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(CNN) -- Israel is taking steps to defend itself against threatened retaliation from Syria after claims it launched a night assault on a suburb of the capital Damascus on Sunday. This was believed to be the second Israeli attack in three days. The country positioned rocket interception batteries along its northern border and closed northern airspace to civil aviation after Syria vowed it would "suffer" for the alleged airstrikes on what it called a "scientific research facility." Israel declined to comment on reported attacks. In an exclusive interview with CNN's Frederick Pleitgen, Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al Mekdad called the alleged assault a "declaration of war." Meanwhile, condemnation flowed from its allies, including Iran, which said the "vicious acts" could "jeopardize (the) security of the entire region." What do we know about the extent of Israel's intervention? We know what's being claimed by Syria, and that is that several explosions hit the scientific research center in Jamraya early Sunday, killing 42 Syrian soldiers, the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday, citing medical sources. It said 100 people remained missing. Syria's state news agency, Sana, said early information indicated the explosions were caused by Israeli rockets, though Israel has a policy or refusing to comment on attacks attributed to its military. It's not the first time Israel has targeted the site, Sana reported, pointing to an attack on January 30. At the time, a U.S. official told CNN the claim was false, saying that Israeli fighter jets targeted a Syrian government convoy carrying surface-to-air missiles bound for the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. Syria denied there were such shipments. Last week, two U.S. officials backed up Syrian claims that Israel had launched airstrikes in the country on Thursday or Friday, taking the total number of potential strikes within Syrian territory to three, including Sunday's alleged attack. On Sunday, the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL -- the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon -- intensified their patrols along Lebanon's border with Israel, according to Lebanon's national news agency. It said the move followed the alleged blasts and "intensified Israeli Army patrols" along the "'Blue Line' within the occupied territories." United Nations Security-General Ban Ki-Moon has urged all sides to exercise "maximum calm and restraint." However, Ban's spokesman said in a statement issued on Sunday that the United Nations could not "independently verify what has occurred." Is Israel saying anything? Israel's long-standing policy has been to deny comment on claims of attacks. However, it has previously said that it would target any transfer of weapons to Hezbollah or other terrorist groups, as well as any effort to smuggle Syrian weapons into Lebanon that could threaten Israel. Shaul Mofaz, a lawmaker in Israel's Knesset or parliament, told Israeli Army Radio on Sunday that Israel wasn't meddling in Syria's civil war. But he insisted that Israel must protect itself from Lebanese militants. "For Israel, it is very important that the front group for Iran, which is in Lebanon, needs to be stopped," Mofaz said. "Hezbollah is deeply involved up to its neck in what is happening in Syria," Mofaz said, before adding "Hezbollah helps the Iranians navigate against the rebels." How is Hezbollah involved, and what is its connection to Iran? The supply of weapons by Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon is thought to be at the heart of the issue. Iran has long supported Hezbollah with funding and weapons, which it's alleged are smuggled via Syria to the organization's Lebanese base. After Sunday's strike, Iran's foreign minister phoned his counterpart in Syria and "praised the resistance by the Syrian government against the enemies' plots." Hezbollah is a Shiite militant group regarded by Israel and the United States as a terrorist organization, although its political wing is a key player in Lebanon's government. It has been linked to a number of attacks against Israeli, U.S. and other Western targets. In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Golan Heights which ended with a U.N.-brokered cease-fire. At the time, Israel was said to be surprised by the intensity and weaponry displayed by the Hezbollah forces. Israel says it has intelligence that Hezbollah has long been supported by the Syrian government and Hezbollah has in turn been supporting the Syrian regime throughout the country's civil war. Hezbollah has been accused of sending fighters into Syria to support the Assad regime in the south and south west, but has denied these claims, saying its militants have, only recently, begun defending Lebanese border villages from attack by Syrian rebels. In 2009, the top U.S. diplomat in Damascus disclosed that Syria had begun delivery of ballistic missiles to Hezbollah, according to official cables leaked to and published by WikiLeaks. How real are fears that this could lead to a regional Middle East war? Few sides at this point would logically appreciate a widening of the conflict -- but hopes of resolving it seem as distant as ever. "The Syrian struggle has not only spread into Syria's neighbors, like Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Turkey -- but has also become a battlefield wherein Israel and Iran are challenging each other," Fawaz Gerges, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, wrote in an opinion piece for CNN. "There is also a fierce geostrategic rivalry unfolding in Syria between Sunni-dominant Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran, a rivalry invested and fuelled with sectarianism. A real danger exists that this complex conflict in Syria could escalate into a region-wide battle involving Syria's major allies -- Iran and Hezbollah, and Israel, other regional powers, and the Western states." Analysts say that as part of the Lebanese government the group would be risking a great deal if it responded to Israeli aggression with force. Israeli officials are betting that al-Assad will not retaliate, both because his forces have their hands full already and because any strike against Israel would risk Israeli counterstrikes that might seriously degrade his advantages in the civil war, like airpower. "They don't want to open a new front that might be the last one they open," says one Israeli military official on condition of anonymity. "They would suffer a knockout punch." Syria's military is exhausted by the civil war and it would make little sense to open a new front against the best equipped military in the region, unless it was in a last-ditch attempt to garner flagging support as its internal morale vanished. But two years into the Syrian civil war there does not seem to be a military solution. "It is a long war of attrition with no end in sight," wrote Gerges. "Neither internal camp seems to have the means to deliver a decisive blow. "Only a political solution will put an end to the shedding of Syrian blood and prevent the unthinkable: a region-wide conflict that would have catastrophic consequences." Hilary Whiteman contributed to this report .

Israel takes steps to defend itself after claims it launched an assault on Damascus . In exclusive interview with CNN, Syrian official called alleged assault "declaration of war" Few would logically appreciate widening of conflict, but hopes of resolving it seem distant .

Washington (CNN) -- The White House defended President Barack Obama from criticism that he was tone deaf in his reaction to the mass shootings at Washington Navy Yard. Obama: Shooting a 'cowardly' act . For a second straight day, White House press secretary Jay Carney faced questions about a Monday afternoon event that occurred as the situation at the Navy Yard was still unfolding. Obama touched on the tragedy before forcefully criticizing conservative Republicans who are threatening to shut down the government. Obama pressures conservative Republicans . McCain to House Republicans: Don't shut down government . "I understand that some Republicans are trying to make something of this," Carney said on Tuesday in response to a question from CNN Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta. "The president spoke about the Navy Yard at the very top of his briefing. He talked about the cowardly act that had taken place, the tragedy that was unfolding and the loss of life and he called for and demanded a seamless investigation with federal and local law enforcement officials and that is what we're seeing now," Carney said. Obama himself stepped in on Tuesday to address the controversy, telling Telemundo in an interview to "keep in mind" that he addressed the shooting while it was still going on, "while we were still gathering information." He continued, "I think that everybody understands that the minute something like this happens, I'm in touch with the FBI, I'm in touch with my national security team, we're making sure that all the assets are out there for us to deal with this as well as we can." On the other hand, Obama said, "what is also important to remember is that Congress has a lot of work to do right now" in a short period of time, noting looming fiscal deadlines that he says are crucial for the economy. Obama had planned on Tuesday to tout his economic accomplishments on the fifth anniversary of the Wall Street meltdown and criticize a group of conservative Republicans for their push to shut down the federal government if the national health care law isn't defunded. His comments were designed as a prelude to the White House battle plan in the fights over the upcoming deadlines over government funding, the debt ceiling, and as a Americans begin to start enrolling in the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. 5 things Obama planned before shooting . A distracted president struggles with the economy . White House officials did delay the event from late morning to early afternoon, to ensure that the president wouldn't be speaking at the same time at a news conference updating the evolving situation at the Navy Yard. But they said they never considered canceling the event. "We are confronting another mass shooting and it happened on a military installation in our nation's capital. It's a shooting that targeted our military and civilian personnel," the president said at the top of his remarks. "These are men and women who were going to work, doing their jobs protecting all of us. They're patriots and they know the dangers of serving abroad but today they face the unimaginable violence that they wouldn't have expected here at home." But minutes later Obama took the fight to some in the GOP, saying, "I cannot remember a time when one faction of one party promises economic chaos if it can't get 100% of what it wants. That's never happened before but that's what's happening right now," and adding that forcing a shutdown would be the "height of irresponsibility." Your guide to a government shutdown . Debt ceiling 'X date' could hit Oct. 18 . The president's quick pivot first to the latest developments in the Syrian crisis and then into his criticism of the GOP stands in contrast to his initial reaction to last December's shooting of 20 children and six adults in Newtown, Connecticut, when he urged national unity. And it brought criticism from House Speaker John Boehner. "It's a shame that the president could not manage to rise above partisanship today," the top Republican in Congress said in a statement a few hours after Obama's event. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus continued the attack on Tuesday, tweeting "Disappointing that POTUS couldn't rise above partisanship yesterday...hours after #NavyYardShooting" Former House Speaker and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich expanded on the criticism. "President Reagan, in the tragedy of the (space shuttle) Challenger, postponed the State of the Union address because he realized the country needed to be in mourning. President Obama should have recognized that an event this painful and tragic, in the nation's capital, required being president rather than partisan, and being concerned about people rather than concerned about attacking," said Gingrich, a co-host of CNN's "Crossfire." A top Republican strategist went a step farther. "When there is a tragic event like this in the nation's capital and the local baseball team expresses that it would be insensitive to participate in the national pastime, but the president proceeds with a self-congratulatory press conference to celebrate his miniscule economic accomplishments, it tells you the Obama administration has become tone-deaf," said Alex Castellanos, a CNN contributor who co-founded Purple Strategies, a bipartisan public affairs firm. "Bill Clinton, who 'felt our pain,' would never have made this mistake." Opinion: Gun control is not the answer . It's not just Republicans who are critical of the president -- a senior Democratic consultant was critical of Obama's timing, too. "Suprisingly tone-deaf. National unity has been at the heart of the Obama brand since his 2004 'there are no red states and no blue states' speech. To pass up a chance to unite the country after a tragedy was a missed opportunity. Unhelpful in terms of politics. Even more unhelpful in terms of governance," said the consultant, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely. While Carney says the president "was horrified by this news" (of the shootings), he defended Monday's White House event and wouldn't entertain any second day quarterbacking, saying "we knew what the public knew," adding "we had the same information you did." Will rampage move the dial on gun control? And he pushed back against criticism that Obama's speech was partisan. "Far from being a partisan speech, the president made clear in his speech that many Republicans on Capitol Hill agree with him that we should not go down the road of threatening to shut down the government or defaulting on our obligations in the name of some partisan agenda item," Carney said. And White House officials questioned the appropriateness of some House Republicans who they say were launching partisan attacks at the administration on Monday over last September's deadly attack at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that left the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans dead. Later Monday, the tone did appear to shift at the White House. A Latin music event in the East Room that was planned for the evening was postponed, according to White House officials, "in light of today's tragic events at the Washington Navy Yard and out of respect for the victims and their families." Around the same time, the U.S. flag on top of the White House was lowered to half staff. Remembering the Navy Yard victims .

Obama criticized for launching attack on congressional Republicans in hours after Navy Yard shootings . White House spokesman defends Obama, saying time is running out on Congress to act on economy . Obama touched on the shootings and Syria situation before criticizing GOP in previously scheduled event . NEW: Obama says in interview that he discussed the shooting while it was unfolding .

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Seydi Burciaga just finished her overnight shift at Sam's Club, where she worked for the past 10 years. She made her way through the pouring rain in her minivan and turned onto her cul-de-sac in suburban Atlanta. Seydi and Pedro Burciaga were married for 14 years with two children. "She was a very loving mother," he said. She was three-tenths of a mile from home. The mother of two young children never made it. Floodwaters from a swollen creek swept her Nissan Quest from Desiree Drive around 5 a.m. Monday. On a normal day, the creek is only a few feet wide. But days of nonstop rain turned the seemingly harmless waterway into a raging river. It sits at the bottom of a steep hill on a street with no lights. It would've been nearly impossible to see the swift-moving water or how deep it was in the pre-dawn darkness. Her car was picked up and carried behind an elementary school and lodged in trees. Water was coming in fast, she told a 911 dispatcher. Listen to the frantic 911 call » . "Please, come help me," she says, her voice cracking. "Please." The 911 dispatcher draws silent for a moment. "Alright, ma'am. Just stay as calm as possible." During the next 12 minutes, the dispatcher would try to reassure Burciaga as she elicited clues as to the caller's exact whereabouts. It was a neighborhood Burciaga knew well. She'd lived there for the past decade. She was known as the neighborhood mom who would take anyone who needed help to the dentist or the doctor. Fluent in Spanish, she would often act as translator. "She was a very loving mother, a good wife, a strong woman," said Pedro Burciaga, her husband of 14 years. "She liked helping everyone, and overall she worked very hard. ... She always had a smile for everyone." As her life teetered in the balance, she described being near a yellow house and tried to give other details of where her vehicle was. The 911 call was one of more than 400 before daybreak Monday that sent rescue crews through the floodwaters of Gwinnett County, a large suburban county northeast of Atlanta. "My car is turning. Now the wheels is getting up, and I'm going to drown," Burciaga says. A fire rescue team was at the scene by 5:09 a.m. Police arrived at 5:13 a.m. She was still on the phone with dispatch. The entire roadway was submerged by 5 or 6 feet of water. Nearby parked vehicles were nearly covered by the rushing water. An outbuilding had been carried from its foundation. Watch how to escape from a sinking car » . "Listen to me. You're not going to drown. Roll down your windows, if you're able to, and get out of your vehicle," the 911 dispatcher says. "I'm in the back of my car. I don't know if I can break it," Burciaga says. "Ma'am, if you can break it, break it. Do whatever you can to get out of your vehicle." "Yes, please, but my car is --" "It doesn't matter about your car," the dispatcher says. "What matters is your life. We're going to save your life." A few moments later, the waters intensify. "It's taking me down now," Burciaga says, crying. "It's taking you down," the dispatcher repeats. "Just stay on the phone with me. I'm right here. I'm gonna stay with you." "Please! It's going to drown --" "OK, listen, you're not going to drown. We're going to be there for you. Just stay with me, OK?" "OK, OK," Burciaga says. Moments later, she shrieks, "Oh my God!" Her voice grows more concerned. Her cell phone goes out at 5:16 a.m. According to a police report, rescue crews tried to swim into the water to find her, but the waters were moving too fast, and they couldn't spot her. After about an hour, the waters receded. Her vehicle was 300 yards away. She was found across the back seats of her minivan. She was dressed in blue jeans, a green shirt and gray tennis shoes. Burciaga, a Mexican immigrant, was to turn 40 on November 18. She was the mother of a 9-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter. Her ritual every night was to tuck them in bed before heading off to work. "She would give them a blessing, a kiss," her husband told CNN. Burciaga's death was one of at least nine in severe flooding that has shut down roads across north Georgia and caused gridlock on Atlanta's already congested highways. See flood photos across the Southeast » . Her death troubled even the most veteran law enforcement personnel. "There's really no words to describe it," said Gwinnett County police spokesman David Shiralli. "We're here to save lives when we can. When we do everything in our power and we still fail at it, it makes us feel bad." On the quiet street where Burciaga lived, residents made a makeshift memorial at the small bridge over the creek. Flowers were placed at the foot of the street; an angel figurine stood with her hands clasped in prayer. Nearby, shrubbery was flattened, possibly from her vehicle. The creek was back to being a tiny waterway. Residents said it floods often during rainstorms, but they'd never seen anything like Monday. "At night when it's dark and water is covering the road, you can't really see it. It's not the first time it has overran, but it's never been that high before," said Nathaniel Knight, who lived next door to Burciaga for the past five years. Knight was still shaken by her death. "She's just a really nice person, a woman that works the night shift. Just so nice." He said he felt for her husband: "This just has to be horrible, just devastating for him." A viewing for friends and relatives was held Tuesday evening. In nearby Duluth, her colleagues at Sam's Club were beginning their night shift, minus their colleague of the past decade. "We've lost a valued member of our family, and we will always remember her smile," said store manager Annette Gillespie. "She was an outstanding associate and hard worker, but most importantly, she was our friend." Her husband struggled for words. His favorite memory: "Her smile, how she was with my children. She loved them a lot. She gave them lots of love." How so? "With kisses, hugs," he said, gently. "Now I'm destroyed because I'm going to miss her a lot." CNN's Mallory Simon contributed to this report.

Mother of two gets swept away in floods, pleads for help in 911 call . Rescuers were on the scene as she spoke but couldn't locate her . Calm 911 dispatcher: "What matters is your life. We're going to save your life." Woman was to turn 40 in November; she had worked at Sam's Club for 10 years .

(CNN) -- Virginia's governor declared a state of emergency Friday as a winter storm expected to pummel the East Coast this weekend began dumping snow in Virginia and North Carolina. The storm is forecast to blast a narrow corridor from Richmond, Virginia, to Fredericksville, Pennsylvania, leaving interstates 95, 81, 64 and possibly 80 covered in significant snow, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said. Myers said areas like Charlottesville, Virginia, may rake in some of the highest snowfall accumulations, depending on how quickly the storm moves and whether it remains on course. Roads in the Western part of Virginia are already bad, with lots of accidents being reported, said Bob Spieldenner, Director of Public Affairs at the Virginia Department of Emergency. The Virginia State Police said Friday night at around 8 p.m. they were working 335 accidents. The hardest hit area so far was in Roanoke, Virginia, along I-81, a spokesman with the Virginia Department of Transportation said. The Roanoke Regional Airport said it had cancelled all remaining flights for Friday night. An accident on I-26 in Western North Carolina has closed the entire interstate, and some drivers have been stuck so long on the road they have run out of fuel, according to CNN affiliate WSPA-TV. Power lines in the area were also beginning to fall and at least 38,000 residents were without power as of 7 p.m., WSPA reported. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said it was receiving high volumes of calls for service, either for accidents, stranded motorists or cars that ran off the road. Sgt. Jeff Gordon said that as of 10 p.m. Friday night the highway patrol had received 682 calls in the Asheville area, 623 calls in Newton, 682 calls in Salisbury and 513 calls in the Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point areas. I-77 near U.S. 21 was also blocked, Gordon said, because of a tractor-trailer jackknife. Gordon said there was about 8 to 12 inches of snow in Asheville. Snowfall differed across the state, he said, with 6 to 8 inches a couple of hours to the east of Asheville and only cold rain east of Raleigh. "We have our hands full, but all in all I think we're all working together to try and tackle this," Gordon said. "It's just another example of Mother Nature's wrath." Depending on residents' locations along the corridor, residents may see no snowfall or 20 inches, Myers said, noting that there may be only a 50- or 60-mile difference between the two. WBTV: Heavy snow causes accidents, school closings . A winter storm warning was in effect for East Coast metropolitan areas including Washington; Baltimore, Maryland; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to the National Weather Service. The storm comes at a pivotal time for Washington. The Senate is embroiled in a contentious battle over the health care reform bill. Wintry conditions could delay commutes to work over the weekend. Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty said the city will be enacting a snow emergency plan, which will include 750 staff members working around the clock and 330 trucks out on the streets. "We think this will be the biggest snowfall since 2003," Fenty said during a news conference, referring to a blizzard that dumped about 27 inches in the area. The National Weather Service in Washington increased its projections for the city to between 10 and 20 inches of snow, Myers said. Virgin America Airlines said it was canceling all incoming and outgoing flights to Washington/Dulles Airport on Saturday in advance of the storm. Fenty said workers are already preparing roads with a salt brine solution, in hopes of keeping the snow from piling up and sticking. He also said that as of 7 a.m. Saturday residents will not be allowed to park cars on the city's 100 marked snow emergency routes, which are for the most part the same as the rush hour routes. In Maryland, state highway officials are also spraying a salt brine solution on highways and roads, CNN affiliate WBAL-TV in Baltimore reported. WBAL: Highways prepped ahead of storms . The Baltimore Ravens pushed back the starting time of their Sunday football game from 1 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. because of the storm, according to the team's site. In Asheville, North Carolina, snow covered the roads, making for difficult commutes. Some residents, like iReporter Ed Jenest, figured it was better to stay home. "It's a great day not to go anywhere," he said. "We're listening to music and we've got a fire going." Air travelers en route to holiday destinations may face delays, said Tammy Jones, spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration. With snow expected to cloak much of the Northeast, the FAA may institute a ground-delay program if air travel conditions warrant. In such a case, the FAA informs the airlines at a certain airport that they will have to stay on the ground for a period of time, Jones said. "Snow's not so significant if you're in the air, but on the ground, it can be problematic," Jones said. Several airlines have issued travel alerts allowing for free rebooking of flights because of the storm. Some flights for the weekend have been canceled. A storm system developing over the northern Gulf of Mexico will move northeast up the mid-Atlantic on Saturday and "will produce a swath of heavy snowfall," the Weather Service said. Is snow headed your way? Share photos and video of the wintry scene . Southeastern New York may get 6 to 8 inches of snow, while Manhattan and central and eastern Long Island may get up to a foot. Blizzard conditions are also possible for Long Island, where winds are expected to hit 50 mph Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Mark Fayer, vice president of Long Island Transit Express bus service, which serves metropolitan New York, said he expected normal operations despite a little snow. "We will be operating our normal schedules; we don't anticipate any delays that we can't handle," Fayer said. Winter storm warnings are in effect for eastern Kentucky, western and central North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and parts of Pennsylvania. The storm is expected to cause chaos for weekend travelers and Christmas shoppers, but a UPS spokesman said shipped packages shouldn't be delayed. "The good thing for us and our competitors is that this is happening on a weekend," UPS spokesman Norman Black said. He says packages set for Monday delivery are "on planes that land tonight and that offload tonight." UPS never has packages in motion on a Sunday, even the Sunday before Christmas. And because Saturday volume is usually light -- because delivering on Saturday is a premium service -- Black expects few problems. That is, unless the roads are still a mess and airports aren't cleaned by Monday. "That's what we worry about," he said. Journalist Craig Johnson contributed to this report.

NEW: WSPA: Accident closes I-26 in N.C.; some motorists stuck so long they've run out of fuel . Washington mayor: "We think this will be the biggest snowfall since 2003" Virginia governor declares state of emergency . Washington may get 2 feet of snow; blizzard conditions possible for Long Island .

(CNN) -- He helped resurrect Liverpool's footballing fortunes, and he has been called up by England ahead of the World Cup in Brazil. Britain's most successful Olympian Chris Hoy calls him the "voice of reason," snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan credits him with bringing him back from the brink of retirement, while footballer Craig Bellamy says he saved him from mental torture. The list of sporting luminaries queuing up to wax lyrical about Professor Steve Peters paint the picture of a miracle worker, but the 61-year-old modestly downplays his role in helping shape British sport across a myriad of disciplines. "It isn't that I have a magic model," he says. "People think it's a cure but it's not that. I just want to bring the best out of people. "I can't take someone off the street and make them a world champion in whatever sport they wanted. That's not possible, as you need skill and ability with it." But Peters' success in helping athletes is truly remarkable, being involved with numerous Olympic and world champions. Not that he ever counted such things -- it simply isn't in his psyche. Growing up in the northern English town of Middlesbrough, the son of a docker was the first in his family to go to university. He taught maths before retraining to become a doctor, and jokes that he turned to psychiatry because "that had less on-call hours in those days." But it started his fascination with the human mind, which has not diminished. However, it was never his overriding ambition to win medals -- he got into sport by accident rather than design, working with a cyclist in 2001 "merely to help out a friend." "I just want to help people," he explains. "My biggest satisfaction is getting a better quality of life, where you've seen that suffering and been able to remove that suffering, whether that's in sport or their personal lives." His greatest and most prolonged success has come with British Cycling, where he was brought in by the forward-thinking Dave Brailsford -- the man behind the success of Team Sky, home of Tour de France winners Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome. Despite knowing little about football, Peters helped guide Liverpool to the brink of a first English league title in 24 years -- and will again work with the club's captain Steven Gerrard in the England World Cup campaign in Brazil. He has helped five-time world champion O'Sullivan to fight his very public mental demons, and came to the aid of renowned "bad boy" Bellamy after the suicide of the former Liverpool and Manchester City striker's mentor Gary Speed. "Both Ronnie and Craig have been amazing pupils -- both have worked really hard," Peters says. "Both started from a tough place. Sometimes people find it hard to understand that people have gifts but they can be put in a position that they're not quite capable of understanding the emotion that goes with it, and they say or do things they regret. "Both were determined to change and get the best out of themselves. It was hard work but enjoyable." So how exactly does Peters teach people how to control their brains? The basis of it is "The Chimp Model" -- which he explains in his book as the different parts of the brain that battle for domination. The emotional, irrational part is the chimp, which he challenges athletes to control, while seeking to remove "gremlins" and "goblins" -- negative beliefs or behaviors that can inhibit performance. "I use that model to access the mind as it's much easier for people to think of something accessible," Peters says. "But you have to be adaptable to the individual, to understand their environment and get the best out of them. I often get asked for five tips to help people or something like that but it's just not possible. A tip to one person won't help another. Everybody is individual." Peters says athletes need to work on their mind as they would their technical skills or strength and conditioning, and he believes it requires just five or 10 minutes a day -- which he does himself to keep his inner chimp at bay. Despite all the successes, there are inevitable blips. Peters' Midas touch, for example, seemed to evade him in recent weeks as O'Sullivan was unable to retain his world title while Liverpool slipped up in final stretch of the Premier League season. "The driving force is that I like to see people succeed whatever it is they try to do, whether that's medals or whatever," he adds. "I get asked if I fail but I can't make people win. What I try to do is to take away the barriers that are governing them: 'What are you trying to do, what's stopping you?' "It's not for me to tell people. I just give suggestions. "Ronnie O'Sullivan is a good example. People said it must have been a terrible day in that final. It wasn't. Obviously Ronnie was disappointed as he wanted to win the title. "But he was in a good place in the dressing room and was talking about someone playing out of his skin. He was like, 'I'm doing what I can.' For 20 years, he made three world championship finals and now he's made the last three finals consecutively." Liverpool's players and management alike have paid tribute to the Peters effect. He has generally worked with individuals, but likens tackling a football team as similar to his cycling experiences. "Both Dave Brailsford and Brendan Rodgers are amazing managers, they know how to run teams. It makes my life easier as I'm just brought in to help. I'm just one of a number of people in a support team in both cases." It is all a far cry from his previous job working at a high-security psychiatric hospital for 12 years, dealing with people with a wide variety of personality disorders, and being helped to track down the Soham murderer Ian Huntley. Are there any parallels between such clinical work and sport? "In sport or the corporate world, in whatever, it's more or less the same as you're dealing with people and what's going on in their head," Peters says. "If people are ill or people have forensic personalities, you still have to adapt in the same way to, 'What's my role in this?' "Of course, it's a very different remit deciding whether people need to be detained for public safety than riding a bike around a velodrome but it's the same brain mechanics. It's a little bit like running a car -- it could be they have different engines but there's a generic feel for those engines." If Peters can help England's footballers to win the World Cup for the first time since 1966, he will indeed be dubbed a "sporting savior" -- but he is wary of being seen as the only solution in such circumstances. "It's not just me, there are lots of people doing this," said Peters, speaking more generally about his work, rather than specifically about the England team. "And people shouldn't think mine is the only way. "I might not work for some people, so my advice would be to find the model that works for you."

Professor Steve Peters has been hailed as a savior by a long list of sports stars . Psychiatrist's work in sport began in British cycling and now includes Liverpool FC . He warns that his approach, using "The Chimp Paradox," is no miracle cure in sport or life . Peters draws parallels with sport and working in a high-security unit earlier in his career .

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The 2009 presidential inauguration is looking to be historic and, frankly, headache-inducing for the throngs of people descending on the nation's capital to watch Barack Obama sworn in as the 44th president. Workers are putting the finishing touches on the innaugural stage on the steps of U.S. Capitol. CNN has compiled a list of frequently asked questions and answers. Q: How crowded will Washington be, and how will I get around? A: Think Times Square on New Year's Eve. Throw in tight security, then multiply that by 12. At least, that's how it will most likely feel. Nearly 2 million people are expected to hit the streets of the nation's capital January 20. Police will be shutting bridges across the Potomac River into Washington, along with a huge chunk of the downtown area. Two of the major routes coming into the city -- Interstates 395 and 66 -- will be closed to inbound traffic, at least for private vehicles. And for those coming from Virginia, all of the bridges between the state and Washington are going to be shut. In order to get in: walk or take public transport, such as the metro area's subway system. Amtrak says that it has increased the number -- and length -- of trains running to Washington on Inauguration Day and that tickets are still available but are going fast. iReport.com: Are you going to the inauguration? Security officials also say charter buses, taxis and car services will be another option for those attending. Q: What can't I bring? A: There are several obvious items that are prohibited, according to the U.S. Secret Service, including: . "Firearms, ammunition, explosives, weapons of any kind, aerosols, supports for signs and placards, packages, coolers, thermal or glass containers, backpacks, bags exceeding size restrictions, laser pointers, animals other than helper/guide dogs, structures, bicycles and any other items determined to be a potential safety hazard." Items surrendered to security officials will not be returned. Other items that are being banned include baby strollers and umbrellas. Read more about Secret Service traffic, security plans (PDF) Q: When do the festivities start? A: Saturday, January 17. Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden will begin their whistlestop-like train tour, stopping in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Wilmington, Delaware; and then making a stop for an event in Baltimore, Maryland, before pulling into Washington. That evening, Michelle Obama, Jill Biden and their families will hold a free "Kids' Inaugural" concert to honor military families. Sunday, January 18 . Obama will kick off the schedule of official inaugural activities in Washington, D.C., with a welcome event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The event will be free and open to the public. HBO will exclusively broadcast the event from 7 to 9 p.m. ET. The event will be televised by HBO on an open signal accessible to all U.S. viewers with access to cable, telcos or satellite television. It will also be a star-studded affair, with Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Usher Raymond IV, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am and Stevie Wonder -- among many others. The Rev. Gene Robinson, an openly gay Episcopal bishop, will deliver the invocation. Monday, January 19 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) Obama and Biden will honor King's legacy by urging supporters to participate in activities dedicated to serving others in communities across Washington, according to the Obama transition Web site, Change.gov. On Monday night, Jazz at Lincoln Center and The Rockefeller Foundation will present "A Celebration of America" at the Kennedy Center in Washington. The event -- marking King's legacy and the 56th inauguration -- will be broadcast live on CNN. Special guest stars will be announced shortly. Tuesday, January 20: Inauguration Day . The order of events, according to the Presidential Inauguration Committee, include: . • Musical selections: The United States Marine Band, followed by the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus . • Call to order and welcoming remarks: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California . • Invocation: Dr. Rick Warren, pastor of the Saddleback megachurch in Orange County, California . • Musical selection: Aretha Franklin . • Vice President-elect Biden will be sworn into office by John Paul Stevens, associate justice of the Supreme Court . • Musical selection: John Williams, composer/arranger, with Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill . • Obama will then take the oath of office, using President Abraham Lincoln's inaugural Bible, administered by John G. Roberts Jr., chief justice of the United States . • Inaugural address . • Poem: Elizabeth Alexander . • Benediction: The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery . • The national anthem: The United States Navy Band "Sea Chanters" According to Change.gov, after President Obama gives the inaugural address, he will escort outgoing President George Bush to a departure ceremony before attending a luncheon in the Capitol's Statuary Hall. The 56th Inaugural Parade will then make its way down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House, with groups traveling from all over the country to participate. iReport.com: Sneak peek of inauguration parade stand . Wednesday, January 21 . Obama -- as the new president -- will take part in a prayer at the National Cathedral in northwest Washington. The Rev. Sharon Watkins, the general minister and president of the 700,000-member Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), will be the first woman to deliver the sermon at the traditional inaugural event. Q: What's the dish on the inaugural balls? A: There will be 10 balls throughout Washington on Tuesday night. They include: . • Commander-in-Chief Ball, which is dedicated to military personnel and their families. • Five regional balls dedicated to each section of the United States. Only those invited may attend. • Neighborhood Ball, which will be open for Washington, D.C., residents who paid for tickets in advance. Both Obamas will attend the ball, which will be broadcast live on ABC and over the Internet. • Youth Inaugural Ball at the Washington Hilton. It is reserved for those between the ages of 18 and 35. Tickets are relatively cheap: $75 a pop. MTV will broadcast the event live. • Obama Home States Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center, includes invited guests from Illinois and Hawaii. • Biden Home States Inaugural Ball also at the Washington Convention Center, includes invited guests from Delaware and Pennsylvania. For a full listing of the balls, log on to Pic2009.org. CNN's Mike M. Ahlers contributed to this report.

Barack Obama to be sworn in as president January 20 . Several million are expected to descend on Washington . CNN has your guide to all things Inauguration 2009 . Activities begin January 18 with an Obama-Biden whistlestop-like tour .

(CNN) -- Dmitry Tursunov is not a man to play Russian roulette with his career -- but time is running out. Now 30, he is entering the twilight zone of his time on court with the opportunities to provide for his retirement decreasing every day. The problem for the World No.39 is that the cost of competing at the highest level is soaring, meaning he must collect $200,000 in prize money each year just to break even. It's not a problem for those in the top 10 -- but with rising expenses and endless airfares to pay for, those unable to win the grand slams or attract big name sponsors are facing a conundrum. For Tursunov the choice is clear -- shell out the cash now and hope the investment pays off. Splashing the cash . "I don't have a long career left so I decided to spend whatever is necessary," he told CNN's Open Court. "I want to get the best results I want to get out of the game knowing I gave it my best and that I didn't try to save up on anything. "Roughly, I probably spend $100,000 on traveling, plus or minus $10,000, it's kind of hard to say because I think the expenses are going up, the tickets are getting more expensive. "I think also a lot of the times you have to fly business, not out of luxury, but it's the only time you can get some rest and sleep. "If you are sitting in a little shrimp position, it's going to take you two days to recover, especially the older you get. "I didn't believe that but I am starting to believe it. It takes me two or three days to get out of the travel." Tursunov travels with his coach and physio, paying for their flights, accommodation and wages. He reckons he spends over $200,000 on his staff each year. The last of his seven singles titles came in 2011 and while he has bounced around the circuit picking up prize money, the opportunity to earn the big bucks continues to elude him. According to Forbes Business Magazine, the 10-highest paid tennis players in the world earned a combined $60 million in prize money between June 2012 and June 2013. Roger Federer, the 17-time grand slam winner, is estimated to have earned $71.5 million in that time from sponsors, endorsements and exhibition matches, not to mention the $6.5 million in prize money. In the women's game, Maria Sharapova leads the way, earning $29 million a year, making her the highest paid female athlete in the world. It is a world away from where Tursunov lives -- a man who has earned just shy of $587,000 in prize money so far this year. "You play against very good players," he said. "It's hard for people to grasp but you are playing against someone top 100 in his profession in the world which is pretty impressive. "If you play a top 100 golfer in the world, doctor or basketball player, all these guys are making ridiculous money. "But again it's hard to compare the sports but the expenses are a lot higher than even in basketball because we don't have a team who are paying our expenses." Tursunov does not travel with a hitting partner as Andy Murray does, nor does the Russian have the backing of lucrative sponsors. And while he accepts that he has not done badly, earning nearly $5 million during his career, he says the costs of competing on the circuit are constantly spiraling. "There are certain expenses you can't escape such as airline tickets and so forth but then you have coaches, if you want to compete well, if you want to make it in to the top 50 there's no way you can do that without a coach," he said. "I've tried. Roger has done it for some time but he's still traveling with a physio, the guy who strings his racquets and those are all expenses you pay yourself. "You pay a salary to your coach, then you pay his and your travel expenses as well as food. So it adds up. I think to travel with a coach you are probably going to hit $200,000 a year in expenses." Tursunov was just 12 when he left his native Russia to try his luck in the U.S. after being introduced to a tennis coach through his father. Following a one-month trial, it was decided that this prodigious young talent had a real talent -- and after that there was no looking back. "The coach felt like I was someone," remembered Tursunov. "He saw some potential in me and I decided that I had a one-way ticket to the U.S. and my dad left me after a month." While he has never managed to prosper at the grand slam tournaments, Tursonov has enjoyed his time in the sun. Cast your mind back to Wimbledon 2005 and it was the Russian who played the pantomime villain on Centre Court by defeating British favorite Tim Henman. Amidst the searing pressure cooker heat of a tense five set match, it was Tursunov who prevailed 8-6 in the fifth to silence the raucous home crowd. A year later, he played an integral role in Russia's Davis Cup victory over the U.S. by defeating Andy Roddick in dramatic fashion, 17-15 in the fifth. "After that long fifth set, my dad said 'I'm really sorry I put you in to tennis'. "I felt he actually meant it -- the match lasted nearly five hours. I think he was pretty exhausted." Exhaustion is a feeling Tursunov knows all too well. He is a keen sleeper, taking advantage of every possible second in his hotel bedroom to catch forty winks. In his opinion, it's getting tougher at the top with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray pulling away from the old master, Federer. Not since 2006 has Tursunov made it into the top 20 and the prospect of him repeating that feat looks unlikely given the amount of competition. "I feel like it's getting closer and closer in terms of the top 100 guys," he added. "You see a lot of these results where Federer and Nadal lost early in tournaments. "I can't remember a time when Pete Sampras lost that early, or John McEnroe, he didn't lose that early ever in his lifetime. I think it's getting a little bit tougher. "Obviously there's a lot more money involved and the players in order to compete we have to be a lot more professional and so I think the level of professionalism is getting a little bit higher. "It's hard for me to say what it was like 20, 30 years ago, but I feel like when I first started there were a couple of matches where you looked at the draw and said 'OK this is a fairly sure win'. "But I feel like there's almost no easy matches unless you know the guy's injured or he's coming from a different continent. It's getting tougher."

Dmitry Tursunov is ranked 40th in the world . Russian reached a career high of 20th in 2006 . The 30-year-old has won seven career titles but no grand slams . Has also enjoyed a successful doubles career with six titles .

(CNN) -- The European Union is dialing up the pressure on Iran, saying Monday it will cut off oil imports and freeze assets in an effort to starve the country's nuclear program of funding. "Today's action demonstrates the EU's growing concern about Iran's nuclear programme, and our determination to increase peaceful, legitimate pressure on Iran to return to negotiations," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement from Brussels, Belgium. The sanctions freeze the assets of Iran's central bank in European Union nations and ban the importation of Iranian oil to those countries. The measures also block European Union countries from exporting petrochemical equipment and technology to Iran, or trading diamonds and precious metals with the Middle Eastern state. The sanctions are necessary because Iran continues to defy United Nations resolutions regarding its nuclear program, Hague said. "Iran has it in its power to end sanctions by changing course and addressing the concerns of the international community," he said. Saudi prince: Why Iran won't close Strait of Hormuz . U.S. officials welcomed the sanctions, with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying in a joint statement Monday that the new measures will "sharpen the choice for Iran's leaders." But Iran's deputy foreign minister, Abbas Aragchi, said the measures will only harm the fragile economies of the European Union, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency. "Sanctions have proved ineffective in the past and will prove futile in the future, too," IRNA quoted Aragchi as saying. The U.S. government took its own punitive action regarding Iran on Monday, with the Treasury Department targeting the nation's third-largest bank, the state-owned Bank Tejarat, for allegedly working with other Iranian banks and firms subject to sanctions tied to Iran's nuclear program. Read a summary of sanctions against Iran . This step means "all of Iran's largest state-owned banks have been sanctioned by the U.S. based on their involvement in Iran's illicit activities," according to a statement from the U.S. government department. David S. Cohen, the U.S. Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, called Bank Tejarat -- which has nearly 2,000 branches in Iran, plus branches in France and Takijistan -- "one of Iran's few remaining access points to the international financial system. "Today's sanction against Bank Tejarat will deepen Iran's financial isolation, make its access to hard currency even more tenuous, and further impair Iran's ability to finance its illicit nuclear program," said Cohen. The International Atomic Energy Agency said shortly after the fresh oil sanctions were announced that officials from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency will visit Iran January 29 to 31 "to resolve all outstanding substantive issues." How sanctions hit ordinary Iranians . Inspectors are in and out of the country regularly, an agency spokeswoman said Monday, but a high-level visit of the kind taking place at the end of the month is more unusual. Top officials in Israel, which fears it would be a target of an Iranian nuclear weapon, welcomed the sanctions. "This is a step in the right direction. ... Heavy and swift pressure on Iran is needed," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, even as he warned that it is impossible to know what would come of the measures. "For now, Iran continues to produce nuclear weapons without disturbance," he said. Defense Minister Ehud Barak called the EU move "highly important," saying it set "a new standard for the sanctions like never before." Iran exports 2.2. million barrels of oil a day, with about 18% bound for European markets, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The world consumes about 89 million barrels of oil per day. The European Union will allow contracts that are already in place to be fulfilled until July 1, it said. Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi told CNN last week that his country could make up the difference if Iran was banned from exporting oil. Al-Naimi said the country has a spare capacity "to respond to emergencies worldwide, to respond to our customer demand, and that is really the focus. Our focus is not on who drops out from production, but who wants more." Tehran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, the only outlet to and from the Persian Gulf, as it faces possible sanctions. The United States has made clear it will not let that happen. Iran: Stuck between U.S. and a hard place . Seventeen million barrels of oil per day passed through the critical shipping lane in 2011, according to the Energy Information Administration. The Iranian government gets about half its revenue from oil exports, according to the agency. Analysts have said that while the new sanctions are the toughest ever imposed, they still contain many loopholes. Iran is expected to still be able to sell its oil to places like China, India or other Asian countries, but perhaps at a discount of 10% to 15%. About 35% of Iran's oil exports currently go to China and India. Western leaders have been walking a fine line with Iran, working to come up with a plan that squeezes the country's finances yet doesn't result in a loss of Iranian oil exports, which could send crude and gasoline prices skyrocketing. The United States and United Kingdom have already put new measures in place against Iran, and Washington has been pressing allies, including Japan and South Korea, to stop buying Iranian oil. U.S. carrier defies Hormuz threat . On Friday, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton challenged Iran to respond to an offer she made in a letter last October. Ashton wrote that world powers are open to negotiations if Iran is serious about addressing its nuclear program without preconditions. Her office released the letter on Friday. Ashton's spokesperson pointedly noted, "We are waiting for the Iranian reaction." Ashton wrote that the West wants to "engage in a confidence-building exercise" that would lead to a "constructive dialogue" and a "step by step approach" in which Iran would assure the international community that its nuclear program is peaceful. Clinton told reporters in Washington that "we stand by that letter." "They have to give up their nuclear weapons program ... and they have to be willing to come to the table with a plan to do that," she said. Clinton made the comments Friday after a meeting at the State Department with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. The German minister was blunt in his assessment of Iran's actions: "Tehran keeps violating its international obligations on the transparency of its nuclear program. We have no choice but to pass tough new sanctions that address the financial sources of the nuclear program." Iran says its nuclear program is not military, but the United States and many of its allies suspect Iran intends to produce a bomb. The International Atomic Energy Agency has expressed similar concerns. "One thing is clear," Westerwelle added. "The door for serious dialogue remains open, but the option of nuclear weapons in Iran is not acceptable to both of us." CNN international affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty, CNNMoney's Steve Hargreaves, and CNN's Claudia Rebaza, David Wilkinson and Guy Azriel contributed to this report.

NEW: The U.S. government announces sanctions against Iran's third-largest bank . European Union bans Iranian oil imports, freezes Iranian central bank assets . The move is designed to get Iran to give up its nuclear program . Iran's deputy foreign minister says sanctions won't solve anything .

Washington (CNN) -- Democrats know the history: 2014 is all but certain to be a tough year. But there is a sense among some top Democratic strategists that the political climate is shifting in ways that could keep the midterm climate from turning from bad to disastrous. Perhaps it is wishful thinking, and it is important -- very important -- to note how things look in April is often not how they turn out come November. But Democrats just in the past week have received a few nuggets of potentially helpful news: . * Friday's Labor Department report showing the economy added 192,000 jobs in March. * Enrollment in the President's health care plan crossed the 7 million mark at the first big deadline to sign up. * A slight but potentially important uptick in President Barack Obama's approval rating. Gallup's daily tracking poll had this key midterm barometer at 45 percent on Friday, a near 2014 high and up from 39 percent in early February. (President George W. Bush had a 38 percent approval rating in November 2006 -- his second term midterm election -- and Democrats gained 30 House seats). Plus, Democratic-leaning SuperPACS are beginning to spend more money, and in a few notable cases testing a new strategy of punching directly back at the source of millions of dollars in conservative spending that helped turn the early 2014 climate decidedly in favor of the GOP. Not that Democrats should be popping -- or even ordering -- champagne. To be clear, top party strategists still expect to lose seats in both the House and the Senate. The goal, though, is to keep the House losses to single digits and to deny Republicans the net gain of six seats the GOP needs to take control of the Senate. The principal driver of midterm election seasons is the President's approval rating; the closer the incumbent gets to 50 percent, the better Democrats feel about avoiding a November bloodbath. And any President benefits when people feel better about the economy, which is where the new jobs report, and the immediate debate about its meaning, comes in. The 192,000 new jobs was a bit below the consensus estimates, so Republicans were quick to label it not good enough. "Our economy still isn't creating jobs for the American people at the rate they were promised," House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement. Too early to run Obamacare victory lap . Democrats, however, focused on the trend line. The economy added 533,000 jobs in the first three months of 2014. By contrast, job growth in all of 2010 -- a disastrous midterm election year for Democrats -- was barely above 1 million. Back then, it was a punishing summer slump that shaped the fall election mood -- so given recent history, it would be a mistake for Democrats to invest too much hope in this year's first quarter. But the early betting is that the job market in this midterm year will be stronger, and less volatile, than in 2010. Turning the health care political tide is tougher, but one Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg argues must become a strategic imperative. As noted recently in an analysis produced by the GOP polling firm Public Opinion Strategies, opponents of the health care law are more likely to cite it as a major factor in their 2014 voting decisions. That "intensity gap" is the major source of GOP midterm optimism. Greenberg, in a memo released Thursday, argues that Democrats need to reshape the health care terrain. "When the debate is between implementing or repealing the (Affordable Care Act), the intensity shifts towards implementing the law," the veteran Democratic pollster says. "So it is possible that Democrats will be able to turn the debate." Inside Politics: GOP responds to Obamacare enrollment with new repeal plan . Also worth watching is a growing Democratic effort to create a 2014 political bogeyman out of the Koch brothers. It wasn't all that long ago that veteran Democratic Rep. Nick Rahall was contemplating retirement. Now, though, the West Virginia congressman is in the middle of an experiment Democrats hope helps them minimize their midterm losses. Evan Jenkins is Rahall's Republican opponent. But turn on a TV in the 3rd Congressional District and you can't miss a rugged coal miner warning "New York billionaires" are trying to defeat Rahall. Translation: the Koch brothers, the conservative megadonors whose spending spree has Democratic candidates across the country on their heels. Now, Democratic leaning groups are fighting back by making the Koch's an issue -- labeling them a rich special interest group trying to get the best Congress money can buy. In addition to West Virginia, the House Majority PAC is running ads attacking the Koch brothers in Arizona's 2nd Congressional District, where Democratic Rep. Ron Barber faces a tough reelection climate. Already the Koch brothers were an issue in several Senate campaigns, again as Democratic-leaning groups try to improve an election climate in which the early spending by the Koch's, primarily through an organization called Americans for Prosperity, has improved GOP prospects. The pro-Democratic Senate Majority PAC is attacking the Koch brothers in five states with key Senate races: Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, North Carolina and Michigan. Americans For Prosperity has spent millions in those states and elsewhere attacking Democrats for supporting Obama's health care law. The version running in Colorado urges voters to consider, "those behind the attacks -- insurance companies and out of state billionaires." Koch Brothers target another Democratic senator . It's a somewhat risky strategy -- using precious advertising resources to attack someone not on the ballot. But more and more Democrats think it is worth the effort. Rep. Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said the Koch's heavy spending and the frequent national media attention it receives makes them a legitimate target. "The Koch brothers are becoming their own brand," Israel said in a conversation this week. Democratic strategist Paul Begala concurs -- and drew a parallel to his 2012 work for a pro-Obama SuperPAC. "Nobody had heard of Bain Capital either, until we told them about it," Begala said. "Of course the Democrats are wise to tell voters about the controversial billionaires. ... What did Mama say to you when someone said something hateful? 'Consider the source,'" he said. But veteran GOP ad guru Alex Castellanos isn't so sure. Years ago, Castellanos says one of his favorite ad targets was George Meany, then the AFL-CIO leader. "Beat the hell out of him," Castellanos said. "Problem is, he wasn't on the ballot. Democrats won." To Castellanos, the direct aim at the Koch brothers proves "the Democrat Party today is exhausted. It's a tactical party, trying to eke out victories on Demographics and negative assaults." Democrats, not surprisingly, disagree. They argue the Koch "bogeyman" strategy is helping their candidates and with fund-raising. More broadly, the Democratic bottom line can be summed up this way: the year is still likely to be rough, but that the terrain in early April looks a bit less treacherous than it did in early March.

Democrats are banking on a boost from good Obamacare and jobs report figures . An improvement in the President's approval rating could help Democrats in midterms . Democrats are hoping to salvage anticipated congressional losses . Democrats hope a backlash against big donors will help election efforts .

(CNN) -- Sensing an imminent victory, the government recognized by the international community as the rightful ruler of blood-soaked Ivory Coast said Saturday the other side has committed atrocities, is losing its top generals to defections and is looking for "cannon fodder" for its last stand. The claims by Patrick Achi, spokesman for Alassane Ouattara, could not be independently verified by CNN and came amid a backdrop of extreme violence in portions of the country, including the western cocoa-producing town of Duekoue. The International Committee of the Red Cross said 800 people were shot to death there. A United Nations official put the death toll so far at 330. Guillaume Ngefa, the deputy human rights director at the U.N. mission in Ivory Coast, blamed 220 of the deaths on forces loyal to Ouattara, the man recognized by the United Nations and other global powers as the rightful president. Ngefa said pro-Laurent Gbagbo forces killed 100 people. The massacre occurred between Monday and Wednesday as Ouattara's Republican Forces led an offensive through the country to the commercial center of Abidjan, Ngefa said. "We have evidence, we have pictures. This was retaliation," he said, referring to Ouattara's forces. The Ouattara camp denied the accusations. "The government firmly rejects such accusations and denies any involvement by the Republican Forces of Cote d'Ivoire (the French name for Ivory Coast) in possible abuses," it said in a statement. "The government wishes to establish that the situation is quite the opposite," it said. "Forces loyal to former President Laurent Gbagbo, and its affiliated mercenaries and militias that have engaged in countless atrocities in western Cote d'Ivoire, during their flight before the advance of Republican Forces of Cote d'Ivoire." Ngefa said so far, 320 bodies have been identified and the actual number could be much higher. He said the dead included civilians as well as mercenaries. Before the Duekoue killings, human right monitors documented 462 deaths in the Ivory Coast conflict. This was the single bloodiest incident yet. The International Committee of the Red Cross sent a team to Duekoue on Thursday and said most of the victims were civilians, said spokesman Kelnor Panglungtshang in Abidjan. "They saw the bodies on the streets," he told CNN. "There were so many." Ngefa said a contingent of U.N. peacekeepers are stationed in Duekoue and are patrolling the town. The massacre illustrated the bloody nature of Ivory Coast's conflict, now in its fifth month. The violence erupted after a disputed November election led Gbagbo and Ouattara to both claim the presidency. The international community recognized Ouattara as the legitimate winner but Gbagbo refused to cede power and violence engulfed the nation, escalating this week with a major offensive launched by Ouattara's Republican Forces. Fierce fighting erupted for control of Abidjan, Ivory Coast's largest city. Gbagbo's forces were thought to be on the brink of defeat but regained key areas Saturday. They said they retook control of Ivory Coast's all-powerful state-run television network that has been the embattled president's voice in his standoff with Ouattara. An Abidjan resident, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said the network, which had gone dark after pro-Ouattara forces took control of the building, began broadcasting again Saturday morning. "In truth, mercenaries, militias and Mr. Laurent Gbagbo's remaining loyalists have suffered a crushing defeat and are in total disarray," Achi said in a statement. "Cornered, they play their last card not from RTI (state TV), but from a television transmitter, placed in a mobile truck, from which they call people, particularly our children, to form a human shield and become cannon fodder for their last redoubt." The spokesman asked citizens to stay at home and "remain calm." Ouattara forces control the "entire national territory" and Abidjan, Achi said. Gbagbo's generals have abandoned "this crazy undertaking" and joined Ouattara's army or are refugees, the spokesman added. State television said an overnight curfew is in effect until Monday. The station, controlled by Ouattara supporters, broadcast reports by the head of the armed forces and police, saying they have sided with Ouattara. An American teacher, holed up in her Abidjan apartment, told CNN she was frightened and was trying desperately to get help from U.S. or French officials to help evacuate her. She said she last went to school Thursday and by that afternoon, she could hear the rattle of gunfire and the boom of explosions everywhere. She, too, was not identified for security reasons. "I am very scared," she said, "because the shelling is intense." A U.N. peacekeeping patrol came under attack from Gbagbo's forces Saturday in an Abidjan suburb, a U.N. statement said. In the exchange of fire, five members of Gbagbo's forces were shot, the statement said. Gbagbo adviser Abdon Bayeto blamed the United Nations and global leaders -- including France and the United States -- for Ivory Coast's bloodshed by recognizing Ouattara as the legitimate president. Ouattara knows he lost the election, Bayeto told CNN, adding that Gbagbo is a true democrat. "For 30 years there was no trouble in the country," he said. "We are going to be victorious." Gbagbo's whereabouts were unknown. He has not recently appeared in public and the French ambassador said his residence was empty. Some 1,400 foreigners, including 500 French citizens, have sought refuge at a French military camp, an unnamed spokeswoman for the French Defense Ministry said Saturday. The violence has also displaced 1 million of Abidjan's 4 million people. "The situation on the streets has deteriorated to such an extent that it's just become too dangerous to go outside," said Henry Gray, a field coordinator with Medicins Sans Frontieres, a humanitarian medical group known in English as Doctors Without Borders. He said doctors were treating civilian casualties, many of them for gunshot and machete wounds, in several western towns. "There's a lot of pillaging and looting going on, and if you're out on the streets, you're basically a target," Gray said. Abidjan, said Gray and others interviewed for this report, was now a shadow of its former self. Renzo Fricke, emergency manager with the group, said 15,000 displaced people remain at a Catholic mission shelter in Duekoue. "These people are terrorized, and they lack everything, including food," Fricke said in a statement. "They fear for their lives if they leave the confines of the mission to search for food." CNN's Karen Smith and Moni Basu contributed to this report .

Ouattara forces say they control "national territory" U.N. official blames some of the killings on Ouattara's forces . He says the killings occurred during a military offensive . Forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo retake control of the state-run TV network .

Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- Demonstrators took to the streets Friday after Muslim prayers, as they have on past Fridays in recent weeks in a number of Syrian cities, resulting in 10 deaths, according to an activist group. "The people want to overthrow the regime," was the chant of the demonstrators in the cities of Homs, Lattakia, and Amouda, according to videos posted on YouTube. CNN cannot confirm the authenticity of the videos. In a number of other cities across Syria, citizen journalists captured cell-phone videos of protesters scattering en masse as sounds of gunshots erupted and white smoke swept over the streets. In Jableh, a coastal city in Latakia Province, one man shouted, "Serious injuries, tear gas. I can't see." Another person died Friday of injuries suffered in another demonstration a couple of days ago, bringing the day's death count to 11, according to the London-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights. The state-run SANA news organization put Friday's death toll during the protests at seven civilians and law-enforcement personnel. Friday's protests were held in Hama, Homs, Deir El Zour, Idlib, Qameshli and Latakia, and in the al-Midane and Qaboun neighborhoods in Damascus, according to Rami Abdelrahman, head of the activist group. Of Friday's 11 deaths, four people died in demonstrations in Barza, a suburb of Damascus; three died in Homs, in the west; two died in Kaswa, near Damascus; and one died in Qoseir, near the Lebanese border. One person injured in Hama in a demonstration a couple of days ago died of his injuries Friday. Until Thursday, CNN has been barred from officially entering Syria and its reporting about events inside the country had been limited largely to what the network was able to piece together based on official government reports and accounts and videos posted on the Internet. Recently, the government granted access to CNN journalists, who arrived Thursday in Syria, where they were assigned government "minders" to accompany them on video shoots. The minders said they had not received permission to take the journalists to the areas where protests were occurring. Instead, they took the journalists to Damascus' historic old city, where their appearance on the streets prompted a crowd of a few dozen Syrians to erupt into pro-government chants. Posters and pictures of President Bashar al-Assad quickly materialized. The demonstrators raged against foreign powers, saying the unrest in Syria is the result of an international conspiracy -- one that includes the news media -- and is intended to bring down the regime. "We feel like the international media is conducting a world war against us," said Mohammed al-Hamwi, 67. "Not a single outlet has broadcast a real image of what is happening." Government officials told CNN personnel that they were worried about the journalists' safety with so many "armed gangs" fomenting unrest throughout the country. The government has blamed "armed gangs" in explaining its military crackdowns, which have led thousands of Syrians to cross into Turkey. The Hatay governor's office in Turkey said Friday that at least 11,739 Syrians have done so. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said 500 displaced people have returned home. A supporter of the Syrian government said Friday that even those who have fled are part of a scheme to smear the government. "I refuse to call them refugees; they are hostages taken to bring down the regime," said Naime Mahmoud el-Sheik, her voice shaking with emotion. "We are with the regime. We are with Assad." Rumors are rife, with some saying that the anti-government demonstrators have been sprayed with poisoned water that makes them more aggressive; that terrorists are killing protesters and blaming the security forces. As more violence unfolded in Syria, the European Council condemned the nation Friday, saying the "regime is calling its legitimacy into question" by opting for a "path of repression instead of fulfilling its own promises on broad reforms." The European Council -- comprising the heads of state of European Union member states -- deplored the "ongoing repression and unacceptable and shocking violence the Syrian regime continues to apply against its own citizens." It also expressed grave concern about reports of Syrian military activity near the Turkish border at Khirbet al-Jouz and urged "maximum restraint." This comes after the Council of the European Union voted Thursday to expand sanctions against Syria by freezing the assets of seven people and four businesses with connections to the regime. The detail was published in the European Union's Official Journal on Friday, and British Foreign Secretary William Hague hailed the measures. "These measures are carefully targeted and focused on those responsible for violent repression," Hague said. "Contrary to the Syrian authorities' claims, the economic problems Syria is facing are a direct and predictable consequence of the Syrian authorities' decision to choose repression over reform." Among those sanctioned were three commanders in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps accused of helping the "regime suppress protests" and "providing equipment and support" to the government, according to the European Union Official Journal. One of the three is Brig. Cmdr. Mohammad Ali Jafari, the corps' general commander. "I welcome the inclusion of three Iranian individuals on the list," Hague said. "The Iranian government's provision of equipment and technical advice to help suppress peaceful protests is absolutely unacceptable. Iran's actions are in stark contrast to the will of the Syrian people. They also highlight again Iran's blatant hypocrisy, claiming publicly to support freedom in the Arab world, while privately assisting in violent repression." Two of those sanctioned were first cousins of the president. They are Zoulhima Chaliche, head of presidential security, and Riyad Chaliche, director of the military housing establishment. Two others were business associates of Maher al-Assad, the president's brother and commander of the army's 4th Division and "strongman of the Republican Guard." Maher al-Assad was among 23 Syrian officials sanctioned by the EU in May, and he is regarded as the principal overseer of the crackdown against protesters. Others sanctioned at that time were the president; Ali Mamluk, the head of Syria's general intelligence directorate; and Rami Makhlouf, the Syrian businessman and cousin and confidant of the president. Anti-government protests have raged in Syria for more than three months, with demonstrations gaining momentum amid a tough government crackdown. The number of estimated deaths has exceeded 1,600, Abdelrahman said, with 1,316 civilians and 341 soldiers and security forces killed. About 10,000 people have been jailed, he said. Nadim Houri of Human Rights Watch said the number of people killed is 1,350. CNN's Arwa Damon, Azadeh Ansari, Nada Husseini, Carol Jordan, Per Nyberg, Tracy Doueiry and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.

NEW: "We are with the regime, we are with Assad," a pro-government demonstrator says . NEW: "The people want to overthrow the regime," was the chant from three cities . An EU body has frozen the assets of seven people and four businesses . The number of refugees in Turkey approaches 12,000 .

(CNN) -- Storms in the lower Mississippi valley Tuesday night unleashed baseball-sized hail, high winds and twisters, including one that lifted a tractor-trailer, the National Weather Service said. Meteorologists from Texas to Kentucky, a day after a similar round of storms, were flooded Tuesday evening with reports of severe storms or tornado touchdowns and resulting damage. According to the agency's Storm Prediction Center, there were 29 tornado reports -- many in northeast Texas -- by late Tuesday, but the actual number had not been confirmed. Matt Bishop with the weather service's Fort Worth office said the staff had heard of multiple reports of damage in northeastern Texas, although he was unaware of any injuries. "We're in the middle of a severe weather outbreak," he said at 7:45 p.m. At least two rounds of storms had struck Kaufman, Texas, about 30 miles east of Dallas, by Tuesday evening and another was on the way. "It's a little bit of everything around us," said Kaufman Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Pat Laney. "It's been a chaotic afternoon." She had heard of some damage, but no reports of injuries. "We've been very blessed," Laney said. Two reported tornadoes touched down in Coahoma County, Mississippi, said emergency management director Johnny Tarzi. Two homes were destroyed in the city of Coahoma and five were heavily damaged in Friars Point, with about 15 sustaining minor damage. Trees and homes also were reportedly damaged at Moon Lake, said Tarzi. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Coahoma County is in western Mississippi, near the Arkansas border. The Little Rock, Arkansas, office received reports of hail, downed tree limbs and the incident involving the tractor-trailer in Coy, on U.S. 165, said forecaster Brian Smith. About 24,000 people lost power Tuesday night in the Memphis, Tennessee, area. A twister was reported at Marion, Arkansas, west of Memphis. "It's going to be a busy night," said Z.E. Ingram of the weather service's Memphis office. The Shreveport, Louisiana, office issued about 15 tornado warnings, and had received many reports of funnel clouds and tornado touchdowns, meteorologist intern Matt Hemingway said. Meteorologists at the Tulsa, Oklahoma, office tracked a string of storms and possible tornado activity near Fort Smith, Arkansas, said forecaster Chuck Hodges. There were reports of hail and winds reaching 80 mph near Fort Smith. Forecasters issued a tornado watch for northeastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, eastern Arkansas, southeastern Illinois, western Kentucky, southeast Missouri, northwest Mississippi, western Tennessee, eastern Illinois, much of Indiana, northwestern Ohio and much of Michigan until 10 p.m. This is a "particularly dangerous situation," the Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said of the outlook for tornadoes. Destructive tornadoes, softball-size hail, wind gusts to 70 mph and dangerous lightning are possible in and near this watch area. The bad weather extended to the east. A tornado warning was issued Tuesday afternoon in Rome, New York. "Very large hail and damaging winds" can also be expected, forecasters said. Typically, only a handful of days per year reach high-risk criteria, said CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen. On Wednesday, portions of Kentucky and Tennessee will be at moderate risk of severe thunderstorms, along with northeast and east-central Mississippi, the northern half of Alabama and northwest Georgia, the Storm Prediction Center said. An area between the Mississippi River and the Appalachian Mountains is "likely to see a widespread/potentially dangerous severe weather event," forecasters said. The stage may be set for a potential record-breaking month for tornadoes nationwide, according to the center. The long-term average for confirmed tornadoes in April is 116. The previous record for April is 267 confirmed tornadoes in 1974, which includes the historic "superoutbreak" of April 3 and 4 that year. According to the center, the likely total of confirmed tornadoes through April 24 is between 200 and 275. In Arkansas, more than 60,000 people were without power Tuesday after a rash of severe storms tore through the state Monday, leaving 10 dead and destroying more than a dozen homes. According to the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, four fatalities were storm-related and six resulted from flooding. In Faulkner County, at least four people died in the severe thunderstorms, according to Faulkner County Office of Emergency Management spokesman Stephen Hawk. Two people died in Madison County, one in Washington County, two in Benton County and one in Perry County. Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe toured the Faulkner County town of Vilonia on Tuesday, telling CNN affiliate KATV, "These folks have suffered some terrible losses." House-to-house searches were being conducted in Vilonia, Hawk said. About 15 houses are destroyed, he said, and "within the three-mile path of the storm, everything was affected. There are untold numbers of affected houses ... The only grocery store in town, the roof was pretty much torn off." On Monday night, Madison County Sheriff Phillip Morgan said the bodies of an elderly man and woman were found after floodwaters swept away the couple's car on Highway 23 south of Huntsville, in northwest Arkansas. The deaths are attributed to rising flood waters along War Eagle Creek. Also in northwest Arkansas, the Washington County Sheriff's Office confirmed the death of 38-year-old Consuelo Santillano, who authorities say was swept away by rapidly moving water across Highway 265 South. And a possible tornado struck Little Rock Air Force Base in central Arkansas, damaging at least 100 housing units and knocking out power to some parts of the base, military officials said. Bob Oldham, a spokesman for the base, reported two minor injuries and some damage to aircraft at the base. Beebe told CNN later in the day that three C-130s were damaged to the point that, according to preliminary reports, they are inoperable "without significant repairs." The state also saw seven deaths in an earlier round of severe weather this month. Other parts of the state were flooded after several days of unceasing rain. Steve Wilkes of Fayetteville said his house was spared damage from a nearby flooded creek, but some of his friends are dealing with flooded basements. "I've lived here for more than 20 years. I've never seen anything like this in my life," Wilkes said. "I saw water 2 to 3 feet deep across roadways that have never flooded." In various parts of the state, the storms flipped over cars, damaged homes and knocked out power to tens of thousands, emergency management officials said. Some areas reported gusts of up to 70 mph. CNN's Dave Alsup, Scott Thompson, Phil Gast, Sean Morris, Anna Rhett Miller, John Branch and Holly Yan contributed to this report.

NEW: Storms damage homes in Mississippi . Tornado touchdowns reported near Shreveport, Louisiana . Storms reported in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Louisiana . Tornado warning in Rome, New York .

