave long enough to receive the body conventionally," the University of Leicester researchers wrote in an article published Friday in the journal Antiquity. "That they did not, instead placing the body on one side of the grave, its torso crammed against the northern side, may suggest haste or little respect for the deceased." They suggested one possible factor. "The haste may partially be explained by the fact that Richard's damaged body had already been on public display for several days in the height of summer, and was thus in poor condition." Richard was discovered buried among the remains of what was once the city's Grey Friars friary. Other graves were of correct length and neat rectangular with vertical sides, according to researchers. "This grave was an untidy lozenge shape with a concave base and sloping sides, leaving the bottom of the grave much smaller than its extent at ground level," researchers wrote. There was no evidence of a shroud or coffin. In February, scientists announced that they were convinced "beyond reasonable doubt" that the skeleton belonged to Richard. Mitochondrial DNA extracted from the bones was matched to Michael Ibsen, a Canadian cabinetmaker and direct descendant of Richard III's sister, Anne of York, and a second distant relative, who wished to remain anonymous. Experts say other evidence -- including battle wounds and signs of scoliosis, or curvature of the spine -- found during the search and the more than four months of tests since strongly supported the DNA findings. Richard III met a very violent death . Some of findings have been publicized before. The king's feet had been lost at some point in the intervening five centuries, but the rest of the bones were in good condition, which archaeologists and historians say was incredibly lucky, given how close later building work came to them -- brick foundations ran alongside part of the trench, within inches of the body. Archaeologists said their examination of the skeleton shows Richard met a violent death: They found evidence of 10 wounds -- eight to the head and two to the body -- which they believe were inflicted at or around the time of death. Wounds to the face and two other cuts to the body may be "humiliation injuries" delivered after death, scientists said. The skeleton also showed marks that could have come from period-appropriate weapons. In particular, a large wound at the base of his skull seemed likely to have been made by a blade like a halberd. Other wounds seemed similar to those inflicted by daggers and knives of the time. Richard's hands also may have been bound. More recent analysis of the remains, using radiocarbon dating, indicates a high-protein diet, heavy on seafood, indicating a high status in society. After centuries of demolition and rebuilding work, the exact location of Richard's grave had been lost to history, and there were even reports that the defeated monarch's body had been dug up and thrown into a nearby river. "The skull was in good condition, although fragile, and was able to give us detailed information," bioarchaeologist Jo Appleby, who led the exhumation of the remains in 2012, said earlier this year. Clues coaxed from the skeleton may shed "a new light" on the physical description of Richard III as a humpbacked man with a "withered arm," which was used to support history's evil image of him, Professor Lin Foxhall, head of the University of Leicester's School of Archaeology and Ancient History, said then. One immediate discovery was that the skeleton does not have a "withered arm" as depicted by Shakespeare, researchers said. While not humpbacked, Richard III did suffer from the "severe scoliosis" that appeared to start around the time of puberty, they said. The king will finally get respect next year. His remains will be reburied in Leicester Cathedral, close to the site of his original grave. CNN's Bryony Jones, Alan Duke and Alden Mahler Levine contributed to this report.

Researchers update their research on Richard III . They say gravediggers appeared to be in a hurry, may have shown disrespect . Archaeologists found the body of a man buried beneath a parking lot in Leicester . DNA tests confirm "beyond reasonable doubt" the identity of the bones .

(CNN) -- We all have bad habits. Nobody's perfect. Especially the booger eaters. Most everyone will agree that one of the very worst habits -- if not THE worst habit -- is cigarette smoking. Because, really, as far as poor life choices go, it's right up there with setting your DVR for "Two and a Half Men." Nothing good can come from it. But one horribly addicted man in Turkey is determined to quit, and he's taking his efforts to a hilarious new level. Because, after 26 years of cigarettes, Ibrahim Yucel has decided to encase his entire head in a metal cage. And, hell, it might just work. Though, generally speaking, that kind of self-imposed personal torture is usually best reserved for adventurous bedroom shenanigans with shady (yet willing) people you meet on Craigslist. So I've heard. But Yucel is serious about kicking his two-pack-a-day habit, and, as a last-ditch effort, it's all come down to the metal head cage. Which has now gone somewhat viral. A video detailing his master plan recently surfaced on YouTube, and amazed viewers got to watch Yucel's wife literally lock him in for the day before he headed off to work. Which, despite his positive, health-conscious intentions, is a terribly misguided decision. As someone who had to wear orthodontic headgear as a kid, I can assure you there's no glory being seen in public looking like Hannibal Lecter. But our hero doesn't seem to care, and perhaps this low-tech solution IS the solution. Amazingly, Yucel created the device all by himself using 130 feet of copper wire. Which, on the down side, means if he ever wears it into the wrong neighborhood, it'll be gone in less than 10 minutes. "Come on!" But, until then the cage, which has only two keys that are kept by his wife and daughter, should prevent him from getting cigarettes up to his mouth, while providing just enough room for sliding in crackers and a flattened drinking straw. Yucel is motivated by the memory of his father, who died of lung cancer, and I applaud the man for trying to quit. I wish more of you would do the same. Not so much because I care about your health, but because my biggest pet peeve in life is when people throw their butts on the ground. It drives me crazy. Unfortunately, even the kindest, most law-abiding citizens do it. Apparently, at some point in history a bunch of old dudes got together to make the rules of life and officially agreed that, for whatever reason, this would not be considered litter. "Beer bottles?" "Litter!" "Fast-food wrappers?" "Litter!" "Hey, what about cigarette butts?" "Shut up, Dan." To me, tossing butts on the ground is a habit almost as bad as actually smoking. It's rude. It's unsightly. And it's definitely worse than booger eating. Fortunately, though, the majority of personal bad habits are rather innocent and don't have any real negative impact on society as a whole. For instance, I drink waaay too much Diet Coke, and none of you are any worse off because of it. Save for my distracted co-workers who sit near the men's room. "Hi. Me again." Sadly, there are some habits that are so bad to the point where they don't even technically qualify as habits. For example, setting things on fire really shouldn't be "your thing." "Good grief, Wayne. You gotta stop doing that." "I know, right?" But smoking is still pretty bad. So, if you're not interested in donning Yucel's giant metal cage, and if the patch and the gum aren't working, I know of only one other sure-fire way to quit: Move to Sydney, Australia. Never in my life have I seen cigarettes so expensive, where bumming one on the streets is basically like asking a stranger to pay your next mortgage bill. Mind you, I'm not a smoker. But when I visit a foreign city I find you can often get a pulse for the general cost of living by how much they charge for beer and cigarettes. And, at least from my travels, that's about as bad as I've seen it. So, go to Australia, and I promise you'll be well on your way to better health. Unless, of course, you simply get killed just by virtue of being in that country. Fun fact: Nine out of ten things in Australia are venomous. Including most office supplies. But if all your foreign travel money is being spent on cigarettes in the first place, maybe you should settle for Yucel's giant metal cage. Even if it doesn't work, at least you'll still have it for the next time you browse Craigslist. And that can be fun. So I've heard. Follow Jarrett Bellini on Twitter.

A man in Turkey built a copper-wire head cage to keep himself from smoking . Ibrahim Yucel had a 2-pack-a-day cigarette habit . His wife and daughter are the only ones with a key to unlock the cage . A video detailing his master plan recently surfaced on YouTube .

(CNN)Can this prince topple the king of world football's governing body? Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein has stepped forward to challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency at May's election. Blatter, 78, is seeking a fifth consecutive term in office despite growing disillusion with the way the organization has been run during his tenure. The Swiss, who became president in 1998, has not faced a credible challenger since taking office but will now find himself in the middle of a real battle. "I am seeking the presidency of FIFA because I believe it is time to shift the focus away from administrative controversy and back to sport," Prince Ali said in a statement. "This was not an easy decision. It came after careful consideration and many discussions with respected FIFA colleagues over the last few months. "The message I heard, over and over, was that it is time for a change. The world's game deserves a world-class governing body — an International Federation that is a service organization and a model of ethics, transparency and good governance." FIFA has been been heavily criticized following allegations of corruption over its bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Russia was awarded the 2018 World Cup and Qatar the event for 2022. A FIFA investigation found no wrongdoing in the process. Prince Ali, 39, is the third son of Jordan's late King Hussein from his marriage to his third wife, Queen Alia. He was elected FIFA vice president representing Asia in 2011. He also serves as the president of Jordan's soccer governing body and is founder and president of the West Asia Football Federation. Prince Ali has played a key role in the promotion of women's sport, securing Jordan's position as hosts of the Women's under-17 World Cup which is scheduled to take place next year. He also successfully campaigned to lift the ban on female Islamic players wearing headscarves during competition. The Asian Football Development Project, a non-profit organization, was created by Prince Ali in 2012 to encourage youth participation in football throughout the continent. It runs projects across Asia on empowering women within football, youth development and raising knowledge of the game. Prince Ali is believed to already have secured the backing of Michel Platini, the president of UEFA, Europe's governing body. Platini is expected to examine the policies and manifesto of the Jordanian royal before recommending to the 54 members of Uefa that they back the candidate at the election on May 29 in Zurich. In a statement made on Tuesday, the Frenchman said: "I know Prince Ali well. He has all the credibility required to hold high office. We now await his proposals and his program for the future of football." But Prince Ali faces a more difficult challenge to secure support from his own region with a number of countries in the Asian Football Confederation likely to support his opponent. Speaking to reporters last November, Shaikh Salman bin Al Khalifa, head of the AFC, reiterated his confederation's support for Blatter. "We made it clear during the Brazil congress (in June) and even in the official nomination when President Blatter nominated himself and we all said that AFC is supporting of Sepp Blatter in the next election," he told reporters last year. "This is the decision by the congress and a decision by the exco. What I heard in the media is so far unofficial and I can't comment on that. All I can comment on about is the official stand where the AFC and the exco have made it clear. "I'm just focusing on what we have decided upon and agreed upon and I think that Jordan and Prince Ali were a part of that Congress. "I think we made up our mind and we decided and that's it. We are, lets say, a nation that we don't change our minds. Once we commit and we give our word then we are committed." One additional problem facing Prince Ali is that his own place on the executive committee could come under threat. According to a rule change implemented last June by the AFC, the head of the confederation, in this case Sheik Salman, will take the seat on the executive committee and the vice presidency too. To ensure he remains on the executive committee, Prince Ali will have to win one of Asia's seats if he is to keep his place. Prince Ali will attend the Asia Cup in Australia which begins this week and is expected to be quizzed on his proposals and policies. But he remains adamant that any campaign should be about football and not the organization he is hoping to lead. "The headlines should be about football, not about FIFA," he said. "FIFA exists to serve a sport which unites billions of people from all over the world, people of differing and divergent political, religious and social affiliations, who come together in their enjoyment of 'the world's game.'" Prince Ali joins Frenchman Jerome Champagne in announcing his intention to stand against Blatter. The cut off point for those wanting to contest the election is January 29.

"The headlines should be about football, not about FIFA," says Prince Ali bin Al Hussein . FIFA president Sepp Blatter wants to run for a fifth term . Prince Ali only real credible challenger to Blatter . Frenchman Jerome Champagne will also contest election .

(CNN) -- The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would hardly recognize America in 2013, the 50th anniversary year of his world-famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The efforts of King and countless others have not only made it possible for Barack Obama to become the first black president of the United States, but also created unprecedented opportunities for the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and virtually anyone who had previously been given a check that has, as King put it, "come back marked 'insufficient funds.'" I personally cannot think of MLK Day without reflecting on my life as a product of post-civil rights America: I was conceived on the coattails of that movement to a single mother, absent father, horrific poverty, and despair and fear I would not wish upon anyone. Yet here I am, a direct beneficiary of King's legacy. I do not take the opportunities given to me lightly. Especially since my mother, born in South Carolina in the Jim Crow-era, has sickening memories of the racial oppression back in those days. Her family had no electricity, no indoor running water and no television. The day that King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, my mother turned 20. "We knew there was colored folks marching in Washington," my mother told me. "We just did not know what for exactly." The what for had everything to do with democracy, freedom, voting and citizenship rights, for a group longed blocked from the doors of the American dream. It means the only way we could ever come to "a beautiful symphony of brotherhood" that King spoke of is for each of us, no matter our background, to honor and recognize who we are, including very uncomfortable parts of our history, like slavery, which was depicted in recent films like Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" and Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained." We cannot sit at the table of diversity and multiculturalism if we are not even clear what we are bringing to share. In King's speeches and writings in the last years of his life, he wanted people, including black people, to embrace and appreciate their culture and heritage. But it was never an either or for him. King worked for and loved Black America, and he worked for and loved America. From 1963 to the present, the United States has changed dramatically. When I attended integrated schools, I remember sitting elbow to elbow with children of different races, something my mother could not have fathomed in her childhood dominated by "Whites Only" and "Coloreds Only" signs everywhere. But the work is far from over. I think King would be saddened that the poverty and economic disparities he fought against at the end of his life are still here. He would be outraged by the kind of racism that routinely profiles young black and Latino males and fills our nation's prison system with black and brown bodies. He would be awestruck and angered by the visionless black leadership that has come to dominate black communities nationwide, more concerned with media moments and money than solutions. He would wonder how black culture has deteriorated from Harry Belafonte, Motown and Nina Simone to Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, and reality TV shows that present utterly destructive black images. I think he would be disheartened by the numerous wars that have occurred since Vietnam and by the fact that more than one million Americans have died by gun violence since he himself was shot and murdered in Memphis on April 4, 1968. And moreover, he would be very outspoken about how some Americans treat immigrants, and our inability to see their plights as great civil rights issues of our time. But, King would smile broadly, in that way he did, as we witnessed the stunning rainbow coalition of Americans who voted Barack Obama into office in 2008, as a direct extension of King's prophetic dream. Despite the historical significance of electing Barack Obama into the Oval Office twice, and the great victories we accomplished together as a nation in the past 50 years, King would urge us to continue his work since a lot more needs to be done. The harsh reality is that Martin Luther King Jr. is never coming back. We have a federal holiday dedicated to him, we have the moral authority of his spoken and written words, and we have his mighty spirit hovering over our nation like an uninterrupted sheet of light. But I sincerely believe that if we are going to live up to the extraordinary vision of King, then we must open our hearts more to each other, as sisters and brothers, as part of the human family. We know, as he knew, that love must be a living and breathing thing. In celebration of his legacy, let's keep in mind that service to others must become as natural to us as breathing, for the good of America and for the good of all of us. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Kevin Powell.

Kevin Powell: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would hardly recognize America in 2013 . Powell: King and others made it possible for Barack Obama to be elected president . He says despite progress, King would find a lot more that needs to be done . Powell: In celebration of his legacy, let's treat each other with humanity and compassion .

(CNN) -- The recently discovered Flame virus bears all the hallmarks of a cyberattack concocted by a nation-state. It's big and complex and pointed directly at a geopolitical hot zone, Iran. What really gives it away as a government project is the extent to which its programmers sought to keep it out of civilian hands. The malware seems no more designed to protect us from a nuclear Iran than it is safeguarded to keep us from using the program itself against one another. Flame is sophisticated. It's not a tiny piece of code that nests itself in e-mail and then erases your hard drive. It might better be described as a suite of programs -- the Microsoft Office of malware -- that perform different tasks. One turns on the microphone of a computer to record conversations; another sets up a virtual machine on the computer to be controlled remotely; another uses Bluetooth to connect to nearby cell phones and copy data or monitor phone calls. One compresses all this espionage into smaller files; yet another sends data back to the master computer, accepts commands and installs new updates. This level of complexity and breadth of functionality is unparalleled. But, in the theater of cyberwarfare, every successful cyberattack can be considered the most advanced attack of all time. This is an arms race of a new sort, where measures and countermeasures change the entire programming landscape. The methods of previous attacks, once analyzed, are neutralized by new additions and patches to computer operating systems. This sends would-be infiltrators back to the drawing board to come up with new, superior approaches. Technological warfare is a bit like evolution, where new mutations compete for survival. Only on computers, we don't have to wait for nature to spontaneously fold a chromosome in some new way. We have programmers actively looking for new windows of opportunity, new maneuvers, new countermeasures and new ways of hiding what they're doing. It amounts to the weaponization of cyberspace -- a practice in which the U.S. government has apparently been participating, sometimes reluctantly, according to an article in The New York Times last week. The cybercampaign against Iran apparently began under the Bush administration working with Israel, and continued under Barack Obama, who voiced concern about the precedent America was setting. The resulting Stuxnet virus, aimed at disabling Iran's nuclear refineries, ended up getting loose on the Internet in the summer of 2010. The revelation of U.S. involvement with the virus worried Obama, according to the Times article, as it could justify future cyberattacks on Americans by enemies of the United States. Flame may or may not be another product of this same campaign. When asked about his nation's complicity in the malware, Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon cheekily told Army Radio, "Israel is blessed with high technology." But the rest of us are blessed with high technology, too. What's to keep malware such as Flame from being used against civilian populations or even by civilian populations? Nations have been using computers for warfare since computers existed. The development of the modern computer was in no small part accelerated by World War II. America's ENIAC computer calculated artillery trajectories, while Britain's Colossus computer decoded the Nazi's encrypted messages. At the time, however, computers were not household appliances. Like cannons and other weapons of war, they were tools of the state and inaccessible to regular folks. And while the current cyberwar may be a nation vs. nation affair, the kinds of technologies unleashed in this conflict are not beyond the technical capability of more rogue hackers and criminals. The same technologies that let the U.S. and Israel thwart Iran's nuclear program can also enable, say, an Eastern European crime syndicate to participate in your banking activity. What makes Flame unique -- and almost certainly of government origin -- is that it appears to have been written in a way that not only slows detection and countermeasures, but that also slows the spread of its techniques. The complete suite of programs is over 20 megabytes. And while at first glance this seems to be a downside -- an elephant hiding in plain sight -- it has actually served to keep it unnoticed for at least two years. More importantly, it was made huge on purpose. Much of its code is simply camouflage -- 3,000 lines of programming that make it hard to understand and even harder for an enemy team of coders or even hackers in the civilian population to copy and use themselves. It's as if its programmers were attempting to be responsible or at least exclusionary, and to prevent the weaponization of the greater Internet. Now that's classic government behavior. It's also probably futile. Such efforts will likely only slow this inevitable slide toward an Internet that feels as blocked by security checks as an international airport. For in truth, we are all blessed with high technology. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Douglas Rushkoff.

Douglas Rushkoff: Flame virus attack on Iran has hallmarks of being concocted by nation-state . He cites article saying Obama concerned that such an attack might someday be aimed at U.S. He asks: What's to keep malware from being aimed at civilian populations? Rushkoff: We are headed toward an Internet that's blocked by airport-style security checks .

(CNN) -- The two Swedish journalists convicted as terrorists in Ethiopia have opted to seek a pardon rather than appeal the verdict and their 11-year sentences, a Swedish official said Tuesday. Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson were convicted in December by a court in Addis Ababa after being accused of helping the Ogaden National Liberation Front, which Ethiopia has labeled a terrorist organization, and for entering Ethiopia illegally. The decision to try for a pardon "does not mean any change in our view that they were there working as journalists and that they should be released as soon as possible," Kent Oberg, spokesman for the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told CNN. Ethiopian troops captured Persson and Schibbye in July during an exchange of gunfire with the rebel group in the Ogaden, a prohibited region along the nation's border with Somalia, according to state media . In a short statement provided to CNN by Schibbye's mother, Karin, the two journalists said: "There is a tradition of mercy and forgiveness in Ethiopia and we choose to rely on this tradition." The Swedish Union of Journalists reiterated that Persson and Schibbye were in Ethiopia working as journalists. "It will always be a defeat for press freedom when journalists are prosecuted, imprisoned and convicted when they are performing their job as journalists," Jonas Nordling, president of the Swedish Union of Journalists, said in a statement on the union's website. Karin Schibbye said in a phone call with CNN that this has been a difficult time for the family. "I'm very shaken, but I'm starting to get used to it," she said. "We live day by day. The first big shock came when they were prosecuted. The next devastating moment was when the judge found them guilty of terrorism." She said the two men deny that they were in Ethiopia to support terrorism. "They are innocent. They had no intention of disrupting anything in Ethiopia, no bad intentions at all, but now it is like they are in a trap," she said. "The fact that they chose not to appeal means they now have to figure out exactly how this process of seeking a pardon will work, if they have to admit to the crimes or just apologize." The pair sought "the best possible advice," she said, adding that "most experts have said that seeking a pardon is the best way forward." After the trial, she said, "They felt that their defense arguments didn't have much impact" and "They felt that it was very unlikely that another judge would see it any different." "This may take a long time, but they are ready for it," she said. Karin Schibbye last saw the two journalists just before Christmas, and she said the pair feels that they have great support from home. "They are happy that their case has put a spotlight on press freedom and human rights in Ethiopia and that their ordeal isn't in vain." Schibbye and Persson are being held under harsh circumstances at the Kality prison, Karin Schibbye told CNN. "The prison is divided into zones with about 1,000 people in each zone," she said. "In each zone there are small huts, with between 150 and 250 people in each, where they are locked up at night. In each hut there are only about 100 beds, so most people sleep on the bare floor. At one point Martin told me there were so many prisoners in the hut that they had to sleep stacked next to each other on the floor." But now Schibbye and Persson have advanced in the prison's "inner hierarchy," Karin Schibbye said, and they share a bed that is 90 centimeters wide. "They have also sewn, like, a tent to give them a little bit of privacy," she said. "But the light is never turned off and it is never quiet at night, so I think that is the hardest thing for them." The men have put themselves on a daily schedule of eating and exercising to try to stay healthy," she said. "But there is no room to exercise, so they jump up and down right where they are to at least do something." The family is paying a hotel across the street to bring them lunch packets each day, "and we've given them some dry food to cook at night," she said. "But they have to hang it up in the roof so that the rats don't eat it. ... We should have given them metal cans instead of plastic ones since the rats can eat through the plastic cans." Schibbye and Persson have also persuaded the prison warden to allow them to start setting up a library in the prison, she said. "Now every time we go down there from now on we will bring a suitcase full of English books. So if anyone wants to help out and send down English books to their new library that would be great," Karin Schibbye told CNN. When the process of seeking a pardon can start is still unclear, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson are serving 11-year sentences . "There is a tradition of mercy and forgiveness in Ethiopia," Schibbye's mother says . "They felt that their defense arguments didn't have much impact" at trial, she says . They have been held in harsh conditions, she says .

(CNN) -- Today is a landmark anniversary for Tim Berners-Lee. In March 1989 he wrote a proposal to his employers at CERN for a somewhat abstract "global hypertext" system he called Mesh. A year later he re-named that system the World Wide Web. It caught on. A quarter of a century later, Berners-Lee is like a proud father, seeing his baby all grown up and making its way in the world without him. "I feel a certain amount of inventor's pride," he tells CNN. "My greatest pride has been the spirit of collaboration we've had for the last 25 years." He's watched the Web grow through a carefree childhood and turbulent adolescence, reaching the kind of age when things suddenly get more serious, and it's time to make some important decisions about the future. "At 25 it's more like a young adult," he explains. "Suddenly it needs its independence; young adults are at the stage when they're looking for freedom, and in terms of what they do they're asserting their rights. "Now, 25 years on, Web users are realizing they need human rights on the Web ... We need independence of the Web for democracy, we need independence of the Web to be able to support the press, we need independence of the Web in general. It's becoming very important to sort out all that." Recent years have been marked by growing pains. Revelations of mass surveillance by the NSA and other agencies have caused international outrage. Arguments over net neutrality persist and copyright wars pitching open-net activists against mainstream creative industries have grown bitter, with Berners-Lee himself criticized at times. The stock and use of illicit material has grown with the dark net. Berners-Lee is clear that our ability to speak and associate freely is under threat. The widespread data gathering of the NSA revealed a "broken" system, he believes, and he praises whistle blowers like Edward Snowden whose leaks expose the excesses. "When (systems) break the whistle blower is the person who saves society by pointing out something that nobody else will, because it's illegal," he says. "One thing I'd like to see built in the future is an international convention and international respect for whistle blowers." If spying is one threat, Berners Lee believes censorship is another. He recalls the situation in Egypt, where the Internet was cut off at the height of anti-government protests in January 2011. "For a lot of people that was the first time they realized you could turn it off, and they asked themselves, who could turn it off for me?" he says, adding that "turning off the Internet is more or less a signal that the regime does not trust its citizens and that the regime is on the way out." At 58, Berners-Lee is not taking a back seat. Having invented the Web once, he hopes to re-invent it through the "Web We Want" initiative, aiming to create a universal "Internet Users Bill of Rights." Key targets of the manifesto include spreading net access to the nearly two thirds of the world that still doesn't have it. Establishing clear regulations is also a priority, as is the protection of personal user information. Berners-Lee still enjoys enough power over his creation to make big changes realistic, through two authorities he founded and continues to lead. The World Wide Web Consortium (WC3) determines standards for all Web infrastructure, backed by the world's leading academic institutions and software developers. The Web Foundation manages the spread and ethical application of the Web, bringing pressure to bear on governments through initiatives such as The Web Index, which ranks nations by Internet access standards. The Web We Want campaign will rely on mass mobilization across industries, nations and activist bodies to succeed, but Berners-Lee is confident of fostering a spirit of cooperation. He has seen it before and considers it the Web's greatest accomplishment. "It's really a story of collaboration, people working painstakingly on getting protocols right ... There's an international spirit that ignores boundaries," he says. As for what the Web will look like over the next 25 years, as it enters its middle age, Berners Lee sees a smarter Web emerging, with users empowered by the huge amounts of personal information collected as part of the "Web of data" -- information that could help personalize our Web experience. "People are worrying about what other people are doing with their data," he says, "but they haven't realized what they can do with their own data." As we grow more connected to, and reliant on, the Web, so the potential for abuse increases. How we use such a powerful tool amounts to a test of our species, says Berners-Lee, but it's one he is confident we can pass together. "In general the Web enables humanity to be more powerful and that power can be used for good things and to do horrible things -- but on balance when it comes to humanity I'm a tremendous optimist." In pictures: What the Internet really looks like .

