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(AOL Autos) -- If you don't eat, sleep and breathe cars, or devour car magazines in minute detail, there's a good chance you don't know all the technological terms that pop up in the media, new car advertising and literature. With new models being released all the time, the acronyms can be overwhelming. With every new model year, it seems, there are new technology and acronyms. Here's a concise list of the terms you're most likely to see and read about in the 2008 literature. ABS: The most common passive safety system found on cars today is ABS or anti-lock brake system. ABS continuously counts wheel revolutions electronically and when one or more wheels stops moving during a skid, the system quickly applies and releases the brakes on the skidding wheels. This is done so that the tires continue to rotate and the car can be steered around an object or an impending accident situation. Tires that are skidding can't do much steering. ALS: This is a relatively new term that stands for active lighting system or automatic lighting system. On some luxury vehicles, you can opt for headlamps that turn left or right (up to about 15 degrees) as the front tires turn to light the road as you make your turns. AWD (also FWD, RWD, 2WD, 4WD): These terms refer to how many and which wheels on your car deliver power from the engine to the road surface. AWD means all-wheel drive and generally means there are no buttons, levers or lower gear ranges. These systems can be full-time, driving all four wheels all the time, or part-time, controlled by computers when conditions dictate the need for more traction. The 4WD label means four-wheel drive and these part-time systems usually have a selector switch or lever to select two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive or even four-wheel drive in a lower gear or locked position for very difficult driving situations. In 2WD, only the two front or rear tires have power. Traditional RWD or rear-wheel drive is almost always found on luxury cars, sports cars, or racing cars. FWD or front-wheel drive is more compact and is more often found on small cars, minivans and crossover vehicles. DOHC: Engineering shorthand for double-overhead camshaft. A DOHC engine has one camshaft that opens the intake valves and one camshaft that opens the exhaust valves, a design derived from racing engines. DOHC engines are more complex than single-overhead-cam engines (SOHC) and overhead-valve engines (OHV) but generally make more power and torque at higher rpm levels because they let the engine breathe better. EBD: An acronym given to the ABS subsystem called electronic brake force distribution. EBD is rapidly becoming standard equipment on cars that already have ABS brakes. In a panic braking situation, EBD distributes the most braking force to the tires that have the most traction. This helps to keep the car from spinning and reduces stopping distances on slippery surfaces. ESC/ESP: Electronic stability control or electronic stability program are interchangeable terms for the same software and hardware. An extension of ABS, ESC uses sensors and computers to determine whether a vehicle is oversteering (rear wheels out) or understeering (front wheels not turning in the desired direction). ESC/ESP reduces engine power and/or applies one of the front or rear brakes to get the vehicle back into its intended path of travel. As a means of protecting against rollover accidents, ESC will be required on all new light vehicles sold in America by September 2011. GPS: All automotive navigation systems communicate with Global Positioning System or GPS satellites. GPS satellites were launched into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense but are now used by motorists, hikers and explorers all over the world. GPS systems are accurate anywhere in the world from 10 to 50 feet. Combined with a CD or DVD map in the vehicle's navigation system, the satellites can track latitude, longitude, altitude and direction of travel in all weather conditions. I6 (also V6, V8, V10, W12, H4): These terms refer to the number and physical arrangement of cylinders in the engine. The I stands for inline, and means that the cylinders are lined up in a single row, (I4, I5, and I6, usually). V engines have two rows or banks of cylinders in a V pattern, with three, four, five or even six cylinders per bank, hence V-6, V-8, V-10, and V-12. The W engine used by Audi and VW has three rows of cylinders, in this case four cylinders, making it a W-12. Other engine designs include H-4 and H-6 engines, horizontally opposed or flat engines with either two or three cylinders on each side, a design used by Porsche (engine in the rear) and Subaru (engine in the front). The oddball engine on the U.S. market is the Wankel, a rotary engine used only in the Mazda RX-8. It has no cylinders, no banks and no reciprocating parts. L (as in 1.8L or 3.5L): L is for liters a metric measurement of engine size, also called displacement or swept volume, which has replaced cubic inches in the U.S. industry. It's the total volume of all the engine's cylinders. Smaller engines generally generate less power and use less fuel, larger engines make more and use more, so don't buy more engine than you need. RSC: One of the newest government regulations proposed for vehicles in the near future is protection against rollover accidents. The system that the industry has created to combat those is generally called roll stability control. RSC uses computers and sensors to analyze vehicle speed, steering wheel angle and body angle. If it senses that the vehicle is about to roll over, it cuts engine power and applies the brakes on one side or the other to bring the vehicle back to a stable position. TCS: Like ABS brakes, traction control systems are becoming more widely available, even on low-priced cars, because they add so much safety. A traction control system takes data from the ABS about tire rotation and compares the information in the computer. If one or two of the tires are spinning faster than they should be, indicating a loss of traction, the TCS system can cut engine power or engine torque going to the tires and apply brakes individually until the tires are all rotating at the same speed again. TPMS: This is a relatively new acronym that stands for tire-pressure monitoring system. The federal government has mandated that all vehicles in the future should have these systems to protect vehicles and occupants from rollovers and other accidents caused by low or deflating tires. Some currently available systems work by sending radio messages from each tire to the warning on the instrument panel. Others infer from the ABS system that one or more tires has a different rolling diameter, because it is going flat, than the other three tires and sends a warning to the instrument panel. VVT: Engineering term that stands for variable valve timing. Until a few years ago, timing the opening and closing of the engine's valves was a purely mechanical function and could not be varied. VVT systems use a combination of computers, engine oil pressure and mechanical linkages to change valve timing so that the engine idles smoothly, produces lots of power and torque when needed and burns fuel cleanly and economically.

Most common car safety system is ABS or anti-lock brake system . EBD: subsystem of anti-lock brakes called electronic brake force distribution . GPS is system that drives new navigation systems: Global positions system . RSC: roll stability control, new government regulation to prevent rollovers .

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NHA TRANG, Vietnam -- Editor's note: Football fans Daniel and Clinton Rowling were in Vietnam late December when the country won a major tournament for the first time. The event sparked wild celebrations in the South East Asian nation but joy soon turned to carnage as five people died and dozens were injured in the celebrations. They share their story. Celebration time: Five people were killed on Vietnamese roads as football joy got out of control. After spending a month in Vietnam we can safely say that the Vietnamese are passionate about three things: Ho Chi Minh, or Uncle Ho as the locals call him; football; and the tourist dollar. Everywhere you look you see football. The locals proudly sport imitation merchandise of their favorite European team anywhere and everywhere they can. Other than on your person, the next best place to show your allegiance is on your motorbike through stickers. Some local football teams even play in the strips of their favorite club. While we were in Vietnam the ASEAN cup was contested. It is the premier football contest in South East Asia. Every second year the countries of the region do battle for the crown. Up until 2008, the only winners of the cup had been Singapore and Thailand with three titles each (Indonesia has been the bridesmaid three times). After pool play, the best of two finals series was played out between Thailand and Vietnam. Thanks to the close proximity, and some historical conflict, there is a strong rivalry between these two countries. The Thais played host to the Vietnamese in the first leg, where the visiting underdogs were winners, stunning the home crowd by winning the match 2-1. The reverse leg was played in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. After unexpectedly winning the first final, local interest was even higher than normal. We watched the game in the coastal city of Nha Trang. The locals flocked to their TV sets and the beer flowed freely. Each TV was like a magnet for thirsty football fans. Do you have a great football tale to tell? Send us your story and you could be featured on Football Fanzone! We quickly realized there was a pecking order and that the most hardcore fans had the best seats, whilst the "fair weather supporters" were relegated to the back benches. As foreigners we were at the very bottom of the pecking order. We were resigned to watching the match from the street kerb on small plastic seats half in the rain which refused to dampen the crowds' spirits. Predictably Thailand took the lead and were up 1-0 (making it 2-2 on aggregate) and time was ticking away. Vietnam's tactic of playing breakaway "Kung fu" style football was looking largely ineffective against the more structured, controlled and dominant Thai approach. Still, the Vietnamese were doing enough to create the odd opportunity to gives the locals hope. Still tied up on aggregate, and with the end of regular time looming, the Vietnamese were awarded a free kick. The unexpected happened. The kick came in and a Vietnamese player managed to find it with the crown of his head sending the ball to the back of the net and the locals through the roof. Everyone jumped to their feet, there were hugs, high fives and toasts. As outsiders we sat stunned and could only watch the spectacle unfolding. With the game effectively over, the victors were overcome with emotion whilst the fans were overcome with energy. The locals were eager to include us in celebrations, with the nominated English speaker communicating with us in his limited vocabulary. We replied with our full Vietnamese vocabulary of smiles, nods and numerous thumbs up. The older men who had been doing the majority of the drinking were content sitting and enjoying each other's company, while the younger and more boisterous sections of the crowd had their own form of celebration and they swiftly brought the streets alive with a massive motorcycle posse. Led by the rider with the biggest Vietnamese flag, they proceeded to lap the town honking their horns and generally getting excited. With the roads slick from a weeks worth of rain and the drivers impaired from a cocktail of excitement and alcohol, we wisely watched from the sidelines. After finding out that dozens of people were injured and there were even a few deaths -- it seems we made a good choice to keep out of it. But while we did watch on, we were left wondering: How do the passengers stay on the bikes when they jump up and down? How can anyone see where they are going with all the flags? And, where were the traffic police? We're offering a reward to anyone that can tell us what the Vietnamese supported before cable television brought top flight football to the masses. Whatever it was, we suspect it died a very quick death.

Daniel and Clinton Rowling in Vietnam when the country wins ASEAN Cup . Vietnam defeated Thailand in Hanoi to claim the trophy for the first time . In the post-match celebrations five people were killed and dozens injured .

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- A police officer was killed Monday in a suicide bombing at the gate of a police station in Islamabad, authorities said. The bombing took place at a police station in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. The explosion occurred on Pakistan Day, a national holiday. The bomber apparently walked up to the police station and blew himself up at its gate. The station houses a special intelligence-gathering branch of Islamabad police. Two people -- the suicide bomber and a police officer -- were killed, police told CNN. Pakistan's GEO-TV reported three people were dead and 10 wounded in the blast. The blast blew the doors off the police branch and damaged a mosque adjacent to the building, according the network. "Parts of the bodies, the human bodies, are spread around the area," GEO-TV's Hamid Mir told CNN. The explosion was heard at CNN's offices, 2 or 3 miles away. Members of the police branch housed in the building help protect government officials such as the prime minister, CNN's Reza Sayah said, and with the explosion, someone is "trying to send another message to the federal government here in Islamabad." Watch more on the bombing » . "(The blast) underscores the acute security situation this government is facing," he said. If the blast was a suicide bombing, it would be the second in the area within a week, Mir said. On March 16, a suicide attack targeted a bus station near Islamabad. The office targeted Monday is in a crowded area, said Mir, who added: "This intelligence office is not secret. It's a very well-known intelligence office." However, the area was not in a high-security zone, he said. Asked about the Pakistanis' attitude toward these repeated attacks, Mir said public opinion in Pakistan was divided. "Everybody's against the terrorism, but they think the Americans also need to change their policies. They are in trouble after 9/11. America is secure, but the people in Pakistan are not secure." CNN's Ram Ramgopal contributed to this report.

A loud explosion has been heard in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital . Suicide bomber apparently targeted special police branch . Blast came as Pakistanis celebrated their national day .

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CHINHOYI, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was celebrating his 85th birthday with a lavish all-day party Saturday despite the fact that the country is gripped by an economic and health crisis. President Robert Mugabe and his wife, Grace, attend a cake-cutting ceremony for his birthday Saturday. Mugabe's ZANU-PF party said it raised at least $250,000 to hold the party in Mugabe's hometown of Chinhoyi, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) outside of the capital, Harare. Critics of the president say the country is desperate for that amount of money to be spent instead on its citizens, who are suffering from a cholera outbreak, food shortages, and spiraling hyperinflation. On Friday, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai visited a hospital's closed intensive care unit that he said needed $30,000 to resume operating. During the celebrations, Mugabe announced that his controversial land reform would not be reversed. The program is designed to have white-owned farms given to blacks, and there have been violent seizures of such farms since the program began in 2000. Watch Mugabe's birthday bash » . He emphasized that the country's "indigenization program" -- which forces all major foreign companies operating in Zimbabwe to have at least 51 percent black ownership -- will be carried out. It began last year and hasn't been implemented yet. Mugabe's birthday falls on February 21 but his party loyalists postponed the celebrations as they were raising money for the event. "I think it is going to be a great day for the legend and icon whose birthday we are celebrating today here," said Mugabe's nephew Patrick Zhuwawo, one of the fund-raisers for the birthday. "The country might be having problems, but we need to have a day to honor the sacrifices the president has made for this country." What do you think about the celebrations? Zhuwawo said about 100 beasts would be slaughtered for the birthday bash. iReport.com: What do you think about Mugabe's lavish party? Mugabe also invited schoolchildren from around the country to attend the party, being held at Chinhoyi University. The farming town of Chinhoyi is usually quiet, but Saturday's event has changed everything. Cars with Mugabe's supporters could be seen hooting and some ZANU-PF supporters sang Mugabe's praises. A banner in Chinhoyi read, "Age ain't nothing but a number." Mugabe invited Tsvangirai, his new partner in a power-sharing government, but a Tsvangirai spokesman said the opposition party leader turned it down. He said it is political party function, with most of the attendees being ZANU-PF elite. As the prime minister, Tsvangirai is not obligated to attend, the spokesman said. The spokesman would not acknowledge whether Tsvangirai had initially agreed to attend, but it was widely reported in Zimbabwean media that he had agreed to do so. "Mr. Tsvangirai has other commitments, as far as I know," said Nelson Chamisa, a spokesman for Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change. Tsvangirai last year said Mugabe's birthday party was "a gathering of the satisfied few." But at that point, he and the president were preparing to face off in a hotly contested presidential election. As Saturday's celebrations began in a carnival atmosphere, just less than a kilometer (0.62 miles) away stood a deserted Chinhoyi government hospital -- a reflection of the country's dire health situation. A few nurses are attending to patients. "There are no medicines. These patients have no option but to come here, but there is nothing we can do," said one nurse at the hospital. On Friday Tsvangirai visited Harare Hospital, one of the country's biggest, and said its intensive care unit will need $30,000 in order to start operating again after a funding shortage. Once a darling of Zimbabwe, Mugabe is blamed for driving the country into a meltdown. A cholera epidemic that broke out in August has since hit every corner of the country, killing 3,731 people and infecting nearly 80,000, according to the World Health Organization, which quoted Zimbabwe's Ministry of Health. The preventable disease has spread through Zimbabwe's 10 provinces through lack of access to clean water, faulty sewage systems, and uncollected refuse, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), which released a report this month on the outbreak. The problems, MSF said, are "clear symptoms of the breakdown in infrastructure resulting from Zimbabwe's political and economic meltdown." On Sunday, Tsvangirai appealed to the international community to help Zimbabwe's crippled economy, saying it would take $5 billion to stabilize the country. The cholera outbreak has worsened Zimbabwe's economic crisis. Failed government policies and an acute food shortage because of years of poor agricultural production and widespread corruption have ravaged the currency of Zimbabwe, which has the world's highest inflation rate. CNN's Nkepile Mabuse contributed to this report.

Mugabe's ZANU-PF raised $250,000 in order to hold the party . NEW: At party Mugabe said controversial land reform would not be reversed . Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai turned down invitation to party, official said . Zimbabwe is struggling to cope with a cholera epidemic due to funding shortages .

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LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) -- Militants in Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta region said they killed six government soldiers after the military attacked one of its camps on Thursday. Heavily armed Nigerian rebels pose a constant threat to oil pipelines in the country. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, in an e-mail, said three military gunboats attacked one of its camps around the Ke River in the country's Rivers state. The group said the gunboats were repelled, with six soldiers dying and three militant fighters wounded in the skirmish. There was no immediate reaction from the government. Nigeria is Africa's largest crude oil producer and the fourth-largest supplier of oil to the United States. MEND has demanded that more of the country's oil wealth be pumped into the region instead of enriching foreign investors, and the militants have been attacking oil pipelines in retaliation against government forces, limiting the amount of crude oil that can leave the country. MEND -- the largest rebel group -- has targeted foreign oil companies since 2006. It has bombed pipelines and kidnapped hundreds of foreign oil workers, typically releasing them unharmed, sometimes after receiving a ransom payment. MEND hopes to secure a greater share of oil wealth for people in the delta, where more than 70 percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day. Its attacks on oil facilities have taken a toll. "Anytime a pipeline is affected, anytime any production gets shut down, you see oil prices jump up one or two dollars a barrel just because there is no slack in the system," said Jim LeCamp, a senior vice president with RBC Wealth Management, which manages assets for wealthy clients worldwide. Exxon and Shell are two of several companies that have been extracting 2 million barrels of oil a day in Nigeria. Recent rebel attacks on oil pipelines in the Niger Delta have cut overall production by roughly 10 percent -- meaning 200,000 fewer barrels of oil on some days. That decrease in production comes at a time of increased demand from oil-hungry regions such as China, Russia and Latin America. "Anytime there's a disruption there, it really affects the system," LeCamp said in a recent interview with CNN.

Militants in Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta region say they killed 6 soldiers . Deaths came after military attacked one of militants' camps . Largest rebel group has targeted foreign oil companies since 2006 .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- An English football club is being forced to close a stand at its 25,000-seat stadium to cut costs, in what could be the first of many similar moves at other clubs, a sports business expert predicts. Darlington Arena, home of English club side Darlington F.C., where a stand will be closed to cut costs. The affected club, Darlington F.C., is currently in seventh place in League Two, however, it slumped into administration last week following problems attracting crowds to the home matches. The average home crowd at the stadium is currently below 3000 people. Ticket prices are £16 ($22) per adult. The move to close the west stand at its ground, Darlington Arena, is an attempt to improve the atmosphere and cut costs at the club, the side's commercial director, Christine Balford, said on the club's Web site. Balford said the move was forced by administrators. "This is an attempt to improve the atmosphere at home games, whilst saving costs. "All season ticket holders will be temporarily relocated and will be able to use the facilities of the south stand," Balford said. Darlington F.C. has also increased the cover price of match day programs and has cut the number of complimentary tickets given away for home matches. Professor Simon Chadwick, director of the Center for the International Business of Sport (CIBS) at Coventry University, UK, told CNN that many football clubs may soon find themselves in the position of having to make a similar move. "This is the economic reality of having to strip costs. "Generally, League One and League Two and even some Premier League clubs may be affected. What you will start to see is other clubs having to follow suit." Chadwick said Darlington's case was a particularly bad one as they had a stadium which was far too big for the club's size. However, the issue of crowds not filling stadiums was a wider concern for many clubs. "This is their life-blood. A lot of their revenue comes from selling tickets ...if they're not filling stadiums then it is a big issue for them," he said. Chadwick said closing stands could help cut match-day costs and was often a more palatable option for fans, rather than selling players.

English club Darlington F.C. closes stand to cut costs and improve atmosphere . The club has struggled to attract good-sized crowds to its home matches . Sport business expert Professor Simon Chadwick says this could start trend .

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(CNN) -- Over the next week CNN has special coverage of one of the world's biggest gatherings of the luxury industry from Basel, Switzerland, bringing you the views of the people behind some of the biggest brands. Companies suggest the top tier of luxury goods is less affected by the downturn. In this time of economic upheaval, these brands are being put to the test. People are spending their hard-earned money much more carefully. If they're going to shell out thousands of dollars for a timepiece or a trinket they want to know it's worth it. A luxury brand's name, history and quality are cornerstones of its marketing and advertising. But is that enough? That is the question we will ask the CEOs of brands like Chopard, Bulgari, Patek Phillippe and Tag Heuer, to name a few. There are conflicting reports over whether luxury brands are immune to the effects of a recession. Some suggest that people are not spending as much as they used to. Renowned British department store Harvey Nichols, which houses high-end luxury goods, posted a 40 percent drop in profits and a 5 percent drop in sales in the year ending March 31, 2009. Other reports however suggest that consumers are still spending, just more carefully. The CEOs of the high-end brands like Boucheron and Patek Phillippe tell us there are three tiers in the luxury industry: the lower level where the brand's name is licensed and goods are mass marketed, the mid range where products are expensive but still widely available, and then there's the top tier where the goods are only available to a select few. These products are very expensive and only a few pieces are produced. Companies suggest this top tier isn't really affected by the downturn as consumers at this level still can afford to spend. Can luxury brands survive? Send us your views . The CEOs also suggest this downturn means a return to the notion of true luxury that is defined by its aspirational, not affordable quality of a product or a lifestyle. Geography plays a big part in a brand and company's sales and profitability. Before the credit crunch, the United States was the top market for luxury goods. Today some reports indicate that China has surpassed the U.S. for its hunger for designer brands. According to chinadaily.com, China consumed $8.6 billion worth of luxury goods in the two years ending January 2009. The Middle East and emerging markets like India are also major hubs of luxury consumption as importers of luxury brands. Here companies have set up shop in cities from Dubai to Delhi. These markets have been seen almost as the life rafts in this turbulent economy because there, the thinking is, people will still spend, spend, spend on known brands. Last year at Baselworld, the then-CEO of the luxury watch brand Ebel, Thomas van der Kellen, told us that consumers in the emerging markets "are growing opportunities for the luxury watch business...the money is there, it's very much a branded culture..so we see a lot of opportunity to make up for potential loss on the western hemisphere." The bottom line for all brands in the luxury industry is no one is exempt from feeling the constrictions of the market. Every aspect of the business is and will be affected in some way, whether it's at the production end (rising costs of raw materials and manufacturing) to the retail end (flow of traffic into their stores). What separates those who will survive and even flourish in this industry are the ones that define themselves as true and aspirational luxury where the product is seen as an investment and worth it.

Next week CNN focuses on some of the biggest names in luxury goods . We ask CEOs of top brands how they plan to battle economic downturn . Conflicting reports over whether luxury brands are immune to effects of recession .

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(CNN) -- An eruption may not be imminent after all for Alaska's Mount Redoubt, authorities said Thursday. Fears that Alaska's Mount Redoubt would erupt have diminished. "For the past two weeks or so, the seismic activity at Redoubt volcano has significantly decreased," said Michelle Coombs, a geologist for the Alaska Volcano Observatory and the U.S. Geological Survey. The status is now at a "yellow" level, meaning the volcano is "exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption, timeframe uncertain, or eruption is underway with no or minor volcanic-ash emissions." In late January, experts began paying close attention to the volcano and raised the alert to "orange," indicating that it could erupt at any time. "We believe based on what we're seeing now, that if it were to erupt, that we would see enough increase in seismic activity to give us sufficient warning to go back up to orange," Coombs said. Two other volcanoes in Alaska are also at the "yellow" status currently, and Mount Redoubt could remain at that level for months, Coombs said. "There's a certain level of unpredictability," she said. The 10,197-foot peak is located in southern Alaska, about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, the state's most populous city. Mount Redoubt last erupted nearly 20 years ago, in December 1989. That eruption lasted until April 1990. CNN's Robyn Sidersky contributed to this story .

Scientists say it is now less likely that Alaska's Mount Redoubt will erupt . An eruption at the volcano previously was thought to be eminent . The 10,197-foot peak is located about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage . Scientists say an eruption is still possible, but is not certain .

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PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- Basketball great Charles Barkley began serving a three-day sentence in Arizona's infamous Tent City on Saturday, jailed by the same sheriff whose autobiography he endorsed 12 years ago. Charles Barkley bristled at the implication he should be wearing stripes instead of a red-and-bue sweatsuit. "You come here when you screw up," Barkley said at a news conference hours after he reported at the Maricopa County jail. "I don't blame anybody for this situation but myself." Barkley, 45, pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor drunken-driving charges stemming from a New Year's Eve arrest after he left a Scottsdale, Arizona, nightclub. A judge sentenced him to 10 days in jail, but his sentence was reduced in exchange for Barkley's attending an alcohol-awareness course. At the news conference, Barkley sat next to Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the self-proclaimed "Toughest Sheriff in America." Arpaio is known for giving inmates old-fashioned, black-and-white-striped uniforms, making some of them live in tents and reinstituting chain gangs, even for women. "I'm an equal incarcerator," Arpaio said of Barkley, who will be sleeping in one of the tents. "We don't discriminate." He said Barkley has been "a gentleman, cordial." "He's taking his medicine," Arpaio said. "I hope that something comes out of this." In a free-wheeling news conference, Barkley spoke out against drunken driving, made some observations about President Obama ("Rush Limbaugh and a lot of jackasses are giving him a hard time right now") and commented on felony charges singer Chris Brown faces for allegedly beating his girlfriend, singer Rhianna. Watch Barkley speak at news conference » . "I wish both of them the best, but it's never acceptable to hit a woman. Period," Barkley said. Barkley wore a red-and-blue sweatsuit, not the black-and-white stripes that other inmates -- who watched the news conference through a chain-link fence --were wearing. Barkley said it's because he's on the jail's work-release program, and bristled at questions about it. "None of the work-release people do that," he said. "But if y'all really, really want to put me as low as I can go, I can do that and make you feel better. "I know when [someone is] famous, you like to see people humiliated." Arpaio, who joked with Barkley over the pink underwear he routinely issues inmates, held up a copy of his 1996 book, "America's Toughest Sheriff." On its back cover, alongside endorsements by Limbaugh, Arizona Sen. John McCain and others, is one from Barkley. "This man, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, is a role model for all Americans," Barkley wrote in the blurb. Barkley is a basketball commentator for TNT, which like CNN is a Time Warner company. A star for the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns, Barkley was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 1993 and inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2006.

Charles Barkley begins serving 3-day jail sentence in Maricopa County, Arizona . The jailer is the sheriff whose autobiography Barkley endorsed 12 years ago . Barkley speaks out against drunken driving during topically diverse news conference . "He's taking his medicine," Sheriff Joe Arpaio says of his famous inmate .

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(CNN) -- An Air Force nurse has been charged with murdering three terminally ill patients by giving them fatal overdoses, the Air Force said Tuesday. Capt. Michael Fontana is continuing to work at Wildford Hall Medical Center. Capt. Michael Fontana, a nurse at Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, also was charged Monday with conduct unbecoming an officer for changing a medical document. "The charges are the result of an Air Force investigation that occurred after irregularities were discovered in Capt. Fontana's administration of medications which may have resulted in the death of an end-of-life patient," hospital spokesman David Smith told reporters. The nurse was charged with three counts of violating Article 118 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. "It is considered murder," Smith said. After an Article 32 hearing, akin to a civilian grand jury proceeding, the commander will decide whether the case goes to court-martial. The three deaths occurred in July, Smith said. He cited the privacy act in refusing to divulge the suspect's age and hometown. He said he did not know the motive but was confident no other patients were victimized. "We know that there are no other patients involved in this case," he said. Fontana, an intensive-care unit nurse who has been working at the hospital since 2006, the year he joined the Air Force, has been released on his own recognizance and is continuing to work at the hospital, though he is no longer involved in patient care, Smith said. "As far as we can tell, he has been an exemplary nurse," Smith said. Fontana also served as a nurse at the Air Force Theater Hospital in Balad, Iraq, Smith said. His work there was investigated, "and there was nothing found," he said. A call to a San Antonio phone number listed as belonging to Michael Fontana got a message that said, "Thank you for calling. Due to the ongoing investigation, I have no comment for you right now, but I do appreciate your call and will talk to you soon." Relatives of the dead patients have requested privacy, the Air Force said. Wilford Hall Medical Center is the Air Force's largest medical facility.

Man is accused of giving terminally ill patients fatal overdoses . He worked at a hospital at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas . He is also charged with conduct unbecoming an officer .