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Wearing a floaty, flowery dress doesn't convey the traditional image of power, yet when it's designed by Diane von Furstenberg, somehow, inexplicably, it does. It's not just about dresses. Diane von Furstenberg aims to empower women with confidence. The Belgian designer, now long-time New Yorker, was peddling her own brand of 'girl power' long before Posh, Baby and Sporty, et. al. were spicing up anything. Diane Halfin was 22 when she arrived in the United States. It was 1969. She was young, pregnant, devoid of any real design experience and yet to sell a single dress. On paper, it sounds like a hard-luck story. In reality, she was the beautiful daughter of wealthy parents, the product of boarding schools in Lausanne, Switzerland and Oxford, England, followed by a year studying Spanish at the University of Madrid. She was well-connected, hugely ambitious and soon to be married to a prince. Egon von Furstenberg was a Swiss-born aristocrat whose name opened doors. Their marriage lasted just three years. Watch Revealed: Diane von Furstenberg » . "Yes, of course the fact that I was a woman in my early 20s and that I looked cute and that I had a lot of drive and that on top of it all, I was a princess, all of that helped," Diane von Furstenberg told CNN from her office in New York, her face repeated on authentic Andy Warhol prints behind her on the wall. "But none of these ingredients alone would have been enough," she continued. "What really made me very successful is that I had created a product that women wanted, and that made sense, and that was in demand." That product was the wrap dress, a simple stretch of jersey fabric that ties around the waist. Diane von Furstenberg sold her first dress during New York Fashion Week in 1970. By 1975, she was making 15,000 dresses a week and millions of dollars in sales. It wasn't just the wrap dress Diane von Furstenberg was selling; her image and lifestyle came as part of the package, first by accident, then by design. "The first time I took a picture of myself for my first ad was because I had no money for hiring a model," Von Furstenberg said. "I sat on a white cube and a friend of mine took a picture, and then I looked at the picture and thought 'oh the cube is too white' and I wrote on it 'Feel like a woman, wear a dress' and that photograph stayed with me for decades." Emboldened by her success in fashion, Diane von Furstenberg launched a perfume "Tatiana," and then a range of cosmetics. Her name and image became so synonymous with style and strong sales that she signed a number of licensing deals that saw the DVF brand stamped on everything from sheets and towels to curtains and rugs. Diane Von Furstenberg's golden touch hasn't always been foolproof. In 1978 she sold her entire inventory of wrap dresses after steep discounting at New York retailers prompted fashion bible "Women's Wear Daily" to declare that the trend for wrap dresses was over. Reluctantly, Von Furstenberg sold her remaining inventory to pay off her debts and focused on expanding her other ventures. By 1980, DVF had seventeen licenses. "Everything was a license," Von Furstenberg told CNN. "Different companies were handling things and the spirit of the brand disappeared." "I was very frustrated because I had originally created something wonderful that I was very proud of. [But] it had disappeared and I realized that a lot of my own identity had gone with it. So I became very insecure. And I don't like feeling insecure, it's not a fun thing." For a woman who's passionate about empowering women, an admission of insecurity from Diane von Furstenberg is surprising, and one guesses quite rare. She's a strong woman, a fighter, who's staged successive comebacks after knocks in her professional and personal life. Fourteen years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer. The source was traced back to tiny cancerous cells at the base of her tongue and soft palate. "I was shocked, but I had to deal with it," Von Furstenberg said. "Parallel to the [radiation] treatment I did a lot of yoga. I was very lucky, I was extremely lucky because it went away." "I think that in life you just have to deal with what you have to deal with, and you take it straight on and you do what you have to do and you have no choice," she added. A few years later, in 1997, almost 20 years after she sold her first dress, Von Furstenberg noticed that the wrap dress was slowly reappearing. Like most out-of-favor fashion trends, the clothes were coming out of the closet and back onto the street. It was the green light for Diane von Furstenberg to resume production of the dress that catapulted her to worldwide fame in the 1970s. She's resigned to the fact that she'll always be regarded first and the foremost as the designer of the wrap dress, despite the varied nature of her collections. See video of the launch of DVF's "La Petite Valise" collection in Florence » . "I mean the wrap dress is a tiny part of what I do, but yet, it will always be part of what I do," Von Furstenberg said. Along with her work as a fashion designer, Von Furstenberg is also President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, a position she accepted in 2006. She also campaigns for the empowerment of women through the non-governmental organization Vital Voices, and last month took her message to the Women's Forum, a global meeting modeled on the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "If I have any mission in life as a designer, or even as a woman, or as a mother, as a friend, it is to empower women. To make women feel confident, so that they trust themselves, their judgment, their power, their capacity." By the end of the year, there'll be 29 Diane von Furstenberg boutiques in major city centers around the world, with the three newest set to open before the end of year. "I'm very happy with where the brand is now," Von Furstenberg told CNN. "There's a spirit behind the brand and that is really something that I'm so proud of and that I really want to capture." "So in a sense I have begun now, the new moment, the period of my life where I'm really kind of preparing the legacy so that maybe the spirit of the brand and the brand will last after me." Cue a cheer from the legions of DVF fans around the world. Are you one of them? If so, we want to hear from you. Why did you buy your dress and what does it mean to you? "Sound off" below or Email us a picture or go to CNN's facebook page -- facebook.com/cnnintl .

Young and pregnant Belgian designer Diane Halfin moved to New York in 1969 . She married Egon von Furstenberg and launched her famous wrap dress . Millions were sold and soon the DVF brand appeared on perfume, home wares . DVF says: "If I have any mission in life... it is to empower women"

(CNN) -- Augusta National Golf Club opened its exclusive membership to women Monday for the first time in its 80-year history. Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina businesswoman Darla Moore will become the first women to join the Augusta, Georgia, club, Chairman Billy Payne said Monday in a statement. "These accomplished women share our passion for the game of golf and both are well known and respected by our membership," Payne said. The issue of its formerly all-male membership has long dogged the private club and has at times threatened to overshadow the Masters Tournament, among golf's most prestigious events. Celebration, surprise, humor after Augusta National admits first women . Women's rights activist Martha Burk put the issue in the spotlight in 2003, when she led a protest against the club and worked to put pressure on corporate leaders to withdraw their support for the organization and the Masters. On Monday, she declared victory. "My first reaction was, we won -- and we did," Burk said. "By we, I mean the women's movement and women in the United States, particularly those in business." She said continued pressure from women's groups and corporate interests forced the club's hand. Activists over the last decade "facilitated a couple of sex discrimination suits against corporations whose CEOs are (Augusta National) members," Burk said, but she did not name any corporations or individuals. Burk also pointed to the April controversy over the club's failure to admit IBM CEO Virginia Rometty, as it has past IBM leaders. Sponsoring the Masters usually guarantees membership to a company's officers. But Rometty had been ineligible because she is female. "We gave them a pretty big black eye in April when they dissed Ginny Rometty and did not allow her in the club as they had all of the males preceding her as CEOs of IBM. And I think they knew they could not sustain it," she said. At the time, White House spokesman Jay Carney said President Barack Obama believed women should be admitted to the club. Payne declined to comment on the issue then, and is not talking about it now outside of the statement issued by the club, according to club spokesman Steven Ethun. In that statement, Payne said the decision marked a "significant and positive time" for Augusta National. PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem lauded the decision. "At a time when women represent one of the fastest growing segments in both playing and following the game of golf, this sends a positive and inclusive message for our sport," Finchem said in a statement. He was far from alone in applauding Augusta National's decision. Mitt Romney -- the Republican party's presumptive presidential nominee who, in April, had said that he'd admit women if he were in charge of the club -- offered congratulations on Twitter to both his friend Rice and Augusta National. And Nancy Lieberman, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee who played parts of two seasons in a men's professional league, likewise cheered the move. "Congrts breaking thru #equality," she wrote on Twitter. "Slowly but surely lots of crumbs ad up to a cake," wrote another women's sports pioneer, Billie Jean King. Obama "welcomes the development" as well, Carney said Monday. "He thinks it was too long in coming, but obviously believes it was the right thing to do," the White House spokesman told reporters. The choice of Rice and Moore will ensure that women admitted to Augusta will be equals to their male counterparts, Burk said. "They have chosen two groundbreaking women, two very prominent women, who are clearly equal in stature to the other members who are, of course, all male," Burk said. "I think it would have been a mistake to choose a lower-profile woman and basically make that statement that, yes, we're letting women in but they're not really going to be equal with the men." Rice served under President George W. Bush as the first female national security adviser and the first African-American woman to hold the post of secretary of state. She also was on President George H.W. Bush's National Security Council staff and was a special assistant to the director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1986. Membership is the latest honor for trailblazer Rice . She grew up in humble beginnings in segregated Birmingham, Alabama, and rose to prominence in academia and international diplomacy. She has been on the faculty of Stanford University since 1981, has authored two best-selling books and is a member of various boards and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has been awarded 10 honorary doctorates. Rice, who is also an accomplished pianist, said in a statement released through Augusta that she is "delighted and honored" to join the club. "I have long admired the important role Augusta National has played in the traditions and history of golf," she said. Moore is the vice president of Rainwater Inc., the investment firm founded by her husband, Richard Rainwater. Fortune magazine once named her among the top 50 women in business, and the University of South Carolina's business school is named in her honor. Augusta National admits one of 'toughest' women in business . She is also chairwoman of the Palmetto Institute, a nonprofit that says it is dedicated to producing "dramatic and sustained growth in the creation, distribution and retention of wealth for every person in South Carolina." Moore said she is "extremely grateful for this privilege." "I am fortunate to have many friends who are members at Augusta National, so to be asked to join them as a member represents a very happy and important occasion in my life," she said. Burk's protests against the club's policies made Augusta the focus of national attention beginning in 2002, when she wrote letters challenging the male-only membership policy at the club. The club's chairman at the time, Hootie Johnson, responded that admitting women as members would not be done "at the point of a bayonet." The next year, Burk organized protests to coincide with the Masters, which drew widespread attention. The uproar led Augusta National to decide not to have advertising for the CBS broadcast of the Masters in 2003 and 2004. In 2006, Burk was among a group of Exxon shareholders who accused the company of violating its discrimination policies by supporting the golf tournament. On Monday, the syndicated newspaper columnist and co-founder of Center for Advancement of Public Policy women's equity advocacy group said she hopes Augusta National's decision "cracks open that glass ceiling just a little bit further" for American businesswomen. At the same time, Burk called the development "just one small step." "(Corporations) need to be working toward parity in the halls of power; Augusta National is just one," she said. "It's an important one symbolically, but we have a long way to go." Augusta National no longer just a 'boys club' CNN's Edgar Treiguts contributed to this report.

NEW: Obama says decision was "too long in coming" but "the right thing to do," his spokesman says . Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore become Augusta National's first female members . Opting to admit women marks a "significant and positive time" for the club, its chairman says . Women's rights activist Martha Burk declares victory, says pressure forced the club's hand .

Yangon, Myanmar (CNN) -- When Burmese commuters have an accident they don't dial 911 or any ordinary emergency service. They call the country's version of Marlon Brando, a heartthrob in the 1980s and 90s who turned his back on the film industry to run a fleet of ambulances and bury the nation's dead. A household name in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, Kyaw Thu has starred in more than 200 films, and even took home a Myanmar Academy Award in 1994 for best actor in "Da-Byi-Thu Ma Shwe Hta." He followed it up with best director for "Amay No Bo" in 2003, but by then his head had already been turned by the story of an old woman left to die alone in hospital. "The doctor warned the patient's family that she was close to death. After that they disappeared. A few days later she passed away -- so this dead body had no owner," Kyaw Thu told CNN at this office on the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. He later found out that the woman's family couldn't afford a funeral service. At the time, it wasn't uncommon; poor families would often sneak out in the dead of night to bury their dead, he said. And so began the Free Funeral Service Society, founded in collaboration with multi-award winning late Burmese writer and director Thukha, which now also provides a free library, education, medical, dental care and disaster relief. From films to funerals . Kyaw Thu's decision to leave the film industry wasn't entirely his own. In 2007, he was arrested and later banned from the film industry after being accused of supporting the Saffron Revolution. That year, the Myanmar military staged a violent crackdown on the largest anti-government demonstrations since 1988. Led by monks, tens of thousands of Burmese marched through the streets to protest plans to cut fuel subsidies. Kyaw Thu doesn't deny that he helped them but says that the society's policy of aiding people "regardless of social status, national and religion" meant that no one was turned away. He says he's on better terms with the current government led by President Thein Sein, who came to power in 2011, ending 50 years of military rule. However, he says not enough is being done to repair the country's patchy public services and protect the country's poor. "We are showing the government what we need to do," he said. He claimed the government is out of touch with what's happening on the ground, as are foreign investors, who he says go straight to the capital Naypyidaw to listen to politicians rather than the people. "I want to make a suggestion: before they go to Naypyidaw they should meet the CSOs and NGOs who are really doing things for Burma so they know what's really happening," he said. "So after they meet with the CSOs and NGOs they'll have information -- they'll know the reality. So they can criticize and they can negotiate and they can discuss with the government and other parties." He says other parties need to do more to deliver on their promises by using their own funding, rather than seeing him as a bank. A country on the mend? Kyaw Thu spoke with CNN as hundreds of delegates arrived in the country for the World Economic Forum on East Asia, two days of talks on how the country can shake off the legacy of its past. As well as basic, if not non-existent, public services, the country is saddled with crumbling buildings, potholed roads, a patchy telecommunications network and an outdated electricity network that only services a quarter of the population of 60 million people. Under the control of military leaders, Myanmar's economy stagnated so much so that in 1990 its per capita GDP growth was at a similar level to that recorded in 1900, according to a recent report from McKinsey & Company. There's much that needs to be fixed, but money is needed. Kyaw Thu's society relies on donations and an army of volunteers -- around 500 a day -- who do everything from carrying caskets to preparing bodies for burial. Trained doctors and nurses man the hospitals and clinics where patients are offered everything from eye surgery to maternity care and blood transfusions. The extent of their work can be seen in hundreds of laminated photos pinned on notice boards, which line the halls of the company's headquarters. One shows a newly married couple -- still in their wedding clothes -- carrying a casket; they came to volunteer straight after the service, he said. Others show shots of aid workers digging wells and bringing supplies to cyclone-hit residents, students sitting learning in class and then, incongruously, a couple of images of mutilated bodies -- all part of a day's work for the society. Message to Burmese people: 'Please be united' Kyaw Thu may be incredibly popular in Myanmar, providing services that in many countries are promised by politicians, but he says he has no plans to enter politics. "No," he said, shaking his head, "I have no ambition to make a political party." He says his motivation is altruism; he doesn't need power, glory or adoration. "When we are giving the aid to the people, we don't expect any kind of benefit or opportunity. When we help, if they're happy, I'm also happy." He supports Nobel laureate and leader of the National League of Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi -- her image hangs on the walls of his office -- but says Burma's people need to drop their unquestioning admiration of Suu Kyi and her father, the late General Aung San, and start following their lead. "People are not following their speech. They are very impressed. They say we love Aung San Suu Kyi, we love General Aung San... but they're not following their policy. They're not implementing what they're saying. This is the problem with Burmese people." Kyaw Thu is dismayed by the outbreaks of ethnic violence around the country that have strained relations between Burmese Buddhists and the minority Muslim population. He said the society has not been allowed to travel west to Rakhine State where Rohingya Muslims are alleged by human rights groups to be suffering systematic abuse amounting to "ethnic cleansing." "They (the government) say it's very dangerous and very difficult. So we have no chance to go to the desperate people," Kyaw Thu said. He said the pace of Myanmar's transformation, from a military state to thriving democracy at peace with ethnic rivalries, depends on the attitudes of ordinary people. Decades of military rule had produced bad attitudes, he said. "If the attitudes of normal citizens change and are good -- within five years it will change," he said. "I want to give the message to all people in Burma: Please be united." Han Thar Nyein contributed to this report.

Award-winning Burmese actor gave up films to operate free funeral services . Kyaw Thu was considered a heartthrob in the 1980s and 1990s . He formed Free Funeral Service Society after hearing the story of a woman abandoned in hospital . Society now provides ambulance, hospital, disaster relief and education services .

(CNN) -- As America grapples with a crisis of children on its southern border, another image from another time seems inescapable: that ship full of Jewish refugees off our shores as World War II approached. You might have seen the story portrayed in the Holocaust Museum in Washington. It unfolded in 1939 as Jewish families fleeing from Germany took passage to Cuba on a German liner, the St. Louis. While underway, Cuba decided to deny them entry so they turned toward America, desperately hoping the United States would show them compassion. But the U.S. political climate had turned hostile toward the growing number of European Jewish immigrants. On June 6, 1939, their ship hovered off the coast of Miami Beach -- only to learn that the U.S. government refused them entry. Losing hope, the St. Louis turned back to Europe and there, in the months and years that followed, over a third of its passengers perished at Nazi hands. America has had many noble moments, but that was a moment of shame that left an indelible stain. Seventy-five years later, we are faced with a new group of desperate people hovering in our midst -- this time children from Central America escaping escalating levels of violence few of us can fathom. While certainly no Nazi Germany, the growing humanitarian crisis in their home countries is glaring as rising murder rates for youths are a driving force behind the mass exodus. How will we respond this time? A family secret that changed his life . As has been widely reported, the number of unaccompanied children arriving from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras has increased tenfold since 2011. It's no surprise that the current system -- designed for no more than 8,000 children -- has collapsed under the stress of 40,000 unaccompanied minors since in October. By year's end, our government says, as many as 90,000 may be apprehended -- a tripling of last year's border arrest figures. But just as with the Jewish refugees on the St. Louis, this influx is not primarily a story of immigrants traveling to America to seek opportunity and prosperity. This is a story of three countries so plagued by gang violence, chaos and poverty that a family would rather pay a "coyote" 18 months of income to take their 14-year-old daughter on a life-threatening 45-day, 2,000-mile journey than have her risk her life at home. This is a story of three countries with levels of violence comparable to a war zone. Honduras suffers from the highest murder rate in the world, and El Salvador and Guatemala are in the top five. In fact, a civilian is twice as likely to be killed in these three countries as in Iraq during the height of the war. It is also the story of three broken states where the police are infiltrated by street gangs (some copied on U.S. models) and governments -- corrupt from top to bottom -- are helpless in their fight against organized crime. And it's the kids who are most at risk in this story. Boys are recruited into gangs sometimes before they hit their teenage years. Girls are forced into nonconsensual relationships with gang members where they are raped, abused and sometimes "disposed" of afterward. And any defiance invites violent retaliation and, often, death. One immigration rights advocate recalls a mother telling her, "I would rather see my child die on the way to the United States than die on my doorstep." Another organization reports a child explaining, "If you stay, you will die, if you leave, you might. ... Either way it's better to try." What should be done? We can solve the immediate crisis of children piling up in detention centers. Congress can -- and should -- pass some version of the president's $3.7 billion emergency spending request. We can -- and should -- beef up security at the border, hire more judges to expedite the process,and track down the children who skip their court dates. We can -- and should -- provide due process to these kids, seeing who legally qualifies for staying here as refugees from persecution. Estimates vary on how many will qualify. But those calling for mass deportations of the rest need to think long and hard about what sort of fate we are sending these kids back to. Unless circumstances change, many forced to return to their cities will likely perish. They are now in our care. Are we not morally obligated to prevent the possible deaths and abuses of thousands of these children? So how do we humanely protect these kids without encouraging new waves of children to undertake highly dangerous journeys and wind up on our already overstressed border? Surely, we as Americans are capable of coming up with creative solutions that are compassionate as well as sensible, solutions that tell the world (and ourselves) that we still aspire to be good-hearted, noble but pragmatic people. Three steps come quickly to mind. We invite you to post others. --First, we should respond generously to those children who have already arrived or will soon. For those who qualify for refugee status under U.S. law, we should ask families across our country to help provide new homes for them. -- Second, we should push to establish "safe zones" -- operated by the United Nations, supported by the U.S. -- for returning children and their families in their native countries and work with those countries to reduce their violence and expand hope. Opinion: Border crisis could last a long time . --Third, once the "safe zones" are developed, we should set a firm date when all children who arrive thereafter will be returned to their native countries regardless. The idea of "safe zones" is not new. The United Nations has successfully established such protected areas in two major instances: to protect refugees in the Indochinese crisis of the 1970s and to shield 2 million Kurds from slaughter by Saddam Hussein's troops after the 1991 Gulf War. As we learned from a "safe area" that did not work in Bosnia in 1995, it is essential that there be enough well-armed international and regional troops on the ground to ensure zones are not overrun. In Bosnia, thousands lost their lives. Understandably, many Americans are fatigued from trying to help other nations when our own communities are desperate for more help. Polls show that our citizenry, frustrated and disgusted by years of wars that are ending badly, are more opposed to the U.S. taking on new tasks overseas than at any time in the past 50 years. And it's true: the only way this crisis ends well in the long run is if these Central America governments successfully fight back against gang violence and corruption. We will definitely need to aid them in their efforts, as we did in Colombia where our financial support has helped to stem the tide. Even so, moments inevitably come that define who we are as a people. As the saying goes, we may not be looking for trouble but trouble is looking for us. How we respond to these thousands upon thousands of desperate, destitute children is one of those moments. Will we turn our backs, as we did so shamefully to those Jewish refugees years ago? Or will we live by our ideals? That is the choice we now face.

Gergen, Katz: U.S. turned away ship of German Jewish refugees fleeing Nazis . That shameful episode is remembered as fate of Central American children is debated . They say U.N. safe zones, supported by the US, should be established in Central America . Authors: U.S. has a duty to be compassionate toward the refugee children .

(CNN)Circumstantial evidence is in dire need of a public relations agency. Often described as weak and unconvincing, it is continually bashed by criminal defense attorneys as being synonymous with reasonable doubt. It enjoys none of the glamour of its attractive twin sisters DNA and scientifically based forensic evidence, who even get their own TV shows. In truth, though, circumstantial evidence can sometimes be compelling and highly reliable. When combined with a touch of supporting direct evidence it can be the strongest of all cases as it does not rely on frequently unreliable eyewitnesses. As prosecutors often say in their summations, circumstantial evidence has no motive to lie and no problem with its eyesight. In a Massachusetts' courtroom, the murder trial of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez in the death of Odin Lloyd may prove to be a textbook study of circumstantial evidence and its struggle to overcome reasonable doubt and celebrity status. Prosecutors are meticulously building a case using surveillance video and other evidence to link Hernandez to the killing. Surveillance video already publicly disclosed depicts a pre-homicide meeting between Hernandez and his friends Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, also charged in the case, at the Hernandez home in North Attleboro. Hernandez is seen walking around with a gun and then departing with his two pals in what appears to be a Nissan Altima. Later video shows Hernandez, Ortiz and Wallace making a fuel stop where driver Hernandez purchases what will later prove to be a very important pack of bubble gum. Prosecutors assert that a trail of text messages and more surveillance video, this time from a vantage point across the street from Lloyd's apartment, show Lloyd entering the vehicle in response to a Hernandez invite. Later at a time consistent with the time necessary to travel from Lloyd's apartment, a vehicle is seen entering a remote industrial park approximately a mile from the Hernandez home. Roughly three minutes after shots were heard by workers in the vicinity, the Hernandez Altima with no Lloyd in sight pulls into the Hernandez garage. A jury visit to the scene demonstrates the distance from the industrial park to the Hernandez home can be covered in three minutes. Three men exit the vehicle and the driver, Hernandez, pulls what prosecutors say is a gun from his waistband. The video is unclear, howls the defense; it might be a cell phone. Lloyd's body, riddled by .45 caliber bullets, is found in the industrial park. Prosecutors say they have more video showing Hernandez's fiancée throwing out a trash bag under suspicious circumstances. They say she was ditching the murder weapon to help the father of her child. And for the coup de grace, the bubble gum reappears. A chewed piece of the gum is found in a rental car company trash container stuck to a .45 caliber shell casing consistent with the ammunition used to kill Lloyd. The defense asserts problems with how this evidence was recovered but the jury may believe that the gum and DNA link Hernandez to the murder weapon, which was not recovered. Prosecutors say DNA testing links the bubblegum bullet casing to Hernandez. Both the gum and casing were recovered by a rental car employee during a cleaning of the rental Nissan Altima allegedly used in the killing and then placed in the trash container. And by the way, the car had dirt on its tires and side panels consistent with the dirt in the industrial park. Under Massachusetts' joint venture law, all those acting in concert to assist in a murder are guilty. No need to prove who was the triggerman -- or even a motive, which is conspicuously missing in the prosecution's pile of evidence. Prosecutors promise even more evidence hinting that this is a slam dunk circumstantial case. But is any circumstantial murder case a "slam dunk" case? Here is what Massachusetts' judges customarily tell the jury about circumstantial evidence at the end of a criminal case: . "You have direct evidence where a witness testifies directly about the fact that is to be proved, based on what he claims to have seen or heard or felt with his own senses, and the only question is whether you believe the witness. ..." In the case of circumstantial evidence, the jury is asked to draw "reasonable inferences" from facts presented. The "mailman analogy" is used in Massachusetts to demonstrate the concept: . "Your daughter might tell you one morning that she sees the mailman at your mailbox. That is direct evidence that the mailman has been to your house. On the other hand, she might tell you only that she sees mail in the mailbox. That is circumstantial evidence that the mailman has been there; no one has seen him, but you can reasonably infer that he has been there since there is mail in the box. ..." New York and several other states use variations of the rain analogy, which goes as follows: . "Suppose ... the witness testified that it was clear as she walked to the subway, that she went into the subway and got on the train and that while she was on the train, she saw passengers come in at one station after another carrying wet umbrellas and wearing wet clothes and raincoats. That testimony constitutes direct evidence of what the witness observed. And because an inference that it was raining in the area would flow naturally, reasonably, and logically from that direct evidence, the witness' testimony would constitute circumstantial evidence that it was raining in the area." (From New York model criminal jury instructions) The judge, in a Massachusetts case, then will warn the jury to be careful: . "There are two things to keep in mind about circumstantial evidence: The first one is that you may draw inferences and conclusions only from facts that have been proved to you. The second rule is that any inferences or conclusions which you draw must be reasonable and natural, based on your common sense and experience of life. In a chain of circumstantial evidence, it is not required that every one of your inferences and conclusions be inevitable, but it is required that each of them be reasonable, that they all be consistent with one another, and that together they establish the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If the Commonwealth's case is based solely on circumstantial evidence, you may find the defendant guilty only if those circumstances are conclusive enough to leave you with a moral certainty, a clear and settled belief, that the defendant is guilty and that there is no other reasonable explanation of the facts as proven. The evidence must not only be consistent with the defendant's guilt, it must be inconsistent with his (her) innocence." It's still early in the Hernandez trial, but with surveillance video, the evidence of dirt from the industrial park on the Hernandez car, the bullet-riddled body of Odin Lloyd, the alleged removal of the murder weapon from the Hernandez house in a trash bag by his already perjury-indicted fiancée, it appears that rain may be in the forecast when the trial concludes in the coming weeks. In the absence of some defense-produced sunshine, Hernandez may soon discover that the mailman also delivers to the MCI-Cedar Junction state prison at Walpole. Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described details of the bubble gum recovered at a rental car location and cited as evidence in the case.

Paul Callan: Prosecutors can often make compelling cases without direct evidence . Surveillance video is key to the prosecution case against Aaron Hernandez, Callan says .

(CNN) -- Efren Peñaflorida, who started a "pushcart classroom" in the Philippines to bring education to poor children as an alternative to gang membership, has been named the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year. CNN's Anderson Cooper revealed Peñaflorida's selection at the conclusion of the third-annual "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The gala event, taped before an audience of 3,000, premiered on Thanksgiving night on the global networks of CNN. The broadcast honored the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2009 and featured performances by Grammy Award-winning artist Carrie Underwood, R&B crooner Maxwell and British pop sensation Leona Lewis. Peñaflorida, who will receive $100,000 to continue his work with the Dynamic Teen Company, was selected after seven weeks of online voting at CNN.com. More than 2.75 million votes were cast. "Our planet is filled with heroes, young and old, rich and poor, man, woman of different colors, shapes and sizes. We are one great tapestry," Peñaflorida said upon accepting the honor. "Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need. "So to each and every person inside this theater and for those who are watching at home, the hero in you is waiting to be unleashed. Serve, serve well, serve others above yourself and be happy to serve. As I always tell to my co-volunteers ... you are the change that you dream, as I am the change that I dream, and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be." The top 10 CNN Heroes, chosen by a blue-ribbon panel from an initial pool of more than 9,000 viewer nominations, were each honored with a documentary tribute and introduced by a celebrity presenter. Each of the top 10 Heroes receives $25,000. Wallis Annenberg, chairman of the board, president and CEO of the Annenberg Foundation and a member of the Blue Ribbon Panel that selected the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2009, also pledged $10,000 to each of the top 10 Heroes' nonprofit organizations. "With the recognition they receive on our stage," said Cooper, who hosted the tribute, "they'll be able to help thousands and thousands of people. Through their efforts, lives will be changed and lives will be saved." Underwood performed an original orchestral arrangement of "Change" from her best-selling album, "Play On." Maxwell sang "Help Somebody" from his first album in eight years, 'BLACKsummers'night.' Lewis, a three-time Grammy nominee, performed "Happy," from her second album, "Echo." See photos of all the performers and honorees . All three performances echoed the spirit of the CNN Heroes campaign, which salutes everyday people whose extraordinary accomplishments are making a difference in their communities and beyond. Presenters included Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Neil Patrick Harris, Pierce Brosnan, Dwayne Johnson, Eva Mendes, Randy Jackson, Greg Kinnear, George Lopez and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. "This record number of nominations is further evidence of the momentum CNN Heroes has built in just a few short years," said Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide. "Viewers have been engaged by these stories of inspiration and accomplishment beyond our expectations. It is truly an honor to be able to introduce the CNN Heroes to our global audience every year." Again this year, producer/director Joel Gallen served as executive producer of "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute." Among his credits, Gallen produced telethon events supporting victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina, winning an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award for "America: A Tribute to Heroes." The Kodak Theatre is best known as the first permanent home of the Academy Awards. Here are the 2009 Top 10 CNN Heroes: . Brad Blauser Brad Blauser is providing hope and mobility to disabled children and their families in Iraq. Since 2005, his Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids program has distributed nearly 650 free pediatric wheelchairs to children in need. Full story | Video | Extra | How to help . Roy Foster Army veteran Roy Foster started Stand Down House to help veterans struggling with addiction and homelessness in Florida. Since 2000, his program has provided life-changing services to nearly 900 veterans. Full story | Video | Extra | How to help . Doc Hendley Bartender Doc Hendley is providing clean water to communities worldwide. Through creative fundraising, his nonprofit Wine to Water has brought sustainable water systems to 25,000 people in five countries. Full story | Video | Extra | How to help . Andrea Ivory Breast cancer survivor Andrea Ivory is bringing early detection to the doorsteps of uninsured women. With mobile mammography vans, her group has provided more than 500 free screenings in Miami, Florida. Full story | Video | Extra | How to help . Betty Makoni Zimbabwe native Betty Makoni founded the Girl Child Network to provide a haven for young victims of sexual abuse. The organization has rescued more than 35,000 girls since 2001. Full story | Video | Extra | How to help . Jorge Munoz School bus driver Jorge Munoz is helping hungry New Yorkers make it through tough times. Since 2004, he has handed out more than 70,000 meals from his mobile soup kitchen in Queens -- for free. Full story | Video | Extra | How to help . Efren Peñaflorida Efren Peñaflorida gives Filipino youth an alternative to gang membership through education. His Dynamic Teen Company's 10,000 members have taught basic reading and writing to 1,500 kids living in the slums. Full story | Video | Extra | How to help . Budi Soehardi Budi Soehardi founded a children's home in one of the poorest areas of Indonesia. Today, Roslin Orphanage in West Timor provides food, shelter and education to more than 45 children. Full story | Video | Extra | How to help . Derrick Tabb Derrick Tabb started The Roots of Music to give young people an alternative to New Orleans' streets. His music education program provides free tutoring, instruments and music instruction to more than 100 students. Full story | Video | Extra | How to help . Jordan Thomas Jordan Thomas, 20, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, lost both of his legs in a boating accident in 2005. Since then, his Jordan Thomas Foundation has raised more than $400,000 to provide prosthetics for children in need. Full story | Video | Extra | How to help .

Efren Peñaflorida named the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year at Hollywood gala . Gala included appearances by actress Nicole Kidman, Grammy-winning artist Carrie Underwood . Third-annual event was taped before an audience of 3,000 at the Kodak Theatre .

(CNN) -- The former Agriculture Department employee at the center of a political firestorm said Friday that President Barack Obama didn't literally say he was "sorry" when they spoke Thursday, but "by simply calling me," she believed he was apologizing. Shirley Sherrod -- forced to resign from her job based on incomplete and misleading reports about a speech she gave in March -- also told CNN's "American Morning" that the department official who asked for her resignation was only a "messenger." And later Friday, she had a "very emotional" reunion with the white Georgia couple she referenced about in her now-famous speech. As for the White House, Sherrod told CNN that it had had been trying to reach her since Wednesday night. "My phone was full, couldn't take any more messages. Finally, I was on the way to the airport in an attempt to get home when I checked my messages and had received one from the White House saying the president was trying to get in touch with me and give them a call," she said. "I did that, and I had the conversation with him, and, you know, I feel good about that." Asked whether she was able to enlighten him about her work, she said they didn't have time to get into that. "But toward the end of the conversation, I told him I'd love to have him come to South Georgia," she said, adding that she would "take him around and show him some things." "I could definitely bring the point home," said Sherrod, who lives in Georgia. She said he didn't precisely say he was sorry. "I really didn't want to hear the president of the United States say 'I'm sorry' to Shirley Sherrod," she said. "I felt he was saying that in his talk just by simply calling me. I felt it was, in a way, saying 'I'm sorry' because he didn't have to do it." The Sherrod controversy began after conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart posted a portion of the speech in which Sherrod spoke of not offering her full help to a white farmer. The original post indicated that the incident Sherrod mentioned occurred when she worked for the Agriculture Department, and news outlets quickly picked up on the story. However, the incident took place decades before she joined the department, and her speech in its unedited form made the point that people should move beyond race. In addition, the white farmer whom Sherrod mentioned has told reporters that Sherrod helped him save his farm. Nevertheless, Sherrod was swiftly fired after government officials heard only the portion of the speech. When the full version of the speech was heard, she received apologies from the White House, the agriculture secretary and the NAACP, which criticized the edited remarks. On "American Morning" on Friday, Sherrod was asked about the "ability" of Obama, American's first black president, to discuss and deal with racial issues. "I guess because he's a black president, for some reason, they felt you can't talk about issues that affect just black people," she said. She said she believes that "the administration feels too that if they highlight issues of black people ... the country would perceive (it) as something negative. I know they probably have to struggle with that. But I think they're wrong. I think they could do more to advance unity if they could promote a discussion from that level." Sherrod was also asked about Cheryl Cook, the Agriculture Department official who phoned Sherrod and asked for her resignation. "I know Cheryl Cook, and I know, had she been given the opportunity to make a decision her on her own, we wouldn't be sitting here talking about this. So she was the messenger. I really truly do believe it was not her message," she said. "Cheryl is a great person. I definitely want to see her be able to continue the work she was doing at USDA. So I would hope that this attention on her would not cause them to do the same thing they did to me: boot her out." Sherrod has received an apology for her firing from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Although she hasn't received an apology from Breitbart, Sherrod said she is not sure she's ready for that kind of a chat just yet. "He would really need to come and sit down with me and look me in the eye so that we could see if we could find a place -- I'm not saying I wouldn't forgive him, but we would need to see if we could find a place for that to happen. "I don't see it at this point. He hasn't been willing. He hasn't tried to apologize to me for anything he's caused me to go through," she said. Breitbart's website included corrections Wednesday on two blog entries that included the video footage from Sherrod's speech. "Correction: While Ms. Sherrod made the remarks captured in the first video featured in this post while she held a federally appointed position, the story she tells refers to actions she took before she held that federal position," said a notice added to one of the postings on Breitbart's biggovernment.com site. A shorter version appeared on another posting of the Sherrod video footage. The corrections did not mention the edited nature of the video he posted Monday or the full context. Breitbart told CNN's "Anderson Cooper: 360" on Thursday that he saw no reason to apologize: "What would warrant an apology? ... I'm not the one who threw her under the bus." Sherrod had said that she was offered some type of civil rights position in the department's Office of Outreach and that she was expecting to receive something official in an e-mail from the department. On Friday, she did not address that issue or say she would accept the position. The edited Sherrod video initially brought condemnation from the NAACP, which later retracted its statement and apologized to Sherrod after the context became clear. Also, the farmer and his wife Sherrod was discussing, Roger and Eloise Spooner, came forward Tuesday, saying that they credited Sherrod with helping them save their farm and that she did not discriminate against them. On Friday, Sherrod and the Spooners held a reunion at a restaurant in the Colquitt, Georgia, area. A CNN Special Investigations Unit witnessed the get-together. CNN's Don Lemon, who saw the reunion, said it was "very emotional." "The interesting thing is watching them look at each other in the eye and talk to each other. There were no tears but only big smiles. It seemed very authentic," he said. Lemon asked the couple whether they'd ever have to help save her as she saved them. "Never in a million years," Roger Spooner said. The NAACP, which initially called Sherrod's statements "shameful," said in a statement Tuesday that it was "snookered by Fox News" and Breitbart. Breitbart's post was picked up by the Fox News website. On Monday, Fox News hosts Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity played the edited clip on their programs. O'Reilly, who had called for Sherrod's immediate resignation, apologized for his statements Wednesday. Also Wednesday, Fox News anchor Shepard Smith sharply criticized Breitbart's website as well as his network's own coverage of the story.

NEW: Sherrod, white family at center of drama are reunited in Georgia . Sherrod says President Obama didn't say "sorry," but she feels "good" about the phone call . She says the official who asked for her resignation was simply a "messenger" Sherrod says she asked Obama to come to South Georgia .

LONDON, England (CNN) -- "I feel that my life is worthless. I have lost my interest in talking to others, and in my studies too. I have also lost interest in being with a crowd of people. All I want is to sit all by myself. Is my problem an illness? Has it got any solution?" - Letter from a male university student, 18, Nepal . "Chatting" on the road: SSMK reporters in action . This extract is just one example of the 1,500 letters and 400 e-mails that Binita Shrestha, 29, receives each month. As the host of Nepalese community radio show, "Chatting with my Best Friend," Shrestha and her co-host, Binayak Aryal, provide a vital link to young people across the remote regions of the mountainous country. "Chatting with my Best Friend," or "Saathi Sanga Manka Kura" (SSMK), launched in April 2001 with the mission to broadcast life skills to Nepalese youth and equip them with the knowledge and the confidence to make better-informed decisions. The lively hour-long show features drama, songs and light-hearted banter between its young hosts. But the focal point of the show -- and the reason for its popularity amongst its young and often isolated audience -- is the listeners' letters section, where Shrestha and Aryal give frank, unbiased advice on everything from teenage sex, HIV and drug use to careers and family matters. The team have handled letters from a girl whose father had raped her but whose mother wouldn't believe her; a boy whose HIV-positive girlfriend was pressuring him to marry her; a girl who had contracted a sexually transmitted disease and didn't know what to do; and girls facing sexual harassment on the streets. That's on top of the issues faced by many teens around the world: low self-esteem, lack of career opportunity, sexuality and self identity; plus the problems that have risen from the recent Nepalese conflict: enforced migration, the risk of landmines and dealing with disabilities. Some cases, like the one from the girl who was raped, require special attention. (She was advised to talk to her older sister and was put in touch with a local counseling center.) But the SSMK team are able to respond to most of their huge mailbag with templated letters and advice booklets, enabling the listener to make their own informed decision. The weekly show has six million listeners across Nepal -- a staggering 20 percent of the population and 50 percent of its 14-29-year-old target audience. Since launch, it has doubled in length, has its own spin-off careers show and has sired similar projects in Cambodia and Laos. And when the SSMK team hit the road, they are greeted like film stars by legions of avid fans. "You don't ever feel lonely. Anywhere I go, I am surrounded by people," says Shrestha. With its peer-to-peer approach, "Chatting with my Best Friend" aims to lift some of the taboos surrounding sex, drugs and related issues like human trafficking. Unsurprisingly for a country whose population is traditionally both modest and reticent, the show received some resistance when it was first broadcast. But while those taboos aren't going away -- even Shrestha says she sometimes feels awkward listening to the show with her family -- "Chatting with my Best Friend" has opened up communication both amongst youth and across the age divide. And the show's combination of friendly chat backed up with clear information is working. One of the main achievements of "Chatting with my Best Friend," according to its listeners, is that it has boosted their self-esteem. "[The show] has helped thousands of Nepalese deprived of proper knowledge," writes one. "Several of my problems got solved through your program," adds another. For the SSMK team, the show is no nine-to-five. The pressure is intense. When Shrestha leaves the office, her job follows her. People approach her on the street or when she's traveling, hoping that she can solve their problems. "They really have expectations," she told CNN. It can get overwhelming. "We can only give them comfort sometimes," she admitted. "I feel very bad if the situation is very critical and I am not able to do anything. We are just radio producers: we can't have solutions for everything." But their dedication brings a closeness that she treasures: "The people that work on the show are like a family. We all know what we're working for," she said. That closeness has helped Nepalese youth to link up with each other, too. Some found it uncomfortable to listen to the show's subject matter with their families, and chose to listen with friends. That's resulted in a thousand listener groups springing up across Nepal whose members listen to the show together each week, hold special information events and raise awareness of HIV, safe sex and other personal issues within their communities. One remote village's group even organized the building of a link road to the main highway, two kilometers away. The SSMK model's success has spurred a sister project in Cambodia, "We Can Do It!" that launches this December, and a more modest project in Laos based within a secondary school. Ronni Goldfarb, founder and president of Equal Access, hopes that the future will bring more opportunities for collaboration to bring the SSMK model to new countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Goldfarb is keen to point out how cost effective community radio can be. In rural Nepal, where Internet access is limited and television and print are prohibitively expensive, radio can reach thousands of youngsters who would otherwise be isolated within their small villages. Equal Access does this for less than ten cents a year per listener. "By 2020 the world's youth population will easily reach four billion," Goldfarb told CNN. "Empowering youth -- tomorrow's leaders, parents and teachers -- with self-esteem, the confidence and skills to create a better life, and a supportive network of peers is one of the most powerful contributions Equal Access can make to future generations and to a more equitable world." Back in Kathmandu, as half of Nepal's most famous youth radio duo, Shrestha's bright future has only begun. But she won't stay with SSMK forever. "Even though I feel really young at heart, I know that in years to come I won't be young any more," she explained. And when that day comes, she and Aryal will pass on the SSMK baton to a new generation of presenters -- who will bring the SSMK brand of friendly, supportive and practical advice to a new generation of Nepalese youth. ................................... How can we equip our youth to face the challenges of the future? What's the best way to inspire young people? Share your thoughts and read others' views in the Just Imagine forum. For more information on "Chatting with my Best Friend" and Equal Access's other projects, see the Equal Access Web site. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Brie Schwartz contributed to this report.

"Chatting with my Best Friend" broadcasts frank and practical advice in Nepal . Show's remit is to educate youths in life skills, sex education, HIV awareness . Half of Nepal's 14-29-year-old youths tune in to the weekly radio show . Show's peer-to-peer model is being adapted for Cambodia, Laos .

(CNN) -- At Nassau's Potter's Cay Dock, fresh conch is heaped on tables for sale by the pound. The quayside is chaotic with pallets of food and household goods being hauled into the mail boats. Mail boats are the life-support system of the Bahamas -- an archipelago of 700 scattered islands in the Atlantic. Some 14 to 18 mail boats operate out of Nassau; no one seems sure how many. They serve communities, such as Ragged Island (population 73), that are too remote or small to receive sufficient airfreight. The vessels are privately owned family concerns that supplement government-awarded mail contracts by running cargo. They also take on board paying passengers. Fares are cheap -- individual voyages range from $50 to $65 per ride. Prone to delays . The shared cabins are basic and cramped and schedules are prone to delays because of adverse sea conditions. Top ethical travel destinations for 2014 . The longest voyage runs from Potter's Cay to Inagua, some 37 to 42 hours at sea. "'Lady D' makes that journey," says assistant dock master Craig Curtis at Potter's Cay. "She's supposed to leave Tuesdays, but that can stretch to the weekend." Despite their unpredictability, mail boats offer an adventurous, authentic travel experience away from the Bahamas' well developed beach resort scene. Voyages are an opportunity to meet island characters. The "Grandmaster" leaves the dock at Potter's Cay for a 14-hour voyage bound for Georgetown on Grand Exuma. She traverses 365 coral islands down the Exuma chain -- some are owned by celebrities such as Johnny Depp; others offer $40,000-per-night villa rentals. The turquoise sea beneath the keel is so transparent stingrays can be seen gliding across shallow sandbanks. Galaxies of stars . During humid nights it's possible to sleep on deck, cooled by sea breezes beneath galaxies of stars. A beach break in Bimini . In his 70s, retired mail boat captain Larry Brozozog has passed the task of piloting "Grandmaster" to his son, Lance, giving him time to talk to passengers about the origin of the mail boats. "They were running in the 1940s but only one mail boat would serve all southern Bahamas monthly," he says. "The government began issuing mail contracts in the late Fifties, then services became weekly." Brozozog says he was born into shipping. "My great grandfather used to sail back and forth to the UK in the late 1800s." Older islanders nostalgically recall the mail boats before the advent of inter-island flights by small aircraft. Growing up in the 1960s on Andros -- an island to the west of New Providence, where the capital, Nassau, sits -- Petherina Harris says each mail boat arrival was eagerly awaited. World's most spectacular swimming pools . "We didn't have electricity back then so we'd take the mail boat to Nassau to see electric lights in people's homes and eat Kentucky Fried," she says. Julius Chisholm from Acklins, several hundred kilometers to the southeast of Nassau, remembers the whole island turning out whenever the mail boat came in. "If it arrived on a Sunday, even church was canceled." Ernest Hemingway's boxing lessons . Bimini, which lies two-thirds of the way from Nassau to Miami, is another island served by the mail boats. Fish-wrestling novelist Ernest Hemingway spent time there in the 1930s -- many on the island still tell of his exploits. "He taught Biminites how to box," says Ansil Saunders, an 82-year-old boatwright. "Hemingway offered 10 bucks to anybody who could last a round with him." Captain Sean Munroe's navy blue hulled "Sherice M," built in Louisiana in 1995, serves the Bimini Islands. Munroe says tough economic times have cast doubt over the future of his and other mail boat services. Fuel price increases have already brought a reduction of mail runs to Bimini from four to three times monthly. "Fuel costs have risen so much it's wiped out our profit from the mail contract, so we rely on private cargo" he says. "But continuing to serve the island community and maintaining the legacy of our family business is just as important to us as the economics." 8 great hotel perks in the Caribbean . Munroe hails from seafaring stock. His grandfather ran supplies to Cuba before the U.S. embargo was imposed in the 1960s. That family dynasty stretches to the "Island Link," a vessel skippered by Munroe's brother, Jed. Runaway pigs . I join Jed on his weekly trip across the Tropic of Cancer to Long Island, which lies to the southeast of Nassau. Our voyage takes 20 hours instead of the scheduled 14 because Munroe has to navigate over shallows to ride out a Caribbean storm. Fellow passengers include a mother and daughter economizing on airfares that would be twice the $50 ticket price, and a Rastafarian looking for any work he can get. "We carry everything and anything," says Munroe. "Food items, luxury goods, machine parts ... anything. We transported pigs once, but one broke free mid-voyage and caused havoc on the deck." Eventually we arrive at Long Island, where visitors are drawn by ribbons of pristine sandy beaches and Deans Blue Hole, a 202-meter (663-foot) vertical abyss that's the deepest of its kind in the world. But first stop is Simms Wharf, where an enthusiastic crowd awaits their cargo. Among them is Mandie Constantitis, the son of a Greek immigrant, who is Long Island's last sponge fisherman. He depends on the mail boats to ship his consignments to Nassau for export. Dewitt Miller, a taxi driver, tells me that before the mail boat arrives each Wednesday the whole island is almost out of fresh fruit and vegetables. Secrets to the most popular cruise ports . Later I make the return voyage to Nassau. Back at Potter's Cay, I meet Captain Kevin Moxey, loading up his family namesake boat, "Captain Moxey," to make the trip to Andros. As he watches potted palms bound for a resort being manhandled onto his deck, Moxey says his business is feeling the economic strain. But he remains confident the diminutive size of the islands will mean the mail boats will never be replaced by large freight airplanes. "Sure, we're pinching the pennies -- but mail boats will never go away," he says. Freelance photojournalist Mark Stratton has written for The Daily Telegraph, The . Guardian, Wall Street Journal and National Geographic Traveler, among many other websites and publications.

Traveling the Bahamas by mail boat is cheap. Tickets for individual voyages cost $50 to $65 . On humid nights you can sleep on deck, cooled by sea breezes beneath galaxies of stars . The boats are a lifeline for some among Bahamanian islands that are too small to receive air freight .

(CNN) -- There's something about growing up in a small town. Don't get me wrong, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago are all great cities with their own identity and appeal, but if you spent your formative years in a burg where traffic lights were few and far between; where watching freight trains was a welcome distraction; where after school, kids waste time at the nearest lake, river or abandoned quarry, then count yourself as lucky. This kind of small-town adolescence is uniquely American, and it's a lifestyle that's rapidly vanishing. Brian Kimberling perfectly captures this experience in his debut novel, "Snapper," available Tuesday. Kimberling grew up in Evansville, Indiana, and the book makes the most of its Hoosier setting. In it, narrator Nate Lochmueller is an affable young ornithologist, earning just enough money to live on by studying the songbirds of Indiana. Not coincidentally, Kimberling also worked as a bird researcher when he was a student at Indiana University. "Snapper" follows Nate through a series of mostly aimless adventures as he travels across the state in a glitter-festooned truck dubbed the Gypsy Moth. Nate spends a good part of the book in the wilds of Indiana, where he beautifully describes tracking and observing birds like the Summer tanager and wood thrushes, as well as warblers, chickadees and Acadian flycatchers. There are also some hilarious anecdotes involving a dive-bombing bald eagle, a German shepherd with a knack for digging up human bones and a snapping turtle with a taste for thumbs, hence the title. But this is more than a bird book. There are plenty of poignant moments as Nate tries to figure out his place in the world's pecking order. There's his on-again, off-again love affair with a free-spirited beauty named Lola and a colorful cast of characters including Nate's parents, an aunt and uncle from Texas with some questionable views on race, a small group of childhood friends and a few shiftless roommates. Kimberling writes about all of this in a voice part John Audubon, part Holden Caulfield but uniquely his own. The book's pace is leisurely, the mood is sometimes melancholy, and readers will finish the final page feeling thoroughly satisfied. Perhaps surprising to readers, Kimberling no longer lives in Indiana. After wandering the globe, he now makes his home in England with his wife and son. CNN recently spoke to him about the novel and whether he misses the U.S. The following is an edited transcript. CNN: What was the spark behind "Snapper"? Brian Kimberling: Some friends and I used to build fires on Indiana train tracks at night and sit around with a bottle of something purloined from someone's parents. I told this to an English friend who knew nothing about Indiana and who began imagining and describing a romantically desolate sort of place, forsaken by commerce and industry -- that's how we knew no trains would come through -- a place where there were no girls to talk to and no drugs worth taking, so adolescent boys played hobo together or whatever it was we thought we were doing. That is a very English way of viewing Indiana. It is also absolutely right, or it used to be. That conversation was a spark. I ran with it. CNN: Had you always wanted to be a writer? Kimberling: I don't know when I began writing. I won a national award in high school for a short story about a character named Maudlin Lackey who commits suicide. I have since learned some restraint. I had been writing regularly for a couple of years already at the time. It's always been important to me, though, to do other things besides write -- to be something other than or in addition to a writer. So I've worked as a Web developer and an English teacher and an editor and a frozen pizza stacker and so on, in the Czech Republic and Mexico and Turkey and England. CNN: Where did the title come from? Kimberling: My editor and I did kick around alternative titles for a while. The problem was that other titles (such as "Audubon, Indiana") seemed to restrict the book's scope somehow and that the snapping turtle in the book has symbolic value. In the end, it was a case of, well, it can't be called anything else, can it? "Snapper" is a digressive, meandering book that invites readers to make connections and interpret things as they will. A more descriptive title (say, "Birding in Indiana") wouldn't do that justice. Also, "Snapper" is a snappy title. CNN: You write with great admiration about Indiana's songbirds. Do you have a particular favorite from your days as an amateur ornithologist? Kimberling: I like the wood thrush, as does the narrator, Nathan, and as did Audubon and Thoreau, both. It's probably not humanly possible to listen to the wood thrush attentively without some emotional response. Whereas the Acadian flycatcher is pretty boring. I think "birdsong" and "songbird" are both misleading words. Lots of songbirds just chirp. I was a research assistant for a major study of songbirds for two years, starting at 5 a.m. six days a week. I especially enjoyed running into non-birds. Foxes, raccoons, opossums, all finishing up the night shift at around the time I started. Their collective expression was: "Hey, you're human. Either shoot us or leave us alone. Stop coming around every day." CNN: You seem to have a love/hate relationship with Indiana, is that correct? Has your feeling for your home state changed since you've lived abroad? Kimberling: I love it from a great distance. There are many things in Indiana that I appreciate more for having lived abroad. Turoni's Pizza in Evansville tops the list. Bloomington and Brown County are outstanding, and the Ohio is the most beautiful river in the world, as Thomas Jefferson observed 200-odd years ago. Not sure what the beautiful-river criteria are, but it's true. I think a lot, in a possibly European-inflected way, about the cultural heritage of southern Indiana (five words that do not often appear in that sequence). It's not all pretty, but it's all important. CNN: What's it like now, having moved to England, and would you ever return to the Hoosier State? Kimberling: I would certainly return to the Hoosier State. I spent three months there last summer with my wife and son, in fact, and all of us enjoyed it immensely. That said, after 10 years in England, there were a few things I found a wee bit alarming. Health care costs and the size of the average pickup truck, for example. The idea that random civilians may carry guns or, for that matter, that the police do carry guns. I suppose I experience a mild form of culture shock. CNN: What's next for you? Kimberling: I am working on another novel also set in southern Indiana. Read an excerpt from "Snapper" here .

Brian Kimberling captures a rapidly vanishing way of life in "Snapper" Aimless adventures in birdwatching also describe small-town life in Indiana . Kimberling's voice is part John Audubon, part Holden Caulfield .

(CNN) -- Every athlete competing at the London 2012 Paralympic Games has an incredible story to tell, of how they overcame tragedy or a disability they had been born with to be considered the best in the world in their chosen discipline. But for some the final, bureaucratic hurdle can prove a step too far. On Thursday it was revealed that the American swimming team's great hope of a gold medal in the pool -- 17-year-old Victoria Arlen -- had been denied a classification to compete. Arlen had dreamed of making the London 2012 able-bodied swimming team until a neurological disease put her in a coma for two years. When she woke up she was paralyzed in both legs. Yet Arlen continued to swim and this year broke two world records. But after the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) reviewed her case, Arlen was told she could not compete. It had been decided that Arlen's disability wasn't severe enough. It appeared that she had lost out because of the complex system of disability classification, an essential tool for the Paralympic movement. Follow CNN's live Paralympics blog . And she's not the only one to suffer. Fellow U.S. swimmer Mallory Weggemann, who lost the use of her legs after a routine epidural injection went wrong, declared she had "lost faith" in the system when her classification was changed just before the start of London 2012. "I have trained the past four and a half years for these Games and within less then 24 hours before my first race was supposed to start it all changed, everything I had prepared myself for these past four years changed right there and then," said the 23-year-old, who had been hoping to compete for nine golds but can now only go for seven. Complex . Such is the myriad of different disabilities, and severity of disabilities, each athlete has to be evaluated and placed into a category to compete alongside others of the same potential. Athletes are placed in one of six main disability groups: those with spinal injuries, cerebral palsy, amputees, the blind or visually impaired, intellectual disabilities and those whose disabilities fall outside of those categories, like those born with dwarfism or multiple sclerosis. Each of the Paralympics' 20 sports are divided between the different classifications and given a number that denotes the severity of the disability -- 1 being the most severe, 10 the least. Join the conversation on Twitter #cnnparalympics . "Classification exists in the Olympics as well," explains Dr. David Howe, a former Canadian Paralympic middle-distance runner and academic at Loughborough University. "Men and women don't compete together, and in boxing and judo it's based on weight, but in the Paralympics it gets broken down much more finely. "So take people with visual impairments. You have the B3 class where someone has 10% vision, B2 class with 5% vision and B1 no usable vision at all. "It has a huge impact on how you can train. If you have no usable vision you need someone to train with you. If you have 10% they can, and they do, move around on their own. They can train. That gives them a huge advantage." Talent, not disability . In recent years the IPC has complicated things further by trying to slim down the number of medals and disciplines and look beyond the disability as the defining factor in classification. Instead, it says, look to the potential of the athlete. "During classification ... athletes are assessed for their ability to perform in a particular event," the IPC explains. "'Ability' in this case refers to an athlete's functional potential and is not an assessment of their disability: this is a complete reversal of the old systems that were clinical and medical in origin and often intrusive." This is why Oscar Pistorius, the South African double amputee "Blade Runner" who made history by becoming the first track and field Paralympian to compete in the able-bodied Olympics -- can line up against runners with only one prosthetic leg. In the pool on Thursday, China's Zheng Tao won gold in the 100 meters backstroke, destroying the field despite not having any arms. According to Howe, back when he was competing, the procedure to determine classification was very different and also highly intrusive. "When you compete for the first time they make sure you are not fiddling the system," he says. "You have a medical doctor -- I have mild cerebral palsy -- physio and a technical expert. Now they have the ability to examine classification after competition. They used to run them before major competitions and force athletes through them. I refused until after the contest because it can be quite exhausting." The move towards streamlining the classifications and having less medals to give out also has it drawbacks. "Swimming is a bit of fiddle," says Howe when asked about the Arlen case. "I was there to see the British lad Jonathan Fox win gold, the roar was amazing. "But the thing is when they came out (of the pool) he looked the most able. He was the only one not using a stick or wheelchair. "There's a water-based test and a land-based test, and an element that you are on a performance curve -- and that discourages training. You want to be on the right side of the thin line from the next category. Otherwise you'll struggle." The politics of classification . But, of course, competitive sport is competitive sport -- and rival teams regularly refer athletes for reclassification if they feel they have an unfair advantage. The Paralympic movement has also been stung by several high-profile scandals. The Spanish Paralympic basketball team was stripped of their gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Games after it emerged that some of the players weren't properly tested and were not intellectually disabled. The controversy saw the entire category of intellectually disabled sport withdrawn from the next two Olympics. It is only now, in London, making a comeback. "There's a huge amount of politics in classification," agrees Howe. "I was never asked as an athlete, 'Do you think the contest was fair?' For the athletes (like Arlen) it can be hell. When this does happen the athletes come together 'Band of Brothers' style." Arlen returns . In the end that is exactly what happened to Victoria Arlen. After an outcry the IPC reviewed the evidence again and cleared her to compete in this weekend's 400 meters heats, one of the most anticipated events at the Games. But it is unlikely to be the last time the issue of classification hits the headlines. "I've been involved since 1986 and it's always been an issue," says Howe. "It's getting much better. But I worry that by bringing in less categories they (the IPC) are trying to be more media friendly. If it is fair, fine, but I am against that if that stops different impaired bodies being involved. "We must not forget that, first and foremost, the Paralympics is about celebrating difference. It's not about ability versus disability."

The issue of disability classification at the Paralympics has caused controversy . Each athlete is placed in events according to disability and ability . Two U.S. swimmers battle ruling body after classifications are changed . IPC trying to slim down the number of medals and disciplines at the Games .

(CNN) -- Cyber criminals are setting snares that move at the speed of news. Savvy cyber criminals are taking advantage of our increasing reliance on computers and the Internet. Panda Security, a Spain-based antivirus maker, has been monitoring an onslaught of links with malicious software, or "malware," on Twitter that tag hot topics such as the Air France crash, the NBA finals, "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert and the new iPhone. "Cyber criminals have been targeting Twitter users by creating thousands of messages (tweets) embedded with words involving trending topics and malicious URLs," Sean-Paul Correll, a threat researcher for Panda Labs, wrote recently on a blog for the company. The growing sophistication of malware attacks mirrors the growing threat -- and cash -- generated by online crime. Already, cyber crime is estimated to cost companies and consumers more than $100 billion worldwide. Some officials claim it has now eclipsed illegal drugs as a criminal moneymaker. "It's very seldom reported ... if discovered by companies, they generally don't want the public to know they've been had," said Eugene Spafford, a computer security specialist at Purdue University who has advised two U.S. presidents and numerous companies and government agencies. Cyber crime is one of the few industries benefiting from the financial crisis. Last year, antivirus maker McAfee saw a 500 percent increase in malware types -- more than the company had seen in the previous five years combined. In the United States, the FBI reported a 33 percent increase in Internet crime last year. Companies lost an average of $4.6 million in intellectual property last year, according to a survey of 1000 firms worldwide by Purdue University and McAfee. "As the economy has declined, we've seen the threat landscape increase," David DeWalt, president and CEO of McAfee, recently told Richard Quest for CNN International's "Quest Means Business." That increase has helped antivirus makers such as McAfee snare record returns -- the company's first quarter profits were 21 percent higher than same period last year. But companies and governments find themselves in a losing war with Web-savvy criminals, experts say. "The fundamental fact is cyber criminals are highly organized with sophisticated corporate structures and business chains," said Michael Fraser, director of the Communications Law Centre at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia. "They have R&D departments, strong distribution networks and Web sites for the discerning cyber criminal," Fraser said. On these Web sites, would-be criminals can purchase toolkits to learn how to side step security measures or create their own "botnet" -- referring to software that can, unbeknownst to victims, turn their computers into spamming foot-soldiers for criminal networks. One Web site advertises software that can capture information for a popular Internet secured-payment provider for $500 -- discounted to $400 for the first 100 buyers. Skimmed credit card numbers and other personal-identity information stolen from computers also can be found for sale on Web sites, Fraser said. "When police shut these Web sites down, they just mushroom up some other place," he said. Although the techniques of cyber crime have evolved, online criminals prey on human vulnerabilities like criminals throughout the ages. In the digital age, that means tempting with free downloads, money schemes and pornography. The range of tools used by cyber criminals reveals the quick evolution of the industry. Viruses -- the first generation of the computer culprits -- are used for the computer equivalent of vandalism, as the malicious programs replicate, spread and damage computers. "When the company was set up, we were seeing two or three new viruses a week," said Mahendra Negi, chief financial officer of Tokyo-based antivirus maker Trend Micro. "Now there's a new one every two-and-a-half seconds. "With the arrival of spam in 2001 and 2002, the big difference was it was commercial malware," Negi said. "Once money became involved, the level of sophistication raised a hundred-fold." Now the biggest threats include "phishing" schemes and "botnet" attacks. Phishing is where criminals masquerade as a legitimate business or Web site and trick victims into revealing passwords, credit card information and other personal data. Botnet attackers commandeer personal computers as part of a large network of "zombie" computers that, on command, target companies for spam attacks to cripple IT capabilities. Botnets -- some of which are large enough to deploy tens of billions of spam e-mails a day -- are often used in extortion schemes. "They ring up the IT manager of a company and say, 'Pay us a million or we'll take you down'," said Fraser, who has worked with companies victimized by botnet attacks. Companies often pay up and shut up, computer experts say, rather than report the crime and garner publicity that may hurt their corporate reputation. And unlike prankster virus-makers, these malware makers are determined to stay hidden. "Once it became a business, then (cyber criminals) began to look at what companies like us were doing, and figure out weaknesses," he said. "They are very customer friendly ... they sell updates, they will highlight what the product does and what antivirus software can't detect them. Adding to the difficulty is the legal situation that in many jurisdictions, it is not illegal to create or sell malware. "It's like the arms industry ... it's not a crime to build and sell them," Negi said. And because of the transnational nature of the crime, it's extremely difficult to prosecute. A scan of 500 headlines on Internet-related arrests from newspapers around the world the past two years found about 90 percent were related to child-pornography cases. "Child pornography is easier to prosecute because it is possible to find the evidence on the perpetrator's computer systems," said Spafford of Purdue University. Cyber-criminal networks are as porous as the Internet itself. "There are multiple jurisdictions and unless it's an ongoing crime that uses the same path all the time, the trail goes cold quickly," Spafford said. "I may be able to trace back to a computer system, if I'm lucky, or trace it back to a cyber cafe -- but how do I know who was behind it?" Often criminal networks are run in countries such as Russia and China, where government officials turn a blind eye to these activities -- so long as their victims reside outside the host country, Spafford said. "For the host countries, that's dangerous ... it's kind of like breeding tigers in the back yard and saying, 'Well, they haven't hurt anyone here yet,'" he said. "Mexico is a wonderful example ... they tolerated drug smugglers for years, and now it's such a major problem and incredibly painful and costly to run them out. "I'm not saying (cyber criminals) are involved in physical violence, but it's not out of the realm of possibility," he said. "What are they doing with all that money?"

Some officials say cyber crime has eclipsed drug trade as a money maker . Latest ploy is planting malicious software in intriguing Twitter topics . Some companies give in to extortion and remain silent, officials say . Skimmed credit card numbers can be found for sale on Web sites .

Brussels, Belgium (CNN) -- NATO members agreed Thursday to take over enforcement of the no-fly zone over Libya, but stopped short of interpreting that mandate as a license to attack government troops who may be threatening unarmed civilians. "What we have decided today is that NATO will enforce the no-fly zone," NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told CNN's Wolf Blitzer from the organization's headquarters in Brussels. Under Thursday's agreement, NATO forces will be able to close air space to all flights except for humanitarian ones and will be able to use force in self-defense. NATO also has sent a directive to its military chain of command asking for a plan on how to execute an expanded role for enforcement of U.N. Resolution 1973, according to NATO sources. Under what some officials were calling "no-fly plus," NATO would be given more robust rules of engagement to ensure that civilians are protected, the sources said. And, in an effort to ease concerns from Turkey -- the organization's sole Muslim country -- coalition forces would be allowed to withdraw from certain missions, such as those involving attacking Libyan soldiers, the sources said. As for the prospect of a more robust mandate, one that the U.S.-led coalition has followed so far, "That decision has not been made yet," Rasmussen said. He added that NATO will have outside help in whatever mission it opts to pursue. "It's of utmost importance to stress that this is not primarily a NATO operation," he said. "It is a broad international effort in which we will include partners from the region that have pledged to contribute to this protection of civilians in Libya." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will travel to London to attend an international meeting on Libya on Tuesday, gave an upbeat assessment of what the coalition has accomplished in five days. "We have made significant progress," she told reporters. "A massacre in Benghazi was prevented. Gadhafi's air force and air defenses have been rendered largely ineffective, and the coalition is in control of the skies above Libya." She welcomed the fact that the coalition includes aircraft and pilots from Qatar and Thursday's announcement by the United Arab Emirates that it, too, would send planes to protect Libya's civilians. "In the days ahead, as NATO assumes command-and-control responsibilities, the welfare of those civilians will be of paramount concern," she said. "This operation has already saved many lives, but the danger is far from over." Rasmussen said the issue did not represent a split in NATO over the mission. However, he also acknowledged that, if unaltered, the agreement would mean the overall mission would have two parts, with NATO enforcing the no-fly zone and the U.S.-led coalition handling a naval blockade and airstrikes. Thursday's deal was reached after a conference call among Clinton and her counterparts from Britain, France and Turkey, according to diplomatic officials who spoke on condition of not being identified by name. So far, U.S. forces have shouldered the bulk of the mission, according to figures provided by the Pentagon. Of the 175 Tomahawk missiles fired, 168 were from the United States and seven from Great Britain, the only two countries to possess them, while U.S. planes have flown almost two-thirds of the sorties and U.S. ships comprise more than two-thirds of the total involved. The flurry of diplomatic activity came as the battle for control of Libya was continuing to unfold. After a fifth consecutive night of pounding by coalition jets, Libyans gathered at a seaside cemetery in Tripoli on Thursday for the funerals of 33 people Gadhafi's government said were victims of an airstrike. State television said the dead were victims of the "crusader colonial aggression." Earlier, a Libyan government official said coalition planes struck the suburb of Tajura and state TV showed images of fires, smoldering vehicles and the charred bodies of the dead. At the cemetery, anger trumped grief and Gadhafi's message was loud and clear: innocent people were wrongly killed and the Libyan people will fight back. CNN could not independently verify the circumstances of the deaths or who the victims were. In Tripoli, CNN reporters go on government-organized tours in an effort to do their own reporting; Libyan authorities forbid independent movement by international journalists in Tripoli. The reports of civilian deaths were given little credence by coalition forces, which launched airstrikes Thursday near Tripoli, Misrata and Ajdabiya in Libya. "The only civilian casualties we know are for certain are the ones that the Libyan government itself has caused," U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said. At the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he has seen no signs of a cease-fire by Libyan government authorities, as called for by U.N. Resolution 1973, which was hurriedly passed last Thursday as Libyan forces were closing in on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Ban told council members, "to the contrary, fierce battles continue in and around the cities of" Ajdabiya, Misrata and Zinan. He added that his envoy told Libyan authorities that if the government did not comply with the cease-fire resolution, "the Security Council was prepared to take additional measures." Ban said he had sent his envoy to an African Union meeting to be held Friday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at which representatives of the Gadhafi government and the opposition were expected to attend. "Their aim: to reach a cease-fire and political solution." But there was no sign that any such solution was near. The battle for Misrata, Libya's third-largest city, has been ongoing for more than a week. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Thursday that many residents remain trapped in their homes without electricity and communications and with a dwindling supply of food and water. In the east, Gadhafi's tanks were shelling Ajdabiya, where fighting had occurred the day before. Loyalist forces still controlled the northern and western gates to the city. "This underlines the appalling danger its inhabitants would be in without coalition action, as do continued threats by Gadhafi forces to 'massacre' residents in areas under bombardment," Hague said. The coalition has established a no-fly zone that spans from east to west along Libya's coast. French jets fired air-to-ground missiles on a Libyan combat aircraft Thursday that was in violation of the no-fly mandate, destroying it, the French Defense Ministry said. The plane was struck as it was landing in a Misrata airfield. The civil war was sparked in February by protests demanding an end to Gadhafi's nearly 42-year rule. The Libyan strongman responded with force against civilians, prompting the international community to take action beginning last weekend. Though the rebels' position may have improved since then, a U.S. official said Gadhafi's forces still have the upper hand. They remain capable of carrying out attacks on the opposition, are relatively well-organized and continue to fight effectively, the official said. CNN's Nic Robertson, Arwa Damon, Elise Labott, Paula Newton and Jim Bittermann contributed to this report.