Tim Berners-Lee wrote the original proposal for the World Wide Web in March 1989 . He is a champion of Web rights and warns of the threat from surveillance and censorship . At 25 the Web is like a "young adult," he says. "It needs its independence"

(CNN) -- Long before there was Apple there was Olivetti. With its slick, beautifully designed products at the cutting edge of innovation, the Italian company was once at the forefront of the race to produce a personal computer for mass consumption. The Ivrea based manufacturer spent years honing the design of its typewriters, calculators and adding machines, agonising over everything from the position of the keys to the shape of the space bar. And everyone from Cormac McCarthy to Bob Dylan used an Olivetti typewriter to bang out some of the world's best known novels and songs. While the company has never recovered its leading position, a humble start-up aims to put Ivrea back on the world innovation and design map. Open-source hardware . Called Arduino, after the local bar where the five founders met to discuss their project, the company produces simple open-source electronics platforms that allows enthusiasts and professionals to build interactive projects. Now, almost ten years after the company produced its first single-board microcontroller, more than 700,000 are in the hands of hobbyists and professionals, operating everything from drones and robots to lights and motors. Co-founder David Cuartielles told CNN that Arduino is not only an educational tool, but also a way of exploring new ideas with new people. "It's been an emerging phenomenon since the late 1990s," Cuartielles said. "Different schools around the world have tried to bring electronics to designers and artists to get them to come up with more creative uses for technology." Arduino boards also have a distinctive and striking design, in recognition of which they will go on display at MoMA in New York in 2015. Olivetti roots . Operating from a part of the old Olivetti building in Ivrea, Arduino stamps out the blue microprocessors which operate under a form of open source that allows amateurs, designers and artists to come up with new uses for the circuit board. Cuartielles explained that when they launched the project, the only thing the team wanted to protect was the brand. Its use or misuse (one reason the boards have a robust construction and retail for less than US$50) is entirely in the public domain under a creative commons license. As a microprocessor for controlling sensors, Arduino is unparalleled and is becoming a common feature of the prototyping phase of many start-ups. "I wouldn't be risking very much if I said that a lot of the products you see on Kickstarter use Arduino boards in the prototyping phase to control various aspects of the project," he said. He said one of the most interesting applications has been the development of the open platform ArduSat mission, which for the first time allow the general public to run their own space-based applications. "You will be able to rent a timeslot to manipulate the machine so you can simulate your experiment on land with an Arduino board and you can simulate it in space on the satellite," he said. Putting the pieces together . One of the more surprising applications has been the natural marriage between the Arduino board and Lego. Once seen only as a child's building block toy, Lego is finding startling utility as an instant mechanical prototype maker for Arduino ideas. "Lego is very interesting in a sense that it provides mechanical access to the world. It lets you build almost anything within some constraints -- you can't, for instance, build something that's perfectly round with Lego. "Arduino is at the same level but with electronics. It allows you to control things at a low level really, really well." But in the face of ever more sophisticated technology, keeping Arduino simple is no easy feat. "The more simple you make it for the user, the more complex it becomes at the back end," Cuartilles said. "For example, the Arduino Yun -- one of our latest products --basically allows you to connect anything to WiFi or anything to the ethernet. "It can control it at a low level on the net or on the cloud but to make it easy for the users we had to imbed a whole Linux computer into it at that size. "The complexity in the stomach of the beast just gets bigger." While Arduino is most closely associated with robotics, Cuartielles said the application of electronics goes far beyond a concept of robotics, which he says has not changed dramatically over the past 70 years. "For example, they have discovered that 3D printing lab parts makes them sterile by definition. You can 3D print a test tube to put micro-organisms in and that will be sterile because it is being produced by a plastic that must be heated to 250 degrees Celsius. "For €1.000, you can have a machine capable of making sterile lab equipment. That is super cheap and can help laboratories and hospitals all around the world."

Arduino, the open source electronic hardware, hails from Ivrea, the home of Olivetti . Olivetti was once at the forefront of Italian technology and designed the world's first PC . There are now more than 700,000 Arduino boards in the hands of hobbyists and professionals . An Arduino circuit board will go on display at MoMA in New York in 2015 .

(CNN) -- Sunday night's 55th annual Grammy Awards were as much about the performances as it was the actual statues handed out. The evening saw some powerful collaborations among artists, and all eyes were on one controversial performer. Here are the top 5 moments of the night: . 1) Killer performances . Take your pick. From a spirited performance of "The Weight" by an all-star group including Sir Elton John, T Bone Burnett, the Zac Brown Band, Mavis Staples, Mumford & Sons and Brittany Howard of the Alabama Shakes, to the many duets like R&B crooner Miguel with Wiz Khalifa and Miranda Lambert with fellow country artist Dierks Bentley, it was all thrilling. Fun. reminded us as to why we loved them when they performed "Carry On." But they won a big award of the night, song of the year, for their hit "We Are Young." And the stars in the audience were grooving along during a tribute to Bob Marley led by Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Sting, Ziggy and Damian Marley. Even Taylor Swift won us over when she took to the stage dressed as a ringmaster and surrounded by circus/carnival types to kick off the ceremony with her hit "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." Grammy coverage on Marquee . But one of the most eagerly awaited performances was: . 2) The return of Justin Timberlake to the stage . The Grammys went sepia-toned for Timberlake's performance of his new single "Suit and Tie," which offered plenty of homage to the Rat Pack era with Timberlake in a tux with a bow tie and a big band with similarly suited backup singers billed as "JT and the Tennessee Kids." Jay-Z left his seat in the audience to run up on stage for his rap portion of the song. And Timberlake was cooler than cool as he segued into his new single "Pusher Love Girl." The performance marked the return of Timberlake to music since he took a four-year break to focus on acting. Welcome home JT. 3) LL Cool J pulls triple duty . Sure, he's a big acting star now, but don't forget that LL, aka James Todd Smith, got his start in the hip hop game. So it felt right when the Grammy host donned a knit cap, a black T-shirt and some subtle bling to perform alongside Chuck D, Travis Barker, Tom Morello and DJ Z-Trip. They closed out the show with "Welcome to the Terrordome" and shouted out the late Beastie Boy, Adam "MCA" Yauch, with a "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" chant. He also kept the audience informed of what folks were saying on social media, reading tweets and responding to some. The Grammys got its monies worth with him. 4) Adele didn't wear black . You can't not love her as she sings like an angel, is hilarious and just seems so normal. But just like you can always count on a practically flawless performance when she grabs the mic, we thought she was also a sure bet to show up in a black frock. It's kind of been like her thing. But no. When Adele took to the stage to claim the first award of the night, best pop solo performance for "Set Fire to the Rain," she was wearing a flowery, red and black Valentino dress. New life as a mom and clearly new fashion choices: It was almost as surprising as Prince showing up to present Gotye and Kimbra the record of the year award for "Somebody That I Used To Know. 5) The somewhat anticlimactic appearance of Chris Brown with Rihanna . Despite a few cutaways of the pair sitting together in the audience and Brown standing and clapping following her performance, seeing the two together was not as big a deal as the run up felt like it should be. Friday marked the fourth anniversary of Brown's assault on Rihanna, which occurred before that year's Grammy ceremony. The pair had been a huge focus of this year's Grammys as fans waited to see if they would arrive at the ceremony together and how much "togetherness" they would exhibit. But in the end it felt like really no big deal. More surprising was six-time nominee Frank Ocean not winning any of the big awards he was up for. Ocean scored best urban contemporary album and shared best rap collaboration with Kanye West and Jay-Z for "No Church in the Wild," but lost best new artist to Fun. and album of the year to Mumford & Sons. 55th Grammy Awards: The winners list . It was also more fun checking to see which artists ignored the reported Grammys memo asking them to cover up (we are looking at you and your rather exposed bosom Katy Perry). Jennifer Lopez even joked about it while presenting. "As you can see I read the memo," Lopez said, wearing a black dress cut extremely high and fully exposing one leg. CNN's David Daniel contributed to this story .

The 55th Grammy Awards were held Sunday night on CBS . NEW: LL Cool J closes out show with a performance . NEW: Mumford & Sons beat Frank Ocean for album of the year .

(CNN) -- Witnessing the gruesome devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in August 1945--68 years ago this week-- the physicists who worked on the Manhattan Project were aghast at the scale of damage their work had wrought. Both cities were obliterated and several tens of thousands of people died instantly. Soon after those atom bombs were dropped, the press, with information scarce, chased after an Austrian physicist who was instrumental in discovering nuclear fission, then working as an exile in Sweden. She was Lise Meitner, and they anointed her the "Jewish mother of the bomb." This was far from the truth. She was so opposed to using fission to create an atom bomb that when offered the opportunity to work on the Manhattan Project, she flatly refused. Her refusal arose from a strong revulsion: "I will have nothing to do with a bomb." Prescient, as she was, she foresaw the power of fission to unleash untold damage and suffering. Still, the myth persisted. Meitner was born into an enlightened Viennese Jewish family. Unusually for the time, her father strongly supported her education and interest in physics. With a doctorate in physics from the University of Vienna in 1906, she studied under Ludwig Boltzmann and went on to work with Max Planck in Berlin. In May 1938, working at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry in Berlin, Meitner, Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann discovered that the uranium atom could be split when bombarded by neutrons. They expected this to produce new elements heavier than uranium. At this critical juncture in their work, Meitner had to flee Hitler's Germany, and her participation in the scientific collaboration was cut short. She ended up in Sweden. Later that year, Hahn and Strassman found a puzzling development and shared it with her -- instead of finding a heavier nucleus as one of the byproducts of fission, they detected a lighter one: barium. Meitner and her physicist nephew, Otto Frisch, solved the puzzle by figuring out that the radioactive decay of one of the unstable products of fission had produced stable barium. Meitner's work, along with that of Hahn and Strassman, laid the groundwork for the nuclear bomb. But it was Enrico Fermi and his research group in Chicago in 1942 that made the bomb a reality, by setting up a self-sustaining chain reaction. But soon after Hiroshima and Nagasaki were flattened, the international media hounded Meitner with questions. The newspaper Stockholm Expressen ran an article headlined "Fleeing Jewess," which described her escape from Germany with the secret of the bomb and its handover to the Allies. According to Meitner's recent biographer, Ruth Lewin Sime, the Fleeing Jewess myth started with an article written in 1940 for the Saturday Evening Post by William L. Laurence, the official chronicler of the Manhattan project. His dramatic piece read like a juicy spy novel--from the genesis of the idea of fission, to Meitner's escape from Germany, to her sharing her work with her nephew Frisch, in Copenhagen. Frisch supposedly cabled it to Niels Bohr, who in turn passed it on to scientists in America. Suddenly, the unverified 1940 story turned Lise Meitner into the "Jewish mother of the bomb." Not only did she not work on the bomb, she had converted in 1906 to Protestantism. The stories upset her greatly, and she set the record straight during her visit to the United States in 1946. Speaking to Jay Walz of The New York Times, she stressed her support for the peaceful uses of atomic energy. While journalists gave her a starring role in the bomb, she was not credited with the scientific discovery of fission by the Nobel Committee, which awarded the prize to Hahn alone, in chemistry. Debate has continued on whether she was yet another of those invisible women who should have won a Nobel. She finally received recognition when President Lyndon Johnson awarded her, Hahn and Strassman the Enrico Fermi Award in 1966, and the element with atomic number 109 was named Meitnerium in her honor in 1997. When I met the wife of her nephew Otto Frisch at a dinner in Trinity College Cambridge 10 years ago, she talked lovingly of Lise the person and told me that her epitaph read, appropriately, "Lise Meitner: a physicist who never lost her humanity." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Priyamvada Natarajan.

Priyamvada Natarajan: Atom bombs obliterated Nagasaki and Hiroshima in August 1945 . Natarajan: Afterward, fission pioneer Lise Meinter falsely dubbed "Mother of the Bomb" Her work laid the foundation, but she was firmly opposed to it being used for destruction . Press gave Meitner a major role in the bomb, but she was overlooked for a Nobel .

Hong Kong (CNN)"We'll be back" banners and posters proclaimed on the 75th and final day of the pro-democracy protests that have upended Hong Kong. Whether that's a threat or a wan hope depends on who you ask right now. The students that formed the "Umbrella Movement" -- named for the humble umbrella used to protect against tear gas and pepper spray -- are morose but defiant, and more alienated than ever. Pro-government supporters have transformed from being rather passionless parrots of the Beijing line into fire-breathing zealots demanding Hong Kong police bash the heads of anyone stepping into the streets. Emotions are clearly raw, and probably will continue to be into 2015. The "Occupy Central" protests make the upcoming annual policy address by the city's leader, Chief Executive C.Y. Leung, in mid January the most critical since Hong Kong reunified with China in 1997. Continuing to stand firm and largely ignore protesters won't fix the sources of so much "turmoil" -- a term associated with the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and controversially used in the South China Morning Post's headline on Occupy Central's ending. The governments in Hong Kong and Beijing must demonstrate clear understanding of what drove so many to protest so long. Unless the diagnosis is correct, prescriptions of "medicines" will do more harm than good. PHOTOS: Hong Kong protesters bid camp farewell . Demand to be heard . Demands for democracy are in reality demands to be heard. Leung must show he listens to everyone, that he cares, and that he will take action—decisive, but fair action. And that's the rub. Research shows one crucial value—belief in a level playing field—has become deeply damaged. Hong Kongers once widely believed with hard work, some sacrifice and good education, anyone could improve their circumstances and achieve a good livelihood. Tycoons like Li Ka-Shing were adulated because they started with nothing and worked their way up. Today many fewer than before think hard work, sacrifice and good education can lead to better lives. Indeed, many more believe government policy-making is unfair. As proof this is one major cause of unrest, the protest movement caught fire when local government officials refused to meet students demanding to be heard. Instead, they escorted 70 of the richest Hong Kongers to Beijing for private audiences with national leaders. Talking with students, on the other hand, helped to reduce numbers of protestors. They demanded fair treatment, equal to that given the tycoons. The promise of a new platform for exchanging views with youth must be fleshed out in the address. Leung needs to schedule regular question and answer sessions with students like he already does with the city's chambers of commerce. Until those presently excluded from consultation are included, the belief the city's leader unfairly heeds business interests over everyone else will continue to undermine government legitimacy. Causes of unrest . Other fundamental causes of unrest stem from unintended consequences of previous decisions. A 2010 policy decision privatizing commercial space in public housing estates removed cheap rental access for younger and poorer entrepreneurs making Hong Kong's tycoon-dominated crony capitalism even tougher to break through. A real competition policy with teeth that makes sure tycoons compete equally with everyone else for business is essential. Rationalizing the hodgepodge of retirement ages and pension provisions into something simplified, consistent and fair is a must. Many youth resent being unfairly burdened with aging family members, and government shows very little awareness or sense of urgency. A proposal this year to extend the retirement age for civil servants to 65 prompted demands from unions to raise it immediately. People must be truly desperate. Elsewhere, proposing to raise the retirement age sparks protests. Here, it sparks demands for immediate implementation. People don't want handouts; they want fair treatment, whatever their age. Another source of unrest is the sheer press of numbers on our limited space. I strongly supported the decision to finally extend easier entry for mainland Chinese visitors in 2003. However, from a too low number of 8.5 million mainland tourists arriving in 2003, we now very likely have too many for our infrastructure to handle. With 40.7 million mainland Chinese visitors, we are likely hitting capacity. Chauffeured cars . Hong Kong needs central and local government officials who understand life's daily pressures and stress points. Perhaps Hong Kong should imitate what President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption policies have unleashed on the mainland: . Officials getting out of their chauffeured cars, giving up their maid service and joining the rest of us standing in long lines. It would only be fair. And that is why Occupy Central demanded that the next election for the city chief executive be fair. Everything else is not; and the tycoons and top officials don't get it. Until they do, Occupy Central's promise/threat of "we'll be back" is probably right.

The main pro-democracy protest camp was cleared on Thursday . Banners and posters proclaimed "We'll be back," Hong Kong and Beijing need to understand why so many demonstrated .

(CNN) -- Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel looks set to join Ferrari after announcing his shock exit from Red Bull on Saturday. The German, who has spent the past six seasons with Red Bull, is being hotly tipped to join the Italian racing marque from the start of 2015. Vettel broke the news of his departure in Suzuka ahead of Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix, but has so far remained tight-lipped on his plans. But F1 racing legend Niki Lauda believes all roads now point to Maranello for the German. "My logic tells me that Sebastian will now go to Ferrari," Lauda said, AFP reported. "Why? Because Fernando Alonso has fallen out of favor there. There is new management (at Ferrari), they need some new motivation in the team and, of course, Sebastian is the world champion, German and in the same style as (Michael) Schumacher," added Lauda, who won two of his three F1 world titles with Ferrari. Alonso wouldn't be drawn on the issue when interviewed by journalists following Saturday's qualifying session saying his priority was to help Ferrari. Last month, he said there was "no problem" with him seeing out the remaining two years of his contract with the Italian team. But Lauda thinks otherwise and says that the Prancing Horse would be well served by "some German thoroughness" that Vettel could bring. Ferrari has yet to comment on the status of either driver while Vettel himself says an announcement on his future can be expected "very soon." Vettel's news shocked the F1 paddock and will bring to an end a long relationship with the UK-based team, first as a junior racer then Toro Rosso before moving to Red Bull in 2009. In his second season Vettel clinched the first of his four world titles but the 27-year-old has struggled this year and currently lies fifth in the standings and trailing his new teammate Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian is third in the drivers championship, taking the fight to the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg who have dominated this year. It was with this backdrop that Vettel made his move. "After 15 very enjoyable and successful years with Red Bull, I have decided to leave Red Bull at the end of this year," Vettel said in a statement. "Of course it is a big step and hard to make such a decision. The chance to drive in F1, the first win with Scuderia Toro Rosso, the four Championship wins with Infiniti Red Bull Racing and many other great memories have bound Red Bull and myself together into a kind of family. No one can take these times away from us." Musical chairs . No sooner had Vettel announced his impending departure was Red Bull filling the empty cockpit with Daniil Kvyat graduating from the Toro Rosso team after just a single season in F1. "It's been our philosophy for several years now to back youth and grow our own talent and that's what we did with Sebastian Vettel," said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. "Daniil's an exciting talent and prospect and it's an exciting new dawn for Infiniti Red Bull Racing." Horner noted that it had been "one hell of a journey" with Vettel referencing both his and the team's achievements which amount to four constructors' titles and 38 grand prix victories. "He joined us as a young man and now he's matured and he's decided it's time to move on, it's his decision, we're not going to hold him back and it's an exciting time for us," Horner added. "I think he reached a stage in his career where he fancied a new challenge, so that's his prerogative and like in any relationship, if someone's heart is not in it, then it's time to move on." If Vettel does replace Alonso at Ferrari then the Spaniard could be on his way back to McLaren. Alonso spent one season with the UK-based team in 2007 before moving on Renault then to Ferrari in 2010. Should he return then either Jenson Button or Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen would have to make way with the smart money on the 34-year-old Briton who is out of contract come the end of the season. Mercedes lockout front row . Meanwhile out on the track, Nico Rosberg pipped teammate Lewis Hamilton to pole in qualifying for Sunday's race at Suzuka. Williams driver Valtteri Bottas was third quickest with his teammate Felipe Massa directly behind him in fourth. Vettel scraped into the top ten and will start in ninth place while teammate Ricciardo is three places ahead in sixth with Fernando Alonso steering his Ferrari to fifth. Hamilton currently leads Rosberg by three points in the drivers' championship with five races remaining. Read more: Dutch teenager makes F1 history .

Sebastian Vettel says his future plans will be revealed "very soon" Four-time F1 world champion announced Saturday he was leaving Red Bull . Veteran racer Niki Lauda says Vettel could replace Fernando Alonso at Ferrari . Alonso tight-lipped on future and has been linked with a return to McLaren .

(CNN) -- Some 220 square miles of ice has collapsed in Antarctica and an ice shelf about seven times the size of Manhattan is "hanging by a thread," the British Antarctic Survey said Tuesday, blaming global warming. Scientists say the size of the threatened shelf is about 5,282 square miles. "We are in for a lot more events like this," said professor Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Scambos alerted the British Antarctic Survey after he noticed part of the Wilkins ice shelf disintegrating on February 28, when he was looking at NASA satellite images. Late February marks the end of summer at the South Pole and is the time when such events are most likely, he said. Watch aerial footage of the area » . "The amazing thing was, we saw it within hours of it beginning, in between the morning and the afternoon pictures of that day," Scambos said of the large chunk that broke away on February 28. The Wilkins ice shelf lost about 6 percent of its surface a decade ago, the British Antarctic Survey said in a statement on its Web site . Another 220 square miles -- including the chunk that Scambos spotted -- had splintered from the ice shelf as of March 8, the group said. "As of mid-March, only a narrow strip of shelf ice was protecting several thousand kilometers of potential further breakup," the group said. Scambos' center put the size of the threatened shelf at about 5,282 square miles, comparable to the state of Connecticut, or about half the area of Scotland. See a map and photos as the collapse progressed » . Once Scambos called the British Antarctic Survey, the group sent an aircraft on a reconnaissance mission to examine the extent of the breakout. "We flew along the main crack and observed the sheer scale of movement from the breakage," said Jim Elliott, according to the group's Web site. "Big hefty chunks of ice, the size of small houses, look as though they've been thrown around like rubble -- it's like an explosion," he said. "Wilkins is the largest ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula yet to be threatened," David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey said, according to the Web site. "I didn't expect to see things happen this quickly. The ice shelf is hanging by a thread -- we'll know in the next few days or weeks what its fate will be." But with Antarctica's summer ending, Scambos said the "unusual show is over for this season." Ice shelves are floating ice sheets attached to the coast. Because they are already floating, their collapse does not have any effect on sea levels, according to the Cambridge-based British Antarctic Survey. Scambos said the ice shelf is not currently on the path of the increasingly popular tourist ships that travel from South America to Antarctica. But some plants and animals may have to adapt to the collapse. "Wildlife will be impacted, but they are pretty adept at dealing with a topsy-turvy world," he said. "The ecosystem is pretty resilient." Several ice shelves -- Prince Gustav Channel, Larsen Inlet, Larsen A, Larsen B, Wordie, Muller and Jones -- have collapsed in the past three decades, the British Antarctic Survey said. Larsen B, a 1,254-square-mile ice shelf, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island, collapsed in 2002, the group said. Scientists say the western Antarctic peninsula -- the piece of the continent that stretches toward South America -- has warmed more than any other place on Earth over the past 50 years, rising by 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit each decade. Scambos said the poles will be the leading edge of what's happening in the rest of the world as global warming continues. "Even though they seem far away, changes in the polar regions could have an impact on both hemispheres, with sea level rise and changes in climate patterns," he said. News of the Wilkins ice shelf's impending breakup came less than two weeks after the United Nations Environment Program reported that the world's glaciers are melting away and that they show "record" losses. "Data from close to 30 reference glaciers in nine mountain ranges indicate that between the years 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 the average rate of melting and thinning more than doubled," the UNEP said March 16. The most severe glacial shrinking occurred in Europe, with Norway's Breidalblikkbrea glacier, UNEP said. That glacier thinned by about 10 feet in 2006, compared with less than a foot the year before, it said. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Marsha Walton contributed to this report.

A large chunk of the Wilkins ice shelf in Antarctica broke away last month . Only a narrow strip of ice is protecting the shelf from further breakup . "I didn't expect to see things happen this quickly," scientist says . Ice shelves are floating ice sheets attached to the coast .

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Garry Kasparov has defeated the world's greatest chess players and battled a supercomputer for supremacy. Now, he's facing his toughest opponent, but trying to check the power of Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn't been easy. Garry Kasparov, right, says Vladimir Putin's regime is at a "dangerous phase" of turning into a dictatorship. Intensely sharp, the energetic 44-year-old Kasparov, whose political opposition party has been the most vocal against Putin's Kremlin, can hardly suppress his fury with the country's leadership. Jailed for five days before Sunday's parliamentary elections, the brooding grandmaster has spent long hours plotting his moves and countermoves. "This regime is entering a very dangerous phase that is turning it into a dictatorship," he told journalists as he arrived at his Moscow apartment shortly after his release on Thursday. He said he had been denied access to a lawyer since his arrest at a banned anti-government protest that he organized in Moscow last weekend, but that his commitment to opposing Putin remained strong. "I'm undeterred in my resolution to fight this regime," he said. Watch Kasparov won't be a pawn » . Maxim Mishchenko, a Putin youth leader, is equally undeterred. The 30-year-old leader of a group called "Young Russia" -- one of many organizations that have sprouted up in support of Putin -- is ardent in his defense of the Kremlin's path. Terms like dictatorship, autocracy and undemocratic make no sense when applied to Russia, he says. "It is complete nonsense. These accusations are part of the hysteria, which is fueled against our country," he said. Sunday's parliamentary elections are expected to reinforce the hold on power of Putin's United Russia Party, although it's not clear what role Putin may have in the regime when his presidential term expires next year. Mishchenko accuses what he calls enemies of Russia of plotting to keep his country weak. "It doesn't suit certain forces inside and outside Russia to have stability inside of Russia. Therefore, these forces are attempting to shake the situation from inside," he said. "We have seen how it was done in Ukraine and in Georgia, when a minority with the use of political technologies has captured power," Mishchenko says, referring to the pro-Western revolutions that took place in the two former Soviet republics in recent years. Kasparov dismisses claims of a U.S.-backed conspiracy funding the opposition movement he has galvanized. Intellectually, he says, the Russian leader is no match. "I think Putin is a KGB officer, and he is an expert on judo, and he relies only on brute force," Kasparov says. "He is used to playing with an overwhelming advantage and now he's still ahead, but his position is getting worse while we are gaining the momentum." Putin has been fortunate, he says, to have such high oil prices supporting his regime. Fortunate, not clever. "He is a lucky president, or a lucky dictator, but that tells us nothing about his ability to play on a level playing field. He was never a part of a public debate, his regime does not know how to deal with a public protest. They don't understand the nature of compromise," he said. "And the only way to make sure the Russian government reflects the views of the Russian people is to learn how to get compromise and create a broad coalition." But it is precisely Putin's uncompromising stance on a range of issues -- like energy supply to European nations -- that Mishchenko says makes the Russian leader so popular in his country. "People link their hopes for revival of Russia as a superpower with Putin," Mishchenko said. "Putin has stood up against those wishing that Russia dies as a nation. He gave to Russia the right for revival and he works for saving Russia as a culture and as a nation." But while Russia's economy -- fueled by high prices for gas and oil -- is booming, and the country is resurgent on the international stage, it is still a nation ravaged by problems. On this, even Kasparov and Mishchenko agree. "I will work on improving Russian roads, for example, to complete a road from Central Russia to Chita, in the Russian Far East," says Mishchenko of his political ambition. "I think I will also work on improving social conditions for young families, tackling the problem of access to kindergartens." Kasparov sees the wide wealth gap as the major political problem facing his nation. "People ask me this question time and again: 'Why, Mr. Kasparov, tell us, there's so much money in the country, but nothing in our pockets?'" Kasparov said. "I think people are slowly beginning to understand there is a connection -- a mystical connection for Russians -- between high living standards and political freedom." E-mail to a friend .

Kasparov: "This regime is entering a very dangerous phase" The chess grandmaster has become Russia's leading opposition figure . A Putin youth leader says accusations against Russian leader are "nonsense" Parliamentary elections to be held Sunday .