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Editor's note: Tara Wall is deputy editor for The Washington Times. Before joining the newspaper, she was a senior adviser for the Republican National Committee and was named a public affairs director in the Department of Health and Human Services by President Bush. Read her columns here. Tara Wall says President Bush will be remembered for keeping America safe. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In his final radio address as president-elect on the Sunday ahead of his inauguration, Barack Obama said President Bush "extended the hand of cooperation" to him throughout this period of transition. It was a final act of civility, on Mr. Bush's part. It is a trait that is not surprising to those who know Bush (or those paying some attention at least half of the time). At least one Democrat has given him credit for it. Unfortunately, that tone of civility has been lost on the Democratic leadership over the past eight years. Civility aside, how others -- more importantly, history -- will judge the 43rd president of the United States, is the question that has followed Bush out the door. Lucky for him, it won't just be up to Democrats to determine. "I believe President Bush will be vindicated," said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in an interview a couple of weeks ago. She may be an ardent defender of Bush, but I believe she's right. She, like I, have a different vantage point than what has been routinely portrayed. While sitting in the Oval Office with the 43rd president, for what was his last official week in office last Thursday, I got the sense that he feels he will be vindicated, too. He won't say as much, directly, but indirectly points to what matters most in his eyes -- protecting the homeland. "History will eventually see ... that not only was it necessary to take the steps I took, but [they] led to a better world," the president told me. On a personal level (and for the sake of full disclosure), I must say that I have had the pleasure of working for and knowing Bush from his first campaign for president and throughout his presidency. I started as a volunteer in 1999, then worked as a spokeswoman during his second campaign and then as an appointee in his administration. Not only have I counted it an honor and a privilege to serve the 43rd president, but I have always had a deep respect for him as a person of faith, his strident conviction in doing what was right for the country and his commitment to closing the disparities that exist between black and white Americans -- no matter the mistakes made and lessons learned. Above all, it is his dignity and civility that stand out to me most. Yet, for many conservatives (not just liberals), Bush has failed on many fronts. From the miscalculation of the insurgency in Iraq, to failed intelligence gathering and the issues of maintaining fiscal conservatism and delivering real immigration reform -- I can't tell you how many Republicans and conservatives I've spoken to over this past year who have told me how "disappointed" they've been with Bush. A few among them voted for "change" as a result. The legacy Bush leaves behind won't be everything he wanted (particularly as it relates to popularity), but on many fronts, it will be better than that of his predecessor. Bill Clinton may have been popular, but his moral failings brought shame on the office of the presidency and tainted the people's house. That will forever be a stain on Clinton's legacy. Not to mention, there was no such "civility" or "cooperation" when Clinton turned the keys over to Bush. I prefer principle over popularity any day. On the moral front, President Bush delivered. On the social front, he delivered. On the fiscal front he failed considerably. Yet, on the national security front and on many domestic policies, he succeeded. Depending on your vantage point, success may mean something wholly different. The details will be debated for decades to come. Among the many uncertainties, one thing is certain -- you can't judge history in the midst of it. Declaring one "the worst" president while he's still in office is an effort in rhetorical futility. Historians know this all too well. The best prediction one can make was summed up by presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin on "Meet the Press" last year: "If Iraq became the model democracy or even just a democracy, and in doing so changed the whole complexion of the Middle East, then obviously that would be the legacy that would justify what Bush did and what our troops did." And that's exactly what Mr. Bush is banking on. During my Oval Office interview with the president, I asked him to complete the sentence "President Bush was... [fill in the blank]." He responded (uncharacteristically in third person): "President Bush was the president at a time when our nation was attacked, he clearly saw the dangers, he pursued the enemy, he put tools in place so the professionals could better protect the people, and the homeland was not attacked." That is the legacy he wants. Popular or not, he kept America safe. And if nothing else, for that, he will be vindicated. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Tara Wall.

Tara Wall: Barack Obama praised President Bush for cooperative nature of transition . Wall: It was a final act of civility by Bush; she says he wasn't given same by Clinton . She says Bush delivered on national security and many domestic issues . Bush will be remembered for keeping America safe, Wall says .

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(CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama, President Bush and all of the surviving past presidents got together Wednesday for a historic meeting at the White House. Barack Obama meets with President Bush and past presidents in the Oval Office on Wednesday. "One message that I have, and I think we all share, is that we want you to succeed. Whether we're Democrat or Republican, we care deeply about this country," Bush told Obama before lunch with the former presidents. Bush and Obama were joined by Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Obama thanked the president for hosting them and said he was grateful for the opportunity to get "advice, good counsel and fellowship" from the group. Watch what Obama says about the meeting » . Obama's press secretary said the presidents had a "very constructive conversation" and Obama appreciated "the spirit of bipartisanship they showed" in wishing him success. "The president and the former presidents had helpful advice on managing the office, as well as thoughts on the critical issues facing the country right now. The president-elect is anxious to stay in touch with all of them in the coming years," Robert Gibbs said. Presidential historian Doug Brinkley said it's "very smart politics for Obama to keep a channel open" with the former presidents. "If he has a policy initiative that he wants to lead the country behind ... if he could get the signatures, the green light from all of the ex-presidents to say, 'Not only am I for this, but I have all of the ex-presidents backing me' -- that's powerful," he said. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the last time all of the living presidents got together at the White House was in 1981, and she called Wednesday's meeting a "historic moment." She said the president was "delighted" to host the luncheon. "Each of them expressed their desire for President-elect Obama to have a very successful presidency. During the lunch, they had a wide-ranging discussion on many different issues facing the United States, and they all look forward to remaining in contact in the future," Perino said. The meeting marked the second time Bush has hosted Obama since the election. Obama suggested the meeting with all of the former presidents when he and Bush first met in November. Perino said earlier she didn't know what they would talk about, but she said she'd love to be able to hear it. "I'm sure all of us would love to be flies on the wall and listening to that conversation," Perino said during Tuesday's daily news briefing. Perino speculated that they would discuss what it's like to raise children in the White House and how to protect them. Brinkley predicted that first and foremost, the presidents would recall what it was like to be president. "All of them will have little anecdotes. They'll see something in the White House that will bring back a memory. They'll try to bring some levity to this -- make it a very special and engaging and actually a fun afternoon for Barack Obama," he said. Secondly, Brinkley said, the conversation would probably turn to what's going on in the Middle East. Brinkley said that all of the men will be on their "best behavior," but, given the personalities at the luncheon, there could be some tension. "The friction, if there is any, is between Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, who are known to not like each other at all," he said, pointing out that the Clinton team did not like Carter "parachuting for peace into Bosnia, North Korea and Haiti" during Clinton's administration. "That's the relationship that is not warm, it's not good, and if you are a body language expert, you might home in on that," he said. President Bush may find himself the odd man out at the meeting, at least in terms of popularity. Bush registered only a 27 percent approval rating in a December CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey. In contrast, Obama had an 82 percent approval rating. A new poll out Wednesday indicates that 69 percent of adult Americans approved of how Clinton handled his job as president, while 64 percent of adult Americans gave a thumbs up to Carter and 60 percent approved of George H.W. Bush. CNN's Lauren Kornreich contributed to this report .

Historian calls meeting "smart politics," says it'll be light, but could be tense . Obama and Bush meet with Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter . Obama says he's grateful for chance to get "advice, good counsel and fellowship" Last time all the living presidents met at White House was in 1981, Perino says .

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PARIS, France (CNN) -- France is sending four state police units to its overseas department of Guadeloupe after a month of sometimes violent demonstrations, Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said Thursday. French gendarmes face-off against Guadeloupe protesters. "The pillaging ... the violence against people, are not tolerable and will not be tolerated," Alliot-Marie told the French radio station RTL. "It's no longer simply a question of containing the protests. ... This mission of honor will continue to be undertaken, but we also have to fight against the violence." French President Nicolas Sarkozy planned to meet with elected officials from overseas departments, including Guadeloupe, Thursday afternoon, his office announced. A general strike over low wages and living conditions in the Caribbean island has included demonstrations and clashes with police. At least one civilian has been killed in the riots, officials said. Hospitals and emergency services continue to function and the main international airport is open, but petrol stations, schools, and most businesses -- including supermarkets and car rental offices -- are closed, the British Foreign Office said in a travel advisory. Hotels are open, but the strike is causing daily cuts to electricity and water supplies, the Foreign Office said. French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said Thursday he is ready to approve a compromise that would give nearly a €200 ($254) monthly supplement to workers in Guadeloupe with low-paying jobs. "This crisis is serious, and profound, but it's not new," Fillon said, adding that it's linked to "the lifelessness of the economy in the Antilles, aggravated by the global economic crisis." Sending supplementary police forces is justified, Fillon said, because "we cannot accept what has happened" in the department. He was referring to the attacks on businesses, the roadblocks in the streets and above all, the death of the civilian, who he said was a union leader. Agence France-Presse identified the victim as union representative Jacques Bino. He was shot dead Tuesday night when he drove past a roadblock manned by armed youths in the city of Pointe-a-Pitre. His car was hit three times by shotgun fire, prosecutors told AFP. Three police who accompanied emergency services trying to help the dying man were lightly wounded, officials said, according to AFP. Speaking with RTL on Wednesday, one demonstrator denied he was fanning the flames of unrest. "We have always called for calm," Elie Domota, leader of the Coalition against Exploitation, said. "We have told the young people to go to their homes and continue to protest peacefully, but the police yesterday beat protesters and called them racist names, so the situation escalated." CNN's Alanne Orjoux in Atlanta, Georgia, contributed to this report .

French police reinforcements being posted to Guadeloupe . Island wracked by a month of sometimes violent protests over living conditions . Protest leader denies encouraging violence . Guadeloupe is French overseas territory .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- British reality TV celebrity Jade Goody died early Sunday morning following a public battle with cervical cancer, her publicist has announced. Jade Goody married her fiance Jack Tweed weeks before her death. Goody, 27, died in her sleep at home in Essex, east of London, just before 4 a.m. (midnight Eastern Daylight Time), a spokeswoman for Max Clifford Associates said. Goody's husband, Jack Tweed, who she married last month in a lavish wedding ceremony, was at her bedside when she died, Clifford said. Her mother, Jackiey Budden, who was also at the house, said: "My beautiful daughter is at peace." Goody leaves behind two sons, Bobby, 5, and Freddie, 4, by former boyfriend and TV host Jeff Brazier. "She died knowing that she had touched a lot of hearts and minds across the world," Clifford told CNN by phone from Portugal. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "deeply saddened" by Goody's death. "Her family can be extremely proud of the work she has done to raise awareness of cervical cancer which will benefit thousands of women across the U.K. Every death from cancer is a tragedy and my thoughts go out to her two sons, husband and family at this time," Brown said in a statement. The British media has reported a rise in the number of screenings for cervical cancer since Goody announced she had the disease, a phenomenon some have dubbed the "Jade Goody effect." Goody's death marks the tragic end to a very modern tale. Images of her shrinking frame and bald head have dominated the pages of British media since she announced she had just weeks to live. However, she has openly courted the attention since bursting into the spotlight courtesy of the British version of "Big Brother" in 2002. At first the former dental nurse was a hate figure for Britain's vociferous tabloid newspapers, who attacked her for being ignorant and stupid. The public, however, warmed to her loud, honest streak. She did not win the series, but was able to parlay her popularity into a series of reality television and business deals. Her face was soon regularly boldly looking out from the cover of gossip magazines and you could buy the fragrance Shh... Jade Goody, fitness DVDs or pick up a copy of her autobiography. In 2007, with her fame starting to dip, she agreed to return for the celebrity edition of "Big Brother," with her mother and then boyfriend, Jack Tweed, joining her in the house. It was to prove an ill-fated decision. Goody was soon accused of making racist comments and bullying her housemate -- the Indian actress Shilpa Shetty. More than 50,000 complaints were received. When she was voted out of the house the show's producers took the unusual step of banning the public from attending her eviction. Goody was tearful and apologetic but British PR guru Clifford summed up the general opinion at the time by saying: "It looks like she has ruined a very lucrative career." Ever resilient, Goody had a Christmas cookbook out at the end of 2007 and in 2008 signed up for India's version of "Big Brother." Two days into the show her cancer diagnosis was revealed on air. She flew home immediately to begin treatment. Last month Goody revealed her cancer was terminal and that she only had weeks to live. With typical bravado she, with Clifford's help, organized her wedding to Tweed, who had only just been released from prison after serving a sentence for assault, selling the exclusive rights to OK! magazine for a reported $970,000. It was also filmed for her reality TV show. Read blog about how media covered wedding . The British government even stepped in to extend Tweed's 7 p.m. curfew, a condition of his release from jail, so the couple could spend their wedding night together. Watch Jade Goody's wedding preparations » . Despite her weakening state Goody continued to open her door to the media, saying she needed to keep selling her story to help secure the future of her sons. In the days leading up to her death there were newspaper stories on a hammer-wielding woman getting into her room, the baptism of her sons, her last view of "sun-kissed" fields and final farewells with family. There was also controversy when OK! published a memorial issue nearly a week before she died. The issue, with a coverline announcing "Jady Goody, 1981-2009," went on sale Tuesday. Clifford said Goody had loved her time in the spotlight. "I think they've (she and the media) exploited each other. Both have benefited. In Jade's own words, she's loved the last 7 years. They've been wonderful. All the people's she's met, all the things she's done." CNN's Glen Scanlon and Per Nyberg contributed to this report.

Jade Goody dies aged 27 after losing her battle with cervical cancer . British PM Gordon Brown says he is "deeply saddened" by Goody's death . British "Big Brother" star fast-tracked plans to get married after cancer spread . Goody said she needed to keep selling her story to raise money for her boys .

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(CNN) -- As "The Dark Knight's" crusading District Attorney Harvey Dent vigorously tries to combat Gotham City's crime spree, he quotes the old saying: "The night is always darkest before the dawn." The late Heath Ledger plays the Joker in "The Dark Knight," a performance already garnering raves. But the dawn may have been the brightest time for "The Dark Knight," which was scheduled to have about 3,000 late-night showings, including almost 100 showings at 3 and 6 a.m. Friday, according to Fandango.com spokesman Harry Medved. Medved said he couldn't remember the last time there were more than two or three such showings in the middle of the night -- usually in New York or Los Angeles. "Isn't that when people are just thinking about waking up and going to Starbucks?" Medved asked. "I predict coffee sales will increase tomorrow." With the film's running time of two and a half hours, Medved is declaring "The Dark Knight's" opening day Dark Friday, predicting that attendance at work could be dramatically down. During a survey given to people who buy tickets through Fandango.com, 38 percent of those who are working said they would be taking either some time or the day off to see the movie. According to MovieTickets.com, "Dark Knight" sold out more than 150 performances in Los Angeles and New York alone. The midnight show times were not just for major movie centers, either. Medved said cities such as Fresno, California; Orlando, Florida; and towns in Minnesota are hosting early-morning showings. Enthusiasts showed up in groups, some dressed head to toe in costume to celebrate the movie's release. The midnight showing at the 428-seat Henry Ford IMAX theater in Detroit sold out in less than a week, according to the Detroit Free Press. One group attending the showing, which was preceded by a costume party, showed up with a homemade version of the Batmobile and outfits representing nearly every major Batman character. The film also opened Thursday in Australia and Wednesday in Taiwan. It will be released in Japan on August 9. See when the film is opening around the world . "The Dark Knight" has risen to second place on Fandango.com's all-time list of advance tickets sales, second only to "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith." "The Dark Knight" tickets represent 94 percent of Fandango's sales, Medved said. Interest is high at IMAX theaters, too, especially because six film sequences were shot with IMAX cameras. And it's not just the movie business that were looking to cash in on the blockbuster. Corporate America hopes to capitalize on the hype, too, with Dominos offering a Gotham City pizza and Comcast showing behind-the-scenes movie footage and interviews with the cast and filmmakers via its On Demand service. As fans left the midnight screenings, the hype surrounding the movie has only continued to build. The film is even earning Oscar buzz, thanks to the late Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. Moviegoers purchasing tickets on Fandango echoed those sentiments, with 53 percent saying his performance was their main motivation for seeing the film. Ledger's performance has been hailed as "indelible" (Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan), "powerful" (The Washington Post's Stephen Hunter, in an overall mixed review) and "mesmerizing" (CNN.com's Tom Charity); clips of his character have dominated the movie's marketing campaign. See how Ledger made the joker his own » . His absence was conspicuous Monday at the New York premiere, his co-stars noted. "He should be here, shouldn't he? Because this is his big moment; because he is the most amazing thing in the picture," said Michael Caine, who plays Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred. "And it's not because he's dead or something and everyone's concentrating on him. He would have been the most amazing thing in the picture anyway." Caine also praised the late actor's commitment to immersing himself in a character, something he says is evident from Ledger's opening monologue. "It's one of the finest close-ups I've ever seen," Caine said. Other members of the cast praised Ledger for redefining the character brought to life in the past by Mark Hamill ("Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker") and Jack Nicholson ("Batman"). See members of the cast praise Ledger » . Aaron Eckhart, who plays District Attorney Harvey Dent, said it was tragic that Ledger wasn't around to celebrate his achievement. "It's hard to talk about; this is his. He created the Joker," Eckhart said. "He did it in his own way, and it's sad, but on the other hand, I am proud to be able to honor him tonight." Director Christopher Nolan also praised the rest of the cast, including Christian Bale as Batman, Gary Oldman as police Lt. Jim Gordon, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes and Morgan Freeman as tech wizard Lucius Fox. Nolan, who directed "Batman Begins" three years ago, said he was glad he was able to take a step back and opt for a different approach. See the cast on the "black carpet" » . "I think we've tried to expand the scope of the story, to tell a grander, more epic tale," he told CNN. "We've tried to really take the character and take it to darker territory by introducing it to the Joker." Nolan seems to have made believers even out of those who were not die-hard fans of the Batman series, including Gyllenhaal, who said she was "never a superhero movie kind of girl." "I watched a Batman here, a Batman there, but this is different," she said. "Chris [Nolan] wanted us to play everything for truth. It's about real people in the midst of this wild crazy Batman world. And I became a Batman fan shooting it. I mean, have Batman sweep you up and save you from certain death. It converts a girl, you know?" The movie was expected to be shown on a record-breaking 9,200 screens in its opening, according to its studio, Warner Bros. (Like CNN, Warner Bros. is a division of Time Warner.) Hollywood columnist Nikki Finke said that insiders at the studio are being conservative, predicting a weekend opening of between $90 million and $100 million -- strong but not record-breaking. But box office experts, according to Finke, are saying the movie could make as much as $130 million, which would make it a narrow third for best opening weekend, behind "Spider-Man 3" ($151 million) and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" ($136 million). Regardless of how much money the movie grosses, by far the biggest anticipation may be whether the Academy Awards agree with those -- including Oldman -- who say Ledger should earn an Oscar. "I just wish that he was here to talk about his performance," he said. "I really feel that there is at least an Oscar nomination, if not a win for him. He really is that good." CNN entertainment producer Doug Ganley contributed to this report.

"The Dark Knight" will open with about 3,000 late-night shows . Fandango.com: Movie will have almost 100 shows at 3 and 6 a.m. Friday . Cast praises Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker .

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NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- A grand jury has indicted four people in the shooting death of a woman during what police say was a Ku Klux Klan initiation rite in the Louisiana woods, St. Tammany Parish prosecutors said. Raymond "Chuck" Foster is reputed to be the leader of the Klan Group. He was among the four indicted. Raymond "Chuck" Foster, 44, was indicted on second-degree murder charges Wednesday in the November death of Cynthia Lynch, 43, of Tulsa, Oklahoma. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, said Rick Wood, spokesman for the St. Tammany Parish district attorney's office. "That's what he was charged with," Wood told reporters on Wednesday. "The grand jury agreed with that charge." Two other men, including Foster's son, Shane Foster, were indicted on a count of obstruction of justice, and a woman, Danielle Jones, was indicted on one count of being an accessory after the fact. Wood said Thursday Foster's case was assigned to one judge and the others' cases were assigned to another. Foster is scheduled to be arraigned March 3, he said, and the others are set for arraignment next week. Eight people initially were arrested in the case. The remaining four were not indicted. "Haven't seen one like this," Wood said Wednesday. "We've had a lot of high-profile cases, but not one like this. ... As (district attorney) Walter Reed said, it will be to the max. They will be prosecuted to the max." Authorities said Lynch was recruited over the Internet and took a bus to Slidell, Louisiana, where she was met by two Klan members. They then went to a campsite in the woods near Sun, Louisiana, about 60 miles north of New Orleans, where they met other members of the group, police said. During the initiation rite, members of the Klan group, which calls itself the Sons of Dixie, shaved Lynch's head, according to Capt. George Bonnett of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Department and Sheriff Jack Strain, who spoke to CNN in November. After 24 hours of drills, including chanting and running with torches, she asked to be taken to town. An argument began, authorities said, and the group's leader, Raymond Foster, pushed Lynch to the ground and shot her without warning. Lynch apparently wanted to leave because she was homesick, investigators found after talking to her family members. After the shooting, "Foster, we believe, removed a knife from his pocket and rolled over the victim and began a process of trying to remove the bullet from her body ... because he was trying to destroy evidence where law enforcement would not be able to piece these things together," Strain said. Police believe other members of the Sons of Dixie helped cover up the slaying on Foster's behalf, Strain said at the time, including burning some of Lynch's personal items. "We're up to the challenge," Wood told reporters after the indictments were handed up Wednesday. "This office is ready to proceed and take care of business." Authorities received the initial tip about the slaying from a convenience store clerk, after two group members went into the store and asked him if he knew how to get bloodstains out of their clothes. The clerk told them he did not, then called police after they left. Officials tracked down those two members and arrested them, then arrested others at the campsite and Foster. All the members surrendered without incident, police said. Investigators found Confederate battle flags, Ku Klux Klan banners, five Klan robes and an Imperial Wizard robe at the campsite, authorities said. Lynch's body was found under loose brush along a road several miles from the campsite. Raymond Foster has a history of Ku Klux Klan activity dating back seven years, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a Montgomery, Alabama-based organization that tracks hate groups.

Police say Cynthia Lynch of Tulsa shot as she tried to leave KKK rite . Raymond "Chuck" Foster is reputed leader of Klan group . Foster, his son, two others accused in indictment of second-degree murder . "They will be prosecuted to the max," spokesman for prosecutor said .

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(CNN) -- Ricin, a poison thought to have been found in a Las Vegas, Nevada, hotel room Thursday, can be made from the waste left after processing castor beans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ricin is made from castor beans. The toxin comes in the form of a mist or pellet and can be dissolved in water or weak acid, according to the CDC. It works by getting inside the cells of the body and preventing them from making the proteins they need. As little as 500 micrograms -- an amount the size of the head of a pin -- can kill an adult. Here are some ricin cases: . • September 1978, London, England: Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov is killed by a ricin-filled poison dart fired from an umbrella. Markov, a communist defector working for the BBC World Service, was waiting at a bus stop when he was killed. • 2002, Iraq: A primitive testing facility run by members of Ansar al Islam, a Kurdish Sunni Islamist group, is discovered. Authorities say ricin had been tested on barnyard animals there. • January 2003, United Kingdom: Scotland Yard arrests seven terror suspects from Algeria after traces of ricin are discovered at their homes. A U.S. official later connects the men to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who led al Qaeda in Iraq until his death in 2006. Four of the men were charged with terrorism offenses under Britain's Terrorist Act 2000 and with "being concerned in the development or production of chemical weapons" under the Chemical Weapons Act of 1996. • March 2003, France: Small bottles containing traces of ricin are found in a Paris train station, according to French police. • October 2003, United States: Ricin is found in a sealed envelope in a postal handling facility in Greenville, South Carolina. Watch CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta explain the potency of ricin » . • November 2003, United States: The Secret Service intercepts a letter addressed to the White House that contains a vial of ricin. The letter, signed by "Fallen Angel," complained about trucking regulations, and was nearly identical to one discovered October 15 in South Carolina. • February 2004, United States: Ricin is found in the mailroom of the Dirksen Senate Office building in Washington D.C. The mailroom handled correspondence addressed to then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and others. Frist said no one became sick. • January 2005, United States: An Ocala, Florida, man with no known ties to terrorists or extremists is arrested by the FBI after agents found ricin in the home he shares with his mother. Steven Michael Ekberg pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of a biological weapon. E-mail to a friend .

Ricin found in four U.S. cases since 2003 . Bulgarian dissident killed by dart containing ricin in 1978 . 500 micrograms of ricin, size of a pinhead, can kill an adult .

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(CNN) -- The White House insists that it was entirely former Sen. Tom Daschle's decision to withdraw his nomination, but some observers say he didn't have a choice. Tom Daschle said Tuesday that he's stepping aside as the nominee for secretary of health and human services. Despite the controversy over his tax records and his work in a field that some consider lobbying, Daschle was expected to be confirmed. His withdrawal shocked Capitol Hill, and Democratic colleagues expressed regret over his decision. "I think one of the major factors had to be that the political climate has changed radically just in the last couple of weeks," CNN Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry said. President Obama ripped Wall Street executives last week for their "shameful" decision to hand out $18 billion in bonuses in 2008 while accepting federal bailout money. The next day, news broke that Daschle hadn't paid his taxes in full. Daschle said Monday that he was "deeply embarrassed" for a series of errors that included failing to report $15,000 in charitable donations, unreported car service and more than $80,000 in unreported income from consulting. Daschle recently filed amended tax returns and paid more than $140,000 in back taxes and interest for 2005-07. "That, in this political climate, really tripped up Tom Daschle because it looked awful politically for this White House," Henry said. In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday, Obama said he made a mistake in handling the nomination of Daschle. "I think I screwed up. And, I take responsibility for it and we're going to make sure we fix it so it doesn't happen again. "Ultimately, I campaigned on changing Washington and bottom-up politics," Obama said. "And I don't want to send a message to the American people that there are two sets of standards -- one for powerful people and one for ordinary folks who are working every day and paying their taxes." At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, press secretary Robert Gibbs insisted that the White House did not pressure Daschle to step down. Watch Gibbs answer questions about Daschle's move » . Pressed on whether Daschle was given any sort of signal to resign, Gibbs said, "I don't know how much more clear I could be. The decision was Sen. Daschle's." A Daschle ally familiar with his thinking said Tuesday that he was not aware of any White House pressure on the former Senate majority leader to withdraw his nomination. Asked whether Daschle was pushed, the source said, "things don't work that cleanly." The issue was not whether Daschle could "survive"; it was what that process "would do to Obama" and his health care reform and economic agenda. It's a question of the "price of that confirmation," he said. The source said Daschle read the Tuesday New York Times editorial urging him to withdraw from consideration but would not say whether that might have played a part in his decision. "Tom has been a politician for a very long time," the source said. "He understands this town. He made a mistake; he apologized, but timing matters. There was a critical mass building." Obama senior adviser David Axelrod said he thought Daschle made the decision Tuesday morning. "I have to believe that Sen. Daschle having spent as many years as he has up here had a clear picture that there was going to be a delay, and I think he didn't want to contribute to that. In announcing his withdrawal, Daschle said it was an honor to be chosen to lead the reform of America's health care system. "But if 30 years of exposure to the challenges inherent in our system has taught me anything, it has taught me that this work will require a leader who can operate with the full faith of Congress and the American people, and without distraction," he said in a statement. "Right now, I am not that leader and will not be a distraction." Mark Preston, CNN's political editor, pointed out that Daschle has a "history of making 11th-hour decisions." Six years ago, Daschle made a last-minute decision not to run for president after he had been all set to go. "I think that the Tom Daschle we saw yesterday was all set to go, and then the pressure started mounting ... and then he decided to pull out," Preston said. Although he was expected to be confirmed, it was also expected that he'd have to undergo a bruising confirmation hearing that could have led to negative headlines for Obama. As news broke of the withdrawal, some senators said they were sad to see Daschle step aside, but others said it was the right thing to do. "I'm in shock. I didn't know that. I don't know what happened," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California. "I talked to him ... the night before last, and he showed no signs of withdrawing." Feinstein praised Daschle as rare person who could get something like health care through the Senate and said she wishes he had not withdrawn. "I have great faith in him." Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Daschle "did a service to President Obama" by stepping aside. "I think it really would have looked bad for the Senate to close ranks around a fellow member and sort of reinforce the idea that they were going to protect a member as part of the good ol' boys club," he said. Daschle has a lengthy history with members of Congress. He represented South Dakota in the House of Representatives for four terms, and he served in the Senate for three terms. He was the Senate majority leader from June 2001 to January 2003 and served as the minority leader before losing his re-election bid in 2005. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nevada, said Daschle "saved the president from being embarrassed" by withdrawing. Watch Republicans weigh in on the move » . Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said he was "a little stunned" by Daschle's decision. "I thought he was going to get confirmed. I thought -- he's a good man, and I thought he'd be confirmed. I'm surprised," said Baucus, D-Montana. Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, insisted that Daschle had owned up to his mistakes. "He's made his decision, I respect his decision, and we go on from there," Kerry said. Daschle's resignation came hours after Nancy Killefer's withdrawal as Obama's chief performance officer, a new post in the administration. Officials said privately the reason for Killefer's withdrawal was unspecified tax issues. The much-touted post was designed to scrub the federal budget. CNN's Lisa Desjardins, Candy Crowley and Kristi Keck contributed to this report.

NEW: Political climate tripped up Daschle, says CNN's Ed Henry . Source says Daschle was worried about what his confirmation would do to Obama . Senators say they did not see the withdrawal coming . Daschle's nomination questioned due to tax problems, work in recent years .