All 28 NATO allies authorized a plan that includes civilian protection . Transition to be complete by Sunday night, sources say . Questions on rules of engagement remain to be worked out .

Washington (CNN) -- It was a good idea back in 2008, in the final days of the Bush administration. With almost no opposition, Congress passed a new law to protect immigrant children from sex traffickers trying to bring them to the United States. It required judges to hold hearings for youngsters from countries other than neighboring Mexico and Canada, preventing them from possibly getting turned away at the border. More than five years later, though, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Action Act is having unintended consequences. It contributes to the surge of child migrants from Central America overwhelming the U.S. immigration system. Now some in Congress want to change the law -- a possibility that could bring more unintended consequences. How did a law aimed at sex traffickers play a role in Central American kids coming here? A desire to crack down on the global child slave trade led to the law named for a 19th Century British abolitionist. President George W. Bush signed it the month before he left the White House. It ensured that children who came to the United States got a full immigration hearing instead of being turned away or sent back. The goal of the hearing? To determine if the children had a valid claim for asylum. Here's the catch: The immigration courts are so backlogged that it can take years for a child's hearing date to come around. As they wait, most stay with relatives or friends already in the country, attend school and generally go about their lives. It didn't take long for word to spread to families in Central America: Send the kids, and they'll end up in immigration limbo with little threat of deportation -- all the while getting a decent education. Not in my backyard: Communities protest surge of immigrant kids . Why does it take so long for a hearing? One reason is that Congress has failed to provide enough money for timely hearings, noted Michelle Mittelstadt, director of communications and public affairs at the Migration Policy Institute, an independent non-profit. From 2002-2013, Congress increased spending on immigration enforcement by 300%, compared with a 70% increase for the immigration courts, she said. Now the average wait for a hearing is well over a year -- and federal agents have too many cases to chase after everyone who skips a court date. What else is behind the wave of children from Central America? Rampant gang crime and faltering economies in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have pushed a growing number of people to want to leave, especially those with relatives in the United States, the Migration Policy Institute says. Sophisticated smuggling rings flourish with promises to take children through Mexico and across the border into the United States -- even if it takes more than one attempt. Their fee: Several thousand dollars at least. Then in 2012, President Barack Obama's administration stopped deporting some children living illegally in the United States. It was part of a broader effort to overhaul the immigration system that has stalled due to Republican opposition. The policy change applied only to those who had been in the country at least five years, but the smugglers ignored that nuance in their sales pitch. How many children are we talking about? The government says up to 90,000 children will arrive on their own this year, compared with about 39,000 the Border Patrol detained last year. According to Border Patrol statistics, 98% of them come from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. The statistics show the influx from Mexico dropped dramatically in the past two years, while the flow from the other three rose. Poll: Most give Obama, GOP in Congress, thumbs down on border crisis . What happens when the kids get here? The goal is to enter the U.S. immigration system, so many approach border patrol agents to get taken into custody when crossing the Rio Grande Valley into Texas from Mexico. If from Mexico, they can be turned back -- what is called a voluntary repatriation -- after an initial screening at the border. All others get held by the Border Patrol for up to three days, then must be turned over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, a part of the Department of Health and Human Services. During the process, some get bused or flown to holding facilities in other states, leading to protests by local residents unhappy that the immigrants are coming to their town. According to the Migration Policy Institute, 90% of those turned over to the ORR eventually get released into the care of a parent, relative or family friend while they await an immigration hearing. Stories from a desert bus station . Can the 2008 law be changed to help fix the problem? Maybe. Republicans and some Democrats want to change it so all child migrants can be sent back without a full immigration hearing, like those from neighboring Mexico and Canada. Democratic leaders oppose revising the law, saying the government can speed up immigration hearings without any changes. Congress: 12 work days to compromise on border crisis . A plan unveiled Tuesday by two Texas legislators -- Republican Sen. John Cornyn and Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar -- sought a middle ground. It would stop requiring hearings but allow children to request one, which would have to take place within 72 hours. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada told reporters the proposal was "too broad," adding "it does more than just address the border problem." What's the hangup? Another Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, said children at immigration hearings must have legal representation. The Cornyn-Cuellar proposal lacks such a requirement, but relies on existing law that calls for the government to seek free legal counsel for the youngsters. Cornyn warned that would prolong the hearing process to "serve the goal of some of the people who want to come because it would be years before they were ever deported." The White House says it is open to any formulation that speeds up the process while respecting the rights of the children. What is the government doing about this? Obama has asked Congress for $3.7 billion in emergency funds to deal with the problem, including $1.8 billion to provide temporary care for children in government custody. Another $1.6 billion would bolster customs and border efforts while cracking down on smugglers, and $300 million would help Mexico and the three Central American governments discourage parents from paying smugglers to get their children to the United States. So far, Republicans are balking at Obama's request, saying they will come up with a smaller plan, including changes to the 2008 law. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security announced Monday it sent about 40 recent arrivals -- including adults and children -- back to their home country of Honduras. It said more removals to the three Central American nations were expected soon. What if Congress doesn't act? The Obama administration says it will seek ways for Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to speed up removals under the existing law. It has transferred resources from other parts of the immigration system to better handle the surge, with a goal of quicker hearings for the children. Mittelstadt of the Migration Policy Institute said faster hearings would resolve cases before the kids get turned over to family or friends in the United States, eliminating a major incentive for coming in the first place. Use 'safe zones' to end immigrant crisis . CNN's Ted Barrett and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report.

A law to protect migrant kids from sex trafficking causes hearing delays today . The delays encourage parents in Central America to send their kids north . Some in Congress propose changing the law to speed up the process . Democratic leaders say child immigrants must have a full hearing .

(CNN) -- By now, all have heard the appalling news that storm researchers Tim Samaras, his son Paul and Carl Young lost their lives while studying the tornadic supercell thunderstorm that struck the Oklahoma City area Friday. Tim and Carl were my colleagues and seasoned meteorologists involved in TWISTEX, or Tactical Weather Instrumented Sampling in/near Tornadoes Experiment, whose mission it is to sample aspects of the environment near tornadoes. I've known them for years. I have been involved in storm research and/or the storm chasing community since 1985. In this 28-year span, there had not been a death, and I know of no injuries among meteorologists studying tornadic storms until now. It will be several days before the exact circumstances of this tragic loss become clear. But even before the storm that ravaged the El Reno and Union City, Oklahoma, areas occurred, many questions appeared in the media about storm chasing, or storm observing in the field. Storm chasing: Science, thrill-seeking or tourism? Reducing this issue down to its core, emergency management personnel complain that storm chasers are clogging roads and making it difficult for first responders to reach victims. This issue came to a head in Ellsworth County, Kansas, on April 14, 2012, as an EF4-rated tornado approached Salina. Whether it is true that storm chasers did indeed impede traffic in that and other cases, it's clear that the number of chasers out on the roads has dramatically increased in the last decade. And some of these people engage in foolhardy and dangerous behavior. The question is "why?" CNN Photos: Professional storm chaser . From my perspective, as a professor of meteorology, the term "storm chasing" means what it always has meant to atmospheric scientists who study storms in the field. It means interweaving meteorological reasoning and forecasting skills for the purpose of understanding severe thunderstorms in general, and tornadic supercells in particular. It's enough to say that the early forays of meteorologists studying severe storms in the field in the 1960s and 1970s continued into the 1980s and 1990s. Eventually, their missions split into two tracks. On the one hand, in the middle to late 1990s and early 2000s large National Science Foundation-funded projects such as VORTEX, or Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment; STEPS, or Severe Thunderstorm Electrification and Precipitation Study; TWISTEX; and others involved field efforts bringing many research meteorologists and instrument platforms into the field to surround tornadic supercells or severe thunderstorms. I was involved at a minor level in the first and more actively in the second. The second track relates to more of what I do as a meteorologist. Initially, I was drawn to study these storms because they happen in California, too. So, since I am a weather forecaster by training, what better way to understand how weather patterns contribute to the ingredients of severe storms than by immersing myself in a large "inquiry-based" personal research experience? In my case, bringing this knowledge of ingredients, burned into my psyche by having to forecast them, back to California has helped meteorologists there understand the patterns that are liable to produce favorable conditions for tornadic supercells. Other meteorologist chasers have their own set of predetermined goals in observing storms in the field. All of us are admittedly united in a fascination with these storms. Tornado chasers were researchers, not cowboys . What is important to note is that no matter what their mission, meteorologists studying storms in the field contribute to the storm-observing process. All my colleagues who do this have ways of contacting the National Weather Service quickly when tornadoes are forming. This has led to an increase in the warning time. For example, such observations were a key in preventing injuries and loss of life for the Greensburg, Kansas, tornado on May 4, 2007. In 1996, the film "Twister" popularized the notion of chasing storms to immerse oneself in a tornado's circulation. The film's chase teams were loosely based upon the fleets of vehicles called Mobile Mesonets in project VORTEX and the early chase forays by the National Severe Storms Laboratory and Oklahoma University. Except it was based upon a fiction: that meteorologists purposefully drive into tornadoes. That fiction, I believe, has combined with the trend in society for "extreme" behavior. This has encouraged literally hordes of nonmeteorologists -- many of whom who do not understand storm structure or behavior -- carrying cellular phone cameras into the field. This extreme behavior is exemplified by cable network programs extolling groups of chasers who drive vehicles that resemble the Flash Gordon/Emperor Ming the Merciless' spaceship into the path of tornadoes, screaming "tornado, tornado." What does this have to do with Friday's tragedy? There were many chasers in the field that day. A radar plot taken around 6:11 p.m. CT about the time that a multiple vortex tornado was on the ground shows dozens of red dots representing storm chasers or spotters or researchers who were reporting their positions. Undoubtedly there were many more. Most of the meteorologists I know who were out in the field that day are represented by the dots south and east of the storm circulation. Many of them contributed useful information to the National Weather Service in the form of eyewitness accounts of the tornado formation, that were not able to be detected by the weather service radars in the Oklahoma City area. Some of them were on instrumented vehicles that included mobile Doppler Radar that also contributed to the excellent warnings issued for that tornado. Most left the area when the storm's circulation got so intense that visibility became an issue. They also navigated away from Oklahoma City so as not to clog roads at commute time, or to contribute to the chaos that would develop there if a tornado went into that heavily urbanized area. In the coming days, we'll learn more about the decisions that Tim's group made that day. It could be that he took some calculated chances and was caught by the rapid northward motion of the tornado. It would be a double tragedy if his memory is besmirched by an assumption the he was seeking thrills or personal publicity. He wasn't. He was an active researcher contributing to our knowledge. But the fact remains that to emergency management personnel a chaser is a chaser, whether he/she is a meteorologist or not. While it's clear that meteorologists who chase know how not to interfere or know how to keep major road stems free of traffic, it's not clear that others do. This is an important issue that the storm research/chaser/spotter community must face in the upcoming years. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Monteverdi.

Three storm researchers were killed last week studying severe storm near Oklahoma City . John Monteverdi says meteorologists conduct scientific research on storms in the field . Publicity about storm chasers has led many amateurs into the field, he says . Monteverdi: Storm researchers need to confront issues about rising number of chasers .

Washington (CNN) -- Toyota engineers found an electronic software problem that caused "sudden unintended acceleration" in a test vehicle during pre-production trials, according to a company engineering document obtained by and translated for CNN. The 2006 document, marked "confidential," recounted the results of an adaptive cruise-control software test in a model internally designated the 250L, a vehicle later sold as the Lexus 460 in Japan and Europe. The document says a "fail-safe overhaul" would be needed for another model in production, internally designated the 180L, which the company says was later sold as a Toyota Tundra. Toyota insists that the document shows no such thing, and it continues to deny that any sudden unintended acceleration in any of its vehicles was caused by electronic systems. But three translations of the report, including two commissioned by CNN after Toyota's objections, found that engineers raised concerns that the adaptive cruise control system would start the car moving forward on its own. Read the original document and English translations here . "The cruise control activates by itself at full throttle when the accelerator pedal position sensor is abnormal," states the document, written in Japanese, translated into English. Software glitches were an early suspect in the rash of reports of sudden, unintended accelerations reported in Toyota vehicles in 2010, some of which caused severe accidents and several fatalities. But both Toyota and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration concluded that electronics were not at fault, instead blaming bad floor mats, sticky accelerator pedals and, in some cases, driver error. Toyota has never conceded that an electronics or software problem could be responsible in any way for sudden acceleration in its cars and trucks. "This looks like an example of electronics causing a car to suddenly accelerate," said Michael Pecht, director of the CALCE Electronics Products and Systems Center at the University of Maryland. Pecht, a mechanical engineering professor, was assigned to look into the sudden acceleration of Toyota vehicles as a consultant for Congress. He said the document should have been included in any investigation, and he questioned why it wasn't shared with the NHTSA, NASA -- which assisted the highway safety agency's review -- and Congress. Toyota said it did not share the document with the NHTSA because "the test and the document had nothing to do with unintended acceleration, or a defect, or a safety flaw of any kind." Toyota electrical engineer Kristen Tabar said the sequence described in the test memo "takes place in a fraction of a second." "This is a case where the vehicle is under test," said Tabar, a manager at the Toyota Technical Center near Ann Arbor, Michigan. "Again, we input an abnormal signal. The vehicle reacts appropriately to that signal and releases the brake, just as we would expect it to do and want it to do. This has nothing to do with sudden unintended acceleration at all." Toyota says that the test vehicle "did not physically move forward" and that the experiment led to "an adjustment and refinement" of the cruise control before it went into production. The issue has never occurred in any Toyota vehicle sold, the company said. The company says the document was meant to alert other engineers to the pre-production problem, so lessons learned could be shared. Neither the test vehicle nor the adaptive cruise-control system cited in the document have been sold in the United States, Toyota said. The engineering document was originally provided to CNN in Japanese, with an English translation (PDF). When Toyota complained about what it said were inaccuracies in the original translation (PDF), CNN retained a Tokyo-based translation house with expertise in automotive and technical matters to independently retranslate the document. That translation backed up the first, finding that Toyota engineers recorded a "sudden unintended acceleration" in the 250L's adaptive cruise control, which was designed to slow the vehicle if sensors detected an object ahead and accelerate the vehicle when the obstacle clears. But Toyota again said the translation was inaccurate (PDF). "The exact translation is not 'sudden unintended acceleration,' " said Tabar, who does not speak Japanese. "This is a test referring to adaptive cruise control, so the literal translation is, 'it can begin or start by itself,' which is consistent with what you would expect from a cruise control, or in this case, an adaptive cruise control system." When Toyota argued that both translations were in error, CNN commissioned a third translation (PDF) by another firm in the United States with expertise in automotive and engineering translations. According to the third translation, Toyota's engineers stated that a test was conducted on the 180L "to prevent the accelerator malfunction that caused the vehicle to accelerate on its own" in an earlier test of the 250L. Despite multiple requests, Toyota did not provide its own translation of the document. Neil Hanneman, an independent automobile safety engineer based in California, examined all three translations of the document at CNN's request and concluded that in 2006, Toyota did in fact have an electronics issue. "This is a tangible, repeatable, fixable issue that they've identified in this vehicle," Hanneman said. "It's related to software issues, which is something Toyota has said is infallible in their systems." Another analyst who reviewed all three translations, Clarence Ditlow, reached a similar conclusion. "What the memo tells me is that there was an electronic problem that caused unintended acceleration in an earlier-model Lexus -- the 250 -- and they wanted to avoid the same problem occurring in the 180," said Ditlow, the executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a watchdog group founded by Ralph Nader. "And they identified a failure mode." But Toyota officials said that in this instance, engineers "intentionally and artificially produced an inappropriate sensor signal as a test of the electronic failsafe system." Toyota said that the test "merely identified an unacceptable electronic sensor sensitivity threshold" and that the vehicle did not physically move during the test. Toyota spokesman John Hanson emphasized that the problem was fixed before the vehicle was put into production. He called the document obtained by CNN "evidence of Toyota's robust design process." In a letter to CNN, Toyota said, "It is ironic and disheartening that a document that is actually evidence of Toyota's robust vehicle design and pre-production testing to ensure safety is the apparent centerpiece for CNN's broadcast." Read the full letter (PDF) The Toyota and NHTSA conclusions on the cause of the 2010 rash of unintended acceleration problems in the U.S. were backed up by the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences. In a January 18 report, the research council called those findings legitimate but warned that the NHTSA could face difficulties in examining increasingly complicated electronic systems unless it adds more electronics expertise to investigation teams. In 2011, motorists reported 331 incidents of sudden acceleration to the NHTSA, according to data compiled by Safety Research and Strategies Inc., a consulting firm that has in the past advised consumers who have filed lawsuits against Toyota. Safety Research and Strategies has recently filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking documents and videos of one such incident, in a 2004 Prius.

Translated Toyota report describes a cruise-control system test . Experts say the translated report describes a software problem . The company denies electronics are responsible for sudden acceleration .

(CNN) -- Barbecued zebra anyone? How about warthog with peri-peri sauce? Along with more traditional fare, these are the kinds of things you might find on a "braai," a specialized barbecue born of South Africa and over the last couple years seen around the world, thanks to a TV series. South Africa's braai (barbecue) culture is one of the few things that truly cuts across racial and economic lines -- just about every circle of friends here has its own "braai master." In much the way cupcakes went from being a humble, if beloved, food item to the focus of TV shows, blogs and books, so too the braai has escalated in prominence and caught the imagination of the country in a new way. "The Ultimate Braai Master" -- a reality/game show that's an African mash-up of "MasterChef" and "The Amazing Race" -- is gearing up for its third season in September. The Travel Channel broadcast the first season to more than 100 million people around the world, including in the UK, Australia, India and China. It's slated to be part of Vibrant TV's lineup in the United States in 2014. All you need to make your own braai is a 40-gallon steel oil drum cut in half lengthwise to hold firewood, with a piece of tight cross-mesh burglar bar to support your meat and veggies. Commercial kettle grills, gas grills and instant charcoal are often used these days, as well. Chill, braai . Like all good barbecues, a braai in South Africa is a leisurely affair. Nobody braais on time; drinks and snacks are taken for a few hours while the fire is assembled. Since 2005, Heritage Day, a national South African holiday, has been dubbed National Braai Day by Jan Scannell, aka "Jan Braai," whose braai cookbooks are domestic bestsellers. Archbishop Doctor Desmond Tutu supports the initiative. Elaine Ensor-Smith, a contestant on the first season of the TV show, says the show "heightened people's perceptions of what you can do" at a braai. "Fire is a leveler," says the show's host, Justin Bonello. "It's not like you can turn it on to 180 [350 F] and walk away." What can't you cook? In one challenge featured on the program, teams had to use every part of a sheep to prepare a tasty dish, including brains, snout and offal. "It was a really interesting challenge. I would probably do it again," says Ensor-Smith, adding that she "almost dry heaved when cracking the brains." Traditionally, all parts of animals are eaten on a braai, but modern urban life has had its impact on the food chain here. Chops, chicken and boerewors (literally "farmer's sausage," an incredibly long coiled sausage made of beef, lamb or pork mixed with herbs) are ubiquitous. Different regions have their own spice mixes and specialties: peanut butter and apricot jam on chicken wings; peri-peri sauce on just about anything; springbok loin with anchovy butter; and "walkie talkies," or chicken feet. Non-meat staples are common -- corn on the cob, cheese-and-tomato sandwiches and homemade bread along with cold salads -- though it's generally tough going for vegetarians in this part of the world. Depending on region and culture, different meats predominate. Sheep, goat and pork are popular in some cultures but not others. Black South Africans will tell you that goat is preferable to lamb, says Bonello. What's considered a choice cut differs as well: sheep's head and tail are delicacies to some, and repugnant to others. "A Karoo farmer will eat a tail and testicle potjie, which you can't find in the city," says Bonello. Potjiekos is a small pot of stew cooked over an open fire. Ostrich farms along stretches of highway are about as common as cattle farms in Kansas. Wild game such as springbok, kudu, eland and warthog are favored specialties more likely to be eaten by hunters than city dwellers. Zebra is less often seen or eaten. "The taste is amazing," says Bonello. "It has a low fat content, and it's completely organic." Seafood is popular in coastal areas. Snoek is a cheap, popular source of protein in and around Cape Town. Restaurant braais . Restaurant-style braais are most popular in townships, places for those who have little chance to attend an authentic braai. Mzoli's, a butcher/braai restaurant in Gugulethu, one of Cape Town's largest townships, is phenomenally popular with local township residents as well as overseas tourists. On Sunday mornings, the line at Mzoli's starts at 9 a.m. People head into the butcher section to place their order -- usually a mixed platter of meat, such as chops, pork and boerewors, perhaps with some pap (a stiff cornmeal mash) on the side -- then pass through a narrow corridor to drop off their pile of meat in the kitchen. Mzoli's kitchen looks like something out of the belly of an ancient castle, with staff stoking several enormous fireplaces. Outside, in a covered area with live drummers and a cool misting spray, long picnic tables sit end-to-end, packed with what may be the most diverse crowd in Cape Town. Two-liter bottles of Twist lemon drink, potato chips and hooka pipes keep several hundred people occupied while they wait for their food. Mzoli's seasonings recipe, the secrets of which owner Mzoli Ncgawuzele won't divulge, is a spicy marinade that sits well with palates from different communities. Mzoli's also makes its own beef boerewors on site. Where to go for braai in South Africa . If you're pressed for time, don't go to a braai. Waiting for the food is part of the experience. Many people say that the best place to braai is their own backyard. As a visitor to South Africa, accepting an invitation to a braai is one of the best ways to experience a laid-back meal. Mzoli's Place, 150 NY111, Gugulethu, Cape Town; by far the most popular place of its type in Cape Town, Mzoli's is located in a township but has a regular influx of foreign visitors. About $5 per person. Blue Lagoon, 130 Lower Marine Parade, Durban; known by locals as "Lugs," this DIY destination is especially popular with the local Indian community for braaiing and partying. Die Strandloper, Off Club Mykonos Road, Langebaan; seafood braai on a West Coast beach, north of Cape Town. About $25 per person.

South Africa's braai (barbecue) culture is one of the few things that unifies the country . Reality show "The Ultimate Braai Master" -- African "MasterChef" meets "The Amazing Race" -- is in its second season . Restaurant-style braais are popular in townships .

(CNN) -- Copenhagen's red light district pulsates with neon lights. Women stand on nearly every corner -- many from Africa -- aggressively making their pitch to men walking by. Inside one particularly loud bar, young Thai women sit on the laps of male customers. And Stockholm? Well, you might walk right by its equivalent and never notice. Malmskillnadsgatan is a commercial area, the address of several banks. In its heyday, dozens of girls used to ply their trade here. Now, you can find only three or four women who work the street. That stark difference may explain why Sweden is being hailed as a model of how to combat sex trafficking, while Denmark has been called the "Brothel of Scandinavia". So, what happened? In 1995, Sweden passed a tough bill that cracked down on prostitution. What made this law different, however, was who would be held responsible for the crime of prostitution. It's not illegal to sell sex. It is, however, illegal to buy sex. The law was enacted as part of Sweden's push for gender equality. From a Swedish legal point of view, any woman selling sex has been forced to do so, either by circumstance or coercion. Anyone caught buying sex faces hefty fines, an embarrassingly public police notification and possible time in prison, with a maximum four-year sentence. So far no one arrested has served time. According to the Swedish justice ministry, more than 70% in recent polls supported the law. Buying sex is looked down upon. There is even a slang term for those who buy sex. "They're called a "cod," a fish," says Lise Tamm, a Swedish prosecutor of organized crime. "It's the same word as a loser, or [someone who] gets called by the police, or runs out of gas in his car. You're a loser if you buy sex in Sweden. "We see it as a human right to have sexual integrity, physical integrity, and not to be forced to sell your body to strange men, 10 times a day. That's human rights to us." At first, Sweden's neighbours in Europe dismissed the idea. But the law had an interesting knock-on effect, decreasing demand for prostitution and thereby sex trafficking. Kajsa Wahlberg, Sweden's National Rapporteur on Human Trafficking, has undertaken annual assessments on the problem since the law was enacted. She recalls attending international meetings back in 1998 when Sweden was ridiculed for its approach. "I mean, I was told you can't do that. It's impossible," she recalls. "People could not even get it into their minds that it would have any effect on trafficking. But now I get the impression that people have stopped laughing and actually are looking seriously into what can we do." Police say it's working; that customers don't want to risk punishment and that intelligence indicated pimps and traffickers quickly realized it was not worth bringing women into Sweden. Simply, there is not enough money to be made and the risk is too high. But trafficking still exists and women still sell sex in Sweden. One young woman told CNN she was promised a cleaning job in Sweden -- but within hours of arriving in the country she was locked in an apartment, raped and beaten and had her passport taken away from her. While street prostitution has dropped dramatically, selling sex over the internet is still a thriving industry. But Stockholm police estimate that there are only about 200 prostitutes now working in a capital city of more than 2 million people. It's all in stark contrast to Copenhagen. Denmark decriminalized prostitution in 1999. The idea, in part, was that making it legal to sell sex would also make it easier to police. There are conditions, however: pimping is illegal and only legal residents can work as prostitutes. Since then, Copenhagen's red light district has grown. The women walking the streets have also changed. About half used to be Danish, according to national police. Now most are African or from eastern Europe. There are no hard numbers on how many have been trafficked but social workers believe the vast majority are "vulnerable" to trafficking. Michelle Mildwater, an anti-trafficking activist with Hope Now, walks the streets of Copenhagen almost every night, hoping to reach out to victims. She says she has seen the number of prostitutes from Africa triple in just two years, although specific numbers are difficult. "What we've got on the streets is the tip of the iceberg basically," she says. The reality in Copenhagen is that the majority of prostitutes are managed by pimps, even though it's illegal. Complicating matters, many of the pimps and traffickers are themselves prostitutes, attempting to work their way out of the street by managing new recruits. "We thought that these women would be trapped and kidnapped and they wanted to be saved and rescued and they wanted to go back home," says Anne Maskell of the Danish Centre Against Human Trafficking. "But what we found out is that this is a much more complex phenomenon." Danish police have to figure out which prostitutes are in the country illegally, which prostitutes may be victims of trafficking and which prostitutes may also be pimps and traffickers. They believe that 95% of the prostitutes in Denmark are already familiar with prostitution when they arrive, know they need to cooperate with pimps to get on, and are not used to working with law enforcement. The police try to establish which of the prostitutes are there legally: those who are not will be transferred to the department that deals with illegal immigrants. Denmark's National Centre Against Trafficking coordinates police and social services to effectively identify trafficking victims. When police raid a brothel, social workers are on hand. When they have identified a possible victim of trafficking, they are placed in a safe house for a "reflection period" of up to 100 days. If, at the end of that time, the victims have not cooperated with police to prosecute their traffickers, they are deported. "Of course, we tell them [that] in the hope that they will tell us at least a little bit of the true story," says Maskell. "Because of course many of them are scared to tell their stories. And they're also scared that the authorities get to know about them." But most victims fail to cooperate, too scared to testify against their traffickers, walking out of safe houses and disappearing just before their "reflection period" ends. Politicians in Denmark are now debating whether to adopt a Swedish-style approach to the problem. In Sweden justice ministry officials say they have had an increase for requests from other countries to explain how their anti-prostitution law works and how it might be adapted. "The important thing is that any country should think about the question on demand." says Beatrice Ask, Sweden's minister of justice, "because you can't fight this organized criminality, which is often behind prostitution and trafficking for sexual purposes. You can't fight that by only looking to one side of the coin. If we could get rid of slavery, then I think this type of buying human beings is something that we have to fight too."

Scandinavian neighbors Denmark and Sweden have taken different approaches to sex trafficking . Swedish law says it is not illegal to sell sex -- but it is illegal to buy sex . In Denmark prostitution has been decriminalized with the aim of making it easier to police . Politicians in Denmark are now debating whether to adopt a Swedish-style approach .

Beijing (CNN) -- Wang Jingyao creaks open a metal door to let us into his cramped apartment. In a modest living room, he shows us a meticulously kept shrine to his wife. "My wife had always been a kind person since she was young. She was kind-hearted and gentle," he says. The photos come from a different era in China. One shows Wang and his wife, Bian Zhongyun, shoulder to shoulder and smiling at the camera. They made a handsome couple. Both joined the Communist Party in the heady post-revolution years of the early 1950s. Wang was a historian at the Chinese Academy of Science. Bian became a respected educator at an elite Beijing middle school. They dreamed of helping the Party build a new China. But just a few years later, Party loyalty proved no protection for Bian. As the madness of the Cultural Revolution engulfed Beijing, she became the first victim. "We trusted the Party, but no one ever thought it would become a party that murders people," says Wang. Red Guards, Mao's enforcers . In one sense, the events that led up to Bian's death began with the bruised ego of Mao Zedong. In the early 1960s, China's great revolutionary hero was still smarting from the catastrophic failure of the Great Leap Forward, a policy of collective farming and industry that directly and indirectly caused the deaths of millions of Chinese. Mao called on a new revolution to stamp out what he called bourgeois and counter-revolutionary influences. Conveniently, for Mao, the ensuing chaos helped shore up his personality cult and get rid of his political opponents. The early enforcers were the Red Guards, a proxy army of children and young adults that violently struck out at anyone not toeing the Maoist line. Intellectuals, educators as well as artifacts were all targeted. A favorite method was to whip their elders with the heavy metal buckles on their leather belts. But this was no random chaos. "There was absolutely a top down approach to the violence and there is plenty of evidence that everything was very carefully planned," says historian Frank Dikötter. "There were constant messages going from the Party to the students. There was nothing spontaneous about it." Beatings, then an awful climax . The trouble started in the early summer at Bian's school in Beijing. Led by their leader Song Binbin, the students labeled Bian as a counter-revolutionary and "opposing Chairman Mao," according to historian Wang Youqin, who attended the school at the time. Soon the attacks got physical with Bian and other teachers put through so-called "struggle-sessions." "Students ran onto the stage to strike Bian with iron-clad wooden training rifles. Each time Bian fell to the floor, someone would douse her with cold water and drag her upright again by the hair to endure further criticism," says Wang. Bian reached out to the Party to stop the beatings but she got no reply. Despite the obvious risks, Bian kept returning to the school. Perhaps she felt there was nowhere to hide. On the afternoon of August 5, 1966, the beatings reached their awful climax. 'We couldn't stop the beatings' The students of '66 are now in their 60s. I meet a group of them in a teahouse in Beijing. They have had careers and full lives but all seem haunted by the bloody events of that August. Liu Jin was a student leader at the school when the Red Guards targeted Bian. "I didn't know what to do," she says, "I blame myself for not stopping it." "We couldn't stop the beating, because it would have been doing something against the trend. I respected Ms. Bian, but I was too afraid to say anything," says Feng Jinglan, another former student. The mob beat Bian for three hours. They used the legs of their school desks spiked with nails. "She looked miserable. I could never forget this. She lay on the ground, her eyes were blurry, she was foaming at the mouth," recalls Liu. She says they carried Bian in a wheelbarrow to a hospital across the street from the school. Wang Jingyao got the news about his wife in a phone call from the school. "They told me that she was injured and I should go. So I went with my four children," says Wang, "I remember that hospital very clearly." Sensing the worst, Wang took a camera. He took pictures of his mortally wounded wife as evidence. The images are haunting and graphic. In one, his four children stand over their mother who lies on a gurney still clutching her handbag. "I laid a cloth over her face so my youngest wouldn't see. She had already passed," says Wang. No charges, no justice . The authorities quickly cremated the body and no one has ever been charged despite, presumably, hundreds of witnesses. Instead of condemning the murder, Mao seemed to embrace it. Just days later, he held a mass rally for the Red Guards in Tiananmen Square where Song Binbin presented a Red Guard armband to the Chairman. The official sanction of the violence was complete. "After Song Binbin presented the armband to Mao, the number of murders increased massively," says Wang Youqin, who has obsessively tracked the killings by interviewing hundreds of family members. "The Red Guards killed almost 2,000 people in the first two weeks alone." She says they only stopped when the Beijing municipal government eventually called them to halt in September. The Cultural Revolution would drag on for a decade. In a society where educators and elders are traditionally revered, the brutal violence against teachers shocked many, but over the decades, the Communist Party has helped erase discussion of the stain on their history, and the violence is rarely discussed in public. But that may be changing. Breaking the taboo . Over the past year, those closest to the events are tentatively trying to break the taboo. Song Binbin, Liu Jin and a handful of former classmates publicly apologized for the killing of Bian. "I participated in the revolution voluntarily, no one forced me," says Liu, "but after Bian's death my faith was turned. I had to question my beliefs." All of the former students we interviewed said they were powerless to stop the killing. Song declined to be interviewed. But their apologies haven't led to a widespread reckoning with the past. And few, if any, believe the Communist Party will tackle the issue. "There is hardly a person within the Cultural Revolution whose hands are not dirty in some way. It is socially and politically explosive and that is why the apologies are not likely to go much further than they have already," says Dikköter. For Wang Jingyao, they are too little, too late. He says he still wants justice for his wife's murder. "I can't accept them, the so-called apologies are hypocritical and not sincere. They just want to cover up their involvement," he said, "they just want to slip away unpunished and turn this page over."

Decades later, former students apologize for failing to stop teacher's murder . Red Guards beat Bian Zhongyun to death in 1966 for "opposing Chairman Mao" Husband Wang Jingyao wants justice for his wife, whom he described as "gentle" Couple used to dream of helping Communist Party build a new China .

KINGSTON, Ontario (CNN) -- For Shona Holmes, simple pleasures such as playing with her dog or walking in her plush garden are a gift. Canadian Shona Holmes, who had a brain tumor, sought medical care in the United States. After suffering from crushing headaches and vision problems, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor four years ago. She was told if it wasn't removed, she could go blind or even die. "They said to me that you had a brain tumor and it was pressing on your optic chasm and that it needed to come out immediately," Holmes said. Holmes is Canadian, but the "they" she refers to are doctors at the Mayo Clinic in the United States, where she turned after specialists in her own government-run health care system would not see her fast enough. "My family doctor at that time tried to get me in to see an endocrinologist and a neurologist," Holmes recalled. "It was going to be four months for one specialist and six months for the other." Watch Holmes talk about her experience in getting treatment » . Even with the warning from U.S. doctors in hand, Holmes said she still couldn't get in to see Canadian specialists. Because the government system is the only health care option for Canadians, she says she had no choice but to have the surgery in the U.S. Her treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona cost $100,000, and she and her husband put a second mortgage on their home and borrowed from family and friends to pay for it. When she recounts that part of her painful story, she weeps. "That's the stuff that I find so tragic -- having dinner with my friends and I know how much money I owe them," Holmes says, tears streaming down her face. With the health care reform debate raging in the U.S., Republicans in Washington are seizing on Holmes' story and other accounts from Canada to warn against government involvement in the health care system. The Senate's top Republican, Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, asserted several times on the Senate floor last month that a government-run health insurance option, which President Obama and Democrats want, could lead to a government-controlled health care system like Canada's. Watch McConnell talk about Canada's health care system . McConnell singled out Kingston General Hospital in Ontario as a prime example of what Americans should be fearful of: staggering delays in treatment. CNN went to Kingston General and played a DVD for its chief of staff Dr. David Zelt of McConnell slamming the hospital. Zelt insists McConnell's numbers -- an average of 340 days wait time for knee replacements, 196 days for hip replacements -- are an exaggeration. "I find it very frustrating that someone of that stature would not really have true knowledge of the numbers he is actually quoting on things," Zelt told us, saying the average wait time for a knee replacement is actually 109 days, and a hip replacement is 91 days. Watch Zelt talk about Canada's health care system » . However, Zelt does concede that in Canada's system, where every Canadian citizen is covered, there are limited resources, shortages and often delays. "In our health care system, we're looking at what we have to do to prioritize patients -- critically ill versus purely elective surgeries," Zelt said. "I'm not going to say we don't have issues with timeliness for some things. It does happen. But again take the other side of the coin -- these patients have access. They're on somebody's waiting list if they have a problem, and I think the senator would need to look at that issue. Yes it may take time, but they will get seen." McConnell's remarks have not only ruffled feathers with Ontario's doctors but also with government officials across the border. Canadian Sen. Hugh Segal, whom we met up with at Kingston's picturesque waterfront, says his "fellow conservatives" to the south are dead wrong about Canada's health care system. "The notion that we have some bureaucrat standing next to every doctor between the patient and that doctor is a complete creation, there is no truth to that at all," Segal said. Watch Canadian senator challenge McConnell's assertions » . "What you have is a longer life span, better outcomes and about one-third less costs. That's what you have." What Segal, Zelt and other Canadian officials underscore is that their government-run system is driven by the value of the care and that the quantity of tests and procedures don't necessarily equal quality. "You can have a patient from the hospital with abdominal pain as an example, and you can run him through every high-tech equipment, CT scan, MRIs -- it's unlimited," Zelt said. "But then you have to take a step back and look at that. What's the cost of doing those types of investigations, and what's the value really added to the patient?" Despite Shona Holmes' horror story about her inability to get timely treatment for a brain tumor, Canadian officials and doctors insist most life-threatening cases are treated quickly. Toronto's Doug Wright can attest to that. The 40-year-old father of three young boys found out last month he has cancer -- a tumor on his leg. But he says he never had to wait more than five days to see a specialist or get a test. And from diagnosis to surgery, it will be just over a month. "The community medical system thought this process could not have been any better. I have not had to wait to see some of the best specialists in the country, who are renowned internationally," Wright said. Watch Wright talk about his treatment » . An investment adviser, Wright has the money to go to the U.S. for his care, but says there is no need. But Wright recognizes one reason he has gotten such a rapid response from Canadian doctors is because he has cancer. "The bad news is I didn't have to wait for anything, because you don't have to wait when it's a serious issue," he said. Still, people can wait for months, or even years, for elective surgery. Wright's friend Rick Hession has a heart condition that could cause a stroke, but he has a three-month wait or more for an operation to help correct it. He says he can't exercise the way he would like to until he gets the surgery, but he's willing to wait. He calls it a small price to pay for free health coverage for all Canadians. "I'm OK with it, and I think most people I talk to find they really are [willing to wait]," says Hession. Watch Hession talk about waiting for treatment » . The reality is that despite GOP rhetoric to the contrary, no Democratic plan now on the table calls for a Canadian-like government run health care system. But in talking to doctors, government officials and even average Canadians, they concede their system is far from perfect, but there is one statistic they are quite proud of: All Canadians have health coverage. That's 33 million people, compared with the 47 million uninsured in the U.S.

Woman with tumor said wait would have been too long; she got costly U.S. treatment . Canadian man with cancer says he was put on fast track for treatment . Sen. Mitch McConnell says U.S.-run program would mimic Canada's problems . Some doctors who spoke to CNN say McConnell doesn't have facts right on waits .

(CNN) -- Breaking nose news! California Chrome CAN wear a nasal strip on June 7 in the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of horse racing's "Triple Crown," track officials confirmed on Monday, so we can all breathe a little easier about him now. I keep hearing why California Chrome can't become our next Superhorse, with a capital S: . Chrome can't win the Kentucky Derby because: 1) he is the odds-on favorite to win, and the derby's favorite "never" wins, and 2) he is a California-bred, and a California horse "never" wins the derby. Then he DID win the Derby. Chrome can't win the Preakness because: 1) he developed a cough before the race, so he's obviously too "hoarse" to win (hahaha), and 2) the horse ate like a pig for two solid weeks following the Kentucky Derby, putting on so much weight that there's no way he will win the Preakness. Then he DID win the Preakness. I suppose it shouldn't have been a shock that I began hearing why California Chrome wouldn't win the Belmont Stakes on June 7, and with it the "Triple Crown" of horse racing, becoming the first horse to earn this coveted crown since Affirmed in 1978. He was going to lose it by a nose. Literally. California Chrome wears a nasal strip, not unlike human beings who want to keep dust and dirt and true grit and other stuff that's hazardous to your health out of their sinus passages. He has won six races in a row with a nasal strip across his handsome proboscis. It obviously gave this California smog-breather a little breathing room. But whoa ... a possibility suddenly existed that Chrome wouldn't be permitted to wear a nasal strip for the Belmont race, which at a mile and a half is the longest of the Triple Crown events and which is run on Long Island in New York, which has been known to have a speck of dust or two. (Hey, it's an "island.") The last time this nasal-strip business came up, a horse named I'll Have Another had just won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness to become the four-legged darling of 2012. If it could win the Belmont next, it could become the 12th horse in the history of thoroughbred hoofbeats to win that Triple Crown. Not to mention the prize money and the millions of dollars in stud fees that went along with it. Back in 2012, Belmont's racing officials had notified I'll Have Another's handlers that a nasal strip would be prohibited. It is up to each organization's discretion whether to permit such a thing, so Belmont's decision makers, along with those from the New York Racing Association, had the final say. It became moot when I'll Have Another was withdrawn on the eve of the Belmont, unable to go for "another" due to a sore tendon. This weekend, the nose thing reared its ugly head again. Chrome's trainer, 77-year-old Art Sherman, pointed out Sunday that there was a distinct possibility the horse's owners might yank their fast horse right out of the race. He said a nasal strip had been the idea of Perry Martin, the horse's co-owner, who has been thoroughly pleased with the thoroughbred's success since strapping it onto his schnoz. "He might not run if they say you can't run with a nasal strip," Sherman suggested. Martin is an unpredictable guy. He didn't even attend Saturday's running of the Preakness. The horse's other owner, Steve Coburn, a walrus-mustached Wilford Brimley lookalike in a cowboy hat, indicated his partner Martin was still doing a burn over what he deemed to be inhospitable treatment at Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby. It wasn't long after California Chrome's impressive victory (by a length and a half) in Maryland that the downside of the Louisville experience, two weeks before, reared its ugly head. "Even though we won (the Kentucky Derby), it was a bad day for my partner and his family," Coburn blurted out on Martin's behalf. One complaint reportedly was the way the needs of Martin's mother, an elderly woman in a wheelchair, were not met after Martin went to great effort to bring her to Churchill Downs for the race. By coincidence, Ron Turcotte, the jockey of the great Secretariat during the 1970s, also is in a wheelchair and complained about Churchill Downs' indifference to his situation. Turcotte implied that he would never go to a Kentucky Derby again. "Handicap" is strictly a horse-race term in this generation, no longer a permissible word in regard to human physicality. Oh, though, it sure is becoming a topical double-entendre these days at Churchill Downs. As for a certain living creature's breathing needs? Sherman said of nasal strips, "A lot of horses all over California wear them all the time ... Maryland lets you use them." Furthermore, harness-race horses -- trotters and pacers pulling sulkies -- apparently do have permission in New York to wear nasal strips as well. But would Belmont say nay to Chrome's wearing one? Nope, they say OK. California Chrome, the coast is clear. And so is your nasal cavity, so on you go to the third and last run for everlasting glory. Triple Crown winners thus far: Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977) and Affirmed (1978). That's it. I wasn't among the 123,469 spectators at Pimlico who saw Saturday's running of the Preakness. I did, 3,000 miles away, go to Santa Anita, basically the "home track" of California Chrome, to watch the race alongside thousands of his fans, many of whom wore a free purple or green California Chrome cap they were given as they entered the track. It was a sunny, smog-free day under a beautiful blue sky, so I saw no human in a face mask. If the West Coast's favorite horse didn't get to run in New York because of what he didn't get to wear, a lot of these people would have had a new reason to hold their noses. They'd have all been saying, "This stinks." Luckily, no hanky-panky is happening and Chrome is good to go. The nose mess has been cleared up. (Note: This article was updated with news of the decision by New York officials Monday to allow the nasal strips.)

California Chrome wins the Preakness and could contend for the Triple Crown . Mike Downey says nasal strips could get in the way, if racing officials object to them . He says the horse's fans won't be happy if it's not allowed to race with nasal strips . No horse has won the Triple Crown since 1978 .

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Peace talks between the United States and the Taliban over the war in Afghanistan will probably be held "in the next few days," a senior U.S. administration official told CNN on Wednesday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer up a time line for the discussions. But a prisoner exchange is one of the issues the United States intends to discuss with the Taliban. Senior U.S. officials say they want the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a soldier captured by militants in 2009. "We have every reason to believe" Bowe Bergdahl is alive, a Pentagon official told CNN. News that the meeting was moving forward followed a tumultuous day that saw questions raised about the peace process after an angry Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he was pulling out of the peace talks with the Taliban and canceling security talks with the United States. Karzai was angered about reports that the Taliban appeared to be offering their new office in Doha, Qatar, up as an alternative government, going so far as to put up a sign proclaiming it the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan -- the name the Taliban used during their rule. In a statement released by Karzai's office, the president said "foreign powers" were behind Tuesday's opening of the Taliban office. Taliban talks announced as Afghanistan assumes security . Karzai appeared to renew earlier claims that the Taliban and Western officials want to destabilize Afghanistan. Despite Karzai's decisions to pull back, the United States continues "close coordination" with the Afghan government on peace and security talks, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jenn Psaki said Wednesday. Karzai's office said Taliban rhetoric about continuing to take the fight to Afghan and foreign fighters, even as the group pursues a political solution, was "completely in contradiction to the assurance that was given to Afghanistan by the United States of America." He used similar justification for suspending security negotiations with the United States over the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan past the scheduled pullout next year. In March, Karzai appeared to accuse the United States and the Taliban of collusion, saying violent attacks by the group "show that the Taliban are serving the foreigners and are not against them." He later walked the remarks back, saying they were misinterpreted. Speaking Wednesday in Berlin, U.S. President Barack Obama said he wasn't surprised by Karzai's response. "We had anticipated that at the outset there were going to be some areas of friction, to put it mildly, in getting this thing off the ground," Obama said. But he said that he believes Karzai remains committed to political reconciliation, and that he needs to be. "We don't expect that it will be easy," Obama told reporters at a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "But we do think ultimately we're going to need to see Afghans talking to Afghans about how they can move forward and end the cycle of violence so they can start actually building their country." At their office in Doha, Taliban make changes . Conflicting Taliban messages . The Taliban opened the Doha office with a promise to renounce international terrorism and commit to peace negotiations, conditions the United States had set before it would support establishing the office as part of peace talks. But a Taliban spokesman also said the group would continue its military campaign, a promise soon followed by the group's claim of responsibility for the death of four U.S. troops. Psaki said that the name of the Taliban office came as a surprise to U.S. officials and that Qatari officials took the name off the office door Wednesday, replacing it with the more neutral "Political Office of the Afghan Taliban." Karzai's office said Wednesday that his administration wants peace with the Taliban. 4 Americans killed at U.S. base in Afghanistan; Taliban claim responsibility . "But the messages of continuation of fighting which were sent out during the opening of the Taliban office in Qatar are completely in contradiction with the peace-wanting spirit of the government of Afghanistan," Karzai said. He said the High Peace Council would not take part in the talks with the Taliban in Doha "until the process is completely left to Afghans." Karzai earlier Wednesday suspended talks with the United States over maintaining a troop presence in Afghanistan to help train Afghan forces past the scheduled 2014 pullout date for Western troops. The agreement could provide the basis for any future NATO role in Afghanistan. Karzai's decision to suspend those talks came a day after NATO-led troops transferred security responsibility to Afghan forces. The Afghan government suspended the talks "in view of the contradiction between acts and the statements made by the United States of America in regard to the Peace Process," it said in a statement. Why is U.S. now brokering peace with Taliban? Hopes revived for captured soldier . Bergdahl was captured after he finished his guard shift at a combat outpost in Afghanistan's Paktika province, in the southeastern section of the county. Since his capture, four videos of the Idaho native have been released. The last video was sent in February 2011, and it's unclear where Bergdahl is being held now. He was a private at the time. The army has been giving him promotions that would have come to him had his Army career gone as planned. If he returns home safely, the Army will give him all the back pay that he has earned while in captivity. The military told CNN it had no reason to believe Bergdahl was dead. Bergdahl's family received a letter from the captive soldier recently. His father mentioned receiving the letter in an e-mail exchange with Dwight Murphy, the spokesman for the local POW/MIA group in Boise Valley, Idaho. "We have received a letter from Bowe through the Red Cross!" the father says in the exchange. "He was scripted and redacted but he was no doubt alive and his faculties fully functioning as of two months ago." He did not say when he got the letter, but Murphy copied and pasted the exchange with the father on his Facebook page after receiving his permission to do so. The father's letter goes on say, "They are being very careful with him. He is still highly valued at high levels. "Guantanamo, drones and politics in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Washington are still the big issues." His father has rarely spoken to the media. In his exchange with Murphy, he said he believed "we are getting closer to a resolution." But, he added, there seems to be a disagreement among the Taliban about the direction forward. "It appears at least several parties want to arbitrate captive SGT Bowe, several others ... want to keep fighting until every single Westerner is out," the father said. Why Taliban would talk as withdrawal looms . Jill Dougherty reported from Washington and Masoud Popalzai from Kabul. Chelsea J. Carter reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Mitra Mobasherat, Ed Payne, Joe Sterling, Cristy Lenz and Michael Pearson contributed to this report.

NEW: Prisoner exchanges will be on the agenda . NEW: The U.S. wants Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to be released, official says . NEW: U.S., Afghan governments in "close coordination," State Department official says . NEW: Obama: Afghan President Hamid Karzai remains committed to political reconciliation .

(CNN) -- Just west of Seville in Spain, a sea of giant mirrors is reflecting the sun's energy to provide "concentrated solar power" (CSP) while illuminating the path to a new wave of green energy projects. Shining beacon: The concentrated solar power plant in Sanlucar, Spain is the first of its kind. The 624 carefully positioned mirrors reflect the sun's heat towards a 50 meter-tall central tower where it is concentrated and used to boil water into steam. The superheated steam is then used to turn a turbine that can produce up to 11 megawatts of electricity -- enough power for 6,000 homes -- according Solucar, the Spanish company that has built the power plant. While traditional solar panels, photovoltaic cells, convert the sun's power directly into electricity, CSP focuses power from a wide area and uses the vast heat generated to make electricity in a similar way to that produced from coal or oil. The Spanish tower, known as PS10, is the first phase of an ambitious development. By 2013 it is hoped that additional towers will create a "solar farm" with an output of 300 megawatts, which would be enough power for 180,000 homes, or equivalent to the entire population of nearby Seville. This $1.5 billion project is the largest commercial CSP station in the world -- so far. But many believe the technology will soon take off in areas of continuous hot sun and clear skies, offering a cheaper and more efficient alternative to photovoltaic cells, and bringing jobs and money to arid, often depressed areas. CSP also produces no greenhouses gasses and the only pollution is visual. The European Union has invested over $31 million in CSP research over the last ten years. At least 50 CSP projects have been given permission to begin construction across Spain. By 2015 the country may be producing two gigawatts of electricity from CSP, and employing thousands in the industry. One of the strengths of CSP is that it allows the construction of power stations on a scale that can match many fossil fuel based plants, and for an investment far less than that required to install the equivalent wattage of photovoltaic cells. There is also the possibility that production can keep going around the clock -- even when the sun has gone down. Solucar is currently testing technology at a plant near Granada that will pump 50 percent of the electricity generated in the day into the Spanish national grid, and use the other 50 percent to melt salt, which will then act as a kind of battery, storing the sun's power. When dusk falls, the heat stored in the molten salt can be used to generate power through the night. "These technologies excite me," says Dr Jeff Hardy, Network Manager at the UK Energy Research Council. "One of the real advantages is that you can get a decent sized power plant. "The main challenge with the technology is working with extreme heat, but then a lot of the back-end is very similar to a traditional fossil-fuel generation; you are after all just dealing with water heated to make steam and drive a turbine." Concentrating on promoting CSP worldwide . As America looks to increase the contribution of renewables to its overall energy mix -- a key part of the Obama plan before the recession turbocharged Government funding for such "green" infrastructure projects -- the potential of CSP technology is obvious. The Spanish company responsible for the Sanlucar la Mayor plant has seen the potential and created Solucar Power, Inc., a subsidiary aiming to develop the market in the USA. There is already a huge Solar Energy Generating Systems' CSP station in the Mojave Desert, California; Spanish firm Acciona has built a plant near Las Vegas. Many more are surely on their way. One bold projection estimates that a single plant 100 miles by 100 miles located in the American South West could generate enough electricity for the whole country. It would obviously be a huge undertaking -- politically, financially and scientifically -- but it's not hard to imagine such a scheme finding a home in the nation's vast, empty quarter. Other equally arid areas may also find themselves transformed, and CSP may be able to offer valuable foreign earnings for drought-stricken Africa -- while giving Europe the green energy it needs. According to Dr Hardy the technology has a ready application, given the right political, environmental and economic context. "Concentrated Solar Power is proven to do well in countries like Spain with a favorable government policies and the right climate," he says. "I can certainly see the potential for extended networks linking together, and the idea of a North African grid linking renewable resources is a real possibility." Providing power, jobs and money . The Sahara, the world's largest desert, is fringed by some of the poorest countries in the world and the harsh environment has always been seen as a problem, with it's vast, waterless interior regularly reaching temperatures of over 45 degrees Celsius. But with large-scale CSP projects, suddenly all that empty space, with its year-round clear skies and hot sun, has a value that could transform local economies. It could potentially turn Africa into a net exporter of energy to power-hungry Europe, and perhaps even do for countries in North Africa what oil did for Saudi Arabia. The sums are dizzying. Estimates vary, but one projection from the German Aerospace Agency puts the amount of solar energy stored in just one per cent of the Sahara -- 35,000 square miles, or a piece of land slightly smaller than Portugal -- as having the potential to yield more power than all the world's existing power plants combined. Already Spanish firms are exporting CSP technology to Morocco and Algeria, and a British consortium, the Sahara Forest Project, is testing the technology in the deserts of Oman. Costs and benefits . However, there is a problem: at the moment costs are still very high. But they are falling as plants get bigger, the technology is perfected and economies of scale kick in. Even so, any plans to power Europe from the Sahara would require a vast infrastructure of CSP plants and cables laid across the Mediterranean -- requiring billions upon billions of dollars in investment. Such sums will only be possible through international co-operation on a huge scale. But on a smaller, more local scale a simple change in the way electricity generators are paid has been hugely effective in boosting renewable power. In Spain and other European countries investment has been encouraged by Governments creating what's known as a "feed in tariff," which pays companies a premium for power sold to the national grid generated by renewable means for a fixed period of time. This enables investors to pay back up front costs more quickly. Where they have been introduced they have brought about a huge increase in renewable power: Germany has 200 times as much solar energy as Britain, generates 12 percent of its electricity from renewables, and has created a quarter of a million jobs in the sector. We're a long way from a future where the Sahara becomes the world's largest source of renewable electricity, and the American South West is covered in mirrors lighting and powering cities across the continent. There are many huge issues yet to resolve, but with small steps, we may be moving towards it.

Concentrated solar power projects in Spain leading field in that form of green energy . Potential of CSP in desert regions around the globe; more benefits than power . Plans to transform Sara ha would involve huge costs; small projects breaking through .

(CNN) -- Powerful winds and a tornado spawned by a 1,000-mile-long storm system pounded communities in northwest Georgia on Wednesday, overturning dozens of vehicles and trapping residents. The tornado caused significant damage in Adairsville, Georgia. One person died in that town and another died in Tennessee, authorities reported. At least 17 people were injured in Georgia, two critically. The Adairsville death marks the first person killed by a U.S. tornado in 220 days, a record for most consecutive days without such a fatality, said CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen. Severe weather 101 . The storm churned eastward, prompting severe thunderstorm and flash-flood warnings in eastern Tennessee and western portions of the Carolinas. The front has led to nearly 400 reports of severe wind and 20 of tornadoes over two days, from Texas to Pennsylvania. In the Adairsville storm, winds caused significant damage to a motel and a manufacturing plant, according to Craig Millsap, fire chief and interim emergency management director for Bartow County. The motel's guests are believed safe and workers at the Daiki plant have all been accounted for, he said. Daiki employees hid in a kitchen and bathroom as the tornado snatched the roof off and left much of the plant in ruins. Two workers suffered minor injuries. The driver of a commercial truck that was overturned near Adairsville said the storm "grew legs and just started accelerating." He told CNN Atlanta affiliate WGCL he was unscathed. "There is no way in the world that if you see this debris behind me I should be alive." The National Weather Service reported major structural damage and overturned cars in downtown Adairsville, where a news crew for CNN affiliate WSB-TV witnessed a tornado form and touch down Wednesday morning. The death came when a building collapsed, Millsap said. 10 deadliest U.S. tornadoes . Nine people in Bartow County suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. The storm caused major damage on and near Interstate 75, the Georgia Department of Transportation said. The weather service, citing emergency management officials, said dozens of cars had been overturned near Exit 306 at Adairsville. Officials reported up to 100 homes damaged in Bartow and Gordon counties. Georgia emergency officials reported eight injuries in Gordon County, north of Adairsville. Two of the injuries were described as critical. Interactive: Check your forecast . "There have been a number of entrapments, and deputies, firemen and emergency personnel have all been working to free those people," said Robert Paris, Gordon County's chief deputy sheriff. "I don't believe we have any more trapped at this time." The tornado struck a subdivision that also was hit by storms in 2011, Paris said. "This one appears to be much, much worse. But this was almost the same path. There were some people that had to go through both of them." Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency for both counties. State officials late Wednesday afternoon said they had no reports of anyone unaccounted for, but searches of homes and businesses were continuing. Trees and power lines were down as the result of a possible tornado in Georgia's Gilmer County, the weather service said. KFVS: Power outages from storm . Utilities reported about 21,000 customers without power in west and north Georgia and metropolitan Atlanta. In Tennessee, a 47-year-old man died early Wednesday when high winds toppled a tree onto a roof in Nashville, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said. CNN affiliate WSMV said the victim was in a building next to a home. Other injuries were reported in Chester, McNairy and Henderson counties, emergency management spokesman Jeremy Heidt said. The National Weather Service also reported severe weather or damage Wednesday in Texas, Mississippi and Alabama. Tornadoes were confirmed in Marion County, Kentucky, and Harrison County, Indiana. In the mountains of North Carolina, iReporter Matt Able said most of the roads around Appalachian State in Boone were impassible because of flooding. He sent in video of people driving down U.S. 321, which was under several inches of water. "People were driving down the middle of the (four-lane) road to avoid being swept away by the fast-moving water," he said. WBKO: Tractor trailer flips on I-65 . Northern Florida, southeastern Georgia, much of South Carolina and portions of North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland were under a tornado watch Wednesday night. CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said the massive storm system was 1,000 miles north to south, moving eastward in a belt that will eventually stretch from New York to Florida. "If it's hot and humid where you are, then you are still in the danger zone," Myers said. The strong cold front causing the severe weather brought huge extremes in temperature readings. Thermometers reached the low 80s in parts of southeast Georgia and South Carolina, the 50s in Tennessee and the 30s in Illinois. WFIE: Storms blow new roof off tri-state church . Earlier, in Alabama, the storms blew the metal roof off a building in Sheffield, CNN affiliate WHNT said. The storm also damaged a church steeple in Rogersville, the station reported. In Kentucky, winds blew off much of the roof of the Penrod Missionary Baptist Church and damaged several homes, CNN affiliate WFIE reported. In Nashville, the weather service listed dozens of damage reports across the region: a funnel cloud was reported early Wednesday in Jackson County, there were dozens of reports of downed trees and power lines, and law enforcement reported damage to homes and businesses. CNN affiliate WSMV also reported the partial collapse of an office building in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. "I built it myself to take an event like this. And it looks like a freight train hit it," the station quoted building owner Dewey Lineberry as saying. "It's just destroyed. It laid the building down on top of cars, it put the building on top of people. It's unbelievable." Workers who were inside the building when the storm hit took cover under mattresses, the station said. The storm came dangerously close to WSMV, the station reported: Workers had to move to a safe room when a buzzer in the newsroom alerted them of storm danger around 4 a.m. Wednesday, the station reported. WKRN: Confirmed tornado . CNN iReporter Matt Davis said overnight storms damaged a historic brick structure on Fairvue Plantation in Gallatin, Tennessee. "The plantation was a horse farm. Those (structures) have been standing there for 100 to 200 years. It was sad to see those collapsed and caved in. It's historic to the neighborhood," the high school student said. On Tuesday, the storms raked Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, among other places, with heavy rain and high wind. Photos: Finding art in icy weather . CNN's Ben Brumfield, Ryan Rios and Miguel Marquez contributed to this report.

NEW: Streets flood at college campus in western North Carolina . Much of the affected region goes through huge temperature fluctuations . A Georgia TV news crew sees tornado form; damage is reported in Adairsville . A Tennessee man dies when a tree falls on his home, emergency managers say .

Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- Laith repeats my question back to me, chuckling. "What is the Iraqi media saying about the US elections?" He pauses, thinking how best to answer. "Man, the situation is so bad now, we only pay attention to staying alive." He laughs again. An Iraqi journalist who works for several international news organizations, Laith tells me that he only narrowly escaped being killed by a car bomb the previous day. "If I had been a few minutes late for work, you wouldn't be able to talk to me." Laith chuckles again like so many people do in Baghdad, a resilient, tough, warm laugh. It's been nine years since the United States and its allies invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein. And although the war officially ended when American combat troops withdrew at the end of 2011, it's far from peace time here. Postcard: "Ignore us at your peril," Afghans say . Although violence in Iraq is down significantly since 2006 and 2007, bombings, kidnappings, and assassinations are part of everyday life across the country. The Iraq Body Count database estimates that seven people have been killed every single day by suicide and car bomb attacks this year. The bomb that missed Laith killed at least seven people . At 6:30 a.m. the following morning, I'm met more with confusion than humor when I ask the same thing of a group of day laborers in the rundown neighborhood of Bataween. "We only watch football," says one man. "We don't care about elections." In fact, only one of the workers in the group of 40 or so standing around even knows that there's an election going on in the United States. Rayad Salam, a 25-year-old from Nasiriya, catches my attention. Like everyone else on the corner, he is wearing a generic threadbare soccer tracksuit, the ubiquitous uniform of the terminally poor. Postcard: Athenians fear what follows U.S. election . Rayad came to Baghdad after graduating from university with a degree in Classical Arabic. He wanted to be a teacher, but couldn't find a job back home so came to the capital to work. Rayad makes 25,000 IQD day ($20) if he manages to find work, which he only does about three days a week. He tells me he'll take any kind of work, including the most dangerous job in Iraq: policeman. When I ask him why, his answer is so universal it could have come from any one of the millions of Americans still suffering from the financial crisis: "All I want is a job so I can take care of my family." He leans forward to tell me something else, but a middle aged man pushes his way through the crowd and tells me I'd better leave. The group standing around me is drawing attention to itself and we're now making a perfect target for a bomb attack. Traffic squeezes its way around Baghdad's clogged streets, which are pinched every few miles by military checkpoints where bored soldiers lazily hold metal rods — nicknamed "Solomon's cane" — next to passing cars, in the hope they will "sniff" out hidden bombs. Postcard: Should U.S. raise fist to Cuba? The cars gridlocked in traffic make it clear that although Baghdad is still dangerous, it certainly isn't poor. Among the old and beat up vehicles are plenty of brand new Land Cruisers, Pajeros, BMW X series, and black Hummer H3s. These are not the armored versions that move in convoys from fortified location to fortified location -- they are the personal cars of the city's middle class. In the evenings the city's wealthy roam the streets of Karada, in the center of the city, where the lights shine almost as bright as Times Square. Here you can indulge in handmade ice cream, or splash out on the latest European fashions. With oil exports in Iraq at a 30-year high (August's revenues were $8.4 billion), a lot of well-positioned people are getting extremely wealthy. More: Get latest news at CNN Election HQ . Here there is a vague understanding of the two different candidates for those that watch the international Arab language channels such as Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya. Not surprisingly, Bush's party is deeply unpopular. Toma Zaki Zahroon, a leader of the Mandean ethnic minority, explains that the "Republicans make trouble for the U.S. Republicans will create tension with the Arab world." Someone else tells me, "Obama is a peaceful man, but if Romney is elected he'll damage Arabs. I don't know his policy but when I see his face he looks like the devil." The most nuanced view, however, comes from Sheikh Jawad Al-Khalisi, a highly respected Shiite religious leader: "There's not a big difference between Democrats and Republicans. I don't trust either candidate because they are both influenced by lobbyists. U.S. policy is actually against the American people. In 2003 Americans protested against the war, but they weren't heard." Postcard: Why India longs for U.S. election . Baghdadis don't trust U.S. politicians, but neither do they trust their own. "The government is full of thieves," 23-year-old Karar tells me in his home in Hurriya, a dangerous neighborhood in northwest Baghdad. Corruption, in fact, is what most Baghdadis talk about when they talk politics. Iraq's parliament is in a constant state of dysfunction; warring coalitions block each other at every turn and assassinations and police brutality are used as political tools. Karar doesn't care for politics. He's a college kid whose life is dominated by working, studying, and just surviving. A year ago he was injured in a bomb attack in his neighborhood and then just a few weeks ago another bomb went off near his house, killing three of his friends. Karar tells me all of this in a very matter-of-fact way, and I ask him why he seems so unaffected by it. "I feel sad. I'm so sorry about their families. But what can I do? This is normal for us. If you see your friend today, you don't see him tomorrow." As he pauses, the electricity cuts out and the ceiling fan stops turning. Even with the oil exports, new cars, and imported fashions, basic services in Baghdad are still terrible. On average Baghdadis receive eight to 12 hours of national electricity a day, which makes life in the summer -- when temperatures easily reach 120 degrees -- almost unbearable. Even in September, once the ceiling fan has stopped rotating, the room immediately begins to heat up. Karar gestures at everyone sitting in the room sweating and he finally answers my question about what he thinks of the U.S. election. "I don't think that a change of American presidents will have any effect on Iraq," he says and then a huge grin spreads across his face and he starts to laugh that unique, resilient Baghdadi laugh.

U.S. troops withdrew last year, but the violence continues in Baghdad . Republican party still seen as the party of George W. Bush by many in Baghdad . Many who follow the election see little difference between Democrats, Republicans .