Canberra, Australia (CNN) -- President Barack Obama declared Thursday that the United States will take an expanded role in shaping the Asian Pacific region, with an increased military presence one step of that policy. "Our enduring interests in the region demand our enduring presence in this region," Obama said in a speech to the Australian Parliament. "The United States is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay." On Wednesday, his government announced an agreement with Australia that will expand military cooperation between the longtime allies and boost America's presence in the region. In Thursday's speech, Obama made clear that the military expansion is a top priority in the wake of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, even as the United States faces the need to reduce mounting federal deficits and debt. "As we end today's wars, I have directed my national security team to make our presence and missions in the Asia Pacific a top priority," Obama said. "As a result, reductions in U.S. defense spending will not -- I repeat, will not -- come at the expense of the Asia Pacific." The speech on the second day of his two-day trip to Australia, Obama's first as president, signaled a policy objective to compete head-on with China for influence in the region while also providing security assurances for allies. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters that the policy comes in part from nations of the region seeking increased U.S. presence. "The ability of the United States to help respond to contingencies is something that has been welcomed in recent years, whether, again, it was work that we're doing in the Philippines to counter violent extremism, work that we're doing to counter piracy in the region, the response to the tsunami in Indonesia," Rhodes said. "So in other words, there's a demand signal from the nations of the region, and this is something that we're doing in concert with one of our closest allies. So we believe it's not just entirely appropriate, but an important step to dealing with the challenges of the future of the Asia Pacific region." Under the military agreement announced Wednesday, up to 250 U.S. Marines will be sent to Darwin and the northern region of Australia for military exercises and training. Over the next several years their numbers are expected to climb to 2,500 -- a full Marine ground task force. In addition, Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael Keltz, director of strategic planning and policy for the U.S. Pacific Command, told journalists in a telephone call Wednesday from Hawaii that the United States has based some of its most sophisticated weapons in the Pacific, including squadrons of F-22 fighters and C-17 transport planes. The F-22s provide leading-edge technology for potential air-to-air combat as well as cyber- and electronic warfare," Keltz said. They replaced older F-15s, he added. Keltz details U.S. military power in Pacific . While U.S. officials cited the need to respond to regional natural disasters as a reason for the agreement, concern over China's military expansion is widely acknowledged as a driving factor. "What we look at is how does our general force posture allow us to protect U.S. interests, protect our allies, and ... secure the region broadly," Rhodes said. "China is obviously a piece of the Asia Pacific region, an emerging power." Rhodes later added that the deal is "part of the U.S. sending a signal that we're going to be present, that we're going to continue to play the role of underpinning security in this part of the region. Part of that context is a rising China." In China, a foreign ministry spokesman questioned the appropriateness of an increased U.S. military presence in Australia. Analysts note that the deal sends a message to China in a less confrontational way than building up bases closer to Chinese shores. "The Chinese can squawk about it," said Patrick Cronin, senior director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. "But it's not like having an aircraft carrier in the Yellow Sea." Obama himself, however, insisted during a Wednesday news conference that "the notion that we fear China is mistaken." The president's Australian visit -- postponed twice in 2009 and 2010 due to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and other domestic political considerations -- highlights a changing balance of power in the Pacific as China expands its military reach and the United States works to reduce its military footprint in Japan. Obama's Australian visit comes on the heels of last weekend's 19-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which highlighted the need for new measures supporting job growth. During the Hawaiian summit, Obama stressed the importance of the Pacific to global economic security, and he pushed China to do more to help strengthen the world economy. After wrapping up his visit to Australia, Obama will conclude his Pacific trip with a stop in Indonesia -- a country he spent several years living in during his childhood. CNN's Charley Keyes, Tom Cohen and Alan Silverleib contributed to this report .

NEW: "The United States is a Pacific power," Obama says in Australia . Up to 2,500 U.S. Marines will be deployed near Darwin . Deal with Australia sends a message in light of China's growing military power . The president will wrap up his Pacific trip with a stop in Indonesia .

(CNN) -- Not so long ago, Germany was vilified for its slow economic growth, high unemployment rates, and record budget deficits. As late as 2004, The Economist called it the "sick man of Europe." Today, Germany is the world's fourth largest economy, and the most important market in the European Union. Its 5.3% unemployment rate is the second lowest in the EU. Germany exports more merchandise than any other country aside from China, and its share of total world trade is larger than that of the U.S. Not bad for a nation of 81 million citizens that's not even among the world's 15 most populated worldwide. The roots of Germany's 21st century economic success date back to the Industrial Revolution, when Germans were early adopters of rail transportation and coal production. But the country's current rise to status of economic superstar began on a cold autumn day, exactly 25 years ago. Fall of the wall . On November 9, 1989, a group of excited Berliners used mauls, chisels, hammers and fists to smash down the wall that divided the West and East part of the city. The fall of the Berlin Wall was a landmark moment, which intensified a process that fully materialized two years later with the collapse of the Soviet Union. What West Germans found when they entered East Germany was a society marked by high unemployment rate, low productivity and a lot of poverty. They also found a highly skilled workforce that was comparatively cheap, and new markets with an appetite for products. They found opportunities -- not only in the eastern part of their reunified nation, but also in many other former Soviet-bloc countries, like the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia. "Part of the success story of the German multinationals was their capacity to use the opportunities that arose -- first with reunification, and secondly with the expansion of the EU," said Fredrik Erixon, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy, a Brussels-based think tank. "German companies became increasingly skilled at understanding foreign markets and leaning towards foreign markets. Germany has done that in a way which I'd say is more efficient than what you see in the United Kingdom or France, which are the other two big economies that traditionally have had an outward-oriented vision." Ahead of the times . By the end of the 1990s, businesses from Germany played key roles in countries transitioning to a market economy, according to Erixon. German manufacturers were outsourcing parts of their supply chain to Eastern Europe, and German financial firms provided services to millions of people who were just discovering capitalism. It didn't end on the eastern edge of Europe. Germany turned into one of the world's largest exporters by going even further east to the emerging Asian markets, especially China and India, according to Irwin Collier, professor of economics at Free University Berlin. "You have these two huge blocks, huge economies that were starving for investment goods and it just so happens that is where Germany had its comparative advantage -- in the production of investment goods," Collier said. "The high Chinese growth rates meant there was enormous demand for German goods." The goods Collier referred to are mainly vehicles, machinery, pharmaceuticals and electronics. German car manufacturers like BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen established a particularly strong presence in the Chinese market. Companies like Siemens, BASF (chemicals), Deutsche Bank (one Europe's largest banks), and Allianz (insurance) also became leading global corporations. Promoting skills . In addition, thousands of medium-sized companies, often family owned, have been successful internationally and particularly in Asia, according to Anke Hassel, professor of public policy at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. Hassel said one of the keys to Germany's manufacturing success is the country's unique apprenticeship scheme, in which school leavers spend two to three years training with companies. "The apprenticeship scheme is very important in particular for manufacturing companies because they train people at mid-level skills in a very specific way," said Hassel. "They give them industry and firm-specific skills." Hassel explained that having relatively highly-skilled workers allows companies to be more flexible with their production process, and continuously improve. But it's not all rosy. According to Hassel, Germany's dependence on exports make it very vulnerable. During the 2008-09 financial crisis, the loss of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Germany experienced was large compare to other countries, and even today fluctuations in the world economy are immediately felt in the German economy. And fluctuations will always happen. Currently, as market demand in China and other emerging markets is slowing down, Germany's challenge is to rebalance its economy away from an enormously heavy dependence on exports. It needs to increase domestic consumption, which has been relatively weak for decades, otherwise the economic growth it has experienced will not be sustained. In the quarter of a century that has passed since the Berliners tore down that wall, Germany has, no doubt, become an economic superpower. But as Germans know better than anyone, economic realities can change very quickly.

Today, Germany is the world's fourth largest economy with a low unemployment rate . The 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall highlights economic success . Collapse of East and West has meant massive growth for Germany in various industries .

(CNN) -- Why do we watch? Bob Greene says athletes like Lebron James show us the difference between ordinary effort and excellence. The question applies not just to Sunday's NBA All-Star Game, although that is the immediate case in point. The outcome of the game is not important -- few people remember who wins the All-Star Game from year to year. The players, while attempting to win, do it with barely concealed smiles on their faces. All-Star weekend is mostly a class reunion for basketball's elite. But all the games, in all the seasons, in all the big-time sports leagues -- what is the real reason we keep on watching? You might think that we'd finally grow weary of caring, with headlines about Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds, with the sports pages often reading like the business pages (contract disputes and stadium bond-issue negotiations and salary arbitration), with police-blotter details sometimes pushing aside the box scores. Why do we watch? The answer may be found in a single sentence written by a man who died at the age of 76 in this still-new year. John Updike, his literary brilliance aside, was prolific almost beyond belief -- he wrote more than 50 books, and hundreds upon hundreds of essays, short stories, articles, poems and works of criticism. All those careful words, year after year, decade after decade. But of all the sentences Updike ever wrote, there is one that I have long encouraged people to carry around with them -- if not literally tucked into their wallets, then somewhere in their heads and in their hearts. In that sentence of Updike's lies the secret to a lot of things -- including the secret that answers: Why do we watch? The sentence appeared in Updike's 1960 nonfiction piece about Ted Williams's last game for the Boston Red Sox. That piece is famous for how Updike explained Williams's refusal to come out of the dugout and acknowledge the cheering, crying fans after his home run in his final at-bat: "Gods do not answer letters." But it is another sentence in the story that explains everything -- not just about sports, but about the lives the rest of us can lead. Referring to Ted Williams, Updike wrote: . "For me, Williams is the classic ballplayer of the game on a hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill." There it is, right there. That tissue-thin difference, when you don't necessarily know anyone is watching -- there is the answer. We all face the choice in our lives every day: to make the extra effort or not, to stay at the desk for the extra fifteen minutes or to go home, to revise the project one more time before handing it in or to settle for something acceptable, if not quite excellent. On fields of play -- baseball diamonds, football fields, a basketball court like the one on which Sunday's All-Star Game will be held -- the tissue-thin difference is there for the world to see. The lights are dazzlingly bright; the television cameras carry the close-ups around the globe. If a player is dogging it, we can tell; if a player is jogging instead of sprinting, it's self-evident; if a player's mind is already at the party that will be held after the final buzzer, we know. Yet once in a while -- we can see it in a player's eyes -- we are rewarded. Once in a while, sometimes when we are least expecting to witness it, it's there: a tiny move, an all-but-imperceptible lunge, an additional thrust, a reach beyond that which should by all reason be reachable. It was true during small and glorious moments in the days when Bob Cousy and Elgin Baylor were on the basketball court; it is true during small and glorious moments today, when Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are on the court. Updike's tissue-thin difference. A thing done well, when the player could have gotten away with a thing done ill. Are the rest of us the same as the players on the court? In most ways, no. We lack their athletic skill, their physical grace, their monetary riches. They hear cheers every working night; we toil in silence. And yet, the one way in which we can be the same, or at least strive to, is in that pursuit of the tissue-thin difference. The thing that makes the best of them different is the thing that offers us, too, the potential to earn that difference -- the effort beyond mere effort, the desire beyond standard-issue desire, the pride so strong that it becomes the definition of pride. Why do we watch? We watch for those moments. They may be fleeting; they may come and go so quickly we're not even certain, for an instant, that we actually saw them. But they're real, and they can be ours. We wait for them. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene.

Bob Greene: What explains why Americans watch sports so intently? He says professional athletes depress us with steroid and scandal stories . Greene: We watch for the greatness the greatest athletes can achieve . He says it reflects the top-flight effort everyone can strive to contribute .

(CNN) -- Peruvian authorities say they have arrested four members of a gang that specialized in selling to European labs fat obtained from dead humans. Officials are investigating the disappearance of at least 60 people they believe were killed by gang members in two mountainous states in central Peru, lead prosecutor Jorge Sanz Quiroz said Friday. The four suspects have been charged with murder in the September slaying of a Peruvian man, the prosecutor said. "They killed to obtain human fat because there were European laboratories that would pay them," Sanz Quiroz said. The suspects told authorities they were paid $15,000 for a liter (about 1 quart) of human fat. Officials did not disclose what possible use laboratories could have for the human fat, but fat can be a component of cosmetics and is used in reconstructive or cosmetic surgery. The use of human fat for any purpose is extremely rare, however, physicians say. Other suspects, including the Peruvian ringleader, have eluded capture, Sanz Quiroz said. Authorities have the names of two Italian suspects who are being sought by Interpol, the 188-nation worldwide police agency, the prosecutor said. He declined to reveal their identities. Sanz Quiroz acknowledged the uniqueness of the allegations. "We are not making this up," he said. "They have confessed to this. That's what's coming out now." One of the suspects told officials he had been committing the murders for five years. According to a criminal complaint Sanz Quiroz filed November 18, officials discovered on September 22 a small container containing a fat-like substance that had been stored at the Bella Durmiente bus station in Lima, Peru's capital. On November 3, the complaint says, suspect Serapio Marcos Veramendi Principe was arrested after he retrieved three bottles from the Estrella Polar bus station. The bottles contained a substance authorities believe is human fat, the complaint says. Lab tests are being performed to determine what the substance is. Authorities identified the three other suspects as Elmer Segundo Castillejos Aguero, Hilario Cudena Simon and Enedina Estela Claudio. The suspects identified each other for police in photo lineups, the complaint says. In addition to murder, Veramendi Principe and Castillejos Aguero face weapons charges. Castillejos Aguero, Veramendi Principe and Estela Claudio also face drug charges, authorities said. They are accused in the September 16 killing of Abel Matos Aranda, the criminal complaint says. Authorities believe the substance found at the bus stations is body fat obtained from Matos Aranda. Officials unearthed a partially buried male body November 13 in Huanuco state. They believe it was Matos Aranda. Sanz Quiroz referred to the suspects as "brujos," the Spanish word for witches. He noted that the suspects are part of an Andean mountain culture that believes bodies can be used to ward off evil and prevent disasters. For example, he said, bodies are often buried at the entrances to mine shafts and bridges in the belief they will keep the structures from collapsing. Authorities are calling the suspects "pishtacos," which are Andean mythological creatures. In his 1996 book "Death in the Andes," Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa mentions pishtacos extensively, saying they are half-white ghouls who live in caves, lurk along dark isolated roads and suck the fat out of anyone careless enough to travel Andean roads at night. Andean myth holds that the fat is used to make soaps, lubricants, healing potions and cosmetic creams. Until the arrests, few believed that anything resembling pishtacos existed. "It's an Andean myth that we've now been able to prove," said Miguel Jimenez Torres, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office. Some physicians say human fat is used in some medical procedures, but a few products were taken off the market because they were considered unsafe. The longevity of implants that use human tissue often is not as good, said Atlanta cosmetic surgeon Harold Brody. Nor is there any advantage, he said, to using human fat in cosmetic creams or lotions. "They're a little behind the times," Brody said. "It makes a great moisturizer, but it has no advantages over good moisturizers that don't use human fat." New York dermatologist Barry Goldman said he had never heard of human fat being sold on the black market. "The idea that anybody would use an injectable where you didn't know where it came from would be laughable if it weren't unethical and potentially dangerous," he said. Still, the notion of black market human fat seemed possible to him. "They steal kidneys, so why not this?" he asked. "It is sick, but in the Holocaust they did use skin for lamps."

Peruvian authorities reported to have arrested gang who are selling human fat . Officials investigating disappearances of at least 60 people . Two suspects arrested with a plastic container with human fat in it .

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. State Department threw aside diplomatic language Tuesday, attacking Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for creating what it calls a "catastrophe" by throwing many international aid workers out of the country. President Omar al-Bashir ordered the expulsion of aid groups after he was indicted on war crimes charges. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a direct challenge to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir Tuesday, warning that he and his government "will be held responsible for every single death that occurs in" the refugee camps of the Darfur region. Al-Bashir ordered the expulsion of 13 international aid groups from the Sudan earlier this month after he was indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes. While other aid groups remain in Sudan, the United Nations said the 13 expelled groups provided roughly half the assistance delivered in Darfur. Nearly 300,000 people have died in the Darfur conflict, and millions are homeless, according to the U.N. Calling the situation in Darfur "horrendous," Clinton said President Obama's administration will appoint a special envoy for Sudan "in the coming days." On Wednesday, retired Air Force Gen. J. Scott Gration was appointed as U.S. special envoy for Sudan, the White House announced in a written statement. "Sudan is a priority for this administration, particularly at a time when it cries out for peace and for justice. The worsening humanitarian crisis there makes our task all the more urgent," President Barack Obama said in the statement. "General Gration's personal and professional background, and his service to the country as both a military leader and a humanitarian, give him the insights and experience necessary for this assignment." Gration, a former fighter pilot, served as assistant deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for international affairs. Fluent in Swahili, he was raised partly in Africa, where his parents were missionary teachers . Clinton said the real question now is what kind of pressure can be brought to bear on al-Bashir and the government in Khartoum to make them understand "that they will be held responsible for every single death that occurs in those camps." State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters, "It's just a catastrophe that Bashir has created. We're going to continue to make this case and we're imploring others to make this case that he needs to reverse that decision he took. Thousands, hundreds of thousands of people, could possibly be at risk and it's irresponsible, the action he took, and he needs to reverse it and reverse it immediately. People's lives are at risk." Clinton said countries that support al-Bashir's expulsion order "have the responsibility to persuade the government in Sudan to change its decision to let the aid workers back, or they must replace with money and personnel those who have been expelled so that innocent lives are not lost and further undermined." Clinton said the United States is "very concerned" and is looking for more effective ways to convince the Sudanese government that "they have assumed an even greater sense of responsibility and infamy in the eyes of the world by turning their backs on these refugees whom they created in the first place." Wood said it is clear that Bashir is the sole person at fault. "Bashir is to blame for this crisis on the ground," he said. His actions have only made things a lot worse. We are trying to get him to reverse this decision. We want to call on all those who have influence with the government of Sudan, institutions like the African Union, the Arab League, to do what they can to get Bashir to reverse his decision." Obama, during his election campaign, made the crisis in Darfur a major focus. Since then, some have criticized him for putting it on the back burner. Seeking to rebut that view, Wood listed all recent steps the administration has taken to resolve the situation. Last week, he said, Obama discussed the deteriorating situation in Sudan with U.N. Secretary General Ban ki-Moon. U.S. officials have been meeting in New York, Washington and Khartoum with delegations from what Wood called "like-minded nations." Last weekend, the U.S. charge d'affaires in Sudan met with UNAMID (the African Union/United Nations operation in Darfur) and visited a camp for internally displaced people. And last week in New York, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice spoke with the president of South Sudan and the Sudanese ambassador to the U.N. Wood said the U.S. has been reaching out to the Arab League, the African Union and other countries with influence on Sudan, trying to convince them the decision to expel some aid groups "not only costs lives but serves to further isolate the country." Asked whether the U.S. supports a move to defer the ICC indictment of Bashir, Wood said it does not support "any deferral."

State Department says Sudan president throwing out aid agencies is "catastrophe" Hillary Clinton warns Sudan president will be "responsible for every single death" Omar al-Bashir wanted aid groups out after indictment on war crime charges . Spokesman: Bashir must reverse decision because "people's lives are at risk"

(CNN) -- Luis Suarez will have plenty of time to ponder his tendency to bite opposition players after the Uruguayan striker was banned for nine international matches and suspended for four months from any football activity by FIFA. The Liverpool striker, who has bitten players three times in his career - the latest incident coming in a key World Cup game -- is also set to miss a large chunk of the English Premier season as he is "banned from any football related activity" by football's world governing body. The punishment is the most severe ever handed out at a World Cup for an offense committed on the field of play but the striker does have the right to appeal and is allowed to transfer clubs during the four month period. FIFA had begun proceedings Wednesday after the striker was accused of biting another player during his team's World Cup victory over Italy a day earlier and announced its verdict at a news conference Thursday. "The first match of this suspension is to be served in the upcoming FIFA World Cup fixture between Colombia and Uruguay on 28 June 2014," said FIFA's statement, referring to the last-16 game between the South American teams in Rio de Janeiro Saturday. "The remaining match suspensions shall be served in Uruguay's next FIFA World Cup match(es), as long as the team qualifies, and/or in the representative team's subsequent official matches." Suarez is also "prohibited from entering the confines of any stadium" during his ban and must pay a fine of 100,000 Swiss Francs -- $111,000. "Such behavior cannot be tolerated on any football pitch, and in particular not at a FIFA World Cup when the eyes of millions of people are on the stars on the field," said FIFA disciplinary committee chairman Claudio Sulser. "The disciplinary committee took into account all the factors of the case and the degree of Mr Suarez's guilt in accordance with the relevant provisions of the code. The decision comes into force as soon it is communicated." According to FIFA's disciplinary code, the forward could have faced a maximum ban of 24 matches or two years. Former Italian international Mauro Tassotti was given an eight-match ban in 1994, the longest suspension in World Cup history, after breaking the nose of Spain's Luis Enrique. The ban for Liverpool striker, who has been repeatedly linked with a move away from the Premier League club, leaves his club in the lurch as they plan for a return to Europe's top tier competition -- the Champions League -- next season. "Liverpool Football Club will wait until we have seen and had time to review the FIFA Disciplinary Committee report before making any further comment," said the club's chief executive Ian Ayre in a statement on their website. Already banned twice in his career for biting an opponent, Suarez was at it again in his country's key World Cup victory over Italy earlier this week. Just before Uruguay's winning goal, the striker was embroiled in an off the ball incident with Italy defender Chiellini with both men falling to the floor. Television pictures showed Suarez dipping his head towards Chiellini, and when the Italian defender eventually got up, he pulled down his shirt and appeared to furiously indicate that he had been bitten on the shoulder. The Uruguayan was banned for 10 games in April 2013 after being found guilty of biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. He was also guilty of biting during his time in the Netherlands with Ajax where he was banned for seven games after leaving a scar on the collarbone of Otman Bakkal. It's not just biting that features on Suarez's rap sheet. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he deliberately handled the ball on the goal-line to deny Ghana a place in the semifinals of the World Cup. He was sent off for his troubles but Ghana missed the penalty and Uruguay went on to finish fourth in the tournament. The following year after his move to Liverpool, Suarez was found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra. He was fined $63,000 and banned for eight matches. Ahead of the World Cup, Suarez had undergone knee surgery, missing Uruguay's first World Cup game, before returning to face England, when he scored twice in the South American team's 2-1 win. "Before the game people in England laughed about my attitude over the last few years," Suarez told reporters following the game. "I want to see what they think now. I have dreamed of this moment." Suarez enjoyed a sensational season with Liverpool -- scoring 31 league goals to help his club qualify for the Champions League. He was voted Player of the Year by his fellow colleagues and also named as the journalists' Player of the Year too -- awards that reflected a feeling that Suarez had put behind him his troubled past. But he now looks set to miss Liverpool's first nine Premier League games of the season and the start of the club's Champions League campaign.

Uruguay striker Luis Suarez banned for nine international games and four months . Suarez guilty of biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini . Forward has already been banned for biting twice at club level . FIFA says Luis Suarez can appeal decision .

(CNN) -- There are two words that summarize the July Fourth holiday that was and the weekend ahead: hot and soggy. On Friday morning, a flash flood watch remained in effect for southeast Alabama, portions of Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, the National Weather Service said. The Panhandle is expected to get wetter into Saturday. Panama City Beach, Florida, was slammed with some of the worst flooding residents have seen in a long time. The area got 4.24 inches of rain in a short amount of time, the National Weather Service reported. "The flooding was ridiculous," Bay County Sheriff's Sgt. Billy Byrd told CNN on Friday. "We had roads and bridges out for the majority of the holiday." The flooding was so bad that the fire department used boats to rescue dozens of county residents from flooded homes in low-lying areas, he said. Most went to stay with family members and were back at home Friday because the rain and flooding had subsided. Panama City even managed to carry on with its fireworks program when the rain let up. Sandbagging in Florida . Lynn Haven, north of Panama City, wasn't as lucky and had to postpone its celebration until later this summer, Byrd said. Video shot by CNN affiliate WMBB showed nothing but flooded streets. "As I was driving around Lynn Haven, one gentleman stopped me and said he has lived on Minnesota Avenue for nearly 20 years and has never seen the flooding this bad," CNN affiliate WMBB's Chris Marchand reported. Some residents with flooded yards even had to wedge sandbags in their front doors, WMBB said, and some residents just gave up trying to drive through the flooded streets and parked their cars in the road. At one point, Marchand said, he saw a man walking through knee-deep water. In the Southeast, the eastern Tennessee Valley and Ohio Valley are hoping for a break from the rain this weekend. That's probably unlikely, the National Weather Service says, because there's a large plume of moisture from the Tropics converging across the Southeast northward toward the Great Lakes. A break ahead for California . Is there good news in this weather story? Sort of. It should cool down across the Pacific Northwest over the next few days. And the extreme heat that California has been experiencing is expected to break on Saturday, the weather service said. Parts of the state are still under an excessive heat warning, with temperatures hovering in the lower 100s, CNN meteorologist Melissa Lefevre said. Sizzling in Boston . The Northeast is continuing to sweat it out. It's going to be very hot in Boston on Friday, with a high predicted at 102 degrees, the National Weather Service said. There is heat advisory for the Boston area in effect from 11 am to 8 p.m. ET Friday. It should be hottest between 2 and 6 p.m., the weather service said. The city lists cooling centers that might help everyone stay safe. The city's Elderly Commission made robocalls to 30,000 Boston seniors, advising them of precautions to take to deal with the heat. The calls provided the number to Mayor Thomas Menino's 24-hour hotline: 617-635-4500. On Thursday, the heat caused 120 people to receive medical evaluations at Independence Day celebrations on the city's Esplanade, said Jim Hooley, chief of Boston Emergency Medical Services. Four people were taken to a local hospital as a precaution, he said. Temperatures along the Charles River reached into the 90s on the holiday. In light of the terror bombings at the Boston Marathon in April, security was very tight for the July Fourth events. "I think it's going very well, for the most part," State Police Col. Timothy Alben told the The Boston Globe. "The public has cooperated tremendously. There are always going to be some people who don't like [tight security]. We understand that. But I think it's the world we live in." Feeling hot in Philadelphia and New York City . Meanwhile on Friday, the heat continued to oppress Philadelphia. The city was under an excessive heat watch, with temperatures expected in the lower to middle 90s, Lefevre said. And New York City will be a steamer. A heat advisory remains in effect until 8 p.m. Sunday for all five boroughs. Temperatures are expected in the lower to middle 90s, the National Weather Service shows. Cooling centers will be open Friday through Sunday throughout the city, New York City Office of Management spokesman Nancy Greco said. Public areas with air conditioning, such as senior centers and libraries, will house cooling centers for those who don't have air-conditioned homes, she said. New Yorkers can call 311 or go online to find a center near them. CNN's Morgan Winsor and Gabrielle Rodman contributed to this report.

Dozens rescued from flooding on July Fourth in Panama City Beach, Florida . Flash flood watch continues in southeast Alabama, Georgia, Florida Panhandle on Friday . New York City, Boston and Philadelphia are expected to sweat in high heat . California's extreme heat is expected to break Saturday .