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NEW YORK (CNN) -- Three people were arrested Saturday after chaos broke out at an "America's Next Top Model" audition at a New York hotel, police said. A large crowd at the Park Central New York hotel got unruly Saturday during a "Top Model" audition. Six people were injured, and two of them sought treatment at a hospital, authorities said. Police said they didn't know what provoked the bedlam. Three people were charged with disorderly conduct and inciting a riot in connection with the incident at the Park Central New York hotel in Manhattan. The audition was shut down after the incident, authorities said. Calls to Park Central management were not immediately returned on Saturday. The "Top Model" competition, hosted and produced by supermodel Tyra Banks and aired by the CW network, is in its 12th cycle.

Police: 3 people were arrested Saturday after chaos broke out at a TV show audition . "America's Next Top Model" audition was being held at a New York hotel, police said . Two people sought treatment at a hospital, authorities said . "Top Model" competition is hosted by Tyra Banks and airs on CW network .

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TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- The clicking of dozens of news cameras drowned out the sobs of the 13-year-old girl, but her face explained what was happening in the departure hall of Japan's Narita International Airport. Arlan and Sarah Calderon hug their daughter Noriko farewell. Noriko Calderon, wearing her school uniform, was being forced to make one of the most wrenching choices of her young life: To stay in the country of her birth rather than join her parents being deported to the Philippines. The scene was the emotional climax to a story a decade and a half in the making -- one that has tugged at heartstrings in Japan, but ultimately failed to sway to an unyielding bureaucracy that activists say violates human rights. Sound off: Do you think Japanese authorities are doing the right thing? Filipinos Arlan and Sarah Calderon illegally entered Japan in the early 1990s on fake passports. They married and had a daughter, Noriko. Arlan found a stable job working for a construction company. Noriko grew up Japanese, attending school and never learning her parents' native language. Noriko, like many Tokyo girls her age, loves hip-hop and hopes to be a dancer or a teacher at a dance school someday. But her future in the only country she's ever known went into limbo when Japanese immigration authorities arrested her mother in 2006. Her parents decided to fight Japan's notoriously rigid immigration laws and for three years under a harsh media spotlight, they argued their case all the way to the country's High Court, saying Arlan is gainfully employed and their daughter only speaks Japanese. The family lost their case in the High Court, and Japan ordered Arlan and Sarah Calderon be deported back to the Philippines. Watch CNN interview with family » . Activists claim Japan's notoriously rigid immigration laws violate human rights. An estimated 500 families are in the same situation according to lawyers, who accuse Japan of not respecting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Japan's Immigration Bureau in a statement to CNN said the couple's illegal presence in the country as an "extremely malicious" violation that "shakes the foundation of Japan's immigration control." But when it came to 13 year old Noriko, the government gave the girl a choice: Her country or her parents. "Japan is my homeland," says Noriko, when asked why she is choosing to stay behind. She will move in with an aunt, allowed to stay in Japan under a visa that the government will reassess yearly. Her life, say her parents, will be better in Japan. She'll have schooling and the dreams a big city like Tokyo can offer her, versus the impoverished farm community her parents will move back to in the Philippines. But as the Calderons packed up their small apartment in the days leading up to the deportation, the reality of what would soon happen to the family became more and more harsh. "Until I'm an adult, I need my parents," Noriko said, her pink cheeks stained with tears. "We won't be there when she needs us the most," said Arlan Calderon. "She has to protect herself on her own. I'm so sorry about that." Shogo Watanabe, the Calderons' attorney, collected more than 20,000 signatures in Japan to try and keep the family together in the country. "Children should be protected when their parents are punished. It's the child's right. But there's no consideration for that at all. I do not think the government is being flexible," said Watanabe. Under Japanese immigration laws, the Calderons won't be allowed back into Japan for five years. They've asked for a special waiver to visit their daughter after a year, but it hasn't been granted yet. So their last, public hug could be the last time they see their daughter until she's 18.

Noriko Calderon born and raised in Japan by Filipino parents . Parents deported after years of living in country . Schoolgirl says she will stay, meaning she may not see parents until she's 18 .

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(CNN) -- Los Angeles police have launched an internal investigation to determine who leaked a picture that appears to show a bruised and battered Rihanna. Rihanna was allegedly attacked by her boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, before the Grammys on February 8. The close-up photo -- showing a woman with contusions on her forehead and below her eyes, and cuts on her lip -- was published on the entertainment Web site TMZ Thursday. TMZ said it was a photo of Rihanna. Twenty-one-year-old Rihanna was allegedly attacked by her boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, on a Los Angeles street before the two were to perform at the Grammys on February 8. "The unauthorized release of a domestic violence photograph immediately generated an internal investigation," an L.A. police spokesman said in a statement. "The Los Angeles Police Department takes seriously its duty to maintain the confidentiality of victims of domestic violence. A violation of this type is considered serious misconduct, with penalties up to and including termination." A spokeswoman for Rihanna declined to comment. The chief investigator in the case had told CNN earlier that authorities had tried to guard against leaks. Detective Deshon Andrews said he had kept the case file closely guarded and that no copies had been made of the original photos and documents. Brown was arrested on February 8 in connection with the case and and booked on suspicion of making criminal threats. Authorities are trying to determine whether Brown should face domestic violence-related charges. Brown apologized for the incident this week. "Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired," the 19-year-old said in a statement released by his spokesman. "I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person." CNN's Brittany Kaplan contributed to this report.

Los Angeles police investigating leak of photo of a battered woman . TMZ Web site says photo is of R&B singer Rihanna . Rihanna allegedly attacked by her boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, on February 8 . The two were scheduled to perform at the Grammys .

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Editor's note: Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist and CNN political contributor, was a political consultant for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992 and was counselor to Clinton in the White House. Paul Begala says Republicans are failing to respond to the real economic pain felt throughout the U.S. (CNN) -- As the fight over President Obama's economic recovery package heats up, the two sides are beginning to define themselves with admirable clarity. The president says we have a crisis that is heading toward a catastrophe. In announcing his new Economic Recovery Advisory Board, President Obama declared, "The situation could not be more serious. These [new unemployment] numbers demand action. It is inexcusable and irresponsible for any of us to get bogged down in distraction, delay, or politics as usual, while millions of Americans are being put out of work." The Republicans, on the other hand, have honed their economic message: Denial, Delay, Do Nothing. Denial . It begins with denial. Former Bush adviser Karl Rove and Fox News host Bill O'Reilly opined in December that it's the media's fault. The said the press is overhyping bad news; the economy, they suggested, is not really all that bad. "So you are agreeing with me," O'Reilly said, "that there is a conscious effort on the part of The New York Times and other liberal media to basically paint as drastic a picture as possible, so that when Barack Obama takes office, that anything is better than what we have now?" "Yes," said Mr. Rove. OK. I guess if you're wealthy like Mr. Rove and Mr. O'Reilly you can afford to pretend the recession is a vast media conspiracy. But for the 3.7 million Americans who have lost their jobs in the Bush-Republican recession, Messrs. Rove and O'Reilly seem dangerously out of touch. Delay . "Let's slow down. Let's take our time," said Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Nebraska). "Few things are going to be as important as this." Generally that's good advice. But with the economy losing 19,000 jobs a day, is delay really a wise strategy? Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) seems to think so. He told CNN's John King, "We could shelf this bill and start again. That's what we really need to do." Do Nothing . South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is widely considered a rising star in the GOP. He was even mentioned as a potential running mate for 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain. His strategy, again articulated to John King on "State of the Union," is to do nothing -- let companies, communities and families fail. "We're going to go through a process of deleveraging," Sanford said. "And it will be painful. The question is, do we apply a bunch of different Band-Aids that lengthen and prolong this pain or do we take the Band-Aid off? I believe very strongly: Let's get this thing over with, let's not drag it on." Set aside the callousness of Sanford's metaphor -- that joblessness at the highest level since the Great Depression is somehow like a scratch that doesn't even need a Band-Aid. Focus instead on Sanford's substantive message: You're on your own. Write if you get work. This befits a party which has high-ranking members who deny the effectiveness of the New Deal. What's next, denying that the federal government put a man on the moon? What Bipartisanship? Given the GOP's combination of flat-earth economics and scorched-earth politics, it should come as no surprise that it looks like 98.6 percent of Washington Republicans oppose President Obama's economic recovery package. They either do not understand the depth of the recession or they do not realize the results of the recent election. I don't know what more President Obama can do. He has named three prominent Republicans to his Cabinet (Robert Gates at Defense, Ray LaHood at Transportation and Judd Gregg at Commerce). He has helped persuade New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch to replace Sen. Gregg with a Republican. He has met behind closed doors with the entire House and Senate Republican conferences. He has hosted bipartisan cocktail parties, a Super Bowl party and -- what's left, a slumber party? He has agreed to ditch progressive provisions from the stimulus bill, like support for family planning (earning him a rebuke from Planned Parenthood) and accepted more tax cuts than many Democrats would like. iReport.com: Share your thoughts on the stimulus package . Still, there's bipartisanship and there's bipartisanship. Real-world Republicans support President Obama's recovery plan. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is a supporter, and as the ubiquitous John King has reported, the very Republican mayor of the very Republican town of Carmel, Indiana, supports Obama's plan as well. "Government should be investing in infrastructure," Mayor James Brainard told King. "That is what government is meant to do. It creates long-term value. I think the stimulus plan is a good one." So take heart, Mr. President. In the real world of layoffs, foreclosures and plant closings, you have the support of both Republicans and Democrats. They agree with you that Denial, Delay and Doing Nothing is not an economic strategy. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Paul Begala.

Paul Begala: Republicans are adopting strategy of blocking action on economy . He says they have denied the extent of the problem and delayed action . Begala: Some in GOP adopt a callous attitude that we should do nothing . Still, he says, some Republicans outside Washington see the need to act .

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(CNN) -- The man accused in the brutal killing of Arkansas television anchor Anne Pressly will appear next Thursday in Pulaski County Circuit Court, where he will enter a plea in the high-profile case. Anne Pressly, 26, was a news anchor at KATV in Little Rock, Arkansas. Curtis Lavell Vance, 28, was formally charged Thursday with capital murder, rape, residential burglary and theft, Prosecutor Larry Jegley said Friday. Neither he nor police would discuss details of the case because of a gag order imposed by the judge. Jegley hasn't said whether he will seek the death penalty. Jegley said Vance, who denies he was in Little Rock, Arkansas, when Pressly was killed, was being held at the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility. Vance was linked to the killing through DNA testing. Lt. Terry Hastings, spokesman for Little Rock police, told CNN in December that investigators are "110 percent" certain Vance killed Pressly, 26, who was the morning news anchor for KATV, a CNN affiliate. Pressly was found unconscious in her home October 20 and died five days later at a hospital. "She fought for her life. She fought her attacker. Her left hand was broken from trying to fight this man off," Pressly's mother, Patti Cannady, told NBC. "Six weeks ago this morning, I found my daughter beyond recognition with every bone in her face broken, her nose broken, her jaw pulverized so badly that the bone had come out of it; I actually thought that her throat had possibly been cut. Her entire skull had numerous fractures from which she suffered a massive stroke." Hastings told CNN that DNA evidence also ties Vance to a rape in April in Marianna, Arkansas, about 90 miles east of Little Rock. The affidavit related to the Pressly case, from Little Rock detective Tommy Hudson, said police made contact with Vance at his home in Marianna. Hastings said investigators have found no link between Pressly and Vance, and they do not believe Pressly's being on TV had anything to do with the killing. "I think he saw her someplace, probably followed her home with intention of robbing her. And then went from there." The killer also took Pressly's purse, Hastings said.

Curtis Lavell Vance, 28, has been charged with capital murder, rape, burglary, theft . Anne Pressly was found unconscious in her home in October and died five days later . Vance was linked to the killing through DNA testing . DNA evidence also ties Vance to a rape in April in Marianna, Arkansas, police say .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- A warning of more attacks on UK bankers was made on Wednesday after the home of former Royal Bank of Scotland boss Fred Goodwin was vandalized. A recovery vehicle removes a Mercedes from the Edinburgh home of Fred Goodwin. Windows were smashed in Goodwin's house in the Scottish capital Edinburgh and those of a Mercedes-Benz limousine parked outside. It is not known if anyone was at home at the time. Goodwin -- dubbed "Fred the Shred" by the media for his ruthless cost-cutting -- and his family have not been living in the house since it was revealed that the 50-year-old Goodwin was receiving an annual pension of $1 million (£700,000) for life. A statement issued to media organizations including the Press Association after the attack said: "We are angry that rich people, like him, are paying themselves a huge amount of money and living in luxury, while ordinary people are made unemployed, destitute and homeless. "Bank bosses should be jailed. This is just the beginning." No group was named in the message and it did not explicitly claim responsibility for the attack. Goodwin took early retirement after RBS nearly collapsed amid the economic crisis and was later part-nationalized. Watch more on the attack » . On the same day as the size of his pension was revealed RBS announced a UK record loss of $34.6 billion (£24.1 billion) for 2008. Politicians and commentators have expressed fury about the deal and excessive bonuses being given by bailed-out banks. Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling, head of the Treasury, urged Goodwin to give up his pension. He refused, saying he had already given up a number of contractual rights which had cost him a lot of money. Watch consternation at Goodwin's £16 million pension fund » . The statement warning of more attacks on bankers came days after AIG sent a memo to employees giving them security advice as fury grows in the U.S. over millions paid out in bonuses by the bailed-out U.S. insurance giant. Employees were warned not to wear the company logo, to travel in pairs and park in well-lit places, and to phone security if they notice anyone "spending an inordinate amount of time near an AIG facility." AIG employees have received death threats since the company handed out $165 million (£115 million) in bonuses and security at AIG offices has been increased. And last month British police warned that officers were preparing for a "summer of rage" as protests mount across Europe against the economic crisis. David Hartshorn, who heads the Metropolitan Police's public order branch, said growing unemployment, failing companies and the recession could spark a "mass protest." Hartshorn said the G-20 economic summit starting next week could lead to unrest as leaders of the world's richest nations head to London.

Scottish home of former Royal Bank of Scotland boss Fred Goodwin vandalized . Statement issued to media oorganizations warns of more attacks on bankers . Embattled U.S. insurance giant AIG last week gave employees security advice . Last month British police said officers were preparing for "summer of rage"

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BRADDOCK, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- What happens when business and government turn their collective back on a town and just walk away? Braddock, Pennsylvania, is what happens. Braddock, Pennsylvania, has suffered since the steel mills went out of business in the 1970s and 1980s. When steel was king, the population of Braddock surged to more than 20,000 people. With its proximity to Pittsburgh and its location on the Monongahela River, it was an ideal location for a steel town. When steel mills began closing in the 1970s and 1980s, Braddock was not immune. In 1982, Braddock's main mill, the Carrie Furnace, closed its doors, putting thousands of people out of work. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, residents left the town seeking work in other parts of Pennsylvania. The 2000 census put the population of Braddock at 2,900, but it has dropped further, according to residents. Home prices have plummeted and real estate is as inexpensive as $6,000 for a single-family house. Historic pictures show a polished downtown and a bustling community. Now, most businesses have closed their doors, leaving only a handful to serve the community. A drive down Braddock Avenue, the main street, indicates the town has seen the bottom. The avenue is lined with crumbling offices and stores, boarded windows and empty lots where buildings once stood. But there is hope in the town. In 2005, Braddock elected John Fetterman by one vote as its mayor. He is originally from York, Pennsylvania, and has lived in the area of Braddock for eight years. He has an MBA from Harvard and started a program that helped dislocated youth from the area receive their high school equivalency degrees. At 6 feet 8 inches and 325 pounds, he is an imposing figure. He chooses to dress in Dr Martens boots, baggy jeans and Dickies short-sleeved shirts because he feels he is able to connect with the people better dressed that way. He shaves his head and has a goatee. Possibly the most intimidating aspects of Fetterman's appearance are his tattoos, clearly visible on his forearms, including the numbers 15104, the town's ZIP code. Watch as the mayor talks about his revitalization plan » . When asked if he thinks the town is at rock bottom, Fetterman replies, "I don't believe that it's the bottom in the sense that this is a bad place. This is what can happen when you turn your back on a community." Since he was elected, Fetterman has made it his mission to give Braddock a prosperous future. He has given incentives to businesses to relocate to his town. The main incentive is large manufacturing space at a fraction of the cost in a normal market. A company that converts diesel engines into vegetable-oil burning engines, Fossil Free Fuel, relocated to Braddock from Allen, Pennsylvania. "The initial building was about 14,000 square feet and supposedly the asking price was $25,000. And we were like how do you get so much space for so little money?" said David Rosenstraus, one of the owners of Fossil Free Fuel. "I think for a very small business like us, not having very much capital to work with building a shop, and investments going into tools and things inside the shop, [we] would be spread thin if we had to pay a lot for the actual building." On the site where the Carrie Furnace steel mill building still stands, the county plans to convert the contaminated land into commercial and residential space. Allegheny County executive Dan Onorato is driving this plan, "We don't look at this like a liability. We see some potential here. We can take back 147 acres, take back the riverfront and make this a viable spot again. But you have to invest public money into the infrastructure to make that happen. It won't happen on its own. For example, this place closed 25 years ago, it's still here. The public sector has to come in and invest." Braddock still has many obstacles to overcome, but Fetterman believes that it's possible to grow, "I'd like to see Braddock move towards -- continue to move towards -- a safer place that is moving towards better outcomes for everybody."

Braddock, Pennsylvania, thrived as a steel town . Thousands of people left after mills shut down . Mayor trying to use incentives to bring business back to area . Real estate prices are incredibly low, enticing some to move to town .

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HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe said Monday that he does not believe foul play was involved in a car wreck that killed his wife. The vehicle the couple were traveling in was left overturned off the highway. "When something like that happens there is speculation, but I want to assure you if it was foul play, it is one in a thousand," he said Monday. "It was an accident that took her life." Tsvangirai's comments came amid widespread speculation that the wreck was caused by his political opponents aligned with President Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai's political party, the Movement for Democratic Change, has said the crash was an assassination attempt. It has called for an independent inquiry. Zimbabwe's new prime minister was hurt in the wreck and returned home Monday from neighboring Botswana. "Life has to go on and I'm certain that if she was here she would liked life to go on," he said. "It will be difficult to fill the gap left by her." Tsvangirai has long been a leading opposition figure in Zimbabwe, but he joined a coalition government with Mugabe last month. That seemed to resolve an impasse created by a disputed presidential election between Mugabe and Tsvangirai last year. Tsvangirai received the most votes in the March 2008 election, but he fell short of the 50 percent required to avoid a runoff. He withdrew as a candidate in the runoff, citing political violence and intimidation targeting his supporters. Negotiations between the two sides culminated in the power-sharing agreement that was implemented just weeks ago. Questions about the wreck surfaced shortly after it happened Friday on a busy two-lane highway between Tsvangirai's hometown of Buhera and the capital city of Harare. On Saturday, members of Tsvangirai's political party, the Movement for Democratic Change, told CNN that Tsvangirai believed that the driver of the truck that struck his car deliberately drove toward him in an effort to take his life. The party's secretary-general, Tendai Biti, said police should have provided better security for Tsvangirai. The wreck might not have happened, he said, if a police escort been on hand. A former U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, Tom McDonald, said the wreck raised suspicion. "I'm skeptical about any motor vehicle accident in Zimbabwe involving an opposition figure," said McDonald, who was ambassador to Zimbabwe from 1997 to 2001. "President Mugabe has a history of strange car accidents when someone, lo and behold, dies -- it's sort of his M.O. of how they get rid of people they don't like." McDonald, however, was quick to add that traffic accidents are common in Zimbabwe. The highway on which Tsvangirai was traveling is a two-lane road on which tractor-trailers are common, he said. Vehicles in the country are often in bad shape and many drivers are inexperienced, he said. "It's certainly plausible that this was just one of those tragic things," he said. -- CNN's Nkepile Mabuse contributed to this report.

Tsvangirai: "It was an accident that took her life" PM returned home from Botswana and addressed mourners at his residence . Much speculation the wreck was caused by his political opponents . Former U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe said the wreck raised suspicion .

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(CNN) -- Tim Masters squarely blames Fort Collins, Colorado, police and prosecutors for his inability to land gainful employment and for his not having a wife and kids at this stage in his life. Tim Masters, left, stands with attorney David Wymore, right, before Masters' release from prison last year. In 1987, Masters became the prime suspect in the slaying of Peggy Hettrick, a 37-year-old found in a field near his house. Among the reasons police said they focused on Masters was that he failed to report the body after he found it and his childhood drawings and stories suggested he was fixated on death. Masters was convicted of murder in 1999, but a judge last year threw out the conviction and released him from prison, citing new evidence that did not implicate Masters. Masters now has a lawsuit pending against several police officers, ex-prosecutors and the city. The city of Fort Collins has asked a federal judge to dismiss the case. Now 37, Masters sat down for a phone interview with a CNN reporter who covered his case and subsequent release. He said he still holds a grudge against the police and prosecutors who put him behind bars. Watch Masters the day after his 2008 release » . He's living in Greeley, Colorado, and doesn't get back to Fort Collins much, but he does love traveling. Most notably, he's traveled to Amsterdam, Netherlands, to appear on a talk show with Richard and Selma Eikelenboom, the Dutch forensic scientists who discovered the DNA evidence that ultimately freed Masters. Things can be tough sometimes, but anything is better than prison, Masters said of his first year as a free man since being imprisoned. CNN: How have things been in the year since your release? Masters: It's a struggle to earn enough money to pay my bills and everything, make a living. Other than that, life is good. CNN: Do you have a job? Masters: I buy stuff at auction and I sell it on eBay. CNN: Do you have trouble finding a job because of your time in jail? Masters: Yeah, I think that has a lot to do with it. The first thing that comes up on a background check is "charges dismissed -- first-degree murder." Watch Masters thank those last year who worked to free him » . CNN: How else have you been keeping yourself busy? Masters: Pretty much work. That's it. CNN: Describe a typical day. Masters: The big challenge is, first of all, you've got to find out where the auctions are. Once you get that down, then you go to the auctions. Another disadvantage I have is I'm a little outdated on the prices of things, so I'm thinking things are worth a lot less than what they're going for. So I have to learn what things are worth now. I go to the auction, and I bid on stuff. I try and buy it cheap enough that I can make a profit on it, load it into the truck, bring it back to the house. I have shelves all in my basement full of just odds and ends. I put it all on the shelves. I do research on the computer and find out which ones I can actually make a profit on, and I list those. You list the item on eBay and let it run its course through the auction for usually seven days. If it sells, you pack it and ship it off. If it doesn't sell, you can either re-list it as an auction item, re-list it as a store item or throw it in the trash. CNN: What kind of money do you make in a typical week? Masters: Not enough. CNN: What do you enjoy doing most that you weren't able to do in prison? Masters: Travel. I've been to see my sister about four times since I've been out. She's in California. I have an uncle in Arizona. This goes along with the eBay business. I go down there every once in a while. He has a warehouse full of used restaurant equipment, and I go down there every so often. I go through his warehouse, take pictures of all the new stuff he's got in and I list it on eBay for him. Sometimes it sells, sometimes it doesn't. In April, a TV station over in Amsterdam paid to fly me over there to be on a talk show with Richard and Selma [Eikelenboom] from the DNA lab. That was cool. Watch a prosecutor explain why Masters' conviction was reversed » . CNN: What did you have the hardest time getting used to after being in prison so long? Masters: Maybe cell phones? Cell phones are everywhere now. They didn't used to be so common. I had a cell phone before I was arrested, but the last year before I was arrested, I didn't even keep service on it. Now, I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have a cell phone. It has my calendar, my address book, everything on it. CNN: You spent some prime years of your life -- late 20s, early 30s -- in jail for a crime you didn't commit. What do you think you missed most by not being a free man in those years? Masters: There's so much. Right off the top, I'd say having a family. I think they're very much responsible for me not having a family right now, a wife and kids. But it goes back further than just them arresting me. It goes all the way back to my high school days when they labeled me a murder suspect among all my peers and my teachers and everything. It goes back a long time. Watch police interrogate a 15-year-old Masters » . CNN: They did the same thing when you were in the military, too, right? Masters: Yeah, in '92. CNN: You said last year that you were staying away from alcohol because you were uncertain what emotions it might stir up. Are you still staying away from booze? Masters: Yeah, that went to hell when I went to Europe. I had a couple beers over in Europe. I didn't get drunk, but we'd have a few beers. CNN: Are you still cautious with your use of alcohol? Masters: Yeah, I think I am. CNN: Why? Masters: No. 1, I don't want a hangover [laughing]. I have a lot of repressed anger from all those years, but I don't think it's going to snap on anybody when I have a couple of beers though. CNN: Any hard feelings toward the Fort Collins Police Department or the prosecutors in the case? Masters: Oh, absolutely. They locked me up for a decade for something I didn't do. Read how DNA pointed to a new killer . CNN: If you could talk to the prosecutors or police who handled your case, what would you say to them? Masters: I don't want to talk to them at all. CNN: Talk about your lawsuit against the prosecutors and police. Who does it target? Masters: Mainly, [former prosecutors, now Judges] Jolene Blair and Terri Gilmore and [Fort Collins police Lt.] Jim Broderick, but there are a few other defendants involved and the city, but in my mind those are the big three. Key players in the case » . CNN: Tell me about the suit, what it alleges. Masters: You'd probably be better to talk to the lawyers about that. CNN: What would you say to the Hettrick family, which is now left to wonder what happened to their daughter? Masters: I don't know what I'd say to them. It's a damned shame that [the police] did this to them, too, telling them they got the guy when they didn't have the right person. I don't know what I'd say to them. That's a tough question. CNN: Do you get back to Fort Collins much? Masters: I try to stay away from Fort Collins. I still have family over there though, so I'm over there every once in a while. CNN: Does going there bring back bad memories? Masters: Yeah, and every time I go over there I feel like I'm on the defensive, every time I see a police car with someone pulled over or something -- well, let me give you an example. One day, my aunt and I were coming back from having lunch, and we were about to make a left and the road kept going straight. On the other side of the street, they had the yellow police tape up, and this is only two blocks from my aunt's house. I'm thinking, "Oh great, I wonder when they're going to come interrogate me for something that happened over here." It turns out the yellow tape was up because there was a telephone pole that was leaning over, but it looked like crime scene tape. I didn't know. But I can't live like that, wondering when they are going to harass me for something that I didn't have anything to do with. They did it to me before. CNN: So you're keeping a low profile? Masters: Yeah, pretty much.

Tim Masters relies on eBay for income because record still mentions murder charge . Masters says he's still getting used to cell phones, the current prices of things . City of Fort Collins asking federal judge to dismiss Masters' lawsuit . Wrongful conviction leaves Masters anxious when he sees police, he says .

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(CNN) -- A missing 5-year-old Florida girl was most likely abducted from her home in rural Florida, police said Wednesday. Haleigh Cummings, 5, went missing Monday night from her home near Orlando, police said. Haleigh Cummings has been missing since 3 a.m. Tuesday, when her father's girlfriend called 911 to say the child had vanished from her Putnam County home. "There's no longer any reason to believe that the child simply wandered outside," said Putnam County Sheriff's Office Maj. Gary Bowling. The police must "assume abduction," he said. "All the answers to why you'd want to take a 5-year-old are ugly," Bowling said. Police have no official suspects, but are treating everyone they interview as one. "All the world's a suspect" now, Bowling said. Hear the frantic 911 call » . A nationwide Amber Alert says the girl was last seen wearing a pink shirt and underwear. Police plan to use infrared aviation technology after dark Wednesday in their search. "She's a 5-year-old child, and she's afraid of the dark," Bowling said. On Monday night, Ronald Cummings' girlfriend, 17-year-old Misty Croslin, was watching Haleigh and her 4-year-old brother, police said. Croslin put Haleigh to bed at 8 p.m. and then went to bed herself at 10 p.m., they said. Croslin told police she woke up at 3 a.m. and discovered Haleigh missing. Croslin then called 911 and told a dispatcher that she found a brick on the floor of the family's double-wide trailer, according to CNN affiliate WJXT-TV. The station's Web site printed the text of the 911 call, which included this exchange: . Dispatch: OK. All right, you said your back door was wide open? Caller: Yes, with a brick. Like, there was a brick on the floor. Like, when I went to sleep the door was not like that. The brick was actually holding open the door to the trailer, Putnam County Sheriff's Office Lt. Johnny Greenwood told CNN. Croslin is staying with relatives as the investigation continues, said Bowling, describing the girlfriend as a "child herself." Earlier Wednesday, Cummings pleaded for his daughter's safe return. "All I want is my child ... please ... all I want is my child," he said, his voice breaking. On Wednesday, Haleigh's maternal grandmother, Marie Griffis, told reporters that she feared the worst. "She's out there somewhere, I can feel her. I can feel her presence," Griffis told CNN affiliate WFTV-TV. "She's screaming." Watch grandparents plead for girl's return » . Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, wept as she stood in front of reporters. "I just want whoever's got her to bring her home," the girl's mother said. "That's all I want, is my baby home." Watch mother's tearful plea » . Griffis said that her daughter and Ronald Cummings had a "rocky relationship" and that the two took turns spending weekends with their daughter. Sheffield lives near the Florida-Georgia line and has been interviewed by law enforcement, according to police. Investigators are looking into various angles of the case, including finding out the location of 44 registered sexual offenders who live within a five-mile radius of the Cummings home, Greenwood said. Though that number may sound high, it includes both Putnam and Palatka counties, which are separated by the St. Johns River, the law enforcement spokesman told CNN. Police are offering but not requiring all those interviewed in the case to take polygraph tests. Anyone with any information is encouraged to call the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at 386-329-0800 or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse at 888-FL-MISSING.