(CNN) -- On Monday the World Court in the Hague ruled that Japan's "scientific" whale-hunting was baloney. It ordered Japan to revoke its "scientific research" permits to all its ships, effectively tying Japan's fleet to the dock and silencing the cannons and exploding bombs that are the way whales die nowadays. Japan says it will abide. I wish it would take this opportunity to bow gracefully out of something so dishonest and unfit for modernity. But I expect a fragile truce, and only a partial one. That's because Japan has a history of creatively bending the rules beyond the breaking point of international intent. Authorities and whalers seem committed to killing whales first and finding a rationale second, and it would be no surprise if the program were tweaked in some meaningless way so they could excuse continued hunting. Or they might say the court's ruling applies only in Antarctic waters and not the Pacific, where they also hunt. Or they might simply ignore the ban like their suppliers Norway and Iceland. Come with me to three faraway places and you might see why I feel deeply and strongly about whales. During the week it takes us to circle the ice-crowned sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, we see exactly two large whales -- and two now-defunct whaling stations. In 1904, the Norwegian whaler C.F. Larsen arrived right here and wrote with astonishment, "I see them in hundreds and thousands." During the next 60 years, whalers killed about 2 million whales in the Southern Hemisphere, including about 360,000 blue whales, 200,000 humpbacks, almost 400,000 sperm whales, and a staggering 750,000 fin whales. Many of those whales should still be alive. That's why we haven't seen more whales. Down along the Antarctic Peninsula on a penguin-research expedition, we find that the beach at King George Island is strewn with bigger-than-dinosaur bones of great whales, cast off after the whales were stripped of flesh. A whale vertebrae the size of a hassock makes a good seat for jotting a few notes. Then, like children making up a game, we'll try to walk a couple hundred yards on the bones of whales killed by human beings, without stepping on the sand. It's quite do-able. One skull -- a blue whale -- measures 12 feet across, eye to eye. Lengthwise, from tip-of-jaw to back-of-skull, we pace it out at 27 boot-lengths. The jawbone is so big around that it comes up past our knees. We look at each other, then glance seaward, knowing that the now-silent bay should be spouting whales. Next to the far north. In the Arctic's Svalbard islands north of Norway, we have come to observe the accelerated melting of glaciers, and we find abandoned whalers' shacks and more whale bones on the beach. These bowheads, killed by the tens of thousands, barely cling to existence in the Atlantic. In 1993, two stone harpoon points were found inside an Alaskan bowhead. It had been harpooned by 19th century hunters still living in the Stone Age. Industrial-age Eskimos finally got it. In chemical analyses of Alaskan bowheads, the oldest whale was deemed 211 years old at its death. It had been gliding through icy seas when Thomas Jefferson was president. What Herman Melville in Moby-Dick called "so remorseless a havoc" still resonates in the wide silences of polar seas. Most large whale populations remain depressed. There's no humane way to kill a whale. And at roughly 10 times the price of chicken, no people will starve if they don't eat whale meat. An elderly Inupiat woman once offered me a few pieces of bowhead blubber after inviting me into her home. It really warmed me, and was surprisingly bland-tasting. But the whale needed it more than I did. Australia and New Zealand had argued that Japan was abusing a loophole allowing lethal scientific research within the worldwide commercial whaling ban. (Norway and Iceland ignore the ban). Japan has been killing protected species and hunting in an internationally declared Antarctic whale sanctuary. The international agreement banning commercial whaling allows whale killing "for the purposes of scientific research." The court found that Japan was doing "research," but that the whole program was commercial whaling wrapped in a research shroud. In 2012, Japan's Fisheries Agency director explained that minke (rhymes with "kinky") whale meat is, "prized because it is said to have a very good flavor and aroma when eaten as sashimi and the like." He added that, "the scientific whaling program ... was necessary to achieve a stable supply of minke whale meat." In other words, the program is not "for the purpose" of scientific research. The court busted Japan on that. As for the quality of the research, the court noted with understatement, "Japan points to only two peer-reviewed papers... since 2005 and has involved the killing of about 3,600 minke whales, (thus) the scientific output to date appears limited." At my university, a science professor who published two papers would be terminated by year six. Basically, the court affirmed what was always obvious: Japan's research was bogus. (Part of the research is "to determine pregnancy rates" by seeing if they're pregnant at the time of death.) And although it's for commercial purposes, it loses money and is publicly subsidized. Japan compares killing whales with Westerners killing cows. Nice try, but Japan's own laws on killing cows require swift and humane killing. It would be illegal in Japan to kill cows the way they kill whales. Sure, whaling is part of Japanese culture: It's part of New England culture too. Yesterday's culture. There are plenty of old-style harpoons on the walls of Yankee restaurants. That's a good place for them. It's time for Japan to update its strange commitment to cruel and useless whale killing. Much of the world is more interested in whales than ever. We've just gotten beyond killing, into real research, and gained better appreciation and understanding. So I am happy with the ruling that will at least hit the pause button on Japan's incomprehensibly outmoded whale hunts. Japan embraces Western influences ranging from baseball to jazz, business suits, trains, and tobacco. Suzuki makes Samurai cars that harken to an older culture, not samurai swords that cling to it. It's time for Japan to come into the 21st century and hang up the whaling. For good.

World Court ruled Japan's "scientific" whale-hunting was baloney and it must stop . Carl Safina: Japan ducks ban on whaling with "research' excuse: Court agrees it's for meat . Safina: Using cannon and bombs, whaling empties oceans once teeming with whales . He says arguing whaling is Japanese culture is no excuse: It's New England culture too .

Hampton, Florida (CNN) -- It's do-or-die time in a city that has been threatened with extinction, become a symbol of small-town corruption and even been mocked in the media as "too Florida, even for Florida." Can this worn-down, one-stoplight city prove to detractors that it can save its very soul from the venal forces that tempted it to set up a speed trap, rake in $1 million over the past few years and then lose track of the money? State lawmakers are traveling tonight to the Victory Baptist Church to see for themselves whether Hampton has been scared straight. If state Sen. Rob Bradley and state Rep. Charles Van Zant don't like what they hear, they have vowed to move forward with a bill to dissolve the city's charter. It would be an extreme measure, for sure, and the first time anyone can remember the Florida legislature taking away a municipality's right to govern itself. Some, like Bradley, say residents would hardly notice the difference. Hampton's library would still lend out books. Kids would still attend the award-winning local elementary school. The parks would still be open. And the county sheriff already has taken over patrolling the streets. All Hampton's residents would be missing, Bradley has said, is about $100 a year in city taxes and an unnecessary layer of government that didn't serve them very well in the first place. But losing their cityhood would be a devastating blow to Hampton's collective sense of pride. Residents think their city is worth fighting for. And so, for the past month, they've been coming up with a way to save Hampton. A Facebook page dedicated to the cause has grown to 309 followers -- big doings in a city with fewer than 500 people in it. The scandal that set tongues wagging . Writing tickets began innocently enough, said Hampton's newly appointed city attorney, John Cooper, who's donating his services during the crisis. A Texaco station out on U.S. 301 asked for police protection, and Hampton agreed to annex a 1,200-foot stretch of highway. Only later did someone come up with the idea that there was plenty of easy money to be made from catching speeders and writing tickets, just like neighboring cities Waldo and Lawtey were doing. And so, Hampton officially became a notorious speed trap. The way the city map was redrawn, it looked like a giant mosquito, with Hampton sucking money directly from the highway. Problem was, the police department constantly overspent its budget, and all that ticket revenue never seemed to benefit anybody outside of City Hall. The police department swelled to 19 officers, including the chief. But Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith says many of the officers weren't trained properly, and the audit found that some of them drove uninsured vehicles. One officer, nicknamed "Rambo," dressed in tactical gear and strapped an assault rifle across his chest -- just to write tickets. 2011 was Hampton's bumper year for tickets -- and it also was the year Rep. Van Zant was caught by Hampton's radar guns. He promptly paid his ticket, but the experience reminded him of the growing stack of citizen complaints. In April 2013, Van Zant asked the state auditor general to look into the city's finances. Barry Layne Moore came into the mayor's office last fall promising things were going to change. By then, the auditors had visited City Hall, and people had a sense bad news was coming. But they still had no idea how bad. Moore barely had time to trim the hedges before he was snagged in a sheriff's sting operation. According to court documents, he allegedly sold a single, 30-milligram oxycodone pill -- a "blueberry" in street terms -- to an undercover informant for $20. The mayor was sitting in the Bradford County jail in February when the audit was formally released and the battle for the 89-year-old city's survival began. The audit was scathing, citing violations of Hampton's city charter, as well as state and federal tax codes. The audit found plenty of other irregularities that shocked lawmakers -- including rampant nepotism, double-dipping and runaway expenses. There were duplicate payroll checks, a $132,000 credit account at the local BP station and convenience store and $27,000 in charges run up on a credit card for items that "served no public purpose." In all, the 31 violations read like a text book of municipal malfeasance. Read the audit [PDF] . Legislators Bradley and Van Zant called for Hampton's demise. "Why is this even a city?" Bradley wondered. The two men met with residents last month at the Bradford County Courthouse and were taken aback by the passion of their pleas to spare Hampton. Some residents said yanking the charter would be like victimizing them twice. A criminal investigation is under way as Hampton continues to fight for its life. The lawmakers issued a list of conditions city officials would have to meet if Hampton is to survive as a city. Basically, Hampton was told it would have to elect a new city council, hire a new staff, give back the annexed strip of land along U.S. 301 and get out of the speed trap business for good. Police Chief John Hodges, City Clerk Jan Hall and her son, chief maintenance worker Adam Hall, had already quit or been fired by then. After the lawmakers delivered their list of demands, City Council member Charles Norris Hall, the clerk's husband, submitted his resignation. The center of government was no longer what former mayor Jim Mitzel called Hampton's "City of Halls." Moore resigned as mayor from the jail, where he is awaiting trial on the drug charge. He had been suspended since his arrest. The city attorney also resigned. The remaining council members replaced councilman Hall with a Baptist preacher and brought Cooper on board as the city attorney. If it survives, Hampton will hold a special election in September. The four members of the city council -- including a deputy who works at the jail and who hand-delivered Moore's resignation letter -- have agreed to resign after the election. The city also will vote to amend its 1925 charter, eliminating its police force. There literally will be a new sheriff in town. Hampton also is in the process of adopting an ordinance that would release the annexed strip of U.S. 301. It will hold onto the strip of land along County Road 18, because a water line serves a new subdivision there, but Hampton will no longer touch U.S. 301. Cooper, the city attorney, said he is optimistic that Hampton can convince its critics that it has cleaned up its act. "Each of these items has been addressed, or we are addressing it," he said. "If we are operating within the statutes and within the law and our citizens want their city, they should be open to it. "Hampton's been there a long time."

Hampton expects to learn fate at tonight's meeting with Florida lawmakers . The city, pop. 477, was given a month to show it can govern itself . If lawmakers are not satisfied, they vow to push bill to dissolve Hampton . State audit revealed mismanagement, corruption, questionable spending .

(CNN) -- It wasn't the pollster's fault. Sure, it would be an understatement to say that Eric Cantor's surprising loss Tuesday night to relatively unknown tea party candidate David Brat did not reflect the internal polls that had the House majority leader ahead by more than 30 points. But it wasn't necessarily Republican pollster John McLaughlin's fault. Really. He doesn't deserve the withering attacks he's come under by those who sit safely on the sidelines of actual real campaign work. He shouldn't bear the slings and arrows of those, thanks to 24-hour cable news, who have become paid pundits on the subject of politics and campaigns without ever being part of one. Now don't worry, I'm not letting McLaughlin or Republican pollsters off the hook. Not so fast. You see, polling is hard. I know. I've done it for the DNC under Chairman Howard Dean crafting The 50-State Strategy, two successful presidential campaigns, and scores of state and local ones, too. It's hard because we are always chasing a moving target. In this case, the trouble was those "likely voters." What's a "likely voter," you might ask? Well the textbook says it is someone who has a history or pattern of voting in a particular election -- presidential, state assembly, Congressional party primary, etc. If you have voted in, say, two of the last three presidential elections, the conventional wisdom says you are a likely voter and you get plugged into our universe if we are looking for voters in the presidential year. However that doesn't make you necessarily a likely voter in, say, the mayor's race next month, and certainly not in the congressional primary election next week. Typically, more than half the eligible voters skip the midterm elections every two years. The percentage who vote in primaries is often less than one-third. And don't even get me started on caucuses (love ya', Iowa). As pollsters, we look for patterns. We figure that, considering how low U.S. voter turnout is compared to most other Western democracies, it is safe to bet that if you've had multiple opportunities to vote and you haven't done it so far, you probably won't. Now that holds fairly true unless there is something different going on out there. Like the tea party movement. Or a big-eared, charismatic, black guy with a Muslim-sounding name from Hawaii. When the conventional rhythm of politics has been altered, all hell can break loose. When that dynamic shifts, the textbook is useless -- and so are our likely voter assumptions. So getting locked into seeing the world only one way -- particularly if it is how you want to see it -- instead of how it actually is can be dangerous for a pollster. Which brings me to Republican pollsters. In 2012, so many of them had Mitt Romney winning convincingly -- he didn't, by the way -- because they failed to sense or hear the dynamic changing rhythm of a younger, more diverse America. They built their polling models on the pillars of sand (OK, it was really, really white, sand) of a 1980s electorate. They bet on the white-male-likely-voting universe of the Reagan era. And they were wrong. They simply failed to see the throngs of younger and minority adults as likely voters in 2012. They failed to see that African-Americans would, for the first time in history, actually become the largest most-likely voter bloc in the general election. It was unfathomable for so many Republicans. The Obama candidacy and what it symbolized dramatically altered the archaic rhythm of politics on both sides. It energized those that the textbook said were not politically engaged. Hope and change rewrote the textbook. Which brings me back to the shocking primary election results in Virginia's 7th Congressional District Tuesday night. Cantor, the second-most powerful member of the House of Representatives, vastly outspent his opponent. He had not just the backing of the GOP establishment, but was on its board of trustees. But he lost to a second-tier tea party challenger. And, because of Barack Obama, no one saw it coming. The change that united and drove the politics of hope on the left also awakened the politics of anger on the right. What Obama represents in the White House has led to an uprising on both sides of the political spectrum. The textbook had been rewritten, and few bothered to get the new edition. So, with all due respect, Cantor didn't drop a 34-point lead because of a single issue like immigration or incumbents or Democrats meddling in his primary. It just doesn't work that way. In fact, polling in the district on June 10 -- the day of the primary -- showed almost nine out of 10 respondents said fixing our immigration system is important (84% important, 57% very), including a majority of Republicans (58%) who say it's very important. So for those who simply prefer to place the blame for the majority leader's loss on immigration, pointing to his failure to pass immigration reform would be safer ground. Suggesting it was David Brat's ranting about Cantor's inability or failure to kill bipartisan immigration reform just isn't credible in a district with 72% of its voters, including a majority of Republicans, favoring reform. In reality, it's far more likely that this 34-point lead never really existed in the first place. The changing dynamics of American politics brought on by the election of President Obama has changed the calculus for pollsters on both sides. Obama's song that tells a story of changing America makes some hopeful that those who were never part of that Reagan-era likely-voter equation are now creating new math. At the same time, it hits a very sour note among others, bringing them out to voice their anger at the entire body politic. In the Obama era, pollsters have to deal with a tumultuous electorate that is increasingly difficult to predict using conventional models. Or end up looking very, very wrong. Cantor's campaign really should have detected the rumblings of revolt long before election night. His loss was likely due ultimately to angry voters on the right who had not before been engaged in the primary process saying in one clear voice, "Anyone but Cantor!" Remember, no one thought shutting down the government was a good idea except the tea party. They don't do moderation. Compromise is a dirty word. So anyone who would consort with the enemy -- like they saw Cantor as doing in even considering a deal with Obama -- just had to go. Cantor didn't lose a 34-point advantage. He never had one in the first place. He never had a 34-point advantage because figuring out who is a likely voter in these tumultuous times is growing increasingly difficult. Obama has stoked strong emotions on both sides of the political spectrum in an unprecedented way, challenging our conventions about who will and won't vote. Now, come the November midterm, I'm betting younger people and minorities will leave convention scratching its head again. Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.

Cornell Belcher says Eric Cantor's polling was off, but likely voters were off, too . Belcher: Shifts in demographics and polarization helped to dislodge conventional wisdom . Cantor probably never really had the big lead he thought he had, says Belcher .

Tampa, Florida (CNN) -- Her family calls her the Mitt Stabilizer. Ann Romney, who is someone who is known to be able to calm her husband down when needed, is taking center stage in trying to paint a more personal picture of her husband of 43 years. "Whenever Mitt might start, you know, winding up and getting really -- highly energetic they're -- they know that I have, like, a very calming influence on him," Ann Romney told CNN Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger in a wide-ranging and at times emotional interview at the family's New Hampshire lakeside home. When asked her secret, she couldn't really explain it. The couple met as high schoolers in Michigan. They were separated for 2½ years when Mitt Romney went off to France to serve as a Mormon missionary. During that period, he was involved in an accident while driving the mission president and his wife; they were hit by what is believed to have been a drunken driver. "He was thrown out of the car. And so you realize how close your brush with death was," she told Borger. Initially, the family got dire news. "I had word that he was killed ... On his passport it is stamped that he is dead," she said. "And so that was the first word we heard." He would have some serious injuries but would recover and stay in France, actually taking over the mission. When he returned to the United States, he immediately proposed to Ann. They would start a family in Utah and then move to Massachusetts. "We are each other's best friend in addition to being, you know, our, you know, loving relationship. We are each other's best friends as well," she said. She described their marriage as "a real partnership." Asked if she gave him advice, she said "of course" adding "we share everything. There's nothing we do not know about, you know, any struggle that either one of us is going through. We share everything. "Of course I give him advice, and of course he gives me advice. And I think we listen to each other more than we listen to anyone else." She described a job that her husband also talked about to CNN, but it is one the family rarely discusses publicly: He served as head of the Mormon congregation in Belmont, Massachusetts, because the church does not employ paid clergy. So Romney not only led services but counseled members of the congregation and helped them in whatever way he could. "I look at and see how -- how wonderful that was," she said. "When we're mothers and responsible for children, there's something that happens to us -- that service gene that's naturally there where we're taking care, we're watching over. We're nurturing. "And for men, they often don't get that experience. But when you serve in a way Mitt was serving at that time, that's exactly the experience he had: nurturing, caring, looking out for, being concerned." Ann Romney has had several health scares over the years and has come back from all of them: early stage breast cancer, a surgery for a growth in her abdomen, several miscarriages -- and a 1998 diagnosis of multiple sclerosis which rocked the family and she said made her "really dig deep." iReporters share their MS struggles, triumphs . "I was for a long time, after the diagnosis, trying to just struggle through on my own, not sharing with how hard of a time I was having. And so, you know, you kinda just wanna tough it out and not be a burden to anyone else. But then, finally, you just can't go on," she said. "I really just was having a very, very hard time, and was very depressed," she told Borger, "and had kind of given up a little bit in thinking that I was -- you know -- it was a little overwhelming." Her husband took over the household chores -- cooking, going to the grociery store -- and reassured her "that it wasn't fatal, we were gonna be OK," she said. "No matter what I went through, he was gonna be there next to me and he was gonna be helping me. "And he was like, 'I don't care how sick you get, I'm gonna take care of you. And I don't care if you . end up in a wheelchair, we'll be OK. I don't care.'" At that point, she said, "I wasn't able to do anything." "He's amazing," she said of Mitt Romney, "because he is so energetic and so on that, for me even when I was as sick as that he would curl up in the bed with me. "It was, like, he was gonna do anything he could to just say, "I'm here. You're OK. Just stay right there and we'll be OK." She said uncertainty about the disease, which has no cure, was very hard for her to face. "You don't know how much is it gonna chew me up and spit me out? ... How sick am I gonna get? Is this going to be progressive? Am I going to be in a wheelchair? Am I, you know, gonna lose all function? "There's this huge unknown. And it's a very, very frightening place to be." She tried various ways to deal with the symptoms, especially fatigue, including an alternative treatment called reflexology, in which pressure is applied to various parts of the body. She also tried horse riding. While she had not seen major problems from the disease in recent years, she did have a relapse around the Super Tuesday primaries in March. "I overdid and I knew I was overdoing," she said. Most people have "a reserve tank," she explained, but "with MS you go to empty and you go to empty." "It's like you can't take another step. You will fall over. And that's kinda what happened to me. ... I knew I was pushing the limit. But I also didn't say anything to anyone." Her husband didn't notice, she said, and "I don't blame him for not noticing. No one noticed. Everyone was so busy. And I don't think I was even . in the same states. I was going to my own states." She said she "just had to get past that mile mark and then I'd be OK, and I could rest. But I didn't quite make it to the mile mark. I kinda collapsed." As she heads into this fall's campaign and an increasing schedule of rallies and appearances, how does she deal with the sort of stress that can trigger the disease? The stress "is a great teacher," she said. "It really is. Because (I) can't absorb all this that's going on around me. There's a lot of noise and there's a lot of really negative noise that's going on around me, around my husband -- during this campaign. And . so I have to just learn how to not to let that just get into my psyche." She also described a different side of the Mitt Romney than the one seen by the public: "fun-loving, warm, spontaneous." "Get him out of the public eye (and) he is loose and funny and spontaneous as you'd ever want to be. And just so much fun to be with."

The Romneys met as high schoolers; their relationship has withstood the test of time . Their shared faith and friendship has helped keep the marriage strong . Ann's struggles with MS, family's adjustment to campaigning are challenging .

(CNN) -- A Texas woman has been arrested as a suspect in an alleged kidnapping of a boy eight years ago, the San Augustine County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday. The woman, Krystle Tanner of San Augustine, was the godmother of Miguel Antonio Morin, who was 8 months old when he and Tanner went missing, the boy's mother, Auboni Champion-Morin, told CNN Wednesday. Tanner, also a neighbor, had been babysitting the boy in her Houston home, she said. San Augustine is about 165 miles northeast of Houston. The boy, now 8, was in good physical condition Monday and was in the custody of Texas Child Protective Services, said sheriff's Chief Deputy Gary Cunningham. The mother filed a police report in 2004, but Houston police closed the case two years later after prosecutors asked for clarification of the date the boy disappeared and Houston police were "unable to clarify that information," Cunningham said. Tanner was arrested Monday in connection with the boy's kidnapping after Child Protective Services began investigating her in August on allegations of negligently supervising her children and an unknown 8-year-old child who had been physically abused, Cunningham said. In an interview Wednesday, Champion-Morin expressed joy and disbelief that Miguel, the youngest of her five children at the time of his disappearance, had been finally found. Authorities did not give details about who was taking care of the boy when he was found. When Champion-Morin received a phone call Monday from the child welfare agency, "I kind of had to look at the phone -- was this real?" said the mother, who had a sixth child after her son's disappearance. She wondered if authorities' call was a cruel joke, she said. She was asked about the disappearance of her son and his connection to Tanner, she said. "At first, it kind of scared me," she said. She was thinking about her son in recent days because his birthday was March 1. The child protection agency told Champion-Morin that Tanner had been arrested in east Texas, but that her son was not with Tanner at the time, the mother said. Champion-Morin will undergo a blood test possibly this week to prove she is the biological mother, she said. On the night that her son and Tanner disappeared, Champion-Morin said she had asked Tanner to watch her son overnight. At the time, the mother had five children, all under age 4, and Miguel was the youngest. "I was having hardship at the time," the mother said. "I asked her to watch him overnight, and when I came back ... they were gone." Tanner and the mother lived in the same apartment building, and Tanner wanted the boy to stay in her apartment and the other kids to stay at another friend's apartment, the mother said. Tanner was a high school student at the time and had to attend classes the next morning, but when Champion-Morin went to pick up her son that morning, he and Tanner were gone, Champion-Morin said. Tanner's mother said the two had left the state, Champion-Morin said. She called police, she said. The mother knew Tanner and her family well, and they spent a lot of time together, she said. "At that time, I trusted her, I knew her," Champion-Morin said. Police asked her to take a polygraph and she agreed, but because she was pregnant at the time police told her she could not take it then, Champion-Morin said. She never knew police had closed the case back in 2006, and she assumed all along they were still working on it, she said. She called Houston Police several times to check on the case over the years and was always told she had a new police contact and the case had been assigned to someone else, the mother said. She found the experience frustrating and had not called back in a while, she said. Still, she thought often of her son, she said. "I always wondered every night. I dreamed and prayed on it," she said. She explained Miguel's disappearance to his siblings "the best I could," she said. "They still somewhat don't understand the situation, why (someone) would do that," Champion-Morin said. Her children now "are trying to make sure I stay calm" and are "praying with me," the mom said. Miguel could be returned to her "by the end of the week," she said. "I'm going to let him know I love him with all my heart ... and any questions he has, I will answer them," Champion-Morin said. "It will be hard." "We will probably have to go to a psychiatrist together," she said, adding it will also be opportunity to work out their relationship and get to know one another. When asked how she felt about how Houston police handled the case, she said, "It took years to get some sort of progress. This took years ... a lot of running around and nobody helping me." The boy was reported missing in November 2004, and after an investigation, Houston police presented the case to the Harris County district attorney's office for review in February 2005, Cunningham said. The prosecutor accepted the case, but a warrant was never issued because the prosecutor's office apparently asked for clarification of the precise date when the boy was taken, Cunningham said. Houston police was unable to clarify that information, and the case was closed in 2006, Cunningham said. An Amber Alert was never issued for the boy because the Houston Regional Amber Alert Plan was never notified, said coordinator Beth Alberts. Houston Police Department investigators are now looking into the case, including why an Amber Alert was never requested, spokesman Kese Smith said Wednesday. In August 2011, the state child welfare agency received a report against Tanner about alleged negligence of her children, Cunningham said. An 8-year-old boy was reportedly "hit on," Cunningham said. The report didn't suggest the alleged negligence was egregious, but the child welfare authority initiated an investigation and attempted to identify the 8-year-old child in the report, Cunningham said. Tanner allegedly gave the child welfare agency's investigators contradictory information about the 8-year-old boy, saying the child was hers and then wasn't hers, that the child belonged to her brother or someone else, Cunningham said. The state agency then called the sheriff's office, which eventually opened a criminal investigation in January after authorities couldn't find the child, Cunningham said. Tanner again allegedly provided misleading information to the sheriff's investigators, Cunningham said. The child welfare agency then provided sheriff's investigators with a possible identity of the missing child, and San Augustine County prosecutors secured a warrant for Tanner, Cunningham said. "We interviewed her again (Wednesday) and she provided additional information," Cunningham said. "She admitted that she provided misleading information, which certainly supports our belief that she kidnapped the child."

NEW: Houston police are looking at why an Amber Alert was never issued in 2004 case . Krystle Tanner of San Augustine, Texas, is in custody in the alleged kidnapping . She was the boy's godmother, the mother tells CNN . The boy, now 8, was 8 months old when he and Tanner went missing in 2004, mom says .

Washington (CNN) -- Ten years ago in September, rescue workers began inhaling a toxic mix of airborne debris that curled out of the World Trade Center's mangle of steel, re-bar and concrete, coating in white the clothes and at times the lungs of emergency responders who worked at ground zero. Thousands descended on New York and Washington in 2001 in a desperate attempt to help those who had perished, or would soon die, after a series of coordinated attacks rocked the nation and redefined its security mandate. But news of the death of Osama bin Laden -- al Qaeda's figurehead killed during a gun battle in Pakistan -- offered Americans a happier reason to gasp. "It's wild," said Tyler Smith, wiping away his swelling tears as he held a cigarette that trembled between his fingertips. He was at the White House celebration. "It's just very intense." The young veteran -- who served in Afghanistan in 2004 and 2005 -- then grabbed his baseball cap, pulling it down to shield his watering eyes from view. "I'm sorry," he said. "I just don't have the words." Americans celebrated early Monday in a show of patriotism against the man who committed much of his life to attacking U.S. citizens and others. In front of the White House, chants of "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" filled the night air, and the group spontaneously broke into an off-key rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Other revelers hearkened back to the turmoil of that fateful blue-sky day in September. "I was in D.C. during 9/11," said 33-year-old Mason Wright, recalling his days as a student at American University in Washington, D.C. From his apartment, Wright said he watched television images of the second hijacked plane as it plunged into the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. "It's hard to believe 10 years later it's over ... It's finally come to an end." Dustin Swensson, who recently served in Iraq, echoed those comments, calling the news "historic." Alan Comar, a 29-year-old resident of Washington who worked as a U.S. contractor in Afghanistan, clutched his girlfriend as they gazed across the red, white and blue crowd. "Its one of those 'got-to-be-there' moments," he said. The mood was much more somber at the Pentagon memorial a few miles away, where 184 people died when a hijacked American Airlines Flight crashed on September 11, 2001. "Everyone was at the White House celebrating, and hardly anyone was at the memorial," said Jessica McFarland of Arlington, Virginia. "I felt like this site put things in perspective." Meanwhile, teenagers, scarcely old enough to remember the near decade-old attacks, dashed toward the White House gates, eager to join the swelling throng of American revelers. "It's something that defines a generation," said Ashley Cummings, a Michigan resident visiting Washington. "They're not going to pull out immediately," she said, referring to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. "There's still a lot of work to be done, but this affirms that they were over there for a reason." Her comment echoes a question likely to be raised in the coming weeks and months over the ways in which an American-led war in Afghanistan can continue without the specter of the Qaeda leader. "It's a war that I feel we just won," said one former New York firefighter -- who says he was forced to retire due to lung ailments suffered from dust at ground zero -- the site where the World Trade Center's twin towers once stood. Private moments of reflection were happening, too, as loved ones of those killed in the September 11 attacks quietly marked bin Laden's death. Patricia Sliwak-Grinberg said she cried when President Barack Obama began to describe the September 11 attacks as he delivered news of his death. Her brother, Robert Sliwak, was a Cantor-Fitzgerald employee who died in the World Trade Center. In New York, strains of "God Bless America" could be heard intermittently trickling through the crowd. The area, once a barren and bitterly contested site, has since given way to the beginnings of construction for a long awaited "Freedom Tower," or the 1 World Trade Center. In another sign of the evolving times, a neighborhood Burger King that medics once converted to a makeshift trauma center following the attacks, now houses a younger fast-food staff mostly unfamiliar with the restaurant's storied past. "A lot of retired cops still come here and talk about it," said Joshua Nash, a 22 year-old employee from Bronx, New York. During the ensuing rescue effort, EMTs treated victims atop dinning tables at the Home of the Whopper, while draping intravenous drips across wall lamps. "Do you want to know what I really think?," asked Nash. "I think a lot of the people around here yelling and celebrating were just looking for an excuse to get drunk and yell." "They don't know what this is about." His words seem to capture an unease with celebrating death that other New Yorkers quietly reflected. Some just seemed relieved to close the final chapter of bin Laden's life. Carie Lemack, whose mother, Judy, was killed on American Airlines Flight 11, said she can't "express how this feels to my family. "Relief is one word." Jim Riches, who lost his firefighter son, Jimmy, when the World Trade Center's north tower collapsed, said the news offered a bit of comfort. "(My) son still isn't coming home," he said. "(There's) no closure, but at last, at least some justice for the murder of 3,000 Americans, finally." Elsewhere in New York, police cordoned off stretches of Manhattan's Financial District where crowds had gathered in celebrations through the night. September 11 has since served as a galvanizing symbol of American patriotism and its willingness to doggedly -- and at times controversially -- pursue enemies across borders. But it remains unclear whether decapitating al Qaeda's infamous figurehead will mark a turning point in a war that has left thousands of Americans dead and killed untold numbers of civilians. In July, NATO offered further support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai's objective of taking on greater responsibility for the country's security by 2014. Analysts, however, remain skeptical, citing corruption and patronage networks that they say enjoy a degree of political protection. Meanwhile, Sunday's news comes just a single day after a Taliban announcement of a renewed offensive against allied troops and Afghan security forces in the region. CNN's Susan Candiotti, Emanuella Grinberg, Christina Zdanowicz and Nicole Saidi contributed to this report.

Celebrations break out in Washington and New York, and on college campuses nationwide . A firefighter's father says he's gratified, but bin Laden's death won't bring back his son . A retired New York police officer says bin Laden's death gives him a sense of closure . Mood is sober at Pentagon memorial .

(CNN) -- How difficult is it to board a plane with a stolen passport? Not as hard as you might think. In any major international airport, it's not uncommon to have your passport checked four times or more between check-in and boarding the aircraft. But if passenger documents aren't checked against Interpol's database of stolen and lost travel documents, travelers using those documents can slip through layers of security. Reports that two passengers on missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 were traveling on stolen Austrian and Italian passports have highlighted security concerns that have troubled Interpol for years, the international law enforcement agency said Sunday. The flight, carrying more than 200 passengers, disappeared from radar Saturday and hasn't been seen or heard from since. Interpol identified the men using the stolen passports as Pouri Nourmohammadi, 18, and Delavar Seyed Mohammad Reza, 29, both Iranians. Malaysian police believe Nourmohammadi was trying to emigrate to Germany using the stolen Austrian passport. The men entered Malaysia on February 28 using valid Iranian passports, Interpol said. "Interpol is asking why only a handful of countries worldwide are taking care to make sure that persons possessing stolen passports are not boarding international flights," Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said in a statement. Before the departure of Flight 370, no country had checked the stolen passports against Interpol's list since they were added to the lost-documents database in 2012 and 2013, Interpol said. Countries, but not airlines, have access to Interpol's data, and many governments don't routinely check passports against the database. In 2013, passengers were able to board planes more than 1 billion times without having their travel documents checked against Interpol's data, the agency said. Airlines carried more than 3.1 billion passengers globally in 2013, according to estimates from the International Air Transport Association. Are stolen passports related to plane's disappearance? Interpol head Noble said Tuesday that the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 does not appear to be related to terrorism. "The more information we get, the more we're inclined to conclude that it was not a terrorist incident," Noble said at a news conference in Lyon, France. There's no evidence to suggest either of the men traveling on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight was connected to any terrorist organizations, according to Malaysian investigators. On any given day, many people travel using stolen or fake passports for reasons that have nothing to do with terrorism, aviation security expert Richard Bloom told CNN. They might be trying to immigrate illegally to another country, or they might be smuggling stolen goods, people, drugs or weapons or trying to import otherwise legal goods without paying taxes, said Bloom, director of terrorism, intelligence and security studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. "For all of those reasons, the very notion that passports might be important in this particular situation may be a red herring," Bloom said. Noble said Sunday that the fact that any passenger was able to board an international flight using a stolen passport listed in Interpol's databases is a big concern. "This is a situation we had hoped never to see," he said. "For years Interpol has asked why should countries wait for a tragedy to put prudent security measures in place at borders and boarding gates?" Few countries look up stolen passports . Interpol does not charge countries for access to its databases, but some of the 190 Interpol member countries may not have the technical capacity or resources to access the network, according to Tom Fuentes, a former FBI assistant director. "It's just up to the will of the country to set it up and do it," Fuentes said. Interpol's Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database was created in 2002, following the September 11, 2001, attacks, to help countries secure their borders. Since then, it has expanded from a few thousand passports and searches to more than 40 million entries and more than 800 million searches per year. About 60,000 of those 800 million searches yield hits against stolen or lost documents, according to Interpol. The United States searches the database more than 250 million times annually, the United Kingdom more than 120 million times annually and the United Arab Emirates more than 50 million times annually, Interpol said. (Some 300,000 passports are lost or stolen each year in the United States, according to the U.S. State Department, which collects reports of stolen passports and sends them to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Interpol.) According to the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection vets all travelers booked on flights to, from and heading through the United States through the Advanced Passenger Information System. It conducts a thorough review of all relevant domestic and international criminal databases, including Interpol's, for any issues of concern. This review includes reports of stolen documents. "If Malaysia Airlines and all airlines worldwide were able to check the passport details of prospective passengers against Interpol's database, then we would not have to speculate whether stolen passports were used by terrorists to board MH 370," Interpol's Noble said. The Thailand connection . The Austrian and Italian passports were stolen in Thailand in 2012 and 2013, respectively, according to Interpol. Thailand is a booming market for stolen passports. Paul Quaglia, who has been working in the region as a security and risk analyst for 14 years, said the situation in Thailand is better than it was five to 10 years ago "but still not up to international standards." "Unfortunately, Thailand remains a robust venue for the sale of high-quality false passports (which includes altered stolen passports) and other supporting documentation," he said. Not all "lost" passports are necessarily "stolen" passports, Quaglia said. "Some passports 'lost' are actually sold by the passport holder. Some young men and others traveling to Thailand, short on cash after extended partying and high living, can be approached to sell a passport, which can be easily replaced at embassies upon presentation of a routine 'lost passport' police report," he said. Searching for true identities . An investigation was launched into the Flight 370 matter, with Malaysian and aviation authorities reviewing video and other documentation to try to identify not only who the passengers were that used the stolen passports but how the illegal passports cleared security. In an interview with CNN on Monday, Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said the country is cooperating with Interpol in the investigation. Interpol's Noble urged countries and airlines to adopt routine checks against its lost and stolen document database. "I sincerely hope that governments and airlines worldwide will learn from the tragedy of missing flight MH 370 and begin to screen all passengers' passports prior to allowing them to board flights," Noble said. "Doing so will indeed take us a step closer to ensuring safer travel."

Two passengers on the missing Malaysian Airlines flight were traveling on stolen passports . Authorities say there's no indication of terrorism links . Travelers smuggling drugs, other contraband might use stolen passports, experts say . Human traffickers also may travel on passports to hide their identities, they say .

Hong Kong (CNN) -- A South African chef who has worked in New Zealand for six years claims his work visa was denied because of his obesity. But New Zealand immigration authorities say the visa was denied because the man "no longer had an acceptable standard of health," that his ability to work was in question and that there is potential "high cost" of his healthcare. Albertus Buitenhuis, 50, as described by his wife, has "always been on the larger side." And the 278-pound man (126 kilograms) says he struggles with his weight. So how did a chef who specializes in South African cuisine get caught in the crosshairs of two major controversies -- immigration and obesity? "I am a chef, not a politician and I do not want to be the poster child for immigration issues -- but I have become that I feel," he told CNN. "I just want to work and live here." After Buitenhuis and his wife arrived in New Zealand in 2007, they were granted subsequent visitor and work visas. They settled in the city of Christchurch and Buitenhuis found work at a restaurant, the Cashmere Club, where he became known for his "curry of the day." Their run-in with immigration began when the couple applied for New Zealand residency in 2011. To qualify for residency, Buitenhuis had to take several medical tests. After the exams, the immigration authorities found that "he did not have an acceptable standard of health." Although Buitenhuis withdrew his residency application, his health information was now on record. In May, Immigration New Zealand rejected his work visa application for health reasons. Immigration New Zealand did not cite Buitenhuis' weight for rejecting his work visa. The agency stated in a media release that obesity alone is not enough to fail the country's required health screenings. Instead, it cited a litany of Buitenhuis' obesity-related complications and stated that he had evidence of chronic knee joint condition, impaired glucose tolerance and enlarged fatty liver. The agency noted that a replacement surgery for Buitenhuis' knee joint condition could cost over US$16,000 (NZ$20,000). "The applicant's ability to work is affected by the chronic knee joint condition that he suffers from," the agency stated. It also listed his "significant risk of obesity complications" as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, some cancers and premature joint diseases. The agency's medical assessors "have to consider to what extent there might be indications of future high-cost and high-need demand for health services." New Zealand has a public health system, which is free or low cost to users because of government subsidies. Also the country's immigration policy states that people with a body mass index over 35 are not likely to meet health requirements due to health risks. Buitenhuis agrees with the notion that countries have to protect their taxpayers from high health expenses. "I see no problem with potential immigrants being screened for risks to either national health or maybe becoming a financial burden on the taxpayers," he said. "All countries do that." But he said they would've wanted to know sooner. He said they've already put down their roots in New Zealand. Buitenhuis was heavier at 353 pounds (160 kilograms) when he first arrived to New Zealand. Now 75 pounds lighter, Buitenhuis said he was never warned about not meeting an "acceptable standard of health" until about a year ago. The only previous mention of his weight was when he applied for residency and an agent warned them that "INZ is very strict on weight and that it was unbelievable that I was actually given a work visa in the first place." The couple has filed an appeal to Immigration New Zealand, which they expect to hear back in two weeks. His doctor has written a letter of support, stating that Buitenhuis had brought his cholesterol and blood pressure under control and that his BMI is high because of his build. Since May, the couple have had to stop working because they are considered illegal aliens -- which has thrown their lives into turmoil. "We've been kicked out of our home. We're in the process of losing our phones, we're going to be cut off. We're living with my sister," he said. "It hurts your pride, it's humiliating." The couple hopes to remain in New Zealand as their relatives live there. "We committed no crime and did nothing wrong other than my husband being a foodie," wrote Marthie Buitenhuis, his wife. "We also feel that this situation is treated very lightly while it should be abundantly clear to the officials involved with our case that the situation is urgent." Countries are limited in what health screening measures are applied to short-term visitors. But the International Health Regulations, a legally-binding international agreement to prevent the spread of diseases, allows countries to apply additional screenings for people who seek long-term residence because of health expenses picked up by the nation's services. Boyd Swinburn, professor of Population Nutrition and Global Health at the University of Auckland, said in an era of growing waistlines and soaring health costs, tough policy decisions have to be made. "I think governments are looking for ways to reduce the health care cost burden on the population on the taxpayer," he told CNN. "So they'll be looking at all sorts of ways to do that. I don't think it's an easy call. There are issues on both sides, there's also population and government decisions. Sometimes, they're a bit tough. There are no winners, I'm afraid." More than a quarter (28%) of New Zealanders are considered obese, which is considerably lower than the United States (35.7%). This is not the first time New Zealand has made headlines on this issue. In 2009, a 297-pound American woman was denied residency there because of her obesity-related complications, according to the New Zealand Herald. The medical assessor concluded that the woman, who was morbidly obese and diabetic, would cost the health service more than US$19,985 (NZ$$25,000) over four years. "There's always been a restriction on immigration based on health issues, so the basic principle has always been, if you've got a major health problem that's a drain on the state, that counts against you in immigration," Jim Mann, professor of medicine and nutrition at University of Otago in New Zealand, told CNN. "I don't think that's unique in many countries." Countries can test immigrants for infectious diseases like sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or tuberculosis, but the difference is that countries also want to determine beyond potential infections to the economic cost for the state, he said. "If someone says to me, 'is your risk greater from a whole range of medical issues because of obesity?' Yes it is. I may not like the prejudicial label attached to it. It's a true fact," Mann added. Madison Park reported and wrote in Hong Kong. Aliza Kassim reported in Atlanta.

South African chef is denied work visa in New Zealand based on health reasons . New Zealand immigration: Man did not meet "acceptable standard of healthy" Authorities cite his obesity-related complications for the rejection .

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A sealed envelope awaits in Rissi Palmer's Bible. Country singer Rissi Palmer performs for students in an after-school program at Atlanta's Parkside Elementary. It's her Grammy acceptance speech, the one she wrote as a 12-year-old. She vowed not to open it until she could read it from the stage accepting her award. Sixteen years later, the time may be nearer when Palmer can open the envelope. The road has been a long one, starting with her standing on a milk crate as a child so she could sing solos in the church choir. But these days, she is an up-and-comer in country music -- and a rare African-American performer in the genre. Palmer acknowledged this week to students in Atlanta that some people had told her she couldn't sing country because she was African-American. But she said, "When you tell me I can't do something, it just makes me want to do it more." Palmer told CNN that no one in the music industry had discouraged her based on race but that people who loved her were concerned country stardom might be a tough goal. She said she doesn't believe her story is different from any other musician's: "The music industry is just hard." Palmer told students at Parkside Elementary School that she grew up listening to all kinds of music, including country. "My mother was a big country music fan," she recalled. The family also listened to R&B and classic soul, such as Sam Cooke, she said. "I loved the way the country artists wrote songs," Palmer told about 50 students, most of them minorities, in an after-school program at Parkside. She liked the way that country songs told stories: "I always liked telling stories." "Country Girl," the first single off Palmer's self-titled 2007 debut album, made her the first African-American female in 20 years to hit Billboard's country chart, according to Country Music Television. Country music is home to a smattering of well-known African-American artists. Charley Pride is by far the most visible, but other artists have dabbled in country as well -- the Supremes, for instance, and Ray Charles. More recently, Darius Rucker, longtime lead singer for Hootie and the Blowfish, hit the top of the country charts as well. African-Americans always have been in the country music industry, said John Rumble, senior historian for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. However, it's rare for an artist -- of any race -- to reach the level of stardom attained by Pride, who had 67 records on the country chart between 1966 and 1990, more than 20 of them in the Top 10. "Some people at the time, and since, called him the Jackie Robinson of country music, but nobody who followed him has yet reached that level," Rumble said. "... He's almost an impossible standard to match." However, given Rucker's recent success, he is showing "superstar potential" in the country industry, Rumble added. Palmer lost her mother at an early age but has said her parent's love for country music stayed with her. Still, she said she doubted she could break into the genre. "When you're a child, you react to something that's familiar and looks like you," she told CMT in 2007. "And there was nobody [in country music] who looked like me. Just being a kid, you don't see black country singers. So you don't think that's a possibility for you. You see black pop singers. You see black R&B singers. You see black rockers. So you say, 'If I'm black and I want to sing, then I probably have to sing R&B.' " Rumble echoed Palmer's comments about the music industry being tough on new artists. More than ever, "it takes a lot of money to put an artist out there on promotional tours," creating videos and the like, he said. Rumble said many African-American artists probably gravitate to other genres. And, for artists of any race, "once you're in the door ... it's still a matter of catching on." "There are a certain number of people who are just not used to seeing a black person on CMT or GAC [Great American Country]," he said. "It just doesn't compute, for whatever reason." Palmer's family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, when she was 13, according to her Web site. She took part in talent pageants there and joined an entertainment troupe. "That is where a lot of my country influences started to come out," she said in the online biography. "At the audition we were instructed to pick an artist that we admired and perform some of their songs. I chose LeAnn Rimes and Shania Twain. I was not the one they expected to walk out and sing 'Any Man of Mine' at those state fair shows, but they always liked it." She participated on the CBS show "Star Search," reaching the finals, and credits judge Naomi Judd's manager with introducing her to the creators of "Waiting in the Wings," a CMT documentary about African-Americans in country music, according to her Web site. She was also featured on CMT's "Most Wanted Live." Her music reached Terry Johnson, president and CEO of 1720 Entertainment, who offered her a record deal. "You guys are at an age where all the possibilities are open to you," she told the Atlanta students this week. "Anything you want to do, you can do it." However, she cautioned them that being a singer is not always fun, even though she loves it. "The best advice I can give you is that this is a job that I do," she said. "... You have to take it very seriously." She fielded questions with a sense of humor, telling them some of her favorite songs (one is Bonnie Raitt's "Nick of Time") and her favorite instrument -- a guitar ("Have you ever tried to push a piano around with you?" she asked). She told the children that once they start dating, they will find plenty of material -- good and bad -- to write songs about. She said afterward she enjoyed talking with children and likely would have been a teacher if she had not pursued a music career. Palmer appeared as part of the Arts in Schools program at the Atlanta-based Threshing Floor Academy of Arts and Sciences Inc. The organization was founded in 2008 by Meisha Card, a former special education teacher. For her part, Palmer has said she hopes that one day, the discussion centers on her music rather than her ethnicity. "I'm looking forward to the day when the only thing that's being discussed is the album -- the actual music -- as opposed to my race," she told CMT. "I understand it is something rare, and it is something different, and it is something that's not happening every day. I get that. But if my career's as successful as I hope it will be, we're going to reach a lot more firsts."

Singer Rissi Palmer has had a Grammy acceptance speech ready since she was 12 . Song off debut album made her the first black female to hit country charts in 20 years . Palmer says her mother always loved country music and she likes telling stories . Performer tells Atlanta students: "Anything you want to do, you can do it"

(CNN) -- Like her green curtain dress, Scarlett O'Hara may be slightly tattered and worn, but she refuses to become a relic of the past. The two remain deeply embedded in American popular culture, inspiring references in everything from a Carol Burnett sketch to "RuPaul's Drag Race." That dress reveals Scarlett's resilience, resourcefulness and survival instinct -- traits that may explain the enduring popularity of Margaret Mitchell's Civil War romance novel and its blockbuster movie adaptation. The Southern belle and her iconic dress will be at the center of an exhibit opening Tuesday to mark the 75th anniversary of the 1939 film. "The Making of 'Gone With the Wind' " will run through January 4 at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. "The curtain dress is the star of the show. She looks just terrific," exhibition curator Steve Wilson says of the Walter Plunkett design, perhaps the most famous costume in Hollywood history. World's top 20 museums . In the film, an impoverished Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) has a dress made from her mother's curtains in hopes of finagling $300 for taxes from Rhett Butler. It is one of three original gowns worn by Leigh and two reproductions that will be on display in the exhibition. The Ransom Center raised $30,000 in a 2010 online campaign to preserve the outfits, says Wilson, also the center's curator of film. 'Gone With the Wind' still attracts fans, cash and controversy . Memos from David O. Selznick . The exhibit traces the long, arduous process of how producer David O. Selznick adapted Mitchell's best-seller, offering up more than 300 items, including storyboards, casting call sheets, photos, scripts, screen tests, letters from fans and critics alike, audience preview cards, and, of course, memos from Selznick. The exhibit received "generous support" from Turner Classic Movies, which shares a parent company with CNN. The Ransom Center archives contain a voluminous collection from the producer, whose sons donated more than 5,000 document boxes of material to the research library and museum in 1980. "That was his management style," Wilson says of Selznick's famous memos that detail his thinking over the three-plus years he struggled to bring the movie to the screen. "It's good for us." "The Making of 'Gone With the Wind' " covers the behind-the-scenes drama that included the search for an unknown to play Scarlett, constant script revisions, the comings and goings of directors, concerns over the authenticity of Southern accents, censorship problems, and controversy over the portrayal of African-American characters. "Race is absolutely at the center of the film," says Coleman Hutchison, associate professor in the Department of English at the University of Texas who was a faculty adviser to the exhibit. "It's really shaped how people think about the South and the memories of the Civil War and Reconstruction," he says, noting that it's "outdated at best, terribly racist at its worst." "Its version of history is compromised," he adds. Opinion: How slavery haunts today's America . Controversies over race, historical accuracy . Selznick faced pressures over racial issues almost from the beginning, receiving letters from people concerned about the depiction of happy and subservient slaves. NAACP official Walter White urged the producer to name an African-American adviser to ensure the film's historical accuracy, but Selznick resisted, feeling he already had too many advisers. A blistering editorial in The Pittsburgh Courier, a prominent African-American newspaper, criticized the film's script for including the N-word, predicting it would be worse than "The Birth of a Nation." Facing pressure from the black press, his staff and movie censors, Selznick decided to remove "the hate word," Wilson says. "If that word had been in the film, we would be so embarrassed and offended by it that we wouldn't be discussing the film today," he says. Selznick also eliminated references from the movie that were in the novel regarding the Ku Klux Klan -- specifically when Scarlett gets attacked in an area known as Shantytown. In a memo to screenwriter Sidney Howard, he explained that he had "no desire to produce any anti-Negro film." In spite of those changes, "Gone With the Wind" remains racially problematic for audiences today, says Caroline Frick, another faculty adviser to the exhibit. Still, Frick says she finds it valuable to show the movie to students in her film classes at the University of Texas. When her students see the racial bigotry "they physically recoil," the assistant professor says. "It's a good reminder." Frick, an admitted fan of the film since childhood, calls it "a complicated movie" that also deals with gender, class and regionalism as well as the Civil War and race. "It brings up a little discomfort in a very beautiful Technicolor package." Universality of Scarlett . Wilson, the exhibition curator, sees hunger, war, migration to the cities and the loss of a connection to land as themes central to the heroine's popularity at the time of the movie's first release. "The story of the making of 'Gone With the Wind' is the story of the Depression, more than the issue of the Civil War," he says. "A lot of these issues that concerned Scarlett O'Hara also concerned the public." He says many of the letters Selznick received came from fans pleading to be cast as Scarlett, not because they wanted to be famous, but because they identified so strongly with her. "Gone With the Wind" is still considered the top movie moneymaker of all time when adjusted for inflation, and the novel is second in popularity only to the Bible, according to a 2014 Harris Poll. But it's unclear whether Scarlett will retain her hold over popular audiences in the 21st century. Perhaps time has taken a toll on the character the way it has with the 75-year-old dress that symbolizes her so well. The dress has "a lot of fading and discoloration on the fabric," says Jill Morena, the Ransom Center's assistant curator for costumes and personal effects. Morena says it's impossible to know how the dress looked in 1939, explaining the Technicolor process altered its appearance. While it seems almost emerald green in the film, it has an olive hue in person, she says. She says it would have been too risky to touch up the color so "we decided we weren't going to change it." "It's a strong visual embodiment of the tenacity of Scarlett," Morena says. "It still lives in the public's imagination." 'Gone With the Wind' actress Alicia Rhett dies at 98 . 'Gone With the Wind' actress Ann Rutherford dies .

Exhibit marks 75th anniversary of making of 1939 movie classic "Gone With the Wind" "The curtain dress is the star of the show," exhibit curator says of original costume on display . Divisive in 1930s, portrayal of African-American characters still problematic, professors say . "The story of the making of 'Gone With the Wind' is the story of the Depression," curator says .

(CNN) -- Raised steins, raised bosoms, leather-clad Bavarian thighs. Oktoberfest's sure got a beer tent full of clichés about it. But bet you don't know why "Gemütlichkeit" is untranslatable (let alone unpronounceable), what false teeth were doing in the lost property bin last year and whether the yodeling or oompah tent would best suit your personality. Read on, Lieblings. Bavaria's biggest beer love-in kicks off in Munich on Saturday, September 21, and runs through October 6. 1. Gird your bosom, hitch those hosen . Worried that squeezing into a bosom-lifting dirndl or a pair of skin-tight lederhosen will make you look ridiculous? Don't worry: it will, but considering almost everyone will also resemble an extra in a B-grade medieval romp, you'll fit right in. To put it another way, when in Bavaria, do as the Bavarians do -- and they're pretty proud of their huntsman-and-strapping-maid heritage. Rent a costume if you don't fancy splashing out on your own outfit. Although -- used lederhosen? 2. Learn to belt out "Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit" Fitting in at Oktoberfest is all about getting the balance right. Leather shorts and flouncy dresses: good. Beer stein hats: bad. Also good: singing. Not anything, though (unless it's really late). Bavarian bonding is about sing-alongs, and one such tune you'll hear time and again at the festival is "Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit." It's tricky to translate because "Gemütlichkeit" is supposed to mean some fusion of "happiness" and "belonging" that Anglo-Saxons are too uptight to understand. So try mumbling, "Cheers to something-Anglo-Saxons-are-too-uptight-to-understand" and then the important bit -- clink glasses. 3. Find table; don't visit rest room . You're thinking: Oh, Bavarians sound really jolly. Not at all the punctuality freaks of German stereotype. Well, kind of, but this country didn't set the standard for luxury precision automobiles without thinking ahead. Which means that Germans book tables months in advance in the most popular Oktoberfest tents (see below for a tent-by-personality guide). Without a reservation you'll spend hours queuing and, even if you eventually get a seat, will lose it as soon as you pop to the toilet. 4. Sit on that Viking helmet . Of the thousands of items ending up in lost property each year at Oktoberfests past, some have been obvious: Viking helmets, (ahem) wedding rings, French horns. Others were less obvious: false teeth, (live) grasshoppers. Lesson: don't bring anything precious to Oktoberfest, especially not your dignity. 5. Drink like a European . You know those patronizing stories about how Continentals -- unlike Yanks, Brits and Aussies -- don't get drunk but sit around sipping Gewürztraminer in sidewalk cafes, quoting Proust? They're not all lies! That said, Germans do have a word for a paralytic person -- a Bierleiche, meaning beer corpse. Don't be one. Surviving 12 hours of solid drinking is a marathon, not a sprint, so make each liter Mass (those jug-like glasses) last. At up to 8%, this wheat beer is strong stuff. For the record, a Mass costs around €9.80 ($13) in 2013. Tip well if you expect to be served again. 6. Choose your tent . There are 14 tents in all at Oktoberfest and the one you choose says a lot about you. "Tent," though, requires some clarification -- this isn't boy scout-related. Schottenhamel and Hofbräu-Festzelt tents each have a mammoth 10,000 seats (around six million people will attend the festival in total), filled with a generally youngish, oompah-singing, rollicking international crowd. Champagne-drinking celebrities hang out in the Hippodrom or Käfer's Wies'n-Schänke tent. Arguably the best beer is served in the traditional, family-friendly Augustiner (where people are likely still to be noticing such things), though the roaring lion at the Löwenbräu would have something to say about that. Would-be shepherds drink under a painted sky at Hacker-Pschorr, dubbed the Himmel der Bayern ("Bavarian heaven"), while Bräurosl has a resident yodeler. 7. Do your Wurst . Luckily, Oktoberfest food -- make that German food, in general -- seems designed to protect the stomach, and reputation, against excessive wheat beer consumption. A meal of Wurst in various guises -- pork knuckles with sauerkraut, goulash and dumplings and pretzels as big as your head with Obatzda, a Camembert-paprika dip -- is ideal preparation for a more or less civilized session at the stein table. Saueres Lüngerl -- sour calf-lung dumplings -- is another Bavarian speciality, yet one that risks having the opposite effect from that intended. The restaurants page on Muenchen.de has a selection of traditional Bavarian restaurants in Munich. 8. Wear your dirndl bow right . Mead! Banquets! Maidens! Debauchery ... ... er, no. Bavarians might let their braces down at Oktoberfest but while flirting is fine, even expected, it stops at a very firm line. You can call a lady fesch (pretty), but don't imagine you're in the aforementioned B-grade medieval romp and start praising her Gaudinockerln (lit. lovely dumplings -- no need to spell it out). Ladies, be aware of the signals your dirndl bow is sending out: to the right means attached, to the left, single, in the center -- not recommended and somehow unlikely to be true -- a virgin. 9. Play the proper tourist . Believe it or not, there's more to Oktoberfest than beer-guzzling, thigh-slapping revelry. You can see its more traditional side at Saturday's opening Festzug, where a thousand tent owners and brewers parade through Munich's streets with horse-drawn, flower-bedecked drays laden with barrels. It's also kitsch heaven, with Oktoberfest-themed steins, fridge magnets and snow globes on sale, plus the chance to get a last-minute embroidered dirndl or lederhosen (used or unused). Visit Oktoberfest.de to plan your own Oktoberfest adventure.

Don't worry about looking ridiculous in lederhosen: everyone does . Be prepared to sing along in voluble if not terribly accurate German . Choose your "personality tent" Discover which way a virgin wears her dirndl bow .

(CNN) -- It's an unreal scene, like one from a horror film. Here's how Tulsa World editor Ziva Branstetter described Oklahoma's botched execution on Tuesday of convicted killer Clayton Lockett: . • 6:28 p.m. Fifty milligrams of midazolam have been injected into each of Lockett's arms to start the process, an attempt to sedate him before the second and third drugs are administered to stop the breathing and the heart. Lockett has spent the past several minutes blinking and occasionally pursing his lips. • ...6:37 p.m. The inmate's body starts writhing and bucking and it looks like he's trying to get up. Both arms are strapped down and several straps secure his body to the gurney. He utters another unintelligible statement. Defense Attorney Dean Sanderford is quietly crying in the observation area. • 6:38 p.m. Lockett is grimacing, grunting and lifting his head and shoulders entirely up from the gurney. He begins rolling his head from side to side. He again mumbles something we can't understand, except for the word "man." He lifts his head and shoulders off the gurney several times, as if he's trying to sit up. He appears to be in pain. State officials reportedly were unsure how much of the second and third drugs that were supposed to kill Lockett were actually injected into his body. While the third was being administered, Lockett's vein "exploded," Oklahoma Department of Corrections Director Robert Patton told reporters. He called the execution off. Then the inmate, Patton told the media, died of an apparent heart attack at 7:06 p.m. Perhaps some supporters of the death penalty find comfort in the fact that death by lethal injection is supposed to be painless -- more sterile than a firing squad, more clinical than the electric chair. For those people, perhaps, Oklahoma's botched execution will be a wake-up call -- a realization that all executions, regardless of method, are cruel and not especially unusual in parts of the United States. But in Oklahoma -- where both the firing squad and the chair are still statutory alternatives to the needle, if other methods were to be deemed unconstitutional by the courts -- method and morality don't seem to matter much. This is the state -- the state where I grew up, by the way, and where I once worked as a newspaper reporter -- that has the highest per capita rate of executions in the country. Nationally, support for the death penalty has declined from a high of 80% in the 1990s to only 60% now, according to Gallup. States such as Connecticut, Maryland and New Mexico recently have abolished this abhorrent practice. It's unclear if public opinion in Oklahoma mirrors the national trend, statistically, but anecdotal evidence suggests the state supports, if not celebrates, state-sponsored death. "Give them a bonus!" one commenter wrote on The Oklahoman's website, apparently referring to the executioner or state officials. "I hope that man was in more pain than anyone ever imagined possible," a woman from Oklahoma wrote on Facebook, echoing a sentiment I saw repeated. Not everyone reacted this way, to be sure. But an outsider could be forgiven for seeing politicians in the state who support these unethical policies as death-hungry and vengeful. History would support that view as well. It was Oklahoma, after all, in 1977, that was the first state to authorize death by lethal injection. That decision was made, in part, because Oklahoma was "facing the expensive prospect of fixing the state's broken electric chair," and lethal injections were cheaper, according to Human Rights Watch. It was Oklahoma, in 1988, that lost an argument before the U.S. Supreme Court that it should be able to execute a man who was convicted of murder at age 15. And it was Oklahoma, just this year, that executed a 38-year-old man, Michael Wilson, whose last words, just a moment before his death, were, "I feel my whole body burning." Yet, the state proceeded with Lockett's execution this week. And it did so, according to The Guardian, using "dosages never before tried in American executions." Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin was forced to show some sense when she ordered a stay of a second execution -- of convicted child rapist and murderer Charles Warner -- that was scheduled to occur after Lockett's on Tuesday. That a state was going to execute two men in one night drew international curiosity and condemnation. It rattled some feathers in Oklahoma, as there were protesters at the Capitol. But the governor and many residents were unmoved. No one would dispute that Lockett's crime was unthinkably heinous: He was convicted of shooting 19-year-old Stephanie Neiman before watching his accomplice bury her alive. But that doesn't excuse the state from ordering his death, especially in this way. Both Lockett and Warner's sentences had been contested in court, with attorneys for the inmates arguing that the state cannot withhold the exact source of the drugs it planned to use for the executions. A political circus ensued, and the court, in the view of Andrew Cohen, a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, "caved in to the political pressure." Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Steven Taylor wrote, in agreement with the court, that Lockett and Warner had no right to know the source of the chemicals. "...(I)f they were being hanged, they would have no right to know whether it be cotton or nylon rope; or if they were being executed by firing squad, they would have no right to know whether it be by Winchester or Remington ammunition," he wrote, according to news reports. States have been scrambling to come up with drugs they can use to kill people since some drug makers stopped selling them for such purposes. Fallin has called for an investigation into the botched execution. As part of that, she should make the source of Oklahoma's drugs known. But Oklahoma seems to be a place hell-bent on secrecy. Near the end of the Tulsa World editor's journal of events, Ziva Branstetter writes that "blinds are lowered" and reporters were not allowed to see what happened in the final moments of Lockett's life. "Reporters exchange shocked glances," she wrote at 6:39 p.m. "Nothing like this has happened at an execution any of us has witnessed since 1990, when the state resumed executions using lethal injection." Reporters were escorted to a white van outside the state penitentiary in McAlester, Oklahoma, which is commonly known as "Big Mac." They were told to leave their state-issued pens, Branstetter wrote. One could find hope in that moment -- could think that the state realizes that if witnesses saw what happened after the curtain fell, they would be shocked into action. That seems like a plausible explanation, but I still have my doubts. The death penalty is on its way out in America. But it's got a cold grip on Oklahoma.

Oklahoma botches first of two executions scheduled for Tuesday . John Sutter: The horrific scene won't change attitudes in the state . Sutter writes that some locals more or less celebrated the botched execution . The death penalty still has a "cold grip on Oklahoma," he writes .

(CNN) -- U.S. Supreme Court justices peppered attorneys with questions Tuesday over whether an Arkansas inmate should be allowed to grow a beard as part of his religious faith. Gregory Holt, also known as Abdul Maalik Muhammad, is a Muslim who filed a handwritten petition with the high court. He cited rights under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, or RLUIPA. He wants to grow the beard as part of his religious faith and his attorneys claim he had offered to keep it to a "half-inch" as part of what Holt called a "compromise." In their response, Arkansas corrections officials cited security concerns in their refusal to accommodate. Justices to debate prisoner's religious right to grow a beard . According to the state of Arkansas, current policy allows only a "neatly trimmed mustache" and inmate beards could pose a security risk to guards and the public: Prisoners who escape could shave their facial hair, altering their appearance. And weapons and other contraband could be hidden in heavy beards or inside their cheeks, covered by facial hair. Justice Samuel Alito was skeptical: "As far as searching a beard is concerned: Why can't the prison just give the inmate a comb and say comb your beard? And if there's anything in there -- if there's a SIM card in there or a revolver or anything else you think can be hidden in a half-inch beard, a tiny revolver -- it'll fall out." Chief Justice John Roberts addressed the issue of how to define "neatly trimmed." "One of the difficult issues in a case like this is where to draw the line," Roberts said, addressing Holt's lawyer. "And you just say: 'Well, we want to draw the line at a half-inch because that lets us win.' And the next day someone's going to be here with 1 inch. And then 2 inches. Administrative Directive 98-04.D of the Arkansas Department of Correction permits beards only for those "with a diagnosed dermatological problem." But in his self-initiated plea to the justices, Holt complained that he and fellow Muslims were forced "to either obey their religious beliefs and face disciplinary action on the one hand, or violate those beliefs in order to acquiesce" to the facial hair policy. Read Holt's original handwritten petition to the Supreme Court (PDF) He cited the Hadith -- literary traditions and sayings of the Prophet Mohammed -- which says, "Allah's Messenger said, 'Cut the mustaches short and leave the beard (as it is).' " Holt said he offered to keep his beard to a half-inch as a "compromise," but that was rejected. Forty states and the federal correctional system allow beards of varying lengths, say his attorneys. Holt is housed at the Varner Supermax, a 468-bed, ultra-maximum security section of the correctional facility in Grady, Arkansas, near Pine Bluff. Officials point to Inmate 129-616's self-admission as a "Yemen-trained Muslim fundamentalist" with a violent criminal past. He had been indicted by a federal grand jury for threatening to harm then-President George W. Bush's two daughters. A few years later, he was convicted in state court and sentenced to life in prison for breaking into the home of his ex-girlfriend and severely wounding her, slitting her throat and stabbing her in the chest. Law enforcement officials say he threatened to wage "jihad" against anyone who helped convict him, both at trial and later behind bars. But Holt's lawyers say his criminal history is not at issue, but rather the state's continued restrictive policies. "What they really seek is absolute deference to anything they say just because they say it," attorney Douglas Laycock told the justices at the start of the one-hour argument. "There may be deference to prison officials, but there must be concrete limits to that deference." Justice Antonin Scalia questioned Holt's claim of a compromise in growing a trimmed beard. "Let's assume in the religion that requires polygamy -- could I say to the prison: 'I won't have three wives, just let me have two wives.' I mean, you're still violating his religion, it seems to me, if he allows his beard to be clipped to one-half inch, isn't he?" When Laycock said the inmate should not be punished for being "reasonable" in his request, Scalia shot back, "Religious beliefs aren't reasonable." State leaders had a simple message for the courts: Allow us room to decide which restrictions work best within each institution's unique circumstances. David Curran, representing the state attorney general's office, said "common sense" was applied in a reasonable way when the no-beards policy was enacted. But that brought tough questions from the bench. "You have no comparable rule about hair on one's head, where it seems more could be hidden than in the beard," said Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, "where you hide something in a beard and it might drop out." And Justice Stephen Breyer: "There's no example, not a single example in any state, that allows beard policies where somebody did hide something in his beard," a point the state conceded. Arkansas also argued growing facial hair could make it hard to identify inmates -- either behind bars or if they escape. Alito again: "Why is that so? Are you saying that somebody with or without a half-inch beard -- that's a bigger difference than somebody who has longish hair, versus the same person with a shaved head?" The Obama administration is backing Holt. Some legal analysts say the justices have traditionally been deferential to the security judgments of prison officers. The beard case is one of three high-profile disputes over religion that will be heard by the justices in coming weeks. One involves the ability of Americans born in the holy city of Jerusalem to list "Israel" or "Palestine" as their country of birth on U.S. passports. Another is a workplace discrimination claim filed by a female Muslim woman from Tulsa who wears a hijab. She sued the clothing chain after a job was offered then rescinded -- she claims because of her headscarf. And the court will hear arguments over whether local governments can impose stricter regulations on temporary church signs than on other noncommercial displays, such as lost-dog posters and political campaign banners, typically displayed along streets in the weeks before an election. Holt is being defended in court by the Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty, the same nonprofit group that backed two Christian families in a separate high court challenge earlier this year. At issue there was whether a federal law permitted closely held family-owned corporations the discretion to deny contraception coverage in employer-funded insurance plans. The conservative court dealt a setback to the White House and Obamacare supporters in the so-called Hobby Lobby dispute, saying those with "sincerely held" religious beliefs had a limited right to operate in harmony with biblical principles while competing in a secular marketplace. The Beckett Fund noted that groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Anti-Defamation League, along with Catholic bishops, are now backing Holt. The current Arkansas dispute is Holt v. Hobbs (13-6827).