New York (CNN) -- Fareed Zakaria, the CNN host and Newsweek columnist, has returned a prestigious prize to the Anti-Defamation League, another rebuke for the esteemed civil rights group's opposition to an Islamic center near ground zero. Zakaria, who received the ADL's Hubert Humphrey First Amendment Freedoms Prize five years ago, gave back the honor to ADL for publicly siding "with those urging the relocation" of the center, which would be located near the site of the September 11, 2001, attacks. "I cannot in good conscience hold onto the award or the honorarium that came with it and am returning both," he said. It is the latest in a wave of stinging criticism toward the Jewish organization's position from a range of people and groups, including those in the Jewish community, and the ADL said it was "saddened and stunned" by Zakaria's decision. The ADL, which exists to fight discrimination, especially anti-Semitism, has said the center's backers had "every right to build at this site" and that "the bigotry some have expressed in attacking them is unfair, and wrong. But at the same time, it said "that building the center at the site will cause some victims more pain -- unnecessarily -- and that is not right."m . In a letter dated Friday to ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman, Zakaria explained that he had been "delighted and moved" to be picked for the award "because of the high esteem" he had for the ADL. "I have always been impressed by the fact that your mission is broad -- 'to put an end forever to unjust and unfair discrimination against and ridicule of any sect or body of citizens' -- and you have interpreted it broadly over the decades. You have fought discrimination against all religions, races, and creeds and have built a well-deserved reputation," Zakaria said. That's why, he said, he was "stunned" that the ADL used its "immense prestige to take a side that is utterly opposed" to its own "animating purpose." He said the group's statements that it "must honor the feelings of victims even if irrational or bigoted, made matters worse." Zakaria said he hopes his move will complement those who are urging the ADL "to reconsider and reverse" its stance. "This decision will haunt the ADL for years if not decades to come. Whether or not the center is built, what is at stake here is the integrity of the ADL and its fidelity to its mission. Admitting an error is a small price to pay to regain your reputation," he said. Foxman responded with a letter to Zakaria, saying he's "not only saddened but stunned and somewhat speechless by your decision." "As someone I greatly respect for engaging in discussion and dialogue with an open mind, I would have expected you to reach out to me before coming to judgment," Foxman said. Foxman reiterated that the group isn't opposing the right for an Islamic center or a mosque to be built and that it has and will continue to stand up for Muslims and others who are "targets of racism and bigotry." "What we did was to make an appeal based solely on the issues of location and sensitivity. If the stated goal was to advance reconciliation and understanding, we believe taking into consideration the feelings of many victims and their families, of first responders and many New Yorkers, who are not bigots but still feel the pain of 9/11, would go a long way to achieving that reconciliation," Foxman said. Foxman told Zakaria in his letter that he's holding onto his award and check "in hope that you will come to see that ADL acted appropriately and you will want to reclaim them." The ADL this week said it won't fight the building of the center after New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission eliminated a hurdle to the construction of the Islamic center two blocks north of the site of the attacks on the World Trade Center. The commission denied landmark status for the building already at the site, moving the center one step closer to reality. The existing building is owned by the Cordoba Initiative, a Muslim outreach group, and already serves as a site where prayer services are held. "We raised an issue ... but once the community board ruled, we move on," Foxman told CNN on Wednesday. The Cordoba Initiative wants to demolish the existing structure and build a "$100 million, 13-story community center with Islamic, interfaith and secular programming, similar to the 92nd Street Y," its website says, referring to the cultural institution on the upper east side of Manhattan. The project calls for a mosque, a performing arts center, gym, swimming pool and other public spaces. On Wednesday, Foxman, a Holocaust survivor, compared the ground zero controversy to the battle over building a convent near the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. "We're not challenging rights. We're asking, is this the right thing to do?" he said Wednesday. CNN's Joe Sterling contributed to this report.

Zakaria returns an ADL award over Islamic center stance . ADL says it's "shocked and saddened" by the move . The center would have interfaith programs .

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Torrential rains moved walls of rock and mud Friday in Southern California, burying homes in one neighborhood, closing a coastal highway and prompting evacuations of foothill communities imperiled by landslides. The damage marked the second day of a fierce storm slamming the Pacific Coast that, in California, served to trade one natural disaster for another, namely the state's record drought of the past three years. At a minimum, the biggest storm in years slaked the dry earth, but it is coming at a high price for many people. Mudslides swarmed or threatened homes near recent hillside fires. Ten homes in the Camarillo Springs area were damaged and red-tagged as uninhabitable after a mudslide crashed into a subdivision and piled rocks almost as high as roof lines, authorities said. An elderly couple needed to be rescued after they stayed in their home despite a voluntary evacuation order and suddenly found water and earth plowing into their bedroom, according to CNN affiliate KTLA. "It just came pouring in, so I told my wife just stay in bed," the man told the affiliate after he was rescued. "I could just feel the mud... there must be 3 or 4 feet of mud in there." Firefighters carried the couple to safety, uninjured. "I'm OK," the man told the station. Later Friday, Jim and Grace Shiraishi's son called his parents' survival of the landslide as "pretty darn amazing." "It gets you by surprise," son Jim Shiraishi said. Swift water recovery and rescue . Firefighters in Orange County conducted a rescue in the swift waters of a flood channel in Garden Grove. The man being rescued, however, appeared to be dead and was stuck on a central pillar of a ditch tunnel, said Lt. Ben Stauffer of the Garden Grove Police Department. The victim was identified as 34-year-old Garden Grove resident Mario Alberto Hernandez. Detectives were investigating the circumstances of his death, Stauffer said. A pedestrian discovered Hernandez's body in the channel, he said. Meanwhile, Los Angeles firefighters rescued two people who were clinging to trees in the Los Angeles River, and they were in fair condition in a local hospital, the fire department said Friday. Evacuations . Residents piled sandbags outside their homes near where the so-called Colby Fire scorched 1,952 acres in Angeles National Forest in January near Glendora and Azusa. Glendora imposed a mandatory evacuation on unspecified homes in the Colby Fire Impact Area. Meanwhile, Azusa issued a voluntary evacuation order for its residents in the burn area, CNN affiliate KABC reported. Flooding, rocks and mud closed parts of the scenic Pacific Coast Highway from Monterey County down to Huntington Beach, the California Department of Transportation said. Northern California recovering . The Bay Area and other pockets of California began returning to normal Friday after the tempest doused exceptionally drought-stricken California with water, causing street and moderate river flooding, and producing blizzard-like conditions in the Sierra Nevada. The storm took a deadly toll further up the coast. Falling trees killed two people in Oregon and left a third seriously injured. At one point, the combination of powerful winds and battering rains knocked power out to 225,000 customers from Northern California to the Canadian border. Inundating rain . The rain intensity in Northern California on Thursday was reminiscent of a tropical shower in some places, a biblical deluge in others. Nearly 2.5 inches doused the San Francisco Bay Area, but north of there, just beyond wine country, 14.6 inches washed down on the Petrified Forest. The rain will put a dent in a historic three-year drought that has sapped reservoirs, threatening farmers and driving up food prices. "We need it, but I wish it would come more evenly spread out, instead of all in one night," said Kim Cheadle, who commuted from Marin County but found her San Francisco office building closed Thursday. An 'atmospheric river' Much of the moisture, at least along the California coast, comes from an "atmospheric river," a band of heavily moist air that split off from a larger such band in the tropics. It's as if a river in the sky spilled its banks, sending a new tributary 250 to 400 miles wide northeastward to California. Such atmospheric river drenchings in California are rare but also normal and necessary, the National Weather Service said. They're how the parched state gets up to 50% of its annual rainfall. The current "river" has been around since late November and already soaked the state last week. CNN's Greg Botelho, Dave Alsup, Topher Gauk-Roger and Erica Henry contributed to this report. Ben Brumfield wrote and reported from Atlanta, and Michael Martinez from Los Angeles. Dan Simon and Sara Weisfeldt reported from San Francisco.

Firefighters rescue two people clinging to trees in Los Angeles River . Police investigate an apparent death in rushing waters of flood channel . Two killed by falling trees in Oregon . Evacuation orders are issued for foothill communities near earlier burned areas .

(CNN) -- The flow of undocumented immigrants into the United States has slowed in the past three years, a major think tank reported Thursday. Illegal immigrants are processed in August at a U.S. Border Patrol station near Laredo, Texas. The Pew Hispanic Center report cites no statistical reasons for the decreased rate. It notes that the U.S. economy has suffered a downturn and that greater immigration enforcement measures have been enacted, which a Pew survey "indicates has generated worry among many Hispanics." According to the center's estimates, 11.9 million undocumented immigrants were living in the United States as of March. There were 11.1 million in 2005 and 8.4 million in 2000, the group said. "Although the undocumented population has been rising, its net growth has slowed substantially since 2005, compared with earlier in the decade," the report states. According to the report, from 2000 to early 2005, the unauthorized immigrant population grew by an annual net average of about 525,000. The growth pattern started changing substantially in 2005. From 2005 to 2008, annual growth has averaged 275,000 undocumented immigrants. See how the numbers stack up » . "With the drop in the numbers of illegals coming, we now have more legal immigrants coming than illegals coming," said Jeffrey S. Passel, the study's lead researcher and author. Unauthorized immigrants continue to make up 30 percent of the nation's foreign-born population of more than 39 million people, the study says. Mexicans account for 58 percent of all illegal immigrants in the United States, the study says, adding that no other country has a double-digit share. Pew estimates that there were 7 million illegal Mexican immigrants living in the United States in March, up considerably from 4.8 million during the 2000 Census. Growth has leveled off since 2007. The number of undocumented immigrants in the United States from Latin American countries other than Mexico grew from 1.8 million in 2000 to 2.6 million in 2008, an increase of nearly 45 percent. That population reached 3 million in March 2006 but has declined since then, the report said. A previous Pew Hispanic Center showed that immigration from Mexico "varied substantially directly related to the employment situation in the United States," Passel said. That appears to be the case now, he added. "This slowdown [in the U.S. economy], if anything, hits some sectors that undocuments [illegal immigrants] are involved in very hard: construction, obviously, being a big one," he said. "The other side of it is that a lot of Latin American economies are holding their own or doing well." Stricter law enforcement has not been confined to the U.S.-Mexico border, Passel said. "The other big difference over the past couple of years is that we've seen greater enforcement in the interior, at the work sites," he said. "Numerically, there may not have been a big impact in terms of the numbers of people arrested and deported, but it's been very high profile. There's strong communication between the United States and the home country, so word gets back." Among the study's other findings: . • More than 40 percent of the nation's undocumented immigrants -- 5.3 million people -- have arrived since the decade began. • About 80 percent of undocumented immigrants come from Latin American countries. In March 2008, 9.6 million people from Latin America were living illegally in the United States. Another Pew Hispanic Center study released Thursday looks at the economy, saying the current economic slowdown "has taken a far greater toll on non-citizen immigrants than it has on the United States population as a whole." According to an analysis of new Census Bureau data, the median annual income of non-citizen immigrant households fell 7.3 percent from 2006 to 2007. In contrast, the median annual income of all U.S. households increased 1.3 percent during the same period, the report says. Immigrant heads of household who are not U.S. citizens are more vulnerable, the report says, because "most arrived in the U.S. in recent years with only a high school education or less. Many are employed in blue-collar production and construction occupations or lower-rung occupations in the service sector." The majority (56 percent) of non-citizen households are Hispanic. And nearly half (45 percent) of non-citizen households are headed by undocumented immigrants. The Pew Hispanic Center is a part of the Pew Research Center in Washington and is an independent research group that does not engage in advocacy or take positions on issues.

Illegals still arriving, but at lower rate, Pew Hispanic Center study says . U.S. economy's ills, stricter immigration enforcement thought responsible . 30 percent of immigrant population is undocumented, researchers report . Economic downturn hits non-citizen immigrants harder, separate study says .

(CNN) -- "It's not fair!" As advertisers quit the Rush Limbaugh radio program -- and as Republican politicians squirm uncomfortably -- the broadcaster's fans are complaining about double standards. Yes, they'll concede, maybe Limbaugh went too far in denouncing a female law student as a "slut" and a "prostitute" and then demanding that she post a sex tape online for him to view. But look (they continue) at all the liberal/lefty broadcasters who have also said obnoxious things! No one calls Democratic politicians to account for them. Why us? It's a question that will be aired often in the week ahead. Here's the answer, in four points. Point 1: Even by the rough standards of cable/talk radio/digital talk, Limbaugh's verbal abuse of Sandra Fluke set a new kind of low. I can't recall anything as brutal, ugly and deliberate ever being said by such a prominent person and so emphatically repeated. This was not a case of a bad "word choice." It was a brutally sexualized accusation, against a specific person, prolonged over three days. Point 2: The cases that conservatives cite as somehow equivalent to Limbaugh's tirade against Fluke by and large did bring consequences for their authors. After David Letterman for example made an ugly joke about Sarah Palin's daughter, he delivered an abject seven-minute apology on air. (To which Palin responded by refusing the apology and insinuating that David Letterman was a child molester.) When liberal talker Ed Schultz nastily called my dear friend Laura Ingraham a "slut" on his radio show, MSNBC responded by suspending Schultz for a week without pay from his TV show. Schultz likewise apologized in person on air. (Ingraham accepted the apology with grace and humor.) The exception to the general rule is Bill Maher, who never apologized for calling Palin by a demeaning sexual epithet. But now see point 3: . Point 3: Limbaugh's place in American public life is in no way comparable to that of David Letterman, Bill Maher or Ed Schultz. Letterman is not a political figure at all; and while Maher and Schultz strongly identify as liberals, neither qualifies as anything like a powerbroker in the Democratic Party. I'm sure the Barack Obama re-election effort is happy to have Maher's million-dollar gift, but I sincerely doubt there is a Democratic congressman who worries much whether Maher criticizes him. A word of criticism from Limbaugh, by contrast, will reduce almost any member of the Republican caucus to abject groveling. See, for example: GINGREY, PHIL. Among TV and radio talkers and entertainers, there is none who commands anything like the deference that Limbaugh commands from Republicans: not Rachel Maddow, not Jon Stewart, not Michael Moore, not Keith Olbermann at his zenith. Democratic politicians may wish for favorable comment from their talkers, but they are not terrified of negative comment from them in the way that Republican politicians live in fear of a negative word from Limbaugh. The ultimate test came in 2002, the vote to authorize force against Iraq. Almost every liberal talker opposed that vote. Hillary Clinton, with her eye on a presidential run in 2008, voted in favor. That is why no one asks Democratic politicians to repudiate the latest strident statement from an Olbermann or a Moore. There's no sport in it. It's too easy for them to say, "Sure." For Republicans, it's tough. But maybe, after this latest outburst, a little less tough? TIME.com: Erica Christakis on why men are the missing element in the contraception debate . Point 4: Most fundamentally, why the impulse to counter one outrageous stunt by rummaging through the archives in search of some supposedly offsetting outrageous stunt? Why not respond to an indecent act on its own terms, and then -- if there's another indecency later -- react to that too, and on its own terms? Instead, public life is reduced to a revenge drama. Each offense is condoned by reference to some previous offense by some undefined "them" who supposedly once did something even worse, or anyway nearly as bad, at some point in the past. But this latest Limbaugh outburst is so "piggish," to borrow a word from Peggy Noonan, as to overwhelm the revenge drama. (On Saturday, Limbaugh apologized "for the insulting word choices.") It is the bottom of the barrel of shock talk. And the good news is that from the bottom of the barrel, there is nowhere to go but up. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Frum.

David Frum: Limbaugh's backers assert liberal talkers also guilty of outrageous statements . He says the hunt for equally offensive comments is a waste of time . Frum: No one on the left holds the power broker position Rush Limbaugh has on the right . Even by the standards of radio talk, Limbaugh's tirade was a new low, Frum says .

(CNN) -- Cristiano Ronaldo continued his battle for scoring supremacy with fellow superstar Lionel Messi with two more goals as Real Madrid reached the last 16 of the European Champions League on Wednesday. While Messi passed the 200 mark for Barcelona with a hat-trick on Tuesday that put the titleholders into the knockout stage, Ronaldo's double in the 2-0 win against Lyon gave him 100 since moving to the Spanish capital in mid-2009. It was Real's first triumph in the French city in five attempts, and gave Jose Mourinho's team a perfect four wins from four in Group D -- with no goals conceded. Ronaldo broke the deadlock with a swerving free-kick in the 24th minute, a fitting way to bring up the nine-time European champions' 900th score in the competition. Is Messi the only real Ballon d'Or candidate? The Portugal forward doubled the lead with 21 minutes to play from the penalty spot after going down under the challenge of Mouhamadou Dabo, while the hosts hit the bar through Jimmy Briand's header. Lyon, seeking to reach the last 16 for the ninth successive season, suffered a first home defeat in 24 matches and now trail second-placed Ajax by three points ahead of the Dutch club's visit later this month. The Amsterdam side moved up to seven points with a 4-0 win at home to pointless Dinamo Zagreb. Gregory van der Wiel and Miralem Sulejmani finished off fine team moves inside the opening 25 minutes, while second-half goals from Siem de Jong and substitute Nicolas Lodeiro killed off the Croatians. Messi hat-trick puts Barcelona into last 16 . Bayern Munich stayed top of Group A with a 3-2 win at home to Napoli, which featured a first-half hat-trick from Germany striker Mario Gomez, a broken collarbone for key midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and two red cards. The Italians pulled one back before the break through Federico Fernandez, but after Bayern lost Schweinsteiger on 53, the visitors had Juan Zuniga sent off in the 70th minute for a second booking. The Germans had defender Holger Badstuber sent off for a second yellow card, and defender Fernandez capitalized with his second goal soon after, but Gomez was denied a 20th this season -- this time from the halfway line as goalkeeper Morgan de Sanctis was forced to scramble back desperately. Manchester City beat struggling Spanish side Villarreal 3-0 to move up to second place on seven points -- three behind Bayern and two ahead of Napoli. Midfielder Yaya Toure scored his first goals since City's FA Cup final win in May, sidefooting home from the edge of the box after David Silva created space for him on the half hour and then again in the second half after waltzing into the area following a pass from Mario Balotelli. Balotelli had made it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time after earning a hotly-disputed penalty. Inter Milan edged closer to a second-round place with a 2-1 win at home to French champions Lille that left the 2009 European titleholders top of Group B. Walter Samuel headed in an 18th-minute corner and Diego Milito made up for three bad first-half misses when he converted a cross from captain Javier Zanetti on 65. Claudio Ranieri's team have now won more matches in Europe this season than domestically in Serie A. Tulio De Melo netted a late consolation for Lille, who ended the match bottom of the table on two points. Trabzonspor and CSKA Moscow both have five points after a goalless draw in Turkey, which the Russians finished with 10 men as Ivory Coast striker Seydou Doumbia was sent off for a second booking. Manchester United joined Benfica on eight points at the top of Group C after beating Romanian minnows Otelul Galati 2-0 for the second match in a row. Last season's runners-up took an eighth-minute lead through winger Antonio Valencia, while Cristian Sarghi scored a late own-goal when he deflected in a shot by England striker Wayne Rooney -- who scored both times in the first fixture. "They made it difficult for us," said United manager Alex Ferguson, who celebrates 25 years in charge at Old Trafford this weekend. Benfica could only draw 1-1 at home to Basel despite taking a fourth-minute lead through Rodrigo's volley. Benjamin Huggel's 64th-minute equalizer put the Swiss side on five points ahead of the trip to Galati later this month, while Portugal's Benfica travel to England.

Real Madrid reach knockout stage with 2-0 victory away to Lyon . Cristiano Ronaldo scores 100th goal for Spanish club after his double . Bayern Munich stay top of Group A, while Inter Milan lead Group B . Manchester United join Benfica on eight points at the head of Group C .

(CNN) -- BP showed up in court last week, finally, nearly three years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the hell it unleashed on the Gulf Coast. It's a huge, high-stakes trial, and BP is taking the beating it's earned. Here's what's at stake for America if there is a judgment: potentially tens of billions of dollars that will be used to create jobs while restoring some of our most productive and vulnerable natural places. Whether the trial results in a decision or a settlement, the outcome will send a signal about how serious this country is about enforcing its common-sense rules that guarantee clean air and waters. BP and its partners have already confessed to criminal negligence in the 2010 blowout that killed 11 men and gushed nearly 5 million barrels of oil. Every part of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, from the deep-sea corals to dolphins to migratory birds, was affected. Gulf Coast residents suffered billions of dollars in economic losses, with effects that rippled across the country. And despite those slick commercials that assure you all is well and then invite you to spend your tourism dollars on the Gulf Coast, the disaster is still unfolding. Last summer, scientists found traces of BP's oil and dispersant in the eggs of migratory white pelicans nesting all the way up in Minnesota. Oil is still present on the Gulf's beaches, in the marshes and under the water. It is working its way through the food chain, so it will be years before we understand the full extent of the disaster. BP's billions at stake as courtroom showdown starts . Just Wednesday, in fact, the Gulf Restoration Network documented a fresh rash of tarballs on a Louisiana beach known as Elmer's Island -- a spot that gets re-oiled every time a storm stirs up BP's submerged goo. We're nearly three years in, and there's no end in sight. That's why our justice system must hold BP and other polluters fully responsible under the law for the worst offshore oil disaster in history. How much could BP end up paying? BP is liable for up to $17.6 billion in penalties under the Clean Water Act if it is found grossly negligent. (And if this isn't gross negligence, it's hard to imagine what is.) Add to that figure the potential for tens of billions more in fines under the Oil Pollution Act. This much is clear: The rules were put in place to deter and, if needed, to penalize the offenders. The Deepwater Horizon was the kind of disaster that was envisioned when the full force of these penalties was contemplated. Those penalties -- and nothing short -- are the fair outcome. It wasn't surprising to see BP's stock rise when it agreed to an unprecedented $4.5 billion in criminal fines. The market was saying, in essence: Guys, it could have been a lot worse. BP claims it now leads the way on safety . So we know that some amount of penalties -- a staggering amount by normal standards -- has already been "priced in" to BP's value. So, this isn't about whether BP will continue to be an ATM for shareholders. It will be. And we're not saying that there shouldn't be drilling in the Gulf Coast. We're saying that even megacorporations need to play by the rules. If Justice Department lawyers agree to a weak settlement, the burden of rebuilding from this disaster will be transferred from a foreign corporation to American taxpayers. Worse, it will send a message to polluters that we don't take seriously our air, water, wildlife, communities or economic health. What's the difference between a $15 billion settlement and a $35 billion dollar judgment? The ability to rebuild the Louisiana wetlands -- America's delta-- for generations to come. A healthy, productive Gulf Coast where people and wildlife thrive. The principle that if you break it, you buy it. Families of killed rig workers react to BP settlement . Under the terms of the RESTORE Act -- passed last year with historic bipartisan support -- 80% of Clean Water Act civil penalties will go back to restore the environment and economies of the Gulf Coast states. That's right and fair. We don't love how the states want to spend every dollar. But this is what a grand political bargain looks like, in case we've forgotten. Two weeks ago, we and our partners hand-delivered more than 133,000 petitions to the Department of Justice, calling for full and complete accountability under the law for BP and its partners. The point of the petitions was pretty straightforward: These rules matter to Americans, and everyone needs to play and -- in this case -- pay fully. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Yarnold.

David Yarnold: BP is rightly on trial, potentially facing judgment in tens of billions . He says even if BP settles, it will send signal that U.S. enforces clean air, water rules . He says pollution of Gulf spill still present three years later; BP must be accountable . Yarnold: Big judgment will fund Gulf coast restoration and send message .

(CNN) -- Facebook's decision to file for public status later this year means its No. 2 executive, Sheryl Sandberg, might be worth as much as $1.6 billion. According to Forbes, that would catapult her just below the seemingly untouchable Oprah in the ranking of the richest self-made women. She won't have much company: Only 7.5% of the major earners at America's Fortune 500 companies are female. The many media profiles of Sandberg all seem to be asking the same question: How did Sheryl do it? How did she get the confidence to perform so well at such a high level? And perform she has. According to The New York Times, she took Facebook from 70 million users and no business model to profits reaching $1 billion on $3.7 billion in revenue in just four years. Sandberg's own mentor, Larry Summers, ignited a firestorm in 2005 when he wondered publicly whether one reason women weren't achieving at the highest levels in the sciences was a lack of biological aptitude, particularly for math. Before long, he was ousted from his position as president of Harvard -- not officially for this reason -- and the nation was abuzz about women's lack of parity in so many fields and forums. See also: How girl geeks can get the best tech jobs . At that time, about 15% of opinion pieces were written by women, though the imbalance was largely under the radar. The opinion page became a particularly contentious space for an outpouring of women's voices in this overdue conversation. Nationally syndicated columnist Susan Estrich called The Los Angeles Times' leadership out for sexism on its opinion pages. Anne Applebaum of The Washington Post argued with Estrich and said she resented being called a "female" journalist. And Maureen Dowd of The New York Times, echoing one of the most commonly held beliefs about why women don't have parity, wrote that women weren't fairly represented because they are afraid of being attacked and care too much about what others think. They lack confidence. But what does that really mean? The notion that women lack confidence implies a negative judgment. It's viewed as a weakness, coded as feminine. But some recent social science research reveals a more likely and complex explanation: People do things because people who look and talk like them or share the same background do those things. See also: Women! Embrace your inner geek . To assume that a lack of confidence is the reason so few women are intellectual leaders is too simplistic. When a woman doesn't go for a big corporate job like Sandberg's or says no when television producers call, saying she doesn't have any confidence implies it's an individual choice made in some sort of sociocultural vacuum. As women, in many cases, the impulse to do something out of the norm of our peer group, like write an opinion piece or ask for a promotion, has simply never occurred to us. If it does, we don't act on it. Our girlfriends aren't doing it. Our female colleagues aren't doing it. Why should we? Peer influence, whether you're a teenage girl trying to figure out what to wear to junior high on Monday morning or a midlevel manager at Morgan Stanley, is a powerful indicator of what you think is possible for yourself. In "Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World," Tina Rosenberg writes, "The social norms set by our peers dominate our choices about what we value and what we expect in life." Sandberg, who often urges women to "lean into" their careers, must know that you don't lean in alone. She runs a monthly salon for women out of her home, inviting guest speakers like feminist Gloria Steinem and trailblazing Sen. Claire McCaskill. Women of various generations gather and shape their ambitions over a meal and some conversation. See also: Women only hotel rooms take off . At The OpEd Project, we cultivate new voices, training minorities and women to inhabit their place as narrators of the world. The challenge is to shift the way we think about ourselves. We must see our peers and ourselves as leaders who have a right and a responsibility to weigh in on the matters of our day. We have to create a new ecosystem in which we see ourselves as part of the critical conversations of our age and feel equally entitled and compelled to narrate them. Who hasn't heard a parent quip, "If all of your friends were jumping off of a cliff, would you?" There's some profound wisdom in that old cliché: If your friends aren't aiming for high-profile corporate leadership or going head-to-head on the Sunday morning talk shows, you're not likely to, either. We can create more Sandbergs by surrounding ourselves with confident, outspoken women. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Courtney Martin and Katie Orenstein.