NEW: "All the world's a suspect" now, police say . Haleigh Cummings was reported missing at 3 a.m. Tuesday, police say . Father's 17-year-old girlfriend was caring for Haleigh on Monday night, police say . The girl's father says he believes someone snatched the child from her bed .

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Harold Holzer, co-chairman of the U. S. Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, is the author of the new book, "Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860-1861" and author, co-author or editor of 32 other books. Harold Holzer says Obama represents validation of Lincoln's hope of equal opportunity for all. NEW YORK (CNN) -- They are big shoes to fill by any standard, political or historical. Pointing to his oversize, specially made boots, Abraham Lincoln once confided that he may have been slow to put his foot down, but once he did, he never went back. That's a lesson worth learning for any president-elect. And few incoming chief executives have been as conscious of the 16th president as the 44th: Barack Obama. The new president-elect wrote about Lincoln in his acclaimed books. He not only chose to announce his candidacy for the presidency on Lincoln's birthday, in 2006, but did so outside the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, where Lincoln delivered his famous "House Divided" speech in 1858 and where he had his headquarters as president-elect. The myriad comparisons between the two skinny, big-eared Illinoisans -- Obama's own fond description -- are already entering the realm of modern legend. Both were believed too inexperienced to be president. See iReporters don stovepipe hats to pay tribute to Lincoln . Both were long-shot underdogs for their party's nomination. Yet each went on not only to win, but to nominate the defeated party favorite (who happened to be a senator from New York) as secretary of state. William H. Seward was Lincoln's choice, Hillary Clinton is Obama's. But of course there are substantial differences: Lincoln got his education "by littles," he once embarrassingly admitted, spending less than a year all told in primitive one-room schoolhouses. Obama was superbly educated at Columbia University and Harvard Law. One man was a Republican, the other is a Democrat. And while Barack Obama scored an impressive victory, the nation divided bitterly over Lincoln's 39 percent plurality in a four-person race, to the degree that the Electoral College validation remained in question -- much more like Bush vs. Gore -- as late as February 1861, while seven Southern states seceded rather than accept a Lincoln presidency. Yet fascinating similarities predominate. Both men wrote best-selling books (yes, Lincoln, too: he brought out a hugely popular edition of his Lincoln-Douglas debates). Both won fame through their transcendent oratory. Both got into political trouble over their church affiliations -- Lincoln for leaving his church too soon, Obama for not leaving soon enough. Both refused to take pets along to the White House, but promised to shower their small children with pets once they arrived (the Lincolns left their mangy dog Fido behind and President-elect Obama has vowed to get a dog for his girls once settled in Washington). He might have to do better. Willie and Tad Lincoln eventually obtained kittens, turkeys and ponies. And here is another fascinating side story. Both men felt the need to make one final visit -- before their life-altering presidencies -- for reunions with the women, neither one a natural mother, who helped raise them. Obama, of course, went back to Honolulu to see his gravely ill grandmother right before Election Day; Lincoln, right before Inauguration Day, visited rural Charleston, Illinois, to say goodbye to his aged stepmother -- who wound up outliving him. But most extraordinary of all, surely, is the fact that Barack Obama's victory serves to help complete the "unfinished work" Abraham Lincoln spoke about in his Gettysburg Address: that America fulfill its dream of equal opportunity regardless of race. Lincoln, of course, advanced black freedom and black voting rights; Obama represents the validation of those elusive aspirations. It is not difficult to understand why so many Americans see Barack Obama as the second coming -- of Abraham Lincoln, if not more. Lincoln once declared, "We cannot escape history," and after years of national indifference to, or defiance of, the lessons of the past, our next president seems to love, comprehend, and use the past to illuminate the future. iReport.com: Can you speak like Lincoln? Comparisons can invite problems, too. On his triumphant election night, Obama properly noted that Lincoln faced a crisis far graver than our own, then quoted Lincoln's hope that "while passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection." Those words came right out of Lincoln's first inaugural address. But in fact they were written not by Lincoln himself -- rare for America's greatest writer-president -- but by his incoming Secretary of State Seward. Lincoln later performed an editing miracle to transform the draft into near-poetry. Using this lesson, Obama should be asking Hillary Clinton for a draft. But that probably won't happen. Sometimes reality trumps even history. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Harold Holzer.

Harold Holzer: Obama has much in common with Lincoln, the 16th president . He says the two were underdog candidates, authors, famed orators . Yet Holzer says there are many differences in their stories . Holzer: Obama represents validation of Lincoln's hope of equal opportunity .

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(CNN) -- A person's risk of stroke is associated with the number of fast-food restaurants near their residence, according to a study presented Thursday at a stroke conference in San Diego, California. Fast-food restaurants may be associated with stroke risk, a new study says. Some say there's not enough evidence. Researchers led by Dr. Lewis B. Morgenstern at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor counted 1,247 strokes caused by blood clots in 64 census tracts in Nueces County, Texas, which includes Corpus Christi, from January 2000 through June 2003. They also mapped the county's 262 fast-food restaurants and then adjusted for socioeconomic status and demographics and found a statistically significant association. "The association suggested that the risk of stroke in a neighborhood increased by 1 percent for every fast-food restaurant," the authors wrote in a poster presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference. Residents of neighborhoods in the 75th percentile of fast-food restaurants had a 6 percent increased risk of stroke compared with residents of the 25th percentile of such eateries, according to the study, which was paid for by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Morgenstern, director of the University of Michigan's stroke program and professor of neurology and epidemiology, warned that the finding does not prove that proximity to fast-food restaurants caused the increase in strokes of people living nearby. Watch more on the link between fast food restaurants and stroke » . "What we don't know is whether fast food actually increased the risk because of its contents or whether fast-food restaurants are a marker of unhealthy neighborhoods," he said. Still, he added, "If this association is causal, the findings have large public health importance due to the high prevalence of fast-food restaurants." A spokeswoman for the National Restaurant Association lambasted that concern as unsupported by the data. "This article is seriously flawed and by its own admission shows no correlation whatsoever between dining at chain restaurants and incidence of stroke," Beth Johnson said. "Further, it tells us nothing about the eating and exercise habits of the individuals involved. The restaurant industry continues to offer a growing number of healthier offerings, move away from the use of trans fats and provide more nutrition information. "In fact, the National Restaurant Association strongly supports a national, uniform approach to providing detailed nutrition information in chain restaurants. Constructive and responsive measures like these, and not misleading studies, will help consumers make healthy choices for themselves and their families," she added.

Study looked at 1,247 strokes in Nueces County, Texas . Risk of stroke in a neighborhood increased by 1 percent for every fast-food restaurant . Spokeswoman for National Restaurant Association says study is flawed .

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Editor's note: Ed Rollins, who was political director for President Reagan, is a Republican strategist who was national chairman of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's 2008 presidential campaign. Ron Silver, seen in a 2006 photo, was an actor with a strong interest in justice and peace, Ed Rollins says. NEW YORK (CNN) -- The lights on Broadway were dimmed Wednesday night to honor Ron Silver, the Tony-award winning actor who was buried Wednesday after a courageous battle against cancer of the esophagus. Ron was a lifelong social liberal and a Democratic activist, but you couldn't narrowly define him. And to those of us privileged to be his friend, he was an extraordinary pal. In the 25 years we were friends, he and I faced off most of that time on opposite sides of the political spectrum. In this era when people want bipartisanship, Ron was the role model. Our earliest encounters began when I was managing Ronald Reagan's campaign and he was a Dukakis supporter. He was passionate and a true intellectual. I have spent much of my life around smart people (fortunately a lot smarter than I) and Ron was one of the smartest. Whatever the topic, he had an opinion on it and probably had just read a book or two on the subject. Ron was a Chinese and international relations scholar and had no casual thoughts, only deep convictions. He backed up his opinions with empirical evidence and could rattle off facts like a baseball statistician. "Eddie, why do you think that way?" (Only my mother and wife have called me Eddie.) "Why would a smart man like you ever come to that conclusion?" And then we would proceed to discuss the topic for hours. I don't think we ever changed each other's opinions, but after a bottle or two of wine or a bottle of Scotch had been emptied, we still respected each other. We never had a cross word and no discussion ever ended in anger. After a while I learned it wasn't personal and it wasn't because I was Republican. Ron argued with everyone -- even those on his side in an issue -- because he had great curiosity and always wanted to know more. The closest we ever came to harsh words was when I teased him on his Emmy nomination for a recurring role as a slick campaign strategist on the TV show "The West Wing." "You would have won if you asked me how to play the part," I declared. "After all you're just an actor. I am the real thing. I worked in the real West Wing and I managed a real campaign that won 49 states," He quickly replied with a big grin: "Why the hell would I want the input of a guy who lost Minnesota [the only state Reagan lost]? And remember, you only won because you had an actor named Ron making you look good!" Our discussions often ended in laughter. Because for Ron, politics was serious but it was also fun. I don't think he enjoyed anything more than a great political debate. To Ron, debate was an educational experience. To those of us on the opposite side it was like a combat sport. Several years ago, I was approached by one of the planners for the 2004 Republican Convention in New York. He wanted to know if I could recommend any movie or entertainment stars who would be willing to participate in the convention. Since the passing of the Reagan era, Republicans haven't had a long list of entertainers to choose from. From our discussions, I knew that Ron supported President Bush's battle against Islamic terrorism and the war in Iraq and he had been profoundly affected by 9/11. I asked him would he be willing to participate if asked. He said yes, but emphatically stated he was remaining a Democrat. But he also knew that when he publicly supported Bush on the war, it would affect his long relationships in Hollywood and could cost him future work. Ron's Monday night convention speech was short, less than five minutes and only 429 words in length. It wasn't covered by any of the major networks, but it was still one of the best of the night. When he stated: . "I am grateful for the chance to speak tonight to express my support for our commander-in-chief, for our brave troops and for the vital cause which they have undertaken," his career as a major Hollywood player was over. Even though he had been a president of both the Actor's Equity Guild and the Creative Coalition that he co-founded, he challenged the entertainment industry with these spoken words: . "Even though I am a well-recognized liberal on many issues confronting our society today, I find it ironic that many human rights advocates and outspoken members of my own entertainment community are often on the front lines to protest repression, for which I applaud them, but they are usually the first ones to oppose any use of force to take care of these horrors that they catalog repeatedly." Ron was disappointed when he did lose future work and even a few "so-called Hollywood friends," but not surprised. But he said what he believed and never regretted doing it. Ron was always determined to give back something to his country and New York, the city where he, his parents, grandparents and great grandparents were born and loved. Whether he was fighting for the cause of Israel or social justice for the poor or for more funding for the National Endowment for the Arts or AIDS research, he was passionate about his causes. Even though he was close to death, he attended President Obama's inauguration because he thought it was a great day for the country and he didn't want to miss it. And just a few weeks ago while still undergoing chemotherapy, Ron attended the latest board of directors meeting in Washington of The United States Institute of Peace. The Peace Institute is an independent, nonpartisan institution established and funded by Congress whose 12 members are appointed by the president. The organizational goals are to help prevent and resolve violent international conflicts. Ron was appointed in 2007 and was confirmed by the Senate for a four-year term. He told me it was his most important role and a part he was never prouder to play. As the dimming of the lights on Broadway signaled Wednesday night, Ron's voice is now quiet -- and missed. His life's work not only lit up Broadway and filled the big screen, it also inspired others to action. The many roles he played on the stage, in movies and on television pale in comparisons to the real roles he lived in his life. Ron was a great friend, a great father and a great American. We will miss you, my friend. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ed Rollins.

Ed Rollins: Ron Silver was a liberal Democrat, but impossible to narrowly define . He says Silver was passionate and knowledgeable about current events . He says Silver faced a backlash in Hollywood because he supported Bush on war . Silver's work lit up Broadway, television and films, Rollins says .

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(CNN) -- While all eyes seem to be on "Slumdog Millionaire" for the Oscars, one very courageous little girl will be focused on another India-based film at the ceremony. Pinki, like millions in developing countries, had to live with her deformity and suffer the social consequences. It's called "Smile Pinki," and it's up for an Oscar, too -- nominated for best short documentary, which it won on Sunday. The little girl watching it from inside the Oscar ceremony has traveled all the way to Los Angeles, California, from her small Indian village with her dad -- and it has been an incredible journey for Pinki Sonkar. "Smile Pinki" tells the story of her transformation from a sad outcast to a vibrant 8-year-old with plenty of spunk. Pinki was born with a cleft lip, and her impoverished family did not have the money for corrective surgery. Like millions of other children born with the lip deformity in developing countries, Pinki simply had to live with it and suffer the social consequences. Her father Rajendra Sonkar says: "She used to go to school and the kids would not befriend her. She would say, 'I don't want to go to school.'" Watch how Pinki was transformed by the operation » . "Pinki was a depressed, sad, lonely, shy, young little girl, growing up on the periphery of the society in a little village," said Satish Kalra, director of Smile Train's South Asian region, after meeting with Pinki. The little girl's own family was ashamed of her, Kalra says. But all of that has changed. Pinki is now a real pistol, full of energy and confidence, and she has a fantastic smile too -- thanks to the Smile Train charity. Smile Train teaches doctors in their own countries to operate on cleft lips, a deformity afflicting up to four million children across the world. iReport: Share your Oscar predictions . Pinki just happened to be one of the chosen candidates for surgery and was also chosen to be the subject of the documentary. The film chronicles her transformation, following her from her village to the hospital and home again. "She has absolutely and totally changed," said Pinki's surgeon, Dr. Subodh Kumar. The film's director is Megan Mylan. She has won several awards but not an Oscar -- until now. For Pinki and her dad, being able to see the film's director win an Oscar would be a thrill. But they know they already have the greatest prize: Pinki's new smile. "I am so happy that my daughter's lips have been repaired," her dad Rajendra said with a smile, expressing hope that the movie will inspire people to help children whose families can't afford the surgery.

NEW: "Smile Pinki" wins best short documentary Oscar . Pinki Sonkar was born with cleft lip; her family in India couldn't afford surgery . Smile Train charity provided operation; 4 million children worldwide have cleft lips . Pinki, once an outcast because of the deformity, will attend the Oscar ceremony .

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TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- A Swiss diplomat was released from jail Thursday after being arrested on a sex charge, the Iranian media reported. The first secretary of the U.S. Interests section of the Swiss Embassy in Tehran had been in an "indecent sexual relation" with an Iranian woman in his car, Iran's Press TV reported, citing Iranian police. Police spotted the car with diplomatic plates in a parking lot and caught the diplomat. The woman was "improperly dressed and in an obscene situation," Press TV said. The "sexual relation" occurred after the diplomat, who was not named, promised he would marry the woman, Press TV reported. Both were released on bail. It was not clear what charges were filed against the woman. Press TV said it had contacted the deputy head of the U.S. Interest Section in Tehran, Elizabeth Bucher, but she would not comment on the report. The suspect is a Swiss diplomat who represents the United States in Iran in the absence of a U.S. presence. The United States and Iran have not had full diplomatic relations since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Diplomat said to have been in "indecent sexual relation" with woman in car . Swiss embassy staffer was seen with woman "in an obscene situation" Incident occurred after diplomat promised to marry the woman, reports said .

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(CNN) -- Arsenal striker Eduardo has been ruled out for two weeks with a hamstring injury just days after returning from a broken leg. Eduardo sinks to his knees after opening the scoring on his Arsenal first team comeback on Monday. The Croatian international only made his comeback after a year out in Monday's FA Cup fourth-round victory against Cardiff. The 25-year-old marked his return with two goals in the 4-0 success at the Emirates Stadium, but his latest setback is not described as serious. Manager Arsene Wenger told Arsenal TV Online: "Eduardo is out for two weeks. He picked up a hamstring injury two minutes before I took him off. What a nightmare. "Nobody knows how it happened but I knew straight away after the game it would be a two-week job. It is nothing like he had before but I do know that little setbacks like this are part of being nine months out. "After that long out nobody plays six months on the trot. It is impossible. But at the same time it is a blow because, of course, he can score goals. He had shown that on Monday night."

Arsenal striker Eduardo is ruled out for two weeks due to a hamstring problem . The Croatian was hurt on Monday in his first game back after a year's absence . Eduardo scored twice against Cardiff on his return to action from a broken leg .

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(CNN) -- The Tennis Channel has canceled plans to broadcast a tournament in Dubai because an Israeli player was banned. Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer was denied a visa by the United Arab Emirates. Shahar Peer, the 45th-ranked women's player according to the World Tennis Association, qualified to compete in this week's Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships but was denied a visa by the United Arab Emirates. Dubai is one of the seven emirates of the UAE. The cable network had planned to air parts of the tournament this weekend. "Tennis Channel recognizes that this exclusion has been made by state authorities and neither the tour nor tournament directors themselves," said a statement posted on the channel's Web site Wednesday. "However we also honor the role and proud tradition that tennis has always played as a driving force for inclusion both on and off the courts. "Preventing an otherwise qualified athlete from competing on the basis of anything other than merit has no place in tennis or any other sport, and has the unfortunate result of undermining the credibility of the very nature of competition itself." The announcement comes the same day The Wall Street Journal Europe announced it is dropping its sponsorship of the tournament. "The Wall Street Journal's editorial philosophy is free markets and free people, and this action runs counter to the Journal's editorial direction," the Journal said in a written statement. The paper also said it plans to cancel a special tennis-themed advertising section scheduled for Monday and its backing of a men's tournament in Dubai scheduled for next week. After days of international criticism, including the WTA saying it would review whether the UAE should be allowed to host future tournaments, the event's organizers said Peer was barred from the tournament for her own protection, apparently alluding to Israel's recent military offensive in Gaza. "We do not wish to politicize sports, but we have to be sensitive to recent events in the region and not alienate or put at risk the players and the many tennis fans of different nationalities that we have here," organizers said in a written statement. The statement cited anti-Israel protests before one of Peer's matches at a recent tournament in New Zealand. But this is not the first time the UAE has barred Israeli tennis players. Last year, an Israeli men's doubles team was denied entry. The emirate also cited security concerns then. In a statement posted on the Tennis Channel's site, Peer thanked the cable channel for its decision. "I was very moved and excited to hear about your decision not to broadcast the Dubai tournament following their denial to allow me to participate in the event," she wrote. "You at Tennis Channel were the first ones to add action to the words and this is leading the way to other organizations as well. "All I want is to play tennis and do well. I believe you are helping me to do exactly this."

United Arab Emirates denies visa to Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer . Tennis Channel: Sport should be 'driving force for inclusion ... on and off the courts' Wall Street Journal Europe drops sponsorship of Barclays Dubai Tennis tourney . Peer thanks channel: 'I was very moved and excited to hear about your decision'

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- A jury Tuesday acquitted three men of charges that they helped the bombers who carried out the July 7, 2005, attacks on the London transportation system. Sadeer Saleem was accused of helping to plan the July 7, 2005 bombings in London . The four bombers died in the blasts, but Waheed Ali, Sadeer Saleem and Mohammed Shakil were accused of helping them by conducting reconnaissance and conspiring with them. Two of the men -- Ali and Shakil -- were convicted of a second charge of conspiracy to attend a place used for terrorist training. They will be sentenced Wednesday, London's Metropolitan Police said. Tuesday's verdicts came at the end of the men's retrial at Kingston Crown Court in southwest London. A separate jury failed to reach a verdict in their first trial, which ended in August after three months. The bombings in 2005 killed 52 people in blasts on three subway trains and a bus. At least 900 people were wounded. Police arrested the three in March 2007 after piecing together what they called a "complicated jigsaw with thousands of pieces." They were charged in April 2007. Police said they analyzed more than 4,700 phone numbers and 90,000 calls. They discovered the three men had made a trip to London in December 2004 -- seven months before the fatal bombings -- which prosecutors claimed was a reconnaissance trip to scout potential targets. Prosecutors said that on December 16, 2004, the men traveled from the northern English city of Leeds to London, along with Hasib Hussain, one of the July 7 bombers. When they got to the capital, they met with Lindsay. Over the next two days, prosecutors claimed, the men visited tourist sites including the London Eye ferris wheel, the London Aquarium and the Natural History Museum, as well as underground train locations. Some of the spots, prosecutors said, were near where the July 7 bombs were eventually detonated. Police called it "the first feasibility study" for the London bombings -- and whether they were looking at tourist or transportation sites, the men were seeking out potential bomb targets, police said. The three men, who always denied the charges, acknowledged making the trip but said it was just an innocent outing to visit Ali's sister in London. Saleem told the court that he had had "no idea whatsoever" about the plot. Traces of DNA linked all three alleged accomplices in some way to the bombers, police had claimed. Investigators found Ali's fingerprints on evidence found at the bomb-making sites. Khan, Lindsay, Hussain and a fourth bomber, Shehzad Tanweer, set off a series of bombs the morning of July 7, 2005. They exploded on underground trains near Liverpool Street, Russell Square and Edgware Road and on a double-decker bus at Tavistock Square. Police have previously said they believe others with knowledge of the attacks remain at large. The jury found that in July 2001, Ali went with Khan to Pakistan. In July 2003, Shakil went with Khan to a camp in Pakistan, where the two undertook firearms training with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and AK-47 assault rifles, London police said. The jury found Ali and Shakil guilty of conspiring to attend a place used for terrorist training, knowing or believing that instruction or training would be provided for purposes connected with the commission or preparation of acts of terrorism, London police said. "Mohammed Siddique Khan and Mohammed Shakil told other attendees that their aim was to fight in Afghanistan," said John McDowall, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command. "They were proficient in the use of and handling of terrorist weapons, and were certainly not enjoying a day out in a beautiful and mountainous area of Pakistan, as was suggested in court. "Shakil himself accepted that the camp at Malakand was a serious business, whose purpose was to train willing volunteers to fight and kill in Afghanistan on behalf of the Taliban, a cause to which both he and Ali were, and remain, sympathetic," McDowall said.

Jury acquits three accused of involvement in July 7, 2005, attacks on London . Verdicts came at the end of the men's retrial . Three men had always denied the charges .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- William Jackson was a slave in the home of Confederate president Jefferson Davis during the Civil War. It turns out he was also a spy for the Union Army, providing key secrets to the North about the Confederacy. William Jackson, a slave, listened closely to Jefferson Davis' conversations and leaked them to the North. Jackson was Davis' house servant and personal coachman. He learned high-level details about Confederate battle plans and movements because Davis saw him as a "piece of furniture" -- not a human, according to Ken Dagler, author of "Black Dispatches," which explores espionage by America's slaves. "Because of his role as a menial servant, he simply was ignored," Dagler said. "So Jefferson Davis would hold conversations with military and Confederate civilian officials in his presence." Dagler has written extensively on the issue for the CIA's Center for the Study of Intelligence . Watch the stories of slaves as spies » . In late 1861, Jackson fled across enemy lines and was immediately debriefed by Union soldiers. Dagler said Jackson provided information about supply routes and military strategy. "In Jackson's case, what he did was ... present some of the current issues that were affecting the Confederacy that you could not read about in the local press that was being passed back and forth across local lines. He actually had some feel for the issues of supply problems," Dagler said. Jackson and other slaves' heroic efforts have been a forgotten legacy of the war -- lost amid the nation's racially charged past and the heaps of information about the war's historic battles. But historians over the last few decades have been taking an interest in the sacrifice of African-Americans during those war years. Jackson's espionage is mentioned in a letter from a general to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell refers to "Jeff Davis' coachman" as the source of information about Confederate deployments. Watch grandson of slaves: "They call me Little Man" » . Dagler said slaves who served as spies were able to collect incredibly detailed information, in large part because of their tradition of oral history. Because Southern laws prevented blacks from learning how to read and write, he said, the slave spies listened intently to minute details and memorized them. "What the Union officers found very quickly with those who crossed the line ... was that if you talked to them, they remembered a great more in the way of details and specifics than the average person ... because again they relied totally on their memory as opposed to any written records," he said. Jackson wasn't the only spy. There were hundreds of them. In some cases, the slaves made it to the North, only to return to the South to risk being hanged. One Union general wrote that he counted on black spies in Tennessee because "no white man had the pluck to do it." No one was better than Robert Smalls, a slave who guided vital supply ships in and out of Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. He eventually escaped and provided the Union with "a turning of the forces in Charleston Harbor," according to an annual report of the Navy secretary to President Lincoln. "A debriefing of him gave ... the Union force there the entire fortification scheme for the interior harbor," Dagler said. One of the most iconic spies was Harriet Tubman, who ran the Underground Railroad, bringing slaves to the North. In 1863, she was asked by the Union to help with espionage in South Carolina. She picked former slaves from the region for an espionage ring and led many of the spy expeditions herself. "The height of her intelligence involvement occurred late in 1863 when she actually led a raid into South Carolina," Dagler said. "In addition to the destruction of millions of dollars of property, she brought out over 800 slaves back into freedom in the North." As the nation marks Black History Month in February, Dagler said that history should include the sacrifices of the African-Americans who risked their lives for their nation. Many paid the ultimate sacrifice. "They were all over the place, and no one [in the South] considered them to be of any value. Consequently, they heard and saw virtually everything done by their masters, who were the decision-makers," Dagler said. Whatever happened to William Jackson, the spy in Jefferson Davis's house? Unfortunately, that remains a great unknown. "He simply disappeared from history, as so many of them have." CNN's Wayne Drash contributed to this report.

William Jackson, a slave, learned key details inside the home of Jefferson Davis . Davis was president of the Confederacy; Jackson leaked key secrets to the Union . "Because of his role as a menial servant, he simply was ignored" by Southerners . Author said history must never forget the sacrifice of African-Americans in Civil War .

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BABAHOYO, Ecuador (CNN) -- At least 10 people have died and thousands have been left homeless after torrential rains inundated large parts of Ecuador, officials said Thursday. Authorities said the rains, which began a week ago, were the worst in a quarter century. Civil defense officials said more than 10,000 families have been affected. Los Ríos -- north of Guayaquil -- was the hardest hit of nine provinces affected, civil defense officials said. In Los Ríos province, five people died when an ambulance drove into a hole at the side of a street at dawn Thursday. A newborn boy, his parents, a doctor and a driver were killed. Streets also were flooded in the capital of Quito. Watch the scenes of devastation in Ecuador » . On Wednesday, President Rafael Correa declared a state of emergency and ordered 2,000 members of the army and the police to help rescue workers. Correa increased by $25 million the $10 million he already had allocated for the emergency efforts. He also directed another $88 million to municipalities. Once the crisis has eased, an emergency fund will give seed and fertilizer to help farmers whose fields were washed away, Ecuador's government said. There also have been reports of livestock drowning. Cristina Medina, a spokeswoman for the Ecuadorean Red Cross, said provinces most heavily affected were along the Pacific coast, where drinking water was often in short supply. In some towns, high waters forced entire neighborhoods to evacuate, Medina said. E-mail to a friend .

At least 10 people have died in torrential rains in Ecuador, officials say . Authorities say the rains are the worst in a quarter century . Civil defense officials say more than 10,000 families have been affected . Ecuador's president declares state of emergency, orders army, police to help .