Gregory Holt wants to grow beard as part of his religious faith . Arkansas officials have denied him the right . Justices peppered both sides with questions .

Los Angeles (CNN) -- A dancer-choreographer befriended by Michael Jackson when he was a child now calls the late pop icon "a pedophile and a child sexual abuser." Wade Robson, who is seeking money from Jackson's estate for alleged child sex abuse, talked about his claims Thursday on NBC's "Today" show. Robson, now 30, denied in testimony at Jackson's child molestation trial in 2005 that he had been molested by the singer. Two months after Jackson's death in 2009, Robson said they had "a wonderful relationship" and he called Jackson "a kind human being." "This is not a case of repressed memory," Robson told "Today's" Matt Lauer. "I never forgot one moment of what Michael did to me, but I was psychologically and emotionally completely unable and unwilling to understand that it was sexual abuse. " The lawyer for Jackson's estate called the accusations "outrageous and sad" in a statement given after the Thursday interview. . "Mr. Robson has adamantly denied under oath and in numerous interviews over the past 20 years that Michael Jackson ever did anything inappropriate to him," Jackson estate attorney Howard Weitzman said. "He now wants us to believe that he committed perjury at least twice and has been lying to anyone and everyone about Mr. Jackson since the early '90s so he can file a claim for money.  Mr. Robson's transparent lawsuit comes nearly four years after Michael passed." . The accusation came in the form of a creditor's claim against the estate in a Los Angeles probate court this month. Jackson defender files sex abuse claim . Robson said the abuse started when he was 7-years-old, when he often visited Jackson's Neverland Ranch. It continued until he was 14, he said. "He performed sexual acts on me and forced me to perform sexual acts on him," Robson said. Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges in 2005, partly based on the testimony of Robson, his sister and his mother. "It's absurd," said Tom Mesereau, the lawyer who successfully defended Jackson in the trial. "He was one of the strongest witnesses for the defense at Michael Jackson's criminal trial in 2005. He was adamant under oath that he had never been molested at any time." Robson said his denial to investigators during a 1993 criminal investigation was the result of Jackson's "complete manipulation and brainwashing" of him. He denied Jackson ever offered money to keep him quiet. "He would call me every day and role play and tell me the same sort of things and also tell me then that if anyone ever thought that we did these things, any of these sexual things, that both of us would go to jail for the rest of our lives," he said. Robson met Jackson in his native Australia when he was just 5. Jackson invited him for frequent stays at Neverland after Robson and his family moved to Los Angeles two years later. Their visits continued until he was 13, according to court testimony. Choreographer: AEG considered 'pulling the plug' on Jackson's comeback . "From day one of the abuse, Michael told me that we loved each other and that this was love, that this was an expression of our love. And then you follow that up with 'but if you ever tell anyone what we're doing, both of our lives and our career will be over,'" he told Lauer. Robson paid tribute to Jackson In an interview with "Entertainment Tonight" to promote his choreography work on the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2009. "I just had a wonderful relationship," he said. "I learned so much from him, as an artist and as a kind human being, and it's my goal to just try and continue as much as I can in my own little world that legacy. "We talk so much about him as the pop legend, which is important, but it's nice to remember that he was a man, that he was a father," Robson said. "And that's what it's really about is a father and his children, and he was a wonderful dad." But it was becoming a father himself two and a half years ago that caused Robson to change his story about Jackson, he said. He said he "collapsed into two nervous breakdowns, terrifying nervous breakdowns" in his son's first 18 months. "At that point I had no idea what was wrong with me, what was going on," he said. "During the second one, this thing happened where I started looking at him and imagining him being a victim of the sexual abuse that I was at the hands of Michael. For the first time in my life, I began to realize that my completely numb and unexplored feelings in relationship to what Michael did to me might be a problem and maybe I need to speak to someone about it." The accusations created a major stir among Jackson fans, many calling Robson a traitor to the man who made his career. They argue his motivation is money from Jackson's estate. "I understand completely how hard it is to understand this," he said. "That being said, the idea that I would make all of this up and put myself, my wife, my son, my entire family through this extremely stressful and painful experience all for the sake of money is completely incomprehensible." Witness: 'Everybody was lying' after Jackson died . Robson said the court claim is about healing. "I've lived in silence and denial for 22 years, and I can't spend another moment in that," he said. "In order to truly heal I have to speak my truth and speak the whole truth. That's one thing you'll never see from me. I'm never going to go away with this for the sake of money. I'm never going to be silenced for money. That's not going to happen." Lauer asked Robson what comes to mind now when he thinks of Michael Jackson. "Heartbreak, pain, anger and compassion," he said. "There's no excuse for what he did to me and I believe many others, but he was a troubled man and every effect has its cause. The image that one presents to the world is not the whole explanation of who someone is. Michael Jackson was, yes, an incredibly talented artist with an incredible gift. He was many things. And he was also a pedophile and a child sexual abuser." The 2005 trial in Santa Barbara County, California, centered on charges that Jackson had molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor who often visited his ranch. He was also charged with plying the boy with alcohol and conspiring to abduct, extort and falsely imprison the child and his family. He was acquitted on all counts. "I've known Michael for a long time. I've spent many hours talking to him about everything. I trust him. I trust him with my children," Joy Robson, the mother of Wade Robson, testified when called as a prosecution witness. Robson said she let Wade, who was then 7, and daughter Chantal sleep in Jackson's bedroom from the first visit.

Accuser "denied under oath" he was molested, Jackson estate says . Wade Robson is seeking money from Jackson's estate for alleged child sex abuse . Robson defended Michael Jackson in his 2005 criminal trial . "This is not a case of repressed memory," Robson tells NBC .

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A group of experts from around the world will Thursday hold a first of its kind conference on global catastrophic risks. Some experts say humans will merge with machines before the end of this century. They will discuss what should be done to prevent these risks from becoming realities that could lead to the end of human life on earth as we know it. Speakers at the four-day event at Oxford University in Britain will talk about topics including nuclear terrorism and what to do if a large asteroid were to be on a collision course with our planet. On the final day of the Global Catastrophic Risk Conference experts will focus on what could be the unintended consequences of new technologies, such as superintelligent machines that, if ill-conceived, might cause the demise of Homo sapiens. "Any entity which is radically smarter than human beings would also be very powerful," said Dr. Nick Bostrom, director of Oxford's Future of Humanity Institute, host of the symposium. "If we get something wrong, you could imagine the consequences would involve the extinction of the human species." Bostrom is a philosopher and a leading thinker of transhumanism -- a movement that advocates not only the study of the potential threats and promises that future technologies could pose to human life but also the ways in which emergent technologies could be used to make the very act of living better. "We want to preserve the best of what it is to be human and maybe even amplify that," Bostrom told CNN. Transhumanists, according to Bostrom, anticipate a coming era where biotechnology, molecular nanotechnologies, artificial intelligence and other new types of cognitive tools will be used to amplify our intellectual capacity, improve our physical capabilities and even enhance our emotional well-being. The end result would be a new form of "posthuman" life with beings that possess qualities and skills so exceedingly advanced they no longer can be classified simply as humans. "We will begin to use science and technology not just to manage the world around us but to manage our own human biology as well," Bostrom told CNN. "The changes will be faster and more profound than the very, very slow changes that would occur over tens of thousands of years as a result of natural selection and biological evolution." Bostrom declined to try to predict an exact time frame when this revolutionary biotechnological metamorphosis might occur. "Maybe it will take eight years or 200 years," he said. "It is very hard to predict." Other experts are already getting ready for what they say could be a radical transformation of the human race in as little as two decades. "This will happen faster than people realize," said Dr. Ray Kurzweil, an inventor and futurist who calculates technology trends using what he calls the law of accelerating returns, a mathematical concept that measures the exponential growth of technological evolution. In the 1980s Kurzweil predicted that a tiny handheld device would be invented sometime early in the 21st century allowing blind people to read documents from anywhere at anytime -- earlier this year such a device was publicly unveiled. He also anticipated the explosive growth of the Internet in the 1990s. Now Kurzweil is predicting the impending arrival of something called the Singularity, which he defines in his book on the subject as "the culmination of the merger of our biological thinking and existence with our technology, resulting in a world that is still human but that transcends our biological roots." "There will be no distinction, post-Singularity, between human and machine or between physical and virtual reality," he writes. Singularity will approach at an accelerating rate as human-created technologies become exponentially smaller and increasingly powerful and as fields such as biology and medicine are understood more and more in terms of information processes that can be simulated with computers. By the 2030s, Kurzweil tells CNN, humans will become more non-biological than biological, capable of uploading our minds onto the Internet, living in various virtual worlds and even avoiding aging and evading death. In the 2040s, Kurzweil predicts non-biological intelligence will be billions of times better than the biological intelligence humans have today, possibly rendering our present brains as obsolete. "Our brains are a million times slower than electronics," said Kurzweil. "We will increasingly become software entities if you go out enough decades." This movement towards the merger of man and machine, according to Kurzweil, is already starting to happen and is most visible in the field of biotechnology. As scientists gain deeper insights into the genetic processes that underlie life, they are able to effectively reprogram human biology through the development of new forms of gene therapies and medications capable of turning on or off enzymes and RNA interference, or gene silencing. "Biology and health and medicine used to be hit or miss," said Kurzweil. "It wasn't based on any coherent theory about how it works." The emerging biotechnology revolution will lead to at least a thousand new drugs that could do anything from slow down the process of aging to reverse the onset of diseases, like heart disease and cancer, Kurzweil said. By 2020, Kurzweil predicts a second revolution in the area of nanotechnology. According to his calculations, it is already showing signs of exponential growth as scientists begin test first generation nanobots that can cure Type 1 diabetes in rats or heal spinal cord injuries in mice. One scientist is developing something called a respirocyte -- a robotic red blood cell that, if injected into the bloodstream, would allow humans to do an Olympic sprint for 15 minutes without taking a breath or sit at the bottom of a swimming pool for hours at a time. Other researchers are developing nanoparticles that can locate tumors and one day possibly even eradicate them. And some Parkinson's patients now have pea-sized computers implanted in their brains that replace neurons destroyed by the disease -- new software can be downloaded to the mini computers from outside the human body. "Nanotechnology will not just be used to reprogram but to transcend biology and go beyond its limitations by merging with non-biological systems," Kurzweil told CNN. "If we rebuild biological systems with nanotechnology, we can go beyond its limits." The final revolution leading to the advent of Singularity will be the creation of artificial intelligence, or superintelligence, which, according to Kurzweil, could be capable of solving many of our biggest threats, like environmental destruction, poverty and disease. "A more intelligent process will inherently outcompete one that is less intelligent, making intelligence the most powerful force in the universe," writes Kurzweil. Yet the invention of so many high-powered technologies and the possibility of merging these new technologies with humans may pose both peril and promise for the future of mankind. "I think there are grave dangers," said Kurzweil. "Technology has always been a double-edged sword." .................................................................................... Do you think technology will allow humans to transcend biology in the future? Would you be comfortable with altering your biology? Should humans try to reprogram their genetics? What do you think the future looks like for mankind and machines? Share your thoughts in the Sound Off box below.

Nick Bostrom says technology will let humans manipulate their own biology . Ray Kurzweil predicts humans will be mostly non-biological by around 2030 . Biotechnology, nanotechnology, robotics could merge mankind with machines .

(CNN) -- When Marvel Comics Executive Editor Tom Brevoort told CNN in December that "something new" would come out of the recent death of the Fantastic Four's Human Torch, he wasn't kidding. For starters, they won't even be using the name Fantastic Four. On Wednesday, Marvel announced that the team is now going to be called the Future Foundation, debuting in "FF" No. 1 in March. Gone are the traditional blue costumes. The team will now be wearing white-and-black costumes (with three hexagons replacing the trademark number "4," as well). And then there's the cherry on top: Reed "Mr. Fantastic" Richards, Sue "Invisible Woman" Richards and Ben "The Thing" Grimm will now be joined by the superstar of the Marvel Universe, none other than Spider-Man (also wearing a new white-and-black costume). Reaction to the news from comic book fans has run the gamut. Here's a sample: . Spider-Man joining "FF" makes perfect sense! "I think it's a great idea," said Bob Bretall of the ComicBookPage podcast. "The association between Spidey and the FF goes all the way back to 'Amazing Spider-Man' No. 1 in 1962." One of the most memorable examples of this on-again, off-again partnership with the FF involved a very different kind of costume change. In a 1984 issue of "Amazing Spider-Man," the webhead ended up putting on the iconic original Fantastic Four costume ... and they got around the problem of his mask by having him wear a brown paper bag on his head. Bretall thinks that Spidey joining the team makes sense on another level: "Given that Johnny (Storm, the Human Torch) has long been Spider-Man's best friend as a superhero, it just feels right for him to step in and round out the roster to four." Comic book historian Alan Kistler agreed: "Spider-Man is a scientist with a different perspective than Mr. Fantastic, and he specializes in different fields, so it could be very interesting to see how his own expertise rounds out this new Future Foundation. And from another angle, it could be interesting to see how Spidey feels about essentially replacing a person he considered a friend and what kind of pressure this will place on him." On Twitter, @solidcolt put it this way: " 'Amazing Spider-Man' is possibly better then it's ever been. And now he's joining (writer Jonathan) Hickman's FF so that third movie is totally forgiven." Too much Spidey? "That's enough Spidey! You are everywhere already!" wrote @kodok_biroe on Twitter. He might be the most recognizable character from Marvel Comics, and it's not hard to imagine why Spider-Man is so ubiquitous. He's even a current member of the Avengers. There's a lot of buzz around the new "Spider-Man" film reboot starring Andrew Garfield. And then there's that Broadway musical that made so many headlines before it even officially opened. Still, some fans might be left to wonder: Why Spider-Man? Why not a new character for the team? "Injecting Spider-Man into the Fantastic Four will probably boost sales, but it feels like Marvel is kind of pimping out the character and spreading him too thin," Sean Fallon wrote at Nerdapproved.com. "Normally, the addition of Spider-Man to a 'team' comic might worry me a bit. Spidey is -- along with Wolverine -- one of the most oversaturated characters in the Marvel Universe," G4 TV's comic book guru Blair Butler said. "But this new version of the Fantastic Four comes to us from Hickman -- one of the most innovative voices working in comics today -- so I'm actually really looking forward to it, white suits and all. And if you've read Hickman's other work, the new title and costumes seem to fit his science-based vision of the Fantastic Four perfectly." Yes, about those new costumes ... FF's new costumes are true to its roots . ComicBookPage podcaster John Mayo is a fan of the team's new look: "The new costumes look great." Kistler, who often blogs about superhero fashion, looked at what makes the FF special in his assessment of the costumes: "(The FF) spend their spare time looking for other planets and dimensions to explore rather than patrolling for criminals to stop. So the new FF suits work for me as a compromise between customized NASA flight suits and 'Star Trek' uniforms." White costumes ... really? (And what about Spidey?) "I'm not too thrilled about the move away from traditional blue, but I'm sure ill get over it," Bretall said. "The new costumes are sleek, if not colorful." And even though Kistler liked the FF costumes, he is not as thrilled about Spider-Man's look. "It's off-putting at first. Spider-Man has such a unique costume design, with interesting line work and shape, and now most of that's been removed. Black and white works for the rest of the FF, because it's supposed to symbolize their stark look on reality following the Human Torch's death, but Spidey's faced personal death and tragedy many times and has maintained a colorful sense of humor and the belief that eventually things will get better," he said. "On the other hand, it would be boring to have him wear his classic costume and just add the hexagons to his shirt, so I can accept this as his FF outfit that he wears when he's representing their interests. If he were wearing this in his own comics as well, I'd have a bigger problem with it." Is this really a permanent change? As Kistler noted not too long ago on Newsarama.com, the FF have had a lot of costume changes over the years, though this one may be the most drastic. There have also been a number of changes with the Fantastic Four over the years, particularly the "Heroes Reborn" storyline in the '90s. Which begs the question, how long will these changes last? "While I am sure I'll continue to enjoy the title as it becomes 'The Future Foundation' for the next year, I fully expect that a year from now, the big news around the title will be that it is reverting to Fantastic Four just in time for issue No. 600," speculated Mayo. "Moreover, there is a strong possibility that issue will feature the heroic return of the Human Torch." Permanent or not, it will be interesting to see whether these radical changes will ultimately be accepted. Brevoort promises a "unique, powerful new series that's going to surprise a lot of fans with its combination of mind-blowing ideas and visuals." If it lives up to that promise, you'll be sure to hear exclamations of "Excelsior!" from readers.

Fantastic Four lost a team member when Human Torch was killed in January . In the aftermath of that loss, the team is changing its name and look . "FF" No. 1 will debut the revitalized team, with Spider-Man rounding them out . Reaction to this development among fans has run the gamut .

(CNN) -- Gleaming skyscrapers towering over upwardly mobile professionals and flashy cars cruising along brightly lit avenues; young urbanites zipping past manicured lawns to enter their luxury condos; state-of-the-art labs fostering tech savvy entrepreneurs' million-dollar ideas. A glimpse of Africa's urban future or utopian fantasies? The jury might still be out, but these are the snapshots of urban life being touted by international property developers who are announcing plans for new satellite cities and vast modern compounds across Africa. They are usually planned to be built from scratch on the edges of the continent's existing metropolises, many of which are creaking under the weight of growing populations and rapid urbanization rates. From the Konza technopolis outside Nairobi, to King City near the emerging port of Takoradi, Ghana, through the luxurious Eko Atlantic on Victoria Island in Lagos, these urban projects are designed to offer high-quality services and modern infrastructure. They're typically branded as smart and futuristic, combining leisure facilities, business opportunities and social amenities for their residents -- from schools and medical centers to shopping malls, theaters and restaurants. Out of touch? Yet not everyone is convinced. Critics warn that many of these new developments will only serve a tiny elite, exacerbating an already deep divide between the haves and have-nots. "They are essentially designed for people with money," says Vanessa Watson, professor of city planning at the University of Cape Town. She describes many of the plans as unsustainable "urban fantasies" that ignore the reality of African cities, where most people are still poor and live informally. "What many of these new cities are doing will result in the exclusion and the forced removal of those kind of informal areas, which quite often are on well-located land," says Watson. In some cases, entire settlements have been relocated and large plots of land have been cleared to make way for the proposed projects. Watch this: A new town, with few residents . Critics also bemoan a lack of adequate research to gauge the impact of some new developments on the local environment and economies. They point out the "ghost town" of Kilamba in Angola, a grandiose project often labeled as a white elephant. Built afresh outside the capital Luanda, Kilamba was designed to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people but remains largely empty due to its expensive housing and unfavorable location. But for others, these new developments have the potential to reshape Africa's urban future. "Our objective is to provide the basic infrastructure, planning and necessary management framework in creating satellite cities that reverses the current trend of unplanned development and urban congestion in most of Africa's growing cities," says Tim Beighton, of Rendeavour, which is developing several new cities in Africa. Here, CNN takes a look at some of these bold projects. Tell us what you think about them in the comments section below. Konza - Kenya . Dubbed as "Africa's Silicon Savannah," Konza Techno City is the Kenyan government's flagship mega project designed to foster the growth of the country's technology industry. The multi-billion dollar city, located on a 5,000-acre plot of land some 60 kilometers southeast of the capital Nairobi, aims to create nearly 100,000 jobs by 2030. It will feature a central business district, a university campus, urban parks and housing to accommodate some 185,000 people. Appolonia, King City - Ghana . Designed by Rendeavour, the urban development branch of Moscow-based Renaissance Group, Appolonia and King City will be located in Greater Accra and Western Ghana respectively. The mixed-use satellite cites are expected to accommodate more than 160,000 residents on land developed for housing properties, retail and commercial centers, as well as schools, healthcare and other social amenities. Rendeavour says that all baseline studies, master plans and detailed designs have been completed and approved, while basic infrastructure work in Appolonia is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2013. Eko Atlantic - Nigeria . Eko Atlantic is a multi-billion dollar residential and business development that will be located on Victoria Island in Lagos, along its upmarket Bar Beach coastline. Read this: Lagos of the future . The ambitious project is being built on 10 square kilometers of land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean. Eko Atlantic is expected to provide upscale accommodation for 250,000 people and employment opportunities for a further 150,000. Tatu City - Kenya . Also being developed by Rendeavour, Tatu City will span 1,035 hectares of land some 15 kilometers from Nairobi. It is designed to create a new decentralized urban center to the north of the bustling Kenyan capital. Construction work began last May and the whole project is projected to be completed in 10 phases by 2022. When finalized, the mixed-use satellite city is expected to be home to 77,000 residents. La Cite du Fleuve - Democratic Republic of Congo . La Cite du Fleuve is a luxurious housing project planned for two islands on the Congo River in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo and one of Africa's fastest growing cities. Developer Hawkwood Properties plans to reclaim about 375 hectares of sandbanks and swamps to build thousands of riverside villas, offices and shopping centers over the next 10 years. It says that more than 20 hectares of land have already been reclaimed. Hope City - Ghana . Hope City is a $10 billion high-tech hub that will be built outside Accra, aiming to turn Ghana into a major ICT player. The planned hub, which is hoped will house 25,000 residents and create jobs for 50,000 people, will be made up of six towers of different dimensions, including a 75-story, 270 meter-high building that is expected to be the highest in Africa. Read this: Ghana's $10 billion tech city . Ghanaian company RLG Communications is financing 30% of the project, while the remainder will be funded by a wide array of investors and through a stock-buying scheme. Its sustainable facilities will include an assembly plant for various tech products, business offices, an IT university and a hospital, as well as restaurants, theaters and sports centers. Kigali - Rwanda . The capital and biggest city of Rwanda has launched an ambitious urban development plan to transform itself into the "center of urban excellence in Africa." Watch this: Kigali's vision for 2020 . The bold and radical 2020 Kigali Conceptual Master Plan includes all the hallmarks of a regional hub for business, trade and tourism. It envisages Singapore-like commercial and shopping districts boasting glass-box skyscrapers and modern hotels, as well as green-themed parks and entertainment facilities. Urban future or utopian fantasies? Tell us what you think about them in the comments section below.

New satellite cities are increasingly planned across Africa . International developers usually plan them for the periphery of existing metropolises . But some critics have labeled them as unsustainable "urban fantasies" Here, CNN takes a look at some of the proposed developments .

(CNN) -- Sitting in a dark, abandoned sports complex with the constant crack of gunshots and the cries of angry protesters ringing in his head, Mounir Benzegala decided he had to leave the bloodshed in Libya once and for all. The 23-year-old American basketball player had tried several times to get to the airport, but his efforts were repeatedly derailed by mercenaries, soldiers, and bureaucratic red tape. Now safely on a U.S.-chartered ferry bound for Malta with about 300 other passengers -- 167 of them fellow Americans -- Benzegala said Friday he'll only let himself feel relief when he's back in the United States. "There's so many details I just can't get into until I get home and feel safe, but at least I've made it this far," said Benzegala, who had come to Libya only three weeks ago to play on a government-run team backed by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's son, Saif. "I'm just thankful to be alive," he told CNN. "Just unbelievable. ... Anything could have happened. There was no guarantee I was going to get out safely." Even though he's on his way home to Ohio, he's still haunted by stories of those he left behind, including a teammate who was held at gunpoint by a mercenary one day as he tried to get to the airport. A Libyan soldier was able to calm the mercenary down, Benzegala said. "He definitely was in serious danger and probably would have been killed. ... The mercenary was very, very violent and aggressive; he just looked like he was itching to shoot somebody." For Americans Erika and Franz Fearnley, the sound of protests and gunfire that kept getting closer and closer to their neighborhood just outside the Libyan capital ultimately forced them to make a dash for the airport in hopes of leaving the violence behind. "The crowds sounded as if more and more people were joining in, (and) just hearing the gunfire and just knowing that people were probably losing their lives" finally made them pack up, Erika Fearnley told CNN's "Parker-Spitzer" on Thursday. They and other Americans who have fled Libya's descent into chaos have harrowing tales of escaping the carnage. As Benzegala ran out of food and money -- living off of a single bowl of spaghetti for the past two days -- he decided he had to take a chance and get to the airport to leave the country. It was a fateful decision by the former University of Tampa star point guard, so used to taking chances on the court but feeling out of his element in a foreign city under siege. As the Fearnleys headed to the airport, they were stopped at a checkpoint manned by soldiers with machine guns, a scene Franz Fearnley described as "terrifying." "They knocked on the window... they wanted to see our passports," he explained. "It was scary," Erika Fearnley added. Salah Gamoudi, 24, returned to Oregon on Tuesday from Libya, where the dual citizen was working with Ernst & Young as an auditor of oil companies. As security forces started cracking down on protesters, Gamoudi said he, like other Tripoli residents, became fearful for his life and the lives of his family members. He picked up a baseball bat to use as a weapon, if he needed one; his neighbors fortified the streets and guarded their homes. At the airport, the scene was one of confusion and disorder, Benzegala and the Fearnleys said. "The airport was full to capacity. They were not allowing anyone else in," said Franz Fearnley, who had been working on a land development project in Libya for the previous month. But "our (Libyan) driver had an uncle at the airport, thank God, and he was able to get us in, but once we got in, you couldn't even move" because it was so crowded, he said. George Sayar, who was in Libya with his Florida-based construction company building roads and bridges, described the airport scene as "utter chaos." "I would say there was approximately 30-40,000 people, most of them without tickets, trying to get into the three entrances to the terminal," Sayar told CNN on Friday. "We pretty much had to push and shove our way through thousands of people, and myself and two of my colleagues finally made it after about three hours of pushing, shoving, and kicking." Another contractor who managed a tight escape was Cyrus Sany, who was working as an electrical engineer in Libya for a Virginia-based firm. He said it took him six hours to get from the airport parking lot to the ticket counter. Sany said it was a "very extreme experience" that he'll never forget. Benzegala found himself crushed between the gates and travelers storming to get in after he arrived at the airport. "I got in a skirmish, actually, trying to calm people down and got pushed to the ground by a guard and when I got up he hit me in the face and there were a couple other guys I saw get hit as well." In the end he got a ticket and arrived at the departure area, but that was the end of the line. Immigration officials saw that there was no entrance stamp on his U.S. passport, and refused to let him board his flight, or book a new ticket out. Benzegala is a dual U.S.-Algerian citizen and had used his Algerian passport to enter the country. He said he didn't think twice when he turned the passport over to his agent after getting the entrance stamp. He returned to the abandoned sports complex and managed to call the U.S. Embassy, but officials there would only tell him to keep away from the windows and wait out the violence. He learned about the chartered ferry in talking to CNN, and decided to make a run for it around dawn Wednesday when the fewest number of people were in the streets. Calls to his agent finally got through and his Algerian passport was returned along with a ride out to the port. His teammate, a U.S. resident whose name Benzegala didn't want published for fear of his safety, didn't think he'd be allowed on the ferry since he was not yet a U.S. citizen. He planned to make another attempt to get to the airport, but his whereabouts are unknown. On board the ferry, Benzegala said people stretched out on the floors to sleep, feeling safe at last. Those awake shared stories about their escape and the violence they had witnessed, but also fears about friends and family left behind. A U.S. Embassy official on board the ship, which was delayed for nearly two days because of high seas, warned Benzegala not to speak to the media before departure, explaining that revealing details about the situation could jeopardize the safety of all those on board. As for the Fearnleys, now staying with family in New Jersey, they're also worried about the friends they left behind. "It's just sad," Franz Fearnley said. CNN's Brian Walker, Katy Byron, and Moni Basu contributed to this report .

American basketball player describes the chaos that's consumed Libya . One American couple was stopped at a checkpoint by soldiers with machine guns . A U.S. ferry has left Libya carrying about 300 passengers . Many fear for the friends and colleagues they left behind .

(CNN) -- Long lines lingered in some key states after polls closed in most of the United States, but voters and election officials reported few snags in Tuesday's balloting. In Florida and Virginia, people who were in line at the end of voting hours were allowed to cast their ballots -- a process that took hours and stretched until nearly midnight Tuesday. "There have been polling places where there was no down time," said Donald Palmer, the secretary of Virginia's state Board of Elections. "There was a consistent, heavy stream of voters." But the process was "very error-free," he said. Earlier in the day, those long lines prompted some voters to walk away in states such as Florida and Pennsylvania, election observers said. Politics: No surprises for Obama, Romney in earliest projections . In Ohio, one of the most closely watched swing states, authorities recorded only a handful of complaints. "We are unaware of any problems that would substantially stall the reporting process," Secretary of State Jon Husted said Tuesday night. In two Pennsylvania counties, a voting machine had to be recalibrated after voters complained that it incorrectly displayed their vote for president. Election officials said the voters were able to cast ballots for their intended candidate, and there were no further complaints once the machines were fixed. Numerous problems were reported around Philadelphia. The nonpartisan election monitors from the independent Committee of Seventy said two voting machines had broken down at one precinct on the city's north side, forcing poll workers to issue provisional ballots. That slowed down an already long line, and at least 30 voters had dropped out, the group said. A judge in the heavily Democratic city ordered election officials to cover a mural of President Barack Obama at one city school that was being used as a polling location Tuesday morning after Republicans complained the painting violated electioneering laws. Politics: Could close race produce a popular/electoral vote split? GOP poll monitors were being escorted into precincts by sheriff's deputies after some observers had been denied access earlier in the day, said Tasha Jamerson, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office. As many as 64 of the monitors had been turned away before a judge ordered election officials to admit them, the local Republican Party chapter said. One of the complaints about misbehaving electronic voting machines occurred in Millerstown, in central Pennsylvania's Perry County, where election officials said they recalibrated the unit after one voter recorded a video of it registering a vote for Obama as one for his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney. The video drew thousands of comments on YouTube and was first confirmed by NBC News. But Ron Ruman, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania secretary of state's office, told CNN the machine was taken offline after the man complained about it, election workers recalibrated it and there have been no more complaints. A second complaint emerged later Tuesday in Lewisburg, in nearby Union County. Andy Hirsch told CNN that he pressed the box to select Obama several times, only to see the machine indicate a vote for Romney. Hirsch also captured the scene on video, showing him pressing the Obama box several times before the vote registered correctly. Hirsch said he reported the problem to a volunteer poll worker who was calm and receptive to the issue and told him the machine had been having problems all day. Opinion: From Sandy, a lesson for election . "I thought, gee, that's probably not the reaction to have when casting a ballot for president of the United States," he said. The worker suggested he use a pencil eraser to finish his ballot, but the video he shot shows the same issue. Hirsch said he saw workers shutting down the machine as he left. Greg Katherman, Union County's director of elections, confirmed there was an issue with one voting machine, but said there were no further issues after the machine was recalibrated. In other states, most complaints focused on long lines. But in Pinellas County, Florida, which includes St. Petersburg, officials had to send a corrective message to 12,000 absentee voters on Tuesday after an automated call told them they needed to get their ballot in "tomorrow." The message was supposed to have gone out Monday, but was sent out Tuesday because of a computer glitch, said Nancy Whitlock, a spokeswoman for the county supervisor of elections. Why you can't vote online yet . In the Cleveland suburb of Solon, Ohio, Dina Rock said an optical-scan voting machine jammed at her precinct, backing up the line and leaving voters confused as to how their votes would be counted. A poll worker told them to leave their ballots in a bin, "and he was not friendly at all," she said. "People were getting frustrated, and nobody knew what to do," she said. Voters were told, "Just put it in here and we'll fix it later," she said. Concerned her vote wouldn't be tabulated, she said she called the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and was told the ballots would be manually fed into the machine later. "At that point, I just said, 'OK, that's just what it is, and I will trust that you know what you're doing and I will trust that my vote counts," she said. "I'm a very trusting person, and I hope people are honest and they'll do the right thing." In Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati, as many as 15% of voters in some traditional Democratic precincts had been issued provisional ballots. More than 20,000 provisional ballots were issued in Hamilton County, a traditional Republican stronghold that went for Obama in 2008. And in New Jersey, state officials allowed voters displaced by Superstorm Sandy last week to cast ballots electronically or by fax. But they extended their deadline to submit those votes until Friday amid numerous complaints about the system. What to watch for on Election Night . The state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union went to court Tuesday afternoon on behalf of voters who said their requests for an electronic ballot weren't being acknowledged. "What's happening is they're not receiving any sort of response from their respective county election officials," said Katie Wang, a spokeswoman for the group. Voters still had to submit an application to vote electronically by 5 p.m. Tuesday, according to an executive order signed by Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. But they had until 8 p.m. Friday to submit the ballots, the order states. And in New York, which was also smacked by Sandy, polling stations around New York City saw long, slow-moving lines. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's last-minute decree that any voter could vote at any precinct, a move intended to help those displaced by Sandy, made it "a little insane right now" at the polling station at Public School 41 in Greenwich Village, a poll coordinator there told CNN Tuesday afternoon. "So we have everybody coming in from everywhere," said the coordinator, a Republican who asked not to be named. "It was for displaced people, but others are taking advantage of it." Check up-to-the-minute results here . CNN's Brad Rhoads, Ann Colwell, Sarah Hoye and Courtney Yager contributed to this report.

No glitches that would "substantially stall" Ohio results, secretary of state says . Long lines linger after polls close in Florida, Virginia . Voting machine glitches in Pennsylvania caught on video . New Jersey extends its electronic voting deadline .

(CNN) -- Five months into the country's uprising, a defiant Syrian regime continues its relentless assault on pro-reform protesters in the face of international rebuke and calls for restraint. The government has maintained the same narrative: it is going after armed terrorists. But opposition activists say it is a systematic, sustained slaughter. Here is an explainer of what is happening inside and outside Syria as efforts to resolve the crisis continue. What are the protesters demanding? Initially, protesters wanted basic reforms, more freedoms, a multi-party political system and an end to emergency law. Some of these reforms have, on paper, been implemented by President Bashar al-Assad, but it was far too little and, by the time it came about, too late. The protests started in March in reaction to the arrest of schoolchildren in the town of Daraa for painting anti-government graffiti and snowballed. Protestors now want a Syria free of the Assad regime and true democratic elections. Assad has been in power since 2000; his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for three decades. How widespread are the protests? Demonstrations have erupted in several of Syria's largest cities -- Damascus, Hama, Deir Ezzor and Homs -- as well as the southern city of Daraa, where protests began months ago. But Aleppo -- considered the largest city -- has been relatively quiet. It is the economic center of Syria and the city's merchant class has been unaffected by the protests, for the most part. How many people have died in the unrest? The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based activist group, said more than 2,000 people -- mostly demonstrators -- have died since the uprising began in mid-March. Rami Abdul-Rahman, head of the observatory, said the dead include more than 1,600 civilians and more than 370 Syrian security forces. CNN is unable to independently confirm death tolls or events in Syria, which has restricted access to many parts of the country by international journalists. How has the Assad regime reacted to other uprisings? There are fears from some in Syria of a repeat of the 1982 massacre by Syria's military -- acting under orders from Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad -- in which thousands of civilians are believed to have perished. The bloody crackdown by the Alawite-dominated government against a Muslim Brotherhood uprising took place in the western city of Hama. Estimates of the number of casualties vary from 3,000 to 40,000. A 1983 Amnesty International report put the death toll on both sides as between 10,000 and 25,000. Many activists are already comparing what is now in Hama under Hafez al-Assad's son -- but in slow motion rather than a single, devastating strike. The city has been at the epicenter of the anti-government movement roiling the country, prompting security forces to roll in with tanks in early August. Scores were killed. What attempts has Assad made to meet protesters' demands? He lifted the state of emergency that had been in place for nearly half a century. He also abolished a court set up to try people posing a threat to the regime. But, at the same time, arbitrary detentions have continued, as has the use of force against demonstrators. In July, the Syrian regime held a five-day "national dialogue" conference in Damascus, saying it was designed to solicit viewpoints not only of Assad's loyalists, but also those wanting real change. But many opposition activists boycotted the meeting and called its stated mission a farce, given claims that the government has violently targeted hundreds who have openly called for change. Who are Assad's allies? Russia and China are key players, particularly when it comes to exerting influence in the United Nations. Turkey is an important trading partner, but its relationship with Syria appears to have cooled. In early August, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah condemned the crackdown on anti-government protesters, saying there was "no justification for the bloodshed." While it is noteworthy that Saudi Arabia has openly criticized Syria, it is not surprising. Saudi Arabia is wary of Iran's influence in the region -- and Syria is Iran's closest ally there. Can the United Nations take military action? The Security Council tends to build its approach on an incremental basis when faced with a country or issue that splits opinion. Due to history, location, politics and power, Syria has more allies than Libya and is unlikely to face similar U.N.-mandated action. A Security Council resolution authorized the use of force to protect civilians in Libya. But the ensuing NATO's military campaign over Libya has drawn some criticism, which might play a role in holding off on similar action in Syria. Russia and China usually feel it is not the Security Council's role to get involved in what they say is a matter for the internal affairs of U.N. member countries. Syria's key role in the Middle East peace process has also made military attacks extremely unlikely. What role is social media playing in the uprising? If Egypt was the "Facebook revolution," Syria is the YouTube revolution. If not for activists posting videos to YouTube, the outside world would not have a window into what is happening in Syria. Why is there no likelihood of U.N. sanctions or military action against Syria? The Security Council tends to build its approach on an incremental basis when faced with a country or issue that splits opinion. Due to history, location, politics and power, Syria has more allies than Libya is unlikely to face similar U.N.-mandated action. A Security Council resolution authorized the use of force to protect civilians in Libya. But the ensuing NATO's military campaign over Libya has drawn some criticism, which might play a role in holding off on similar action in Syria. Russia and China usually feel that it is not the Security Council's role to get involved in what they say is a matter for the internal affairs of U.N. member countries. That said, they may eventually budge to at least join other members of the Council in expressing concern or condemnation of what is happening in Syria. But it will take more displays of Syrian brutality for Russia and China to go along with sanctions. Syria's key role in the Middle East peace process has also made military attacks extremely unlikely. Is social media still playing a part in the uprising? Is it likely to have a decisive role in the final outcome? It's huge. It's not the same as we saw in Egypt, which has been labeled a Facebook revolution because of the role of social networking sites. Syria is the YouTube revolution. If activists weren't posting videos to YouTube, we would have almost no window into what appears to be happening in Syria. Will it be decisive? Yes, absolutely. The reason why people have been able to have such a strong debate about crimes against humanity, about abuses, about the atrocities allegedly committed is because we've had these images on hand. CNN's Thair Shaikh contributed to this report.

The Syrian uprising began in mid-March, with no clear end in sight . A human rights observatory says more than 2,000 have died . Syria has more allies than Libya is unlikely to face similar U.N.-mandated action .

(CNN) -- The Shabiha militia fighters working hand in hand with Syria's military to repress the 15-month-long uprising are President Bashar al-Assad's "shock troops," observers say. "The regime uses them for the real dirty work, killing and violent action, especially where it has to go into an urban area and repress resistance," said Jeff White, defense fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Civil war imminent in Syria, U.N. warns . Blamed for their participation in the Houla and Qubeir massacres and other assaults, there may be tens of thousands of them, mostly but not all members of the Alawite sect that dominates the government, analysts say. U.N. observers come under fire . The Shabiha emerged in the 1970s as Alawite gangsters from the coastal region with ties to the al-Assad family. They were involved in drug- and weapons-smuggling from Lebanon, where they moved those and more benign products from the more robust economy next door into the closed Syrian society. The name Shabiha is thought to be taken from the Arabic word for "ghost." Photos: In Syria, families flee and rebels fight . One Syrian writer, Yassin al-Haj Shalih, says it refers to people operating "outside the law and living in the shadows." He and others also think it might be taken from "shabah," the name of a Mercedes model that Shabiha members drove. After the uprising started last year, the Shabiha were enlisted as regime fighters, and the meaning of the term is widely regarded as "thug." The name fits, said Michael Weiss, a Syria expert at the UK-based Henry Jackson Society. They used to smuggle drugs and weapons, Weiss said, but "now they are being used as butchers." Weiss said the government has been blaming the violence across Syria on anti-regime forces. But he said the Shabiha, in fact, "are the armed gangs" terrorizing the populace. Sometimes Shabiha wear fatigue pants and T-shirts and have been seen on army tanks. They drive around in white pickups brandishing weapons, Weiss said, and they look like "muscleheads with bulging physiques." Many have shaved heads and sport thick black beards. Syria: How a year of horror unfolded . The beards are a confusing touch, Weiss said, because they "want to look like Salafists" so people will think they are the fundamentalist Sunnis they dislike and blame for violence. Shabiha have broken up demonstrations and harassed diplomats, said Andrew Tabler, Syria expert for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He also said people have come under international sanctions for directing Shabiha activities. Opinion: The only glimmer of hope for Syria . Calling them the "black market" version of the Syrian security forces, Weiss said they spy for the regime and keep weapons away from resistance fighters by purchasing as many as they can on the black market. Weiss said they also plunder property, gang rape and engage in summary executions. "Houla was the global recognition of what they'd been up to," he said. The regime uses Shabiha for "plausible deniability," Weiss said. For example, the government can say the military wasn't involved in house-to-house raids actually conducted by Syrian security forces. Massacre in Syrian town feels eerily familiar . Analysts say the Shabiha also operate in other parts of the country, such as Deir Ezzor in the east. Weiss said there are reports of other pro-government proxies, such as Kurdish militants, Shiite militants from Lebanon and Iraq, and Iranian forces. The Alawite region is largely along the coast, with Latakia at its center. Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies and associate professor of Middle Eastern studies at the University of Oklahoma, said Alawites live "cheek by jowl" near Sunnis in Homs, Hama and Idlib province in the west. He describes that as a "poor band of countryside" that's the "center of the revolution." "Not good fences," he said. In a recent essay, Landis wrote that "since the start of the uprising, many Syrian tribesmen have supported the state's security apparatus, controlled by the Assad family. This is not a new practice, and Syrian tribes have been used as enforcers for the Syrian government for decades. In many restive regions of Syria, tribesmen are deployed by the Syrian military as paramilitary forces called Shabiha." He wrote they have also been referred to as "jahaaz, which means 'apparatus,' as in a security apparatus, but has the connotation of 'political tools.'" Landis notes that in the 1970s, the "feared" Shabiha also played an important role in providing Syrians' goods, from mayonnaise to toothpaste. "They became this super-regime dedicated element, whose livelihood and future were dependent on the regime," Landis said. When the troubles started, the regime turned to its indigenous muscle for help, mobilized their networks and "turned them into special forces and shock troops." "This was necessary because the multi-ethnic army became undependable," Landis said of the huge army with a strong Sunni presence. "They are defecting and don't want to shoot. They won't shoot at other Sunnis." Russia, China call for non-intervention . As a result, the regime cycled in "tons of shabiha who are going to do the heavy lifting," and tit-for-tat sectarian blood vendettas have unfolded. He said the recent massacres indicate that the Shabiha are gaining power and influence while the regime is "flailing around" and "losing control of the Syrian army." "Irregular or special forces are increasingly calling the shots," he said. Landis likened the situation to Iraq, where minority Sunnis who prevailed during the Saddam Hussein regime lost their clout after a populace dominated by Shiites and Kurds took power. Some Shabiha might hail from other communities, such as the Sunni or Christian. But the mostly Alawite membership join up for money and because they believe they will be persecuted by a Sunni-dominated opposition if al-Assad's regime is toppled, analysts say. The Alawites, who dominate state ministries and have more jobs than other ethnic groups, are clinging to the top and know they will face a "bleak future." "All the incentives are to back the regime. They got their backs against the wall. There's going to be hell to pay when they lose power," Landis said. For now, White said, the resistance has learned to spot the pro-regime fighters. The Free Syrian Army opposition fighters have been attacking the Shabiha and getting their weapons. "It looks like the FSA has a lot more guns," he said. "I'm not seeing a lot of reports of them running low."

The Shabiha emerged in the '70s as a criminal gang . The word might be derived from the name of a Mercedes . Special forces like the Shabiha are gaining in influence, an analyst says . They used to smuggle drugs and weapons, but "now they are being used as butchers"

GREENCREEK, Idaho (CNN) -- It was just 2½ years ago when Elaine Sonnen found out that her 16-year-old son, Richard, had been planning a Columbine-style attack at his high school. Richard Sonnen spent 16 months in mental health institutions after plotting to kill his high school classmates. It would be a fitting payback to his high school classmates who Richard said relentlessly bullied him. "I always wanted to get back at them," Richard Sonnen said of his classmates. "I always wanted to strangle them. ... I was always mad. I was always angry and I would come home and cry to mom and dad." Both Richard and Elaine Sonnen spoke to CNN at the 45-acre family farm. Unlike Columbine and recent school shootings at Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech, Elaine Sonnen did see the warning signs in her son and was able to stop him. Elaine and her husband, Tom, adopted Richard from a Bulgarian orphanage when he was just 4½ years old. "I mean, we just loved him, and he was just a big sparkle of life," she said. But only a few months after they brought him home, they began to see another side of their son. He was angry and unpredictable. Elaine Sonnen says that at age 6, Richard told her he wanted to kill her. She said he would shake with anger to the point that he'd scream at her, telling her he wanted to destroy her. "People thought he was just the greatest kid in the world. Very polite, well-mannered, caring," Elaine Sonnen remembered. "At home, he could be anywhere from just a really helpful kid to a monster. A terrifying monster." Mother says son had 'two' personalities » . In junior high, he said, "evil" classmates started picking on him. Boys and girls, he said, bullied him until he couldn't take it anymore. "I always wanted to get revenge," he said. By the eighth grade, Richard was put on anti-psychotic medications. He had been diagnosed as bipolar and was suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder and other disorders. In 1999, when the Columbine shootings happened, the Sonnens feared that Richard might do the same thing one day. "We stopped and looked at each other and said, 'This could be Richard; some day this could be him,' " Elaine Sonnen said. Years later, during his junior year in high school, they were right. Fed up with the bullies, Richard says, he felt like an outcast and started looking for a way to get even. Secretly, he began reading books about Columbine in his school library. The shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, became his heroes. "They planned it out so perfectly and so meticulously ... that I just, wow, you know," he said. "They're my gods." Watch a preview of "Campus Rage" » . He even created a hit list of the classmates he planned to kill at Prairie High School in Cottonwood, Idaho. "My plan was to set around bombs around the school. ... I analyzed a lot of where everybody sat and where everybody did their thing," he said. "I had pinpoints of where I wanted to go, where I wanted to do it." Harvard Medical School psychologist William Pollack, who consulted on a 2002 federal government study of school shootings, said it found that most school shooters often had feelings of anger, sadness and isolation as well as homicidal and suicidal thoughts. "We see a young man who obviously is telling us how depressed he was, how angry he was and how much he looked up to people who we know are very disturbed and very dangerous, and how close he came to killing people," said Pollack, who watched CNN's interview with Richard. Elaine Sonnen found out about her son's plan during a conversation with him. She ordered him to write down the names of the eight students he wanted dead and then gave the list to his caseworker the next day. Later, he added a teacher and his mother and sister to the hit list. She took immediate action and had her son committed to an Idaho mental institution. Over the next 16 months, he received treatment at several mental health facilities throughout Idaho. "There, I opened up. I felt better. I moved on with myself," Richard said. "They felt at that point ... they had done everything they could do for him," Elaine Sonnen added. "He was doing great. He could make it on his own. They had no question." In January 2007, after almost a year and a half in mental institutions, Richard Sonnen started a new life at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. He was taking a cocktail of three anti-psychotic drugs to help him function. "[For] the first time in 12 years, I was able to hold my son," said Elaine Sonnen. "So I knew he was on the road to be well." Everything seemed to be looking up, but in April 2007, three days after the Virginia Tech massacre, Richard's mother received a call from police. They told her Richard had made about four threats to carry out shootings at Lewis Clark State College and Lewiston High School. Police told her Richard planned to go home, get some guns and go back to school to pull off a sniper attack from a clock tower on the college's campus, she said. Police took him into protective custody and searched his apartment for clues. But, in the end, he was released because, authorities say, they didn't have enough evidence to charge him with a crime. Richard said the whole incident was a big misunderstanding. He said he was telling people about his high school plot and never threatened his college or local high school. But his mother doesn't believe his version of the story. "No. I believe he made those threats," she said. "I still believe it." Richard, now 19, signed an order banning him from campus for one year. Today, he lives on his own in Washington state. He's still on medication but not seeing a psychiatrist. Since he's over the age of 18, his mom can't force him to go. Is Elaine Sonnen still afraid of her son? "Yeah, at times, I'm very afraid," she said. "Because he still has a lot of anger towards me." She said the signs are still there, and she fears what could happen if he ever stops taking his medicine. "He's not getting the help and the insight from a professional that could see the signs," she said. "Because as a person with a mental illness, you have skewed thinking." Even though Richard calls her the "greatest person in the world," Elaine Sonnen protects the family by keeping an alarm on her son's bedroom door when he comes home to visit. So why are Richard Sonnen and his mother, Elaine, speaking out now? In the wake of the Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech shootings, Richard wants young people experiencing the same symptoms he had to seek out help. His mother wants parents and authorities to listen for warning signs and to act fast and decisively. E-mail to a friend .

At age 6, Elaine Sonnen says, her son, Richard, wanted to kill her . Fed up with bullying, Richard says he plotted to kill eight classmates . Elaine immediately sought mental help for her son after learning of his plan . Richard spent 16 months in mental institutions and now lives on his own .

(CNN) -- This week's United Nations meeting could mark a turning point in the acidic relationship between Iran and the United States. Will U.S. President Barack Obama shake the hand of newly elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani? Will the two presidents even hold a meeting? Those are key questions after Rouhani's "we must work together" opinion piece published by the Washington Post's website last week. His comments have sparked optimism on the streets of Iran's capital, where residents are hopeful as they take note of their new president's unprecedented charm offensive pushing for better relations with Washington. But the Iranian president's new approach hasn't played as well in Israel. The New York Times reported Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is stepping up an effort to blunt Iran's diplomatic offensive, and plans to warn the United Nations that overtures toward a nuclear deal could be a trap. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful energy, but the United States and others suspect it's for atomic bombs. The dispute about why Iran is seeking nuclear capability has prompted international sanctions and escalated concerns about additional warfare in the Middle East. In his op-ed, Rouhani wrote that he wants "a constructive approach" between his country and the world, including about Iran's nuclear program. "We must work together to end the unhealthy rivalries and interferences that fuel violence and drive us apart," Rouhani said. Analysts are divided about Rouhani and his sincerity in addressing his country's nuclear program. But there's one thing all analysts agree on: the op-ed was a jumping off point for a very high-profile public relations push. And this week, Rouhani could take things a step further. Analyst: Rouhani needs to strike a deal quickly . In many ways, Rouhani's recent election is like Obama's in 2008: Rouhani enjoys enormous political capital, offering an opportunity to renew U.S.-Iran relations. Rouhani overcame hard-line conservatives by campaigning as a centrist and a reformer, using a "hope and prudence" slogan. To keep hard-liners at bay, Rouhani now must deliver something -- namely, economic relief as Iran strains under global sanctions -- or his critics will prevail as they did against Obama in 2009 when his own venture on U.S.-Iran diplomacy foundered, one analyst said. "Now the roles are reversed: Rouhani needs to strike a deal quickly," said Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, who authored "A Single Roll of the Dice: Obama's Diplomacy with Iran." This week's U.N. General Assembly meeting "could be quite decisive," Parsi said. "That's going to be the moment where the two sides have to invest the political capital needed. Otherwise it will go nowhere. It's going to be costly politically to strike a deal. There's going to be critics on both sides," Parsi said. "There is a need for a huge dose of political will to be injected into the process." Will the two presidents meet? Obama delivered a speech Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly, and Rouhani is scheduled to as well. But it's unclear whether the two presidents will meet. Ben Rhodes, a White House deputy national security adviser, said Monday that no meeting has been scheduled with Rouhani for this week, but the White House remains open to diplomacy that serves American interests. Elliott Abrams, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said Obama shouldn't meet with Rouhani during the U.N. gathering, though shaking hands in a corridor would be appropriate. Abrams says that's because while Rouhani is Iran's president, he is not the country's leader. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the supreme leader of Iran. "They are not counterparts, they are not equal," said Abrams, who also supervised U.S. policy in the Middle East under former President George W. Bush. "So for the president to meet with him, I think confers too great a recognition on him." Abrams said Rouhani was a skilled political tactician when he was the country's chief nuclear negotiator from 2003 to 2005. "Remember this is the guy -- Rouhani -- who wrote several years ago with pride how he tied us up in negotiations while the nuclear program (of Iran) was going forward," Abrams said. "So we should approach this with skepticism." Asked Monday whether the two presidents may just shake hands, Rhodes replied, "I don't think anything will happen by happenstance on a relationship this important." White House weighs in . The Obama administration has welcomed Rouhani's published column. "But the fact of the matter is actions are what are going to be determinative here," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. "The Iranians, for a number of years now, have been unwilling to live up to their obligations to the international community as it relates to their nuclear program." The international community's economic sanctions against Iran has "taken a significant toll on their economy and put pressure on them to come back to the bargaining table," Earnest said. He did acknowledge that Rouhani now enjoys a window of opportunity against his hard-line adversaries at home, but Iran must "demonstrate their seriousness of purpose" and show "their nuclear program is for exclusively peaceful means." For now, Obama's schedule this week doesn't contain any meetings with Rouhani. Asked if the United States is willing to ease sanctions against Iran, Earnest said such economic pressure "is what has brought the Iranians to the table." Optimism in Tehran . On the streets of Iran's capital, many appear to be hopeful that their president's overtures toward the United States are a good sign. But they're also realistic that 34 years of mistrust will not disappear overnight. "I am 99% sure things will be better," said Tehran resident Syed Ali Akbar. "I can just feel it." Barber Hassan Ahmadi said he wants sanctions to end. "I want to see better relations," he said, "so we can live a little easier." Ali Hayati wasn't even born the last time Iran and the United States had diplomatic relations. But now, he feels like there's a chance for change. "I want to see Mr. Rouhani and Mr. Obama sit in front of each other and speak about life," he said. At the House of Persian Carpets in the famous Tehran Bazaar, merchant Sadegh Kiyaei said he's optimistic. "We believe that two nations -- Iran and America -- they realize that they need each other. They like each other," he said. "And they feel that it's the right time to get together and to start talking at least." CNN's Reza Sayah in Tehran, Kevin Liptak in Washington and Catherine E. Shoichet in Atlanta contributed to this report.

White House official: Obama still has no meeting scheduled with Rouhani . The Iranian president's comments spark optimism on the streets of Tehran . New York Times: Israel's prime minister believes the overtures could be a trap . Newly elected Rouhani "needs to strike a deal quickly" with the United States, one analyst says .

(CNN) -- Hey Mars! We're back! Hope you don't mind if we cruise around in our scientific SUV to grab some historic data and snap some breathtaking images. Oh, and we might do some Martian doughnuts in your front yard. Now that the Mars rover Curiosity is safely parked, NASA's unmanned planet crawler appears ready to roll. A car salesman would have a ball selling this beauty. It's loaded with an array of sophisticated cameras, a "rocker bogie" suspension, a robotic arm, 2 gigs of flash memory, a rock-vaporizing laser (!!!!) and a plutonium-fueled power system. It operates by remote control from millions of miles away and has a blazing top speed of 1.5 inches per second. Sticker price (including delivery): $2.6 billion. During its expected lifespan of 23 months, all this cool hardware could help solve big mysteries: Has life ever existed on Mars? What can Mars tell us about our own planet? Can we benefit from Martian resources? But there are less romantic questions swirling around the fourth rock from the sun: Is the price tag really worth it? Who will pay for the first manned mission to Mars? Could manned space missions be replaced by robotic exploration? The answers may be hard to see amid all the rover revelry. And this isn't the first time rovers have churned up this kind of excitement. In 1997, a smaller NASA robot on Mars -- Sojourner -- lit up the Web. "Back when the Internet was young, it was the largest Internet event in the history of that medium," Curiosity team member James Bell told CNN on Monday. The little rover found clues suggesting that Mars once had a thicker atmosphere and liquid water. Sojourner and its parent spacecraft Pathfinder cost $265 million (PDF). "Later, in 2004, when the Spirit and Opportunity rovers landed, it became one of the largest worldwide Internet sensations," said Bell, who also worked on that mission. "It slammed NASA's website." The rovers scored several discoveries including evidence of an ancient wet environment on Mars. Price tag for Spirit and Opportunity: $800 million (PDF). Nowadays -- at least for some space travel fans -- Martian robots aren't so cool anymore. Curiosity "is just another box with wheels on Mars," says CNN commenter It_could_always_be_worse. "Develop useful technology -- not this shooting of boxes with wheels all over the place. SEND PEOPLE, and I will be proud." CNN commenter Max Lewes disagrees. "This really was a HUGE leap from previous missions." Related story: Curiosity's wild ride . After the initial excitement of Monday's landing, even the Curiosity team jokingly acknowledged the first dusty black and white photos from the rover have already lost their luster. "It's not such a great picture anymore," a smiling Mike Watkins told reporters. He promised color and panorama photos in the coming days. Seriously, no matter how successful unmanned missions might be, robots will never replace the need for human space exploration, says Bell. In a sense, Curiosity is performing a scouting mission for a manned U.S. mission to Mars that President Barack Obama predicts will happen in his lifetime. NASA administrator Charles Bolden gets even more specific: Manned missions to Mars are at least 18 years away -- sometime in the 2030s. But first, mission planners need more information about the Martian surface so they can choose the best landing sites. "We don't want astronauts to be surprised," says Bell. Robot missions, such as Surveyor, preceded the Apollo moon landings, and these Martian probes are performing similar tasks. Putting a monetary value on space exploration is impossible, experts say, because there are too many unanswered questions, such as whether Mars, the moon or asteroids hold precious minerals, water and cheap energy resources that could be mined and brought back to Earth. "The reason to send humans will be because we have to," Bell says. "If some things can be done by robots, they should be done by robots. But sending a drill rig to Mars or Jupiter's moon Europa to tap into an aquifer that may have living organisms in it -- those kinds of things will require people." Then there's the unknown value of newly discovered knowledge. Scientists want to know what Mars can tell us about our own planet's climate and geology. That knowledge, experts say, could help solve difficult environmental problems on Earth. "It's human nature to explore," says Bell. "By going to difficult or dangerous places, we carry the rest of our species along with us. These stories become part of part of our culture, part of our heritage, part of our shared need to explore the worlds around us. it's a human endeavor that is part science, part inspiration." Related story: Earth loves Mars -- why we're crushing on the red planet . By the way, Curiosity has fostered jobs, says NASA; more than 7,000 people have worked on the project across 31 states. What's next? NASA plans test flights for Orion -- a spacecraft designed to carry astronauts outside low Earth orbit -- as soon as 2014. In 2017, NASA plans to launch Orion with a new heavy-lift rocket NASA calls the Space Launch System. But big questions remain: How would NASA pay for development of a landing vehicle? Or a vehicle for astronauts to travel on the Martian or lunar surface? Or how would it develop an astronaut habitat suitable for the months it would take to travel to Mars or to asteroids? NASA's proposed budget for 2013 is $17.7 billion -- $59 million less than 2012 (PDF). It includes a "lower cost program" for unmanned missions to Mars (PDF). For perspective, the Mars rover's $2.6 billion price tag equals about 14.7% of NASA's proposed 2013 budget. However, the budget also calls for more money for manned deep space programs, including almost $3 billion for Orion and the Space Launch System. In May, something happened right above our heads that gave us a glimpse into the future of Mars exploration. That's when the private firm SpaceX successfully docked its Dragon spacecraft with the orbiting international space station. NASA is studying a proposal -- referred to as Red Dragon -- that would use a SpaceX rocket for less-expensive unmanned missions to Mars. But robot missions are just stepping stones to what many experts say is a foregone conclusion. "Humans are going to live on Mars in the president's expected lifetime," says commercial space consultant Charles Miller, a former NASA executive. "It will happen as a partnership between U.S. entrepreneurs and private industry and NASA." Complete coverage of Mars . So what do you think? Are billion-dollar, planet-crawling robots worth the money? Do you think astronauts will set foot on Mars within your lifetime? Share your opinion in the comments section below.

Mars robot Curiosity "just another box with wheels," says commenter . Expert: Manned Mars missions and Martian robots both important . NASA will partner with private industry for manned missions, says consultant . Obama, NASA predict manned Mars landing as soon as 18 years .

(CNN) -- Syria accused Israel of firing rockets into the Damascus suburb of Jamraya on Sunday, striking a "scientific research center," Syrian state TV reported. It is the second Syrian claim this year of a strike against what observers have described as a government defense research facility, and it comes one day after U.S. officials first told CNN that the United States believes Israel carried out an airstrike against Syria. Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on the Syrian TV report. "We do not comment on these reports at all," an IDF spokesperson said. The Syrian news report claimed the rocket attack on the research center aided rebels, who have been battling government forces in the region. In late January, reports surfaced that Israeli warplanes targeted the research facility. The Syrian government has said the airstrike killed two workers and injured five others. A U.S. official told CNN at the time the Syrian claims were false. The official said Israeli fighter jets targeted a Syrian government convoy carrying surface-to-air missiles bound for the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. Syria denied there were such shipments. The report of rocket attacks come as sectarian violence erupted in northwestern Syria, where three consecutive days of killing by mostly Alawite forces have left hundreds of predominantly Sunni residents dead, opposition groups said Saturday. "The regime attacked the town of Beyda and other neighboring areas from the sea with rockets before security forces and militias loyal to the regime entered the area and conducted mass executions," Free Syrian Army chief of staff Gen. Salim Idris said by phone from Antakya, Turkey. "They want to establish a sectarian-based entity in the region," he said. State media have said their forces were seeking only to clear the area of "terrorists," the term they have routinely used when referring to rebel forces. But the U.S. State Department said it was "appalled by horrific reports that more than 100 people were killed May 2" in Beyda, a suburb of Baniyas. "We call on all responsible actors in Syria to speak out against the perpetration of unlawful killings against any group, regardless of faith or ethnicity," spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said in a statement. Opposition groups that included the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Free Syrian Army said the widespread killing in and around the coastal city of Baniyas continued Saturday as largely Alawite regime forces used tanks, battleships and missile launchers to hit largely Sunni neighborhoods in Baniyas. The government forces killed at least 200 people on Friday and Saturday in Baniyas and its suburbs, the LCC said Saturday. More than 200 others were killed there on Thursday, when the killings started early in the day, it said. Reliable information has been difficult to obtain because government forces controlled access to the village, the LCC said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said hundreds of Sunni families began fleeing Baniyas' southern neighborhoods at dawn Saturday, heading toward the cities of Tartous and Jableh. A graphic video posted by activists who said it was shot in the Ras al-Nabaa neighborhood showed people, including an infant, lying lifeless on the ground. Many bore what appeared to be bullet wounds and some appeared burned. CNN's access to war zones has been limited by the government and has not been able to confirm its authenticity. State-run Syrian TV filed reports from Beyda over the last two days reporting that government troops along with the National Defense militia, an armed Alawite group loyal to the government, "have cleaned the area from armed terrorists" after "they burned civilians' homes and stores and terrorized the population." The reporting was supported by interviews with members of the Syrian army. U.N. has warned of sectarian violence . Last December, the U.N. Commission of Inquiry warned that the civil war had become "overtly sectarian." It said government forces and militias, dominated by Alawites, had been attacking Sunnis -- who were "broadly (but not uniformly)" backing the rebel groups. And anti-government armed groups were targeting Alawites. Other minority communities, including some Christians, Armenians, Palestinians, Kurds and Turkmen, "have also been caught up in the conflict, and in some cases forced to take up arms for their own defense or to take sides." But it said the "sectarian lines fall most sharply" between Alawites and Sunnis. The "increasingly sectarian nature" of the fighting is a motivator for proxy groups fighting in Syria. Anti-government armed groups are composed of Sunnis from the Middle East and North Africa, the report said. Shiites from other countries have entered the conflict on behalf of Syria. The Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah has said its members are fighting. There are reports of Iraqi Shiites fighting in Syria and of Iran's Revolutionary Guards providing intellectual and advisory support. Christian communities across Syria have been under the gun and on the move. Homs, for example, was once home to 80,000 Christians, but the commission said most had escaped to Lebanon. "With communities believing -- not without cause -- that they face an existential threat, the need for a negotiated settlement is more urgent than ever," the commission said. Al-Assad makes public appearance . Also Saturday, the country's president made his second public appearance this month, according to state-run Syrian Television. "President Bashar al-Assad joins thousands of students and families of martyrs in Damascus University in inaugurating the Martyred Students Monument in memory of all the students who were killed in Syria," it said. The president's Facebook page posted a picture of the event. On May 1, al-Assad visited the Ummayad electrical plant to "congratulate its staff and all the Syrian workers on the occasion of International Workers' Day," the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported. Israel said to be flying over Lebanon . Israel was flying warplanes over Lebanon on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the Lebanese army said. Lebanon's president, Gen. Michel Sleiman, condemned the violations as "an attempt to shaken Lebanese stability," the state-run National News Agency reported Saturday. The Israeli military had no comment. But a source in the Israeli defense establishment told CNN's Sara Sidner, "We will do whatever is necessary to stop the transfer of weapons from Syria to terrorist organizations. We have done it in the past and we will do it if necessary the future." Israel appears to have struck Syria . Two U.S. officials told CNN on Friday that Israel appears to have conducted an airstrike into Syria on Thursday or Friday. Based on initial indications, the U.S. does not believe Israeli warplanes entered Syrian airspace to conduct the strikes. President Barack Obama told reporters on Friday that he did not foresee a scenario of "American boots on the ground in Syria" that would be good for that country or the region. Obama said other leaders in the region want to see al-Assad out of power. CNN's Barbara Starr, Saad Abedine, Amir Ahmed and Joe Sterling contributed to this report .

NEW: The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on the report . Syrian TV reports Israel has targeted the Jamraya area . Al-Assad makes another public appearance . The United States "is appalled" by the reports .