Writers: Facebook's Sandberg an anomaly; 7.5% of Fortune 500 big earners are female . Too often, they write, people attribute the scarcity of powerful women to a lack of confidence . But people look to their peers' behavior to judge what they're capable of, writers say . Women need to feel entitled to power and must cultivate confident friends, they say .

(CNN) -- Even as Facebook titles like "FrontierVille" and "Restaurant City" continue to attract millions of players, interest in social games may be waning. A rise of tongue-in-cheek parody games that poke fun at these popular outings points to rising discontent amongst both gaming fans and industry insiders. "There's a general feeling of discomfort and bafflement with all of the FarmWhatever and MobsterBoss notifications you see on Facebook and other social networks," said Persuasive Games founder Ian Bogost. "It's become almost absurdist." Witness Bogost's new social gaming spoof, "Cow Clicker," a Facebook game in which you click on cows to earn the right to click on more cows. It's a form of biting interactive satire. "Any cultural force that we don't grasp but that seems to overtake us becomes ripe for parody," Bogost added. "I created 'Cow Clicker' in part to give myself and others a second look at 'FarmVille' and its ilk and force social-network games players to ask themselves what these [titles] are and why they're so compelling." From social-gaming protest groups to fake "FarmVille" commercials, there are plenty of signs that other social networkers share similar sentiments. This year has also brought "Progress Wars," a game in which players repeatedly click to complete random missions such as "ambush silk traders" or "slay dealers." Creator Jakob Skjerning's blog said he analyzed popular Facebook games and distilled their gameplay into core game mechanics "to point out the pointlessness of many casual games." Some gaming experts claim that social-network games put business concerns before artistic ones and are specifically designed to prompt base Pavlovian responses and keep players clicking away. According to New York University games researcher and theorist Jesper Juul, social games are "brain hacks that exploit human psychology in order to make money." "There are forces that compel us humans to do incredibly counterintuitive things," concurred Bogost. " 'Cow Clicker' is a game in which you click a cow, and yet that simple act can still swallow us whole. We like to think of ourselves as rational beings with control over our faculties, but far more often, we are at the whim of things rather than master over them." Some professional game makers even accuse social network titles of promoting addictiveness and using shame as a motivator. For example, "FrontierVille" players who fail to accept requests from friends or upkeep their virtual homesteads may be subject to public mockery. Social networks like Facebook offer gamers the ability to interact easily with millions of other users and rally support for positive causes, Bogost says. But he believes that their potential is being underutilized by Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs. "It's not the idea of social games that are the problem. [It's that] nobody's talking about what would make them good art but only what would make them immensely profitable," he said. Naturally, social game makers beg to differ. Brian Reynolds, chief designer for "FarmVille" creator Zynga, whose games also include such Facebook hits as "Mafia Wars," believes that social games "tend to be vastly underrated by many of gaming's opinion leaders." "This is partially I think because they're so simple," he suggested, "and partially because people just aren't used to the business model or games being able to speak to such a large mass market audience." Reynolds, the former head of Big Huge Games and a strategy game designer whose credited work includes contributions to the "Civilization" franchise, thinks social network titles are a major positive for the field. "Working in social games feels more like the games industry did when I started 20 years ago," he says. "Small, scrappy teams working on games that emphasize fun and playability, and not so much huge technology, 3-D engines and full-motion video. For designers, it's a really fertile space to be creative." Despite a steep drop off in popularity since Facebook shut off social games' ability to spam user profiles with messages and updates this year, Reynolds argues that the market for social gaming hasn't peaked. He cautions that some user attrition is inevitable and that an ongoing evolution in social gaming is needed to stave off player boredom, and he believes that the fundamental multiplayer context of these games will ensure their survival. "That's the real nuclear bomb for me," he said. "Unlike previous games, you're playing light games with real friends that you have actual 'real-world' social connections with, not meeting strangers online." Bogost believes traditional game developers are "stuck in a strange no-man's-land" between the entertainment industry and the high-tech industry. "At the same time, traditional developers are understandably startled and even jealous of the massive and sudden success of social games," he said. "So there's a good deal of self-loathing at work."

Interest in social games, such as Facebook's "FarmVille," may be waning . Some experts claim social-network games put business concerns before artistic ones . Zynga designer: Social games "emphasize fun and playability" over complex technology .

(CNN) -- Ayen Kuol is a woman with a mission: to get men into the kitchen. Kuol, a Sudanese woman, was working as a health worker in Australia, visiting newly-arrived refugees, when she came across single men going hungry because they had no idea how to prepare simple meals. In response, she set up a cookery school for young Sudanese refugee men in Adelaide, Australia. She is the subject of a documentary, "Ayen's Cooking School for African Men," which was shown in London on Sunday as part of the Film Africa festival. In the film, Kuol talked about a health assessment she did with newly arrived refugees. "One day I came across these four boys," she said. "They were just lying on mattresses and I said 'guys, what's wrong?' "They said, 'we're hungry.' There was plenty of food, but they didn't know what to do with it. I opened the fridge and there was meat, vegetables, apples, grapes. I said 'there's plenty of food, why are you hungry?'" Sudanese refugees began arriving in Australia around 2001, and more than 20,000 came in 10 years, according to the Australian government. Around 2,000 of those settled in Adelaide, South Australia. Also on Inside Africa: Film shines light on Obama's Kenyan sister . "Adelaide was quite a monoculture and then suddenly there was a rush of Sudanese refugees," said Sieh Mchawala, who directed the film about Kuol. Mchawala who grew up in Tanzania with a Tanzanian father and an Australian mother. Many of the new arrivals were young single men who had lost their parents in Sudan's civil war and had grown up in refugee camps, such as Kakuma Camp in northern Kenya. "These boys are called the 'Lost Boys of Sudan,' said Kuol in the film. "They don't know where their parents are, they grew up in refugee camps. "They were lost boys in refugee camps, but they could be lost men here in terms of not knowing what to eat or how to cook or anything." Read more: Sudan's 'Lost Boys' reunited with the past . Deeply entrenched labor divisions in the Dinka culture of South Sudan made Kuol's task a tough one. Not only were the men reluctant to try what they considered to be women's work, but the women refused to let men in their kitchens and made fun of any who tried. Kuol's own mother Koko Agot believed it was taboo for men to cook. "She has been telling me what I'm doing is against the law and if we were in Sudan I would be charged for it," Kuol said in the film. Kuol initially struggled to persuade men to take part in her cookery classes. No one turned up to her first class, and only two to her second. Alier Ateny, a youth worker who spent 14 years in refugee camps in East Africa, said before joining the class: "I'm quite confused about whether to go or not to go. "If you go to a cooking class, you may end up not getting a woman to marry you in the community. If you cook you are a woman, you are weak." Ateny did end up going to the classes, along with around 10 others, aged between 13 and 30. Mchawala heard about Kuol's project after deciding he wanted to make a documentary about Sudanese refugees in Adelaide. "I liked the idea of making a film that wasn't a sob story about hardship. It was a great opportunity to make something that was more uplifting," said Mchawala, 33. He said he had come across men's reluctance to cook in his own upbringing, but was surprised by how deeply held the views in the Dinka community were. "After hearing Ayen's story about finding a lot of men who were struggling to feed themselves, I thought there would be a lot of enthusiasm for the cooking school," he said. Also on Inside Africa: Artist joins Nigeria's 'cultural explosion' After around three months of classes, Kuol persuaded the men to hold a feast for the women in the community to prove their worth in the kitchen. Mchawala said: "By the end, they weren't going to be on Masterchef, but they gained a bit more confidence and were a bit more open to trying." "Ayen's Cooking School for African Men," released last year, was Mchawala's first film and throughout the making he continued working in two jobs, as a laborer and a barman. He has since made a film called "Barefoot in Ethiopia," about an Australian brother and sister traveling to Ethiopia. He also takes part in the "Big Stories, Small Towns" project, in which film-makers work residencies in small towns. The project won a community interactive award at South by South West 2012.

Health worker found African men going hungry in Australia because they didn't know how to cook . She started a cookery school for young African refugee men in Adelaide . Her story is told in a film shown at Film Africa festival in London .

(CNN) -- The family of Audrie Pott, a California teenager who allegedly was raped and then committed suicide in September, intends to file a wrongful death lawsuit, the family's lawyer told reporters Monday. Three boys were arrested last week in connection with the case, accused of assaulting the 15-year-old girl, taking photos of the attack, posting the pictures online and sharing them at school. The boys are all 16, according to authorities. "We intend to prove in court of law, that their actions ... broke her. She couldn't handle it, and she did the worst thing a parent can imagine -- she took her life," said Robert Allard, attorney for Pott's father, mother and stepmother. Authorities say the three boys are accused of raping Pott at an unsupervised house party in Saratoga, California, in early September. Pott had too much to drink at the party and passed out before the attack, Santa Clara County sheriff's detectives say. She took her own life seven days later, after learning that schoolmates had seen at least one photograph of the attack, Allard said. Related: When images of sex assault go viral . The three unidentified boys face two felony charges and one misdemeanor charge of sexual battery, Santa Clara Sheriff's Office spokesman Jose Cardoza said last week. Formal charges have not been filed. During Monday's press conference, Pott's mother, father and stepmother repeatedly stressed they wanted the 16-year-olds arrested to be referred to as "young men" due to the gravity of the allegations. Allard said that the parents who own the home where the alcohol was allegedly consumed will be made defendants in the wrongful death suit. Those parents were out of town but teens had access to a liquor cabinet, Allard said. The case is similar to one that played out in court this year in Steubenville, Ohio, where two star football players were convicted of rape for assaulting a girl who had too much to drink. Images in that case were posted on social media sites. Healing process after rape never ends . In the California case, the boys are accused of taking photos of the attack and sharing them at school, as well as texting them and posting them online. After learning that photos had been posted on the Internet, Pott wrote in an online post that her life was ruined. She took her own life a few days later. During Monday's press conference, stepmother Lisa Pott read messages that the family found on the teen's Facebook page after her suicide. Lisa Pott quoted the girl as writing: . "My life is ruined." "I can't do anything to fix it." "I just want this to go away." "The whole school knows." "I have a reputation I can never get rid of." "The boys can die in a hole for all I care." "They knew how bad I was." "I don't want to remember." "I have a reputation for a night I don't even remember." Lisa Pott told reporters, "(Audrie) made her feelings clear in the messages (we) were left to find. The three people who were arrested are responsible for her death." How to help and support young rape victims . Larry Pott said that he wanted other high school students who might know what happened to his daughter -- including those who were witnesses -- to speak up. "Come forward," he said. "Do the right thing." He choked up when he spoke about losing his daughter. He explained that the Pott family decided to make Audrie's name public so that "in some small way ... her story and death could help others." "She was so full of life, there was no denying when Audrie walked into a room. She would light it up, always," he said. "Audrie filled our house with family and laughter." She was witty, her dad said, and loved soccer and the outdoors. "She was sweet and she was kind," he said. "We miss her every day." The morning after . Earlier, Lauren Cerri, a Pott family attorney, told CNN affiliate KGO that the teen "had no idea what occurred until she woke up the following morning and had some drawings on her body and in some private areas." Rape accusations, teens and Twitter attacks in another U.S. town . A fellow student told KGO that along with the shock of Pott's death, there was chatter about who was involved and how they remained in school. "That it took that long (for an arrest) was pretty ridiculous," Samir Ingle told KGO. "It was maybe half a year. I find that really, really disturbing." In the Steubenville case, Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, were found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl who had had too much to drink. That trial gained media attention for its lurid text messages, cell phone pictures and videos, and social media posts surrounding the sexual abuse of the girl. Canadian rape victim's family: We want justice, not vigilante justice . CNN's Mariano Castillo contributed to this report.

Family of Audrie Pott plans to file wrongful death suit against 3 accused teens . Suit will name parents at whose house party allegedly took place, lawyer says . Pott killed herself; her family contends she was driven to end life after being raped .

Miami, Florida (CNN) -- He wanted to sit outside for a while and enjoy the night air, then took a shower and curled up on the couch to watch a cartoon movie. A boring night by many teenagers' standards. But 15-year-old Michael Brewer, who suffered burns over 65 percent of his body in October -- allegedly at the hands of a group of youths he knew -- reveled in it, his mother told reporters Wednesday. Being out of a hospital burn unit, she said, was "the only thing he wanted for Christmas." "He's really looking forward to spending Christmas with his family," Valerie Brewer said of her son, who was released from the University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center on Tuesday. "We hope everybody has as wonderful a Christmas as we're going to have." Three teens -- Denver Jarvis and Matthew Bent, both 15, and Jesus Mendez, 16 -- are accused of being in a group that poured alcohol over Brewer and set him ablaze October 12 in what police said was a dispute over $40, a video game and a bicycle. All three teens are charged as adults with one count of attempted murder. Each has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, each could face a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. The family did not return to their Deerfield Beach, Florida, home, and does not plan to, Valerie Brewer said. Instead, they went to "a safe place" -- both so they can have privacy and so Michael Brewer can feel secure. "He doesn't feel safe going back to the neighborhood," she said. "The families of the boys live within five blocks of us. He does fear for his life going back there. ... He doesn't want to go back and I don't blame him. We're looking forward to moving on and having some peace." She told CNN in an interview later Wednesday the family is looking for another home. Brewer, who suffered second- and third-degree burns over about two-thirds of his body, has "a long road ahead of him," Dr. Louis Pizano, associate director of the burn center, said Wednesday. He faces hours of physical therapy five days a week, Pizano said -- a painful process both because of the burns and because of muscle atrophy resulting from the recovery process. Therapists are working to help him walk more easily and regain a range of motion in his arms and legs, Pizano said. Doctors are hopeful Brewer will not require any more skin grafts, he said. Valerie Brewer told CNN in a later interview Wednesday that her son managed to shower "all by himself" Tuesday night. Showers can be excruciating for him, she said, as it hurts when the soap and water hit his open wounds. Plus, she said, he must take a piece of gauze and wipe his wounds to get any dead skin off. "He's very courageous for doing it by himself." Besides his painful treatment and recovery, Brewer suffered an emotional toll, his mother said. "He really doesn't talk about it with me or with his father," Valerie Brewer said. "He talks to the therapists about it because he doesn't want to upset us." He takes medication to help with night terrors, she told CNN, but "he wakes up every night with nightmares." She said she sleeps about three or four hours a night, depending on how many times her son wakes up in pain or with a nightmare. Detectives say eyewitnesses told them that Mendez used a lighter to set fire to Brewer after Jarvis poured alcohol over him. Bent allegedly encouraged the attack, police said. Brewer jumped into a pool at his apartment complex to put out the flames. Authorities have said Mendez admitted setting Brewer on fire. According to an arrest transcript, the boy said he made a "bad decision." Pizano said Wednesday he would have predicted a six-moth hospital stay for Brewer. While he said it is "miraculous" that Brewer was released in two months, "the reason why he's home so early is because of him." He said Brewer did everything he needed to do, a formidable task even for an injured adult. "He followed everything to the T, and he got home early." Brewer will be home-schooled for the rest of this year and possibly next to allow his recovery to progress, Valerie Brewer said. "He never gave up on anything," she said. "He got a little depressed once in a while -- anybody would, going through this kind of situation -- but his will to live is just unbelievable, and to move on and live a happy, normal life." She told CNN, "He's such inspiration to me. Seeing him go through this -- I know the rest of his life, he's going to have challenges, but nothing is going to ever amount to what he has gone through now, and what he's going to go through for the next several months."

Michael Brewer, 15, was severely burned in October, allegedly by teens he knew . Getting out of hospital was "the only thing he wanted for Christmas," his mom says . Brewer family to spend holiday at "a safe place," not their old home . Doctors credit Brewer's "miraculous" recovery to his determination, spirit .

(CNN) -- In his time as a New York City police officer, Stephen Spiro says that it only happened to him once. Typically, the people he arrested wanted nothing to do with him. But then, few things about the case of Mark David Chapman were typical. Chapman, the man convicted of killing former Beatle John Lennon, wrote Spiro, his arresting officer, four letters. In the letters, Chapman repeatedly tells Spiro to read "The Catcher in the Rye," saying the book would explain much of what happened the night of the murder, December 8, 1980. He expresses an ease with the officer, saying he hoped they could be friends, that he thought Spiro was a great policeman, and that he had felt close to him ever since his arrest. Chillingly, Chapman also wrote that others "could -- and would -- have served the same purpose" as Lennon. The four letters are expected to go on sale Monday on the Moments in Time website, which sells rare autographs and historical documents. Spiro says they represent the only time someone he arrested wrote him letters. "They've been in my possession for 30 years, and I'm 66 years old, and I'm saying, you know, what am I going to do with these things? So I figured I'd sell them," he told CNN. The letters run from January to May 1983. Each one is typed and includes Chapman's signature. Spiro says he wrote a few letters in return, but Chapman "cut it off after a while." The two men spent several hours together immediately after Chapman's arrest. He trusted Spiro. Chapman, who was denied parole for the seventh time in August, is serving a sentence of 20 years to life. The letters will be on sale for $75,000, said Gary Zimet, who runs the Moments in Time site. The site is also selling a "Double Fantasy" record album, which Lennon signed for Chapman before his murder, for $650,000. Spiro said that he plans to donate some of the money he makes to a local shelter for battered women. Here are excerpts from Chapman's letters: . January 15, 1983 . " ... I am glad that we can keep in touch. I'll not forget the first time we met ... "Besides wanting to be your friend, there are two reasons for this first letter. First, is there any way that you can help me locate my copy of The Catcher in the Rye that was taken from me on the night of my arrest? Second, in the patrol car on the way to the stationhouse, I remember you telling your partner -- very excitedly -- that you KNEW something big was going to happen to you on that evening. Do you remember this? I would like you to tell me more of this if possible. "Steven, have you read The Catcher in the Rye yet? I would like you to read it and tell me what you think of it. As you remember, in the copy that was taken from me I had written 'This is my statement'. I am wondering if you now understand this. "Write soon. Let me know how you're doing. As I've said before, you're probably still the 'best damn cop in New York City'. " January 28, 1983 . "... The reason I wanted to write was from the time of my arrest I have felt close to you ... "To answer your question of what was meant by 'This is my statement', the only way I can explain is this way: do you remember the young woman in Saigon during the Vietnam war that immolated herself? ... She believed so strongly in her purpose that she chose to end her life rather than to continue living in this phony world ... "The Cather in the Rye is my statement. The book in incredible ... "We were all part of something big, Steve. Something phenomenal. It is all going to come out." March 10, 1983 . "... You mentioned your family. Tell me about your children. How about a photo, too? "Have you read The Catcher in the Rye yet? I know this will help you to further understand ... "I will let you decide whether Mr. Lennon was a phony or not. His words shoot his life-purpose full of holes. If you dig deep -- and not idolize -- it is all there. Yes, Lennon was a phony of highest degree but there were others who could -- and would -- have served the same purpose. I believe the DA has these names." May 31, 1983 . "Read The Catcher in the Rye. "Sincerely, Mark David Chapman." CNN's Adam Reiss reported from New York and CNN's Dana Ford from Atlanta. CNN's Ross Levitt also contributed to this report.

Mark David Chapman wrote letters to the New York City police officer who arrested him . He repeatedly tells the officer to read the book, "The Catcher in the Rye" Chapman says others "could -- and would -- have served the same purpose" as John Lennon . He killed Lennon in 1980 and is serving a sentence of 20 years to life in prison .

(CNN) -- "De Soto, Holder of Twenty-nine World Records, builds a new aero-dynamic car at popular prices ... This year De Soto does the unexpected again ... introduces not one new car ... but two! ... We can't describe the new Airflow model. You will have to see it yourself to know how truly beautiful it is." Go to a public library or a used-books-and-periodicals store sometime, select at random an American magazine from decades ago, flip through the pages at your leisure. What may strike you is not the now-forgotten news stories, but the energy and effort expended, the enthusiasm displayed, in the advertisements extolling products that were prominent at the moment, and that today are nowhere to be seen. "When your head is stuffed up! Nothing helps a cold more than rest and sleep but you can't sleep when your head is stuffed up, and you can't enjoy your food when you can't smell and taste. If you want to have your head clear, enjoy your food and sleep peacefully, just buy a bottle of Mistol, put a few drops in each nostril and see how much better you feel immediately." Labor Day weekend is as good a time as any to reflect upon what endures -- what matters -- in the life of American commerce and industry. What lasts are not the specific products we desire and purchase. They come and go. People, for a while, decide they need or want them. We're terrific at making stuff -- at conjuring what the market will go for, at expertly constructing and packaging it, at promoting and selling it. We're so good at it that we sometimes forget that the thing to be most proud of is not the products, which are largely ephemeral, but the work -- the labor -- that goes into them. The products, those worthy and those without much worth at all, tend to disappear in time. The diligence and skill behind the labor renews itself each generation. "Quieted down to a mere whisper ... it's Cushioned. The New Underwood Special Typewriter. Mark this significant feature of Cushioned Typing now: There's no ratchety rasp and bang when the carriage is thrown across the machine. Just a gentle purring swish ... that's all." The products mentioned above were featured in the January 21, 1935, edition of Time magazine. They shared the pages with promotions for the Hotel Annapolis on H Street in Washington ("Economize Without Sacrificing Comfort. 400 Outside Rooms, 400 Baths"), Pierce-Arrow automobiles ("Ride in one. . .prove to yourself that without doubt, America's finest motor-car is this year's Pierce-Arrow"), and the Great White Fleet of cruise ships ("The Golden Key to the West Indies and the Caribbean"). All of them are now long departed. On this Labor Day weekend, page through any magazine on the newsstand, click through the ads on any website, and you will encounter products that are fresh and enticing today, but that will have gone the way of the Pierce-Arrow or the Underwood Special by the time your grandchildren who haven't yet been born are consumers. There's optimistic news in that. By then, inventors and laborers and sales representatives will have come up with something they believe is better, something more suited to the needs of that era. They -- the creators, the work force -- are what maintains. In the summer of 1960, when the medium of network television was still relatively new and booming, NBC News presented a preview of the Democratic National Convention. On this archived video of the broadcast, you will notice the trumpeting of sponsors. There's Look magazine ("bringing the exciting story of people to 28 million readers every issue"). There's Kentucky Kings cigarettes ("the only cigarette with a filter made of tobacco -- an all-tobacco filter for that all-tobacco taste.") And, at the end of the broadcast, there's an invitation to viewers: "If you have any question about the convention or its people, simply send a telegram to NBC Convention Wire, Los Angeles, California." Look went out of business in 1971; Kentucky Kings and their all-tobacco filters drifted away like a waft of spent smoke; and when you have an urgent question for someone all the way across the country, the impulse to send a telegram undoubtedly never occurs to you. "Ask the man who owns one," the Packard automobile company proclaimed in that old issue of Time. Packard went away in 1958, but there are new ideas for new products and services being dreamed up right now. It's the one certain thing about American life. Given the opportunity, given a job to do, we know -- we always have known -- how to build. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene .

Bob Greene: Ads for long-gone products a record of what lasts, what doesn't, in U.S. commerce . He says Labor Day reminds of enduring importance of worker as fashions, retail tides shift . Who gets excited about a De Soto, an Underwood typewriter? Just the work force that built them . Greene: One certainty in America: Given opportunity, Americans always have known how to build .

(CNN) -- A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier resupplied a crippled cruise ship that is slowly being towed to San Diego, California, officials said Tuesday evening. The USS Ronald Reagan received 60,000 pounds of food, bottled water and supplies by airlift for the cruise ship Carnival Splendor, with its nearly 3,300 passengers and nearly 1,200 crew members, Cmdr. Greg Hicks, spokesman of the U.S. Third Fleet, said. The Carnival Splendor was stranded some 130 miles west of Ensenada, Mexico, earlier Tuesday, a day after it lost power following an engine-room fire, Carnival Cruise Lines said in a statement. The ship and USS Ronald Reagan were about 150 miles south of San Diego Tuesday evening, Hicks said. The vessel is expected to arrive in San Diego late Thursday, said Carnival spokeswoman Joyce Oliva. The Reagan reached Carnival Splendor late Tuesday morning and supply deliveries were made by helicopter throughout the afternoon. Any supplies not delivered by sunset Tuesday were to be made Wednesday. "It's gone very well so far," Hicks said. Sailors stood on the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan in 50-yard lines, handing off boxes of water, frozen bread, sandwich meats, granola bars, paper plates and more for the Splendor. "We were on maneuvers necessary to get the crew ready for deployment," Lt. Cmdr. Kate Meadows told a CNN reporter on the carrier. "But we were more than happy to respond and excited to be a part of helping the cruise ship." Sailors who have been in contact with Splendor's passenger and crews reported no major problems, Meadows said. At least six sailors spent the night on the ship. The provisions were made available by Carnival Cruise Lines. One tugboat "is in process of tow," Coast Guard Petty Officer Rachel Polish told CNN. Another tug is en route and will speed the slow process, she said. Carnival said it is making hotel and flight arrangements for guests once they reach port. It's possible the Splendor would be diverted to Ensenada if it cannot maintain sufficient speed under tow, according to a statement. The fire occurred about 6 a.m. Monday in the aft engine room of the Splendor, the cruise line said Tuesday in a statement posted on its website. The blaze was extinguished and no passengers or crew were injured. Oliva did not know the cause of the fire or when repairs might be completed once the ship is back in port. Officials said no passengers were evacuated from the ship for medical or any other reasons. Engineers were not able to restore power to the ship, which was operating on auxiliary generators, a Carnival statement said. As of Tuesday, "several key hotel systems, including air conditioning, hot food service and telephones are not available," the cruise line said. Engineers were able to restore toilet service to most cabins and all common-area bathrooms, as well as cold running water, the line said. "The ship's crew continues to actively work to restore other services." Guests are able to move about the vessel and children's activities and entertainment are being offered, Carnival said. Announcements advising guests of the situation began early Monday, the cruise line said. Guests initially were asked to move from their cabins to the open upper deck areas of the ship, but later were given access to their cabins and were able to move about the ship, Carnival said. Bottled water and cold food items were being provided. The voyage -- a seven-day cruise along the Mexican coast that departed Sunday from Long Beach, California -- was terminated, Carnival said. Carnival also has canceled a seven-day cruise that was to leave November 14 from Long Beach, California, the company said. At the request of the Coast Guard in San Diego, the Navy diverted the Ronald Reagan from training maneuvers. Thirty-five pallets of supplies were delivered to the aircraft carrier from a nearby Naval air station, officials said. Guests will receive a full refund and reimbursement for transportation costs, and will also receive a complimentary future cruise equal to the amount they paid for this voyage, Carnival said. "We know this has been an extremely trying situation for our guests and we sincerely thank them for their patience," Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, said. "Conditions on board the ship are very challenging and we sincerely apologize for the discomfort and inconvenience our guests are currently enduring. The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority and we are working to get our guests home as quickly as possible." The ship's normal itinerary included stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The 952-foot Panamanian-flagged ship is carrying 3,299 guests and 1,167 crew members, according to the cruise line and the Coast Guard. CNN's Melanie Whitley contributed to this report.