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(CNN) -- After a nearly decade-long effort, the National Congress of Black Women on Tuesday honored Sojourner Truth by making her the first African-American woman to have a memorial bust in the U.S. Capitol. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and first lady Michelle Obama applaud the unveiling of the Sojourner Truth bust. Truth, whose given name was Isabella Baumfree, was a slave who became one of the most respected abolitionists and women's rights activists. "One could only imagine what Sojourner Truth, an outspoken, tell-it-like-it-is kind of woman ... what she would have to say about this incredible gathering," first lady Michelle Obama said at the Celebration of Truth ceremony. "We are all here because, as my husband says time and time again, we stand on the shoulders of giants like Sojourner Truth." "And just as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott would be pleased to know that we have a woman serving as the speaker of the House of Representatives, I hope that Sojourner Truth would be proud to see me, a descendant of slaves, serving as the first lady of the United States of America," she said. Dignitaries and congressional leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, House Republican Leader John Boehner and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, attended the ceremony marking the unveiling of the statue. Along with musical performances, actress Cicely Tyson recited "Ain't I A Woman," Truth's famous 1851 speech to a women's rights convention. Clinton and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who worked together to draft legislation to commission the bust, were among speakers who paid tribute to the late C. Delores Tucker, former chairwoman of the NCBW, who spearheaded the effort for the Truth memorial. "What a wonderful day it is to be here in Emancipation Hall for this great occasion when Sojourner Truth takes her rightful place alongside the heroes who have helped to shape our nation's history," Clinton said. "Today, she takes her place in this Capitol, and we are the better for it," Clinton said. "She is a sojourner of truth, by truth, and for truth. And her words, her example and her legacy will never perish from this earth, so long as men and women stand up and say loudly and clearly, 'We hear you echoing down through the years of history. We believe that your journey is not yet over, and we will make the rest of that journey with you.' " The bronze statue, which was crafted by Los Angeles, California, sculptor Artis Lane, will stand in Emancipation Hall at the Capitol Visitor Center. "All the visitors in the U.S. Capitol will hear the story of brave women who endured the greatest of humanity's indignities. They'll hear the story of Sojourner Truth, who didn't allow those indignities to destroy her spirit, who fought for her own freedom and then used her powers ... to help others," Michelle Obama said. "The power of this bust will not just be in the metal that delineates Sojourner Truth's face; it will also be in the message that defines her legacy. Forevermore, in the halls of one of our country's greatest monuments of liberty and equality, justice and freedom, Sojourner Truth's story will be told again and again and again and again." In 1997, Congress passed a special act that called for relocating the Portrait Monument from the Capitol basement to the rotunda. The 7.5-ton statue depicts three leaders of the suffragette movement -- Anthony, Stanton and Mott. A group called the Sojourner Truth Crusade was upset about the statue's relocation because it didn't incorporate Truth. After Congress agreed to go ahead with a move, advocates proposed commissioning a new statue that would include Truth. In 2006, Congress passed a bill to honor the abolitionist with her own memorial.

Sojourner Truth was an abolitionist and women's rights activist . Her bust will be on display at Emancipation Hall at the Capitol Visitor Center . Ceremony follows a nearly 10-year effort by National Congress of Black Women . "Sojourner Truth's story will be told again and again," first lady Michelle Obama says .

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(CNN) -- At least 50 officers and civilians were feared dead after Bangladeshi paramilitary troops staged a mutiny, taking dozens of high-ranking officers and military brass hostage, the country's law minister said Thursday. Bangladeshi soldiers take position armed with automatic weapons in Dhaka on Wednesday. As dawn broke, the rebelling troops with the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) allowed government officials entry into the headquarters in the capital city of Dhaka -- the scene of a day-long standoff Wednesday. The troops agreed to lay down their arms after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina agreed to offer them amnesty. Ministers went door to door within the compound's officers' quarters to assure frightened women and children it was safe to come out. "Nearly 50 people have been killed in sporadic fighting in the headquarters of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR)," Mohammad Quamrul Islam, state minister for law and parliamentary affairs told reporters. In addition to military officials and BDR brass, the dead and wounded included passersby, including a rickshaw puller, struck by stray bullets during the gun battle, the Dhaka Medical College Hospital said. CNN was not immediately able to confirm the exact casualty count, with medical officials saying a final number will come after they had a chance to comb through the premises looking for bodies. At around 4:30 a.m. (10:30 p.m. GMT) Thursday, Bangladeshi TV channels broadcast video of Home Minister Sahara Kahtun telling rebelling paramilitary officers in the room that she could assure them the government would listen to their grievances. As she spoke, officers deposited weapons and ammunition onto a table in front of her and into piles on the floor. The video was initially broadcast on state run TV station BTV. Various private networks picked it up soon after. The Rifles is a paramilitary force responsible primarily for guarding the country's borders. The force, more than 65,000-strong, also takes part in operations such as monitoring polls. The troops staged their rebellion on the second day of BDR Week when officers and troop members from various BDR outposts along the border were in the capital for celebrations. At least 5,000 -- maybe more -- BDR personnel were inside the compound in the Pilkhana area of the capital when the mutiny occurred about 7:45 a.m. local time Wednesday, said Mohammed Sajjad Haider, spokesman for the information ministry. Their mobile phones were turned off, making it difficult for the government to get a handle on the situation, he said. The rebelling troops were low-ranking members of the BDR, akin to infantrymen, who were angry at the way they were treated by their superiors, Haider said. "They have several demands," Haider said. "They want pay parity with the army, they want job security, they want better food rations." The mutiny is the most serious crisis for Bangladesh's newly elected government, which came into power in December after two years of army-backed rule. Throughout the day and into the night, curious onlookers gathered outside the compound -- only to scramble for cover as sounds of gunfire periodically pierced the air. Plumes of black smoke coming from inside the compound could be seen for miles throughout the capital. Occasionally, the rebelling troops -- red bandannas covering their faces and guns slung over their shoulders -- walked past the closed gates of the compound, chanting, "We have been deprived for a long time, we have deep grievances." "I've been hearing gunfire all morning," said Zunaid Kazi, a San Diego, California, resident who is staying at a house a few blocks from the headquarters. Watch as Kazi describes what he saw and heard » . "There will be a little lull and then the sustained gunfire will pick up again," he said. "I can hear military helicopters in the sky. It's very rattling."

NEW: Home minister shown assuring rebel officers their grievances would be heard . NEW: Ministers go door to door to assure frightened women and children of safety . NEW: Dead and wounded include military officials, BDR brass and passersby . NEW: Rebelling troops were low-ranking members of BDR, information ministry says .

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(CNN) -- Andriy Shevchenko's agent admits it is highly unlikely the AC Milan striker will stay at the San Siro beyond the end of the season. Shevchenko has made just two Serie A appearances in a disappointing season for Milan. Shevchenko returned to Milan on loan from Chelsea last summer but has disappointed since his move back to Italy. The Ukraine striker has found himself mainly on the substitutes' bench, making just two league appearances this season, and agent Fabio Parisi believes his client will not be in Italy next season. "Shevchenko is a player on loan at Milan from Chelsea and I think he will return to London," he told www.Calciomercato.it. "Frankly, I don't think it's possible that the Rossoneri will decide to keep him. I don't know what kind of rapport he has found with coach(Carlo) Ancelotti and his team-mates, the only problem is that he is a player on loan and, given how the season has gone, I think Andriy will return to Chelsea. "It does depend on who will be the coach and what he wants to do -- but I don't think the doors of Italy will re-open for him next season. "Anyway, Sheva will decide on his own, he's quite calm, he doesn't need anyone's help. However, another country seems to me the more likely option." Shevchenko admitted at the end of March that he would probably return to London but, after scoring for Ukraine against England and providing a crucial assist against Lecce, the 32-year-old claimed earlier this month that he hoped to still be at the San Siro next season.

Andriy Shevchenko unlikely to stay at AC Milan next season claims his agent . Ukrainian Shevchenko returned to San Siro on loan from Chelsea last summer . However he has played only two Serie A matches in a disappointing campaign .

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(CNN) -- African Voices catch up with Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, Africa's man of letters. A contender for the title of Africa's most widely read novelist, his first work "Things Fall Apart" has been translated into 40 languages. "I think story telling was my life. I was very curious about story telling. Even attempting to remember the first one is like trying to remember the day you were born, I'm not sure you can," he told CNN.

Celebrated Nigerian author has been resident in New York for over 20 years . Most famous work, "Things Fall Apart" translated into over 40 languages . "It's my ambition to distinguish between good and bad novels," he told CNN .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Edwin van der Sar claimed the all-time British record for minutes without conceding a goal during Manchester United's 1-0 win over West Ham on Sunday. Triumphant: Edwin van der Sar holds the British goalkeeping record for most time without conceding. The Dutch veteran also took the 30-year-old English record from Steve Death last week. Death's name, with all due respect to the former Reading custodian, is not up there with the game's greats. So who is in Van der Sar's league as football's finest shot-stoppers, the men who rarely get the credit but often cop the flak? Here, Football Fanzone presents a run down of the best goalkeepers in history. Read through our picks and tell us if you disagree or if we've missed anyone in the Sound Off box below. What do you think of van der Sar's inclusion? Lev Yashin (USSR) Yahsin is the only goalkeeper ever to be named European Footballer of the Year, in 1963. Dubbed the Black Spider for his all-black outfit and what seemed like eight limbs, the Russian even invented the concept of the keeper as sweeper. In the days when keepers were not protected by referees as they are today, Yashin's bravery and acrobatics were legendary and 207 clean sheets and 150 penalties saves he made in a 22-year career tell their own story. The best keeper at each World Cup is presented with the Yashin Award. Dino Zoff (Italy) Zoff is one of just two goalkeepers to lift the World Cup having captained Italy to their third crown in 1982. He was already 40 then, making him the oldest World Cup-winning captain too. But the unflappable Zoff's achievements don't end there: he holds the record for the longest playing time without conceding in international tournaments (1,142 minutes) set between 1972 and 1974. And with 112 caps, he ranks third in the Azzurri's all-time list. A true great. Gordon Banks (England) "What a save," so the commentary runs to the finest piece of goalkeeping ever and one of football's most memorable moments. Pele was certain he'd scored after meeting Jairzinho's center, heading powerfully down into the left-hand corner of the net in Brazil's 1-0 1970 World Cup group win over England. But somehow Banks scrambled across, miraculously diving to push the ball up over the bar. Banks might have been immortalized by that stop, but his absence through illness from England's subsequent quarter-final against West Germany was perhaps more telling when his replacement Peter Bonetti was made a scapegoat for the defending champions' defeat. Peter Schmeichel (Denmark) Schmeichel will go down as Sir Alex Ferguson's best signing for Manchester United, certainly pound-for-pound. Bought for just $750,000 in 1991, the imposing Schmeichel would provide United everything a world-class goalkeeper requires -- including the ability to launch a swift counter-attack. He won Euro 92 with Denmark and the Treble with United in 1999, while 13 career goals are not to be sniffed at either. He played on a season too long, maybe, but on his day there were few better. Edwin van der Sar (Holland) At 38, the rangy Van der Sar is in the very twilight of his career -- but what a career it's been. The man from Voorhout holds the record number of caps for Holland, he's won the Champions League twice and is on course to win a third Premier League title in a row with Manchester United this season. All of which makes you wonder how come he spent so long at Fulham? United fans would love to have had Van der Sar way before 2005; he has proved to be the definitive Schmeichel replacement. Iker Casillas (Spain) It's easy to take Casillas' brilliance for granted, but stand back and look at his career and it's clear he's already one of the greats. Real Madrid have always been able to lure the best, yet they've had the agile Casillas as their number-one No.1 since 1999 -- when he was still a teenager. Still only 27, Casillas is contracted to the club until 2017. He's already won two Champions Leagues and four La Liga titles. At international level he came into his own during 2008 by captaining Spain to the European Championship, becoming the first goalkeeper to do so. Ricardo Zamora's legacy is safe hands. Pat Jennings (Northern Ireland) Jennings was a late starter in the position and famously had no official coaching. His international career spanned a record-breaking six World Cups (including qualifying campaigns) across 22 years. By the time he came out of retirement to play for Northern Ireland at Mexico 1986, Jennings was 41 and ended the tournament with 119 caps. He played more than 1,000 games, including crossing the bitter north London divide by playing for Tottenham and Arsenal. The unflappable Jennings' enormous hands were his trademark and the curse of many an attacker. Gianluigi Buffon (Italy) Buffon vies with Casillas and the Czech Republic's Petr Cech to be considered the best goalkeeper around at the moment, but in a country with a long tradition of high-quality No.1s Buffon is up there with the very best. Winning the 2006 Yashin Award was the perfect riposte to his critics after Juventus' dramatic fall from grace owing to match-fixing. Buffon, an imposing figure with no obvious weaknesses, stayed loyal to the Old Lady, who made him the world's most expensive goalkeeper in 2001 when they paid Parma $46.2m for him. He's been worth every cent. Jose Luis Chilavert (Paraguay) If there's one thing a goalkeeper is not expected to do -- other than to make a mistake -- it's score a goal. Given Chilavert netted no fewer than 62 times in his career, including eight for his country, it seems only fair he should be included on this list. Brazil's Rogerio Ceni may have outscored him and Rene Higuita of Colombia might have out-done him on the chutzpah front, but Chilavert's pioneering free-kicks and penalties have made him a legend. Mohamed Al-Deayea (Saudi Arabia) Goalkeepers are known for their longevity and ability to perform into their 40s. That makes Al-Deayea a relative youngster at just 36, but the Saudi Arabian holds the world record for the most number of international appearances. Over a 16-year career for the Middle Eastern country, Al-Deayea racked up a scarcely believable 181 caps.. Having started his career playing handball, Al-Deayea went on to play in three World Cups -- and was even on the receiving end of an 8-0 thumping by eventual finalists Germany at the 2002 tournament. Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico) This one is from the left-field and a little premature for a list containing the best goalkeepers of all time. But much is expected of Ochoa, Mexico's up-and-coming talent. He's already been linked with a move to Manchester United and he is on the radar of a number of Europe's top clubs. Reliant on his amazing reflexes, Ochoa is one of the best shot-stoppers out there and great at on-the-spot improvised saves. Ochoa's already established in the Mexico set-up and is already such a big star already that the American release of the FIFA 09 video game featured him on the front cover. Definitely one to watch.

Edwin van der Sar claims British record for minutes without conceding a goal . CNN picks 11 of the top goalkeepers of all time . Share your thoughts on who should in and who should be out .

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(CNN) -- It's often said that a real Southerner can "claim kin" with anyone. Tony Rand and his son Ripley learned last year that some of their relatives were African-American. Tony Rand realized the same could be true for him. Rand, whose family can trace its roots back to the 1700s, is a Democratic state senator in North Carolina. Until he watched the 2008 CNN documentary "Black in America," he had no idea that some of his relatives were black. Although firmly anchored in the South, the Rands are spread across the country. What connects them is their link to a common ancestor -- the family patriarch William Harrison Rand. "Hal" Rand, as he was known to most, was a white farmer and slave owner. In 1842, Hal married Sarah Ann Mullens and they had seven children. Hal also fathered seven children with his mistress, Ann Albrooks Rand, a black woman. Every other year, hundreds of African-American descendants of Hal Rand get together at a different location for a massive family reunion. It's a time to catch up and share stories, eat barbecue and have a good time. The 2007 Rand family reunion, held in Atlanta, Georgia, was featured in "Black in America." After the program aired, dozens of viewers across the country had the same revelation -- they, too, were related to the Rands. "I was sitting there, that Saturday night, just up reading the week's papers and watching the program," says Rand with a hearty Southern accent. The Rand family's missing link » . "Then I hear, 'We are the Rands. The mighty, mighty Rands," he recalls, referring to the words sung by family members as they embarked on their bi-annual pilgrimage. "And then I said to myself, 'What?'" Tony Rand listened as the family historian, Martha Rand Hix, described the family's patriarch. "When they were talking about William Harrison Rand, I knew that was the William Harrison Rand in our family," he said. "Then they started talking about North Carolina, and I said, 'Well, God oh mighty,' ... it was just amazing." The next day, he telephoned his 41-year old son, Ripley Rand, and asked him to contact their black relatives. Soon, Tony and Ripley Rand were invited to attend the next Rand family reunion in July in Sacramento, California. See photos of the Rand family members » But, what Tony Rand didn't know was that his son, a North Carolina Superior Court judge, had already been diligently working on the family genealogy. Ripley Rand had begun typing out a hand-bound version of a 100-page manuscript compiled by his great-uncle, Oscar Ripley Rand III, and started to create a digital version. Oscar Ripley Rand III was a Rhodes Scholar and retired Army colonel who spent years researching the family's history, according to Ripley Rand. Although Oscar Ripley Rand III had scoured the National Archives and spent years collecting information about the family, his memoirs contained no mention of William Harrison Rand's relationship and children with Ann Albrooks Rand. "My whole life I have heard about the history of our family and we had no idea about [the African-American side of the family]," Ripley Rand said. "The most surprising thing about it," he added, was that his great-uncle "probably never heard anything about it." Ripley Rand said he plans to attend the Rand family reunion this summer with his father and has updated his great uncle's research to include the story of the black side of the family. Both he and his father say they're looking forward to meeting their cousins. "I think it will be fun to see what the connections are," Ripley Rand said. "There's a whole group of family members who we did not know existed until last year." The revelation has inspired a few jokes among the senator's family and friends. "I always knew you were one of us," an African-American friend told the senator with a nudge and wink. Tony Rand is also quick to crack a joke about anything from sports and politics to food. Namely chitterlings -- a traditionally Southern delicacy made from pig intestines -- and barbecue pork. A few of the things a "Yankee" might not know much about. "There's an old joke in the South," he explained. "If somebody was cooking chitlins and collards at the same time -- the smell was so strong that the fire would try to break out of the house." A proud member of the Wake County Chitlin Club, a group of politically active men who gather every year at the annual Chitlin Dinner, Tony Rand is proud of his Southern heritage. Calling North Carolina barbecue "good" won't do for the senator, who insists his state has the best "pig pickin." "North Carolina is a great place, we've got the mountains, we've got good college basketball and we've got good barbecue," he said. "What more could a good person aspire to?" Given that barbecue is also a tradition at the Rand family reunion, there's already some common ground for the lawmaker and his kin. Even though he's "expecting to meet some interesting people" at this year's reunion, he's not expecting much in the way of barbecue "given that it's in California and all."

North Carolina Sen. Tony Rand had no idea some of his relatives were black . Family patriarch "Hal" Rand fathered children with his white wife, black mistress . Tony Rand and his son, Ripley, plan to attend the 2009 Rand family reunion .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- British union leaders will recommend Thursday ending an unofficial strike that has dragged on more than a week at the country's third-largest oil refinery, the arbitrator in the dispute announced Wednesday. Protesters at the Lindsay Oil Refinery are opposed to plans to employ non-British workers at the plant. Workers walked off the job January 28 to protest the hiring of hundreds of foreign workers for a construction project at the Lindsey oil refinery in eastern England. Their action has prompted similar "wildcat" strikes, unsanctioned by national unions, at other sites across the country. The compromise will involve opening 101 new jobs to British workers, the arbitration service ACAS said in a written statement. Local union leaders had earlier told demonstrators they were near their goal of being offered half the jobs involved in one of the latest subcontracts connected to the construction project -- 102 new jobs for a minimum of nine weeks. "If you can't be happy with that, you can't be happy with anything," a local union official said at a demonstration televised by Britain's Sky News. The union leader did not identify himself. The French-based oil company Total, which owns the plant, confirmed a deal was in the cards. "Union officials will present details of the agreement to the workforce at 7:30 a.m. (2:30 a.m. ET Thursday) and recommend a return to work," Total said in a release. Stephen Hughes, a Labour legislator in the European Parliament, warned that the reported compromise could itself run afoul of European labor law, opening the way for foreign workers who lose out to British labor to claim they were being discriminated against on the basis of nationality. Union leaders have been meeting over three days with Total, Jacobs, the main site contractor, and IREM, the Italian firm hired to carry out the project, in talks moderated by ACAS. They had already rejected one proposal, a union official told CNN. Union leaders accuse Total of discriminating against British workers by subcontracting with IREM, which has hired workers from Italy and Portugal. Total rejects the allegation. Overall, the construction project has employed, directly or indirectly, 600 to 1,000 workers for about 18 months, Total said. "It has never been, and never will be, the policy of Total to discriminate against British companies or British workers. We have been a major local employer for 40 years and the majority of our 500 permanent staff are local," the company said in a statement released Monday. It said IREM had won the sub-contract through a fair and legal bidding process. ACAS will investigate the bidding process and report within weeks, it said Wednesday. Hundreds of workers at British power plants and refineries have been walking off the job in unofficial "wildcat" strikes since the Lindsey workers put down their tools last Wednesday. Spontaneous strikes took place Tuesday in every corner of the country: at the Stanlow oil refinery in western England, Drax power station in the northeast, Petroplus Coryton Refinery in the southeast and Longannet power station in Scotland. A total of nearly 1,000 workers were off the job at the three English locations. Scottish Power did not specify how many workers were on strike. Representatives of all four plants said contractors, not full-time staff, had walked off the job, and all said operations were not affected. But resolving the Lindsey strike may not be the end of the matter. Union leaders say the strike there is only a reflection of problems with the way Britain implements European Union employment directives. Unite, one of the UK's largest unions, called last week for a national protest in London. The country's main labor groups have all issued statements in support of the striking workers. "The government is failing to grasp the fundamental issues. The problem is not workers from other European countries working in the UK, nor is it about foreign contractors winning contracts in the UK. The problem is that employers are excluding UK workers from even applying for work on these contracts," Unite General Secretary Derek Simpson said Tuesday. "No European worker should be barred from applying for a British job and absolutely no British worker should be barred from applying for a British job." The dispute has reverberated up to the highest levels of government, with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition trading barbs about it in Parliament on Wednesday. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he hoped workers would accept the ACAS-moderated deal despite their "reservations." Brown also rejected accusations by Conservative leader David Cameron that his use of the slogan "British jobs for British workers" in a 2007 speech had pandered to "protectionist fears." "Can anybody here say that they don't want British workers to get jobs in our country?" Brown retorted in the House of Commons.

Deal agreed to end strike over non-UK labor at British oil refinery . Arbitration service says deal involves offering 101 new jobs to British workers . Member of European Parliament warns deal might break EU labor law . Protests sparked by Total awarding project to Italian firm employing Italians .

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(CNN) -- Americans planning to go to Mexico should "postpone" their trips because of the swine flu outbreak, a top health official said Tuesday. Two women wear face masks as they arrive at Germany's Frankfurt International Airport from Mexico City. "Based on what I know as a public health official and as a physician, I would not recommend people go on nonessential travel," said Dr. Richard Besser, the acting head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "If I had vacation plans in Mexico coming up right now, I'd look to postpone those," he said on CNN's "American Morning." The CDC issued a travel health warning about Mexico on Monday, and the U.S. State Department issued a travel alert -- not the more serious warning -- based on the CDC advice. U.S. consular operations in Mexico will be affected by the swine flu outbreak, the State Department said in its alert Monday. European Union health commissioner Androulla Vassiliou warned Monday against nonessential travel to "areas which are reported to be the center of the clusters" of infection. Learn more about swine flu » . She did not issue a travel advisory, as some reports initially suggested. The EU does not have the power to issue such warnings. "I would also suggest to travelers to seek immediate medical advice if they have any of the symptoms described," she said, in what the EU later clarified was a personal statement. Some European Union countries issued travel warnings of their own, including Britain. That prompted some tour operators to cancel trips to Mexico, including Thompson First Choice, Thomas Cook and Virgin Holidays, three of Britain's biggest travel agencies. Thompson is bringing vacationers home to Britain from Mexico and canceled flights there Tuesday. Thomas Cook put all trips to Cancun on hold for a week and offered free changes in destination to anyone booked to vacation in Mexico in May. Virgin is shelving trips to Mexico through May 5. There are probably 10,000 British people on vacation in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, Frances Tuke of the Association of British Travel Agents said . "That's a lot of flights that are needed" to bring them home, she said. "There are a lot of logistics issue there in terms of bringing people home." Carnival Cruise Lines canceled ports of call in Mexico for three of its ships Tuesday, the company said. It is continuing to finalize plans for upcoming cruises, it said, and planned to release details later Tuesday or early Wednesday. Canada's Air Transat is postponing its flights from Canada to Mexico through June 1 and from France to Mexico through May 31, it announced in a statement. Many countries are checking travelers as they arrive, including China, which is screening aggressively in the wake of the SARS outbreak that killed almost 350 people there in 2003. Indonesia is putting travelers through a thermal scanner that spots excessive heat; those who test positive go through a "body-cleaning machine" that sprays a disinfecting solution of 70 percent alcohol on their hands and body. The system does not detect viruses and was not put in place because of swine flu, Indonesian health officials say, but is intended as an early-warning system to prevent diseases from entering the country. Japan suspended visa waivers for Mexican visitors, a Foreign Ministry official said. CNN's Alysen Miller, Isa Soares, John Zarrella, John Vause and Arwa Damon contributed to this report.

CDC head: "I would not recommend people go [to Mexico] on nonessential travel" The CDC issued a travel health warning about Mexico on Monday . The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert . Countries around the world are taking precautions to stem spread of swine flu .

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(CNN) -- A crew member on a U.S.-flagged cargo ship captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia is suing his employers, claiming they sent him into pirate-infested waters without adequate protection, his attorney said Monday. Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse has been charged with piracy in federal court in New York. Richard Hicks of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, a crew member on the Maersk Alabama, filed suit Monday against Waterman Steamship Corp. and Maersk Line Limited, according to the attorney, Terry Bryant. A spokeswoman for Mobile, Alabama-based Waterman Steamship Corp. said she did not know about the suit and did not immediately comment. A spokeswoman for Maersk Line Limited did not immediately return a call from CNN seeking comment. The Maersk Alabama was hijacked by pirates April 8. Hicks, working as chief steward and preparing food for other crew members, heard over the loudspeaker that pirates were on board, and he and other crew members gathered in the ship's engine room for nearly 12 hours, according to a news release from Bryant. "The engine room was dark and hot, maybe 130 degrees," Hicks said in the news release. "We were all cramping up with heat stroke symptoms when we were able to take a pirate hostage and tried to negotiate the return of our captain." The pirates promised to exchange Capt. Richard Phillips for the pirate hostage, but reneged on that agreement, the news release. Phillips offered himself as a hostage in exchange for the freedom of his crew. He was held on a lifeboat until U.S. Navy snipers on a nearby ship fatally shot three pirates, rescued Phillips and arrested a fourth pirate. The ship's owners -- the two companies -- knowingly exposed their employees to danger and took no steps to provide appropriate security and safety for the crew, Bryant alleges. "Waterman Steamship Corp. and Maersk Line Limited chose to rely on the United States military and taxpayers to provide after-the-fact rescue operations," Bryant said in the news release. "This choice caused substantially more cost and risk to human life than what would have been incurred by defendants had they provided appropriate levels of security in the first place." Hicks is seeking at least $75,000, and "reserves the right to amend this pleading for a certain amount in the future, as it is too early to determine the maximum amount of plaintiff's damages," according to the suit. Hicks is still suffering from injuries as a result of the incident and is afraid to return to work, the news release said.

Suit alleges crew sent into pirate-infested waters without protection . Representatives of ship's owners have yet to comment . Maersk Alabama was hijacked by pirates April 8 . Plaintiff Richard Hicks, of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, was the ship's steward .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- House and Senate Democrats reached agreement late Monday on a budget resolution for 2010, which includes key spending priorities for the young Obama administration. The Senate and House could vote on the budget resolution Tuesday. President Obama's budget request is $3.67 trillion. "This budget is a major accomplishment," Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad said in a statement. "We are meeting President Obama's goals of reducing our dependence on foreign energy, striving for excellence in education, reforming our health care system, and providing middle-class tax relief." The agreement came as lawmakers were reconciling the House and Senate versions of the budget package. The president's budget request is $3.67 trillion. The full Senate and House are each expected to vote on the fiscal 2010 budget resolution this week. The House vote could come as soon as Tuesday. Budget negotiators have fast-tracked part of the budget process. Major health reform is likely to pass this year, because the special process -- known as budget reconciliation -- won't allow Republicans to filibuster the legislation, as was widely expected. Democrats, who currently control 58 seats in the Senate, will be able to pass it with a simple majority vote, instead of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster. Separately, conservative Democrats in the House, who have been pushing for a strong statement from leadership on fiscal responsibility in the budget, may have some of their concerns addressed. A Democratic aide told CNN that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer are drafting a letter to Senate leaders "throwing down the gauntlet" to insist that a pay-as-you-go system be followed, which would require new federal spending to be offset with budget cuts or tax increases. President Barack Obama called for the so-called "PAYGO" legislation in his weekend radio address. The budget resolution would limit increases in non-defense discretionary spending to 2.9 percent through 2014, according to Conrad. "While the budget resolution takes important steps in the near-term of cutting the deficit in half by 2012 and by two-thirds by 2014, it is clear that more will be needed to address the long-term fiscal imbalance confronting the nation beyond the five-year budget window," said Conrad. President Obama gathered his Cabinet members last week and challenged them to cut a total of $100 million in the next 90 days. In the context of the federal budget, $100 million in savings is a tiny amount, critics said. It is the equivalent, according to one example, of having a car dealer offer to shave $1 from the cost of a $36,700 vehicle. "Any amount of savings is obviously welcome," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said at the time. "But ($100 million is) about the average amount we'll spend every single day just covering the interest on the stimulus package that we passed earlier this year." White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said ordinary Americans would nevertheless appreciate the savings effort. "Only in Washington, D.C., is $100 million dollars not a lot of money. It is where I'm from. It is where I grew up. And I think it is for hundreds of millions of Americans." CNN's Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report.