(CNN) -- As the family of a late Kansas City Chiefs linebacker pursues a lawsuit against his former employer, claiming that effects of multiple concussions caused Jovan Belcher to kill his girlfriend and himself, we are left to consider a larger legal question: How liable can a negligent employer be for a suicide? Emile Durkheim, the French social psychologist of the early 20th century, observed: . "Each victim of suicide gives his act a personal stamp which expresses his temperament, the special conditions in which he is involved, and which, consequently, cannot be explained by the social and general causes of the phenomenon." Culturally, we have long-viewed suicide as the most personal of decisions. The law has mostly followed suit. Legally, suicide is like murder in that it's a specific-intent killing. There are many degrees of intent in criminal law, and specific intent is the highest level. It means the killer acted intending the specific outcome -- the death of the victim. The only practical difference is the inherent complication in prosecuting the completed suicide. Your defendant is also your victim, and in any event, he is no longer subject to the state's jurisdiction. So then how can we suggest that Belcher's employer negligently caused him to do the most independent, intentional act of all? The legal question is better framed like this: Negligent parties are generally liable for all the harm that is foreseeably caused by their negligence. When a person is negligent, it means they undertook some activity, and their conduct fell below a standard of care in performing that activity. Sometimes, however, a defendant can act negligently, but the subsequent harm to another person is caused by a completely independent intervening cause. This will break the original chain of causation, absolving the defendant of liability. Suppose, for example, the Chiefs were found to be negligent as to Belcher. (The team hasn't commented on the lawsuit.) Belcher's body exhumed for brain study . Suppose the plaintiff proves all their allegations and then some: Imagine an e-mail surfacing where the team president knowingly and mockingly writes after reviewing medical evidence of concussions: "Time for some concussions in Kansas City!" To which another executive, aware of the potential harm to players, writes: "Is it wrong that I'm smiling?" Of course, no such evidence is known to exist. But suppose Belcher's family can also show that he suffered concussions and emotional problems as a direct result of the (fictional) team officials' negligence. But then imagine that Belcher's death was actually caused by an errant bolt of lightning in the parking lot. That bolt of lightning -- an "act of God" -- would be considered something unexpected that was wholly unrelated to his employer's negligence. None of us would expect the Chiefs to be liable for Belcher's death by electrocution in this hypothetical. So what about the alleged murder committed by Belcher? Could the Chiefs be liable? Traditionally, an unforeseeable, willful criminal act that intervenes between the negligent act and an intentional killing breaks the causal connection. Similarly, courts traditionally held that suicide was an "independent intervening cause," so that there was no liability for negligence that resulted in a suicide. But the times are changing. The recent trend is to permit these cases if the plaintiff can "prove" that the negligence caused the suicide. This development appears completely inconsistent with centuries of jurisprudence. But it may be very consistent with the current direction of our culture: holding others responsible for our own behavior. In Missouri, a wrongful death plaintiff has the burden to show that the decedent's death was "a direct result" of a defendant's negligence. More specifically, if the plaintiff can show that the death was the "natural and probable consequence" of the injury that the defendant caused by his negligence, then the plaintiff can win. Now, this is no easy case to make and likely would require expert medical evidence to draw a scientific relationship between one man's carelessness and another's suicide. Fortunately for the Belcher family and plaintiffs at large, Missouri courts acknowledge that the science, like the law, is increasingly on their team. According to Missouri courts, modern psychiatry supports the idea that suicide sometimes is a foreseeable result of traumatic injuries. And if a qualified expert takes the stand and tells a jury that, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, a concussion directly caused a suicide, well that jury has something on which to hang a verdict. We shouldn't be shocked. After all, as a society we've been tinkering with holding people responsible for another's suicide for some time now. In New Jersey in 2012, Rutgers student Dharun Ravi was convicted of invasion of privacy and more than a dozen other charges by using a webcam to peek (into his own room, that he would have had an absolute right to walk into at any time) at his roommate Tyler Clementi. When Clementi learned of the immature and cruel prank, he was upset. In gauging Ravi's responsibility, we should have considered the "natural and probable consequence" of Ravi's juvenile acts on Clementi. We should have asked: what would we have expected Clementi to do in this instance? Perhaps we'd expect him to sucker-punch Ravi. Maybe we'd expect Clementi to fling Ravi's laptop out of their dorm window. But can any of us say the "natural and probable" consequence of Ravi's stunt was Clementi's suicide? The clever reader will point out that Ravi was not prosecuted for the death of Clementi, and that is true. But let's face it: The main reason Ravi was in criminal court was because Clementi committed suicide. Ravi was prosecuted because of the independent act of a very upset young man. (Clementi's family decided not to file a lawsuit and instead to focus on working with The Tyler Clementi Foundation to support gay and lesbian youths.) We're entering a new cultural era. Now, when a tragedy occurs, heads must roll, no matter what. Now that appears to include suicide, that most personal, independent decision to end one's own life. Our mind may tell us that the deceased is the only party liable for his suicide. Our grief, however, speaks louder, and it calls out for retribution. Modern jurisprudence appears to join in the public sentiment; we are moving toward the idea that for every tragedy, every social wrong, every inequity, that someone must be held responsible. Perhaps it's socially cathartic, or perhaps we are devolving to our bloodier Coliseum days, where we are sated as long as a lion eats someone. Even though it goes against centuries of legal precedent, cases such as Ravi's and other civil cases are suggesting a cultural sea change. When someone commits suicide, it's someone else's fault. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Danny Cevallos.

Family of Jovan Belcher sues team, says concussions led him to kill girlfriend and himself . Danny Cevallos: Traditionally, law has declined to hold others responsible for a suicide . Suicide and murder are acts that might be caused by many different things, he says . Cevallos: Society and the law are beginning to accept others can be blamed for suicide .

(CNN) -- To start with, Cordell Jude was hungry. He was 22, the spring days were growing longer and the temperature in Phoenix had climbed to 80 degrees that Tuesday in April 2012. It was not much cooler as the sun slipped behind the Sierra Estrella mountains, so shortly before 8 pm, Jude drove with his pregnant fianceé toward a suburban intersection crowded with fast-food restaurants, a Home Depot, a Starbucks, drug stores and gas stations. Not far off, another man was headed the same way. Daniel Adkins was 29, older than Jude, but mentally disabled. His family described him as more like a 12- or 13-year-old. Adkins was walking his yellow Labrador retriever named Lady past a Taco Bell in the gathering evening, when he stepped around a blind corner and was nearly hit by Jude's vehicle. Police say the two men exchanged angry words, the dispute rapidly escalated, and it ended when Jude pulled out a .40-caliber pistol and shot Adkins dead. Jude, who was still in his car at the time of the shooting, told police it was self-defense, that Adkins had lunged at him with a bat of some kind. But investigators found no such weapon, and even if they had County Attorney Bill Montgomery says, "The threshold that people believe needs to be crossed when they brandish a weapon, never mind actually use it ... is a lot higher than what it actually is." Jude is now charged with murder in that killing last year, and because he is black and Adkins was not, the case is drawing comparisons to the killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman. Why the comparison? If Jude is convicted, some would argue there's racism in the justice system. In the Florida case, a black teen is killed and an Hispanic shooter is acquitted. In the other, a black man who claims self-defense faces prison time. Unstable ground: The fine line between self-defense and murder . The key questions being asked by many: If Zimmerman was acquitted because he felt threatened, shouldn't Jude also walk? And if he doesn't, will his race and that of the victim have played a role? The nation has a long history of self-defense laws. Almost every state allows some version of the "castle" defense, as in "a man's home is his castle." These laws generally allow people to defend themselves, their family and their property against anyone who intrudes upon their living space, with deadly force if necessary. CNN legal analyst Mark NeJame says, "If you walk into my house uninvited, odds are you aren't going to be walking out. And most people support that. You're going to protect your home and your family, and there's very little argument about that." It gets trickier when we start talking about so-called "stand your ground" laws which exist in more than 20 states. Those laws extend the castle principle so that if you are legally in some place --a parking lot, a mall, a football stadium -- it becomes like your home. Accordingly, if someone attempts to attack you there, once again you are free to fight back and are under no compunction to attempt to avoid the conflict. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder finds such laws troubling, saying they "senselessly expand the concept of self-defense and sow dangerous conflict in our neighborhoods. These laws try to fix something that was never broken." But if self-defense laws have never been broken, many legal analysts have long noted that they can certainly be bent. Rob a bank, steal a car, set fire to a house and authorities usually don't much care how you feel about the crime. But self-defense cases are all about feelings. Why did the person feel afraid? Was that fear justified? Was the response warranted? NeJame says that is where the slope gets slippery. "The standard is generally what a reasonable person would do under the circumstances and do you reasonably fear death or bodily injury? That's a very subjective standard. It's not an objective standard. We're all human beings. Everyone is going to perceive something differently." The Zimmerman case illustrates his point perfectly. Many African-American trial watchers had no trouble seeing Zimmerman -- trailing after Martin with his cell phone on a rainy night -- as the aggressor. That interpretation makes sense if you frame it with a long history of black people feeling unfairly targeted by police, security guards and others. As President Barack Obama put it Friday, "I don't want to exaggerate this, but those sets of experiences inform how the African-American community interprets what happened one night in Florida." Many whites, however, have enjoyed a different relationship with the police and saw Martin as an architect of his own violent end. They asked: Why didn't he call the police if he felt threatened? Why didn't he ask Zimmerman if something was wrong and explain where he was going? Everyone who watched the trial saw the same facts and heard the same witnesses, but like characters in the old Japanese film "Rashomon" they came away with different stories. Grappling with such vagaries is the challenge in a great many self-defense cases. To be sure, sometimes cases in which people are purportedly protecting themselves or their property are easy to sort out. Protesters stand up to 'stand your ground,' but laws likely here to stay . Just this past week in Milwaukee, 76-year-old John Spooner, who is white, faced charges that he killed a 13-year-old neighbor who was black. Spooner accused Darius Simmons of burglarizing his home, and two days later accosted the young man as he retrieved his family's trash cans from the curb. On a surveillance tape, Spooner is seen emerging from his house with a pistol in hand, waving the weapon at Simmons, and ultimately shooting him at a distance of five or six feet. The boy, who offered no visible signs of resistance during the entire confrontation, died on the street in his mother's arms. Spooner's lawyers argued that their client suffers from mental illness, saying "He didn't appreciate the wrongfulness of what he was doing" as he railed about his property. The court did not buy it, and Spooner was convicted. But so many other matters of self or property defense involve difficult, complicated questions. Was the defendant previously assaulted and thereby living in a state of heightened alarm? Was he or she a naturally excitable or nervous type? Did something else happen near the same time or in close proximity to the final incident that might have spurred an excessive reaction? "We have to defend ourselves if someone is truly coming after us," NeJame says. "The last thing anyone wants to do is put themselves, their home or their family at risk. On the other hand, we need to make it so that we don't have a trigger-happy society." All of that means in the end, as much as people may want to find a perfect parallel to the Zimmerman case; a "gotcha" verdict from some other place in which a black man is convicted for doing just what Zimmerman did, it is unlikely. Because self-defense cases that look alike from a distance on a dark evening, may be substantially different when the details and defendants are dragged into the light of day.

Arizona fatal shooting raises questions of self-defense . It has drawn parallels to Zimmerman case . But varying circumstances can make comparisons difficult .

(CNN) -- The snowfall might be subsiding in the Buffalo area but officials are warning people the deadly weather emergency is not close to being over. Especially with rain in the weekend forecast. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz told reporters Thursday that while the storm may be largely over for snow purposes, authorities are exceptionally worried that buildings will collapse when the heavy snow pack soaks up the rain. "There's going to be a warm-up on Saturday, there will probably not be a tremendous amount of melt on Saturday," he said. "There will be a rain starting on Saturday that will not initially create a situation where the snow will melt, but it will actually act as a sponge. So the water that is falling will go into the snow pack and will actually act as a sponge until it finally starts releasing it." The National Weather Service forecasts light rain to begin Saturday and temperatures to warm. The major concern is flooding, but Poloncarz said the weight on buildings could cause some to collapse. "There will be even extra weight because of the rain. So this emergency is not over," he warned. On Thursday afternoon, Erie County officials said there was a "significant threat of a roof collapse" at the 184-bed Garden Gate Health Care Facility in Cheektowaga. Residents reported wall cracks and a sagging ceiling. Several feet of snow piled on the roof. Poloncarz, who had earlier tweeted that the roof was collapsing, later clarified the statement, saying beams in the building were twisted and walls cracked. No injuries were reported and patients were evacuated. Residents were taken temporarily to a business park, said Scott Zylka with the Erie County Sheriff's Office, adding that the roof structure was compromised. The extreme weather has claimed at least 10 lives -- its latest victims two people with mental health issues who died of apparent exposure overnight, Dr. Gale R. Burstein, Erie County health commissioner, said Thursday. And the storm forced the NFL to announce that Sunday's game between Buffalo and the New York Jets, scheduled to be played at the Bills' Ralph Wilson Stadium, will be hosted at Detroit's Ford Field on Monday night. Seeking shelter . At the Winchester Volunteer Fire Company station on Harlem Street, as many as 40 people stranded in the snow have sought shelter since Tuesday. More than 6 feet of snow cover the streets. Abandoned cars are barely visible under the drifts. Fire trucks can't leave the station. Attempts by firefighters to get out in an SUV were futile. One medic hopped on a snowmobile to rush to a call. Other volunteers jumped on ATVs to reach a home where the roof was buckling under the weight of the snow. Maria Odom's two cats and a dog were rescued from the house. "I'm ready for it to end," Odom, 38, said of the extreme weather. "I've lived here my whole life and I've never seen anything like this." At the fire station, driver Steve Randall's truckload of milk and eggs has served as the main source of provisions. Randall said he was stuck in his truck for nearly five hours before making his way to the firehouse, where people have been sleeping on tables to stay off the cold floor. "We've been eating like kings for a while but now we're running out of food," he said. Firehouse occupants have been making quiche, served with milk and bread from a store across the street. From the Tops grocery store nearby, people hauling bags of food headed out into the snow by foot. One man dragged groceries in a sled; another pulled his child through the snow in a laundry basket. Robert Mead embarked on a five-mile trek to bring formula to his 9-month-old baby. A year's snowfall in 3 days? In the past 24 hours, since the latest lake-effect storm started on Wednesday night, more than 3 feet of snow has fallen in several areas near Buffalo. In Wales Center, there was a new snowfall of 37 inches, according to a National Weather Service spotter. Residents just stared out their windows at the mounds of white stuff, if they could see out at all. In East Aurora, Lisa Gutekunst's home was capped with more than 4 feet of snow, she said. "The snow is coming down so hard you can't see out the window," she said earlier Thursday. "We've cleared our driveway so many times that we've run out of places to put the snow." Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown announced a travel ban in south Buffalo for both cars and pedestrians from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., citing the safety of residents as heavy equipment moved around town. If the forecast holds, more than a year's worth of snow will have fallen in three days. In a typical year, Buffalo's snowfall totals about 7 feet, according to the National Weather Service. Extreme conditions lead to tragedy . Ten people have died, including four who suffered cardiac issues while they shoveled snow and one who died in a car accident, Erie County officials reported. A man in his 60s had a heart attack while he tried to move a snow plow or a snow blower, Erie County deputy executive Richard Tobe said. Burstein told reporters that two residents of Niagara and Erie counties died overnight Thursday of apparent exposure. "They both had chronic illnesses," she said. "They both had mental health issues, and were found outside either their home or a close friend's home. They had probably been there overnight." In Alden, a 46-year-old man was found dead inside a car buried in 12 to 15 feet of snow. In Genesee County, Jack Boyce, a 56-year-old county employee, died after collapsing Tuesday morning while operating a snow blower outside the county sheriff's office, according to County Manager Jay Gsell. Brown and city officials recounted stories of rescuers trudging around snowdrifts as high as houses to get people to hospitals, and police officers delivering special baby formula to a pair of infants. A sporting chance . Wednesday night's football game between the University of Buffalo and Kent State was postponed because the visitors' equipment truck didn't arrive on time. The game has been tentatively rescheduled for Friday, school officials said in a statement. The National Football League announced it would move Sunday's game from Ralph Wilson Stadium, which was buried in an estimated 220,000 tons of snow. The NFL statement said the contest will be played Monday night at 7 ET at Ford Field, which in 2010 played host to a Minnesota Vikings game after the roof of their stadium collapsed due to snow accumulation. Moving the game back a day will help the Bills, who haven't been able to practice this week. The team had been offering tickets to the game and $10 an hour to anyone willing to help remove the snow. Now it is offering refunds to fans who purchased tickets through the team. CNN's Alexandra Field, Leigh Remizowski, Ashley Fantz, Jason Hanna, Ed Payne, Marcus Hooper, Martin Savidge and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.

NEW: Authorities worry some buildings could collapse when snow sops up rain . Storm's death toll is 10 . NFL game moved to Detroit's Ford Field on Monday . Snow drifts have trapped people in their homes .

(CNN) -- A national breast cancer charity is being accused of using misleading statistics to convince women to have mammograms, according to a paper published Thursday in the British Medical Journal. Susan G. Komen for the Cure's mammography campaign during breast cancer awareness month last October has come under fire from professors Steven Woloshin and Lisa Schwartz at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, who say the foundation overstated the benefits of the procedure and totally ignored the risks. "The ad implies that mammograms have a huge effect, but the only evidence that they use is the five-year survival rate for breast cancer when caught early is 98% and when it's not, 23%," Woloshin said. "The problem is that in the context of screening survival, statistics are meaningless." "To make an informed decision, you not only have to know the benefits you have to know the harm. And the ad does not say anything about harm, it just gives you this exaggerated benefit statistic," Woloshin said. "Screening is a genuine decision people need to make and they can only make it if they have the facts. It doesn't mean that screening is not good, it means it does good and it does harm. Some people can benefit and some will get hurt, and the harm is just as real as the benefit." A teaching moment about politics and Komen . Woloshin and Schwartz write a series that highlights exaggerations, distortions and selective reporting in advertising, news stories and medical journals that are misleading. They say the problem in Komen's case is using survival statistics to determine the benefit of screening. "There is no correlation between changes in survival and changes in how many people die." Woloshin said. "Twenty to 50% of women who get screened every year end up having at least one false alarm over 10 years, and 5-20% actually end up having to have a biopsy to rule out cancer. "The most important harm is overdiagnosis -- screening can find cancers that were never destined to cause harm because it grows so slowly or can go away on its own," he said. "It would never have harmed you, you would never have known about it and you would have lived your whole life and died from something else. These people get treated. They get radiation, chemotherapy, surgery and it's all unnecessary. " Woloshin also says the Komen ad ignores the problems with screening. He says for every life saved by screening two to 10 women are 'overdiagnosed', suffer anxiety and undergo unnecessary radiation, chemotherapy or surgery. He said in the end, it all boils down to this: "You can't make a good decision unless you have the basic facts. It exaggerated the benefit and it ignored the harm." Experimental drug offers new way to battle certain breast cancer . But Komen, the world's largest breast cancer charity, says while mammography isn't perfect, it's still the best detection tool available. "We have long advocated for women to be informed about the benefits and risks of early detection and treatment," said Chandini Portteus, Komen's vice president of research, evaluation and scientific programs. "The numbers are not in question. Early detection allows for early treatment, which gives women the best chance of surviving breast cancer." Since its inception in 1982, the organization -- creator of the "pink ribbon," a symbol of breast cancer awareness and the official symbol of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month -- has invested nearly $2 billion in research. "We've said for years that science has to do better, which is why Komen is putting millions of dollars into research to detect breast cancer before symptoms start -- through biomarkers, for example," said Portteus. "Komen also is funding research to help accurately predict which tumors will spread and which won't. While we invest in getting those answers, we think it's simply irresponsible to effectively discourage women from taking steps to know what's going on with their health." Portteus said Komen encourages women to work with their health care providers to find out what's right for them. But according to Woloshin, a recent survey he and his colleagues conducted showed even doctors mistake improved survival as proof that screening saves lives. "The survival statistics are confusing for doctors, too," he said. "This is a real communication problem that doctors and patients alike face, so whenever you hear about survival statistics in the context of screening, you should ignore them. "The only way to know if a screening test works is if it is proven in a randomized trial that shows that less people die because of screening." 'Overdiagnosis' of breast cancer may be higher than thought . Dr. Stephanie Bernik, chief of surgical oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, said none of this is new. "It is not uncommon in the medical field for researchers, doctors and health care professionals to use statistics in a way that advances their point of view. Results can be spun to be either favorable or unfavorable, depending on one's stance," Bernik said. "The Komen foundation is doing nothing new by presenting data that supports their position in a favorable light. Although there is controversy regarding the absolute benefit of mammography screening in many studies, most breast surgeons stand behind the Komen foundation's stance that screening mammography saves lives," Bernik said. "We all agree that screening increases the number of procedures that are performed, but finding a tumor at an earlier stage cannot be worse than finding it when it is larger." "Lead-time" bias can also contribute to misrepresentation of mammography's advantages, according to the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC), a group of patient and professional organizations. This means, for example, if deadly cancer is found early through screening, it may seem like the patient lived longer because of "lead-time." But the coalition says this makes screening appear more beneficial than it is, because testing is actually detecting tumors that have a better prognosis. "NBCC believes that there is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against universal screening mammography in any age group of women," according to the organization's website. "Women who have symptoms of breast cancer such as a lump, pain or nipple discharge should seek a diagnostic mammogram. The decision to undergo screening for asymptomatic women must be made on an individual level based on a woman's personal preferences, family history and risk factors. "Mammography does not prevent or cure breast cancer, and has many limitations," the website says. "Women are told that mammography screening saves lives, but the evidence of a mortality (death rate) reduction from screening is conflicting and continues to be questioned by some scientists, policy makers and members of the public." Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, said he understands Woloshin and Schwartz's message. "It is very, very difficult to convey information about screening, especially mammography, and convey it accurately," Brawley told CNN. "In the American Cancer Society's screening recommendations, the first paragraph recommends women over the age of 40 get a mammogram annually. The second paragraph says that women should be told the limitations of screening. ... Some of the folks at Komen are trying to do the right thing, and I just respect how difficult that is."

A paper accuses the Susan G. Komen foundation of using misleading statistics . It criticizes Komen's mammography campaign last October . Komen maintains early detection leads to early treatment . Spinning statistics is nothing new, an oncologist says .

Los Angeles (CNN) -- The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office is reopening its investigation into the death of movie star Natalie Wood, who drowned in 1981 while boating off Catalina Island near the California coast, authorities said Thursday. Homicide investigators are taking a new look at one of Hollywood's most enduring mysteries after they were contacted by people who claimed they had "additional information" about the drowning, the sheriff's department said in a statement. Authorities didn't provide further details late Thursday and said a news conference on the matter will be held Friday at 11 a.m. (2 p.m. ET). Last year, the actress' sister, Lana Wood, and the captain of the yacht on which Wood sailed with her husband, actor Robert Wagner, had asked the sheriff's office to reopen the case. On Thursday, L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy Benjamin Grubb couldn't say whether the sister and the yacht captain have prompted the renewed investigation. "I don't know if that's related, but that's what the press conference is about tomorrow," Grubb told CNN. Natalie Wood once said in a televised interview that her greatest fear was of dark seawater. On November 29, 1981, she drowned in the Pacific Ocean off the isthmus of Catalina Island. Wood's body was found floating in the water about a mile away from the yacht. According to police reports, Wood was found wearing a long nightgown, socks, and a down jacket. The autopsy report shows Wood had two dozen bruises on her body, including a facial abrasion on her left cheek, and bruises on her arms. "My sister was not a swimmer and did not know how to swim, and she would never go to another boat or to shore dressed in a nightgown and socks," said Lana Wood. Although the county coroner's office ruled that Wood's death was an accident, others say the case hasn't made sense. In 2010, Lana Wood told CNN she believes a highly charged argument between her sister and husband on the yacht's back deck preceded Wood's drowning. She told CNN last year she does not suspect foul play. "I just want the truth to come out, the real story," she said last year. Dennis Davern, the former captain of the yacht Splendour broke his long silence with a detailed account in "Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour," a book he wrote with his friend Marti Rulli. It was published in September 2009. Davern has said he believes Wood's death was a direct result of the fight with Wagner. Lana Wood and Davern couldn't be reached immediately for comment Thursday. Wagner's publicist Alan Nierob issued a statement saying the actor's family "fully support the efforts of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and trust they will evaluate whether any new information relating to the death of Natalie Wood Wagner is valid, and that it comes from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30 year anniversary of her tragic death." Nierob said no one from the sheriff's department has contacted Wagner or anyone in his family about the case. In a lengthy interview with CNN in 2010, Davern said he now believes the investigation of Wood's death was incompetent and suggested there was a cover-up. He said he regrets misleading investigators by keeping quiet at Wagner's request. Wood and Wagner married in 1957, divorced in 1962, then remarried in 1972. They often sailed their yacht off the coast of California and they invited Wood's "Brainstorm" co-star, Christopher Walken, to join them on a sail on Thanksgiving weekend in 1981. Walken and Wood had been filming "Brainstorm" at the time and the Hollywood rumor mill was abuzz with speculation that Wagner was jealous over Walken, but authorities have said Walken witnessed only the events leading up to an argument between the couple. Walken couldn't be reached immediately for comment Thursday. Wagner admitted his jealousy in his book "Pieces of My Heart," also published in September 2009. He acknowledged that there had been a fight with Wood, writing that he smashed a wine bottle on a table. After Wagner argued with Walken and broke the wine bottle, Wood left in disgust and went to her stateroom, Davern told CNN last year. Walken also retired to a guest room, Davern added, and Wagner followed his wife to their room. A few minutes later, Davern said, he could hear the couple fighting. Embarrassed, Davern said he turned up the volume on his stereo. At one point, Davern recalled, he glanced out of the pilot house window and saw both Wagner and Wood on the yacht's aft deck. "They'd moved their fight outside ... you could tell from their animated gestures they were still arguing," he said. A short time later, Wagner, appearing to be distraught, told Davern he couldn't find Wood. Davern searched the boat but couldn't find her. He noticed the rubber dinghy also was missing. Wagner shrugged and poured them both drinks, Davern said. He suggested his wife had probably gone off in a temper. Wagner's story, as told in his book, differs from Davern's. He maintains that after the argument with Walken, Wood went to her room and prepared for bed while he and Walken sat on the deck, cooling off. Wagner writes that he went to check on Wood, but she wasn't there. He maintains that he and Davern searched the boat and noticed the dinghy was missing. Wagner wrote that he assumed his wife had gone ashore on her own. He radioed the restaurant on shore where they'd had dinner and called the harbor master to see if anyone had seen Wood. The dinghy was found about a mile away from the yacht, and a mile from where Wood's body was found. Wood's first starring role was as a child in "Miracle on 34th Street" in 1947, and she played alongside some of Hollywood's top leading men -- James Dean in "Rebel Without a Cause" and Warren Beatty in "Splendor in the Grass." She was nominated for Oscars in both of those films, as well as for "Love With the Proper Stranger" (1963), according to IMDb. One of her more memorable roles was as Maria in "West Side Story." Wagner's striking good looks landed him roles in dozens of films in the 1950s and '60s before he hit it big in television. He starred in two popular series, "It Takes a Thief" (1968-70) and "Hart to Hart" (1979-84), and more recently as Number Two in the "Austin Powers" spy spoofs. CNN's Rupa Mikkilineni and David Daniel contributed to this report.

The Los Angeles County sheriff's office reopens the case . Persons with additional information have approached investigators . Natalie Wood drowned off Catalina Island near Los Angeles in 1981 . A news conference is scheduled for Friday morning in California .

(CNN) -- If you sat down with an accomplished self-portrait photographer, the last thing you might expect to hear is "I'm a bit uneasy in my skin right now." But that's what Jen Davis tells me as she eyes the voice recorder I've set between us on her living room couch. She tucks her legs beneath her. "In fact," she says, "I have to admit I'm a little freaked out." Davis's inhibitions are understandable. She spent ten years creating striking, seductive images of her own 269-pound frame, and now, suddenly—with the top portion of her stomach cinched by a silicone Lap-Band and the extra weight melting away—her subject is disappearing before her eyes. As we chat about her past and her work, Davis laughs easily, and before responding to a question, she wrinkles her forehead so you can practically see her thinking. She's beautiful, with bright blue eyes and the kind of straight blonde hair the rest of us have to fake. But because she's been obese most of her life, Davis is racked with insecurities. Since she was a teenager, she has preferred to interact with the world from a distance, through the lens of a camera. During her high school years, she was constantly snapping photos of kids in the hallways and the cafeteria as a photographer for the yearbook. "I used the camera to gain access, to communicate," she says. Oprah.Com: What inspires the most creative people we know . But the pictures she took outside school—abandoned cars on a nearby reservation; the teenage boys she pined for as they jammed with their garage bands—reflected her growing sense of isolation. Over time she began to focus on capturing the loneliness in others. "It was like I was taking self-portraits," she says, "except I wasn't in them." When Davis was 23, her work took a turn: Reading through her old journals, she was struck by the fact that her grievances—being overweight, missing out on romantic love—had been the same for years. Maybe, she thought, if I turn the camera on myself, I might shake loose whatever is holding me back. In the first self-portrait she ever snapped, Davis sits on a bamboo mat on the sand, on spring break in Myrtle Beach, her one-piece bathing suit concealed by a green cover-up and black shorts; the friends around her are slender in their bikinis and swim trunks, and the uneasiness on her face is palpable. So began a decade-long project, during which Davis shot hundreds of images of her body. "A lot of artists use self-portraits to transform into other identities. But my intention was to understand myself better. To articulate myself through the lens." Oprah.com: 7 steps to creating the life you really want . The photos are arresting. In one, Davis is fresh out of the shower, wrapped in a maroon towel, water droplets dotting her pale shoulders. In another, she is floating on her back in a concrete water tank, her limbs spread like starfish rays. Some shots convey her anxieties more directly: her fingers trying to button a too-small pair of pants; her eyes doleful as she lies awake in the toned arms of a sleeping man. Davis never imagined an audience when she began the project. Had she envisioned her photos hanging in museums and galleries, she wouldn't have been as bold, she says. But it wasn't long before the powerfully raw images generated buzz in the photography world. Davis was accepted to the Yale University School of Art's Master of Fine Arts program. Galleries in France, Spain, and Italy exhibited her work. The New York Times Magazine published her photos. She won awards and grants, and colleges and museums invited her to lecture on her portrayals of beauty and sexuality. And then, in the spring of 2011, during a photography residency in Syracuse, New York, while Davis was reviewing her portfolio—dozens of portraits blown up and hung on the wall—she was struck with the same feeling of horror she'd felt reading through her journals when she was 23. "In ten years, my body hadn't really changed, and I hadn't changed, either," she says. "The problem was that I was making myself vulnerable only for the camera. What I really wanted was to be vulnerable for another person." Oprah.com: Emotional eating: Get your feelings out of the fridge . That summer Davis underwent Lap-Band surgery, and after ten months, as this issue goes to press, she has lost 95 pounds—bringing her weight down to 174. Despite the very real physical limitations created by a Lap-Band, patients who undergo the procedure must commit to eating healthily for long-term success. The failure rate, says Michael Hill, MD, of Adirondack Surgical Group, who has performed hundreds of these operations, is between 40 and 50 percent. Davis has not only adjusted to a new lifestyle but dedicated herself utterly to it. She has revamped her diet—eating mindfully (without distractions like the computer), avoiding simple carbohydrates, enjoying the feeling of filling up on nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables. She also hits the gym twice a week for cardio and weights, and does Pilates twice a week at home. Davis had always assumed she'd die young when she was obese and a heavy smoker, and on some level, she was okay with that. Now she shudders to recall that feeling of indifference. There's so much to live for—including the thrill of going on first dates. "I'm 34, and I've never had a boyfriend," she says with a wistful smile. "I have a lot to learn." Oprah.com: 7 foolproof rules for changing your diet . But with all the changes, Davis has struggled artistically over the past year. She found herself craving a break from photographing her body as it began to slim down; she felt more beautiful and more desirable than ever before—but also more exposed, without all the extra weight to shield her from the world. It wasn't until this spring that she finally aimed the camera at herself again. "I thought the self-portraits might help me process my new life," Davis says. "I was ready to go back under my microscope." She is surprised and excited by what she's discovering in her recent images: "My sexuality feels tangible for the first time. There's a change in tone. Where I once saw an overpowering sadness, I now see confidence." It's in her gestures, and the way she holds herself. In Davis's favorite portrait so far, she is looking at her reflection in the mirror. "You can tell from my expression that I'm not being critical," she says. "You can almost see the realization on my face: I am open to myself." Oprah.com: 17 quotes to help you follow your dreams . Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE. Subscribe now! TM & © 2011 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Artist Jen Davis built her career on self portraits . Davis' photography chronicles her battle with obesity . Now she documents her weight loss and new vulnerability .

Washington (CNN) -- Stevie Wonder is boycotting, demonstrators are demanding and President Barack Obama and a veteran GOP senator also are calling for changes in "stand your ground" self-defense laws in the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin killing. Despite such pressure tactics, neither Obama nor Congress have much say in the matter because the battleground for altering or eliminating the statutes is in state legislatures rather than Washington. Florida, where Martin was shot to death last year by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, is one of more than 20 states with a "stand your ground" law or some other form self-defense measure. Last week, Gov. Rick Scott met with protesters seeking repeal of the law and told them it won't happen, citing the recommendation of a task force he appointed after Martin's killing. Weekend "Justice for Trayvon" vigils continued the push by civil rights leaders for repealing such laws, and Wonder has said he refused to perform in Florida or any other state that has them. To former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, Wonder's boycott showed the difficulty facing those seeking repeal. "This is something that's going to have to get worked out state-by-state," Steele told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "It's not just Florida." The sliding scales of self-defense . On the same program, Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio said leadership at the federal level can help, but the Congressional Black Caucus chairman added that "you cannot legislate against prejudice or bias or racism." The Zimmerman trial that concluded July 13 with an acquittal in a Florida court has sparked a fierce national debate involving race, justice and politics. Martin, a 17-year-old unarmed African-American, was shot to death by Zimmerman in a confrontation in a residential community. Civil rights groups say Zimmerman started the fight in what they label racial profiling, while his lawyers argued the shooting was in self defense after Martin attacked him. Two new polls released Monday showed a divided American public over the verdict, with equal numbers saying they approved or disapproved. A Washington Post/ABC News survey found 41% of respondents in favor and 41% against the jury's ruling, with a sharp difference between African-Americans and whites. The poll showed that 86% of African-Americans opposed the verdict, while 51% of whites agreed with it. That was similar to a Pew Research Center survey that showed that 86% of African-Americans disagreed with the verdict, while 49% of whites were in favor. Obama issued a written statement after the verdict, then stayed silent until Friday, when he sought to explain the anger among African-Americans over Zimmerman's acquittal while also indicating no federal charges would be filed against him. "Once the jury's spoken, that's how our system works," he said, adding that while Attorney General Eric Holder was looking further at the case, those calling for federal civil rights charges must "have some clear expectations here." In America, law enforcement and the criminal code are "traditionally done at the state and local levels, not at the federal level," Obama said. That also applies to "stand your ground" laws, which exist in nine states. In addition, 22 states including Florida have laws stating that residents have no "duty" to retreat from a would-be attacker, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Stevie Wonder says he'll boycott 'stand your ground' states . The Florida version of the law states that "a person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony." Though Zimmerman's defense never cited "stand your ground" laws in its case, the jury was instructed to consider them during deliberations. Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges. The "stand your ground" laws came about with support from the National Rifle Association, which argues that self-defense is a fundamental human right. In his remarks Friday, Obama called for reconsideration of those measures. "I think it would be useful for us to examine some state and local laws to see if they are designed in such a way that they may encourage the kinds of altercations and confrontations and tragedies that we saw in the Florida case, rather than diffuse potential altercations," Obama said. Conservative GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas immediately slammed Obama's comment, warning it could bring an assault on the right of Americans to own guns. "It is not surprising that the president uses, it seems, every opportunity that he can to go after our Second Amendment right to bear arms," Cruz said. However, fellow Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona rejected Cruz's conclusion and said he believes the Arizona legislature would take another look at what he called the state's "controversial" law. Protestors stand up to 'stand your ground,' but laws likely to stay . What are the chances of repeal? In Florida, Scott's office noted that the task force he appointed recommends the law stay in place, though with minor tweaks, including limiting neighborhood watches to observing and reporting. Daniel Webster, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, said he doubted protests against "stand your ground" laws would change anything. Overturning laws isn't very common, he said, and "stand your ground" laws have some popular appeal due to the "the very general notion that citizens should be able to protect themselves and you shouldn't have to, in essence, run from crime." Also, Webster noted, the laws are relatively new, with most enacted in the past eight years. Therefore, it was unlikely the same legislators who passed them would suddenly be inclined to think they were wrong, he said. "The more common response is, they're going to dig their heels," Webster added. Doubts about 'stand your ground' According to the National District Attorneys Association, "stand your ground" laws emerged due to "diminished sense of public safety" after 9/11, a lack of confidence in the criminal justice system's ability to protect victims, a perception that due process trumps victims' rights and a decrease in gun legislation. A study by the group cited concerns from law enforcement officials about such laws, including doubts that they would deter criminals. Webster pointed to a Texas A&M University study examining crime in more than 20 states that passed some version of "stand your ground" laws from 2000 to 2010. Researchers found that not only was there no decrease in robbery, burglary and aggravated assault, but there was an 8% spike in reported murders and non-negligent manslaughter. CNN's Eliott C. McLaughlin and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.

NEW: Polls show America is divided over the Zimmerman verdict . Despite protests and boycotts, states are unlikely to quickly change self-defense laws . Calls for repealing Florida's law followed the acquittal in the Trayvon Martin shooting . A study found self-defense laws don't reduce assaults or murders .

Editor's note: CNN.com has a business partnership with CareerBuilder.com, which serves as the exclusive provider of job listings and services to CNN.com. Job seekers need to be ready to deal with the perception that they are overqualified. Sherry Shealy Martschink, 57, is a former state legislator, state senator and worker's compensation commissioner for South Carolina. She's a recent law school graduate and has experience in journalism, marketing and education. For the past few years during her job search, she's been told -- in not so many words -- that she's overqualified. "Sometimes the opposition is in the tone of voice rather than the actual wording of the questions and comments," Martschink said. "An employer may say something like, 'We are hoping to find someone who will make a career here' or 'Why would you want this job after doing such-and-such?' Another type of question has to do with whether I could be a team player after being in such leadership positions." How does Martschink respond to such opposition? Plain and simple: . "If I weren't willing to do the work, I wouldn't be applying for the job," she said. Geoff Tucker, who has a college degree and six years experience in his field, has faced opposition more than once during his job search. In one interview, the hiring manager started with, "We both know you're overqualified," and went on to say she wanted to do a "gut check " to determine if Tucker would be OK with the tasks he'd be handing. "In other words, she wanted to see if I was OK with being versatile to the point of helping clean around the office and refill the toilet paper in the bathroom," Tucker said. "I affirmed that I do not have an issue with doing tasks that maybe I haven't had to do in a while. I am not that egocentric and I don't regard these tasks as below me." Many job seekers wonder how being qualified can be a bad thing, but it's a Catch 22 that many job seekers face today. They can't get hired for positions relevant to their experience so they apply for jobs at lower levels. The problem is that they can't get hired for those positions, either, because they're overqualified. "Employers are in the cat-bird seat," said Kathryn Sollman, co-founder and managing partner of the Women at Work Network. "The high volume of job seekers makes it possible for employers to hold out for their ideal candidates. You're not an ideal candidate if you have held a more senior position in the past; employers assume you will leave as soon as you find something at your normal level." What's the deal? Assuming you'll jump ship when the economy turns around is only one of the many objections employers have to hiring overqualified candidates. For one thing, many job seekers assume that their high credentials automatically mean they are skilled for a more junior job. But, Sollman said, just because a position is less senior than the one you previously held does not mean that you have the appropriate skills to succeed in that role. "Take an administrative position, for example. Many mid- to senior-level job seekers haven't done anything remotely administrative for years," she said. Right or wrong, other assumptions hiring managers might have about hiring overqualified candidates include: . • You'll be bored and unmotivated . • The salary will be too low for you . • You'll be unhappy . • You'll leave the minute something better comes along . • You could possibly steal his/her job . • You won't be able to step down from a leadership role . Hiring managers only take overqualified candidates seriously if they are convincing about a valid reason they want to take a more junior-level job, Sollman said. The best reason is saying you have decided that you don't want to work crazy schedules and are interested in a better work/life balance, she said. If that's the truth and you're truly not looking over your shoulder for a senior-level job, employers will consider you for a more junior job. Tucker says the doubt he gets from hiring managers regarding his experience is unfair. "They should consider my above-par qualifications as a way to gain additional capabilities on their staff and team. I will bring just as much passion to this role as I would any other," he said. "I would not apply for a job if it weren't a fit for me. It's about the work I'm doing and the contributions I'm making that matter." If you're being told you're overqualified during your job search, here are seven ways to convince your interviewer otherwise: . 1. Admit that you're worried, too Tell the hiring manager that you are also concerned that it might not be a fit, suggests Duncan Mathison, co-author of "The Truth about the Hidden Job Market." Promise that if at any point during the hiring process you feel the job appears too low or not one where you will bring the full engagement needed to excel in the position, you will withdraw your candidacy. Your willingness to walk away tells them you are motivated if you stay in the game. 2. Take salary off the table Make it clear that you're flexible about salary and that your previous earnings are not relevant to your current job search. "Tell the hiring manager that you work for both green dollars and personal satisfaction dollars," Sollman says. "Lately you've had a deficit in personal satisfaction dollars and you want a chance to try something new." 3. Put the issue out there Ask the interviewer if he or she sees any positives or negatives to your candidacy based on your higher qualifications. Get the issue on the table so it can be addressed, Mathison suggests. 4. Use your accomplishments "Tell the hiring manager that you're proud of your accomplishments and you have proven to yourself that you can perform at a more senior level," Sollman said. "Now you're not interested in chasing titles and promotion. You want to make a contribution at a compelling company." 5. Distance yourself from your higher qualifications Be empathetic to those parts of the hiring manager's jobs -- indicate that you have a clearer understanding of what a manager needs from their people. "For example, say you were a manager and are applying to an individual contributor job," Mathison said. "Tell the hiring manager that you are looking for a job that would give you more hands-on technical work and give you a break from the people management and corporate politics." 6. You want to learn If you've held more senior positions at a different kind of company or in a different industry, tell the hiring manager that the best way to really learn about a new industry is from the bottom up, Sollman says. 7. Make a commitment "Tell the employer that you know that job hopping is a major 'don't' in the business world. Say that barring unforeseen circumstances, you are ready to make at least a two-year commitment to the company," Sollman suggests. Copyright CareerBuilder.com 2009. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority .

"Overqualified" tag a Catch 22 for job seekers who can't get hired at their level . Employers may fear overqualified applicants will jump ship, take their jobs . Experts advise to put the issue out there so it can be addressed in interviews . Tell interviewers you want to learn new skills, will make a commitment to stay .

(CNN) -- On a recent trip to Mexico City as part of a delegation of Mexican-American and American Jewish leaders, I heard a joke that is circulating among the intelligentsia: . "Mexicans are observing daylight savings time in a major way. On December 1, they'll turn the clocks back 100 years." Actually, it's not quite a century. The reference seems to be to 1929, when the Institutional Revolutionary Party (or an earlier version of it) kicked off what would be a 71-year hold on the presidency. In the 20th century, PRI became notorious for the brutality, corruption, election rigging, and brazen thievery of its leaders and their cronies. Now, after 12 years out of power, the PRI is returning to the scene of its crimes. The party is about to retake the reins of power thanks, in large measure, to the popular appeal of a handsome, charismatic and personable 46-year-old lawyer who seems to have stepped right out of central casting. He is even married to a beautiful telenovela actress. Enrique Pena Nieto is set to take office on December 1. Mexicans feeling persecuted flee U.S. This has been a Hollywood ending for a political party that was, just a few years ago, on the brink of extinction. The first blow came in 2000 when the National Action Party's Vicente Fox broke the PRI's hold on the presidency. Then came heavy losses for the PRI in Congress during the 2003 midterm elections. That was followed by another victory for the PAN in 2006, when Felipe Calderon took the presidency -- and the PRI candidate came in last among the top three political parties. But then, the PRI regained some ground in the 2009 midterm elections -- in part, it seems, because the Mexican public was so battle-weary after three years of Calderon's bloody war against the drug cartels. Don't get me wrong. The drug war is messy but necessary, and that's true in both the United States and Mexico. Legalizing drugs and making them more readily available would, in either country, increase the number of addicts, lead to more street crime to feed consumption habits, destroy scores of families, make people less productive and more dependent, and empower criminals by surrendering the fight. Opinion: Mexico, U.S. ties ripe for major expansion . And yet, it all comes at a high cost. South of the border, the drug war has resulted in the deaths of more than 50,000 Mexicans. And, because it has become more difficult to move drugs to the United States and Canada, it has brought to Mexican society a domestic drug consumption problem that Mexicans have long been content to export to the United States. Even the man who started the war -- or, as Mexicans like to say, stirred the hornet's nest -- now claims that it's not winnable. Calderon, the outgoing president of Mexico, recently conceded in an interview with The Economist that ending the consumption of drugs and drug trafficking is "impossible." As Calderon sees it, the real goal of the drug war is to disrupt the drug trade and keep money out of the hands of killers who terrorize the Mexican people. Those people are now taking another look at the PRI. The way they see it, the party may have been corrupt, but at least it was competent. Unlike the PAN, whose leaders seem obsessed with causes and crusades -- for Fox, defending Mexican immigrants in the United States, and for Calderon, the drug war -- the PRI kept the trains running on time. Can Enrique Peña Nieto save Mexico? As many Mexicans see it, the country needs to move on to other business. They expect Pena Nieto to lead the way. They may not want a complete and unconditional surrender to the drug cartels, but they could live with an accommodation that included an end to the violence. The battle against the drug cartels is sure to be on the agenda Tuesday when Pena Nieto is scheduled to visit the White House and meet with President Barack Obama. I had the chance to meet Pena Nieto during my trip and hear about his vision for building a new and improved Mexico. Despite the knocks that he has taken from the Mexican press and the elites for not appearing to be book-smart, he has more than his share of "EQ" -- emotional intelligence. This will carry him far with a Mexican public that, at this point, wants to have leaders that it can relate to, who will address its everyday concerns. Mexico's misconceptions . Like a certain recent U.S. president from Texas, Pena Nieto is taken lightly by many as he enters the office. Yet sometimes being underestimated can be helpful. And just as George W. Bush reached the height of his popularity after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Pena Nieto might yet surprise his critics and rise to the challenge of dealing with a major crisis when faced with one. In his meeting with Obama, the Mexican president-elect is likely to dwell on what he believes the U.S. can accomplish for Mexico. This will probably include delivering the last few hundred million dollars worth of equipment and supplies that is owed to Mexico to help it fight the drug cartels under the $1.4 billion Merida Initiative; safeguarding the rights of Mexican immigrants in the United States regardless of legal status; and supporting the creation of a North American trade alliance (the US, Mexico and Canada) that could compete with Asia and the European Union on the stage of global commerce. But Pena Nieto should also focus on what Mexico can accomplish for the United States. He could pledge to continue the drug war and keep the pressure on the cartels, in the spirit of the Merida Initiative; vow to create more jobs and better-paying jobs in Mexico, especially in the poorest regions that produce most of the illegal immigrants to the United States; commit himself to addressing the severe inequalities between Mexicans, closing the huge gap between rich and poor, and expanding the middle class in a country where more than 50% of the population still lives in poverty; and pledge to open up the Mexican petroleum industry to investment from North America and partnerships with American and Canadian oil companies. Latin America's challenge . All of this would benefit not only the relationship between Mexico and the United States, but also the lives of Mexicans. Those people seem to be tired of crusades. Now, it appears that they want their leaders to focus on the basics: creating better-paying jobs, protecting the population, expanding trade, improving access to technology, developing infrastructure in rural areas, and improving relations with foreign countries and trade partners. Those are some of the challenges facing Enrique Pena Nieto. How he addresses them will tell us whether the Mexican people who elected him, and returned his party to power, made a wise choice or a bad mistake. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ruben Navarrette.

Mexico's incoming president Enrique Pena Nieto meets with Obama on Tuesday . Ruben Navarrette: His election means a return for PRI, party that held presidency for 71 years . Mexican people are tired of crusades such as drug war, want a return to basics, he says . Navarrette: Obama, Pena Nieto have opportunity to help each other and their nations .

Denver (CNN) -- A Colorado advocacy group is spending thousands of dollars to convince people that smoking pot is safer than drinking alcohol. It's an attempt by the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol to rally support for a vote in November that would legalize the drug for recreational use. Colorado legalized marijuana for medical use in 2000. Last Friday, the group aired an advertisement on a local Denver channel during daytime programming encouraging people to "start your conversation about marijuana." The 30-second spot features a young woman typing a message to her mother on her laptop, explaining that after spending her college years drinking heavily, she now prefers marijuana because "it's less harmful ... I don't get hung-over and honestly I feel safer around marijuana users." The marketing campaign aims to "break down the stereotype about who the typical marijuana user is," explained the campaign's co-director, Mason Tvert. "Most of them are professional, hard-working people," he said. The TV ad, which aired only on Friday, cost about $2,000, according to Tvert. It may run again, depending on fund-raising efforts, he said. Last month, the campaign spent about $4,500 on a billboard near Denver's (Sports Authority Field at) Mile High stadium -- purposely adjacent to the Mile High Liquors store -- to deliver a similar message, Tvert said. The billboard also features a woman, this one in her 50s, standing with her arms crossed next to the message: "For many reasons, I prefer ... marijuana over alcohol. Does that make me a bad person?" Watch the TV ad . By attempting to change "stereotypes" about marijuana users, the campaign hopes to make Colorado the first state to legalize recreational marijuana use. "The goal is the choice -- to make sure adults have the choice to use a less harmful substance than alcohol," Tvert said. Dr. Otis Brawley with the American Cancer Society questioned that conclusion. "The problems of excessive alcohol use and the problems caused by any even minor smoking of marijuana are so different, I have difficulty comparing," said Brawley, CNNhealth.com contributor and the American Cancer Society's chief medical and scientific officer. "There are short-term and long-term primarily pulmonary problems associated with marijuana (and) excessive alcohol use is long-term correlated with GI (gastrointestinal) and neurologic problems." Study: Occasional pot smoking not as damaging as cigarettes . Also debatable is whether the money generated by legalizing and regulating marijuana through taxes will outweigh the costs of creating government-run marijuana distribution centers. Tvert says the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol estimates that legalizing and regulating marijuana could generate $50 million a year in saved expenses and revenue. "We've been pushing very hard in Colorado and people agree, it's not worth the law enforcement resources being used (to crack down on marijuana users) and it's not worth losing out on the tax dollars," he said. 22 million Americans use illegal drugs, study says . Tvert said he was not aware of any criticism for the advertisement, noting that legalizing marijuana is "one of the biggest issues in our state legislature in the last few years." "We live in a state that has made a lot of progress on the issue," he said. "It's not as controversial as many other issues." That's partly because of the prevalence of medical marijuana dispensaries across the state. State-sanctioned marijuana dispensaries now outnumber Starbucks in Colorado and there are well over 100,000 people on the medical marijuana registry. Mobile marijuana clinic for Colorado's rural residents . Six years ago, an attempt to legalize marijuana in Colorado failed. This year's initiative goes much further than the 2006 ballot, because it establishes a system that regulates and taxes the drug, Tvert said. He believes the infrastructure created by Colorado's medical marijuana industry will help boost the chances that voters will approve legal recreational use of the drug. Residents are also more accustomed to the idea of a legalized form of the drug, now that medical marijuana dispensaries are a common sight across the state, Tvert said. "We're not asking people to imagine, as we would just two years ago," he explained. "People have seen that just because there's a marijuana center in Colorado ... just because there might be a storefront in your town or city, it hasn't caused any problems." He noted that the initiative would allow cities and municipalities to "opt out" of allowing marijuana sales, similar to "dry counties" which ban the sale of alcohol. Colorado isn't the only state where voters will consider legalizing marijuana in the fall: there's a similar ballot initiative in Washington and there could be one in Oregon, as well, if enough signatures are collected. "There are actually... close to 17 or 18 initiatives working their way to the ballots," according to Sue Rusche, president and CEO of the non-profit anti-drug organization, National Families in Action. Rusche said her group's main focus is to "force the (marijuana) industry" to ensure that it doesn't market the drug to children. "We ask a question: if a state actually does legalize marijuana for recreational use... what kind of things can we learn form the alcohol and tobacco industries in the way they've marketed to kids?" she said. "What can we do to prevent that (marijuana) industry from marketing to kids?" She said setting a legal age limit of 21 is not enough. "We do not trust the advocates who are trying to legalize marijuana because we don't believe they are willing to look at these other two industries (alcohol and tobacco)," Rusche said. "Everything we read in their initiative has to do with making money and not protecting kids." If any marijuana initiative passes, Rusche said her group is interested in working with the state agencies that write the regulations in order "to force the industry to self-police rather than (have) the taxpayers pay for the cost" of any negative consequences, including addiction treatment and accidents caused by driving under the influence. "We want people to take marijuana legalization seriously and think seriously about the consequences to kids," she said. When asked about Rusche's concerns, Tvert said he was confident the marijuana industry would not target its product to minors. "There's a great deal of self-regulating already taking place -- business owners not choosing marijuana leaves or cartoon characters," he said, referring to the medical marijuana industry. "It's an evolving industry (and) in theory, these are standards that are already being created." That doesn't mean the marijuana industry won't advertise its product in places where children might be present, though. "It's worth noting, every young person that walks into a professional baseball game in Colorado (at Coors Field) is walking into a beer commercial," he said. "So the notion that we somehow cannot possibly have marijuana legal because young people will somehow know about it and see it, is unrealistic." CNN's Tricia Escobedo reported on this story from Atlanta and CNN's Jim Spellman reported from Denver.

Voters to decide in fall whether Colorado will be the first state to allow recreational marijuana use . Colorado medical marijuana dispensaries now outnumber Starbucks . Marijuana linked to pulmonary problems; excessive alcohol use linked to GI, neurologic issues . Nationwide, more than a dozen initiatives are working their way toward state ballots .

London (CNN) -- From his London hospital room, journalist Paul Conroy recalled Sunday his harrowing journey to hell and back from Syria -- speaking out against what he called its "murderous regime" in tribute to those, including his colleague Marie Colvin, killed in the chaos. Few foreign journalists have been in the Middle Eastern nation in recent months, as Syria's government has stringently restricted access amid widespread violence that the United Nations estimates has left more than 7,500 people dead. President Bashar al-Assad's government blames "armed terrorist groups" for the bloodshed. Yet senior U.N. official Lynn Pascoe told the Security Council last week that often over "100 civilians a day, including women and children" are being killed -- most of them the victims of what activists and witnesses have described as brutal attacks by Syrian government forces. Conroy spoke to CNN at length, days after surviving a bloody attack and surreptitiously escaping from the ravaged city of Homs to Lebanon and eventually back to his native Britain. After spending several days in Syria, both reporting and lying wounded in an embattled medical center, he had no doubts about who was responsible. "It's really hard when you've got people presenting you with bits of people saying, 'Why aren't you helping?' What can I tell them?" Conroy said. "It's not like we don't know what's happening anymore. We do know." His colleague at Britain's Sunday Times' newspaper, Colvin, had been with him earlier in February when they sneaked into Homs, which has been a hub of the resistance movement and government crackdown. Conroy called the experience -- without government minders, into what had been a largely imagined situation until then -- "an eye-opener (given) the level of butchery going on." After what they'd seen already, Colvin couldn't stand to just head home, he said. "Marie was on fire," Conroy said. "She couldn't let this go. Two days wasn't enough." So they returned to Homs to find "the situation was going downhill, almost by the hour." They talked with CNN and the BBC, intent on doing whatever possible to get the news out. Around 8:15 a.m. the next morning, February 22, the building they were in took a direct hit, filling the air with dust and smoke. Several more blows followed. Conroy remembered feeling "massive pressure" and knowing he'd been hit. He later was found to be severely wounded in his stomach and leg. "So I ran through where the door had been and, on the way out, more or less tripped over Marie's body and fell down next to her," he said. "Her head was covered in rubble, her legs were covered in rubble, and she was obviously dead." Activists soon risked their lives and dragged Conroy outside, threw him in a car and took him to the field hospital -- "ironically, what we'd been trying to get to for two days." A room, fitted with mattresses, became home to Conroy and another wounded journalist, Edith Bouvier of France, for the next five days. He learned that, in addition to Colvin, another journalist, Remi Ochlik, also was killed, while colleague William Daniels had survived the attack. Yet there was little peace. Conroy said. Every day, there was "the most savage and ferocious bombardment" imaginable -- reporting even what he called an "Iranian drone flying around, looking for targets." Then late one afternoon, ambulances descended on the hospital. The initial word was first that there was a cease-fire and that Red Cross representatives would be on hand soon to take him, Bouvier and others home. But Conroy said Red Cross workers didn't show up, just civilian Red Crescent members "with no diplomatic presence." A delegation member who was trusted by the Free Syrian Army -- the armed opposition group, made up largely of Syrian military defectors, who had looked after the journalists -- said that he heard Syrian state television planned to film the two being put on ambulances, then government forces would stage an attack that they'd later blame on the Free Syrian Army. Conroy said he was confused, but determined to get out. "When you see bodies of kids with sniper rounds through the head, what's a journalist who had two of their roommates killed (to think)?" he said. "I'd rather die on the ground than wait for some lunatic to come in and start (shooting)." A short time later, after borrowing shoes and pants, Conroy said he got an injection from doctors -- "I just said put anything in, because I knew it was going to be a very painful experience" -- and got into a Free Syrian Army vehicle. He emerged on a street, then found "most of the buildings" that had been there a few days before were "gone." Conroy said a rope was tied around him, and he was lowered about five meters (16 feet) into a tunnel. There, he and a seriously wounded boy, roughly 10 years old, joined a driver on a small motorbike. "We just drove off, into this night, in this tunnel," he said, adding that he learned Syrian forces shot up the same tunnel some 20 minutes later. Yet he got out safely on the other end, being put on a stretcher and then placed in a "van full of dead and sick guys." The rest of his voyage consisted of "a series of motorbike rides (and) car journeys," at times past sporadic attacks and through battlefields. Finally, Conroy said he was dropped off at a house, where three men were sitting watching television, with their machine guns nearby. "And I thought, well, I better ask: Are we in Syria or Lebanon? They went, 'Lebanon,'" he said. "I just kind of sat down and had a toke of a ... cigarette... "That's the first time that I felt I could actually allow myself to celebrate. I made it out. But I couldn't be delighted because nobody else was there with me. I was on my own." Soon he was in the home of Tom Fletcher, Britain's ambassador to Lebanon, and eventually back in his native England. Last Friday, both Bouvier and Daniels returned to France -- with the opposition group Avaaz claiming it helped them escape. Now, dressed in a hospital gown, Conroy is on another mission: to get the word out about what's really going on. That is the best way, he figures, to reflect the spirit and mission of Colvin and other journalists killed in Syria. And he would return, he says, if only to challenge the Syrian government to an open debate about what they have done and what they'll do next. Conroy said he's convinced "this regime will continue to exterminate civilians. They will massacre them. They will not stop." "If you are big enough to throw your army in to kill the women and children, then be big enough to have a conversation about it," he said. "If you've got nothing to hide, come and do it. "I'd go back, absolutely."

Paul Conroy was hurt while surreptitously reporting from Homs, Syria . His Sunday Times' colleague, Marie Colvin, was killed in the same attack . He fled Syria on motorbikes, vans and cars through tunnels and battlefields . "This regime will continue to exterminate civilians," he says .

(CNN) -- Twenty milligrams; that's the average amount of carbon emissions generated from the time it took you to read the first two words of this article. How green is your website? Calculating all the factors involved in a website can be tricky. Now, depending on how quickly you read, around 80, perhaps even 100 milligrams of C02 have been released. And in the several minutes it will take you to get to the end of this story, the number of milligrams of greenhouse gas emitted could be several thousand, if not more. This may not seem like a lot: "But in aggregate, if you consider all the people visiting a web site and then all the seconds that each of them spends on it, it turns out to be a large number," says Dr. Alexander Wissner-Gross, an Environmental Fellow at Harvard University who studies the environmental impact of computing. Wissner-Gross estimates every second someone spends browsing a simple web site generates roughly 20 milligrams of C02. Whether downloading a song, sending an email or streaming a video, almost every single activity that takes place in the virtual environment has an impact on the real one. As millions more go online each year some researchers say the need to create a green Internet ecosystem is not only imperative but also urgent. "It is part of the whole sustainability picture," Chris Large, head of research and development at UK-based Climate Action Group, told CNN. "Scientists are saying to us that we have 10 years to take some serious action to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change so taking some sort of initiative is absolutely vital." A number of studies have highlighted the growing energy demands of computers. A 2007 report from research firm Gartner, for example, estimates the manufacturing, use and disposal of information and communications technology generates about two percent of the world's greenhouse gases -- similar to the level produced by the entire aviation industry. Watch the report on efforts to turn tech green » . Anti-virus software firm McAfee reports that the electricity needed just to transmit the trillions of spam emails sent annually equals the amount required to power over two million homes in the United States while producing the same level of greenhouse gas emissions as more than three million cars. "Most people don't appreciate that the computer on your desk is contributing to global warming and that if its electricity comes from a coal power plant it produces as much C02 as a sports utility vehicle," said Bill St. Arnaud of Canarie, a Canada-based internet development organization. "Some studies estimate the internet will be producing 20 percent of the world's greenhouse gases in a decade. That is clearly the wrong direction. That is clearly unsustainable," added St. Arnaud. What do you include when working out IT's carbon footprint? Calculating the carbon footprint of the entire web however is not as easy as measuring the greenhouse gas emissions of a car. Data centers -- massive buildings housing hundreds, if not thousands, of power hungry servers storing everything from Facebook photos and YouTube videos to company web sites and personal emails -- are often labeled as the worst offenders when it comes to harming the environment. In 2002, global data center emissions amounted to 76 million tons of carbon dioxide -- a figure that is likely to more than triple over the next decade, according to a 2008 study by the Climate Group and Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI). The footprint of network infrastructure, which is responsible for transporting information from data centers to personal computers, mobile phones and other devices, is harder to pinpoint. However the same study estimates fixed broadband accounts for around four million tons of carbon emissions and could account for nearly 50 million tons of emissions by 2020. The manufacturing, transport and use of personal computers and laptops also has what some say is the most significant impact, producing roughly 200 million tons of emissions in 2002. As millions of people buy new laptops and computers every year, this figure could triple by the end of the next decade, according to the Climate Group report. And it is also true that, like driving a car compared to taking public transportation, some online activities produce more greenhouse gases than others. More electricity is needed to store, transmit and download a video compared to a simple email, for example. A single search using Google releases 0.2 grams of C02 into the atmosphere, according to Google. "And what that includes is the energy that we at Google use to be able to receive your search, process it and then send it back to you," Erik Teetzel, one of Google's "green" engineers, told CNN. "If people are counting things outside the activity that we do, then we don't have control over that so we don't factor that into the equation," said Teetzel. "We can measure exactly the number of queries that we service and come up with a very accurate estimate and answer from measured results of our actual emissions or energy use per query that we serve." The drive for energy efficiency . Citing competitive reasons, Teetzel declined to divulge Google's annual power bill, yet he said the internet company has been taking steps to make its main six, five megawatt server farms green as well as the other, smaller data centers it has around the world. It is doing this by using more renewable energy, recycled water and efficient software that requires less electricity to run. "From a business perspective, it makes sense to get the most what you want to call useful work done using the least amount of resources," said Teetzel. "Our energy efficiency efforts really did stem from us making our business more competitive." A number of other companies are also working to take the various pieces that comprise the infrastructure of the internet in a more sustainable direction. Wissner-Gross of Harvard has a company called C02Stats that enables businesses to monitor and manage the environmental impact of their web sites and then purchase renewable energy certificates based on their sites' monthly carbon footprint. Netherlands-based Cleanbits lobbies web sites to go green by either by purchasing carbon offsets or switching to green hosting providers, like AISO.net, a solar-powered data center based in California. And, like Google, Yahoo also incorporates renewable power and other efficiency measures in its data centers. However as more of the world joins an age characterized by global flows of information and communication, some say the role the internet plays in making the lives of millions not only more efficient but also environmentally friendly should not be discounted. "I don't think we've done a good deal with articulating the fact that IT is inherently an efficiency tool," said Teetzel. "That is why you and I use the internet now to find out a lot of information that would have previously been found by us getting in a car and driving somewhere." "It is a little bit unfair to say that you have this huge carbon cost of the IT industry without articulating the fact that in many, many cases it offsets what I would call heavier, more carbon intense activities that we do in our daily lives," he added. "Moving electrons is far more efficient than moving atoms. It is actually a paradigm change."

Every second spent web-browsing generates 20 milligrams of CO2 . Estimates that the Internet will produce 20 percent of the world's GHGs in 10 years . Data centers often labeled worst offenders; many taking steps to reduce emissions . 'Ultimately IT is an efficiency tool, better to move electrons than atoms,' say Google .

Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- After eight months of bickering and political paralysis, Iraqi leaders were thought to have finally reached a power-sharing agreement Thursday for a new government, but that deal appeared to fall apart late in the day as members of the Sunni-backed Iraqiya List walked out of the parliamentary session. Jalal Talabani, sworn in late Thursday for a second term as president, delegated Shiite Prime Minister Nuril al-Maliki to form a government within 30 days, as mandated by the constitution. Thursday's session then adjourned until Saturday. Quarreling that has typified Iraq's gridlock re-emerged during the parliamentary session, from which most members of the Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc walked out saying that the other political blocs were not adhering to their promise to vote on the tentative power-sharing agreement, which had been reached late Wednesday. The Iraqiya List had wanted parliament to vote on that agreement before voting for a president in order to ensure guarantees that had been promised to the Sunnis were in fact delivered. In the past, politicians have made promises to Sunnis that have not materialized, resulting in a widespread lack of trust. Politicians had cobbled out a compromise Wednesday that would have left Maliki in power and created a powerful new office that was expected to be headed by his rival, former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, lawmakers said Thursday. Under the proposed deal, the three major governmental positions were to have been filled by three members of the country's largest ethnic groups -- the Shiites, the Kurds and the Sunni Arabs. Al-Maliki is Shia. Jalal Talabani, who was to remain as president, is Kurdish. Lawmakers on Thursday elected Osama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni Arab from the Iraqiya bloc, to be the parliament speaker. They also chose Qusay al-Suhail, a lawmaker from the hard-line Shiite Sadrists, to be first deputy speaker and Aref Tayfoor, who is Kurdish, as the second deputy. But Sunnis did not consider Nujaifi to be adequate representation, and many members of the Iraqiya bloc walked out when parliament didn't accept its demand for a vote on the actual power-sharing agreement. Shiite lawmakers said the vote couldn't be taken because it was not on the agenda, but Allawi disputed this. Even al-Nujaifi walked out, saying he had reservations over continuing the session marked by distrust. But, shortly afterward, he returned without explanation. Still, politicians were hopeful that a deal could emerge. Prior to the walkout, Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish lawmaker, said, "We reached a power-sharing deal but it is like assembling a car with different parts and hoping it will work." Iraq's government had been in a stalemate since the March 7 parliamentary elections, in which al-Maliki won 89 seats but lost to Allawi's bloc, which won 91 seats. The political vacuum that followed has stoked fears that political instability would fester. In Washington, a senior administration official who did not want to be identified called the agreement "a big step for Iraq." "We've worked very hard in recent months with the Iraqis to achieve one basic result, and that's a government that's inclusive, that reflects the results of the elections, that includes all the major blocs representing Iraq's ethnic and sectarian groups, and that does not exclude or marginalize anyone," the official said. "And that's exactly what the Iraqis seem to have agreed to do." Another senior administration official who asked not to be identified told reporters, "This really is an Iraqi victory because this was an Iraqi decision that was made by Iraqis in Iraq." The first senior administration official said U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden had spoken "to virtually all of the major Iraqi leaders" in recent days. In the calls, Obama "reiterated our strong desire to see an inclusive government in Iraq, and welcomed the steps that have been taken toward reaching that goal," said Ben Rhodes, deputy National Security Council adviser for strategic communications. "He also stressed the need for Dr. Allawi, other members of Iraqiyya, and representatives from all of the winning blocs to hold leadership positions in the new national partnership government." The move comes as the United States has been drawing down its seven-year military presence to a noncombat force. Overall levels of violence have decreased since 2006 and 2007, but the country has endured eruptions of attacks lately that resemble the Sunni-Shiite sectarian violence during the height of the war. The incumbent al-Maliki, whose State of Law coalition is Shiite, has backing in Iran and from many Iraqi Shiites, including the influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The choice of a Sadrist as a deputy parliament speaker reflects the movement's clout, and al-Maliki's alliance with Sadrists has stoked concern among U.S. officials because of anti-Americanism in the group. Allawi, who served as prime minister in the early years of the new post-Saddam Hussein Iraqi government, is from a Shiite background but is a secular figure who is well regarded by many American officials. His bloc, regarded as secular and cross-sectarian, has won a great deal of support from Sunni Arabs and he has consistently opposed al-Maliki for another term as prime minister. The two leaders had been jockeying for enough votes for a coalition government, but neither had been able to garner the 163-seat majority needed in the Council of Representatives to form a government. Earlier this week, Iraq's top political leaders met in the Kurdish north to break the more than eight-month deadlock, a development sponsored by Kurdistan Regional Government. There had been fears that Allawi's bloc would boycott any government led by al-Maliki, but the creation of an entity called The National Council for the Strategic Policies appeared to have helped ease the way for compromise. The body was created in an effort to reduce the power of the prime minister, Othman said, and the committee was to be headed by Allawi. Iraqiya was demanding that legislators pass a law within 30 days forming the national council and forming a committee to review the files of people illegally detained, a great concern for Sunni Arabs who have accused Iraq's Shiite-dominated government of persecuting them. It was calling for a final agreement on outstanding legislation and for canceling a ban on three top Sunni Arab politicians from running in elections. Those three have been accused of ties to Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baathist movement. If a power-sharing agreement is not reached in which Iraq's Sunnis feel fairly represented, sectarian violence could re-erupt in Iraq, a country where politics and violence tend to go hand in hand. Many Iraqis told CNN that they blame a recent rise in violence on the political vacuum of the last eight months.