Carnival Splendor resupplied, under tow . Toilet service and cold water are restored aboard the ship . The vessel lost power after a fire Monday . The 7-day cruise departed from Long Beach, California .

(CNN) -- "I hope you haven't made a mistake," Pope Francis told the cardinals at his celebratory dinner after he was chosen to lead the Catholic Church. He then urged the assembled hierarchy to nourish their bodies, and said with a grin, "May God forgive you for what you've done." It brought down the house. Pope Francis has already brought surprising changes. He broke with tradition by asking the crowd in St. Peter's Square to pray for him, and then bowed to receive it. This struck at least one young Catholic male, interviewed for the TV cameras, as "the most humble thing I've ever seen a pope do." Pope Francis refused to mount the platform previous popes stood on to receive the cardinals, one by one. "I'll stay down here," he told Vatican staff. He shocked many cardinals by choosing the name "Francis," after St. Francis of Assisi, a young man born to wealth, but who lived his life in rags, sitting with lepers and the poor outside the Sistine Chapel. Saint Francis is the patron saint of animals as well as the poor. He is often depicted in art with birds on his shoulder or held in his hands. Some saw it as a sign when a seagull landed on top of the chimney that vents the smoke from burning ballots. What the press began to call "The Holy See Gull" sat for 40 minutes on the tin top over the smokestack. It then flew off, but shortly a gull landed again in the same place. The next smoke was white, for Pope Francis. Opinion: Pope Francis is no herald of big changes . Judging from the cardinals I saw interviewed, the new pope is widely considered to be a centrist. He is socially conservative, opposing same-gender marriage, free condoms and abortion, yet he is also known for his care for AIDS patients, washing and kissing their feet, and for baptizing the babies of unwed mothers who other clerics had turned down. He brings a number of "firsts." He is the first modern non-European pope. He is the first pope from Latin America (his father was an Italian immigrant) a continent that has 39% of the world's Catholics. He is the first pope who is a Jesuit, a Catholic order that focuses on teaching youth and social justice. But while reporters focus on these firsts, there are other reasons that help explain why the cardinals, in Pope Francis' words, went "to the end of the Earth" to find the man to lead the Catholic world, with its 1.2 billion members. Opinion: Pope Francis, open up the church . Four reasons repeatedly came up in interviews with Catholic clerics: They felt it was time to shift the church's geographic center, they like his pastoral centrism, they believe emphasis on ministering to the poor has been missing and they hold a strong conviction that Pope Francis is the man to reform and rebuild a church that has been beset by scandals. That phrase, "rebuilding the church" was mentioned by him, according to reports of the pope's first homily. The phrase also comes from the story of St. Francis, who began his ministry by hearing a call to "rebuild my church." Pope Francis put his emphasis on the spirituality of the church as being first, lest the church be seen as little more than "a compassionate NGO" (non-governmental organization). Navarrette: Pope pick a signal to Latino Catholics . As a practicing Catholic, my personal, fervent hope is that Pope Francis will revive an interest and compassion for the poor. "We live in the most unequal part of the world, which has grown the most yet reduced misery the least," Pope Francis said in 2007. "The unjust distribution of goods persists," he said, "creating a situation of social sin that cries out to heaven and limits the possibilities of a fuller life for so many of our brothers." There are indications some cardinals hope this pope will be Christian-friendly to Islam and the developing world. Cardinal Angelo Scola, the archbishop of Milan, heads a foundation to promote Muslim-Christian understanding, and looks after Afghanistan's only Catholic Church as if it were in his diocese. Slamet Effendy Yusuf, a Muslim and head of the Indonesian Ulema Council, told the Christian Science Monitor, "We believe this is a new chapter in the history of relations between Muslims and Catholics." I noticed that many cardinals remarked with wonder over the news that Pope Francis, while he was in Buenos Aires, lived in an austere apartment, cooked his own food and took the trolley and subway by himself. That this is a matter of wonder to some who live in stone mansions and have chauffeured cars and chefs is a strong indication change has already arrived—brought by example. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Donna Brazile.

Donna Brazile: Pope Francis has already shown humility since being named . She says he can be seen as centrist: socially conservative, but champion for poor, afflicted . She says among reasons he was chosen was belief he can reform church after scandals . Brazile hopes he'll focus on inequality, set example of compassion .

(CNN Student News) -- World AIDS Day is observed around the globe on December 1. Since the first World AIDS Day in 1988, governments, organizations and charities have worked to raise awareness of the global AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Use the information in this One-Sheet to provide students with an overview about HIV and AIDS. How widespread is HIV/AIDS? The UNAIDS/WHO 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update notes that since 1981, when HIV/AIDS was first identified in the U.S., more than 25 million people worldwide have died from AIDS-related illnesses. It estimates that today, nearly 33.2 million people throughout the world are living with HIV. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that includes more than one million Americans. In 2007, more than 6,800 people around the world were newly diagnosed with HIV each day, and of those new cases, approximately 1,150 were children under the age of 15, according to the UNAIDS/WHO report. What is AIDS? AIDS is the acronym for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is a disease of the body's immune system that is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV. Having HIV is different from having AIDS. A person can have HIV for many years before developing AIDS. However, as HIV progresses, it kills off the body's CD4 cells (also known as T-cells or T-helper cells), a type of white blood cell that helps fight infection. When the immune system loses too many T-cells, it doesn't function normally and it can't fight off infections. As a result, people become vulnerable to many serious and often deadly infections and cancers. These types of illnesses are called "opportunistic infections" because they take advantage of the opportunity to attack the body's compromised immune system, the CDC says. You may have heard that people die from AIDS, but this isn't technically the case. People with AIDS die from the opportunistic infections that AIDS allows to take hold, not from AIDS itself. How are HIV and AIDS diagnosed? While some people who are infected with HIV experience chronic symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, weight loss, night sweats and swollen lymph nodes, others may not develop symptoms for many years, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The only way to tell if someone has HIV is with a blood test. If a person becomes infected with HIV, his or her body will try to fight the infection by making antibodies. If a blood test shows the presence of these antibodies, then the person is diagnosed as having HIV, and is considered "HIV positive." Likewise, you can't rely on symptoms to determine if someone has AIDS, because the symptoms of AIDS are similar to the symptoms of other diseases. In order to be diagnosed with AIDS, a person must be HIV positive and have a T-cell count below 200 (a normal count ranges from 500 to 1,800 per cubic millimeter of blood), or have one or more opportunistic infections, according to the CDC. How is HIV transmitted? HIV is found in blood, semen, vaginal fluid and breast milk. HIV can only be transmitted if one of these infected fluids enters the blood stream through contact with the mucous membranes, such as the mouth or vagina, or through direct contact, such as needle sticks or injections. According to the CDC, most people get HIV by: . What treatments are available? In the early days of the AIDS pandemic, patients were unlikely to live longer than two years after developing the disease, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. By studying the way that HIV attacks immune cells, scientists have developed drugs to fight both HIV and its associated infections and cancers. Used in combinations known as "cocktails," these drugs have helped patients live much longer after being diagnosed with HIV. However, while these drugs can slow down HIV and damage to the immune system, there is no way to get rid of HIV. Though researchers are now testing vaccines to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, no vaccines have been approved for use outside of clinical trials, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. What can people do to prevent the spread of HIV? While there isn't a vaccine to prevent HIV infection or a cure for AIDS, people can protect themselves and others from infection. Experts from the Mayo Clinic recommend that people learn about how HIV is transmitted and avoid any behavior that allows HIV-infected fluids to get into your body. If you are HIV positive, it is important to refrain from unprotected sex and other high-risk behaviors that could infect others, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you think you may have been exposed to HIV, experts recommend that you consult a doctor and get tested for the virus as soon as you are likely to develop HIV antibodies, which is within 6 weeks to 12 months after exposure, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. E-mail to a friend .

Use this information to provide students with an overview of HIV and AIDS .

Washington (CNN) -- The nuclear talks with the P5+1 -- that's France, Britain, Russia, China, the United States and Germany -- this past week in Geneva left much to be desired for Iran in terms of final outcomes. The joint action plan calls on Iran to take steps to verify the peaceful nature of its nuclear program. In return, it receives limited sanctions relief until a comprehensive solution within the year takes shape. But a deal is better than no deal as far as Tehran is concerned, and here is why: . The move preempts other power centers in Iran. Although President Hassan Rouhani rejected the idea, in the joint plan Tehran admitted de facto that its nuclear program might be in non-compliance. The move preempts hardline factions in Iran from attempts to advance know-how to build a nuclear bomb. It wants a dignified solution. Despite frequent proclamations to the contrary, Tehran will commit to talks until a way out of the nuclear dilemma is found, even if a final deal takes a long while to make. Until then, it can showcase its praiseworthy diplomatic skills. It wants the military option permanently off table. If Iran needs nuclear energy and has the capacity to produce the fuel, then an agreement that allows it to enrich nuclear fuel is not only necessary, but also reduces the chance of a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. That is why it insists on enrichment. It wants to fortify the conservative power-base. Without a deal, that prospect is in jeopardy because rival political factions in Iran will undermine Rouhani's conservative camp. Already, the joint action plan has come under attack by hardline sources who told Raja News, linked to former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that it degrades Iran's nuclear rights. It wants to re-define "Death to America." Tehran can't control those chants. They aim to sabotage talks but also bring tactical pressure on the P5+1 to deliver on its end of the bargain. Tehran wants talks to move forward regardless. That is why Interior Minister Abdul Reza Rahmani Fazli told Mehr news agency that the chant means Iran supports talks. While that surely confuses any American, the vast majority of Iranians rejoice in what is implied, that Tehran is ready for a deal with the enemy. It wants to keep hardliners happy. There is a national consensus to resolve the nuclear crisis, according to hardline papers Kayhan and Sobh-e Sadeqh. To reciprocate the favor, Tehran hasn't rejected their calls to exercise "resistance diplomacy," a term branded to push Tehran to remain defiant in the nuclear talks. Tehran paid lip-service to the cause while it advanced the talks. That means it knows it must "eat bread based on its daily currency," to be able to "tie the devil's hand behind its back," as two Persian proverbs go. It wants sanctions lifted. A deal which revamps Iran's economy and generates hard cash is a good one, even if it happens slowly. The head of Iran's Foreign Policy and National Security Commission Alaadin Boroujerdi told ISNA news agency the country will stick with talks until all sanctions are lifted, which the joint plan promises to do through a later comprehensive solution. He also told Fars news agency that parliament will make the endorsement of decisions with the P5+1 conditional on removing sanctions. It wants its three-tier proposal to get a fair chance. The action plan reflects some of the language of the Iranian proposal which was presented and ignored early this month in Geneva. This includes recognizing a step-by-step process to end the nuclear dispute, and the reversibility of an agreement if all its provisions are not fully met. This proposal gives Tehran and other parties a chance to step back and weigh new options if progress in talks falls short of expectations. It wants a deal before the next U.S. presidential race. Tehran does not want to rush talks in order to maximize the advantages of a final deal. But it knows the best opportunity for a good deal is until next November when campaigning for the 2016 presidential election can knock other priorities down the list. Although it risks tying the fate of the nuclear talks to its relations with the U.S., Tehran is prepared to take that chance. That is why, in an interview with Tehran-based ISNA, its Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said he was ready for the next round of talks to begin right away. It wants to activate its regional diplomacy. Tehran de-linked the nuclear talks from other regional issues including Syria, but remained open to discussing them with the P5+1. It paid the price and ignored its neighbors in the process, including Saudi Arabia and Israel who have stakes in Syria, for a higher gain: to limit the impact of its conflicts in the region on its nuclear file. With an initial plan now in place, Tehran can revamp its regional diplomacy. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Banafsheh Keynoush.

Banafsheh Keynoush: Iran has many things to gain . She says it can help keep various sides in Iran happy . It limits nuclear weapon development at home . And the deal reduces the likelihood of military action from abroad .

(CNN) -- It's a fun way to address a serious problem. Weightless teachers float around inside a modified 727 with padded walls and ceilings. Many in the U.S. tech industry worry that not enough students are pursuing careers in engineering, math, and science. So the Northrop Grumman Foundation is sending teachers on the ride of their lives -- a weightless experience aboard a plane chartered from the Zero Gravity Corporation. Northrop, an aerospace and defense company, says the idea is for teachers to take their exhilarating experience back to their classrooms -- and inspire in their students a love of science. Northrop Grumman spokesman Tom Henson said the Weightless Flights of Discovery program is aimed at middle school teachers. "Information has shown us that if kids are going to lose an interest in math and science, it's going to be during these years," he said. "So we've targeted these teachers to try to illustrate for their students how math and science can be cool and relevant and applied to their daily lives, and just fun." The program is three years old. This year, Northrop conducted weightless flights in California, Florida, Illinois and Georgia. Watch teachers experience zero gravity » . From a pool of applicants, Northrop selected 60 teachers from each location. Before each flight, the teachers took part in a workshop in which they designed experiments to be conducted on the flight. The experiments were to test Newton's Laws of Motion; for instance, seeing how objects fall in microgravity in order to explain the difference between mass and weight. The flights took place aboard a modified 727. There are seven rows of seats in the back of the jet; the rest of the cabin is open and windowless, except for the emergency exits. The floors, walls and ceilings are padded. CNN accompanied the teachers on one of the Georgia flights, which took off from Atlanta's airport. The plane performed its weightless maneuvers over a chunk of airspace 100 miles long by 10 miles wide over the Atlantic Ocean. Specially trained pilots took the plane into a series of parabolas, essentially a series of up-and-down curves. As the 727 crested and descended each parabola, it created a microgravity environment that lasted about 30 seconds. The plane flew 15 parabolas. The first simulated the gravity felt on Mars (1/3 the gravity of Earth) and the next two recreated gravity felt on the moon (1/6 Earth gravity). This helped the teachers acclimate to the weightlessness of zero gravity felt on the last 12 parabolas. Tracy Heffelfinger, who teaches at Little Mill Middle School in Forsyth County, Georgia, said the experience gave her a great appreciation for what astronauts have to do in space. "As a science teacher, you're told what all affects how you move, and that gravity is a great portion of that," she said. "It's another thing to get up there and experience it. I would try things like, I just wanted to hover off the ground a little bit, but the problem is if you push up enough to get off the ground, there's nothing to stop you and you keep going until you hit the ceiling." Heffelfinger said the experience will make it a lot easier to bring science to life for her students. Northrop's Henson said the flights have already helped the 780 teachers who participated in the program in 2006 and 2007, according to a recent Northrop poll of those teachers. "Roughly 92 percent said there's been a noticeable increase in their students' overall interest in science since this program," he said. "Almost 75 percent saw an increased number of students expressing a desire to continue studying science, which is important, because we're trying to keep students from dropping out of science in the middle school years." Henson also said nearly 78 percent of the educators reported a rise in the number of students planning to pursue a math- or science-related career. "I think the program is reaching who it needs to reach," he said. Northrop estimated 31,000 students have gotten the "science is cool" message from this program. Aboard the Atlanta flight, teachers screamed in delight and amazement as they defied gravity. They launched themselves like Superman, drank floating globs of water and tossed each other around like balls, in addition to performing a variety of experiments. A few educators experienced motion sickness. Parabolic flight is the same technique used to train astronauts, and the NASA jet is nicknamed "the vomit comet." But astronauts are sent on 40 or more parabolas per flight, while the teachers experienced only 15, which minimized the discomfort. Heffelfinger said she had no problems, even though her students had teased her about the possibility. "I'm very proud of the fact that I'll be able to show them my unused barf bag," she said with a laugh.

The Northrop Grumman Foundation is sending teachers on zero-gravity plane flights . They hope experience will help teachers inspire in their students a love of science . U.S. tech industry fears that fewer students are pursuing careers in tech fields . More than 800 teachers have participated in the three-year program .

(CNN) -- Hunger isn't glamorous, but Michael Kors and Halle Berry are using the power of fashion and Hollywood to help the U.N. World Food Programme provide meals for children around the world. Thursday is World Food Day, but the celebrities are rallying support all month long to raise funds for WFP's School Meals program with the #WatchHungerStop campaign. The issue of hunger has been an important one for designer Michael Kors for decades. He started his charity work in New York in the late 1980s with God's Love We Deliver, a nonprofit organization that provides nutritious meals to seriously ill people. And as the Kors fashion empire grew so did the designer's mission. "I think the amazing thing about the hunger initiative with the World Food Programme is that everyone has the possibility to pitch in," Kors says. "You don't have to be wealthy. You don't have to be a certain age. You don't have to live in a certain geographical area. Everyone can really contribute." Kors started the #WatchHungerStop campaign with the World Food Programme in early 2013 and brought on Berry a few months later. "She's a great mother, a terrific human being and a great actress. She is very glamorous also," Kors says. "She does the whole thing and makes it look effortless. We want to spread the word that anyone can make a difference." As of July, #WatchHungerStop has provided 5 million meals to children, and Kors says the campaign wants to continue to "make some more noise" about hunger. Movie star visits Nicaragua . Over the summer, Berry visited a WFP site in Nicaragua, the second-poorest nation in the Americas. Children seemed to be the driving force behind Berry's journey to Central America. There, she saw firsthand how the WFP's School Meals program works in an area suffering from a failed coffee crop. "It was incredibly moving,'' Berry says in an e-mail forwarded to the WFP. "It's hard to describe the mix of emotions you feel -- sadness, certainly, to sit and talk with children who don't get the nutrition they need to grow. But also respect and admiration for their families and communities, who do so much for them." Berry appears to be inspired by her visit. "There's a great sense of hope, because this is something that's working. And then there's joy, real joy, because these kids are full of joy," says the actress, who has two children. "Halle was very humble, very quiet and really came to learn. She was visibly touched by seeing the poverty firsthand," says the WFP's Bettina Luescher, who traveled with the star to Nicaragua. Making a difference with $5 and a watch . Kors and Berry have helped tremendously with the #WatchHungerStop campaign, according to the World Food Programme. "They are so creative and have such fantastic ideas. Not only do they fund-raise ... but they have brought massive awareness in the fight against world hunger," Luescher says. That creativity starts in a Michael Kors store with the 100 Series watch. For every watch sold, 100 meals are donated to the World Food Programme. In addition to the watch, $5 is a common theme for the campaign. According to the World Food Programme, $5 feeds a child for a month. People can donate $5 at a Michael Kors store register or text MKHUNGER to 50555 to donate $5. Wear it and share it . On Thursday, you can visit a Michael Kors store and get a free Watch Hunger Stop T-shirt. Take a selfie in the T-shirt and post it using the hashtag #WatchHungerStop between Thursday and October 31, and 100 meals will be donated to the World Food Programme. The money raised by Kors and Berry goes toward providing school meals. When families in developing nations fall on hard times, children, especially girls, drop out of school to work and help out. School meals help encourage poor families to send children to school and keep them there. In 2013, WFP said it provided school meals to 19.8 million children in 63 countries. Most of the money raised by the WFP goes for emergency work in places such as Syria, Iraq as well as in more than 70 other countries. The WFP also helps provide food to people in West African countries hard hit by the Ebola crisis. "We want to see zero hunger in the world ... so we still have a ways to go," says Michael Kors. "I think you can be optimistic; you can have fun; you can be compassionate, and you can be chic all at the same time." For ways you can join the fight against hunger for World Food Day and every day, go to CNN.com/impact.

Thursday is World Food Day . Designer Michael Kors and Halle Berry have raised funds for 5 million meals for children . U.N. World Food Programme says it provided school meals to 19.8 million kids in 2013 . "We want to see zero hunger in the world," Kors says .

(CNN) -- The college student accused of hijacking the webcam of Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf and other young women is a former high school classmate of the pageant winner. Jared James Abrahams, 19, was arrested Thursday for allegedly taking nude images of the women using their own webcams, and then blackmailing them to send more explicit material. 2011: Hacker gets 6 years in prison for 'sextortion' scheme . Wolf told CNN on Friday that she had no personal connection with Abrahams while they were in high school in Temecula, California. "When I heard his name it didn't click right away what he looked like," she said. "His name is familiar. When I looked at his yearbook picture, I recalled moments when I saw him in the hallways." The suspect is accused of taking nude pictures of Wolf while she changed clothes or walked into her room after a shower. Wolf, 19, said her computer apparently was hacked months before receiving the first threatening e-mail on March 21. At the time, she did not have her current pageant crown and was attending a college in Costa Mesa and lived in an apartment. "When I got the first e-mail, I read the first three lines and I quickly scrolled through it and saw it was a long e-mail," she said. "Two photos of me were attached. I literally threw my phone across the room and started screaming. It did not feel real, it was like a horror movie." Wolf said she believes the images were taken while she was in high school. A threat to Wolf allegedly read, "Either you do one of the things listed below or I upload these pics and a lot more (I have a LOT more and those are better quality) on all your accounts for everybody to see and your dream of being a model will be transformed into a pornstar" (sic). Fears about such hacking are not misplaced. Last month, it was reported that some high-end televisions with built-in cameras could be turned on without the viewers knowing. Security cameras, lights, heating control systems and even door locks and windows are now increasingly coming with features that allow users to control them remotely. Without proper security controls, there's little to stop hackers from invading users' privacy, stealing personal information or spying on people. FTC cracks down on hacked video camera maker . Abrahams is a computer science student. His arrest came six months after Wolf alerted authorities to the "sextortion" scheme. Authorities executed a search warrant at Abrahams' home on June 4, at which time he "voluntarily agreed to speak" with a pair of FBI agents. Describing himself in that interview as a college freshman who was good with computers, a criminal complaint said, he admitted using malware and his expertise to "watch his victims change their clothes and ... use the photographs against them." When he admitted what he'd done, Abrahams said he had 30 to 40 "slave computers" -- or other people's electronic devices he controlled -- and has had as many as 150 total, according to the complaint. Investigators also linked him to at least eight other young women, some of them, like Wolf, from Southern California. Others were from as far away as Moldova. Rutgers Freshman's Suicide Shows Risks of Webcams . Wolf said she became aware of the hack after she got a Facebook alert that someone had tried to change her password. She then noticed other social media accounts were not "acting the same." The pageant contestant, now attending school in New York, replied to a couple of e-mails that day in March. "I asked him, 'Please don't do this to me.'" Authorities advised her not to have further contact. The FBI used evidence from her computer and iPhone to build its case, Wolf said. "It took them two to three months to figure out who this was." Wolf told CNN said has been on a "roller coaster of emotions." "It's kind of hard to explain my emotions about him. One one hand I am upset. ... how he traumatized me," she said. "I feel, on the other hand, sorry for him. He went to high school with me." Wolf says she is now on a campaign to raise awareness about the risks that technology can expose users to. She has spoken to students about steps they can take. "It can happen to them because they are growing up in a generation where technology is so advanced." "Be careful what you are doing on your computer," she advised. "There are cameras on computers and iPhones. Be careful of what you are doing in front of your camera." Wolf said she used her computer responsibly but "did not know how dangerous a computer can be in the hands of someone else." Other advice? Change passwords on e-mail and social media accounts. Make them difficult. Delete cookies and browsing history. And, when not communicating with a loved one or friend, put a sticker over the computer webcam. Police: Naked scammers seduce, blackmail men on Web .

NEW: "I started screaming," Miss Teen USA tells CNN . Cassidy Wolf recognizes her alleged tormenter as a former high school classmate . Jared James Abrahams is accused of hijacking webcams of young women . He allegedly made demands of them, threatening to release nude photos .

(CNN) -- "Seinfeld" had nothing to say -- and that was its genius. Other groundbreaking series make a point of stressing their inventiveness, practically shouting, "Look at me!" "Seinfeld," on the other hand, blissfully took a Festivus pole to sitcom conventions, with unsympathetic characters, defiantly provincial New York interests and intricate plotting mechanisms -- and never called attention to itself. Not that there's anything wrong with that. In fact, there was so much right about the show that it eventually became TV's No. 1 program and one of the most lauded sitcoms ever. In the 25 years since "Seinfeld" premiered on July 5, 1989, as "The Seinfeld Chronicles," it has worked its way into pop culture -- its catchphrases still repeated, its plots still recounted, its shocking revelations about writer John Cheever and pitcher Roger McDowell still gasped about. But enough yada yada yada. Here are five things that made nothing into everything: . 1. No hugging, no learning. In general, pre-"Seinfeld" sitcoms included heartwarming laughs, sympathetic "aws" and lessons learned. But there were no social niceties for Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer. The quartet was so narcissistic that, when George's fiancée, Susan, died after licking defective wedding invitation envelopes in the seventh season, George and the gang shrugged and continued with their lives. Few sitcoms have dared to follow in its coldhearted footsteps, but there are exceptions, such as "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "Community" and "Seinfeld" co-creator Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm." (New York magazine's Matt Zoller Seitz makes the point that "Seinfeld" also paved the way for our recent bounty of coldhearted dramas.) The new, new TV golden age . 2. Four in one. Pre-"Seinfeld," most sitcoms were classic cases of simplicity: one major plot, perhaps one minor plot, play them out in 22 minutes and turn on the applause sign. "Seinfeld" sometimes had four plots -- one for each primary character -- and would put them together so Jerry's girlfriend with the real breasts (Teri Hatcher) would cross paths with Elaine in a steam room. Or aspiring hand model George would burn himself with the iron being used to smooth out Jerry's puffy shirt. In those days, not many serialized dramas would dare attempt such plot juggling, never mind comedies. It's still more the exception than the rule. 3. New York, New York. "Seinfeld" made the Big Apple the center of the sitcom universe. Suddenly it seemed like half of NBC's schedule was making ends meet in Manhattan -- "Friends," "Caroline in the City," "Mad About You," "The Single Guy," "Will & Grace" -- while ABC and CBS added to the mix with such shows as "The King of Queens," "Spin City" and "The Nanny." New York was so prominent on '90s TV schedules that one ABC show, "It's Like, You Know" (created by "Seinfeld" writer and producer Peter Mehlman), made hay out of the concept of a New Yorker transplanted to Los Angeles. (Incidentally, for all its New Yorkiness, "Seinfeld" was shot at a studio in L.A.) 4. Heavy meta. Other sitcoms had been self-referential -- George Burns and Garry Shandling regularly broke the fourth wall in their programs -- but Jerry and his pals took meta-ness to a whole new level. Season four, in fact, was literally about a show within a show as Jerry and George pitched NBC "a show about nothing" called "Jerry" that bore eerie similarities to "Seinfeld." However, for all of "Seinfeld's" quotation marks, it often used real people and brand names. There really is a J. Peterman catalog, New York's American League baseball team really is the Yankees and those are real cereal brands on Jerry's shelf. However, Vandelay Industries is still fictional -- we think. 5. Sponge-worthy catchphrases. Few shows have produced as many popular quotations as "Seinfeld." You're probably reciting them now: "No soup for you." "Master of your domain." "Yada yada." "Shrinkage." "Look to the cookie." You can leave more of them in the comments ... unless you're a low-talker. In that case, you'll have to speak up. See more comedy content at CNN Comedy. CNN's Joan Yeam contributed to this story. CNN's Todd Leopold is no relation to occasional "Seinfeld" writer Tom Leopold, though sometimes he wishes he was.