House and Senate Dems say President Obama's goals addressed in resolution . Democratic leaders urge pay-as-you-go system that Obama has emphasized . Senate and House are each expected to vote on the budget resolution this week .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Editor's note: Watch The Screening Room March show at the following times: Saturday 28 March: 0730, 1800, Sunday 29 March: 0530, 1830, Monday 30 March: 0400 (all times GMT) Buzz around the release of DreamWorks' latest animated feature, "Monsters vs. Aliens," will add new momentum to the drive towards a fully-3D movie industry. DreamWorks Animation's 3D movie, "Monsters vs. Aliens" should give Hollywood's new medium of choice a welcome boost in tough economic times. It is a welcome boost to the 3D schedule: The introduction of special screens and digital projectors into cinemas across the world has slowed in the last six months along with the economy. Instead of the 5,000 3D screens expected to roll out, the figure is closer to 2,000, as the cost of installing new technology during the downturn causes pause for thought. The release of "Monsters vs. Aliens," along with the recent announcement that Pixar 3D animation, "Up" will open the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in May, should give Hollywood's new medium of choice a lift. "Monsters vs. Aliens," which U.S. movie industry bible, Variety describes as "'Monsters, Inc.' Meets 'War of the Worlds'" features a fight between a collection of well-loved movie monsters ( think 1950s B-movie characters like a 50 ft woman, a friendly amorphous blob, and a genius cockroach scientist) and alien invaders who want to take over Earth. The brains behind the feature -- which has an all-star cast including Reese Witherspoon and Kiefer Sutherland -- are Rob Letterman, the writer-director of Will Smith animated pic, "Shark Tale" and Conrad Vernon, the director of "Shrek 2." The film is one of a number of 3D films, like James Cameron's sci-fi "Avatar," already in production that are slated for 2009 and 2010 release. Of course, 3D is not new: Films like "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" and "It Came from Outer Space" first emerged during the affluent years of the 1950s, but because 3D was quite gimmicky the medium fell into decline and exhibitors turned their attention to other technologies. "Monsters vs. Aliens" is one of the new breed of 3D movies, projected digitally and very immersive for audiences, that Hollywood is hoping will lure paying audiences out of the comfort of their living rooms and back into cinemas. "Hollywood is throwing themselves into 3D like never before," said Nick De Semlyen, critic for British movie magazine, Empire. "All the big directors from Spielberg to Peter Jackson from 'Lord of the Rings,' they are making 3D films and it's looking like pretty much every big film is going to be in 3D in the next couple years ... It's a huge thing, it's a revolution." Do you think 3D will be a movie revolution or is it all hype. Tell us below in the SoundOff box. "Monsters vs. Aliens" is the first film that DreamWorks Animation, the Hollywood giant behind movies like the "Shrek" franchise, "Madagascar" and last year's "Kung Fu Panda," has designed from scratch as a purely 3D movie. Dennis Laws is Chief Projectionist at the BFI IMAX, which is home to the UK's biggest cinema screen and also has 3D capability. He told CNN, "It's the first film from DreamWorks that was designed from the very beginning to be in 3D and DreamWorks are very proud of the fact." DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg is probably 3D's most devoted advocate. He has said that the medium's introduction may be as significant to the movies as sound, and that all DreamWorks animations will be made in 3D from now on. "Mr Katzenberg was so articulate in explaining what he wanted to do, and it was very different than anything that I had ever heard of before, which was 3-D used as a gimmick in a film," Keifer Sutherland told CNN at the UK premiere of "Monsters vs. Aliens." Watch Kiefer Sutherland talking about "Monsters vs. Aliens" "He actually wanted to envelope the audience in the movie and make you feel like you were part of the scene. "That not only knocks down the fourth wall between the movie and the audience but it also furthers telling the story." With commercial 3D still in its infancy, all eyes are on each new release to take in the advances in the technology, which is moving forward very quickly. "The technology is growing really fast," De Semlyen told CNN, "It's very exciting." Mairi Mackay contributed to this story.

Buzz around "Monsters vs. Aliens" adds new momentum to drive for fully 3D industry . Economic slowdown affected introduction of 3D screens and projectors in cinemas . Other 3D films, like James Cameron's sci-fi "Avatar," slated for 2009 release . British film critic, Nick De Semlyen on 3D: "It's a revolution"

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NEW YORK (CNN) -- Good, but not enough, the Rev. Al Sharpton said in response to New York Post Chairman Rupert Murdoch's apology for a controversial editorial cartoon published in the newspaper. Online Wednesday, some Post readers reacted similarly. Rev. Al Sharpton, center, leads protests against the New York Post cartoon on February 19 in New York City. Sharpton has lead a chorus of criticism and allegations that the cartoon published Feb. 18 was racist. He said Murdoch's apology was a "good gesture," but he still had questions. Public debate on the issue continued to rage on the New York Post Web site early Wednesday, with some saying they were offended enough to cancel their subscriptions. Others defended the cartoon, calling it harmless and calling critics of it oversensitive. Murdoch's "apology leaves a lot more questions than it gives answers," Sharpton said Tuesday. "The question is what will guarantee that these kinds of things will not happen again. Let us make no mistake about it: We have seen two apologies in one week -- really one and a half apologies -- which is unprecedented, but clearly not far enough." The cartoon by Sean Delonas referenced the mauling of a Connecticut woman by a chimpanzee who was later shot and killed by police. In its caption, one of the officers says, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill." The cartoon was published the day after President Obama signed the stimulus bill. Watch CNN's Lou Dobbs talk with Sharpton » . The Post issued a statement the following day, apologizing but noting that the cartoon was meant to mock what it called an "ineptly written" stimulus bill. Many critics said the cartoon played on historically racist images by appearing to compare Obama, the nation's first black president, to the chimpanzee. Murdoch apologized Tuesday. "Today I want to personally apologize to any reader who felt offended, and even insulted," according to the statement from Murdoch, who is also chairman and CEO of News Corporation, which owns the paper. "I can assure you -- without a doubt -- that the only intent of that cartoon was to mock a badly written piece of legislation. "It was not meant to be racist, but unfortunately, it was interpreted by many as such. We all hold the readers of the New York Post in high regard, and I promise you that we will seek to be more attuned to the sensitivities of our community." Leaders of the NAACP on Saturday called for the firing of Delonas. Delonas called the controversy "absolutely friggin' ridiculous." "Do you really think I'm saying Obama should be shot? I didn't see that in the cartoon," Delonas told CNN. iReport.com: Should Murdoch, N.Y. Post do more? "It's about the economic stimulus bill," he added. "If you're going to make that about anybody, it would be (House Speaker Nancy) Pelosi, which it's not."

Sharpton: Rupert Murdoch's apology is a "good gesture," but he still has questions . Murdoch is chairman of N.Y. Post, which published chimp cartoon that created a fury . Many critics said the cartoon played on historically racist images . Cartoonist calls the controversy "absolutely friggin' ridiculous"

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(CNN) -- The figure peers down silently from an upper floor of the ruins of a Scottish castle, wearing what looks like an outfit from the Middle Ages. Could this be a long-dead Scottish earl, or just a random, modern-day visitor? The mysterious image captured by Chris Aitchison at Tantallon Castle in eastern Scotland. The eerie image is captured in a photograph taken by tourist Christopher Aitchison in May 2008 at Tantallon Castle, which sits on a rocky outcrop along the Scottish coast, east of Edinburgh. The "person" appears to be wearing an old-style greenish ruff around the neck. Aitchison insists he did not tamper with the image and cannot explain it. "I was not aware of anyone, or anything, being present in my picture, only noticing the anomaly when I got home," Aitchison said. "Staff have verified that there were no sinister dummies in period costume or historical reenactments going on that day at the castle. I did not notice any nice old ladies wearing ruffs walking around the stairs!" The picture was made public Friday by Richard Wiseman, a professor of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire who also studies the paranormal. Wiseman said he was looking for "photographic evidence for ghosts" ahead of a session on the subject at the Edinburgh International Science Festival next week. See gallery of haunted photographs » . Wiseman solicited such photos from around the world and collated them for the conference. He said the majority of images showed mysterious-looking orbs, mists, figures and faces. In one picture, a face appears in the side-view mirror of a parked Mercedes convertible. The photographer insists no one was around when he took the picture; skeptics say the mirror could be reflecting the headrest or be the result of digital manipulation. Another photo of a person walking through a creek in the woods appears to show a second person wearing a hooded sweatshirt, standing on a rock nearby. Skeptics say the "figure" is an illusion created by tree branches and the rock formation in the background. Two friends raising a drink to the camera in a third photograph are joined by a ghostly third figure in the background with a face that looks like a Halloween monster mask. "Many of the photographs can be easily explained," said photographer Gordon Rutter, who also examined the pictures. "Orbs can be caused by the camera flash reflecting off tiny dust particles, mists can result from condensed breath in front of the lens, long exposures can create ghostly figures, and apparent faces are often people seeing patterns in random shapes." But the "ghost" in the Scottish castle has generated the most attention. What do you think about the image? Tantallon Castle was built in the 1350s by a nobleman and soon became the stronghold of the Douglas dynasty. For 300 years, the Douglas earls of Angus held sway at the castle as one of the most powerful families in Scotland, according to Historic Scotland, which looks after historic sites for the Scottish government. The castle also was the scene of violence, enduring three great sieges: in 1491, 1528 and 1651. The last, by Oliver Cromwell's army, resulted in such destruction that the fortress was abandoned. It remains the "last truly great castle" built in Scotland, with enormously thick and high stone walls enclosing large courtyards, and high stone towers. That stonework could explain the mysterious figure in the photograph, having caused unusual shadows. It is also possible that a member of the public was standing there when the picture was taken, Wiseman said -- in which case, he hopes they will come forward. "I think it's probably a person who's been caught in slightly odd dress," Wiseman told CNN. "We know the day it was taken ... so somebody might come forward to say, 'That was me.'" He added, "If they can explain it, e-mail me. Or indeed, if they have photos they think are better, e-mail them to me." A similar mystery happened five years ago at another medieval site, Hampton Court Palace, built by King Henry VIII west of London. A security camera captured a figure in period dress opening a window, peering out, then closing it again. Palace officials insisted at the time that no one was in the room, and they were at a loss to explain the figure. It later emerged that a member of staff wearing a medieval costume was the person in the video.

Photograph taken by Christopher Aitchison in May 2008 at Tantallon Castle . The "person" appears to be wearing an old-style greenish ruff around the neck . Aitchison insists he did not tamper with the image . Picture made public by a psychology professor who studies the paranormal .

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(CNN) -- Chronic seizures can present a risk for adolescents, whose bodies and metabolism are changing. Jett Travolta was the elder of John Travolta and Kelly Preston's two children. A seizure disorder caused the death of Jett Travolta, the 16-year-old son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston, a source at a Bahamas funeral home told CNN. "Literally dozens of different disorders can cause seizures: genetics, stroke, brain tumor, lack of oxygen, low blood sugar, drugs, even certain medications," said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent. Another expert said the teen years bring risks for those with seizures. "Adolescence is a time, even if you don't talk about children with any seizure disorder, where things change in a child," said Dr. Shlomo Shinnar of Montefiore Medical Center in New York. There are effective drugs to treat seizures. As children grow, their bodies and metabolism change, perhaps causing a need to adjust their dosage, said Shinnar, a professor of neurology and pediatrics and director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Management Center at Montefiore. "Seizures during adolescence can get better or worse or stay the same," he said. And the risk of seizures is higher for children with disabilities such as autism and cerebral palsy, Shinnar said. Jett Travolta had a developmental disability that his parents have linked to Kawasaki disease, an inflammatory disorder of the artery walls that most commonly occurs in young children. An autopsy of the actors' son was completed Monday, and the body was cremated that evening, the funeral home source said. Jett was found unconscious in the bathroom Friday while on vacation with his family. Michael Ossi, an attorney for Travolta, told CNN last week that Jett had a seizure that morning at the family's home in a resort area. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital and pronounced dead on arrival, according to local police. People.com reported that Travolta, Preston and their 8-year-old daughter Ella Blue arrived in Florida on Monday night with Jett's ashes. The reports that a seizure disorder caused Jett's death were preliminary, Gupta said. "It tells us more about what did not happen than the ultimate cause of death. It rules out brain injury, bleeding on brain, skull fractures, rules out heart problems due to Kawasaki disease, which is the disease the Travoltas say their son suffered," he said. Kawasaki disease, believed to be caused by an infection, inflames the heart muscles. In 2001, Travolta told CNN's Larry King that his son had a near brush with death related to the condition. "I was obsessive about cleaning -- his space being clean, so we constantly had the carpets cleaned. And I think, between him, the fumes and walking around, maybe picking up pieces or something, he got what is rarely a thing to deal with, but it's Kawasaki syndrome," Travolta said of his then-2-year-old son. Dr. Cam Patterson, general cardiologist at the University of North Carolina and a genetics expert who follows Kawasaki disease, told CNN, "There is no real good link at all between Kawasaki disease and cleaning products. "Kawasaki disease is due to an abnormal immunnologic response, probably to an infectious agent or infection we don't yet understand," Patterson said. "There is nothing that links environmental toxins to this problem." Someone with Kawasaki could have seizures for one of two reasons, but they would be rare, he said. "One, sometime in the past one of the arteries in the brain ruptured and caused stroke," he said. "Two, if the artery had enlarged enough, it could be pressing on parts of brain and that could cause seizure. Both possibilities are unusual for Kawasaki disease." A very small study released in 1991 found an association between cases of Kawasaki disease in homes where carpet had been cleaned in the past 30 days. "It's very easy to find correlations, but doesn't mean causative," Patterson said. The next step would have been to conduct more tests, by taking toxicological tests and brain examinations to see what could have caused the seizure. "Even with physical evidence and a deeper look by neuropathologists, we still may never have an answer," Gupta said on CNN's American Morning. CNN's Stephanie Smith and Miriam Falco contributed to this report.

Seizures in teenagers can be caused by dozens of disorders, genetics . Seizure said to have caused the death of Jett Travolta, 16 . Family has linked seizures to Kawasaki disease; experts say it's unlikely .

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AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (CNN) -- Investigators are trying to determine what caused the crash of an airplane with a good safety record, flown by a well-respected airline, at one of the world's most modern airports. One of the casualties is taken from the crash site. At least nine people were killed and 55 injured when the Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed Wednesday in a field near Amsterdam's main airport, splitting into three parts, officials said. It is too early to determine the cause of the crash but the flight data and voice recorders have been recovered, said Michel Bezuijen, acting mayor of Haarlemmermeer municipality, which is home to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. He said investigators still need to determine what, if anything, the pilots said in the moments before the crash. The injured included both crew and passengers, he said. The names of the dead and injured will not be released before Thursday, Bezuijen said. "It will take more time. Probably tomorrow afternoon we can tell you about the identity of the victims, including the fatalities," he said. Another official said earlier that both pilots and an apprentice pilot are among the dead. "There are still three crew members in the cabin," said Bob Steensma of the Dutch Justice Department. "I'm sorry to say they are dead. We leave them there because we have to investigate the cockpit before we take the cockpit apart." Turkish Airlines said earlier the plane was carrying 134 people -- 127 passengers and seven crew members. Six people were critically injured, Ineke Van Der Zande of Amsterdam Emergency Services told reporters at a briefing. Watch aerials from the crash site » . Twenty-five passengers were severely injured, she said, and 24 were lightly injured. Some 60 ambulances transported 84 people to 11 hospitals throughout the region, she said. There was no word on injuries to the others who were transported. Witnesses said they saw the nose of the plane pitch up suddenly before the crash, according to RTL journalist Greg Crouch. The plane broken into three pieces. One break was in front of the wing, splitting the "Turkish" logo in two, and a larger break was farther back along the fuselage. Most of the injured were seated toward the back of the plane, which sustained the most damage, a passenger on the plane told Turkish station NTV. Many of the passengers simply walked off the plane through the cracks in the fuselage, witnesses said. A passenger on the plane who spoke to Turkish network DHA said he saw injured people trapped and squeezed between the seats when he walked out. iReport: Send your videos, stories . Flight 1951 was arriving at Schiphol from Istanbul, Turkey, when it went down around 10:40 a.m. (4:40 a.m. ET). It came to rest in a farmer's field about 500 yards short of the runway, near the major A9 highway. Crouch said the weather at the time was partly sunny with no wind or rain. No fire broke out after the crash, Bezuijen said. Watch how Twitter was first to report the crash » . A bank manager who was a passenger on the plane told NTV that there were no emergency announcements. The crew's last word to the cabin was an announcement to fasten their seat belts and prepare for landing, the bank manager said. He said he felt the pilot giving more power to the engines before feeling "turbulence," then a sudden drop. He described the crash as similar to a sudden impact that was over in a matter of seconds. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team of investigators to Amsterdam to assist in the crash investigation. The Boeing 737-800 is a reliable aircraft that has been successful and safe in service, said aviation expert Kieran Daly of Air Transport Intelligence. "They really are pretty much state-of-the-art airlines with every imaginable technical benefit the industry has come up with over the years," Daly told CNN. "You would be optimistic that they would be quite survivable in an accident." Daly said Turkish Airlines, a national carrier, has a "very good record." Turkish Airlines said it has 52 Boeing 737-800s in its fleet. They can carry as many as 165 passengers each, it said. Before Wednesday, the airline's last accident was of a small commuter jet in 2003, Daly said. It was a fatal crash that happened at a remote airfield in southeastern Turkey, he said. "Their mainline operation is safe," Daly said. "Their pilots are well thought of." Worldwide, there have been two fatal commercial airline crashes this year. The last previous fatal incident at the Amsterdam airport happened in April 1994 when a KLM aircraft crashed as it tried to return to Schiphol shortly after takeoff. Three of the 24 passengers and crew members on board were killed. CNN's Ivan Watson in Istanbul, Turkey, contributed to this report .

Mayor says too early to determine cause of Wednesday's plane crash . Investigators find data and voice recorders from Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 . At least nine of the 134 people on board died; 55 wounded; six critical . Accident involved respected airline and modern airport in good weather .

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(CNN) -- Investigators are pursuing several new leads in the case of a missing 5-year-old girl in Florida, they said Tuesday. Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings, 5, who vanished a week ago, may have been abducted, police say. The Putnam County Sheriff's Office on Monday night searched the neighborhood of Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings, who vanished a week ago. Deputies also searched surrounding neighborhoods. Authorities said the girl may have been abducted. Officials wouldn't release any details on the leads. "Those leads, like I said, are as a result of doing the neighborhood canvass last night, and we will be following up on those leads today," said Capt. Steve Rose of the Putnam Sheriff's Office. Since opening the case a week ago, authorities have received more than 1,200 tips about the missing girl, 500 of them since Monday, Putnam County Sheriff Rick Ryan said. Tuesday afternoon, the sheriff's office announced they have changed the Amber Alert they originally put out for the little girl, saying they changed the description of the clothing. "What we need people to focus on is the face, because we do not know at this time what the clothing was at this point," said Dominick Pape with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Rose said investigators also conducted a checkpoint in the area last night. Ronald Cummings' girlfriend, 17-year-old Misty Croslin, told police she was watching Haleigh when she went missing sometime before dawn February 10. Watch why police now question the sitter's story » . Cummings shares his double-wide mobile home with Croslin, daughter Haleigh and a 4-year-old son in Satsuma, east of Gainesville. He has said that when he returned home at 3 a.m. ET, he was surprised to see Croslin awake and asked her why she was up. Croslin waited until Cummings came home to phone 911 about the girl's disappearance, though it's unclear how long that wait was, authorities said. Police said last week that Croslin had tucked the girl and her brother into bed at 8 p.m. before going to sleep at 10. The girl, boy and Croslin usually sleep in the same bed. Officials said they originally thought Haleigh may have wandered outside on her own but are now certain that she was abducted. Investigators are looking into various angles of the case, including finding out the location of 44 registered sexual offenders who live within a 5-mile radius of the Cummings home, said Lt. Johnny Greenwood of the Putnam Sheriff's Office. A nationwide Amber Alert said the girl was last seen wearing a pink shirt and underwear.

NEW: Sheriff's office changes description of missing girl's clothing in Amber Alert . Officers search Florida neighborhood of Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings, 5 . Investigators won't give details of new leads they say they've found . Girl disappeared from home last week while in teenager's care .

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(Entertainment Weekly) -- They have come to glimpse the miracle. They have come to witness the revolution. They have come for "Watchmen" -- the allegedly unfilmable superhero movie, the long-awaited adaptation of the comic book that changed the face of comic books forever. Billy Crudup plays Dr. Manhattan, a powerful superhero in "Watchmen." On this warm July morning, over 5,000 fans attending the annual geek pop summit known as Comic-Con have assembled inside the San Diego Convention Center for a first look. Many spent the night on the sidewalk. Some have come in costumes. Behind the stage, indie-movie icon Kevin Smith parks himself in front of a closed-circuit TV, a happy grin on his bearded mug. "You have to understand, I've been waiting for this moment for years," says Smith. "This is it, man. This is the pinnacle." All this, for a violent, ironic superhero epic that doesn't like superheroes in the first place. Directed by "300's" Zack Snyder, "Watchmen" presents a set of familiar superhero archetypes -- and then subverts them completely. Rorschach (Jackie Earl Haley) is like the Spirit ... except he's a joyless, hard-line misanthrope. The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is like Captain America ... but loyal only to sadistic thrills and a corrupt worldview. Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) is part Batman, part Iron Man ... except he's also a schlubby, impotent coward. Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) is the resident genius ... who's built an empire on superhero toys. (You see what we mean by irony.) Says Billy Crudup, whose blue, naked Dr. Manhattan is an almighty Superman dangerously detached from his own humanity: " 'Watchmen' is a kind of thrilling thought experiment. What would people who dress up in costumes to fight crime actually be like? Well, they'd probably be fetishists who lived on the fringes of society. They'd all be a bunch of freaking lunatics." Yet for all its self-awareness and cynicism, "Watchmen" isn't some cheap-and-silly "Scary Movie" parody. Adapted faithfully, if not completely, from the celebrated 1986 comic-book series, Snyder's film is visually and intellectually ambitious, filled with heady ruminations about savior figures, pop culture, and the politics of fear. At a time when superhero stories are commonplace and our shaken country is pinning its recovery on an idealistic new president, "Watchmen's" director believes his movie can serve as a bracing blast of healthy skepticism. "Someone asked me if I thought that because Barack Obama had been elected president, the movie was no longer relevant. I said, 'Wow, that's a very optimistic view of the future!' " says Snyder. "The movie, like the comic, says, 'These superhero stories you've been feasting on? What if we took them seriously?' ... That's the fun." But fun for whom? When "Watchmen" hits theaters on March 6, the comic-book cognoscenti will be there in droves -- although some are already sweating the heresy of dramatic changes. EW: What didn't make it? And, for mainstream moviegoers, such talk of "subverting superhero archetypes" is liable to elicit a great big "Huh?" EW: A "Watchmen" primer . "Watchmen's" financial backers are clearly hoping the success of "The Dark Knight" has primed the market for sophisticated superhero films -- especially one that's two hours and 41 minutes long. But where "The Dark Knight" transcended genre conventions, "Watchmen" wallows in them. Violently. Created by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, "Watchmen" is most often praised as the comic book that brought respect and maturity to a medium long dismissed as juvenile. It was the fanboys' "Catcher in the Rye" -- and maybe their first Playboy, too. "I was 13 when I read 'Watchmen,' and it came to represent my coming of age," says "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof. "I felt like 'Watchmen' was this very, very bad thing that I shouldn't be reading, and if my mom caught me with it I'd be f---ing doomed." Hollywood was similarly struck by "Watchmen," but has been much less successful at avoiding the doom. In 1986, Twentieth Century Fox acquired the comic's rights for producer Larry Gordon, but could never get an adaptation rolling. Over the next decade, "Watchmen" bounced among many studios and between many before finding what appeared to be a happy ending at Paramount. But in 2005, with helmer Paul Greengrass deep into preproduction, a Paramount regime change killed the project. Certainly, it's a hard project to get your head around. "Watchmen" is set in the year 1985. The U.S. and the Soviet Union are on the brink of nuclear war, and the president is Richard Nixon, whose success at ending the Vietnam War (he asked Dr. Manhattan to blow up the Vietcong) has earned him five terms of office from a grateful nation. Conservative politics are popular, as are Indian fast food and pirate comics. But costumed heroes, once all the rage, are now outlawed. When the Comedian gets murdered, Rorschach tries to round up his old allies to investigate. They eventually uncover an insidious conspiracy hatched by an unlikely villain, one whose grand ambition isn't world domination but something else altogether. iReport.com: Will you watch 'Watchmen'? And that's only half the comic. Hence, "Watchmen's" rep as the Unfilmable Graphic Novel. But tides changed in late 2005 when Warner Bros. acquired the property from Paramount (or at least they thought they did) with the hope of rolling on "Watchmen" ASAP. (Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner, as is CNN and Entertainment Weekly.) The studio turned to Snyder. At that point, the director had only done stylish TV commercials and the 2003 zombie remake "Dawn of the Dead." But he was also deep in the middle of shooting the studio's action epic "300," another adaptation of a brilliantly brutal comic, and the execs liked what they were seeing. Snyder's approach was simple: He would remain religiously faithful to the comic. "We treated that thing like a freakin' illuminated text," says the director, who embraced all the peculiar idiosyncrasies, from the Nixonian alternative America to the deep-dive digressions into character origin stories. (None of this faithfulness can please Moore, who feels that no adaptation can do his work justice and has taken his name off the film.) The director also believed that an "adult" superhero epic needed to be explicit about its "adult" content. He wanted to hear the characters' philosophical musings. He wanted to see the blood spurt. And instead of the chaste kisses of most superhero movie romances, he wanted to see some naked getting-it-on. "I wanted to make sure everyone understood: This is not a kid movie," says Snyder. "Violence has consequences. And doing that with a PG-13 just dilutes that message." And then there was the worry that all that effort was all for naught. Last February, Twentieth Century Fox sought to stop Warner Bros. from moving forward with "Watchmen's" release, claiming via lawsuit that Warner Bros. had not properly acquired the distribution rights. The dispute exploded in the media last August when a judge declared that Fox's lawsuit had merit. "How do you not know whether or not you have the right to make a movie?" says Crudup. "Hilarious." But after months of intense press coverage that put "Watchmen" in the mainstream eye, the two studios reached a settlement. (Warner Bros. and Fox both declined to comment. As for producer Gordon: "It was unfortunate," he says simply.) Now Team "Watchmen" waits to see if any of that notoriety can help make them some money. With a $100 million-plus budget and a running time of 161 minutes, "Watchmen" will need to launch with a big opening weekend and strong reviews. So, will geek love -- and geek dollars -- be enough? Snyder hopes so. He says he made the film for that crowd. "I don't think there ever has been a movie more custom-made for them. Not at this scale," he says. "And now they have an opportunity to really influence pop culture in a serious way, just as the comic influenced comics. They can say: 'These stories can be used to say something about the world. Give us more of them.' " This is an edited version of Entertainment Weekly's cover story on "Watchmen." For the complete story, click here. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved.

"Watchmen" movie, after years in the works, finally coming out March 6 . Film based on classic graphic novel that influenced many . Film does not shy away from controversial themes, violence in novel .