Eight months of bickering and paralysis had appeared to end in a power-sharing agreement . But that agreement appeared to fall apart late Thursday when the Sunni-backed bloc walked out . "It is like assembling a car with different parts and hoping it will work," a legislator says .

(CNN) -- The recent release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl by the Taliban in Afghanistan has refocused attention on some of the other Americans held captive in that region. Bergdahl spent five years in the hands of the Taliban before the U.S. government reached an agreement for a prisoner swap with his captors stirring debate in the United States about the terms of the deal and circumstances surrounding his capture. Although Bergdahl was the only American soldier in captivity, other U.S. citizens are being held in the region. The longest detention is that of former FBI agent Bob Levinson, who went missing after traveling to an Iranian island more than seven years ago. His family says he was working for the CIA at the time. Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter wrote to President Barack Obama this week to ask why three other Americans he said were being held by Taliban-linked militants were not part of the deal that freed Bergdahl. Here are several of the most high-profile cases: . Bob Levinson . In March, Levinson, 66, passed a grim milestone, becoming the longest held hostage American in history. He vanished after traveling to the Iranian island of Kish in March 2007. The FBI says he was there as a private investigator. But news reports late last year said he was working as an independent CIA contractor when he disappeared. That prompted his family to speak out, saying they kept it quiet for years that Levinson was working for the CIA, because the U.S. government had warned them that revealing it would put him in more jeopardy. The FBI, White House and CIA have not publicly acknowledged any connection between the CIA and Levinson. It's unclear who exactly is holding him or what his condition is. The family received a video in 2010 in which Levinson said he had been treated well but needed the help of the U.S. government "to answer the requests of the group that has held me for three-and-a-half years." American officials have said they believe Levinson, who has diabetes and high blood pressure, is being held somewhere in southwest Asia. In March, Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. government "remains committed to the safe return of Mr. Levinson to his family." He asked the Iranian government to "work cooperatively with us" on the investigation, Kerry said. But Iran has repeatedly said it isn't holding Levinson and doesn't know his whereabouts. During an interview in September with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was asked what he could tell Levinson's family. "We don't know where he is, who he is," Rouhani said. "He is an American who has disappeared. We have no news of him." In January, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tolds CNN's Jim Sciutto that he hadn't seen "anything that could prove" that Levinson was ever in Iran. If he was, Zarif said, the United States should explain "what a CIA operative was doing" there. Warren Weinstein . Gunmen abducted Weinstein nearly three years ago from his home in Lahore, Pakistan. They posed as neighbors, offered food and then pistol-whipped the American aid worker and tied up his guards. The 72-year-old is being held by al Qaeda, which released a video of Weinstein at Christmas, showing him looking tired and pale. "Nine years ago, I came to Pakistan to help my government and I did so at a time when most Americans would not come here," he said. "And now, when I need my government, it seems I have been totally abandoned and forgotten." His daughter, Alisa, says she's worried about his health: he has a heart condition and severe asthma. She told CNN's "AC360" on Wednesday that the release of Bergdahl raised her hopes that her father could be next. For years, when Warren Weinstein's case came up, U.S. officials called for his release but repeatedly said Washington wouldn't bargain with al Qaeda. Now, Alisa Weinstein says it's clear that negotiating is an option. But she also said she's worried that the political backlash over Bergdahl's case could harm her father's cause. "We started to realize that the administration is going to be a lot less likely to do this again if it causes some political problems for them," she said. "So does that mean that the door is closed for us?" Weinstein was employed by J.E. Austin Associates Inc., a U.S. consulting firm based in Arlington, Virginia, that is a USAID contractor. He is a world-renowned development expert, according to the company's website. "My father is just as deserving of freedom as Sgt. Bergdahl, as are all of the Americans who are being held abroad," his daughter said. Caitlin Coleman . In October 2012, Coleman and her husband, Joshua Boyle, disappeared in Afghanistan. In his last contact, Boyle, a Canadian, said they were in an "unsafe" part of the war-torn country. Coleman's family received two videos last year in which the couple asked to be freed from the Taliban captors. The family gave the videos to The Associated Press. In the videos, Coleman is nine-months pregnant and makes a direct plea to "my President Barack Obama for help." "I would ask that my family and my government do everything they can to bring my husband, child and I to safety and freedom," she says. Her family had already a posted video of their own on YouTube two months after she and Boyle disappeared, appealing for their safe return. They said they were concerned about her health and fearful for her unborn child. "As parents and soon-to-be grandparents, we appeal to whomever is caring for her to show compassion and allow Catie, Josh, and our unborn grandbaby to come home," her father said. Boyle's former wife, Zaynab, is the sister of Omar Khadr, a former Guantanamo detainee who allegedly received training from al Qaeda. Their father, Ahmed Said Khadr, was a senior al Qaeda leader with connections to Osama Bin Laden. Less than two weeks after Khadr was released from Guantanamo and sent back to Canada, Boyle and Coleman went missing. The videos Coleman's family received offer the only clue about what may have happened to the couple, but provide little proof they were indeed kidnapped. No demands for ransom have been made. State Department officials say they are aware of the video and of the disappearance of the couple and are in touch with the family. But they say they can't say more because of privacy laws. A spokesman for the Canadian Foreign Ministry says that the government is aware that Boyle and Coleman have been kidnapped in Afghanistan and is in contact with the Afghans about the case. The six soldiers at center of Bergdahl debate . CNN's Randi Kaye, Elise Labott and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.

U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was released last weekend by the Taliban . His case has drawn attention to other Americans held in the region . Bob Levinson disappeared after to traveling to an Iranian island in 2007 . Other Americans are being held in Afghanistan and Pakistan .

CANTON, Georgia (CNN) -- Meet Kaden, bomb-sniffing dog in training. Jeff Schettler coaches handlers on how to work with detection dogs, including Kaden, far right, in the field. His name, a Gaelic word meaning "little battle," is fitting for the energetic 12-pound puppy with a perky tail that curls like a cinnamon bun. At 4 months old, Kaden is a playful, black- and white-coated basenji being schooled at Georgia K9 National Training Center. Once fully trained, he will assist federal and local police officers as well as private corporations in nosing out deadly explosives at schools, airports and public events. His detective skills can potentially save thousands of lives in an era where law enforcement agencies are aggressively fighting against drugs and terrorist attacks. "Think about a scenario like the 1996 Olympic bombings," says Kaden's trainer Jeff Schettler, a cheery man who has coached hundreds of dogs to sniff out bombs, drugs, missing people and corpses since the mid-1990s. Demand for these detection canines -- including bomb dogs such as Kaden -- has surged as homeland security and drug crackdowns become a bigger priority for government and law enforcement. The North American Police Work Dog Association says 35,000 dogs are trained to do detective work in the U.S. The association estimates up to 10,000 dogs have been added since the September 11, 2001, attacks. Watch three detection puppies in action » . Official records of training puppies to work as detection dogs date back to the early 1900s in the U.S. In more recent years, police departments realized a dog's nose was a valuable asset. Dogs possess impressive olfactory abilities -- some breeds more than others. For each drop of odor detected by a dog, the human nose would require 1,000 to 10,000 drops of odor, veterinarians say. Can your pooch be a detection dog? » . Other animals may have smelling skills that rival a dog's, such as pigs nosing for truffles in France or honey bees that can sniff out TNT particles, but veterinarians say dogs are the most controllable and sociable for their human handlers. Police dogs remain the most affordable and reliable solution to solving crimes that require scent detection, police officers say. Trained dogs can track down cocaine camouflaged inside car seats. They can find children who have mysteriously vanished overnight. Detection dogs can even weed out pest-infested apples and oranges accidentally left in suitcases at airports. "They are a growing aspect of law enforcement," says Jim Watson, secretary at the North American Police Work Dog Association and a handler for decades. Earlier this month, investigators were baffled during the international manhunt for George Zinkhan, a former University of Georgia professor accused of fatally shooting his wife and two other people. Two weeks into the search, two cadaver dogs, a German shepherd named Circe and an Australian shepherd named Madison, arrived. Within 10 hours, the dogs picked up the scent of Zinkhan's remains in a shallow pit hidden in a thick forest. Once the dogs neared the suspect's body, they gave their handlers personalized signals. Circe barked excitedly. Madison lay down. Trainer Jeff Schettler explains Kaden is an unlikely candidate for police work. Basenjis, a breed that originated in central Africa, are usually used as hunting or show dogs. There are only two other trained police dog basenjis recorded by the North American Police Work Dog Association. Most trainers in the police dog world dislike experimenting with new dogs, preferring to stick to breeds with a proven track record. Most law enforcement agencies rely on Belgian Malinoises and German shepherds for detection work because of their protective yet friendly personalities, but labs, bloodhounds and beagles also can be used. "We're not trying to fix anything," Schettler says. "We're trying to enhance it." Schettler points out some of Kaden's advantages: The dog's weight will peak at about 25 pounds, enabling him seamlessly to sift between cramped luggage and lockers. Kaden is barkless because basenjis have an oddly shaped larynx, ideal for quiet searches. On a recent rainy Saturday morning at the Georgia K9 National Training Center, little Kaden undergoes testing. Passing the exam depends on his whiffing talents. Upon the instructor's command, Kaden's pencil-thin legs playfully trot along the damp grass to an oversize wall scattered with dozens of holes. His instructor has hidden black gunpowder wrapped in pantyhose in one of the holes. If Kaden's nose sniffs out the gunpowder, he will immediately sit. Kaden begins on the left side, quickly taking a zigzag pattern from one hole to another. His pace is methodical, a sniff for each hole. Soon he slows, pauses, inhales again and then sinks his tiny hindquarters to the ground. "What a good boy," coo several of Kaden's trainers, stroking his sleek fur and rewarding him with one of his favorite treats, torn bits of venison jerky. As Kaden nibbles on his treat, Schettler admits there are drawbacks to training basenjis. Basenjis don't have a furry coat to endure cold weather like a German shepherd. Basenjis are also a highly independent, stubborn breed with personalities similar to cats, making them difficult to train. Kaden's personality, however, is contrary to most basenjis. He was culled from a litter in Atlanta at 7 days old because of his unusual sociability with humans. "At eight weeks, he was in the airport going up to people and running around like he owned the place," Schettler says. Training detection dogs such as Kaden often begins during puppyhood so imprinting scent differentiation becomes innate, handlers say. Puppies are selected based on breed purity, confidence, sociability and temperament. In any training program, there are doggie dropouts. In those instances, the puppies become pets. On the job, dogs can suffer from on-site injuries, such as mild sprains and bruises. Some dogs have even been killed when a bomb explodes or buildings collapse. As police dogs age, health problems such as arthritis can send them into early retirement. A work dog's career typically spans about seven years, instructors say. Different breeds specialize in certain detection jobs, says Joseph Morelli, a canine handler for the Connecticut State Police. Morelli says he relies on Labrador retrievers for arson cases. German shepherds at his school are saved for patrolling or drug cases. "People are really starting to see how useful these dogs can be," says Morelli, who has started to train dogs from neighboring states in recent years. "We're really seeing our program take off."

Police dogs can nose out explosives, drugs, bodies and missing people . Kaden, at 4 months old, is training to become of the the few basenjis bomb dogs . Training usually begins in puppyhood so handlers can imprint skills . About 35,000 police dogs work in the U.S., group says .

(CNN) -- My mother rarely talked with me about the birds and the bees when I was growing up, and I always knew that no matter what, when I became a parent, I'd be more open with my children about sex. With my girls in the second and third grade, I figured in the not too distant future it would be time for the "sex talk." But now I'm wondering if I need to have the conversation a lot sooner than I had originally thought and if the whole concept of having a "sex talk" is as outdated as the BlackBerry I still won't give up. "In some ways, I think the 'tech talk' is replacing the 'sex talk' because our kids are learning about sex from tech," said Diana Graber, who teaches "cyber civics" at a middle school in Aliso Viejo, California. Once children know how to Google, Graber says, they can easily stumble upon sexual images. "Sex" and even "porn" have also been found to be among the more popular words searched by 7-year-olds, she added, as shocking as that might sound. "We're giving children access to smartphones, tablets, and all sorts of digital devices so young," said Graber, who is co-founder of CyberWise.org, a digital literacy site for parents, educators, and tweens and teens. "There is a good chance they will be exposed to inappropriate content before they're probably ready to have that 'sex talk' that we used to have at 10 and 11. That's why I think having the 'tech talk' first is so important." Graber says it's not one talk but "a million small talks," which begin the moment we put a connected device into our child's hands. "What I always tell parents is it's not the technical stuff that they need to know. It's the behavioral things, and it's age old things like being nice online and being wise and not saying mean things, protecting privacy and don't talk to strangers and all those ... golden rules," said Graber. "Like the golden rules, they weren't delivered to me all at once. They were delivered again and again and again throughout my lifetime." An unprecedented summit . Helping parents have the "tech talk" with their children was a huge motivation behind a recent summit of parents, teachers, administrators and students in New Rochelle, a community about 30 minutes outside New York City. Christine Coleman, director of technology for the city school district of New Rochelle, said the event was designed to help parents teach children how to make good choices on social media and to really think about what they're doing before they do it. "I always say this to parents, 'Would you allow your child on the subway at two in the morning?' " said Coleman, who holds a doctorate in computer science and education. "No. We teach our children to make good choices. So you need to teach them to make good choices with social media." Coleman says one of the biggest challenges for parents is talking about a topic that they might not feel they know much about. "I equate it to those conversations about sex," she said. "They're very hard to have. They're uncomfortable to have, and ... with social media, parents are uncomfortable because they're not knowledgeable about it but if we use our children to teach us ... and explain it to us, it begins a different type of conversation." 'I heard about this Twitter' Coleman encourages parents to plunge right in by picking any social network (there are certainly plenty to choose from!) and starting a discussion with your child. "Sit down with your child and say, 'I heard about this Twitter. Don't laugh at me. Show me on your phone. You are not going to get in trouble. I'm not looking at it. I just don't understand what all this tweeting is?' " she said. "And then you start the dialogue. 'OK, is that what it does? ... Does it ever get mean?' " she said. "Then end it with, 'That's really kind of cool. Can you set me up with a Twitter? Can you tweet me?' Once they start tweeting you, you are involved in their world now." Graber said what she hears from the sixth graders she teaches is that despite what parents might think, children want them to take an interest in their online lives. "One little girl said, 'I wish my mom was following me on Instagram,' or 'I wish my mom had looked at what I posted but she just isn't interested or she doesn't know,' and they're sad," said Graber. "It's a small window where they feel like that and then it closes, largely when they become teenagers, and then we're not part of that world." 'This isn't about not reading their kids' journal' Brian Osborne is superintendent of the New Rochelle city school district and was a key force behind his district convening its first ever digital literacy summit. He says research shows that parents will interact with their children's online lives, but mainly related to the expense of the smartphone, setting limits on data or online purchases. "Parents are not having enough high quality conversations with their kids about what their online interactions actually entail," said Osborne. "Lots of time parents have a well-intended but not fully informed respect for their children's privacy online and what we need parents to understand is this isn't about not reading their kids' journal or diary out of a sense of respect and privacy. This is equivalent to knowing where your kid is." Graber, the digital literacy teacher, says if you are talking to a child because there's a problem and "it's the first conversation you've had, then that's the real problem. There should have been a lot of conversations." Liz Gumbinner, publisher and editor-in-chief of the site Cool Mom Tech, which has been talking about the importance of the 'tech talk' for years, said that as soon as your kids are old enough to tap on your smartphone screen, the conversations should begin. "Use parental controls on your devices; set limits on what they can and can't see -- and be really honest and open about it," said Gumbinner, a mom of two girls, ages 7 and 9. "Let them know what you are doing and why. If you start talking to your kids early about tech, they'll understand you're making decisions in their best interests." The "tech talk" has to be an on-going conversation, in part, because technology itself is always changing, said Gumbinner. "As soon as we think we've mastered one thing, something totally new pops up. And the really hard thing is that kids are learning about social apps and networks way before we are," she added. "So keep an eye on your kids' computer time and Internet usage, know who they're communicating with and be honest about it. It's not spying if you talk about it openly." Do you think the "tech talk" should replace the "sex talk"? Tell Kelly Wallace on Twitter or CNN Living on Facebook.

Children often learn about sex from tech, says co-founder of the digital literacy site CyberWise . "Sex" and "porn" are popular search terms for 7-year-olds, says CyberWise co-founder . Start conversations early, as soon as a child spends time on a connected device, experts say . New Rochelle, NY recently held its first ever digital literacy summit for children and parents .

(CNN) -- A handful of individuals ran a scheme of "fraudulent lending and embezzlement" to siphon hundreds of millions of dollars of ordinary people's savings out of Kabul Bank, a key Afghan lender that ran into trouble in 2010, an independent report says. The report, released Wednesday, catalogs the alleged wrongdoing at the bank and the apparent failure of authorities to tackle the problems before they reached a crisis point or effectively respond to and investigate the financial catastrophe that unfolded. Read more: Billions in cash smuggled out of Afghanistan every year . The scandal that engulfed Kabul Bank has severely damaged the reputation of the Western approach to banking that it embodied in Afghanistan, one of the least developed countries in the world. And its cost will be born by an Afghan government that still relies on funding from the United States and other countries. The bank was meant to provide a transparent way for Afghan government employees -- soldiers, teachers and police officers -- to receive and retain their salaries without the age-old fear of corrupt superiors confiscating the money. Opinion: Islam key to Afghan Dream . Instead, the crisis at the bank, which went into receivership last year, "led to a loss of confidence in an already fragile financial system," according to the report by the Independent Joint Anti-Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Committee. The committee, made up of three Afghan citizens and three overseas members, states that it is "wholly independent from the Afghanistan government and the international community." It is led by Drago Kos, a Slovenian who has headed a number of international anti-corruption organizations. Although the sums of money involved are small compared with the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on the war in Afghanistan by the United States and its allies, Kos on Wednesday underlined the significance of the bank to the small, underdeveloped Afghan economy. Read more: Pakistan reopens NATO supply routes to Afghanistan . "At the time the crisis happened, Kabul Bank had 44% of the assets of this country," he said at a news conference presenting the committee's report in Kabul. "More than 1 million people had deposited their money in this bank." The alleged fraud -- which has been linked to people with ties to the government of President Hamid Karzai, including one of his brothers -- led to Kabul Bank being deprived of more than $850 million, mainly from customer deposits, according to the report. "Most of this money," the report says, "has been redirected for the benefit of a few individuals who perpetrated and participated in a fraud with reckless disregard for the country and the people of Afghanistan." Read more: In Afghanistan, a mother bravely campaigns for president . Many of those who have been accused of participating and even profiting from the bank's difficulties have denied any wrongdoing. The committee report, which says it "cannot make criminal findings or assign liability," doesn't name people specifically, but identities can be deduced from it. A spokesman for the Afghan president wasn't immediately available for comment on the report Wednesday. Read more: Why ordinary Afghans worry about NATO summit . His brother who has been linked to the bank's problems, Mahmood Karzai, said he repaid the $4.2 million he borrowed from the bank with interest. "When they say I am a beneficiary of this money, is there something else?" he said by telephone. "I do not understand the accusation. This Kabul Bank issue is completely political. Management was full of improprieties and fraud." He said he had alerted the government to problems at the bank. The report details the complex system through which it says the individuals -- "controlling shareholders, key supervisors and managers" of Kabul Bank -- drew the cash out of the lender. Read more: 5 ways to help fix Afghanistan . Methods cited include loan accounts for proxy borrowers, forged documents, fake business stamps and cash ferried on the planes of an airline owned by shareholders related to the bank. "Repayment of loans was rare," the report said, "and most often new loans were created to provide the appearance of repayment." As a result, more than 92% of the bank's loan book, or $861 million, ended up being for the benefit of 19 related individuals and businesses that ultimately benefited just 12 individuals, the report said. That left the remaining $74 million for "legitimate customers." The bank was operating in a "regulatory vacuum," the reports authors said, with the Afghan central bank lacking manpower and expertise in fraud detection. Even when warning signs were detected in Kabul Bank's activities, "several efforts to take enforcement action against the bank were met with interference and were not implemented," the report said. The problems at the bank became public in 2010. The removal of the chairman and chief executive in August prompted panic, including a run on the bank and unrest in the streets. "Kabul Bank had become a national crisis and the Afghan economy was brought to the brink of collapse," the report says. The government was forced to guarantee all deposits. That, combined with the closure of the bank during an Islamic holiday, averted a wider catastrophe. The bank was put into conservatorship, and shareholder rights were suspended. Kos said Wednesday that rescuing the bank will cost Afghanistan and its people 5% to 6% of gross domestic product. Efforts to reclaim the hundreds of millions of missing dollars and bring those responsible to justice have proved problematic. As of the end of August, $128.3 million in cash had been recovered. Nearly 40% of that came from normal customers, the report says, even though they represented only 8% of the loan balance of the bank when it went into receivership. Kos and the other authors also criticized Afghan authorities' efforts to investigate and prosecute the case. "There has been clear and direct interference with the criminal process by high-ranking officials that goes so far as to identify who should, and who should not, be indicted for criminal conduct," it said. "The lack of action from the Attorney General's Office also because of political influence has resulted in a lack of investigation, procedural delays that have allowed perpetrators to escape and likely for money derived from Kabul Bank to be lost forever," the report says. The Attorney General's Office didn't respond to calls seeking comment Wednesday. The report's authors also appear to be unimpressed with the actions of a special tribunal set up to deal with the case of Kabul Bank. "The tribunal appears to have been engaged in everything else except the processing of the one case they have before it, contrary to the most basic principles and laws related to fundamental justice," the report says. "Even the recent criminal proceedings at the tribunal do not wholly satisfy concerns about whether justice will prevail in the Kabul Bank case." The report concludes with a stark warning: "If the systemic issues raised by Kabul Bank are not resolved, the viability of Afghanistan as a fully functioning democracy is lost." CNN's Jethro Mullen reported from Hong Kong and Nick Paton Walsh from Beirut, Lebanon. CNN's Masoud Popalzai in Kabul contributed to this report.

A report details alleged wrongdoing at Kabul Bank, a key Afghan lender . It says fraud was carried out "with reckless disregard for the country and the people" It also outlines regulatory failings and a lack of progress in bringing people to justice . Many of those accused of involvement deny any wrongdoing .

Mesa, Arizona (CNN) -- It's been 26 days since the candidates left the stage at the last CNN debate in Jacksonville, Florida, and the growling hunger pangs of the media have grown louder even as the candidates grow weary. There have been 19 Republican presidential debates so far, and while some may have debate fatigue -- including a few candidates -- the forums have nevertheless proved to be illuminating experiences. They have garnered sky-high TV ratings and have become "event" television. They have helped to define several candidates while others fall from grace in front of the live cameras. But for many voters, it has been the debates -- especially those that have preceded a primary or caucuses -- that have become the deciding factor when they choose who they want as the GOP nominee. They have provided a window into each would-be nominee, and offered insights into how they act under pressure. According to exit polls, many voters make up their minds after watching a debate. What has made the debates the fuel to feed the media's insatiable yearning for political fare? The storylines that have emerged have made the events essential viewing for political junkies and casual observers alike. Remember a fiery Newt Gingrich pushing back on marriage accusations, a tough Mitt Romney hitting Rick Santorum hard on social issues, a passionate Ron Paul pressing the Obama administration on foreign wars. Michele Bachmann and the HPV vaccine. And then there was Herman Cain and 9-9-9 ... The debates return Wednesday night in Mesa, Arizona, as CNN partners with the Republican Party of Arizona to bring America the final debate before Super Tuesday, and what may be the final debate of the season. Ahead of Wednesday's showdown, here's a recap of the last six major CNN debates, and what they could mean for this week's episode: . Manchester, New Hampshire, June 13 . Biggest storyline: Before Rick Perry had even entered the race, seven GOP candidates debated in the first offering to feature all major candidates. Rep. Michele Bachmann established herself as a major player, while former Gov. Tim Pawlenty gave a subdued performance, refusing to attack Mitt Romney. Key moments: "Using the term 'Obamneycare' was a reflection of the president's comments that he designed Obamacare on the Massachusetts health care plan." -- Pawlenty. "I filed today my paperwork to seek the office of the presidency of the United States today." -- Bachmann. Post-debate fallout: Bachmann's strong performance started a surge that culminated with the Iowa straw poll victory. Pawlenty's weak showing started his spiral downward, ending with him dropping out of the race and endorsing Romney. Tampa, Florida, September 12 . Biggest storyline: In a debate co-sponsored by elements of the tea party movement, Perry may have been the front-runner coming in, but he was hammered by Bachmann and Rick Santorum over the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Key moments: "To have innocent little 12-year-old girls to be forced to have government injections through an executive order is just flat-out wrong." -- Bachmann . Post-debate fallout: Perry's standing as the front-runner took an immediate and dramatic hit, with Romney taking over. Perry fell from 41% before the debate to 14%, with Romney moving from 28% to 51%. Las Vegas, October 18 . Biggest storyline: Herman Cain's sudden surge to the front of the pack was set in stone as he hammered home the 9-9-9 plan. His rivals attacked. Key moment: "The reason that our plan is being attacked so much is because lobbyists, accountants, politicians -- they don't want to throw out the current tax code and put in something that's simple and fair." -- Cain. Post-debate fallout: Cain's surge came to an end, as far more scrutiny came to the 9-9-9 plan directly after the debate (as well as other, personal, issues). Also, the sparring between Romney and Rick Santorum was a sign of things to come between the two. Washington, November 22 . Biggest storyline: A debate that focused on foreign policy saw Newt Gingrich open himself up to a potential problem over amnesty, while his rivals pounced. Meanwhile, Rep. Ron Paul established himself as the man on an island when it came to some major GOP issues. Key moment: "I am prepared to take the heat for saying let's be humane in enforcing the law without giving them citizenship, but finding a way to give them legality so as not to separate them from their families." -- Gingrich. (He did.) Post-debate fallout: Gingrich's surge continued, but rivals focused on this perceived weakness going forward. Meanwhile, Cain established a new nickname: "Blitz." Charleston, South Carolina, January 19 . Biggest storyline: What may be one of the most memorable debate moments of the cycle occurred right off the top, with Gingrich attacking the media over claims made by his ex-wife. Santorum also took an opportunity to take on Gingrich over his "grandiose" ideas. Key moments: "I am tired of the elite media protecting Barack Obama by attacking Republicans." -- Gingrich. "Grandiosity has never been a problem with Newt Gingrich." -- Santorum. Post-debate fallout: A standing ovation from the crowd signaled the wave of support that was to come for Gingrich, as he easily won the South Carolina primary and forever changed the race, largely thanks to this single debate. Jacksonville, Florida, January 26 . Biggest storyline: Romney went on the attack, battling Gingrich at every twist and turn. Santorum knocked Gingrich again for a particular grandiose idea, about space. Key moments: "My father was born in Mexico. My wife's father was born in Wales. They came to this country. The idea that I'm anti-immigrant is repulsive. Don't use a term like that." -- Romney . "Those are things that sound good and maybe make big promises to people, but we've got to be responsible in the way we allocate our resources." -- Santorum . Post-debate fallout: Gingrich slipped, and Romney won Florida. But the steady Santorum performances in these debates opened the door for the former senator to take the role of the non-Romney. He has ridden the wave to huge success and currently sits atop the national polls. --- . And now we head to Arizona, a crucial state to the GOP in 2012 (and currently going through its own political sex scandal). Wolf Blitzer tweeted this week: "Just boarded flight to Phoenix & someone said: 'Thanks for all the good entertainment over the years.' Entertainment?" The debates have been substantive, politically relevant and issue-based. But they have been, maybe more so than other cycles, entertaining as well. On Wednesday, you don't want to miss the season finale.

The 19 GOP presidential debates have become key moments in the campaign . Many voters say they decide who to vote for based on the debates . The seventh CNN debate is at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Mesa, Arizona .

(CNN) -- As millions of Americans think about how they can do better in 2014 through their New Year resolutions, President Obama might want to make a few of his own. Although it is true that the president has faced a horrendous political environment -- filled with tea party Republicans intent on obstructing every proposal and media that are often too willing to report dubious facts -- Obama has not made his situation much easier for himself. In a number of areas, he might think about strategies that can improve his political standing and put him in a better position for the political fights over immigration, the budget, climate change and foreign policy that loom ahead. Treat your Democrats well: President Obama has not taken enough care of Democrats on Capitol Hill. Throughout the year, Democrats have continued to express frustration with the White House for putting them into extraordinarily difficult political situations and sometimes leaving them to stand alone as they face the fallout. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was reportedly angry with the president for failing to give his caucus any credit for helping him to get out of the jam with the health care website. "I did communicate to him," Reid told The Hill, "that there have been things done by the White House that improved the health care bill, and those fixes were suggested originally by my senators, and they got no credit for it. I thought that was improper." Last week, House Democrat John Lewis criticized the administration for not listening to the advice of civil rights leaders regarding appointments for the federal bench in Georgia. This story fits a familiar pattern that has created ongoing tensions with Capitol Hill since 2009. Obama needs to remember that his fate is closely tied to the Democrats on Capitol Hill -- Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi should be his best friends -- and he needs them to help him in his struggles with Republicans. Sweat the small stuff: There is considerable evidence that President Obama seems uninterested with detail. His major concern is in the big picture, trying to find ways to achieve his long-term policy goals, whether that be a diplomatic solution to the nuclear buildup in the Middle East or achieving health care reform, without as much interest in the nitty-gritty of how these policies will happen. It is true that any president needs to keep his eye on the big picture in order to avoid the fate of President Jimmy Carter, who became so mired in the minutiae of policy that he lost his ability to lead the nation through crisis. But as former Secretary of State Colin Powell says in his famous presentation about leadership, "Check the small things. The devil is in the details; sometimes the solution to a sticky problem, too. Don't sweat the small stuff, but don't ignore it, either." The dangers of President Obama's approach became apparent with the rollout of health care reform, in which the president and his team were not on top of the details of implementation in the weeks leading up to the launch of the website, and they allowed technical mistakes to turn into a huge political fiasco. The continual delays over implementing other parts of the program have also caused huge embarrassment and offered fodder to his political enemies. The President can't afford for this to happen again. He will need to hold more of his staff accountable for these kinds of mistakes, bringing in some fresh voices, as he has done with John Podesta, and getting rid of those who have made huge mistakes. He needs to realize that making sure that the small stuff is in order is essential to big achievements. Control the conversation: For a president who is as professorial as Barack Obama, it is difficult to accept the harsh reality of the media world within which Washington operates. It is an environment where spurious information goes viral and political rhetoric appears as fact. The blogosphere makes it difficult for producers and editors to control the flow of information, while the plethora of partisan reporting and commentary makes it nearly impossible for consumers of the news to separate fact from fiction. President Obama's outlook has been to sit back and allow the truth to find its way to the surface. He has maintained a steadfast determination that, given the facts, Americans will reach the right decision. But in our political world, this just doesn't happen. The result has been that his opponents have been remarkably effective at shaping the national dialogue over public policy. President Obama has been forced to constantly play defense, to explain his failures and to dig himself out of holes rather than spending time talking about what he has done and what else he hopes to accomplish. Re-energize the grass roots: When Obama started on his road to the White House, he thrived on the energy and support he received from average Americans who were inspired by his call for a new kind of politics and his determination to have a campaign that was built from the bottom up. The local networks of campaign supporters spread the word about who this candidate was while raising money and motivating voters to line up behind his campaign. The enthusiasm and energy of his grass-roots supporters have grown weak. Many of his supporters have become disillusioned with a president who seemed far too much like other politicians and who abandoned some of his key promises in areas like national security. The revelations about the NSA surveillance program were a huge blow to these constituencies. This is most notable with younger Americans, once enamored with the president but now disillusioned by broken promises on issues such as civil liberties and a still-difficult economy. With the 2014 midterms as a focal point, the President should get back to communicating with grass-roots Americans and shaping the agenda of his final years in office based on some of the issues they feel have been sidetracked in the past few years. Focus, focus, focus: Over the past year, the President has frequently moved from one subject to another without a clear rhyme or reason. One of the few areas where a president has control is over his or her own agenda. During the President's first few years, he had a laser-like focus on health care, financial reform and the economy. On foreign policy, he spoke to the world about improving America's relations overseas. That kind of focus, however, has largely disappeared. President Obama has delivered some important speeches, such as his address on inequality, but quickly moved on to other issues rather than follow through. Throughout the battles over the budget, the president turned from one crisis to the next without stopping and really putting forth a clear vision and set of priorities in response to the austerity zeal of the GOP. He has allowed his opponents to define the agenda, as opposed to the White House. Even when Secretary of State John Kerry moved aggressively to put into place diplomatic solutions to nuclear threats, President Obama seemed to follow his lead rather than outline this as a priority in foreign affairs. Obama would do well to stick to a few subjects, to articulate the direction he hopes to take the nation and move forward methodically to make sure they come to fruition. Resolutions are easy to make but difficult to follow. In the world of politics, the stakes of sticking with those promises are big. Given the tremendous difficulties that this president has faced and the dire approval ratings he is seeing, it is time for President Obama to double down and make certain that he does everything possible to put himself in a position to strengthen his presidency, his party and his nation in his final years in the White House. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer.

Julian Zelizer: President Obama should adopt resolutions for 2014 . He says the White House should work more closely in coordination with Hill Democrats . Obama should focus on setting agenda, details of policy and quality of staff work, he says . Zelizer: Obama should aim to recapture enthusiasm he stirred in grass roots .

(CNN) -- If the excessive lifestyles of the rich have been partly to blame for destroying the environment, then it seems equitable that they use their money to preserve it. But the degree to which they are actually helping does largely depend on what they do with their money. And some 'beneficiaries' of that aid are yet to be convinced. Richard Branson, Bill Clinton and Al Gore at the Clinton Global Initiative last September. According to last year's Merrill Lynch survey of the world's wealth, there are 9.5 million U.S. dollar millionaires in the world today, who have pocketed a cool $37.2 trillion between them. By 2011, Merrill Lynch says, this tiny (but growing) group of people will have more than $50 trillion in their bank accounts. That money could go a long way to aid the fight against climate change and the different ills it brings. Fortunately, a modest proportion of this exclusive group of people have realized this. Around 11 percent of the world's richest gave 7 percent of their wealth to philanthropic causes in 2006; and 17 percent of the world's "ultra rich" (those with more than $30 million to their names) gave 10 percent, says Merrill Lynch. In total those donations totaled $285 billion. Some of the more notable donors are household names: Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Richard Branson all dug deep into their pockets in the name of doing good, the latter specifically promising $3 billion to fight global warming over the next 10 years. Ted Turner, George Soros and Luciano Benetton have also contributed, notably buying land in South America in the name of conservation. Turner, the founder of CNN, owns more than 100,000 acres of land there; Benetton owns 2 million acres; Soros 1 million. If you accept the fact that much of the world's environmental ills have landed on the shoulders of the world's poorest nations, then this looks like a match made in heaven. "It is pretty hard for a country to turn down a gift of 300,000 hectares," Doug Tompkins, founder of clothing chain Esprit, told one reporter recently. Tompkins and his wife, Kristine McDivitt, former CEO of Patagonia clothing company, specialize in investing in national parks in South America and own around 900,000 hectares of Chilean and Argentinean land between them. With the amount of money and influence these individuals possess, one key advantage they have is that they can get things done -- and quickly. Dutch philanthropist Paul Fentener van Vlissingen, for example, brought South Africa's Marakele National Park to life in "barely two years" by investing millions of dollars of his own money in it, completing a job "that would likely have taken more than a decade without his backing" reports The Age. Philanthropy can spur backlash . But not everyone welcomes the foreign assistance. The implication that foreigners can do a better job than those in the host country receiving the aid has been taken as an insult by some. And it has aroused suspicion elsewhere. In the 1990s Tompkins drew ire in Chile, including the Catholic Church and former president Eduardo Frei. The accusations against him ranged from from kicking workers off his land, promoting abortion, and creating a "Zionist enclave," according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. When it comes to rain forests there is also a degree of concern among some environmental groups that any system that allows individuals to take ownership of vast swathes of environmentally crucial land is bound to be flawed. In the case of the Amazon rain forest, Survival International has expressed concerns over the future of the rain forest inhabitants, the indigenous people. The organization points out that if the world really wanted to protect the rain forests, it would just leave them alone and let the people who have been protecting them for centuries carry on doing what they do best. "The forest cannot be bought, it is our life; we have always protected it," tribal leader Davi Kopenawa told the Guardian newspaper recently. Pragmatists would argue there are many ways to "protect" a rain forest. Yes, leaving them alone is the ideal solution. But when cash-strapped governments face ongoing pressure from logging companies, mining companies, not to mention the agricultural lobby to convert the land for other uses, there is only one thing that really counts: Money. And indigenous groups don't have any. So, the argument goes, better a philanthropist own the land than a business interest. The business of giving . A philanthropist deciding to do charitable work does not by itself guarantee successful results. Much can depend on the philanthropist doing the "right thing" with their money. George Soros, for example, could be seen as either an environmental savior or an eco-villain, depending on one's view of biofuels. The philanthropist manages more than 170,000 hectares of Argentinean land, but his latest venture -- worth reportedly up to $300 million -- is to produce biofuel from corn and sugar cane grown in Brazil's Cerrado. That area of land is among the most endangered on Earth, with deforestation rates easily eclipsing that of the Amazon, according to Conservation International. More than 50 percent of the Cerrado has been converted to farm land in less than four decades and there are genuine fears that by 2030, all remaining natural vegetation will have disappeared, reports the Washington Post. There will be one predominant reason for this if that happens: Worldwide demand for ethanol. It should not be forgotten that the art of giving is a business, too. Some of the favored destinations for philanthropic spending have been in areas of the world offering the potential for the biggest returns. It was the collapse of the peso which led to a collapse in land prices in Argentina that helped remote Patagonia become such a favored investment destination for the world's wealthiest. Equally, if the price isn't right, environmental concern can go out the window. Cameroon has been trying to lease 830,000 hectares of its rain forest since 2001 in an attempt to raise capital and do the right thing at the same time. It could easily lease it to logging companies, but prefers not to, according to The Economist. The problem is, Cameroon can't find a buyer, as no one has been willing to pay the asking rate of $2 a hectare, which would work out at a mere $1.6 million a year. "The fine words of the rich-world's armchair conservationists butter few parsnips in the poor world," writes The Economist. "Here is a good opportunity to spread some butter." E-mail to a friend . Sources: Merrill Lynch; The Guardian; Treehugger; The Age; "Generation Deluxe: Consumerism and Philanthropy of the New Super Rich"; Natural Resources Defense Council; Washington Post; Los Angeles Times .

An estimated 9.5 millionaires in world are worth $37.2 trillion, Merrill Lynch reports . World's elite rich gave an estimated $285 billion to charity in 2006 . Philanthropy can spur a backlash from host nations .

(CNN) -- A worldwide Jewish rights organization is pushing Hungarian authorities to prosecute a man it claims is a Nazi war criminal, recently discovered in Budapest, Hungary, who allegedly sent more than 15,000 Jews to Auschwitz in the spring of 1944. The Simon Wiesenthal Center found Ladislaus Csizsik-Csatary as part of its "Last Chance" project, said Efraim Zuroff, director of the center's Israel office. The center cooperated with British tabloid The Sun to photograph Csizsik-Csatary, who reportedly is 97, and ask him questions, Zuroff said. "We're the ones who found him; they're the ones who photographed him." Csizsik-Csatary served as a senior Hungarian police officer in the city of Kosice, which is now in Slovakia but was under Hungarian rule in the 1940s, the center said. He topped the Wiesenthal Center's 2012 list of most wanted Nazi war criminals. "He was a commander of a ghetto," Zuroff told CNN. Report: Hitler ordered reprieve for Jewish man . Csizsik-Csatary participated in the deportation of 15,700 Jews to the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944, witnesses have told the center. He also played a role in "deportations to the Ukraine to be killed -- 300 Jews," Zuroff said. "We found eyewitnesses on three different continents," Zuroff said. Those witnesses told the center about Csizsik-Csatary's cruelty to Jewish detainees and his role in the deportations to Auschwitz and Ukraine. Confronted by a Sun reporter, Csizsik-Csatary denied the allegations, the tabloid reported Sunday. A witness to the August 1941 Ukraine deportations had nine family members who were deported, he told CNN. Csizsik-Csatary made sure four of them were brought back from forced labor with the Hungarian army so they would be deported and killed, according to Zuroff. During the Auschwitz deportations, Csizsik-Csatary "forced these girls to dig a ditch with their hands -- young Jewish girls." Two of the center's witnesses were survivors of that deportation, he said. According to The Sun, which cited documents released by the Wiesenthal Center, Csizsik-Csatary beat Jewish women with a whip he carried on his belt. "A variety of factors" led to the center's locating Csizsik-Csatary in Budapest, Zuroff said. "He wasn't hiding under a false name. ... He had no reason to fear." Using the last name Csizsik, Csizsik-Csatary arrived in Canada in 1949, telling immigration officials he was Yugoslavian, according to The Toronto Star newspaper. A spokeswoman for Canada's Department of Justice, Carole Saindon, said Monday that "It was alleged that when applying to immigrate to Canada, (Csizsik-Csatary) provided false information about his nationality, and failed to provide information concerning his collaboration with Nazi occupation forces while serving with the Royal Hungarian Police. It was further alleged that he participated in the internment and deportation of thousands of Hungarian Jews to concentration camps. As a result, the government of Canada revoked his citizenship on August 28, 1997. As deportation proceedings were under way, Csizsik-Csatary voluntarily left the country, Saindon said in an e-mail to CNN. In October 1997, Paul Vickery, head of the Canadian Justice Department's war crimes unit, told Radio Free Europe that when officials went to Csizsik-Csatary's Toronto home, his daughter told them he was living in Europe. Vickery told the network Csizsik-Csatary's name would be placed on a watch list and he would be barred from re-entering Canada. Csizsik-Csatary initially denied the allegations and asked the Canadian government to put the case on trial, but later withdrew that request, The Toronto Star reported in August 1997. "In his statement of defense, Csizsik-Csatary admitted to some involvement in the ghettoization of Jews, to handing over at least two Jews to the Germans and to attending the last mass deportation of Jews out of Kassa (Hungary)," the Star said. The Sun said in its Sunday report that Csizsik-Csatary's attorneys claimed he did not know where the Jews were being sent. Of the 12,000 Jews transferred from a ghetto to a brickyard and deported, only 450 survived, the Sun reported. Csizsik-Csatary returned to Hungary upon leaving Canada, Zuroff said. "Hungarian authorities knew that he was back," he said. Authorities in Hungary launched an investigation in September 2011 after receiving information from Zuroff regarding Csizsik-Csatary's residence in Budapest and his role in the Auschwitz deportations, the center said. The Sun reported Sunday that when a reporter knocked on the door of Csizsik-Csatary's two-bedroom Budapest apartment and asked him if he could justify his past, "He looked shocked and stammered, 'No, no. Go away.'" Asked about the deportation case in Canada, the Sun said he replied, "No, no, I don't want to discuss it." The Sun reporter asked, "Do you deny doing it? A lot of people died as a result of your actions," according to the report. Csizsik-Csatary replied, "No, I didn't do it. Go away from here," and slammed the door, according to the newspaper. The Simon Wiesenthal Center said in a statement Sunday that Zuroff last week submitted new evidence to a Budapest prosecutor regarding Csizsik-Csatary and his "key role in the deportation of approximately 300 Jews from Kosice to Kamenetz-Podolsk, Ukraine, where almost all were murdered in the summer of 1941." "This new evidence strengthens the already very strong case against Csatary and reinforces our insistence that he be held accountable for his crimes," Zuroff said in the statement. "The passage of time in no way diminishes his guilt and old age should not afford protection for Holocaust perpetrators." Csizsik-Csatary reportedly was convicted of war crimes in absentia and sentenced to death in 1948 in the Czech Republic, Zuroff said, but the center has not obtained documentation on the case. CNN's Ben Brumfield and journalist Flora Hevesi contributed to this report.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center says it tracked down Ladislaus Csizsik-Csatary . He allegedly participated in sending 15,700 Jews to Auschwitz in spring 1944 . Facing deportation, he fled Canada in 1997 . The center is urging Hungarian authorities to prosecute him .

(CNN) -- Few games seem so well suited to the mores of the modern sports fan as rugby sevens. With quick-fire matches, end-to-end action and points galore, the speeded-up, pared-down version of rugby union satisfies a 21st-century urge for smaller, faster, flashier fare. A newcomer to the sport might reasonably conclude that the game -- seven-a-side, seven minutes each half -- was the result of a recent refashioning of the 15-man sport, but it traces its roots back to the late 19th century. English public schoolboy William Webb Ellis is famously credited with inventing the game of rugby itself in 1823, but the abbreviated version was the brainchild of a butcher from Scotland called Ned Haig. When his local rugby club in the town of Melrose was casting around for ideas to improve its ailing finances, Haig, together with his boss at the butchery, David Sanderson, came up with an idea that would change rugby forever. Recalling the moment some years later, Haig said: "Want of money made us rack our brains as to what was to be done to keep the club from going to the wall, and the idea struck me that a football tournament might prove attractive, but as it was hopeless to think of having several games in one afternoon with 15 players on each side, the teams were reduced to seven men." Sevens rugby kicks off . On April 28, 1883, Melrose Football Club hosted the world's first sevens tournament at its Greenyards ground. Hundreds of spectators turned up to cheer on the home side as they did battle with six teams from neighboring Scottish Borders towns. Fittingly, it was the Melrose team, which included Haig, who went on to win and receive a silver cup donated by local ladies. Barring two interruptions for war, the "Ladies Cup" has been presented to the winning team every year since, keeping up a proud tradition and ensuring a place on the world sporting map. "Rugby is very much part of the community," Melrose RFC marketing director Douglas Hardie told CNN's Rugby Sevens Worldwide show. "It's very much an integral part and is the social hub of the town. I think if you mention the name Melrose anyone, certainly in the western world, will have heard of it and it's primarily down to the fact that rugby sevens were founded here." Haig died in 1939, aged 80, long before the game really took off. Its success would have confounded him, Hardie thinks, as it does the town's 1,600 inhabitants. "In fact, we have to pinch ourselves," he says. "You have to bear in mind that we don't own the game of rugby sevens, we are merely its custodians to pass down to future generations so they can enjoy it as much as we have." It wasn't so much a passing down as a spreading of the message in the years following the first sevens tournament. Twelve months later, neighboring Galashiels organized its own event and soon sevens tournaments were a being held all over the Scottish Borders and further north in Edinburgh. English audiences got their first taste of the game in 1926 when London-based Scot Dr. J.A. Russell-Cargill organized the first Middlesex Sevens at Twickenham. Sevens goes global . With the "auld enemy" persuaded, the task now was to convince rest of the world. Rugby-playing Commonwealth nations -- New Zealand, Australia and South Africa -- were early adopters as the game spread steadily in the decades following World War Two. But it wasn't until 1973 that the first international sevens tournament took place as part of the Scottish Rugby Union's centenary celebrations. Seven countries and a President's VII took part, with England beating Ireland 22-18 in the final at Murrayfield in Edinburgh. Two decades later at the same venue, 24 nations contested the inaugural Rugby Sevens World Cup -- and an unfancied England team won again, beating Australia 21-17 in final to lift the Melrose Cup. Fiji, led by sevens legend Waisale Serevi, took the title four years later as the tournament moved to Hong Kong. The South Sea Islanders repeated the feat in 2005 to become the first team to win the trophy twice -- a mark matched by 2001 winners New Zealand in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium earlier this year. While the 2013 event didn't attract the spectator numbers that organizers had hoped for, the general trend is of a steady growth in ticket sales. "What we have noticed is the change gradually over the years," says Hardie. "Melrose sevens was purely for rugby aficionados a few years ago, but that has now changed to a degree and it is perhaps getting to be as much of a social event as it is a sporting event." Perhaps the best example of this is the Hong Kong Sevens -- a three-day jamboree held every year since 1976 where a mix of beer, body paint and fancy dress costumes provide a noisy and colorful backdrop to action on the pitch. Olympic dreams . Away from the alcoholic haze engulfing the Hong Kong Stadium, Hardie offers a sober assessment of the game's ongoing appeal. "Rugby sevens now is a sport played by athletes," he says. "They are much fitter, much stronger -- it is a faster, more entertaining game. Someone who perhaps is not a rugby follower can come along to a sevens tournament and enjoy it." Participation continues to grow, notably so in the U.S. where rugby union is currently the fastest growing sport. More than one million people (a third of them women) play rugby at some level, according to the International Rugby Board. Turnstiles are also ticking over nicely in the U.S. with last year's Sevens World Series event in Las Vegas attracting 64,000 spectators, the country's record rugby crowd. But it is an invitation to the world's biggest sporting occasion in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 that has got everyone in rugby excited. The announcement by the International Olympic Committee in October 2009 that rugby sevens, along with golf, would be included in both the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics has provided the sport with a priceless boost. The 15-man game was actually played in the early editions of the modern Olympics -- founder Pierre de Coubertin was a fan of the sport's spirit and ethics. So, it seems are today's IOC members. "It's mind-blowing," says Hardie. "Considering where it started from, to now look at it as a worldwide Olympic sport is quite unbelievable." From a butcher's shop in Scotland to the top table of international competition, rugby sevens looks like it will be serving up many sporting feasts for decades to come.

Rugby sevens started in the Scottish Borders town of Melrose in 1883 . A butcher called Ned Haig came up with idea to raise money for his local club . Fiji and New Zealand have both won the Sevens World Cup twice . Sevens will be a part of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro .

(CNN) -- In Namibia, the question of who owns the wildlife has often been fraught with difficulties. In 1967 -- one year after the United Nations demanded South Africa leave Namibia -- the ruling South African apartheid government gave ownership of the local fauna to (predominantly) white landowners. Shortly afterwards, the indigenous Namibians were pushed out onto the formerly protected Kaokoveld wildlife reserve, where they were given a strip of land on which to farm. For those living on the communal lands, poaching springbok and zebra was often seen as the only way a family could stay fed. When John Kasaona was a young boy, his father did what many men did at the time; he poached. "He used to catch everything from springbok to lion," recalls Kasaona. "There was constant food in our family." The practice was, of course, illegal, and the landowners often came down hard on poachers. "It was a very awkward situation," says Kasaona. "The colonial government's department of conservation started opening up pots in the local communities to see what was in those pots." Though the authorities arrested perpetrators, poaching remained rampant in the 1970s and 1980s as bad droughts and a war for independence ravaged local livestock. As a result, many species in Namibia were facing extinction. "In the private lands, wildlife was doing quite well," notes Chris Weaver, head of the World Wildlife Fund-Namibia (WWF-Na). "On the communal lands, though, it was at near historic lows." In 1983, Kasaona's father was asked by the village headman to stop poaching. From now on he would no longer hunt wildlife; he would protect it. He was one of the first poachers turned "game guards", in the country. The novel idea -- to protect wildlife by enlisting those most skilled at tracking it -- was the brainchild of the Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC), an NGO of which Kasaona is now the director. One of the founders of IRDNC, a conservationist named Gareth Owen-Smith, formed the idea for the game guard system in tandem with the local Herero herdsmen. "He discovered that these elders didn't want to see the end of wildlife any more than he did," remarks IRDNC's co-founder, Margaret Jacobsohn. "It might not make sense from an outside perspective, but from a local perspective, these are the men who know and enjoy being in the bush. But now they're earning an income from being there." When Namibia gained independence in 1990, the government recognized the successes achieved by the game guard system, and enlisted IRDNC's help in rolling it out on a national scale. By 1996, the idea had matured; rather than merely paying local communities to look after wildlife, the government used ownership as an incentive. In exchange for forming a "community conservancy" a community was given the rights to the animals on their land. "If people feel they really own a resource, if they feel they have responsibility for it, they're going to be accountable, and they're going to look after it," notes Jacobsohn. "It's just a very logical thing. If you rent an apartment, you'll treat it one way. If you own it, you might treat it slightly better." The initial funding came from the government and NGOs, including IRDNC and the WWF, who, with USAid, has invested $48 million into the conservancy program since 1993. Looking at the numbers today, it's clear it's been a huge success. The country currently hosts the world's largest population of free roaming cheetahs and black rhinos (where once they teetered on the edge of extinction). In the last decade, the elephant population has risen from around 13,000 to 20,000. In the northwest of the country, where lions were down to under two dozen, they now total roughly 130. The goal, though, has always been for conservancies to become self-sufficient, as owning wildlife isn't enough to ensure its protection. In order for the conservation scheme to really work, people on the land had to recognize they could benefit more from the animals alive than - as Jacobsohn says- "in their cooking pots." When the conservancy system started in 1996, there were four areas pulling in a negligible income. Today, there are over 74 earning a combined total of more than $4.8 million. Most of the money is derived from joint venture tourism, with trophy hunting following in at a distant second. Many conservancies have used the influx of money to better develop their local schools, provide support programs for individuals with HIV/AIDS and improve infrastructure and a range of other rural development projects. "It brought a very big change when we went into the tourism business," recalls Bennie Roman, the manager of the Torra Conservancy, one of the oldest in the country, and the first to become fully financially independent. Roman recalled how before Torra was set up, the only jobs available were in teaching and farming. "Young people would go out to urban areas, and the elders would stay back to manage the land," he says. In 1995, the Damaraland Camp eco-resort moved in nearby. At first, Roman says the community looked at it with suspicion. "We saw them as competition," he admits. "They were generating an income from the resources we were living with." However since then, Torra has become the first conservancy to partner with a private business. The Damaraland Camp pays rent to the conservancy and hires locals from within the community -- one from every household. There are other effects of the conservancy program, some that don't follow strict principals of conservation. The practice of trophy hunting has proved controversial, invoking ire from various animal rights activists. Yet Weaver sees it as beneficial to preservation. "From my perspective, we're trying to conserve the species, not the individual animal, and this creates a benefit when it's done in a well-regulated fashion, and the benefits go to the local community," he says. Another issue is that conservancies have done their job too well. "The numbers of zebras and elephants have increased, but so have the numbers of lions, cheetahs and hyenas," notes Kasaona. "It's become a big problem for our farmers." Conservancies have responded in a number of ways. Most offer a small sum to farmers to offset their losses. Some use GPS tracking devices on the predators to alert farmers when they're heading over to their area. Roman has started a breeding station to help replace livestock that gets mauled by local predators. Kasaona admits that the problem is "part of the success story of Namibia". CNN's Eye On series often carries sponsorship originating from the countries we profile. However CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports. Read the policy .

Namibia's land ownership issues created poaching problem until 1980s . Turning poachers into stewards of land and wildlife transformed situation . Numbers of big game increased and provided income for locals . Community tourism and other benefits have emerged from the 'conservancy' program .

(CNN) -- The biggest case of the Supreme Court's term involves a three-headed, hot-button appeal combining abortion rights, religious liberty, and Obamacare. It's also the last one, and a ruling is due on Monday. The legal and social pique may not reach the heights of two years ago when the justices narrowly preserved the Affordable Care Act and its key funding provision in a blockbuster ruling. But the stakes are still large, and the decision could serve as a primer for other pending challenges to the health law championed by President Barack Obama and in play as a campaign issue this midterm season. The issue before the justices is whether Obamacare can mandate contraception coverage specifically for certain businesses that object for religious reasons. "This case isn't that practically important, except for the employees and businesses involved. There just aren't a huge number of those," said Thomas Goldstein, publisher of SCOTUSblog.com and a Washington appellate attorney. "But everyone can agree the social questions presented-- about when people can follow their religious convictions, and when people are entitled to contraception care-- are truly important," he said. Hundreds of advocates and demonstrators representing both sides are expected to rally in front of the courthouse on Capitol Hill. Contraception mandate . The section of law in dispute requires for-profit employers of a certain size to offer insurance benefits for birth control and other reproductive health services without a co-pay. A number of companies equate some of the covered drugs, such as the so-called "morning-after" pill, as causing abortion. The specific question presented was whether these companies can refuse, on the sincere claim it would violate their owners' long-established moral beliefs. The First Amendment says that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." "How does a corporation exercise religion?" asked Justice Sonia Sotomayor at March's oral arguments, summarizing perhaps the key constitutional question at hand. "This is a religious question and it's a moral question," added Justice Samuel Alito, suggesting the businesses have such a right. "You want us to provide a definitive secular answer." Conestoga, Hobby Lobby . The justices have a good deal of discretion to frame the competing issues and could reach a limited "compromise" through narrow statutory interpretation. They could conclude individual owners can make the religious freedom claim, bypassing the corporate rights argument, but still give female workers the flexibility to get covered drugs. The court weighed two related appeals from Conestoga Wood Specialties, a Pennsylvania cabinet maker, and Hobby Lobby, an Oklahoma-based retail giant that will have more than 700 arts-and-crafts stores nationwide by year's end. Both corporations emphasized their desire to operate in harmony with biblical principles while competing in a secular marketplace. That includes their leaders' publicly stated opposition to abortion. The case presented a complex mix of legal, regulatory, and constitutional concerns over such thorny issues as faith, abortion, corporate power, executive agency discretion, and congressional intent. Health law impact . The political stakes are large, especially for the future effectiveness of the health law, which marks its fourth anniversary this year. The botched rollout last fall of HealthCare.gov, the federal Obamacare website, has become another political flashpoint along with other issues that many Republicans say proves the law is unworkable. They have made Obamacare a key campaign issue in their fight to overtake the Senate, and retain control of the House. Supporters of the law fear a high court setback on the contraception mandate will lead to other healthcare challenges on religion grounds, such as do-not-resuscitate orders and vaccine coverage. More broadly, many worry giving corporations religious freedom rights could affect laws on employment, safety, and civil rights. The abortion link . The Hahn family, owners of Conestoga, and the Green family, owners of Hobby Lobby, said some of the mandated contraception prevent human embryos from being implanted in a woman's womb, which the plaintiffs equate with abortion. That includes Plan B contraception, which some have called the "morning after" pill, and intrauterine devices or IUDs used by an estimated 2 million American women. A key issue for the bench has been be interpreting a 1993 federal law requiring the government to seek the "least burdensome" and narrowly tailored means for any law that interferes with religious convictions. Chief Justice John Roberts could be the "swing" vote as he was two years ago when siding with the court's more liberal members to allow the law's "individual mandate" to go into effect. That provision requires most Americans to get health insurance or pay a financial penalty. It is seen as the key funding mechanism to ensure near-universal health coverage. Searching for compromise? But how will the divided court rule this time? Unanimous opinions in recent days on separate issues involving presidential recess appointments, cellphone searches by police, and abortion clinic protests suggest Roberts may be on a private campaign to push his colleagues to rule narrowly to reach consensus. Such an approach usually involves both left- and right-leaning justices reluctantly giving a little. "At oral argument it seemed likely a majority of the justices were looking for a compromise," said Goldstein, "in which the closely held for-profit businesses wouldn't themselves have to pay for contraception care, but the employees would get it, maybe through the exchanges, maybe financed by the federal government." Compromise may be nice, but as other contentious cases earlier this term demonstrated, it is not always easy to achieve. Separate decisions this spring involving political campaign donations and voter-approved affirmative action limits produced especially sharp 5-4 divisions. Under the Affordable Care Act, financial penalties of up to $100 per day, per employee can be levied on firms that refuse to provide comprehensive health coverage. Hobby Lobby, which has about 13,000 workers, estimates the penalty could cost it $475 million a year. The church-state issue now in the spotlight involves rules negotiated between the Obama administration and various outside groups. Under the changes, churches and houses of worship are completely exempt from the contraception mandate. Other nonprofit, religiously affiliated groups, such as church-run hospitals, parochial schools and charities must either offer coverage or have a third-party insurer provide separate benefits without the employer's direct involvement. Lawsuits in those cases are pending in several federal appeals courts. Second generation . Monday's decision could signal how the court will approach other lawsuits against the health care law. "We're now getting the second generation of challenges to Obamacare-- about the actual adoption of the statute, and its core provisions," said Goldstein. "We're probably going to see cases over the next five to ten years, as more and more details about the law get put into effect." A Mennonite family's fight over Obamacare reaches . 5 questions: Supreme Court and Obamacare on contraception . Opinion: How Obamacare can reduce abortions .

Justices to rule on controversial requirement affecting businesses . Ruling could serve as template for future challenges to Obamacare . Issue is whether businesses can opt out of mandate on religous grounds . The law requires employers to offer insurance benefits for contraception .

Washington (CNN) -- Sarah Palin may have electrified the 2008 Republican presidential ticket when she was picked as John McCain's running mate, but just four years later her wattage has dimmed on the Republican stage. She was snubbed for a coveted speaking role at the Republican National Convention in Tampa even though McCain, the senator from Arizona who surprised many when he selected Alaska's governor, is scheduled to speak. Other speaking spots were doled out to lesser lights like Rick Santorum, who vied unsuccessfully for the nomination this year. Once the face of the tea party movement, Palin is not among speakers listed for the Tea Party Unity Rally on Sunday. Former presidential candidates Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minnesota, and pizza magnate Herman Cain are headlining. Rare opportunity for speakers at GOP convention . With Republicans positioning themselves for a presidential run last year, Palin drew the most attention when she rode into Washington on the back of a motorcycle before launching a bus tour. She eventually opted against a White House bid. Instead, Palin has hit the trail for down-ballot candidates in competitive congressional races, stumping for such political mavericks as Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock and more mainstream politicians like Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah. Palin's mission: to recreate the same kind of success she had in the 2010 midterm elections when many of the candidates she endorsed won. Political experts say Palin is also carefully calculating how to wield her burgeoning kingmaker status and star power to position herself for even greater prominence in the party. "She has a tremendous amount of pull among the people who make up the 800-pound gorilla in the party -- the conservative base of the party," said Keith Appell, a Republican strategist and senior vice president at CRC Public Relations. "She will be a force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future and beyond." Tea party candidate to receive prime RNC speaking slot . But first she has to figure out how to get back into the bigger national spotlight, political experts say. During this presidential election cycle, Palin has been relegated to the farm leagues, said Norm Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and co-author of the book "It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism." It is a role that she slipped into through her own failure to bone up policy matters, he said. "I think it's really interesting that she has fallen so far in the last year that they have no interest in having her appear at the convention," Ornstein said. "In a lot of ways this political capital she pretty much squandered by becoming a Fox News commentator and going on reality television instead of deepening her knowledge of policy issues. She decided to focus more on making money than on throwing herself into remaining deeply relevant in politics." Will GOP talk about Bush, Palin? In her absence, some of the same Republican women who Palin supported as part of her "Mama Grizzlies" pack have come to gain broader acceptance by the party's mainstream. In 2010, Palin endorsed New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, calling her a "Granite State 'mama grizzly' who has broken barriers." Just two years later, Ayotte will speak during a prime-time convention slot on Tuesday. Palin's relative absence on the national stage also allowed Bachmann "to fill the vacuum," Ornstein said. Politics, parties keep some away from conventions . Palin's persona non grata status is "more a matter of they can't control her message as they've already learned," said Michele Swers, professor of American government at Georgetown University. "It's always useful when they can showcase Republican women, but they'd rather showcase Kelly Ayotte than Sarah Palin." Some conservatives feel the party is giving the cold shoulder by not allowing her to speak. "I think it's a big mistake," Appell said. "If no other reason you would have a very popular voice using prime time to peel the bark off Barack Obama in front of a national television audience." For her part, Palin is careful in how she has phrased her notable absence from the convention's speaking roster. "This year is a good opportunity for other voices to speak at the convention and I'm excited to hear them," Palin wrote in statement earlier this month. "As I've repeatedly said, I support Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in their efforts to replace President Obama at the ballot box, and I intend to focus on grassroots efforts to rally Independents and the GOP base to elect Senate and House members so a wise Congress is ready to work with our new president to get our country back on the right path." But do not count Palin out, political experts say. She still has plenty of pull and will likely bide her time before making her next big move. Drama is rare in modern conventions . "To say she is irrelevant would be a mistake," Ornstein said. "When she gets involved in a primary it has an impact. That doesn't translate into the broader national role that she could have had. But there are second, third, fourth, and fifth acts in American politics. The fact that she isn't a major factor in American politics now doesn't mean she won't be in 2013 or a subsequent point." Palin backed Sarah Steelman in the Missouri Republican primary against politically beleaguered Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin. Republican leaders, including Romney, are now pushing Akin to drop out of the highly contested race against Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill after the congressman's controversial comments on "legitimate rape." During a recent Fox News interview, Palin suggested "maybe it is a third-party run of Sarah Steelman that I can get behind." Palin is scarcely twiddling her thumbs while sitting on the sidelines. Her endorsements of congressional candidates have built an army of supporters inside the Beltway. "If Romney loses by a big margin there will be a move by center-leaning Republicans to recapture dominance," Ornstein said. "But you're not going to see a lot of conservatives saying 'we were wrong about this.' You're going to have another chapter in this ongoing struggle. There will be a vacuum, Sarah could fill that vacuum." And if Romney wins Palin will be right there on his heels making sure he sticks to his conservative promises, political experts say. She'll be joined by other conservative voices such as Bachmann, Cain, Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, and Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina—all vying for dominance of who represents conservatives. "If Romney and (Paul Ryan) win, the question is do they implement a series of policies that fit the sharp conservative agenda," Ornstein said adding that conservatives will rally to force the Romney administration to keep its promises. "If (the Romney administration) tack to the center, who's going to be leading that charge ... Sarah Palin." Memorable convention moments .

Sarah Palin's star has been eclipsed a bit during this presidential election cycle . Palin's focus on supporting congressional will help bolster her support in the future . Palin's challenge, political experts say, will be how she negotiates her way back into the national spotlight; relevance .

(CNN) -- Spotting a McDonald's a few blocks from the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, was the last straw. The whole world, it seems, is turning into one homogenous, capitalist playground. Oh, for the days when travel yielded experiences not available at home, things that inspired travelers to send postcards back home to report, "You will never believe what I just saw!" To that end, I bring you this "Only in ..." column with five exceptional, unexpected and singular things a traveler can find when they know where to look. Look for future installments on CNN Travel. I'll start with Nashville. This Tennessee city, known for honky-tonks and country music, also happens to have North America's largest Kurdish community, an art gallery that shares its Picassos, Renoirs and Cezannes with a Wal-Mart heiress and a mustard yellow VW bus (It's called "I Dream of Weenie") that serves a wicked fine Sunday brunch from the rear passenger window. Just in time for the November 6 Country Music Awards, here are five more things you can only find in Nashville: . 1. A full-size reproduction of the Greek Parthenon . Before it became "Music City," Nashville was known as the Athens of the South. In 1897 for Tennessee's Centennial Exposition, city fathers built a full-scale replica of the real Athens' most famous landmark. Originally made of plaster, wood and brick, Nashville's Parthenon wasn't meant to be permanent. But because it cost too much to demolish, Nashville decided, "What the heck, let's just rebuild it with real marble floors." So while the British Museum in London and the Greek government continue to duke it out over the Parthenon's original statues (since 1817, what's known as the Elgin Marbles, as in the Duke of Elgin who got them from the Ottomans, have been on permanent public display at the British Museum), Nashville continues to give locals and visitors the chance to gawk at a replica of one of the world pinnacles of classical architecture. It's such a perfect clone that during recent renovations, the 2,500-year-old Greek Parthenon sent an architect to Nashville's Centennial Park to snap photos of its spawn. 2. A cinnamon roll that makes international headlines . In 1996, an employee at Bongo Java, a popular Nashville coffee shop, noticed, right before he was about to bite into it, that one of its signature homemade buns bore an uncanny resemblance to Mother Teresa. Before he could so much as say three "Hail Marys," the BBC, Paul Harvey and even David Letterman (Paul Shaffer wrote a song about it) made the bun famous. The real Mother Teresa got wind of the "Immaculate Confection" and even though she reportedly laughed about it, her people sent a cease and desist order. Although copyright law was probably on owner Bob Bernstein's side, the power on Mother Teresa's side convinced him and his $250-an-hour lawyer to change its name to "The Nun Bun." The renamed cinnamon roll was quickly dispatched to a glass-enclosed case in the front of the store, but in 2005, thieves broke in on Christmas, making off with the famed confection. Despite occasional sightings of the kidnapped bun, the $5,000 no-questions-asked-reward is still unclaimed. 3. An art festival that revolves around the tomato . You say tomato. I say Tomato Art Fest. This costume-friendly art festival, an annual undertaking in historic East Nashville's Five Points District, has grown faster than a tomato vine on Miracle-Gro. Hatched 10 years ago as "kind of an accident" by Meg and Bret MacFadyen, owners of the Art and Invention Gallery, it has become one of Nashville's premiere hipster events. It features 2,000 square feet of floor to ceiling art interpreting the tomato. Not only are tomato royalty crowned (both a Tomato King and Queen who march in the parade behind a brass band), but there are Bloody Mary taste-offs, tomato bobbing, tomato beauty pageants and wet burrito competitions. That's where competitors eat burritos as fast as they can while being hosed down by a firetruck-like hose. "People come up with a tomato-related idea and we say, 'Does it hurt anybody? Great, let's do it,' " Bret says. Bushels of art flood in from around the world. This year's winner for Best Use of Tomato Humor was retired elementary school guidance counselor Jim Hartline, whose Roma Coliseum featured columns fashioned from real tomatoes. There are also tomato haiku competitions and a tomato song writing contest. And yes, there's a CD featuring, among other top hits, Peter Cooper's "Please Don't Throw Tomatoes at Me." 4. Songwriting doctors and insurance agents . From the airport to the local Target to the 10 a.m. opening of Tootsie's Orchid Lounge on Broadway, musicians of all stripes croon their lyric-writing hearts out. At Parlor Productions on Music Row in a restored bungalow once owned by Randy Travis, even the nonmusically inclined write songs at corporate team building events put on by Ultimate Event Nashville. Companies such as American Express, Bank of America and Nissan send normally reserved execs to pen lyrics with songwriters who regularly produce songs for stars such as Brad Paisley, Faith Hill and George Strait. "It's a blast for these folks who normally wear suits," says Robin Ruddy, a performer who used to tour with Rod Stewart, who owns the Grammy-producing Parlor Studio with her husband, Larry Sheridan. "We divide them into teams, each led by a hit songwriter, and then each team writes a song, which we then record. Even if they can't sing, we get them out there singing and even line dancing." After seven years of offering this "American Idol for Suits," has Ruddy ever plucked out any potential talent? "Ah -- no, but it's a really great fun bonding experience," Ruddy says. 5. A city tour in Milk of Magnesia pink bus . The Jugg Sisters -- aka Sheri Lynn Bucy and Brenda Kay Wilkins -- are the big-hair, blue eyeshadow and spandex behind the wackiest tour in Nashville. Nash Trash, their 90-minute comedy tour, rides past many of the city's country music's institutions. Tickets sell out months in advance to people hankering to get one of 32 seats on the sisters' trash-talking, dirt-dishing, yeehaw-yelling tours. Lap-size coolers of beer and wine are allowed. Needless to say, squeezy cheese hors d'oeuvres are also served.