"The Seinfeld Chronicles," the "Seinfeld" pilot, aired July 5, 1989 . Sitcom routinely broke with convention . Show is considered one of best sitcoms in TV history .

(CNN) -- It's a Tuesday morning and Dr. Eric DeJonge is headed to work. But unlike most physicians, DeJonge's office is his car and his patients are waiting for him in their homes, not in a large waiting room. As part of the Medical House Call Program, Dr. Eric DeJonge visits one of his group's 600 patients. DeJonge, a geriatric specialist at Washington Hospital Center, runs the hospital's "Medical House Call Program." Sharing duties with program co-founder Dr. George Taler and two other doctors, DeJonge criss-crosses the nation's capital, checking on patients in their homes. Armed with a black bag and blackberry, DeJonge visits mostly the elderly who either can't get to a hospital or are so ill that moving them would prove life-threatening. He usually sees them once a month to check on their status, to make sure their medications are working, and to let them know he's there for them. DeJonge says the one-on-one care is invaluable. "We know the patients, their families," he says. "We know when they change medically, what has to happen to prevent them from making an ER visit." Terry Carter's father, Aubrey, has been homebound since he suffered a stroke over 20 years ago. For most of those years, Carter ran back and forth to doctors' offices and the ER, making sure his father got the best medical help. It got to be expensive and time consuming and, as the years progressed, it became increasingly difficult to care for his dad. Carter says it was tough because "I really don't have very much help to take him out." Now, with DeJonge making regular visits, Carter's father doesn't have to be moved from his home and his health has improved. "He's only been in the hospital twice in the last three years," says Carter. "Before that he was in the hospital every other month." Dr. Gupta: Watch more on the return of the house call » . House calls, once popular in the 1930s, began to drop off as medical technology improved. According to a recent article in the Clinics of Geriatric Medicine, home visits by doctors dropped from 40 percent of physician encounters in 1930 to 10 percent by 1950; by 1980 home visits represented less than 1 percent of physician encounters. Many patients, the article stated, felt they could get better care at hospitals and clinics, and shied away from having a doctor come to their home. And over the years, billing and paperwork for medical professionals became so overwhelming that many spent hours at their desks with calculators instead of spending time with their patients in their homes. And then, there was the financial disincentive: most insurance companies didn't pay for house calls. It was easier and more lucrative for doctors to see more patients in their office than fewer patients in their homes. Reimbursement was spotty and in order to survive doctors had to put house calls on the back burner. But that has begun to change. Ten years ago, Medicare made it a bit easier for physicians to receive payments for house calls by modifying the way doctors bill for their procedures. And this month, a new "Independence at Home" bill -- designed to coordinate benefits for Medicare's most expensive beneficiaries, like Aubrey Carter -- will be reintroduced, making it easier and less expensive to carry out house calls. "Our current health care system does a poor job caring for seriously ill Americans, who often are 'lost in transition,'" says Massachusetts Congressman Edward Markey, author of the bill. "This bipartisan, bicameral bill holds great promise for improving quality of care, reducing hospitalizations, lowering costs and lifting the spirits of those who, after a lifetime of contributions to our society, deserve the dignity and peace of mind that comes with living independently." From the doctors' perspective, DeJonge says it will make all the difference in how he and his partners practice, and everyone would benefit. "Those savings would be shared with the health systems that are willing to create them and serve their communities . For now, DeJonge, along with his fellow physicians and staff (three nurse practitioners, three social workers, one office nurse and four support staffers), will continue to provide care for 600 patients in the neighborhoods of Washington. With the help of machines such a portable EKGs, compact ultrasounds and X-ray programs for laptops, they can provide even more extensive care to patients in their own homes than their 1930s counterparts. DeJonge says it's stressful but rewarding. "They feel like the medical community is part of their family," he says. "There is a trust level that they develop when you know them over that long period of time. That's very important."

In 1930s, 40 percent of physician encounters were house calls; 1 percent by 1980 . Financial disincentives and patient preference for clinics contributed to decline . 10 years ago, Medicare made it easier for physicians to get paid for house calls . Bill before Congress would make house calls less expensive, easier to arrange .

(CNN) -- Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt has told CNN he can set a new 100 meter world record at the London 2012 Olympic Games -- and could run as fast as 9.4 seconds. Bolt took the 100m gold medal at Beijing 2008 in a world-record time of 9.69s, before bettering that mark one year later with a stunning 9.58 at the World Championships in Berlin. The 25-year-old, who is also the record-holding world and Olympic champion over 200m, is confident he can become the first man to smash the 9.4 barrier in the British capital in August. "After my trials leading up to the Olympics, then it depends on where my fitness is," he said. "If everything goes well, I can determine, how fast I think I can go. "Everybody has been talking about this 9.4 all season. If it's possible, I'll be the one to run 9.4 seconds." Bolt was talking to CNN Olympic contributor Linford Christie, a 100m gold medalist at the Barcelona Games in 1992, after recording 9.76 in Rome on Thursday -- the fastest time this year. Bolt named IAAF male athlete of the year after world championships double . The Kingston native's electric performances and exuberant personality have made him a global celebrity, with his "lightning bolt" pose now recognized all over the world. "I think it was God sent," said Bolt when asked about the iconic stance. "But it was slightly originated from an archery pose. "I just copied it and made it my own and it worked. It's catchy and I'm like the Michael Jordan of track and field really!" Bolt's charisma on the starting blocks sets him apart from previous generations of sprinters, who would take a far more serious approach to race preparations. He revealed how an encounter with U.S. sprinter Justin Gatlin, who served a four-year doping ban between 2006 and 2010, influenced his approach to racing. "For me it never happened until Justin Gatlin," he said. "I ran once with him in Zagreb, he did something which was really funny to me. "We were walking back and forward and he actually spat across my lane. And when he did it, I knew he was trying to intimidate me and I found it really funny. "Today it doesn't really bother me. I just go there, enjoy myself and relax. It's just one of those things where over the years the game has changed." Bolt suffered a setback at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, when a false start in the 100m final allowed his compatriot Yohan Blake to claim the gold medal. Human to Hero: Champion Blake bids to steal Bolt's sprint swag . In London, Bolt will once again face competition from Blake as well as longtime rival Tyson Gay of the United States -- the 100m world champion in 2007. Can Bolt be beaten? Gay's golden Olympic goal . Despite fierce competition, Bolt insists he will be focused on his own race if he reaches the London 2012 final on August 5. "I can't really say who's going to be my main rival but for me the main thing is the seven guys in the lanes beside me," he said. "You never know what can happen on the day so I'm really focused and I'm not really worried about one thing or one person." Christie believes Bolt can be challenged at the forthcoming Games, but his rivals with have to be confident if they are to capture his crown. Gold medal formula: Mind over matter? "There's always a challenge," the Briton told CNN. "It's whether they believe enough to challenge him. Does a challenge mean beating him? That's tough." When asked about the biggest threats to Bolt's dominance, Christie highlighted the American duo of Gay and Gatlin as the men most likely to mount a serious challenge. "We don't know what Justin Gatlin is capable of, Tyson Gay hasn't competed yet. We also need to wait until after the Jamaican trials." Christie said the impact Bolt has had on athletics is similar to that of American legend Michael Johnson, a world and Olympic champion over 200m and 400m, while also comparing him to other sporting icons. "Not meaning it in a horrible way, but he's one of the freaks in our sport. Michael Johnson came along and everybody thought 'wow.' "Muhammad Ali was a freak in his sport, now we've got Bolt. Every so many years, someone like that comes along. Pele, Maradona, it's one of those things."

Usain Bolt tells CNN he can break 100m world record at London 2012 . The Jamaican star set the current world record at 2009 world championships . Bolt ran the fastest 100m time of the year at a meeting in Rome on Thursday . Linford Christie says Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin could challenge Bolt .

(CNN) -- Twenty-five years ago last September, on the occasion of John Paul II's first visit to the U.S., two young priests appeared on the cover of US News and World Report with the title emblazoned across their chests, "The Pope's Foot Soldiers." I was one of those priests. Twelve years later, I left the priesthood and the Augustinian order to begin a doctoral program in clinical psychology. Today, I've exchanged my Roman collar for a white collar job consulting leaders and executives in global organizations, helping them to meet the challenges they face in the trenches of corporate life. As the College of Cardinals gathers in Rome this month to elect a new leader, there's no shortage of talk about the church's current troubles. Some have suggested that the corporate world might provide the new pope with valuable advice on how to navigate the Church through rough and uncertain waters. But perhaps the most relevant contribution that corporations can offer the papal conclave is how to avoid the mistakes of the recent past in choosing a successor -- specifically, the potential pitfalls of moving a No. 2 senior leader into the No. 1 role. Throughout the papacy of John Paul II, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (who is now the former Pope Benedict XVI) served effectively as a tough minded "COO" reviewing church operations globally, checking the orthodoxy of seminaries and ensuring that his boss' vision of realigning the church around a deeply conservative agenda was effectively executed. By most accounts, he performed this job reasonably well. His success in managing church operations enabled John Paul II to become the "people's pope," traveling the world and conferring with heads of state. When John Paul died, many saw Cardinal Ratzinger as the perfect successor. He seemed to be familiar with the Church's challenges, was well known and generally well thought of by his peers and his doctrinal orthodoxy seemingly ensured a smooth and stable transition. That, at least, was the hope. How the pope is selected . In fact, very early on in his papacy it became evident that Benedict lacked the vitality required to lead a scandal ridden church. He also did not have the necessary distance from the church's mismanagement to be a credible voice for change. In our CEO succession work, we find that organizations often assume that the COO or even the CFO, by virtue of their knowledge of the business and their familiarity to the board, are best positioned to take on the top role. In making this judgment, they may not be including in their calculus some essential qualities that can make all of the difference between a smooth and successful transition and a short-lived, rocky tenure that leaves the organization drifting and directionless. Either way, there is no mistaking the critical importance of the leader at the helm. A case in point is Jeff Bezos of Amazon. A few years ago, Amazon was struggling with a business model that wasn't working and a clientele that was flocking to new websites and product lines. His leadership, vision and commitment to innovation has energized his company and brought new life to the brand. The Church is at the brink of its own transition at the top that could have an enormous impact on its future vitality and direction. It represents a moment filled with opportunity and fraught with challenge. In that light, here are some of the questions that the last conclave should have considered and must be on their agenda this time around: . • What kind of strategic thinking ability has this leader demonstrated that suggest he will be able to pull together and communicate a compelling and unifying vision for the Church's future? • Has this leader demonstrated an ability to effectively govern a large and complex bureaucracy? Is he a good judge of talent and willing to delegate critical management roles to the right people? • Is this leader an extraordinary communicator, willing and able to utilize the electronic and social media to reach out to people across cultures and generations? • Has this leader developed strong relationships outside of the Church with other leaders, both religious and secular, that can be leveraged to break down barriers and forge new and dynamic partnerships? • How courageous and forceful will this leader be to push for changes that will cultivate broader ownership and participation in decision making among all members? • Is this person seen as a leader of unfailing integrity who has not in the past and will not in the future succumb to the temptation to compromise core values? These are the kinds of questions that the current College of Cardinals will hopefully be considering as they gather in Rome this month. They're similar to questions many corporations, confronted with compelling challenges and a need for new direction,have faced as they sought to consider who should fill their top role. The papal conclave represents a great opportunity for the Church to demonstrate that it's learned some important lessons from the recent past. They can draw from the experiences of other global corporations around them to see that avoiding faulty assumptions and asking the right questions can prevent their having to schedule another conclave in the near future. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Brian Frawley.

Brian Frawley: Cardinals choosing new pope could learn from business world . He says organizations sometimes elevate people in No. 2 positions to top spot . Frawley: Choosing Benedict, who served his predecessor well, turned out to be a mistake . Frawley: A leader must master strategy, communications, administration, other skills .

(CNN) -- Ebola, ISIS and Ferguson grabbed the headlines in 2014, but there is another huge story that should not be overlooked. Historians could look back on this year as the beginning of feminism's third wave. The year was momentous for feminism. For the first time, rape victims and their supporters emerged from the shadows in significant numbers and started naming names -- to significant effect. Women, their voices amplified by social media and with the support of a small but growing cohort of men, have been exposing and shaming venerable American institutions such as the NFL, Ivy League and non-Ivy League colleges, and the entertainment icon Bill Cosby. First wave feminists won the right to vote. The second wave got us the right to work. But even with those advances, women have remained fundamentally restricted by the threat and terrible secret of sexual assault. This year, emboldened and connected by social media, college women formed a powerful grassroots movement that led to universities such as Harvard being publicly named and shamed for not addressing women's rape reports. They brought the issue of campus sexual assault into the White House, where Barack Obama became the first President to use the words "sexual violence." The Department of Education released a list of universities under investigation for mishandling sexual violence cases, often letting even repeat predators off with barely a slap on the wrist. These young women had been silent until social media enabled them to come together, even though thousands of miles apart, share debilitating secrets and then act with the confidence that safety in numbers provided. Last week's back-pedaling on the Rolling Stone article about an alleged gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity house is an unfortunate example of reporting gone wrong. But it is also a teachable moment about why feminism's third wave is so important: We must make it easier for more women to put their names and faces on their accusations and eradicate the stigma and fear that silences victims. Only when these stories come fully out of the shadows can we assess their validity and see justice done. Cosby's accusers, with their remarkably similar stories of being drugged and assaulted, were also "heard" for the first time in 2014, even though many had individually come forward in the pages of national media years ago. Barbara Bowman, a Phoenix artist and mother who was one of Cosby's early accusers, told me that being a rape victim "is the most shameful, scary, intimidating, filthy place to live. It is a place of darkness and fear." The bravery of the Cosby accusers and the college women alone is not the only encouraging sign. The public revelations of domestic violence rocking the National Football League, amplified by an elevator video of Ray Rice cold-cocking his fiancee, are another. The NFL dropped the ball on punishing Rice but now is being shamed into paying attention to behavior that it used to ignore and enable. Men are starting to get it. In an article after the latest Cosby scandal, the essayist Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote that he regretted not having paid attention to the women in 2008, when he penned a seminal piece on Cosby. "I have never been raped," Coates wrote. "But I have, several times as a child, been punched/stomped/kicked/bum-rushed while walking home from school, and thus lost my body. The worst part for me was not the experience, but the humiliation of being unable to protect my body, which is all I am, from predators." Every alleged image or videotape of a rape and beating that goes viral, every woman coming forward with a Cosby story and every college freshman reporting her rapist form a collective alarm bell waking up the silent majority of Americans who would never call themselves "feminist" and yet who abhor sexual violence against women. Rape culture holds all women down, whether soldiers or CEOs or college freshmen or high school girls who drank too much out in blue-collar Ohio or backcountry Oklahoma. My generation of women, who came of age in the 1980s, did not really carry forward the banner of feminism. We took advantage of the gains of the 1970s, getting good jobs and having children and then got so busy having it all that we had no time left over. And it was terribly important to fit in, to be one of the guys, to fly under the radar as women. The last thing we wanted was to be labeled as victims, to wear the humiliation of being prey. I'm in awe of the young women on campuses who have stood up and made it OK to tell the world what happened to them, in their dark places, in the dark of night. Thanks to their courage, more and more Americans are understanding every day that the shame of sexual assault is a burden that belongs on the predators, not the prey.

Nina Burleigh: 2014 marked start of feminism's third wave -- rape victims speaking out . She says social media, support of men, including President, brought campus rape to fore . She says Cosby, NFL, UVA cases show need to erase stigma of women naming attacker . Burleigh: Women in '80s sat out feminism; new wave emboldened to shame predators .

Washington (CNN) -- House Republican leaders are aiming to delay a challenge to President Barack Obama's controversial immigration executive order until early next year in an effort to avoid a government shutdown next week, multiple House GOP members and aides told CNN. Speaker John Boehner announced the strategy in a closed-door meeting of House Republicans Tuesday, where it was largely well-received by rank and file GOP members, although some conservatives are pressing for changes, according to multiple sources. Many members say they are still reviewing the details. At a news conference afterwards, Boehner said his members realize their hands are tied on the immigration issue until Republicans control both chambers of Congress in January. "I think they understand that it's going to be difficult to take meaningful action as long as we got Democrat control of the Senate," Boehner said. Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican in line to become the next Senate majority leader, reiterated his view that the GOP should stop threatening shutdowns. "We need to quit that kind of rattling the economy," McConnell said Tuesday at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council. The government will run out of money on Dec. 11 unless Congress acts. Last year's government shutdown was politically disastrous for Republicans and the party is trying to avoid a repeat just as they're on the cusp of retaking full control of Congress for the first time in nearly a decade. The GOP plan discussed on Tuesday calls for the House to vote on legislation that would fund most of the government through September while only funding the Department of Homeland Security, which would carry out key parts of the executive orders, until just sometime in March. That would give Republicans time to pass legislation blocking the immigration orders. House Republican leaders are trying to balance competing priorities in the party. They want to mollify conservatives who are furious over the President's decision to make it easier for millions of undocumented immigrants to stay in the country by providing a clear opportunity for them to try to block the action. After hearing about the plan Tuesday morning, some of those House members on the right say they will oppose it because it would continue funding for agencies tasked with granting new visas through March of next year. "You just want me to fund the unconstitutional act for 60 days? Kind of like being a little bit pregnant? It doesn't work for me," Arizona GOP Rep Matt Salmon told reporters. But other Republicans -- including leaders in both chambers -- are fearful of tying that move to government funding. Arkansas GOP Rep. Steve Womack said now that voters gave his party control of both the House and Senate in the midterms it's was important to demonstrate that they can govern and not "give any opportunity for buyer's remorse on the part of the discerning electorate." He said there was a "narrow window" for Republicans to show they can run the government before voters size up the parties again before the 2016 election. A vote on the bill is likely next week, aides said. Testifying before a House committee on Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson urged lawmakers against legislation that would fund his department for a shorter period of time than the rest of the government. "That is, in my judgment, a very bad idea for Homeland Security because during that period ..., we cannot engage in new starts," Johnson said. "For example, we are back in a presidential election cycle. I cannot hire new Secret Service agents until I get an appropriations bill passed by this Congress -- not another (continuing resolution) for a couple of months." Senate Democrats generally support the President's immigration orders and oppose the House plan to fund DHS just through March. But after meeting with his caucus Tuesday, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid it would be a "big accomplishment" if the House passed a bill that funded most of the government and signaled he would support it. Separately, the House likely will vote this week on a bill that essentially calls out Obama on immigration. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Goodlatte is reworking a proposal drafted by Florida Republican Rep. Ted Yoho of Florida. That bill would allow members to "vent" about their unhappiness with the executive action and assert that what Obama did was unconstitutional. Illinois Republican Rep. Peter Roskam said the separate vote declaring the president violated the Constitution by using executive authority on immigration is to demonstrate to constituents that the GOP opposed the president's actions. "Silence is assent so to not respond in any way is in some fashion to be complicit in it, so this allows members to be on the record and clear about it." However, the bill would have not legal binding authority and the Senate is sure to ignore it. Salmon said he would vote for the bill because he opposed the president's immigration actions, but then he essentially dismissed it, saying, "it's not going to go anywhere and everyone's knows it." In addition to the funding strategy, House GOP members are also still considering whether they should sue the President for the issuing the directives that they consider unconstitutional. CNN's Alexandra Jaffe and Jeremy Diamond contributed to this story .

NEW: Some conservatives pressing for changes to GOP plan . Republicans are working on a plan that would avert a government shutdown . GOP could vote on the plan next week . Congress must act before Dec. 11 to avoid a shutdown .

(CNN) -- In the end, it was all too familiar. Arsenal went out, Bayern went through -- same story, different season. For all the talk of Arsenal being able to emulate last season's famous victory at the Allianz Arena, there was one thing sorely lacking. Goals. That it managed to secure a 1-1 draw will provide some comfort to manager Arsene Wenger, whose club has gone nine years without winning a trophy. A 3-1 aggregate defeat means Arsenal will now have to shift its focus to the Premier League and FA Cup while Bayern continues its quest to dominate this competition. Last year, Arsenal arrived in Munich trailing 3-1 after a first leg where it had been taught a footballing lesson by the German giant. On that occasion, written off by every football expert on the planet, it produced one of its finest performances of recent times to win 2-0 only to exit the competition on away goals. A year on, Arsenal once again walked into the cauldron facing a two-goal deficit against a Bayern team 20 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and determined to become the first club to successfully defend the Champions League title. Wenger's side, without several injured players including Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey as well as the suspended Wojciech Szczesny, was always going to find the going tough. After a rather turgid first half where neither side really managed to find its rhythm, the game exploded into life nine minutes after the interval. Bayern broke down the right and when Arsenal failed to cut out Franck Ribery's cross, Bastian Schweinsteiger took advantage by firing home from close range. That should have seen Bayern out of sight, but Arsenal had other ideas. Lukas Podolski, once of Bayern, chased down Philipp Lahm and after the defender stumbled under pressure, the Arsenal forward took possession and rifled the ball past Manuel Neuer. That signaled a period of Arsenal pressure but while the visiting side found extra space going forward, it was unable to make the breakthrough. It was Bayern which should have won the tie in stoppage time when Arjen Robben went down in the penalty area under the challenge of Laurent Koscielny. Thomas Muller stood up to take the spot kick but his effort was parried by Lukasz Fabianski, who then beat the Bayern forward to the loose ball. Not that it mattered to Bayern though, which qualified for the last eight for the 13th time. "On the day 2-0 wasn't the best result in the first leg but we still had a chance to give it our all and to get a result," Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain told ITV. "Bayern has weaknesses like any other team and when you score anyone can get nervous. When we did that we thought we had a chance but we just couldn't do it. "Maybe we lacked a bit of quality with the final ball. At the top level you need that. The boys put in a great shift but we can be proud of our efforts." Arsenal's misery was compounded by an injury to record signing Mesut Ozil, who was withdrawn at halftime with a hamstring problem. In the night's other game, Atletico Madrid sealed its place in the quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years following a 5-1 aggregate victory over seven-time champion AC Milan. Leading 1-0 from the first leg, Atletico, second in in La Liga, took a third minute lead through the prolific Diego Costa on its way to a 4-1 win win. Milan equalized courtesy of former Real Madrid star Kaka but further goals from Arda Turan, Raul Garcia and Costa's second sealed the win. "We are grateful for the support of the fans, and the truth is that the team deserves congratulating for the way it has played," Costa told Spanish television. "We have done ourselves proud. All teams who reach the quarterfinals are very good. For now we'll just enjoy." Manager Diego Simeone was part of the last Atletico side which reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League in 1997. Here, he watched on as his team cruised past a troubled Milan team which has struggled so badly in Serie A this season. Milan's defeat means there will be no Italian club in the last eight of the competition for the first time since 2009. Costa, who made his debut for Spain last week, was the hero at the San Siro in the first leg and once again it was he who tormented Milan. His spectacular opener set the home side on its way and even when Kaka leveled, Atletico refused to buckle. Turan netted a classy second before Garcia headed home Koke's cross to give his side a two-goal cushion. Costa then wrapped up the win late on with his seventh goal in five Champions League games.

Bayern Munich through to last eight of the Champions League . Bayern held to 1-1 draw by Arsenal but progresses 3-1 on aggregate . Atletico Madrid seals place in quarterfinals following Milan victory . Atletico won 4-1 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate .

Beijing (CNN) -- Han Junqian doesn't go outside very often. From 9:30 a.m. until 11 p.m., six days a week, the 50-year-old massage therapist works out of a dingy parlor in Beijing's Xicheng District. There's no commute as Han lives on site. On his day off he spends his time indoors. He goes outside primarily to buy groceries, or visit the bank. "Sometimes it makes me depressed," said Han when reflecting on his condition. Han is blind, and his life is similar to the roughly 120,000 blind massage therapists in China today, according to a 2012 report by Changchun University. After he lost his sight at the age of 15, he didn't have many educational or employment opportunities outside the massage industry. But that may be changing. China's Ministry of Education decided to provide Braille or electronic versions of this June's "gaokao," China's brutally competitive national college entrance exams, effectively opening the door for blind citizens to access higher education. While the move is hailed as a breakthrough by many human rights groups, some critics caution that the proof will only be in its implementation, and that much more needs to be done to improve the lives of the disabled. Stephen Hallett, founder of non-profit organization China Vision, has been working on disability issues in and around China since the 1990s. He was unimpressed by the new blind-friendly exams. "It's fairly meaningless," said Hallett. The root of Hallett's skepticism lies in the spotty record of the Chinese government in enforcing its directives over the entire country. Particularly in China's rural areas, a lack of resources and a lack of political will have often undermined efforts to help blind people in the past. A world apart . China has the largest population of blind people in the world, according to the World Health Organization. When they are educated at all, blind people are shoved into segregated schools that are isolated from the rest of society. Higher education exists only in the form of a few specialized universities where the only majors offered are massage therapy and music. As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, China agreed to the principle of "an inclusive education system at all levels," yet critics on the ground say the situation in practice is profoundly different. The exclusion of the blind from mainstream society, and the social attitudes it has fostered, has resulted in a rippling effect of adverse consequences. "It's a kind of apartheid," said Hallett. Many Chinese who are born blind are simply abandoned by parents unwilling to incur the costs of raising them. For those that lose their vision later in life, the transfer to special schools typically results in the loss of sighted friends and acquaintances. Since the career paths of the students are all but predestined, the curriculum at blind schools are often not as rigorous. "We're not required to finish everything," said Ni Zhen, a former student of the Qingdao School for the Blind. "I don't really think society has expectations from people with disabilities." Since the blind have virtually no other employment options, they are often exploited by employers who pay meager wages. One study by the Guangzhou Disabled Career Training Center found that intermediate level blind massage therapists in that city made between RMB 1200 and 3000 a month (around $191 to 479), a figure far lower than sighted counterparts. Zhou Yuewen, a 63-year-old blind therapist from Hebei says he thinks he gives a better massage than a sighted masseur: "It's very hard for blind people to get a job, so we are more likely to cherish the work we do." Future vision . China's semi-official organ for dealing with blindness is the China Association of the Blind, and they are forthright about the scale of the problem that blind Chinese face. "It's not fair that blind people have so few opportunities," said an official from the association who requested anonymity. "The problem is that massage is the quickest way for blind people to get a job." The association defended the use of blind schools as a matter of practical necessity and insisted that it would be impossible to train teachers in mainstream schools to deal with the volume of China's visually impaired students. They also pointed to the new regulations by the Ministry of Education as proof that they had achieved results. The association, however, offered no solution to the problem of implementation that Hallett and others cited as crucial to the success of the new regulations. Whether it's a success or not, the matter is ultimately moot for many, including Han Junqian. With his best years behind him, Han has no plans to sit for the "gaokao," even if it is made available. "It's a pity that it didn't come out earlier," he said. "I have forgotten everything."