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(CNN) -- Everyone was blogging about Tuesday's inauguration -- even the people who were putting it on. President Obama, pictured, giving his inaugural speech. Fittingly for an election campaign that was won partly by galvanizing millions of young people to get out and vote via the Internet, Obama's inauguration ushered in a new digital age for the U.S. presidency. As the clock struck 12.01 in Washington Obama's administration took control of the White House Web site, with the simple words "Change has come to America." The first blog post by director of new media for the White House, Macon Phillips, said: "Millions of Americans have powered President Obama's journey to the White House, many taking advantage of the Internet to play a role in shaping our country's future." It was an unprecedented move in the history of presidential inaugurations and it reflected the mood of the blogosphere, which came alive with comments as excitable bloggers mulled on topics ranging from what Michelle Obama would wear to their thoughts on Obama's speech. Watch President Obama's full speech » . The New Yorker's George Packer wrote in his blog that "President Obama uttered no words today that will be quoted in a hundred years." "He delivered something better than rhetorical excitement -- he spoke the truth, which makes its own history and carries its own poetry," Packer added. But it was not just traditional bloggers who were giving their two cents worth. Social network sites were also buzzing with the excitement of the occasion. CNN.com provided a live video streaming platform for Facebook users to interact with the inauguration ceremony by updating their status as they watched proceedings. Online viewers could choose between their friends or "everyone watching," seeing live thoughts such as "I've actually got shivers!" to "Barack H.? What a copout!" Many were captivated by Aretha Franklin's eye-catching hat, with comments ranging from: "Now that's a hat," to "Aretha is wearing the hell outtta that hat." There was also no escaping the ubiquitous "Tweeple" (Twitter people) posting 'tweets' on everything from their opinion of the inaugural speech to their celebrity spots. One 'tweeter' even blogged about using the VIP toilets at the inauguration site in Washington, saying: "Just used the VIP porta potty. Contrary to what they might tell you, fancy people's **** does indeed stink." More than 40,000 photos of the events on Capitol Hill tagged with the word "inauguration" were also posted to the photo-sharing site, Flickr. No aspect of the inauguration was left undissected, but Pastor Rick Warren's invocation prayer proved a hot topic amongst bloggers, who by turns criticized him for being too inclusive and not inclusive enough. Warren attracted some criticism for using words from the Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy texts as well as including the name of Jesus -- in several languages including Hebrew. However Dan Gilgoff, the "God & Country" blogger for U.S. News & World Report, acknowledged the difficult position Warren faced when he wrote: . "For me, the two most salient features of the Rev. Rick Warren's inauguration invocation were its emphasis on the values of unity and mutual respect, which seemed partly a reaction to the controversy his selection as invocation speaker sparked, and its bold invocation of Jesus in the form of the Lord's Prayer. "For some, those two themes would seem incongruous. It was trademark Warren, who -- like Barack Obama -- has been accused of trying to be all things to all people." For some, it was about looking ahead to how long the adulation for President Obama would last. Conservative blogger Dr. Melissa Clouthier, who was liveblogging the inauguration, debated that the "Obasm" would last 4 years. "His voters voted for him not for his ideas," she wrote. "He didn't really articulate specific plans. He just gave vague promises. Voters were so enamored with the idea of him and he'll be around for four years, so the love will continue. "The Press and the voters, too, imbued Obama with so much wonderfulness that to turn on him is to turn on their own perfect judgment. Since the vote was essentially narcissistic and people don't hate themselves, Obama will be loved for a good long time." It remains to be seen whether her prediction will come true.

Inauguration set blogosphere alive with comments . From Facebook to Twitter, everyone wanted to have their say online . Obama's speech, Michelle's outfit and Rick Warren's prayer proved popular themes .

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JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israeli Military said Thursday that the "vast majority" of Palestinians killed in the recent Gaza conflict were "terror operatives" and the number of people killed was less than Palestinian sources reported. Israel says the majority of Palestinians killed during "Operation Cast Lead" were "terror operatives." In an e-mailed statement the Israel Defense Forces spokesman's office claimed their figures contained the names of 1,166 Palestinians killed in the conflict, called "Operation Cast Lead." The Israeli military said 709 of them were "identified as Hamas terror operatives, among them several from various other terror organizations." The remaining, the statement claims, were comprised of 162 names who "have not yet been attributed to any organization." "Furthermore, it has come to our understanding that 295 uninvolved Palestinians were killed during the operation, 89 of them under the age of 16, and 49 of them were women." The Israeli military said it was releasing the findings to counter "false information originating from various Palestinian sources, and in order to remove any doubt regarding the number of Palestinians killed in Operation Cast Lead." The numbers presented by the Israeli military differ sharply from those reported by Palestinian sources. At the conclusion of the fighting, the Hamas controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza had put the death toll at over 1,300, with the majority made up of non-combatants. More recently the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) published a study that put the total death toll at 1,417, including 926 civilians of which 313 were children under the age of 18 and 116 women. It reports that the remainder was made of 255 "non-combatant" police officers and 236 who were took "an active part in hostilities." Jaber Wishah, a deputy director for PCHR told CNN his organization "stands firmly on our published figures" and that Israel's choice to classify police officers as combatants is "illegal." "Such classification constitutes a willful violation of the principle of 'distinction' which is a key component of customary international law. This raises serious doubts about the accuracy of the figures published by the Israelis," he said. Wishah said the civilian death toll included "large numbers of deaths inside people's homes and other civilian facilities" and that it indicated "the extent to which civilians were intentionally targeted." Wishah said that until the Israeli government produced the names and details on which its figures were based that he could not comment further. The Israeli military has maintained that it went to great lengths to minimize civilian deaths and put the responsibility of civilian deaths on Hamas. "The Hamas terror organization placed the primary fighting scene at the heart of civilian neighborhoods as it booby-trapped homes, fired from schools and used civilians as human shields," the IDF said. Asked about the discrepancy in numbers, an Israeli military official suggested that natural occurring deaths in Gaza had been included in the Palestinian death toll numbers and that the total ratio of non-combatant to combatants killed was low. A spokesman for the Israeli military said it could not immediately make the list of killed Palestinians available and could not offer more detail on methodology.

Israel: "Vast majority" of Palestinians killed in Gaza were "terror operatives" Military says number of people killed less than Palestinian sources reported . Israel says 1,166 died, with 709 "identified as Hamas terror operatives"

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NEW YORK (CNN) -- Layoffs for sea lions? Furloughs for frogs? Is there no job security, anywhere? State budget cuts mean New York's 76 zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums will lose $9.1 million in funding. The recession may be coming to a zoo near you. State budget cuts mean many zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens will lose crucial state funding for their exhibits. New York's 76 zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens will lose $9.1 million in state funds next year. "We're faced with this very difficult problem of firing the animals, as it were," said Steve Sanderson, the CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the Bronx Zoo and the New York Aquarium. They will lose $3 million to budget cuts. The Bronx Zoo has made a short video posted on its Web site www.bronxzoo.com/ to draw attention to the cuts. In the video, the zoo director fires a porcupine and a frog. "I am sure you have heard that Gov. [David] Paterson's proposed budget will mean severe cuts here at the Bronx Zoo and the New York Aquarium," the zoo director says. "Next year, all 76 zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums in the state will lose all of their state funding. There is no easy way to say this: Even though you bring record numbers of people to New York and help the economy, we are going to have to let you go." Firing a porcupine and a frog may be a cute way to get publicity for their budget woes, but it's a serious matter and zoo officials say the recession will certainly affect the animals. Zoo officials say some collections with "short life cycles" will not be replaced when they die, and other animals could be sent to other zoos or wildlife sanctuaries. The state of New York funds just 2.7 percent of the Bronx Zoo and the New York Aquarium's budget, but zoo officials say it will be difficult to make up. Between the state budget cuts, the loss in the value of their endowment and fewer people renewing memberships -- times are so tough for the zoo and aquarium -- they say they may lay off 120 to 130 people. "Two-thirds of our budget is people, and so two-thirds of the cuts will come in cutting positions," Sanderson said. "And we'll also cut back what we provide in the way of education and entertainment and nature experiences for people. So it affects everything." Zoo officials questioned the state's priorities. But just about everybody getting taxpayer funds has to cut back. Jeffrey Gordon, a spokesman for the New York State Budget Office told CNN the cuts are regrettable but necessary considering the state's current financial crisis. Citing a "dramatic reduction in revenue," Gordon said, "Every entity that receives state funds must do what the state has done, which is to review its operations and identify ways to operate at lower costs." The Bronx Zoo isn't the only one affected; cutbacks are happening everywhere. The Los Angeles Zoo in California stopped work on its $42 million elephant exhibit last year, and there are big budget cuts for zoos in Maryland, Missouri and North Carolina. There's no relief for the zoos in the $819 billion economic stimulus package. Section 1109 of the stimulus bill which passed this week in the House forbids the use of federal taxpayer money to plug the budget gaps. Taxpayer watchdog groups lobbied to keep zoos, aquariums, swimming pools, golf courses and casinos out of the stimulus, arguing that there are higher priorities for Americans' money during a recession.

State budget cuts threaten funding for zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens . New York's 76 zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens will lose $9.1 million . Bronx Zoo: Some animals won't be replaced; others may go to zoos, sanctuaries . Zoos in Florida, Maryland, Missouri and North Carolina face budget cuts .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States signed an agreement Thursday on civil nuclear cooperation with the United Arab Emirates. Calling the agreement "a powerful and timely model for the world and the region," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed the deal, along with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed. "We applaud the UAE's commission -- commitment to the highest standards of safety, security and nonproliferation in its pursuit of nuclear power," Rice said. Congress has to ratify the agreement before it can take effect, and congressional critics fear it could spark an arms race and proliferation in the region. The UAE's ties to Iran also have caused concern. Under the "1-2-3 deal," similar to one the United States signed last year with India, Washington would share nuclear technology, expertise and fuel. In exchange, the UAE commits to abide by the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and the International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. The small oil-rich Gulf nation promises not to enrich uranium or to reprocess spent nuclear fuel to extract plutonium, which can be used to make nuclear bombs. The deal is part of a major UAE investment in nuclear energy. It has already signed deals to build several nuclear power plants. "We are a country that is very rich in its oil and gas, but we do look forward that we have a program, a nuclear, peaceful program that could sustain our future needs," said bin Zayed. Rice said she hoped existing work by U.S. companies on the UAE nuclear program would be expanded under the agreement. "We believe our technology is the best in the world, and we hope that the UAE will give that technology strong consideration," she said. The United States has stressed its role in global nonproliferation initiatives and has donated $10 million to establish an International Atomic Energy Agency international fuel bank. The U.S. has held up the UAE's development of nuclear energy in stark contrast to Iran, which is suspected of enriching uranium for a nuclear bomb. Rep. Howard Berman, a Democrat from California, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called the safeguards in the agreement "encouraging" but voiced concerns that Iran could take advantage of the agreement. "This could be a significant advance in nonproliferation policy, and a model for future nuclear cooperation agreements," Berman said in a statement. "However, I and many other members of Congress place a very high priority on the international effort to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability and will be analyzing this and any other nuclear cooperation agreement in the context of how it implicates the attainment of that goal." Iran is the among the UAE's largest trading partners. In the past, the port city of Dubai, one of the UAE's seven emirates, has been used as a transit point for sensitive technology bound for Iran. Dubai was also one of the major hubs for the nuclear trafficking network run by Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan. But U.S. officials said the UAE has taken major steps to improve export controls and prevent money laundering. Still, such ties contributed to stiff opposition in Congress to the failed deal for Dubai Ports World to manage U.S. ports. The U.S. already has similar agreements with Egypt and Morrocco, and U.S. officials said Washington is working on similar pacts with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Jordan.

U.S. Congress has to ratify the agreement before it can take effect . Congressional critics fear it could spark an arms race and proliferation in the region . Under the deal, the U.S. would share nuclear technology, expertise and fuel . The UAE will abide by the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, other safeguards .

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This is the second part of a two part series on the best used luxury cars. (AOL Autos) -- Recently, Consumer Reports magazine issued its list of best and worst used cars, and divvied them up by price range. The Porsche 911 has several versions, but all have been annointed with the "supercar" appellation. Using CR's recommendations as a guideline, here is a list of some of the best used luxury cars currently on the market in the $30,000+ price range: . 2007 Acura MDX . The newer MDX is classified as a crossover SUV, but it's a deluxe version. It was all-new in '07, and was built on a proper platform -- as opposed to being adapated from the Accord passenger-car platform. It also came in three flavors: Base, Technology and Sport Packages, and all three were powered by a 3.7-liter 300-hp V6. The voice-activated navigation system is a nifty feature, as it comes with rearview camera and AcuraLink satellite communications with real-time traffic data. AOL Autos: Used Acura . 2007 BMW 328i sedan . The 328i is another sleek, finely-tuned and beautifully-designed driving machine, offering sporty performance and Euro-style luxury. It is widely considered to be the definitive "sports sedan." The '07 328i was propelled by a 3.0-liter 230-hp inline six-cylinder engine, which you can find mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Consumer Reports also recommended the 3-Series coupe and convertible that joined BMW's model line-up in '07. AOL Autos: Used BMW . 2004 BMW M3 . The M3 is the top-of-the-line, high-performance-tuned version of the 3-series coupe. Performance power, therefore, is much higher than the other 3-Series editions. It came as a coupe or convertible, and churned out 333 horses. The M3 is often favorably compared to the Porsche 911 when it comes to quick acceleration, crisp braking and taking tough corners at brisk speeds without breaking a sweat. 2007 Infiniti FX35 . Well, the marketplace surely is not lacking for luxury crossovers. Here is yet another one that appeals to luxury buyers with its balance of SUV-type spaciousness, pampering amenities, deft handling and burly engine muscle. For '07, the FX35 was a two-wheel-drive vehicle powered by a 280-hp 3.5-liter V6 and a five-speed automatic transmission. AOL Autos: Used Infiniti . 2006 & 2007 Infiniti M . Infiniti's M series is another winner, which seamlessly synergizes sleek styling, aggressive engine performance and a bevy of luxo-line amenities. It comes in both the M-35 and M-45. During the last used-model year, '07, the primary distinction between the two was that the M35 was powered by a V6 that kicked out 275 horses, while the M45 muscled up to a 325-hp V8. Luxury features included standard leather seats with heating and ventilation, and optional 10-way power adjustments for the driver's seat. Lexus . Just like in the $24,000-to-$30,000 category, Consumer Reports recommended a slew of world-beating used Lexus models in this segment: the '06-'07 6-cylinder GS RWD; the '07 GS450h Hybrid; '05-'07 GX; '07 IS; '04-'07 LS; '03-'06 LX and '06-'07 RX. AOL Autos: Used Lexus . Lexus has placed No 1 in the JD Power Dependability Survey every year for the last 12 years - until '07, when another carmaker, Buick, finally tied them for first. Porsche 911 (various years) Consumer Reports included the '98 911 in the $24,000 to $30,000 category. Here, the model years get more recent as the price range climbs. The 911 went through some changes over this time period, of course, but all have been anointed with the "supercar" appellation. AOL Autos: Used Porsche . And by the latest recommended used-model year, the '07, you could choose among various styles and engine sizes, including the Carrera, with its 3.6-L 325-hp flat-six plant; the Carrera S and S Cabriolet, with the 3.8-L 355 hp V6; the 911 Turbo, with twin-turbocharged 480 hp six-cylinder engine; and the GT3 track model, powered by a high-revving 415-hp six-cylinder engine.

Newer Acura MDX is classified as a crossover SUV, but it's a deluxe version . BMW 328i is sleek, finely-tuned and beautifully-designed driving machine . Infiniti's M series is another winner with an aggressive engine performance . Consumer Reports recommended a slew of used Lexus models .

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(CNN) -- The Kellogg Co. announced Wednesday it is recommending that consumers not eat its peanut butter crackers because they may be tainted with salmonella. Salmonella bacteria are transmitted to humans by eating contaminated foods. The products affected are Austin- and Keebler-branded: . -- Toasted peanut butter sandwich crackers. -- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich crackers. -- Cheese and peanut butter sandwich crackers. -- Peanut butter-chocolate sandwich crackers. The Michigan-based maker of cereals and snacks posted the recommendation in a statement on its Web site. Peanut butter produced by Peanut Corporation of America, one of several peanut butter suppliers to the company, has been linked to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning that has affected at least 434 people in 43 states, federal health officials said Wednesday. "Kellogg Company's investigation has not indicated any concerns, nor has the company received any consumer illness complaints about these products," the Kellogg statement said. "Nonetheless, Kellogg Company is taking precautionary measures including putting a hold on any inventory in its control, removing product from retail store shelves, and encouraging customers and consumers to hold and not eat these products until regulatory officials complete their investigation of PCA and Kellogg provides further information as to the resolution of this issue." All of the company's peanut-butter crackers are made at its bakery in Cary, North Carolina, said spokeswoman Kris Charles. Though consumers are urged "to hold the product until we have more information," Charles recommended anyone seeking a refund call 888.314.2060 for details about how to get one.

Some types of Austin- and Keebler-branded sandwich crackers affected . One of its peanut butter suppliers has been linked to outbreak of salmonella . Kellogg says warning is strictly precautionary; no incidents of illness reported . Outbreak of salmonella poisoning has affected at least 434 people in 43 states .

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NEW YORK (CNN) -- Yet another scale Il Divo has mastered: scaling the heights of success. The quartet was formed in 2004 after a global search. The operatic quartet's new album, "The Promise," debuted atop the UK charts, their third collection to hit the No. 1 spot. The album (which was released in the U.S. last Tuesday) features Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "The Power of Love," and the traditional "Amazing Grace." Il Divo also takes a chance on the ABBA hit "The Winner Takes it All." The group is the brainchild of "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell, who saw a potential market for an international, "popera"-style act after the soaring success of the Andrea Bocelli-Sarah Brightman duet "Time to Say Goodbye (Con te Partiro)." Watch Il Divo in action » . Formed in 2004 after a global search, Il Divo (Italian for "divine male performer") consists of Spanish baritone Carlos Marin, American tenor David Miller, French pop singer Sebastien Izambard, and Swiss tenor Urs Buhler. According to Syco Music, Il Divo's UK-based label, the quartet has sold more than 22 million albums worldwide. It seems Cowell knew what he was doing. CNN caught up with Il Divo to find out how close they are to Cowell, and which American pop diva they dream of collaborating with. CNN: Who do you most get compared to, the Three Tenors or the Backstreet Boys? Carlos Marin: (laughs) It's a mix of everything. I mean at the end [of the day] we are just a pop act. We just sing pop songs, and we just converted mostly the big endings into operatic style. But we are just us, Il Divo. CNN: Are you surprised by how much of a hit you've become? Marin: In a way, yeah. I still remember the first time we went to number one (in the UK). We knocked out Robbie Williams and it was just like "Wow!" CNN: What is the big appeal of Il Divo? Urs Buhler: I think it has a lot to do with the big variety we have inside the group, the fact that we are all from four different countries, from different cultural music backgrounds. And we bundle all those different energies ... and bring it together for that one cause -- to make the most beautiful music that we possibly can together. It's not like we have a strategy or recipe for it, it's just that we're passionate about what we do. It works somehow. It's magic. CNN: How involved is [Simon Cowell] with the day-to-day Il Divo operation? Buhler: With the day-to-day operation, I would say his involvement is next to nothing. He's only involved in the actual A&R-ing and the executive producing, which means we meet him about twice a year for an hour. CNN: You took a lot of time off in 2007. In fact you took nearly the whole year off. When you regrouped did you find anything was different? David Miller: Absolutely. The first three years were just a roller coaster of experiences: having the number one in the UK and then that turning into the number one in all the different countries, and going all around the world and being on tour, being on tour with Barbra Streisand and then more albums. Everything kind of bled into everything else and we didn't really have any time to appreciate all the things that we had done. So after this break, [when] we came back together in the studio, it was really like a breath of fresh air. Like the magic of the first album was back. We could appreciate the music again. We could appreciate each other again. And it was a lot more relaxed and a lot more fun. CNN: When you're standing on stage and you look out at the audience what do you see ... is there a certain age range, a certain sex? Miller: It depends on the country we go to. For example, when we go to the UK, it's a slightly more mature audience. When we go to Spain it's a lot younger audience. When we go to South Africa, it's a family affair. So it really just depends, but everywhere we go the universal thing that ties them all in is that they're all music-lovers and they appreciate what we do. CNN: How many languages do you sing in? Buhler: We [sing] in French, Latin, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English ... that would be six. And we speak about seven or eight. CNN: Do you speak the language of love? Marin: Yes, we do! Buhler: That would be the ninth language. CNN: Who is the biggest diva in the group? Marin: We are really four divas. Four captains, one ship. Sebastien Izambard: We have very strong personalities, and we're the producers of our tour and we sit down -- the four of us -- and decide what we're going to do, what set, what choice of the music or lighting. We're four grown-up people and we make that very possible. [In the beginning] everyone had their own opinions. Now we just know what's best for Il Divo. It's easy. Everything's easy. CNN: How are you being received in America? Miller: I think in America it's more of a slow burn. I think it's more difficult to put us on the radio because we fall between the cracks in a way. We're a little bit too pop for the classical stations, we're a bit too classical for the pop stations. And right now hip-hop and rap sort of reign supreme on the airwaves. But there is a big following and it's growing all the time. CNN: If there was someone you could collaborate with who you haven't yet, who would it be? Izambard: Beyonce. Christina Aguilera. Marin: Tina Turner. CNN: These are all pop acts. So you really do want to stay within the pop realm? Buhler: Yeah, definitely. I mean that's a very conscious choice. I don't think we're all opera purists, but for me personally, a "Nessun Dorma" [Puccini aria] is as good as it is and I don't see the point of adding a breathy voice, or adding harmonies to it. While the pop repertoire ... it's just more out there for everyone to take it and do with it whatever without offending people. All you want to do with a pop song is somehow transmit emotion. So far there's [been] much more freedom in pop music and that's why we stay in there ... we pretty much can do whatever we want. And as Simon Cowell just said recently, "Nobody owns music."

The group is the brainchild of "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell . The operatic quartet's new album, "The Promise," debuted atop the UK charts . Il Divo (Italian for "divine male performer") is made up of singers from four countries .

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(CNN) -- James Dobson, the influential evangelical leader of the Christian ministry Focus on the Family, has stepped down as board chairman, he announced Friday. James Dobson is expected to stay in his public role as an advocate for socially conservative issues. During a meeting with employees, Dobson, 72, said the move means he will no longer be involved with the administrative side of the organization, according to spokesman Gary Schneeberger. But Dobson's public role isn't expected to change. He'll still appear on his daily radio broadcast and as an advocate for socially conservative issues, Schneeberger said. "There won't be a whole lot of difference," the spokesman said. "You'll still hear him on the radio. You'll still see him on the networks like CNN with Larry King. "He said to the staff today, 'I've got more to say -- I'm not ready to stop fighting for the things I've fought for for the past 32 years.' " Founded in 1977, Focus on the Family is a nonprofit organization devoted to what it considers Christian family values, with Dobson's daily program geared largely toward advice on parenting from a religious perspective. But in recent years the ministry, like Dobson himself, has become more active in promoting social and political views. Last year, Dobson caused a huge political stir when he announced he "cannot and will not" vote for Republican nominee Sen. John McCain. He later changed his tune, after McCain's pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, calling her selection "one of the most exciting days of my life," on the syndicated Dennis Prager Show. Dobson has gained widespread attention again with his criticisms of a 2006 speech by now-President Barack Obama on his religious views. He accused Obama of "deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology." That led to a backlash. A group of ministers started an online petition, James Dobson Doesn't Speak for Me, that drew more than 12,000 signatures. Kirbyjon Caldwell, pastor of Houston, Texas' Windsor Village United Methodist Church, led that effort. "Dr. Dobson has made a tremendous contribution to the spiritual and social fiber of this country. I've always said that and will continue to say it although, obviously, we have not always agreed," Caldwell said Friday. "The fabric of the evangelical community here in America is very strong. One or two disagreements here and there are surely not going to cause the community to tear apart at the fringes." Dobson has spoken out loudly against abortion rights and gay marriage and even weighed in on the Harry Potter fantasy series, with a statement on the group's Web site denouncing the books' "trend toward witchcraft and New Age ideology." "He built his media empire around, sort of, parenting and family issues and he has since used his audience and his media presence to push a political agenda," said Peter Montgomery, a senior fellow with the liberal People for the American Way, which advocates, among other things, for the separation of church and state. "In the last several election cycles, he's constantly complained that the Republican Party isn't far enough to the right and sort of has a habit of saying he's going to take his followers and walk if they don't do more to push his agenda," Montgomery said. Focus on the Family says its broadcasts reach more than 220 million people in 155 countries. Its newsletter, in which Dobson will continue to write, goes to 1.6 million people. Dobson's announcement that he and his wife, National Day of Prayer Chairwoman Shirley Dobson, are stepping down from the board of directors comes six years after he resigned as the ministry's executive director. "One of the common errors of founder-presidents is to hold the reins of leadership too long, thereby preventing the next generation from being prepared for executive authority ...," Dobson said in a written release. "Though letting go is difficult after three decades of intensive labor, it is the wise thing to do." Montgomery, whose group has been critical of what it calls an "assault on Americans' liberties" by Focus on the Family, said it's unclear how influential the group will be when Dobson is no longer its public face. While Dobson is the personality that drives the ministry, Focus on the Family has a vast communication and fundraising infrastructure that could continue to make it a player in social and political issues for years to come, he said. In the meantime, Montgomery said, he doesn't expect Dobson's influence to wane because of the behind-the-scenes changes. "He's still a rock star among conservative religious activists," he said.

NEW: "He's still a rock star among conservative religious activists," scholar says . NEW: Dobson has spoken out against abortion rights, gay marriage, Harry Potter . Dobson, 72, tells employees he won't be involved with ministry's administration . Dobson still expected to remain in public role, be conservative advocate .

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(CNN) -- Five members of Liverpool's backroom staff have followed manager Rafael Benitez in committing their long-term futures to the Premier League title challengers. Rafael Benitez's backroom staff have followed his example in signing new contracts with Liverpool. Benitez signed a new contract with the club last week, following months of speculation, keeping him at Anfield until 2014. Now the Spaniard's lead has now been followed by assistant manager Sammy Lee, first-team coach Mauricio Pellegrino, goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero, fitness coach Paco de Miguel and chief scout Eduardo Macia -- all of whom have agreed contract extensions of at least two years. "I said when I signed my own deal recently that it was a priority to sort out the future of the technical staff," Benitez told PA Sport. "We work extremely well as a team, and continuity is essential if we are to build on the progress we have made this season and move the club further forward. I am delighted we have been able to sort out the contracts," he added. The news caps a remarkable month for the club, who have thrashed Manchester United and Aston Villa to re-enter the Premier League title race and also crushed Real Madrid 5-0 on aggregate to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Five members of Liverpool's backroom staff sign new contracts with the club . The news follows the decision of manager Rafael Benitez to finally agree terms . The signings are a further boost as Liverpool chase Europe and domestic glory .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Paying for sex with trafficked or exploited women would become a crime under new laws proposed by the UK government Wednesday. Under proposed laws, it would be illegal to buy sex from a trafficked or exploited woman in the UK. The act of purchasing sex is not currently a criminal offense in England and Wales -- although there are laws against paying for sex in a public place and persistently soliciting prostitutes. Now UK Home Secretary (interior minister) Jacqui Smith says she is proposing the new measures to protect vulnerable women and tackle the demand for prostitution. Britain's interior ministry, known as the Home Office, introduced the new measures Wednesday after a six-month review that looked at what else the government could do to protect women being exploited for sexual gain. "I want to do everything we can to protect the thousands of vulnerable women coerced, exploited or trafficked into prostitution in our country, and to bring those who take advantage of them to justice," Smith said in a statement. Smith said the new measures will shift the focus onto sex buyers because they create demand for prostitution and demand for the trafficking of women for sex. "There will be no more excuses for those who pay for sex," she added. As part of the review, the government looked at the experience of other countries including Sweden -- which has criminalized paying for sex -- and the Netherlands, where brothels are licensed. The government estimates around 80,000 people are involved in prostitution in Britain, with about 4,000 women having been trafficked for sexual exploitation. It says the prostitution market nationwide is worth up to £1 billion ($1.52 billion). Trafficking is the movement of women from one place to another for the purposes of sex. British Authorities have said trafficking usually involves the trafficker promising to bring a woman to Britain for a better life and then forcing her into prostitution. The measures -- which must be approved by Parliament -- would mean that those committing the new offense would be given a criminal record and fined £1,000 ($1,520) -- even if it was a person's first offense and the offender did not know the prostitute was being controlled by a pimp or had been trafficked. Police would also be given powers to close and seal premises suspected of being used for sexual exploitation, such as brothels, which the government said will prevent further exploitation and abuse from taking place. Current law prohibits curb crawling, which involves soliciting prostitutes from a motor vehicle persistently or in a manner that causes annoyance to the neighborhood. It also prohibits "persistent soliciting," which is essentially curb crawling without a car. But representatives of sex workers attacked the plans Wednesday, saying they will force prostitution further underground and make women more vulnerable to violence. "It's going to really make it more difficult for men to use the sex industry, and it's going to mean that women are going to have to take more risks in order to earn the same money," said Cari Mitchell, a spokeswoman for the English Collective of Prostitutes. "It's also going to drive it underground. It's going to increase the stigma." Mitchell said the government's figures are inflated, and that most immigrant women working as prostitutes have not been trafficked and are working independently. The new measures, she said, confuse prostitution with trafficking and take the focus off those women who may be vulnerable. "Of women who may be trafficked and forced, what they need is to be able to come forward and report to the police without any fear of being deported," Mitchell told CNN. The new restrictions on curb crawling won't end the practice, Mitchell said, but simply give prostitutes less time to weigh up any potential dangers before getting in the client's car.