Greek architecture and a Nun Bun keep things interesting in Nashville . In East Nashville, a festival that revolves around the tomato is a hipster fave . Even corporate execs can be songwriters for a short time .

(CNN) -- President Barack Obama's speech to the American public Monday night was eloquent and forceful. But given the odds arrayed against him -- some of his own making -- the persuader in chief likely won't make the sale. Indeed, it's likely that none of the other great communicators and explainers -- Franklin Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton -- could have either. And here's why: . Chico Marx was right . Impersonating Groucho in "Duck Soup," Chico makes a remark that sums up Obama's challenge: "Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?" The American people are their own experts this time around on what constitutes a vital national interest for the United States and what they want done about it. After two of the longest and most profitless wars in American history, the public has a more discriminating assessment of what's worth fighting for and what's not. And, deeply dismayed by the standard for victory -- when can we leave, not how do we win -- most Americans rightly see a U.S. military strike on Syria as an imperfect option that is likely either to be ineffective or to draw the U.S. into another country's civil war. One speech could never overcome the skepticism and doubts left by a decade of two pointless wars. And this one didn't. It's not that Americans are unmoved by the president's heartfelt descriptions of dead Syrian children gassed by, the administration says, President Bashar al-Assad's murderous forces; it's that their priorities lie elsewhere. But it's America's broken house that's in need of repair, not someone else's. And no amount of false analogies to Munich and appeasement will sway them. They know what they see, and it's not compelling enough to justify the uncertainties of a military strike. The president's words last night didn't allay those doubts. Opinion: Obama's speech a model of persuasion . Obama's Syria policy is a Marx Brothers movie . Over the past week, one got the feeling that every day another door opened on the Syria issue with yet another surprise. The twists and turns didn't help the administration's case for clarity and consistency, which is so critical to providing the background of a speech to the nation. Indeed, events of the past week made the president's task much harder. First, after a buildup to one of the most widely telegraphed military actions in the history of warfare, the president surprised the nation by deferring military action while he sought an authorization to use force from Congress. That was followed by an off-the-cuff remark by Secretary of State John Kerry on how al-Assad could preempt a military attack by turning over all his chemicals weapons. The next surprise was a Russian endorsement of Kerry's idea -- and then Syria jumping aboard the peace train. The result: On the eve of the president's speech -- presumably aimed at making the case for a military strike -- the momentum had shifted away from war as the United Nations, the French and the secretary-general all try to figure out how to make peace and take al-Assad's chemicals off line. The American public -- already confused as to whether the strike would be "unbelievably small" (in John Kerry's words) or, in the president's words, more robust ("the U.S. military doesn't do pinpricks") -- could be forgiven if it was a tad bewildered. Read the speech . Overselling the risks of not acting . Much of the president's speech dealt with the consequences of not acting militarily in the face of the largest single deployment of chemical weapons against civilians since Saddam Hussein used them against the Kurds in 1988. There's no doubt that doing nothing would broaden al-Assad's margin to use these weapons again if he felt it necessary. But we need to be clear: This regime is engaged in a fight to preserve itself and will do whatever is necessary to stay in power. A U.S. strike would have to be extremely punishing to deter al-Assad from using these weapons and extremely comprehensive in its scope to degrade al-Assad's capacity. The president can't make his case by playing down the severity of any U.S. response. The other risks of inaction -- deterring Iran from nuclear weapons or suggesting that the U.S. is threatened by these weapons -- just don't add up and aren't compelling. Indeed, should al-Assad be weakened or lose control, these chemical weapons might well fall into the hands of al Qaeda and other jihadist groups that could use them directly against the United States. Opinion: Speech aims to keep heat on Syria . Our cardboard conception of leadership . Even under normal circumstances, a single presidential speech to persuade Americans to back a military strike would be a tough sell. Presidential speeches rarely move the needle much on an issue like this. We have this artificial conception of our president's capacity. If only the president could make the case with powerful logic, he can indeed persuade. The only thing that's missing is leadership. But that's really not the way it works. Presidents are more often prisoners of events. The great ones -- Abraham Lincoln, FDR -- are fortunate (if that's the right word) to have circumstances that allow them to do so. And they intuit and extract opportunities from those circumstances that allow them to lead. Obama doesn't have these circumstances. He faces a public that is deeply skeptical of attacking another Arab/Muslim country; a divided and skeptical Congress; and an international community that fears military action. And he confronts this environment with a military option that he himself doesn't really believe in either. There's no real sense of urgency or emergency, partly because the president has willfully downplayed that sense of crisis. Obama seeks support for attacking Syria while pursuing diplomacy . Obama is an ambivalent warrior. He fashions himself the extricator in chief charged with getting America out of profitless conflicts, not getting them into new ones. And it shows. Monday night's speech reflected a man who on one hand would like to be rescued by a diplomatic solution to a problem he himself knows can't be resolved by military force and on the other, one who realizes he has a very bad military option if he must go forward. And as a consequence, what was hyped as a major speech really couldn't be, in large part because there was nothing to decide and no urgency to do so. Congress isn't going to vote this week; the U.S. isn't going to war soon; and Vladimir Putin's diplomacy from Russia has yet to play itself out. Indeed, right now the president can't be the decider in chief because there's nothing to decide. For now, Obama -- along with the rest of the country -- is stuck in limbo between a war he clearly doesn't want and diplomatic approach he knows faces long odds. And no presidential speech could free him or the country from that predicament. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Aaron David Miller .

Aaron Miller: Speech could not sell skeptical Americans on need for action on Syria . He says speech couldn't convince war-weary citizens that U.S. interests at stake . He says Obama's handling of Syria issue has not inspired confidence . Miller: A strike would have to be broader than Obama describing, and Americans fear this .

(CNN) -- A charity that raised close to $27 million to help animals worldwide spent nearly all of that money on fund-raising expenses paid to a direct-mail company. In addition, CNN found that the charity, SPCA International, misrepresented one of its programs called "Baghdad Pups" on its tax filings and hired an officer for that program with a questionable background. In 2010, SPCA International owed $8.4 million to Quadriga Art LLC and its affiliated company, Brickmill Marketing Services, according to publicly available Internal Revenue Service 990 tax records. Quadriga Art is one of the world's largest direct-mail providers to charities and nonprofits. It is the same fund-raiser hired by two veterans charities that spent tens of millions of dollars for its services -- triggering a Senate investigation last month into whether one of the charities should retain its tax-exempt status. That charity, Washington-based Disabled Veterans National Foundation, collected nearly $56 million in donations over the past three years yet paid Quadriga Art more than $60 million in fees, according to a CNN investigation into the charity's tax records. The other veterans charity, National Veterans Foundation, raised more than $22 million in donations over the past three years to help veterans yet spent about $18.2 million to pay Quadriga Art, according to IRS 990 forms. The animal charity SPCA International is still in debt to Quadriga Art, according to a spokeswoman for the direct-mail firm, adding that's part of the charity's "aggressive strategy" to build a broad donor base. "That resulted in an expected high cost in the beginning of their acquisition program," said the spokeswoman, who declined to be named. She called SPCA International's efforts a "successful strategy." Business tactics questioned . There's no question that a charity needs to spend money to raise money, according to Bob Ottenhoff, president of the charity watchdog group GuideStar. But he said that SPCA International's tax records raise "a number of red flags." "No. 1, there is an enormous amount of money going into fund-raising," Ottenhoff said. "It's not unusual for a nonprofit to fund-raise. In fact they need to fund-raise. But this organization has an enormous amount of fund-raising costs, certainly relative to the amount of money being spent." Of the $14 million raised in 2010, SPCA International reports it spent less than 0.5% -- about $60,000 -- in small cash grants to animal shelters across the United States. It also said it spent about $450,000 -- about 3% of the total raised in 2010 -- to bring back animals from Iraq and Afghanistan as part of its "Baghdad Pups" program. On its website and its tax filings, SPCA International describes "Baghdad Pups" as a program that "helps U.S. troops safely transport home the companion animals they befriend in the war zone." Yet the charity admitted that only 26 of the nearly 500 animals transported to the United States from Iraq and Afghanistan were actually service animals. The rest were stray animals, said Stephanie Scott, the charity's communications director. And those 26 service animals were not attached to military K-9 units but belonged to Reed Inc., a private contractor that built roads in Iraq and Afghanistan. To highlight the work of the "Baghdad Pups" program, spokeswoman Terri Crisp appeared on CNN's sister network, HLN, last year with "Ivy" and "Nugget," two former bomb-sniffing dogs she said were abandoned. "As the military pulls out and there's not as great a need to have these dogs, there's a surplus," Crisp told HLN. "These contractors don't know what to do with them so these are the dogs that are falling through the cracks and they need homes desperately." She said it's "unthinkable" that the military contractors do not return the dogs back to their countries of origin. "And that's why SPCA International is trying to put a spotlight on this so these dogs are not overlooked," Crisp said. But a spokesman for Reed, the contractor that employed the dogs, told CNN that the animals had been given secure new homes out of the war zone in Kurdistan and that Crisp had suddenly shown up "out of the blue" asking to take them to the United States. When asked about those comments, SPCA International spokeswoman Scott told CNN the charity had "not heard that from Reed before" and said the dogs had been removed from "an uncaring environment in Iraq." Questions raised about charity's management . It is not the first time questions have been raised about Crisp or charities with which she has been involved. Crisp once headed a California-based animal rescue charity, Noah's Wish, that reached a settlement agreement in 2007 with the state of California. The California attorney general investigated whether contributions for "rescuing and caring for the animal victims of Hurricane Katrina" were used for that purpose. In that settlement agreement from the summer of 2007, Crisp agreed not to "serve as an officer, director or trustee or in any position having the duties or responsibilities of an officer, director or trustee, with any non-profit organization for a period of five (5) years from the date of the execution of this Settlement Agreement." Yet in a filing with the North Carolina secretary of state's office last year, SPCA International named Crisp in its list of officers and directors. Crisp did not admit any wrongdoing in the California settlement, but the charity agreed to return $4 million in donations to California officials out of the $8 million raised by Noah's Wish. When asked about the settlement agreement, SPCA International's Scott said, "We do not believe Terri Crisp is in violation of her settlement agreement in her capacity working for SPCA International." Pierre Barnoti, who founded U.S.-based SPCA International in 2006, also has a questionable record as a charity manager. Three years after he founded SPCA International and became its president, Barnoti was fired as the Montreal SPCA's president after leaving the Canadian charity deeply in debt to Quadriga Art, according to Nicholas Gilman, Montreal SPCA's executive director. Gilman said that the Montreal SPCA still owes Quadriga Art nearly $2 million and that the American fund-raising company has a lien on the Montreal organization's headquarters building. Barnoti told CNN he is fighting his dismissal and, when asked why he was fired, he responded, "It's not finished yet so there's no point in discussing something that still is ongoing." He also defended Crisp, saying, "She is there under the bullets trying to save dogs and cats and bringing them back to the American soldiers who befriended them." Watch Anderson Cooper . 360° weeknights 8pm ET. For the latest from AC360° click here.

SPCA International raised nearly $27 million to help animals worldwide, tax records show . Nearly all of that money was spent on fund-raising expenses, records show . The charity also misrepresented its "Baghdad Pups" program . It said the program resettled soldiers' companion animals, but most were strays .

(CNN) -- A legal chapter closes now that a federal judge has lifted an injunction on Arizona's "show me your papers" provision of its tough immigration law, but the legal combat won't end and will merely take a new direction, analysts and attorneys say. At the same time, implementation of the law will heighten a wary relationship between police who must enforce the law and Latinos who allege it will inevitably cause racial profiling. The court's demand for evidence of such profiling is prompting Latino advocates to police the police and monitor arrest practices. The controversial provision authorizes local police, while performing other state law enforcement duties, to check on the immigration status of people they stop for another reason. The federal judge in Arizona this week based her decision on a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the provision, she said. Undocumented immigrants face arrest as they proclaim, 'No papers, no fear' Police monitoring and a public awareness campaign have already begun in the state's Hispanic communities, who make up most of the state's immigrants, advocates say. "We're already doing it," said Isabel Garcia, co-chair of the Coalicion de Derechos Humanos, a civil and human rights group in Tucson that opposes the law. "We formed a 'Yo Soy Testigo' -- 'I Am a Witness' -- hot line. We're getting so many calls now it's unbelievable," Garcia said. In the meantime, the stage is set for continued fighting between the state and federal governments over the administration of the law, as the Department of Homeland Security reiterated this week that it will only respond to immigration enforcement requests in priority cases, such as those involving convicted criminals. Additional legal wrangling could arise from executing U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton's ruling to terminate the injunction. Both sides have 10 days to agree on the wording of the order to lift the injunction, but they may disagree on how the provision should be carried out, said Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, a party in the case that is challenging the law. MALDEF and co-counsels in the case have yet to decide whether to appeal the judge's ruling, Saenz said. Saenz is expecting a long legal slog, he said. "There will certainly be other chapters," Saenz said. "There will definitely be additional court skirmishes before Section 2b -- the show-your-papers provision -- takes effect. This is not a dead issue because of the possibility of appeal," Saenz said. Proving racial profiling is difficult, Saenz said. In a separate Arizona case, MALDEF and the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona are now waiting for a federal judge's ruling after a trial of their class-action lawsuit against the Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his department, both of whom are accused of racial profiling and discrimination against Latinos. Arpaio denies any discrimination. Immigration lawsuit revives DREAM Act debate . "What Arpaio is doing sort of previews what will likely happen statewide if the show-your-papers provision is implemented," Saenz said. Meanwhile, the number of federal immigration checks sought by local Arizona police continues to show an overall downward trend as it has for the past three years, said spokeswoman Amber Cargile of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Phoenix. ICE responds only to local police calls deemed in line with federal priorities, which are cases involving criminal aliens, threats to public safety, recent border crossers and illegal immigrants who have entered the country a second time, Cargile said. In June, 61 calls from local police agencies resulted in the arrest of 151 people on immigration violations; there were 35 calls and 86 arrests in July and 41 calls and 65 arrests in August, Cargile said. "We are seeing a continued downward trend in numbers," Cargile said. "This is consistent across the board over the past three years. Our drop house encounters in Phoenix are down considerably, and Border Patrol apprehensions—a key indicator of illegal immigration—have decreased significantly as well." Once the injunction is officially lifted, the government of Arizona will have to decide when to begin enforcing the provision, said Doris Meissner, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington. Arizona could choose to wait a period before implementing the provision to provide training or other guidance to its law enforcement, she said. Barring a call by opponents for an emergency ruling to maintain the injunction, it is just a matter of time before it goes into effect. Once it does, Meissner said, the strategy used by opponents of the law is expected to change. From the moment it begins to be enforced, opponents will be focused on monitoring its implementation, she said. That's where the next challenge is expected to come. In short, what Bolton's ruling said was that, given the Supreme Court ruling, the provision cannot be blocked on the speculation that it is discriminatory. There has to be evidence of racial profiling for the law to be blocked. "You can't do it in the abstract. You need a person, or persons, who believe they have been discriminated against," Meissner said. Judge weighs Arizona immigration law . But those kinds of cases aren't easy to win, said Marshall Fitz, director of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress, a liberal public policy think tank. Trying to prove racial profiling in court can turn into a he-said, she-said affair between alleged victims and police, he said. "There's a story to tell, and a counternarrative that police officers will tell," Fitz said. "It's not impossible, but I think any litigator will tell you it is a steep hill to climb." Implementation of the "show me your papers" provision will set off a potential multi-year process of litigators and activists collecting evidence to convince a court that systemic racial profiling exists. After this week's ruling, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer denied the law would discriminate. "As I have said consistently, it is not enough that this law be enforced. It must be enforced efficiently, effectively and in harmony with the Constitution and civil rights. I have no doubt Arizona's law enforcement officers are up for the task ahead," she said. The law that supporters envisioned, however, may not produce the results they wanted, even in enforcement. The Obama administration has a policy to remove only certain groups of undocumented immigrants, such as convicted criminals. Even if Arizona police requests overwhelm ICE, the agency will not respond unless the subject meets its criteria, said Cargile. "As we've previously emphasized, Department of Homeland Security officials in Arizona have been directed not to respond to requests from state and local police officers for assistance in enforcing immigration laws unless the individual or individuals in question meet DHS' enforcement priorities," she said. The department will continue to verify a person's immigration status upon request, however. Driver's license rules fuel new immigration debate .

NEW: Arizona police calls to feds for immigration violations on "downward trend," ICE says . Latino groups will monitor police for racial profiling, as sought by courts . A federal judge lifts an injunction on a provision of Arizona's immigration law . The "show me your papers" provision was upheld by the Supreme Court .

London (CNN) -- A helicopter crashed into a construction crane atop a new luxury residential building in thick London fog Wednesday, killing the pilot and another person and sparking a line of flames as it plunged to the ground. Thirteen others were injured in the crash that took place near a busy intersection at the height of the morning rush hour in Vauxhall, south of the River Thames in central London. Thick smoke and flames billowed into the sky as traffic ground to a halt and emergency workers rushed to the scene, not far from landmarks like the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament. The bent crane dangled from the building top, prompting police to cordon off roads in the area and evacuate residents and office workers. Many watched, horrified, from the street and office windows as the drama unfolded. Watch: Crash sparks security fears . "I was standing outside having a cigarette when I saw the helicopter flying super fast towards the crane," said Rezart Islami, a builder who was working across the road from the 52-story building. "The pilot appeared not to have seen the crane because the helicopter hit it and went bang." Islami said the rotor blade snapped off, and the copter spun to the ground and burst into flames. "The top off the crane also came off in the impact," he said. "It all happened so fast, it was unbelievable." Another eyewitness recounted seeing rescuers pull three injured people from two burning cars. "It is something of a miracle that this was not many, many times worse given the time of day," said police commander Neil Basu. Vauxhall, not far from Westminster, is where a new U.S. Embassy is being built. The area, which is a mix of industrial, business and residential use, is also home to the riverside headquarters of the UK intelligence service, MI6. Are you there? Send your pictures and video, but stay safe . Rotormotion, a helicopter charter company, identified the pilot as Peter Barnes, 50, a married father of two. "He was one of the most highly qualified and highly skilled helicopter pilots in the UK, and his death is a great loss for the British aviation and his colleagues at Rotormotion," spokesman Paul Blezard said. "The thoughts of all the staff are with this family and two young children at this dreadful time." Barnes was the only person on board the helicopter, which was on a scheduled commercial flight from Surrey, southwest of London, police said. The second person killed "was in close proximity" to the helicopter, a London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said, but gave no more details. One of the injured was treated for a broken leg, but emergency responders said the others were not seriously hurt. Construction workers were at the site when the crash happened but were not hurt. James Whipps, a CNN producer, said the helicopter wreckage appeared to have landed on two cars by St. George Wharf, a major residential construction project. Watch: Eyewitness describes the scene . The St. George Wharf construction project includes the landmark St. George Wharf Tower, also known as the Vauxhall Tower. Its developers, the Berkeley Group, say it will be one of Europe's tallest residential towers. Whipps said he heard the sound of the helicopter rotors suddenly cut out. He did not see the impact, but as he looked though a window, he "suddenly saw this enormous fireball, black smoke, shoot up from the side of a building." Daniel Toledo heard "a big noise" while on his way to the nearby Vauxhall station. Though Toledo didn't see the helicopter at first, he took out his camera in time to shoot exclusive aftermath video for CNN. "I look up, after the helicopter down," said Toledo. "Big noise again. The helicopter is gone." Watch: Fatal copter crash stalls London commute . Nicky Morgan, a member of parliament, heard the impact from the nearby Vauxhall station. "There was an enormous bang and clouds and clouds of thick, black smoke," she told CNN. "It was very surprising, not what you expect to see." Despite the confusion, people remained calm, she said. Christopher Jen was at Vauxhall Tube station on his way to his marketing job when he spotted smoke rising nearby. "We could hear all the sirens and you could smell the smoke as the train went past the site," he said in a submission to CNN's iReport. "The station announcers did tell us that there was a helicopter crash at Vauxhall and the engineers had to go check the tracks before we could leave." Reporters allowed through the cordons to the deadly crash scene say little can be seen other than a dark spot where the helicopter hit the ground. A Berkeley Group spokesman said the firm was giving its full support to the emergency services after its crane was hit. "Our thoughts at this time are with the friends and families of those killed in this tragic incident," he said. Firefighters are now working with contractors to make the mangled crane safe. Prime Minister David Cameron thanked the emergency services for their "rapid and professional response." Poor visibility . Many helicopters follow the Thames as a flight route through the city. This helicopter appeared to be flying farther south than usual, Whipps said. No cause has yet been given for the crash, but visibility was poor in London on Wednesday morning, with fog and a very low cloud ceiling. Chris Yates, an aviation security expert, told CNN it was likely there would be questions about whether the helicopter should have been flying in these conditions. Under safety regulations, tall buildings must have navigation lights on top to make them visible to low-flying aircraft, he said. Helicopters are not supposed to fly within 500 feet of tall structures in central London, he said. The London Heliport is near the crash site, on the banks of the Thames, at Battersea. The Air Accidents Investigation Bureau, part of the UK Department for Transport, has sent a team to investigate the crash. The Civil Aviation Authority says helicopters in London have only limited radar help and fly mostly using visual reference points on the ground. Certain designated routes for helicopters are in place to "provide maximum safety by avoiding flying over built up areas as much as possible," it says. Nearly 170 flights followed the central London route along the Thames in December, its figures show. About 250 flights arrived and departed from the heliport at Battersea in the same month. Wednesday's crash caused major disruptions for many people on their way to work. Vauxhall, with a rail station, Underground station and large bus station, is an important transit point for those traveling from the south to other parts of London. The Nine Elms area between Vauxhall and Battersea has been earmarked as a major regeneration site, with plans to create 16,000 new homes and 25,000 new jobs. CNN's Antonia Mortensen, Dominique Van Heerden, Sarah Brown, Saskya Vandoorne and Mark Morgenstein contributed to this report.

The pilot killed in the crash is identified as Peter Barnes, a married father of two . Police: "It is something of a miracle that this was not many, many times worse" "It all happened so fast, it was unbelievable," a witness says . The crane struck by the helicopter is dangling precariously from the building .

London (CNN) -- Film-maker and artist Tina Gharavi grew up idolizing Muhammad Ali, the trailblazing American boxing great who was a hero to her Iranian father and millions of others around the world. "My dad had incredible love for him," she told CNN at the opening of her latest exhibition, "The Last of the Dictionary Men," currently on display in London's Mosaic Rooms gallery. "It was the first time I saw a very strong black person, who was so unapologetic and beautiful." So when she moved to South Shields -- a coastal town with a maritime heritage in northeast England -- and heard that one of the 20th century's most celebrated athletes had had his marriage blessed in an Islamic ceremony at the local mosque, she found it hard to believe. "I said 'What?' I'd lived in the north for eight years and never heard about it. I knew I had to find out more." Ali, she learned, had visited South Shields in 1977 with his new wife, Veronica Porsche, and their baby daughter Hana, in response to an invitation to come to the area to raise money for the Boys Club, a British charitable organization. The visit -- which drew thousands out lining the streets to watch his procession through the town -- reached its high point with a marriage blessing ceremony by the imam at the town's Al-Azhar Mosque. Intrigued by the story, Gharavi spent two years making a film -- "The King of South Shields" -- about Ali's unlikely visit, which led to an enduring relationship with the town's longstanding Yemeni community, whose mosque had hosted the boxer and for whom the day had provided an important validation of their sometimes tenuous place in British society. In the process of making the film, she realized that many of the elders of the South Shields Yemenis -- one of the UK's oldest Muslim and Arab communities -- were passing away, their rich stories vanishing with them. "I was seeing something that was about to disappear and I thought this is so fascinating, I need to capture this," she said. "Now their world is almost gone." Read more: Lebanese women take on religious judges who call rape a 'marital right' She set about preserving some of that world with "The Last of the Dictionary Men," which features a series of interviews with 14 of the last surviving members of the first generation of South Shields' Yemenis, recounting their experiences as migrants to the U.K., and a series of large portraits of the men by Egyptian photographer Youssef Nabil. The outsized portraits, said Gharavi, hand-colored in the style of old Egyptian movie posters, were intended to present the men "in a way that aggrandizes them," in contrast to the "social realist" depictions that had typically been used to portray their community. "Whenever they were shown, they'd typically be in the mosque, everything would look very miserable and a bit dirty," she said. "I thought that's not who they are. They were funny, they would flirt with me and were full of life." The name of the exhibition, she said, referred to lines written by the Yemeni poet Abdullah al-Baradduni, who wrote in 1995 that "our land is the dictionary of our people." The story of South Shields' Yemeni community began in the 1890s, when seamen from the British ruled Aden Protectorate -- now part of modern day Yemen -- began working on British ships, eventually finding their way to port towns in Britain. The UK's first mosque was opened in Cardiff, Wales, by Yemenis who had come to Britain as seamen. Gharavi said the Yemenis were recruited by the British as they made good sailors -- they didn't drink, and could handle the heat of the engine room furnaces well. During the First World War, the British government began encouraging Yemeni men into the country to make up for a manpower shortage brought about by the conflict. By the war's end, the Yemeni population of the northern shipping town had risen to about 3,000, and as many as 800 had been killed on merchant navy supply ships at sea. "They were working on ships that the German were very keen to bomb, so there's an extraordinary number of Yemeni men who died," said Gharavi. But the new arrivals were not initially welcomed by the public at large. Discrimination meant they found it hard to find accommodation, with the seamen mostly forced to live in boarding houses -- the first of which opened in the town in 1909 -- largely isolated from the wider community. After the war, the boarding houses suffered attacks intended to drive the Arabs from the town. Perceptions of unfair treatment in the workplace led to riots in 1919 and 1930, and eventually led to the council segregating the community by building an estate to house the Yemenis. Read more: Can Iraq's geeks save the country? But by the 1940s, attitudes towards the community began to change, and Yemenis began marrying into the wider community. As part of her research, Gharavi commissioned a survey team to ask 100 people on South Shields' main street about their ancestry, and about one in four claimed some Yemeni heritage. Today, many of those South Shields locals -- who speak with the distinctive northeastern accent known as Geordie -- are returning to Yemen to reconnect with the culture of their forefathers, said Gharavi. South Shields' Arab community is often held up as an example of an immigration success story. "The Yemeni have been incredibly dutiful to this country," she said. "They've worked very hard for this country, and they love Britain very much because they know what they've gotten from here." For his part, Saeed Mohamed Aklan Ghaleb, one of the men profiled in the exhibition, was nonplussed by the attention. "When the people came to talk and take the picture, we didn't know this would happen," he said, bemused by the art crowd gathered at the exhibition's opening. He arrived in South Shields as a seaman in 1967, and returns every two years. "It brings back memories," he said of the portraits, adding that he had a copy of his portrait hanging in his home. Gharavi said that in her eyes the community's humility was the reason the community had integrated into Britain so successfully. "They go into a community and they assimilate, they adopt the rule of where they live and that's the reason the Yemeni have sort of disappeared in a sense." It was part of the reason she thought their story should be heard. "There is that swing at the moment in Britain -- a concern that 'These guys are invading, this is problematic.' It's not problematic. These guys have been here since 1890 and it's going fine."

The Yemeni community of South Shields, England is one of the UK's oldest Muslim populations . In 1977, boxer Muhammad Ali visited and had his marriage blessed in the mosque . Artist Tina Gharavi has created an exhibition documenting the stories of the community's elders . She says she wants to capture the tales of this disappearing world .

(CNN) -- As many as 20,000 Syrian refugees have flooded Jordan in just the last few days, the nation's foreign minister and refugee officials said Wednesday, straining resources amid warnings from international aid organizations to prepare for a prolonged humanitarian crisis. A day before, two children died in the Zaatari refugee camp, the largest in Jordan. The deaths sparked a small protest among refugees, whose patience has been tested in recent weeks by heavy rains, flooding and extreme cold in the desert camp about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from the Syrian border. Read more: Envoy: 2013 could bring 100,000 deaths in Syria . The refugees are fleeing the ongoing violence in Syria, where the United Nations estimates at least 60,000 people have died in 22 months of fighting between government forces and rebels seeking to depose President Bashar al-Assad. As many as 20,000 refugees have arrived in Jordan in just the last three days, the state-run Petra news agency said. Read more: Crisis in Syria: The Refugees . Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh described the numbers -- 350,000 Syrian refugees since the conflict began -- as "staggering." "This is obviously a reflection of the level of violence in southern Syria, and there will probably be more in the next few days," he said. "We are getting aid -- we are getting aid from Arab countries, from Western countries, from international organizations. It is still not enough, given the numbers that are coming in." Last week, the International Rescue Committee warned of a "protracted humanitarian emergency" in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq, which have absorbed about 600,000 Syrian refugees since the conflict began. Read more: Syrian children struggle in refugee camps as winter tightens its grip . While caring for refugees living in camps is an enormous task on its own, the group noted that in Jordan and other countries, a majority of Syrian refugees are living outside of camps -- in cities and towns where social services, schools and even trash and waste systems are ill-equipped to meet the needs of a suddenly inflated population. In Jordan, about 80% of refugees are trying to make their way in cities and towns, Judeh and the International Rescue Committee said. Read more: Syria's 'urban refugees' struggle for survival . In many places, the IRC said, the influx of refugees has pushed up rents while pushing down the going rate for day labor and other jobs available to refugees. Education for children is also an issue, the agency said. "Even if the conflict comes to a swift end, Syria will emerge in ruins -- its social and civic fabric in shreds, its economy and infrastructure devastated and its population scattered throughout the country and region, potentially unable for months if not years to return to their shattered communities and resume normal life," the ICR warned in its report on Syrian refugees last week. The group called for a "massive increase in humanitarian assistance" to avoid a catastrophe. U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos also called on donors to help, saying she hoped a January 30 conference in Kuwait would yield some of the $1.5 billion in aid requested by humanitarian groups. That money would help Syrians displaced within their own country and those who have fled to neighboring nations for six months, she said. "If we do not receive these funds, we will not be able to reach the poorest and most vulnerable families who so desperately need our help," she said. Read more: Syrian refugees in Turkey: Police are forcing us from homes . "Donors need to step up, recognize the severity of the humanitarian crisis in and around Syria and face the virtual inevitability that this is going to get much worse and last much longer than initially anticipated," John Holmes, the co-chairman of the IRC's UK board of directors, said last week. In Zaatari, in Jordan's northern desert, about 60,000 people have sought refuge from the violence raging in their country. Nearly 3,000 people arrived Wednesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said. That brings the total number of refugees arriving in Jordan so far this month to 26,500 -- up 60% from December. And there's still another week's worth of refugees to come, said Aoife McDonnell, a Jordan-based spokeswoman for the UNHCR. Many of the refugees had to abandon their belongings on the trip across the border, in some cases to be able to carry their children through muddy, freezing conditions. "They're often arriving freezing, their clothes are wet," she said. Enterprising Syrian refugees, many of whom arrived with nothing, have set up their own retail avenue amid dusty tents and prefabricated metal shelters, providing a small source of income and -- perhaps more importantly -- something to do to stave off the boredom and discomfort of camp life. Refugees are selling everything from food to clothing and household items donated by Jordanians, she said. Read more: Syrian refugees on run: 'I want people to feel our pain' Many are living in tents, but Arab nations recently donated 3,000 prefabricated metal shelters called caravans for use by residents. The camp has nine health facilities with 42 doctors treating everything from internal ailments to eye disorders, McDonnell said. And on average, five babies are born each day there, she said. Still, the camp has been the focus of what the International Rescue Committee called "unending criticism from its occupants." Refugees have endured harsh cold and flooding that not only made life miserable by swamping tents, but also made it difficult to deliver water and supplies, UNICEF said. McDonnell acknowledged that tensions have sometimes run high in the camp, especially during bad weather. But she said most families are just glad to be out of Syria. "By the time the refugees arrive to Jordan, I think they're extremely grateful for the safety," she said. 146 killed in fighting in Syria; Patriot system started in Turkey . Back in Syria, the opposition group Local Coordination Committees reported that 146 people, including 15 children, were killed Wednesday in fighting. Twelve injured Syrians were taken across the border into Turkey for treatment, but two of them died of their wounds, Turkey's state-run news agency TRT said. Syria's Health Ministry said Wednesday will order public hospitals to treat the injured quickly and for free as part of an ongoing health project, according to the state-run news agency SANA. Also in Turkey Wednesday, the installation of the Patriot air defense system began in the southern city of Kahramanmaras, according to the semi-official news agency Anadolu. How Syria's bloodshed drove a peaceful protester into the battlelines . CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom and Samira Said contributed from Amman, Jordan; Nick Paton Walsh contributed from Istanbul; and Michael Pearson wrote and reported from Atlanta.

NEW: 146 killed in fighting in Syria Wednesday, opposition group reports . Flow of Syrian refugees fleeing into Jordan up 60% over last month, officials say . The numbers are "staggering," Jordan's foreign minister says . Aid group warns of a looming humanitarian crisis .

(CNN) -- You are only a short putt away from a major championship and golfing immortality. You can already taste the acclaim, hear the roars from the gallery crowded round the 18th green and smell the bundles of cash heading your way. But then an image of Rory McIlroy slumped over his driver at Augusta in 2011 flashes through your mind, Adam Scott sinking to the turf at the British Open a year later after throwing away a four-shot lead. Before you know it, you're having dark visions of Jean Van de Velde wading through the Barry Burn at Carnoustie during his own British Open meltdown in 1999. Suddenly that putt looks a lot longer than it did a moment ago and you start wondering, "What if I miss?" You may also start questioning why you didn't pay a pre-tournament visit to golf's premier mind doctor, whose job it is to instil a watertight frame of mind that can deal with a career-defining putt. "Players will tell you, you can get teary-eyed thinking what this could mean to your mum and dad, your wife, your children, for your name in history," Dr. Bob Rotella told CNN ahead of this week's PGA Championship in Rochester, New York. It is the final major of the golf season -- where McIlroy will defend his title, and world No. 1 Tiger Woods will seek to end a five-year wait for the 15th of his career. "You could start adding up how many dollars you're going to make. It is like, 'Can we just take care of this putt right now?' You need the ability to get lost in the present where nothing else in the moment exists," Rotella added. "This putt is something you've done a million times both in your mind and on the practice putting green and on the golf course. "Now you've got to let yourself do it in this important situation but in order to do it you better not be reminding yourself how big this is or important this is. "Most guys are trying to treat it like just another putt. But it's difficult because your hands are shaking a bit, your arms are shaking a bit, your heart is beating like crazy, you can't get any moisture in your mouth." Golf is a cruel and unforgiving pursuit in which the word "choke" seems to reappear more than any other. Often, a major meltdown can be more memorable than the eventual winner. Just ask McIlroy about Augusta, veteran Tom Watson about losing a playoff at the British Open in 2009 or consult Greg Norman on his capitulation to let Nick Faldo win the 1996 Masters. Interactive: What do major winners earn? That knowledge surely only adds fuel to the fire when a player is in a trough that must feel like it is squeezing the life out of his game. Though there is a caddy by your side, only one person can extricate you from this mess. No wonder then that training the brain has become as pivotal a part of a modern player's preparation as the hours spent honing their swing on the range. Rotella has worked with some of the game's biggest stars, major champions like McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, Keegan Bradley and Darren Clarke, who are all keen to tap into his well of knowledge. With a myriad of professionals capable of winning major honors and the intensity of competition rising all the time, players are increasingly obsessed with squeezing every last drop out of their potential. Even the very best players aren't impervious to pressure, so Rotella's work acts to soothe increasingly frazzled brains so they can plot a path to glory. What, then, does he tell players about that moment, when one shot can make or break their careers? "We're trying to get to the best state of mind and trying to catch it if we get half an inch away from that instead of waiting to get in a deep dark hole and having to dig yourself out," he said. "We're talking about believing you're the best golfer in the world in a world that has a lot of really, good, talented and committed golfers. "Everyone wasn't brought up thinking that way; a lot of people find it easy to respect other people or to believe in somebody else winning. "Players have to learn as they develop skill that now you've developed this skill now you have to fall in love with your talent and your potential and ability if you're going to be the best golfer in the world." It is no surprise many of Rotella's subjects have held it together right at the moment they needed to most. Bradley won the first major he played in -- the 2011 U.S. PGA Championship -- surviving a nerve-jangling playoff against Jason Dufner. He credited the work he did with Rotella in helping him to stay focused after a triple-bogey on the 15th hole in his final round looked to have ripped his dream to shreds. After his triumph, Bradley said he actually felt energized after his mistake, such was the positive frame of mind Rotella had helped him download. At the other end of the spectrum, Clarke was playing in his 46th major championship when he hit the front at the 2011 British Open. One of a rare crop to win his first major title over the age of 40, Clarke had Rotella on hand all week to keep him cool in the heat of battle at Royal St. George's on the southern coast of England. But not before Rotella had to iron out a major putting wobble before the tournament even began. "We spent a lot of time together during his Open win," Rotella said. "In Darren's case it started Wednesday and he was totally lost with his putter. "He said to me, 'If we can get my head in the right place with my putter I think it'll take all the pressure off my ball striking and pitching and bunker play and I'll be fine.' "Over the next few days we got his head where he wanted to with the putter, and magic happened. He started doing some great stuff and the ball started going in the hole and he won. "I think the last step for Darren was to let himself go out on Sunday -- the phrase we kept saying was, 'You're unstoppable if you're unflappable.' "I kept telling Darren you've got to be unflappable, you can't let a good shot that takes a bad bounce bother you or get you down or frustrated. You've got to stay in a good mood. "For Darren, he had to be himself. When I think of Darren I think of really good-natured, happy guy. I said to him don't have the only place you're not happy be on a golf course." Happy might not be a word most closely associated with the leader of the PGA Championship if he has a one-shot lead to protect down the final hole on Sunday but if he's spoken to Rotella, at least he'll be in the zone.

Work on mental preparation has become a vital part of golf in recent times . Dr. Bob Rotella has coached some of the game's biggest stars . Rotella's mantra to his players is "You're unstoppable if you're unflappable" He has worked with major champions Rory McIlroy and Keegan Bradley .

(CNN)An Indiana family is suing a city and the local police after officers allegedly smashed a car window to stun and arrest a passenger during a traffic stop. The family said police pulled them over because the two front passengers were not wearing a seat belt on September 24 in Hammond, Indiana. Both sides argued they feared for their safety during the traffic stop, which was videotaped by a teenager in the car. The video in question . "I'm scared for my life," Lisa Mahone's voice is heard in a video, speaking from the driver's seat of her car. In the passenger seat, her partner, Jamal Jones, talks to officers gathered outside his door. His window is rolled down only a few inches. "I don't know what's going on," he says. Joseph Ivy, 14, and Janiya Ivy, 7, are in the back seat. One of them holds a camera and is recording the exchange. "Are you going to open the door?" an officer asks Jones. "How can you say they are not going to hurt you? People are getting shot by the police!" Mahone says before her voice breaks into screams as an officer smashes the passenger window. Jones joins her screams as his body convulses from the electric shock of the stun gun. Officers then pull him out of the car, handcuff him and take him away. Fear on both sides . Minutes before the incident, the family was driving to the hospital to visit Mahone's dying mother. Hammond Police Officers Patrick Vicari and Charles Turner stopped Mahone because neither she nor Jones wore seat belts, according to Hammond Police spokesman Lt. Richard Hoyda. The officers placed spike strips under the car's wheels and approached Mahone. Mahone "informed the officers that her mother was dying and that (they) were on the way to the hospital to see her before she died," read the complaint. "Rather than issuing Lisa (Mahone) a ticket for failure to wear a seat belt, the officers demanded that Jamal (Jones), the passenger, provide the officers with his identification as well." But Jones didn't have an identification. He had previously turned over his license for an unrelated citation. "Jamal offered to show the officers the ticket, which had his information on it but the officers refused," read the complaint. Police however tell a different story. Call to 911 . Jones refused to identify himself and repeatedly ignored requests to step out of the car after officers feared he had a weapon, Hoyda said. "The first officer saw the passenger inside the vehicle drop his left hand behind the center console inside of the vehicle. Fearing for officer safety, the first officer ordered the passenger to show his hands and then repeatedly asked him to exit the vehicle," Hoyda said. Meanwhile, Mahone was on the phone with a 911 operator requesting to speak to a supervisor. 'Fear for their safety' Mahone, Jones and the children "were in reasonable fear for their safety," read the complaint. "After a minute or two for no reason, the officers drew their weapons." At this point Mahone is heard pleading with someone in the video. "He (Jones) is looking for his information in his book bag. When he goes into his book bag, they pull a gun out. What was the purpose of a gun? And now they ask me to open my door so I can get out. I'm scared. If you can pull out a gun in front of ... there is two kids in the back seat." Both the Police Department and Hammond are standing by the officers. "Police officers who make legal traffic stops are allowed to ask passengers inside of a stopped vehicle for identification and to request that they exit a stopped vehicle for the officer's safety without a requirement of reasonable suspicion," Hoyda said. Hammond Mayor Thomas M. McDermott Jr. cited two recent police officer deaths in Indiana as the reason for heightened precautions. "While I hope that situations like this one can be avoided in the future, I am standing solidly behind the actions of these police officers," McDermott said. Mahone was cited for failure to wear a seat belt and a license plate reciprocity violation. Jones was arrested for failure to aid an officer, resisting law enforcement and was also cited for a seat belt violation, according to Hoyda. Lawsuit . In a lawsuit filed this week in the Northern District Court of Indiana, Mahone, Jones and the two children accuse the city, Vicari, Turner and "other unknown officers" of excessive force, false arrest and imprisonment, assault and battery, and Intentional infliction of emotional distress. Hammond Police directly all media inquiries to the law firm Eichhorn & Eichhorn, LLP. CNN called the firm and asked whether they were representing Hammond Police regarding the September incident. An unidentified woman said "that's true and we have no comment." CNN attempted to contact Turner and Vicari, but was unsuccessful. Using Taser on an 8-year-old? Mom sues police, city . Who recorded the incident? "That incident further magnifies what took place in Ferguson, the use of excess force that seems to be happening across the breath and width of this nation," said NAACP Board Member John Gaskin. "As a man of color, if I'm pulled over, I will be leery of the officer and obey whatever commands they are giving me because at this point you are fearful of your life" It was fear that led one of the children in the back seat, Joseph, 14, to begin recording the incident. "The kids and the family had seen all the news of officers engaging in excessive force and were concerned for their safety," family attorney Dana Kurtz told CNN affiliate WLS. The children were "horrified," said Kurtz. "They received glass shattered into the back seat, they had cuts in their arms. Not only were they harmed physically but they were harmed emotionally as well." "They were scared. Their perception of officers, of police officers who were supposed to be serving and protecting not only them, but us, everyone, has been tarnished for the rest of their lives," said Kurtz. Florida officer on paid leave after using Taser on 61-year-old woman . 'Open dialogue' A sentiment that judging by the recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, is echoed by many. The August fatal shooting of Michael Brown in that city led to days of violent protests in Ferguson. "Just because the police could do it, doesn't mean they should. My question here is the judgment that they used smashing that window with the kid in the car and four passengers in that car if there could have been another way to get around that," said CNN law enforcement analyst, Tom Fuentes . The mayor said he acknowledged "the importance of being sensitive to differing points of views, amongst our diverse community, in regards to actions taken by our police department." "As always, I will continue to encourage open dialogue on this and any issue that may affect relations between city government and members of our community," he said. However, he concluded, he believes "when drivers get pulled over, whether they agree with the reason for the stop or they don't, you must comply with lawful requests of the police." CNN's Susan Candiotti and Ross Levitt contributed to this report.

The officers pulled the driver over for not wearing a seat belt . "I'm scared for my life," Lisa Mahone's voice is heard saying in a video . Police, city stand by the officers .

(CNN) -- Consider this. On December 17, 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, a young Tunisian street vendor, set himself on fire and started a dramatic remaking of the political landscape. The striking of a match brought change not only in Tunisia, but also in Egypt and Libya, and even what is happening in Syria. On the other hand, since March 2011, about 29 Tibetans, mostly Buddhist monks and nuns, have self-immolated in Tibetan parts of China. In March 2012 alone, seven people self-immolated, and Tibetan exiles in India have been setting themselves on fire. The political result? Nothing. So why does the self-immolation of one man accomplish so much, but the same gesture performed by so many others accomplishes nothing? Perhaps the question should be phrased differently, because a closer look at Bouazizi's deed and the Tibetan cases reveals that it is something other than the sheer number of self-immolations that makes them a catalyst for change. Tunisians could easily identify with Bouazizi's extreme predicament. His actions spoke to the community's shared frustration and despair. But the demands of Tibetan self-immolators are varied. Some want a "free Tibet," as do all Tibetan exiles, but others only want freedom of religion, or political autonomy, or the opportunity to study in Tibetan as opposed to Chinese, or the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet. When a self-immolator like Bouazizi is perceived as taking upon himself the humiliations and shameful submissions, the collective cowardice and voluntary servitude of his people, he burns off, along with his body, the diffuse sense of shame and guilt that has been paralyzing his community. The burning body thus becomes a site of cleansing, catharsis and regeneration. The community is going -- vicariously, but no less effectively -- through a "purification by fire." And in the process an important thing takes place: That society reinvents itself, it is transformed from a shattered community into a political community. As the body is being devoured by flames, the promise (if only the promise) of a new beginning takes shape. The self-immolations of Thích Quàng Đúc in Saigon in 1963 and Jan Palach in Prague in 1969 were not very different from that of Bouazizi. The former was a Buddhist monk who self-immolated to draw attention to the persecution of Buddhists in Vietnam under the Ngô Đình Diem's regime; the latter was a philosophy student who did the same thing in Prague as a response to the Soviet Union's crush of the Prague Spring. Self-immolations that prompt political change are extraordinary and rare events. The ancient Greeks had two different words for time: chronos for ordinary time and kairos for time of special quality -- a particularly propitious time for which our "right time" is a rather weak translation. For self-immolations to be politically successful, they have to happen in kairos. Bouazizi, Đúc and Palach had many imitators, but none since have achieved so much. That's why the high number of self-immolations among Tibetans lately could be read as an implicit admission of failure. Even though the first self-immolation by a former Tibetan monk, Thupten Ngodup, on April 27, 1998, in New Delhi, had some public impact, it failed to cause the political commotion that Bouazizi triggered in the Arab world. Nor have any of the other Tibetan self-immolators since. Yet, this should not surprise us. There is a strong rejection of violence in Buddhism. Even through self-immolations took place in medieval China and 20th-century Vietnam, even though the Lotus Sutra praises "burning for Buddha" as the supreme self-sacrifice, Buddhists are very reluctant to condone violence. Tibetan Buddhism, in particular, is centered on compassion toward all sentient beings and prohibition of murder, suicide included. Such a religious and cultural viewpoint must prevent ordinary Tibetans from identifying with the self-immolators. Accommodating this radical form of violence within a culture that has for centuries fed on cosmic compassion and political non-violence is not an easy process. That is why the recent string of self-immolations in Tibetan parts of China is a sign that this could be changing. Most self-immolators are young -- some are teens -- which indicates that the new generation of politically aware Tibetans might have lost patience with the Dalai Lama's nonviolent political philosophy and want to respond differently to the Chinese's aggressive methods. What we see now is possibly the beginning of a new type of political engagement in Tibet, a new pattern very different from Bouazizi's and Palach's, who emerged from communities that had been brought to their knees. Tibetans, instead, over the last 60 years have considered their nation as occupied, but not defeated. Since 1959 they have with some regularity risen against the Chinese authorities. It's very disturbing to watch these self-immolations, but that is part of the intent. The Tibetans want the Chinese and the world to look. The meaning of their gesture lies in its total passivity. It is no accident that after every self-immolation the Chinese authorities scramble to confiscate and destroy any pictures taken; they are only too aware of the iconic status such images can acquire. In essence, these self-immolations are an extreme form of political self-expression. They are performed as part of a struggle for recognition, as an autonomous political community. It confirms what Thích Nhất Hạnh was saying in 1967: "To burn oneself by fire is to prove that what one is saying is of the utmost importance. There is nothing more painful than burning oneself. To say something while experiencing this kind of pain is to say it with utmost courage, frankness, determination and sincerity." For many Tibetan monks and nuns of today the burning body has become a tool for the most resounding of self-assertions; when you are in flames your presence cannot be ignored anymore. It is a shouting game of sorts, except that no party shouts. The Tibetans express themselves by burning; the Chinese authorities do the same by shooting Tibetans. Then, another monk or nun engages in self-expression and everything starts anew. Palden Gyatso, a Tibetan monk who spent more than 30 years in Chinese prisons and labor camps, once said: "For those who use brute force, there is nothing more insulting than a victim's refusal to acknowledge their power." Rarely has the desire for recognition been so desperate and moving. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Costica Bradatan.

Costica Bradatan: 30 Tibetans self-immolated in Tibetan parts of China without political change . Yet a Tunisian's setting himself afire set off Arab spring, he says. Why was that different? He writes: The Tunisian spoke to everyone's despair; Tibetan protesters have varying goals . Bradatan: Tibetans are nonviolent, but some may be tired of Dalai Lama's pacifism .

Washington (CNN) -- When Paul Ryan struggled to explain a budget-balancing timeline under Mitt Romney, he highlighted the difficulty of trying to run a substantive campaign without being too specific. While Ryan's interview Tuesday with Fox News' Brit Hume was no Sarah Palin-Katie Couric moment, the Republican vice presidential candidate's discomfort in answering when Romney's proposal would balance the budget was evident. Ryan, a seven-term congressman from Wisconsin and chairman of the House Budget Committee, said he was unsure when Romney's proposals would balance the federal budget. Romney's plans say he would "put the federal government on a course toward a balanced budget" but does not say when. Mitt Romney's 5-point plan for the economy . Hume repeatedly pressed Ryan on the question of "when" Romney's budget would balance. Hume: "The budget plan you're now supporting would get to balance when?" Ryan: "Well, there are different -- the budget plan that Mitt Romney is supporting gets us down to 20% of GDP (gross domestic product) government spending by 2016. That means get the size of government back to where it historically has been. What President Obama has done is he brought the size of government to as high as it hasn't been since World War II. We want to reduce the size of government to have more economic freedom." Hume: "I get that. What about balance?" Ryan: "I don't know exactly what the balance is. I don't want to get wonky on you, but we haven't run the numbers on that specific plan. The plan we offer in the House balances the budget. I'd put a contrast. President Obama, never once, ever, has offered a plan to ever balance the budget. The United States Senate, they haven't even balanced, they haven't passed a budget in three years." Hume: "I understand that. But your own budget, that you -- . Ryan: "You are talking about the House budget?" Hume: "I'm talking about the House budget. Your budget will be a political issue in this campaign." Ryan: "The House budget doesn't balance until the 2030s under the current measurement of the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) baseline." The Romney campaign did not respond immediately to a request for comment on a budget balancing timeline. Ryan's plan, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says would bring the federal budget "nearly in balance in 2050," has overshadowed Romney's more vague proposals since the younger man was named to the ticket. As a result, Ryan, one of the GOP's leading numbers guys, has had the unenviable task of underscoring that the Republican ticket has a plan -- albeit a fuzzy one -- while steering clear of outshining his would-be boss on budget matters. "It has put him in an awkward position. He has answered the questions provided, but he can't go into too much detail because they would come off as the position of the campaign," said Mark Jones, chairman of Rice University's political science department. There are definite differences in the level of detail in Ryan's and Romney's plans. Under Ryan's proposal, the deficit "would be around 1% of gross domestic product in the 2020s and would decline further after 2030" -- ultimately showing a surplus by 2040. Romney's economic plan proposes capping federal spending at 20% of GDP in 2016, while calculations based on the CBO scoring of Ryan's budget show spending on all federal programs -- including entitlements, mandatory and discretionary spending -- would be about 17.25% of GDP in 2030. The report did not include calculations for 2016. Romney's plan, released in September 2011, does not say when he would bring the federal budget into balance, and in March the candidate said his plans "can't be scored" because key details are omitted, such as how he would change deductions and exemption in the tax code. Asked in his Tuesday interview what loopholes and deductions the Romney-Ryan administration would eliminate, Ryan deferred. Ryan's discomfort in elaborating further on the ticket's budget proposal is also because the conservative congressman's plan "is better understood as a long-term initiative to roll back the role of federal government in society," said CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. And even Romney has acknowledged that he and his running mate aren't fully simpatico when it comes to budget matters. Shortly after Ryan was named to the ticket, the Romney campaign circulated a talking points memo to surrogates that urged them to stress that "Romney applauds Paul Ryan for going in the right direction with his budget, and as president he will be putting together his own plan for cutting the deficit and putting the budget on a path to balance." As recently as Monday, Romney again made clear there are some differences between the two men's approach to the budget. "I'm sure there are places that my budget is different than his, but we're on the same page as I said before," Romney said on the trail Monday. "We'll look at the differences. Well, the items we agree on I think outweigh any differences there may be. We haven't gone through piece by piece. ... I can't imagine any two people even in the same party who have exactly the same positions on all issues." Some conservatives, who cheered when Romney picked Ryan, worry that in some ways the guy at the top of the ticket may be hanging his would-be second in command out to dry. "I'm sure there are differences between the two, but to his credit, Paul Ryan has a plan; neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney for that matter really have a plan with the specificity," conservative commentator and CNN contributor Erick Erickson said Tuesday on CNN's "Early Start." "Paul Ryan has a 90-page outline of what he wants to do in actual legislative language. ... Now should there be differences between them? I guess, but when you bring Paul Ryan on the ticket, a guy who the Democrats in 2011 were already running commercials with a Paul Ryan look-alike shoving a grandmother off a cliff, you can't really distance yourself from that." But there does appear to be some distancing, which could provide President Obama's re-election campaign plenty of room to fill in the blanks when it comes to the Romney-Ryan ticket's budget plans, Jones said. "It's on the Romney campaign to provide (Ryan) more areas of leeway where he can go into detail," Jones said. "They need to come up with greater specifics with the area of budgeting; if they don't, the Obama campaign will define them. They also need to define which areas of (the) Ryan plan (Romney will adopt)." CNN's Gregory Wallace contributed to this report.

Paul Ryan, a top GOP numbers guy, struggles to explain Mitt Romney's fuzzy budget details . Part of Ryan's difficulty stems from difference between his and Romney's budget proposals . Expert: Romney campaign needs to give Ryan some leeway where he can go into specifics . Otherwise, the professor says, "the Obama campaign will define them"

Edinburgh, Scotland (CNN) -- Politicians made their final pleas to Scottish voters Wednesday, the last day of campaigning before they head to the ballot box to vote on independence. Opinion polls put the two sides neck-and-neck ahead of Thursday's historic referendum, which could see Scotland split from the United Kingdom. Voters will be asked the yes/no question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?" The latest poll of polls, released Wednesday by ScotCen, an independent research center, shows "no" at 52% and "yes" at 48%, with "don't know" voters excluded. It is consistent with results over the past week or so, which have indicated the race is too close to call. Polls suggest around 8% of voters remain undecided, making their votes crucial to deciding the outcome of the referendum. As the vote nears, emotions are running high on both sides, dividing families and polarizing communities. The leader of the pro-independence campaign, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond told "Yes Scotland" campaigners in Perth on Wednesday evening that they have run the "greatest campaign in Scottish democratic history." "We meet on the eve of the most exciting day in Scottish democracy. And we meet here not to celebrate, not to presume, not to preempt," he said, acknowledging that polls were still placing the "no" vote in the lead. "We are the underdogs in this campaign, as we always have been," Salmond said. "We know that the Westminster establishment will fling the kitchen sink and half the living room and probably most of the bedroom at us before the close of polls at 10 o'clock tomorrow night. And therefore it behooves each and every one of us, recognizing that underdog status, to campaign with our utmost ... to persuade our fellow citizens that independence is the right road forward for Scotland." "This is our opportunity of a lifetime," he told the cheering crowd. Gordon Brown: This is everyone's country . But former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, himself a Scot, called on his fellow countrymen and women to vote "no" to independence with confidence. Speaking in Glasgow, he said, "This is everyone's flag, everyone's country, everyone's culture, everyone's street and let us tell the people of Scotland that we who vote 'no' love our Scotland and love our country." Scotland's many past and present achievements, Brown said, "happen not outside the union but inside the union. They happen not in spite of the union but because of the union." There were chaotic scenes as Labour Party leader Ed Miliband met with members of the public on Tuesday, forcing him to cut short a meet and greet. The issue of spending on social welfare and health care, through the National Health Service, has been central to campaigning. Questions over the economy, North Sea oil reserves and taxation have also been key. Each side has argued that it is the best equipped to create more jobs for Scotland. In a rare show of unity, the leaders of the UK's three main political parties penned a vow on Tuesday -- published on the front page of the Scottish Daily Record newspaper -- to transfer more powers to Scotland if it rejects independence. Cameron: My name's not on ballot . Prime Minister David Cameron will face tough questions over the effectiveness of the pro-union "Better Together" campaign if Scotland opts to leave, with critics accusing the main parties in Westminster of complacency over the vote. They have also questioned the promise of more powers for Scotland if it stays, warning that England and Wales should not lose out. Fallout from the referendum could play into the next UK general election, scheduled for May 2015. Asked by a reporter whether he would quit if Scotland chooses independence, Cameron said, "My name is not on the ballot paper; what's on the ballot paper is, does Scotland want to stay in the United Kingdom or does Scotland want to separate itself from the United Kingdom? "That's the only question that should be decided on Thursday night. The question about my future will be decided at the British general election coming soon." In an interview with the Times of London, Cameron also defended the way the referendum has been handled by his Conservative-led coalition government. He said he had been right to offer only the option of independence or continued union on the ballot paper, rather than including a third option of further devolved powers for Scotland. He suggested that Scottish independence might actually be closer today if he had said no to a vote, rather than offering a "proper, legal, fair and decisive referendum." Scotland to leave UK? 8 things to know . John Major: Scottish people 'fed a load of pap' Former Prime Minister John Major also made an impassioned plea for Scotland to stay in the United Kingdom, telling CNN's Christiane Amanpour that the Scottish people have been hoodwinked. "The Scottish nation have frankly, and I don't say this lightly, have been fed a load of pap by the Scottish nationalists in the belief that everything will be alright on the night," he said. "Well it won't. There are very serious problems that Scotland will face if they go down this route." Many questions remain unanswered about what will happen if Scotland votes to go it alone, including its future membership in the European Union and NATO and over the United Kingdom's future defense capabilities. In an open letter published in UK tabloid The Sun on Wednesday, 14 former UK defense chiefs warned against breaking up the union. "At risk is the most successful alliance in history and one which has seen men and women from all parts of the country play their part in securing the liberties we now enjoy," they wrote. "The division of the UK may or may not be politically or economically sensible, but in military terms we are clear: it will weaken us all." In his own open letter to Scottish voters, Salmond urged them to look past what he called the "increasingly desperate and absurd scare stories" of the pro-union "no" campaign, and think of Scotland's future. "Make this decision with a clear head and a clear conscience," he wrote. "Know that by voting 'Yes', what we take into our hands is a responsibility like no other -- the responsibility to work together to make Scotland the nation it can be." Opinion: Why the UK needs Scotland . Largest ever electorate . The Scottish National Party, headed by Salmond, has said it wants to remove the UK nuclear submarine fleet from Scottish waters as soon as possible. More than 4.2 million people have registered to vote, the largest electorate ever in Scotland. Any registered voter aged 16 or over who is a resident in Scotland is entitled to cast a ballot. Voters do not have to be British citizens; Commonwealth, Irish and EU citizens who live in Scotland and are registered to vote there can do so. If Scotland decides to leave the United Kingdom, it leaves behind England, Wales and Northern Ireland. CNN's Max Foster reported from Scotland and Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported in London. CNN's Richard Allen Greene, Lindsay Isaac and Erin McLaughlin contributed to this report.

NEW: The latest poll of polls suggests the "no" campaign has a slim lead . NEW: Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond: "This is our opportunity of a lifetime" Former PM Gordon Brown: "We who vote 'no' love our Scotland and love our country" Former UK defense chiefs warn that Scottish independence "will weaken us all"

(CNN) -- They just don't get it. Two months after playing partisan chicken with the debt-ceiling limit and leading directly to a U.S. downgrade, our dysfunctional divided Congress was at it again -- carelessly bringing the country to the brink of a government shutdown. This time the debate was over disaster-relief spending. Republicans wanted to ensure that any extra money needed for FEMA in the wake of Hurricane Irene would be matched by cuts in spending elsewhere. The Democrat-controlled Senate rejected the House bill as a form of extortion and so the stalemate continued through the weekend, bringing FEMA within days of being insolvent. Ultimately, the two parties came to an agreement that funded FEMA but simply kicked the prospect of a government shutdown to right before Thanksgiving. It used to be that at least a disaster could unite Congress to think beyond party politics. But we are living in a time where extreme measures are used every day. The threat of a government shutdown is seen as negotiating leverage. Threat of filibuster has gone from a rare event to a routine parliamentary procedure. There is no question why Washington is broken. The two parties have become so polarized they seem unable to reason together. Special interests threaten to eclipse the national interest. Hyper-partisanship is hurting our country because it is stopping us from being able to solve the serious problems we face. That was the unambiguous message Standard & Poor's sent the United States with its downgrade in August that specifically cited an atmosphere of partisan gamesmanship. It was echoed by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke -- a Bush and Obama appointee -- in remarks at the Jackson Hole conference in Wyoming. We have a political crisis, which is compounding the fiscal crisis. This is not an elite concern, but a problem increasingly recognized by everyday Americans far away from the Beltway. "Members of Congress are intelligent but they have no common sense," Darlene Swithers of Pennsylvania recently told The New York Times. "They fight too much. They should be put in a corner and take a time out and start working together as a team. I'm so sick of hearing Republicans this and Democrats that." This is the articulation of the impulse that led 77% of Americans to tell CNN that Congress acts like "spoiled children" rather than responsible adults. This latest flirtation with a government shutdown just shows how tone-deaf Congress has become. House Republicans played politics with disaster relief and felt that they would be rewarded by their base if they do so. Their all-or-nothing mindset leads them to the logic that Democrats will be to blame for a shutdown if they simply refuse to do what Republicans demand. What's doubly dumb about this particular battle is that it is over relatively small change -- some $2.5 billion in disaster relief at a time when a bipartisan joint super committee is struggling to find a minimum of $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction. President Obama and Speaker John Boehner and 35 senators have encouraged the super-committee to go bigger -- to $4 trillion in deficit and debt reduction -- the amount almost achieved by so-called grand bargain that failed to materialize in August. Bipartisan committees like Bowles-Simpson and the Gang of Six -- as well as a plan proposed by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan -- also set out different paths to a $4 trillion savings, bringing us to a more sound fiscal footing. We know what such a step will require: spending cuts and some revenue increases, best achieved with tax reform and entitlement reform. The far right opposes any tax increases while the far-left opposes any entitlement reform. But there should still be room to reason together. For example, one solution would be to cut tax rates but close select loopholes, allowing higher revenue to be raised from lower rates. Unfortunately, some folks on the far-right have decided that raising revenue at all will be considered a tax-hike and a violation of the anti-tax pledge. That all-or-nothing logic threatens to doom the deliberations that democratic republics depend on. It doesn't have to be this way. For most of the 20th century, congressional voting patterns were clustered toward the center -- the presence of conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans allowed for creative across-the-aisle coalitions. But in the past two decades, as the parties have become more ideologically and geographically stratified, the capacity for coalition building has decreased. The rigged system of redistricting and closed partisan primaries have helped further polarize the process as centrists are pushed out of both parties. Likewise, in the past divided government has not meant dysfunction. America accomplished the Marshall Plan and the National Highway System under divided government during the Truman and Eisenhower administrations. The achievements of the Reagan era came with liberal Democrat Tip O'Neill at the helm of the House of Representatives. The two men disagreed deeply on political philosophy, but they had the capacity to disagree agreeably, sit together and tell stories at the end of the day. (And not incidentally, Reagan and O'Neill were able to form a bipartisan commission to help fix social security in the 1980s by requiring both parties to jump in together). Even Bill Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich found ways to work together despite intense personal dislike, achieving welfare reform and turning deficits into a surplus. But now, politics is increasingly seen as ideological blood sport and a zero-sum game. The parties are willing to politicize disaster relief and bring our nation to the brink of default. They oppose even bipartisan plans for fear that the other side might gain politically. Trust is eroded and replaced with the demonization of disagreement. This approach is fundamentally incompatible with the facts of divided government, which requires some degree of compromise based on defining common ground and then building on it. Some hyper-partisans in Washington are simply looking to the next election to solve these problems. But the problem of extreme partisanship is bigger than one election. During this cancer in our body politic will require a cultural change. It will require actively supporting responsible voices in both parties. It will require pushing for policies like redistricting reform and open primaries. There need to be procedural reforms in congress as well -- for example, ending the special interest weapon of "secret holds" and requiring that filibusters be conducted in person. In a larger sense, we need to rediscover some forgotten wisdom from the founding fathers. As Thomas Jefferson said in his first inaugural address, after a bitterly hard-fought campaign, "every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle." We need to remember what President Lyndon Johnson used to say: "I am an American, a Texan, and a Democrat -- in that order." We have been through much tougher times as a nation before and emerged stronger. The danger today is that this crisis is self-inflicted and self-indulgent. The parties need to remember that they are not the purpose of our politics -- and even though they might be polarized, the vast majority of the American people are not. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Avlon.

John Avlon: Once rare, tthreats of shutdown, filibusters are now routine . Avlon: Parties are willing to politicize disaster relief, bring nation to the brink of default . All or nothing mindset of Congress defeats coalition building, he says . Parties need to remember that they are not the purpose of our politics .