Blind people have few opportunities in China and most become massage therapists . To get into college in China, one must pass the "gaokao," which will be offered in Braille this June . Critics say the Braille exam is "fairly meaningless"

(CNN) -- Watch out! Lock up your loved ones! Another bloated, over-produced, high-concept monstrosity has escaped from the labs at Dreamworks Animation, and it's out to devour your kids. Susan, aka "Ginormica," has to save the world in "Monsters vs. Aliens." But don't be too alarmed. "Monsters vs. Aliens" is relatively harmless -- a toothless satire with a knee-jerk feminist theme and a sorry excuse for a plot. That sounds harsh, I know. Who doesn't want to see a 50-foot woman careening through San Francisco on skates that turn out to be automobiles -- the ultimate demolition roller derby? But think about that, just for a second. Roller skates work because they have fixed wheels. Try it with motorcars and you won't get very far. Is that too picky? Perhaps, but you wouldn't find Pixar playing so fast and loose with the laws of physics, and that kind of inattention to detail is typical of the lackadaisical storytelling here and in other Dreamworks animated features. (The talent pool for this one includes the directors of "Shrek 2" and "Shark Tale" and the writers of "Kung Fu Panda" and "The Rocker," incidentally.) High concepts, top-notch voice talent and scattershot pop cultural references are no compensation for a coherent script. The XXXL lady in question -- dubbed "Ginormica" by her U.S. military guards -- starts out plain and petite Susan Murphy (voiced by Reese Witherspoon), until a meteorite hits her just minutes before she's supposed to tie the knot with unctuous chauvinist Derek (Paul Rudd). Her rapid growth spurt saves her from that particular fate worse than death, even if at first glance her new roommates don't look like much of an improvement. There's Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), a mad scientist who semi-advertently mutated with a bug; B.O.B. (Seth Rogen) an amorphous blue jelly-like blob who gets on just fine without a brain; Missing Link (Will Arnett), a gung-ho amphibian who's all mouth; and a giant dust mite called Insectosaurus who isn't voiced by anyone because he doesn't have anything to say. Sci-fi fans will have fun counting off the references to myriad classics -- "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Invaders from Mars," "The Fly," "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," "The Blob," "Mothra" and "Attack of the 50-Foot Woman," for starters -- and noting a few clever bits and pieces (Kiefer Sutherland, as General W.R. Monger, riffs on George C. Scott in "Dr. Strangelove"). The trouble is, once the introductions are over, the filmmakers can only launch their desperately limp plot: The White House turns to these monstrous superheroes to save the planet from evil Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson), a squidlike creature with four eyes and twice as many legs, and a one-eyed tin robot to do his dirty work for him. Ginormica gets a kick-butt finale, and is a much stronger character -- in any number of ways -- than the movie's president. (In a genuinely witty casting touch he's voiced by Stephen Colbert.) That may be good politics or at least a sound marketing decision from the studio's perspective -- it's been awhile since a family animated feature produced a genuinely strong female character (unless you count "Coraline," which was way too scary for my family) -- but Susan's self-esteem is an awfully long time coming. iReport.com: What do you think of 'Monsters vs. Aliens'? (Bizarrely -- and maybe it's just my imagination -- Gallaxhar bears a passing resemblance to President Obama. I wonder ... would that make Susan/Ginormica a surrogate for Sarah Palin or Hillary Clinton?) Visually, too, "Monsters vs Aliens" is undistinguished, although its shortcomings may be disguised if you seek out the 3-D version. Funny how 3-D movies tend to produce two-dimensional characters, with "Coraline" again the exception to the rule. Jocular and unpretentiously trashy, "Monsters vs. Aliens" should be a lot of fun -- and it is, in places. But the truth is it's as hung up on itself as Susan's preening fiance. Hand on heart, I had a better time at "Space Chimps." "Monsters vs. Aliens" runs 94 minutes and is rated PG. For Entertainment Weekly's take, click here.

"Monsters vs. Aliens" about Earth-born "monsters" taking on megalomaniacal alien . Film's main character is almost 50-foot woman voiced by Reese Witherspoon . "Monsters" has great talent but no script to speak of, says Tom Charity .

(CNN) -- GQ summed it up with one word: "No." But, yes, the Internet has been buzzing about a new movement in men's fashion. A movement so horrible it sort of makes me want to have a "movement" of my own. Though, that might just be bad tilapia. Here, we're talking about leggings. For men. Also known as meggings. With an M. And that's how you know something might possibly be a bad idea -- when you have to gender-specify the word with a different first letter. Like a "murse." There's actually a lot of gray area when it comes to the man purse. It's practical as hell. But it's also ... well ... a man-purse. And some guys have a problem calling it that. George Carlin once said, "If you can't handle the word, don't even carry the bag. It's a purse. I got one. What's the big deal?" Then he went into a delightfully raunchy joke about somebody's mother. I miss George. A lot. Nevertheless, in regards to meggings, GQ isn't buying what Drunk Fashion God is selling. And, mind you, there really is a Drunk Fashion God. He's the same guy who, 20 years ago, gave us Zubaz. And his most recent project is outfitting Justin Bieber. Drunk Fashion God also happens to be good friends with Simply Can't Be Bothered Fashion God, who I pray to every time I put on another worn-out plaid flannel shirt. He always responds back with, "That'll do." So, I'm certainly not one to judge. I pretty much look like a homeless man, and when I go to a nice function, I step it up to homeless man who happened to find a navy blazer on the sidewalk. Inevitably, somebody will say, "Oh, you clean up nicely!" And then I spend 30 minutes stuffing my face and growling at people in the buffet line. But, how could I know if meggings were for me unless I actually tried them on? I may not be very trendy, but I do have an open mind. And for the sake of quality investigative journalism I was originally going to don them for an entire day in public and report back on the experience. However, when it came time to actually pull the trigger, I figured there's no way I could, in good conscience, buy, wear, and subsequently return something that spent more than three hours tightly hugging my gonads. "Sir, was there anything wrong with these?" "WAS there? No." So, instead I just sat around the house watching SportsCenter in a pair of old long johns. And you know what? I'm in. Seriously. This is pure quality. Maybe not as a fashion statement that I'd proudly wear out to a symphony or even, say, the VD clinic, but I simply couldn't be more comfortable than I was in a T-shirt and tights. Of course, these long johns also had the absolutely, positively, no-questions-asked requisite "escape hatch." So, you couldn't really bust them out in public anyway. Thus, I'm not sure they officially qualifying as meggings. Still, though. I get it. And so do a lot of other people. But meggings aren't just about pure comfort. Otherwise, society would simply give them the sweatpants treatment: You'd see a guy, long past the age of maturity, walking around town in a pair of tights and you'd say, "Yup. That man loves Arena Football." But that's not the case. The reason everyone online is talking about these things is because meggings have recently become a legitimate fashion trend. And that's where we have to agree to disagree. This can't happen. It all just seems a little too Euro-weird, and any mildly-rugged dude knows he's engaging in questionable taste if he does something that makes Christiano Ronaldo say, "Yes. This I like." But, sadly, meggings may have actually started right here in America. Tom Teodorczuk of The Telegraph in the U.K. wrote, "The bad news is they are on their way to Britain: Uniqlo is already selling them on its British website, and their success in New York is seen as an indication they will also prove popular here." So, perhaps we'll never really understand where it all started. But from skinny jeans to meggings, the only thing we know for sure (but not really) is that the world's collective sperm count is slowly being compromised in the name of men's fashion. And as these sexy hipsters ultimately fail to multiply, future generations will arise from the great cradle of loose-fitting sweatpants. The only real winner will be Arena Football.

"Apparently This Matters" is CNN Tech's weekly, offbeat look at items trending online . This week Jarrett looks at the rise of "meggings." GQ has one word for the men's pants style: "No" But, darn it, they're probably comfortable, Jarrett says .

(CNN) -- Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, face corruption charges in a scandal that encompassed the Chicago Cubs, President-elect Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat and a children's hospital, according to an affidavit. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich talks to laid-off workers in Chicago on Monday. The men were each charged with a count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and a count of solicitation of bribery, authorities said. According to the affidavit outlining some of the charges against the Blagojevich and Harris, here are some of the details that led authorities to charge the officials: . Senate seat . Blagojevich said in phone conversation that he is conspiring to trade the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama in exchange for positions that Obama has the power to appoint, namely the secretary of health and human services post. Watch how the FBI's tapes show the governor wanted to trade seat » . In a November 3 conversation with an adviser, Blagojevich discussed receiving a kickback for appointing someone, identified only as "Senate Candidate 1," to the vacant Senate seat. Obama reportedly backed the Senate candidate. "During the call, Rod Blagojevich stated, 'Unless I get something real good for [Senate Candidate 1], s--t, I'll just send myself, you know what I'm saying?' " the affidavit says. He later said, "I'm going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain. You hear what I'm saying? And if I don't get what I want and I'm not satisfied with it, then I'll just take the Senate seat myself," according to the affidavit. The governor said the seat "is a f---ing valuable thing; you just don't give it away for nothing." "Blagojevich has also been intercepted conspiring to sell the Senate seat in exchange for his wife's placement on paid corporate boards or Rod Blagojevich's placement at a private foundation in a significant position with a substantial salary," the affidavit says. Intercepted phone calls indicate that the governor also has conspired to sell the Senate seat in exchange for millions of dollars in funding for "a nonprofit organization that he would start and that would employ him at a substantial salary after he left the governorship," according to the affidavit. Tribune Co. Blagojevich and Harris threatened to withhold financial assistance from the Tribune Co. unless the company fired certain editorial board members who had been critical of Blagojevich and had called for the governor's impeachment. The money was related to the sale or financing of Wrigley Field, home stadium of the Chicago Cubs, a team owned by the Tribune Co. The governor instructed Harris to tell the Tribune's financial adviser that the assistance, which Blagojevich estimated to be worth at least $100 million, was contingent on the ouster of several board members. In a November 4 phone call, Blagojevich told Harris to tell the Tribune adviser, "Our recommendation is fire all those f---ing people, get 'em the f--- out of there and get us some editorial support." The affidavit gives only one name, Deputy Editorial Page Editor John McCormick. In a follow-up conversation, Harris said he had informed the adviser that the newspaper needed "wholesale changes" "This is a priority. Stay on it, right. I mean, he, he gets the message, doesn't he?" Blagojevich asked. "Oh, yeah. He got it loud and clear," Harris reportedly replied. In another follow-up conversation, Harris said the Tribune owner told the financial adviser that he "was very sensitive to our concerns" and that certain cuts personnel cuts were imminent. On November 21, Harris said he had singled out McCormick "as somebody who was the most biased and unfair." Beginning November 30, Blagojevich began talking to a sports consultant and a Cubs officials about making state money available for Wrigley Field. Children's hospital . On October 8, Blagojevich told a person described only as "Individual A" that he was willing to make $8 million available for Children's Memorial Hospital, but "I want to get [Hospital Executive 1] for 50." Individual A felt that Blagojevich was talking about a $50,000 campaign contribution from the hospital's chief executive officer and that the $8 million referred to a recent commitment by Blagojevich to secure state funds via "some type of pediatric care reimbursement." "Intercepted phone conversations between Rod Blagojevich and others indicate that Rod Blagojevich is contemplating rescinding his commitment of state funds to benefit Children's Memorial Hospital because Hospital Executive 1 has not made a recent campaign contribution," the affidavit says.

Affidavit says Blagojevich called Senate seat "a f---ing valuable thing" Governor talked of getting newspaper employees fired for editorials, affidavit says . Blagojevich wanted campaign contribution for funding children's hospital, it says .

Madrid, Spain (CNN) -- The Basque separatist group ETA's cease-fire statement is insufficient, Spain's interior minister said Monday. Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, in the government's first major reaction, said that the statement, released to media Sunday, is "very far from the minimums" that the Spanish government has laid out for the group. "The word 'truce' as a concept of limited peace to have a dialogue is dead. That's the past," Rubalcaba told Spanish state television TVE. He said the government's demand remains steadfast -- that ETA agree to unconditionally lay down its arms and end the violence forever, with a process to verify that. Rubalcaba said security forces would not let up on ETA during its unilateral cease-fire, and he said ETA called the cease-fire at a time of "extreme weakness," due to police crackdowns against the group. ETA has announced cease-fires before and broken them, notably the 2006 cease-fire that was announced as "permanent," only to be broken months later with a car bomb at Madrid's airport that killed two people. In a statement published on the website of Basque newspaper Gara on Sunday, ETA -- which is blamed for more than 800 deaths in its long fight for Basque independence in northern Spain and southwest France -- "calls on the Spanish government to agree to the the minimum democratic solutions toward a peace process." The latest cease-fire announcement was not unexpected, following weeks of calls for a new peace process by some smaller leftist Basque political parties. The cease-fire announcement also follows months of what is widely regarded as a successful police crackdown against ETA operatives in Spain and also in ETA's hideouts in neighboring France and Portugal. Police have arrested many of ETA's suspected top operatives, as well as many ETA foot soldiers, and seized bomb-making materials and weapons from hidden arms caches, virtually shutting off ETA attacks. In its cease-fire announcement Sunday, ETA said that "months ago it decided not to carry out armed offensive actions," but made no mention of what it might consider a "defensive" action. The announcement was accompanied by an ETA video which showed three apparent ETA members seated at a table in front of an ETA banner. They wore white hoods covering their faces. The hoods had eye holes, but their mouths were covered. The person in the middle apeared to do all the speaking in the ancient Basque language -- not in Spanish -- and the voice seemed to be that of a woman. ETA is listed as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union for its campaign of car bombings and shootings. The Spanish government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero began a peace process in 2006 during the last unilateral ETA cease-fire, but after ETA's airport bomb, the government called off negotiations. Since then, officials of Zapatero's government have said they would not accept a simple cease-fire statement. Instead, they have said they will accept only a definitive statement from ETA to end its armed fight, and to announce when and where it would lay down its arms forever. Only then would the government be willing to consider leniency for some of the more than 500 ETA prisoners in jail, officials have said. The Basque region in northern Spain already has considerable home-rule authority, with its own police, parliament, taxing power and control of health and education. But ETA rejects those as partial steps, and has fought for full independence. ETA's goal is an independent Basque nation comprising the three-province Basque region and the neighboring Navarra region in Spain, along with three departments in southwest France that also have Basque roots. About three million people live in those areas now. ETA's cease-fire statement called on the international community to get involved in the Basque peace process. On Sunday, the leader of the Sinn Fein party in Northern Ireland said he supported the cease-fire. "Gerry Adams has welcomed ETA cease-fire announcement," the Sinn Fein party said on its Twitter page. While ETA has announced cease-fires before, the absence of government involvement makes Sunday's statement unique, said Luis Aizpeolea, a correspondent for the Spanish newspaper El Pais. Past announcements have come after back-channel negotiations between government officials and ETA, Aizpeolea said. But this time, it was smaller leftist Basque political parties that appeared to have pushed ETA to make the cease-fire. The most significant of those parties is Batasuna, which is outlawed because the courts have found it is not independent, but a very part of ETA. Rubalcaba, Spain's interior minister, said that if Batasuna wants to get back into local politics and run candidates in elections next year, it must either make a full and convincing break from ETA, or convince ETA itself to end its armed struggle.

Interior minister says cease-fire statement does not meet government's requirements . Spanish government officials have said the group must agree to lay down its arms forever . ETA is blamed for more than 800 deaths in its long fight for independence .

London (CNN) -- It is 6am and Sue Biggs is surveying the preparations for the 100th anniversary of the Chelsea Flower Show. A team of 800 people has spent three weeks converting 11 acres of playing fields into the world's most prestigious horticulture show, as famous for attracting royalty and celebrities as garden enthusiasts. Over five days each May, 157,000 visitors troop into the Royal Hospital Chelsea in west London to see 550 exhibitors displaying magnificent show gardens, new plants and new trends in gardening. Watch: Royal visit to flower show . After 30 years in the travel industry, Biggs became director general of the Royal Horticultural Society -- the charity behind Chelsea Flower Show -- in 2010, and has already attracted a record number of members to the organization. "I was here at 6 o'clock this morning and the excitement is fantastic," says Biggs. "There's something very magical about Chelsea. If you love gardening, as I have since I was seven years old, Chelsea is the absolute pinnacle. I have to pinch myself that I'm seeing it take shape. "This has been going on for 100 years, you are very aware of the heritage, the past that's gone before and the great people who have walked this showground, whether royalty, celebrities or great gardeners. "Whether you love the tiny detail of a plant or the great vistas of an elaborate garden, there's always something you'll find eye-wateringly beautiful." Chelsea Flower Show takes between 15 and 18 months to prepare, so even as the final touches are being added to this year, a team is well into planning for the 2014 show. Extravagant displays at Chelsea in the past two years have included an 80ft "Magical Tower Garden" and a "Sky Garden" with a suspended "flying boat", both by the Irish garden designer and television personality Diarmuid Gavin. This year Gavin is not exhibiting, and Biggs says the focus is more on plantmanship, although she has promised at least one surprise. Biggs, 57, began gardening at the age of seven when her mother gave her a packet of seeds and her own piece of garden for her birthday. "I was smitten the minute the seeds came into flower," she says. "It takes you into another world, an oasis, it's a great wind-down for me." However, she was not trained in horticulture and had never worked in the industry until three years ago. Instead, Biggs went into the travel industry where she worked for 25 years for the upmarket operator Kuoni, rising to become managing director. In 1999, when she joined the board of Kuoni, she became the youngest ever director, the first female director and the first non-Swiss director. "I went to Zurich for a celebratory weekend with the board, and they presented me with a card saying 'Congratulations Sue, finally we have someone to iron our shirts'. They'd be shot for that now, but at the time I found it funny." Biggs, a longtime member of the Royal Horticultural Society, became its director general in 2010 after her husband spotted an advertisement in a Sunday newspaper and suggested a change of career. "I laughed at him at first, but he said 'you love gardening, you'd love it,' she says. "I decided to apply and by some miracle they chose me." Biggs has worked on ridding the 209-year-old society of its exclusive image, promoting its charity work and has pushed membership numbers over 400,000 for the first time. "It was never intentional, but it was seen as a gardening club for posh people. We have tried to be much more open and engage people. It's helped us to achieve a record number of members," she says. She has overseen the sale of one of the society's properties in London and used the money to invest in charity work, from promoting horticulture as a career option and funding plant research to opening an urban garden. "It's one of my frustrations that people don't know the RHS is a charity," she says. "We need to make people aware of the scientific research, the work in schools, prisons and communities that we do. All of that work is funded by the success of shows like Chelsea." Back at Chelsea, Biggs is preparing for another busy day from media interviews to overseeing the start of planting once all the structures, from pavilions and marquees to rocks, boulders and hedges are in place. She is wary of treading a fine line between tradition and innovation. "Chelsea is the most successful flower show in the world, but it needs to always have something to surprise and delight people." Chelsea Flower Show runs from May 21-25 at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London.

Sue Biggs became head of Royal Horticultural Society in 2010 . She has tried to change the image from "gardening club for posh people" to promote the society's charity work . Chelsea Flower Show celebrates its 100th anniversary this year .

(CNN) -- You're doing all the obvious things: the right education, solid experience, a good mentor. But those in the C-Suite often confide that it's the subtle "polish" that takes the superstar to the next level of success. Small differences can make a big impact. What affects others' perception of your ability to lead a project, a division, an organization, or a movement? Consider the following habits, attitudes, skills, and characteristics of a leader to see how you measure up and then determine how you can step up: . Act with integrity . Tell the truth. Practice the principles you preach. Be genuine and sincere. It takes just one inappropriate action or comment to uncover the counterfeit. And once credibility vanishes, regaining it becomes a monumental task. People want to see the real you -- the integrity behind your face, the actions behind your promises. In today's economic landscape, trust trumps both price and track record. Read more: Steve Jobs: How to lead with purpose . Listen like you mean it . Stop whatever you're doing and look the speaker directly in the eye. Tilt your head slightly to one side. The literal message is, "I'm giving you an ear." Ask questions about what the speaker is saying to help clarify thoughts and to verify that you've heard correctly and have drawn the intended conclusions. Answer questions specifically rather than vaguely. Take action to demonstrate that you've heard. Benjamin Disraeli was right when he observed, "Talk to a man about himself and he will listen for hours." The magic in this mix? He or she will think you are a remarkable person. Listening increases likeability, and likeability leads back to trust in you as a leader. Commit to what you communicate . Follow through. If you say you'll make an introduction to the potential new client, make the introduction. If you say you'll provide the reference, give the reference. If you say you'll fund the project, budget the money. Show up, own up, and straighten it up. In a marketplace of mealy mouthed moochers, doing what you say will absolutely astonish people. Be accountable for results . Accountability implies risk and reward. You earn rewards for success; you accept penalties for failure. By the very nature of the risk-reward proposition, others' perception of your position and value increases. You've heard it said that money is not the most important thing in life. But that's easier to believe when you have enough of it to cover your basic needs. Likewise, people measure competence in different ways, and "enough" competence or "enough" intelligence becomes a matter of degree. At some point, people pull you over the "enough" threshold and begin to judge your performance on degrees of results. Delivering the goods attracts attention and demands respect that translates into others' perception of your leadership and executive presence. Read more: Leader know thyself . Engage emotionally by being approachable . The combination of both competence and likeability characterizes outstanding leaders with personal presence. You may be credible and have others pick your brain and benefit from your work -- but choose not to be around you if they don't have to be. On the other hand, you may be a likeable, life-of-the-party sort whom everybody wants to hang out with. But people may not consider you credible in challenging times for critical information or competent performance. The tagline "mover and shaker" comes from a metaphor -- a very visual component of a personality trait or habit. Not only do leaders move through many networks, work a lot of relationships, and shake their share of hands, they literally take the lead in approaching people. People with presence approach others confidently, act as host, make introductions, and connect others in the group. They approach and give attention to others. Leaders put themselves on the frontline to serve. As a result, others feel their presence because of the attention they give -- not receive. People do pay attention to those with power to reward or punish them. But they enjoy being around those who are humble, willing to serve, and give them the proverbial time of day. Never whine . Constant complaining characterizes losers. The habit follows those who lack success and feel powerless to improve things for themselves. By their very act of whining, people are admitting that they lack the competence, character, communication skills, or commitment to improve things. Not a good message to send. Follow protocol in mixing business with pleasure . Because of the heavy demands on their time, leaders blend their social and work lives, often building their personal relationships through business contacts, and vice versa. As the old saying goes, people do business with people they like. Be the liaison who brings people together over lunch, a golf game, committee work, or causes. Understand the rules of etiquette in each of these situations: introductions; timing and appropriateness of business topics; appropriate dress; who arrives first; who pays. It's these little things done right that shout "class." Act with intention. Communicate with confidence. Lead with clarity. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dianna Booher.

Dianna Booher explains key habits, skills, and characteristics of true leaders . Commit to what you communicate, and follow through, says Booher. "Delivering the goods attracts attention and demands respect," she adds .

Boston (CNN) -- A federal jury Monday saw a rare display of emotion from reputed mob kingpin James "Whitey" Bulger when he laughed while reveling in his former drug dealer's nostalgia as the dealer testified in his federal murder trial. Jurors also saw the family of a man shot to death, allegedly by Bulger, react to disgraced former FBI supervisor's tearful public apology for his role in two 1982 deaths. Former FBI agent John Morris apologized in court to the family of Michael Donahue, whom Bulger is charged with killing, for leaking sensitive information that eventually made its way to the reputed South Boston crime boss, and according to testimony, cost Donahue his life. "I don't ask for your forgiveness, but I do want to express my sincere apology for things I may have done and things I didn't do," Morris said to the Donahue family. Michael Donahue's three sons and widow, Patricia, sat front row in the reserved section in the Boston courtroom. Bulger is charged with killing 19 people during what prosecutors allege was a nearly 20-year reign of terror in South Boston. Morris admitted telling his "best friend," Bulger's disgraced, now-jailed FBI informant handler John Connolly, the identity of another informant who had agreed to cooperate with the government against Bulger regarding the 1981 slaying of a wealthy Oklahoma businessman. Bulger faces off with FBI agent who went from pal to prosecution . According to previous testimony from Bulger's former associate and partner John Martorano, Bulger rained bullets on Donahue's car in pursuit of drug dealer Brian Halloran to prevent Halloran from implicating Bulger and his crew in the killing. Donahue, who was not affiliated with the gang, was giving Halloran a ride home from a bar that night. He was shot to death in May 1982. "Not a day in my life has gone by I haven't thought about this. Not a day in my life that I don't pray that God give you a blessing and comfort for the pain that you suffered," Morris continued while looking directly at Donahue's widow. "I am truly sorry; I do not ask for forgiveness. That's too much," Morris concluded in a trembling voice as tears began to well up in his eyes. Tommy Donahue, one of Donahue's sons, and his mother returned Morris' gaze. Outside of court, Tommy Donahue said Morris can "take his apology and shove it. His tears and his apologies don't mean crap to me and my family, not one bit." During the court break, Tommy Donahue exchanged kind words with the man defending his father's accused murderer, defense attorney Hank Brennan. Brennan elicited the apology from Morris when he pointed to the Donahue family in court and asked Morris if he has ever apologized to the "families left behind" due to his "inappropriate actions." Bulger trial opens window on mob world of cold violence, fierce loyalty . Donahue described his family's "lousy predicament." "We want Bulger to go to jail, but we have to rely on Whitey Bulger's lawyers to give us the truth. The government isn't going to give it to us," he said. "It's a double-edged sword." Patricia Donahue, who spoke for the first time since the trial began, said about Morris' apology Monday: "No, those words didn't mean anything to me. I think he probably really feels guilty; to me that's a good punishment because that is something he has to live with for the rest of his life," When court returned after a brief recess, Bulger began cracking up, his shoulders moving aggressively up and down, when his former drug dealing associate Joseph Tower started telling a story about the time Bulger, or "Boots," saved Tower's brother's life. Tower is testifying under an immunity agreement and was called to the stand to explain Bulger's extortion business, or "rent." Bulger is also charged with extortion, racketeering and money laundering. Tower, former cocaine dealer, said he entered into a business agreement with Bulger, reluctantly admitting that Bulger got a piece of the earnings, in exchange for "protection." "I said, now you are in serious trouble," Tower testified he told the gangsters who kidnapped his brother, alluding to his affiliation with Bulger and how the kidnappers had made a dangerous mistake. Bulger got the kidnappers to release Tower's brother after a money exchange gone wrong, Tower said. When the judge called a sidebar, the two old friends exchanged shoulder shrugs, head nods and brief smiles. Tower will return to the stand for cross-examination Tuesday. Why we can't get enough of the gangster life .

A former FBI agent testifies about James "Whitey" Bulger's role in a 1982 homicide . The agent apologizes to the victim's family for his role in tipping off Bulger . Bulger and a former drug dealing associate exchange smiles and laughter . Associate recalls how Bulger saved his brother from kidnappers .