UK government: Around 4,000 women trafficked in the UK for sexual exploitation . Interior ministry introduces new proposals to clamp down on sex trade . Minister: Measures will shift the focus onto sex buyers because they create demand . Sex workers representative: Move is counterproductive, will force prostitution underground .

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

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

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British adventurer has overcome sea sickness to complete his around the world trip relying only on the goodwill of people using social networking site Twitter. Paul Smith poses in New York in a picture posted on his Flickr page. Paul Smith aimed to travel to Campbell Island in New Zealand, the opposite side of the planet to his home in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in 30 days. In the end he fell just short -- reaching Stewart Island at the foot of New Zealand's South Island. There was not another boat to the more southerly Campbell Island -- a UNESCO World Heritage site -- until November. During his trip Smith visited the Netherlands, France, Germany and the U.S. -- where he was given a free flight to New Zealand -- and had his photo taken with Hollywood actress Liv Tyler. He also raised more than $7,000 for a water charity. More on his journey . His self-imposed golden rule was that he could only accept offers of travel and accommodation from people who use Twitter, a micro-blogging service that allows people to "tweet" what they're up to (or what they're thinking about) in 140 characters or less. Smith was also banned from making any travel plans more than three days in advance and has to leave each location within 48 hours of arriving. In his latest updates, he reveals a battle with sea sickness on the crossing to Stewart Island. "Oh god, I'm rocking back and forth. Still got motion sickness. Curse you, Stewart Island! "Yesterday's ferry crossing was calm according to local, but it managed to turn me inside out." Smith, who was flying out of New Zealand Tuesday, has more than 11,00 people following his progress on his Twitter page on which he has posted 1,300 updates this month. Comment on Paul Smith's journey .

British man travels around the world using only contacts made on Twitter . Paul Smith traveled to New Zealand from Newcastle-upon-Tyne . He managed to get his photo taken with actress Liv Tyler on the way .

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(CNN) -- Let's face it, if you're on holiday in Miami you'll want to be based near the beach, which, fortunately, is where the city's most glamorous hotels are located. South Beach is known for its Art Deco hotels, like The Delano, left. South Beach is known for its distinctive Art Deco hotels, mostly built in the 1920s and 30s and often painted in bright pastel colors. South Beach's Art Deco originals have been protected since the 1970s, and many have since been renovated to the highest specifications. Collins Avenue is home to more than its fair share of boutique hotels. The Delano (1685 Collins Avenue, doubles from $400) dates back to the 1940s and is crowned with streamlined fins that are pure Deco. It has been re-imagined by Ian Schrager, with a white, minimal Philippe Starck-designed interior that is sophisticated and hip. The Delano's Rose Bar is one of the best places in town for a poolside cocktail. The Shore Club (1901 Collins Avenue, doubles from $300) is another Schrager revival of a Deco hotel and, if anything, it's even cooler than The Delano. Rooms are high-tech, welcoming and often occupied by visiting celebrities. The attached sushi restaurant Nobu is top notch and the stylish Skybar, with its four bars and tropical gardens, is one of the city's hottest nightspots. Do you have a favorite hotel or place to stay in Miami? If you've just won the lottery, you'll want to stay at the Setai (2001 Collins Avenue, doubles from $785). Another conversion of an Art Deco hotel, albeit augmented by a 40-storey tower, the Setai adds tasteful Asian influences. Its cool, dark interior is a refreshingly tasteful oasis among the South Beach excess, and is both unashamedly luxurious and frighteningly expensive. Back in the real world, The Standard (40 Island Avenue, Miami Beach, doubles from $250) is a little stranded in its Biscayne Bay locale, but is great value. The real draw is the superb spa, with its infinity pool and open-air mud lounge. But this is no austere health retreat; it's relaxing and fun, and all the better for it. This is Miami after all... A cheaper, quirkier option is Pelican (826 Ocean Drive, doubles from $200). Owned by Italian fashion label Diesel, this is a colorful, kitschy place, with individually themed rooms, such as the ornate and floral 'Power Flower' room. The hotel's Pelican Café has an outstanding wine list and is surprisingly good value. Away from the beach altogether, the Biltmore (1200 Anastasia Avenue, doubles from $310), over in Coral Gables, is an absolute gem. The rooms aren't exceptional but the building is a beauty, modeled on the Giralda bell tower in Seville, with ornate Moorish-inspired touches. Al Capone was a big fan back in the 1920s and these days there's a massive pool, an 18-hole golf course and rumors of resident ghosts... ...................... Miami City Guide: . Where to stay | What to see | Where to be seen | Where to eat | Where to shop . Do you agree with our Miami picks? Send us your comments and suggestions in the "Sound Off" box below and we'll print the best .

South Beach is known for its distinctive and stylish Art Deco hotels . Expensive and exclusive, The Setai has an Asian-influenced interior . The Standard is known for its spa, infinity pool and open-air mud lounge . Over in Coral Gables, the stunning Biltmore resembles a Spanish palace .

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(CNN) -- Authorities in Kansas are looking for a boy who disappeared about a decade ago, but was not reported missing until a few weeks ago. Adam Herrman has not been seen since 1999, when he was 11 or 12. "We don't know what happened to Adam Herrman past '99, when he was last seen," Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said at a news conference in El Dorado. "Is he alive, is he dead? That one I can't answer because we don't know," he added. Adam was 11 or 12 when he was last seen, Murphy said. At the time, he was living in a mobile home park in Towanda, a small town in southern Kansas, with his adoptive parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman. The couple did not report him missing, Murphy said. A few weeks ago, a person notified Sedgwick County Exploited and Missing Children's Unit of a "concern" regarding Adam, Murphy said. The agency did not immediately return CNN's phone call seeking additional information. Wichita attorney Warner Eisenbise, who is representing Adam's adoptive parents, said the couple "really rue the fact that they didn't" report the boy missing. "They feel very guilty" about not doing that, he said in a telephone interview. The couple told him the boy had run away frequently, he said, and they believed him to be either with his biological parents or homeless. Although the Herrmans did not report him missing, "they were very worried about him," he said. Authorities have searched the Pine Ridge Mobile Home Park, where the family had lived, and discovered an "answer" to one of their questions, Murphy said, without explaining. "We did find one of the answers we were looking for, but I am holding that one very tightly," he said. Eisenbise said authorities also executed a search warrant on December 15 at the Herrmans' home in Derby, a town just outside of Wichita. They took the couple's computer, he said. Murphy said the couple is cooperating and had not been charged with anything. Citing a relative, the Wichita Eagle reported the Herrmans had taken Adam into foster care and later adopted him. Michelle Ponce of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, which oversees adoption and foster care, said she could not release any details regard Adam's case, and could confirm only that he had been in foster care at some point, but was no longer in foster care in 1999. Adam had been placed in the Herrmans' care when he was about 2, Murphy said in a phone interview. He had been named Irvin Groeninger III when he was born on June 8, 1987, Murphy said, and it was not clear when his name was changed. His biological parents relinquished their rights as parents about two decades ago, and Adam and his siblings were put in different foster homes, CNN affiliate KWCH reported. "I thought what I was doing for them was in the best interest of the children and evidently it wasn't," Irvin Groeninger told KWCH. "If he was still in my custody this would have never happened." Adam's sister, Tiffany Broadfoot, 22, said she last saw her brother about 14 years ago at a birthday party. A year or two later, he sent her a Christmas card, she said. "And that was the end of my contact with him," she told KWCH. "He had the cutest little round face, little bitty freckles right up here on the tip of his cheek," she remembered. "I'm just awestruck as how something like that could actually happen, and how he could be missing as long as he's been and nobody say anything," she said. Murphy said Adam's name appears on a legal document later than 1999. "We know that he was listed in a legal action as if he was still living at home, and I'm not certain of the date, but it was beyond 1999," he told CNN.

Sheriff says no trace of Adam Herrman found after 1999 . Parents did not report him missing until recently . Police say they don't know if he is dead or alive . Adam was 11 or 12 in 1999 .

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(CNN) -- An elderly American man has been released from a Mexican jail more than two months after the grandson he was traveling with was arrested on child pornography charges, a family member said. Edward Chrisman, left, crosses the Mexican border back into the United States after being freed Saturday. Edward Chrisman, 88, and his grandson had traveled to Algodones, Mexico, for discount dental care, as a part of a growing trend known as medical tourism. Algodones is just across the border from Yuma, Arizona. The grandson, 40-year-old Gary Chrisman Jr., remains in a Mexicali jail awaiting trial, according to his cousin, Tracy Short. Authorities accuse him of offering a woman money to take nude photos of her teenage daughters. Child pornography charges can carry a penalty of up to 12 years in prison, according to officials from the Consulate General Tijuana. In early January, the Chrismans stopped at a convenience store in Mexico and Gary Chrisman went inside to purchase soft drinks. Edward Chrisman waited in the car, Short said. The younger Chrisman had been taking pictures of the area that day and, while in the store, approached a woman about snapping some shots of her teenage daughters. He offered to pay them $25, they agreed, and he took a few pictures of the girls' faces. It was at that point, the family says, that the girls' mother demanded more money from Chrisman and called local authorities alleging that Chrisman had tried taking pornographic pictures of her daughters, after he refused to ante up. Both men were taken into custody at the time, but the police report does not say why the elder Chrisman was arrested. The Chrisman family says the men were set up as a ploy for money. Since early January, the family says, they have paid thousands of dollars to at least three attorneys for legal representation and have reached out to numerous officials and politicians in Mexico and the United States for help. Edward Chrisman, who lives in Arlington, Washington, but was wintering with his grandson in Yuma, Arizona, was released from jail on Saturday and crossed the border back into the United States the same day. The family says his health had been steadily deteriorating while he was behind bars. Traveling abroad for health care is a phenomenon known as medical tourism. Many do it to save money or to get medical care not approved in the United States. Internationally recognized hospitals in Thailand and Singapore can often perform orthopedic and heart procedures at a fraction of the cost. Mexico is a popular choice for dental care. The estimated number of Americans seeking treatment overseas annually varies widely, but starts at a half-million people. CNN's Sara Pratley contributed to this report.

U.S. man, 88, was arrested in January along with his 40-year-old grandson . Grandson accused of seeking nude photos of teens; family alleges setup . No word on why 88-year-old was jailed along with grandson . Family members say grandfather's health had deteriorated in jail .

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(CNN) -- Germany's much-loved model train manufacturer, Maerklin, has filed for bankruptcy, leaving fans around the world wondering whether it's the last stop for the company's toy business. This Maerklin train has a video in the front so users get a driver's view. Maerklin has been building toy trains for nearly 150 years and its railroads made their way into countries as far away as Australia and New Zealand. The company said it applied for insolvency proceedings Wednesday after talks to secure credit from banks broke down. Despite intensive negotiations, the commercial banks did not extend their lines of credit, Maerklin said. "It is sad," shopper Frank Steen, 39, said at London's famous Hamleys toy store. "With fewer older brands around, all we're left with is Japanese plastic." Although Maerklin generated a turnover of around $165 million in 2008, it struggled to obtain a credit extension beyond January 31, it said. Despite financial difficulties, the company still planned to set up its stall Thursday at the Nuremberg Toy Fair. Railway devotees will have plenty to look forward to after Maerklin boss Dietmar Mundil promised to bring 400 new products to the show.

Maerklin toy train firm files for bankruptcy . Company says it failed to secure extension of credit lines from banks . Maerklin generated a turnover of around $165 million in 2008 . Company still plans to attend this week's Nuremberg Toy Fair .

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(CNN) -- More than 60 years after reneging on a promise to the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos who fought for the United States during World War II, the U.S. government will soon be sending out checks -- to the few who are still alive. Veteran Franco Arcebal says, "we are loyal to the United States, except that the United States has forgotten us." "For a poor man like me, $15,000 is a lot of money," said 91-year-old Celestino Almeda. Still, he said, "After what we have suffered, what we have contributed for the sake of democracy, it's peanuts. It's a drop in the bucket." During the war, the Philippines was a U.S. commonwealth. The U.S. military promised full veterans benefits to Filipinos who volunteered to fight. More than 250,000 joined. Then, in 1946, President Truman signed the Rescission Act, taking that promise away. Today, only about about 15,000 of those troops are still alive, according to the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans. A provision tucked inside the stimulus bill that President Obama signed calls for releasing $198 million that was appropriated last year for those veterans. Those who have become U.S. citizens get $15,000 each; non-citizens get $9,000. "I'm very thankful," said Patrick Ganio, 88, the coalition's president. "We Filipinos are a grateful people." Ganio was among the tens of thousands of Filipinos at the infamous battle of Bataan, a peninsula on Manila Bay opposite the Philippine capital. He was captured and beaten by Japanese troops before ultimately being freed, suffering from malaria and then resuming his service to the U.S. military. "The record of the Philippine soldiers for bravery and loyalty is second to none," Truman wrote to the leaders of the House and Senate in 1946. "Their assignment was as bloody and difficult as any in which our American soldiers engaged. Under desperate circumstances they acquitted themselves nobly." Though Truman said the Rescission Act resulted in "discrimination," he signed it. "There can be no question but that the Philippine veteran is entitled to benefits bearing a reasonable relation to those received by the America veteran, with whom he fought side by side," he said. "From a practical point of view, however, it must be acknowledged that certain benefits granted by the GI bill of rights cannot be applied in the case of the Philippine veteran." Some historians say financial concerns were paramount: The cost of funding full veterans benefits to all those Filipinos, particularly in the wake of the costly war, would have been a heavy burden. The National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity offers a different explanation. "In 1946, discrimination against people of color was the rule of law," the group says in a document it submitted to the Obama-Biden transition team in November. "The second-class treatment of Filipino World War II veterans is another example from this historical period." For decades, Filipino activists and their supporters have fought for the full benefits. They've petitioned and picketed. Almeda, a widower who now lives in Virginia with his daughter, once chained himself to the fence outside the White House. "I was fined $50 for civil disobedience and was arrested," he says now, chuckling. He says he was just looking for answers. Despite encouraging words from U.S. presidents, including George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, the benefits were never restored. "Only 70,000 Philippine veterans remain alive, and they hope to stay alive long enough to see those benefits reinstated," CNN reported in 1997. "There's a bill, stuck in committee in Congress, that would do just that." That effort, just like so many before, fell apart. "We were loyal to the United States. Even up to now, we are loyal to the United States, except that the United States has forgotten us in many ways," said Franco Arcebal, another leader of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans. "It's only now, because of the insistence of Sen. [Daniel] Inouye in the Senate, he was able to act on this." Inouye, D-Hawaii, inserted the language in the stimulus bill, calling it "a matter of honor." The honor comes too late for the many Filipino veterans who passed away waiting for this moment. Families of deceased veterans are not eligible to receive the money. For those who are alive, the checks could make a real difference. "Practically all of us are below the poverty line now at this age. We have no way of earning a living," Arcebal said. But, he emphasized, "it does not correct the injustice and discrimination done to us 60 years ago. ... We were not granted school benefits. We were not granted hospital benefits. ... And in the 60 years, several billion dollars were saved by the U.S. government for not paying 250,000 of us. "Now we are only 15,000. And the amount that they're giving us is a small amount. But we appreciate that. Because it will finally recognize our services ... as active service in the armed forces of the United States." CNN's Lisa Sylvester contributed to this report.

Filipinos were promised full military benefits to enlist . President Truman later signed act reneging on promise . Only about 15,000 of the troops are still alive . U.S. citizens will get $15,000; non-citizens will get $9,000 .

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(CNN) -- Nadya Suleman, who gave birth to octuplets in January, brought two of her babies home from the hospital late Tuesday. Nadya Suleman walks outside her new house for a video crew in La Habra, California, on March 10. She brought the infants to her new house in La Habra, California. Members of the media and gawkers crowded the cul-de-sac, as news helicopters hovered overhead. Media swarmed the family's vehicle as it slowly made its way through the crowd, into the home's garage. The babies discharged from the hospital were Noah Angel, known as Baby A, and Isaiah Angel, known as Baby C, according to the Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center. The medical team that delivered the babies identified them by letters of the alphabet. On discharge, Noah weighed 5 pounds, 13 ounces, and Isaiah weighed 5 pounds, the hospital said in a news release. "Both infants are able to bottle feed, are gaining weight and are able to maintain their body temperature," the release said. "This is a happy moment for everyone -- the family, physicians, nurses and entire NICU (neonatal intensive care unit staff)," the release quoted neonatologist Mandhir Gupta as saying. "It is always rewarding whenever a premature infant goes home as a healthy baby." Watch as crowd welcomes babies home » . The remaining six babies continue to progress well at the hospital, Kaiser said. All continue gaining weight as they get formula or donated breast milk. Hospital representatives made several home visits before the babies were discharged, to determine whether Suleman could provide safe housing, enough child care support and the supplies needed to care for the first two children, Kaiser said. Until recently, Suleman had been sharing another home with her parents and her other six young children. But that house ended up at risk of foreclosure, and Suleman moved into her own home. Last week, she disputed news reports that her father had bought the new house. "I earned it. ... No, my father did not purchase this house for me. I did it on my own," Suleman told Radar magazine's Web site during a recent video tour of the 2,583-square-foot house. "It's 1,000-square-footage bigger than the old house," she said on the video. "They [her older children] like it more than Grandma's house." Watch Suleman take other children to theme parks . Showing the new house to Radar, Suleman toured the living room, dining room and kitchen, and a den off the kitchen that she said she planned to turn into a nursery. All the cribs will be kept in that room and two babies will share each crib, she said at the time, "unless one is sick, because they are so strong and healthy right now. ... Six are ready to come home." Suleman, 33, added that they would come home two at a time. "Two are little and they need to gain weight, and that's it. There's no medical problem," she said. People.com reported that their new home, which was listed for $564,900, has four bedrooms and a large back yard. "My ultimate goal is not to be a burden on ... taxpayers," she told Radar. "So there have been a couple of offers. ... I selectively picked a couple of opportunities to earn some resources for the kids." Suleman gave birth to the octuplets through in-vitro fertilization, fueling controversy. News of her collecting public assistance for some of her children also outraged many taxpayers.

NEW: Babies are Noah Angel, known as Baby A, and Isaiah Angel, known as Baby C . NEW: On discharge, Noah weighed 5 pounds, 13 ounces; Isaiah weighed 5 pounds . She plans to turn den in to nursery, with two babies per crib . Suleman says "my ultimate goal is not to be a burden on ... taxpayers"

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(CNN) -- They've sung his praises on social networking pages, calling him a "hero," "the greatest man of our time," "a legend." They've said he deserves to be knighted and should be decorated with medals. They've cried out for his amnesty and have even proposed serving time for him. A Lebanese student in Beirut attends a December rally to support the shoe-throwing Iraqi journalist. The man many hundreds of thousands of Facebook users honor is no other than Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison for hurling his shoes at then-U.S. President George W. Bush. The double-whammy size 10 shoe toss, neither of which hit Bush, took place in December at a news conference in Baghdad, Iraq. In many traditional Middle East circles, throwing shoes at someone is considered a grave insult. To do this to an American president surrounded by Secret Service agents, no less, was as shocking to riveted viewers who watched the footage later as it was to the president himself. Watch video about the shoe thrower's sentencing » . "First of all, it's got to be one of the most weird moments of my presidency," Bush said later. "Here I am getting ready to answer questions from the free press in a democratic Iraq, and a guy stands up and throws his shoe. ... I'm not angry with the system. I believe that a free society is emerging, and a free society is necessary for our own security and peace." Expressing their own freedom on Facebook, a worldwide fan base rose up to laud al-Zaidi's actions. They formed hundreds of fan pages and groups, big and small, serious and light. One is even called the "Shoe-Throwing Appreciation Society." Mike Trainor, 28, was watching a football game when a news break brought footage of the incident across his TV screen. "I thought it was the funniest thing I'd ever seen," said Trainor, a Queens, New York, stand-up comedian behind "Guy Who Threw His Shoes at Bush," which has attracted nearly 270,000 fans. The comedian may have created the post for laughs, but he quickly learned how loaded the issue was. "It grew into this crazy thing," in which Bush supporters began to weigh in on message boards calling al-Zaidi supporters "a threat to America" and insults in reaction flew, he said. "It shows people have a lot of passionate feelings about it, that's for sure." One message board on his page, titled "YOU GUYS HATE AMERICA," drew 384 posts in reaction. The creator started it with these words: "seriously you guys are all a**holes. why would you be happy about some freaking foreigner throwing his shoes at the leader of the free world? I don't care if he's dumb he's my president of my wonderful country [sic]." And interspersed amid the groups of fans were those that spoke out against the al-Zaidi worship. "That shoe thrower is not a hero," attracted 94 members, many of them with Arabic names. One London poster said the shoe thrower "did nothing but bring shame upon us iraqis [sic]," and another from Halifax, Nova Scotia added, "I dont care about bush but this guy was very disrespectful to the Iraqi Prime minister who was standing right next to him [sic]." But the shoe-thrower fans, at least in the world of Facebook, seem to far outweigh those who decried his actions. "This site is intended to express the appreciation of those who share the frustration and anger that you expressed when you blew Mr Bush those boot-kisses [sic]," reads the description on "Thank you Muntadhar al-Zaidi," a nearly 500-member page created by a teacher at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Protests of the journalist's arrest and now sentence brought Arab and Muslim demonstrators to the streets. But what Facebook has shown is that al-Zaidi's angry expression resonated with those beyond his religion and region. From England and Uruguay to China and Bush's own red, white and blue, supporters have made noise, at least virtually. "We're talking about a common man, like me and you," who was "tired of years of lies from a self-called 'freedom saver,' " said Matteo Ferigo of Padova, Italy, the 30-year-old creator behind "Save Muntadhar al-Zaidi," which has 116 members. "I understand that his act was not so civil, polite or 'politically correct,' but I also understand how Iraqi people can see George Bush and what he represents to them." Ari Vais, the creator of the page, "Free the Iraqi shoe throwing journalist!," said his own history taught him the value of free expression. "I was born in the Soviet Union, where dissent like this was cracked down on severely," said Vais, a 39-year-old Queens, New York, musician. "We came to America when I was a boy because we knew that people should be free." What al-Zaidi did was a reflection of the democracy Vais thought Bush intended to spread. "We were supposed to be liberators, and what America stands for is freedom of self-expression and human rights," he said. "All he did was throw a couple shoes. And he missed! It was political theater and not jail-time stuff." But it was serious business. Anyone, no matter where they live, would be tackled by Secret Service and face charges for such an attempted assault on the president. And if al-Zaidi had done this to Saddam Hussein, one has to wonder what would have come of the man who's now celebrated. The shoe throwing, because it was so shocking, proved great fodder for late-night talk shows. Comedians, beyond Trainor, had a field day with this one. It inspired online games for people who wanted to play al-Zaidi. Matt Love of Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada called the Iraqi journalist's move "an act of great courage" and said that in showing his disdain for Bush, "He spoke for many millions of people." The 52-year-old retired Washington state department of transportation worker believes everyone can learn from the shoe thrower. Commenting Thursday on several fan pages, including one calling for a Nobel Peace Prize for al-Zaidi, Love suggested that people turn out for Bush's March 17 speech at the TELUS Convention Centre in Calgary. "Lets [sic] show some solidarity...and lob some loafers," he wrote. "Will the Canadian government lock us up for 3 years? Let's find out." Reached later in the day, however, he assured CNN that this was written tongue-in-cheek. "Let me be clear," Love said. "I won't be throwing shoes at anyone."

Muntadhar al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at President Bush, gains cult-like following . Hundreds of thousands of Facebook users join groups to praise the Iraqi journalist . Fans extend beyond the Muslim and Arab worlds, politically and comically . But seriousness of his actions leads to three-year prison sentence .

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(CNN) -- The only thing Venus Williams treasures more than winning is a decent nap. Venus Williams knocks Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova out of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships on February 17, 2009. Just before a match, when other top tennis players might be psyching themselves up for a three-set onslaught, the elder of the Williams sisters can be found somewhere private, snoozing. "I'm always sleepy," she told CNN in an interview for this month's edition of "Revealed." "I'm literally taking a nap during the first set and the match before me, so I'm probably the only person that can go to sleep, come out 15 minutes later and start playing." Wary of sending the wrong signals to her rivals, the sixth seed confessed to CNN that she prefers to take her naps in private. "I'm wondering if my competitor is going to see me here, so I try to act like I'm not asleep, but I am asleep, or I try to find a place where I can sleep in and no one will see me," she laughs. The lightning-fast speed of Venus' serve is at complete odds with her personality. She is strong, ambitious and determined, but also surprisingly laid-back for someone whose professional career is about playing harder, longer and faster. Watch Venus Williams on "Revealed." » . "I just always go with the flow," she told CNN. "On the court, that's when I get most intense. In practice, I scream and yell and threaten to throw my racquet but in the match I'm not like that at all." Her younger sister, world number one Serena, sounds almost envious of Venus' ability to keep her emotions in check. "Venus is really, really unusually composed and that's just her style," Serena told CNN. "On the court she's always really focused. She always has this quiet tenacity and she never really shows her emotions which I think is good." The youngest of five sisters, Serena says she continues to draw inspiration from her closest sibling. Venus is just 15 months older than Serena. She set the marker for success in 2002 when she became the first of the sisters to become world number one. Serena first took the title in July of the same year and reclaimed it earlier this month. "She's my bigger sister, she's my older sister, she's a role model for me," Serena said. "I'm always trying to do what she does. If she's going on the right path then I'm going on the right path too. If she's working hard then I want to work hard also. I'm the little sister who wants to be just like the big sister," she added. If they once struggled to find the required ruthlessness to eliminate each other from a competition, it is clearly no longer a problem. Of 18 matches they have contested, each sister has won nine. At the time of writing, there is every chance they will meet again this week in the semi-final of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. They last clashed at the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha in November 2008 when Venus dispatched Serena in three hard-fought sets before going on to win her first end of season title. Watch Venus take the title . Asked after the match about accusations they don't play as hard against each other as they would normal rivals, Venus replied, "You have to play hard against a Williams or you are going home quickly. We try our hardest and I think that everyone knows that by the effort level." Their mother, Oracene Price, told CNN she keeps her advice on the subject simple. "I just tell them to remember they are sisters and how love and how to care for one another is more important than anything," she said. "So, this is just a game and eventually it would be over and you will have to live with each other. So, just go out there and do your best and whoever wins, wins. And whoever loses, better luck next time." Having said that, Price admits she keeps her distance from whoever comes out second best, in any match. "They don't want to be talked to, they don't want you telling them anything, they just want to be left alone and that's what I do," she told CNN. There was no need for tip-toeing after the second round of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. Venus made fast work of Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, beating the 17-year-old 6-0, 6-1 in less than one hour. Venus told CNN her ambition this year is to topple Serena to become the world number one. "I think I am in a great position to do that," she said. Watch Venus Williams on Revealed this week at the times below: . ALL TIMES GMT Wednesday, February 18: 0930, 1830 Saturday, February 21: 0830, 1900 Sunday, February 22: 0530, 1830 Monday, February 23: 0400 .

Venus Williams admits she's always sleepy, likes to nap before a match . The sixth seed is playing in the Dubai Tennis Championships this week . Venus aims to topple sister Serena to become world number one in 2009 . Watch Venus Williams on Revealed this week at the times below .

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Editor's note: Actor Rainn Wilson plays paper salesman Dwight Schrute in the television comedy "The Office." Rainn Wilson says fellow members of his Baha'i faith are being persecuted in Iran. (CNN) -- Why is Rainn Wilson, "Dwight" on "The Office," writing a news commentary for CNN? Good question. It's a bit strange for me, to say the least; a comic character actor best known for playing weirdos with bad haircuts getting all serious to talk about the persecution of the fellow members of his religious faith. Dear readers of CNN, I assure you that what I'm writing about is no joking matter or some hoax perpetrated by a paper-sellin', bear-fearin', Battlestar-Galactica obsessed beet farmer. I am a member of the Baha'i faith. What is that, you ask? Well, long story short, it's an independent world religion that began in the mid-1800s in Iran. Baha'is believe that there is only one God and therefore only one religion. All of the world's divine teachers (Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Moses, Abraham, Krishna, etc.) bring essentially the same message -- one of unity, love and knowledge of God or the divine. This constantly updated faith of God, Baha'is believe, has been refreshed for this day and age by our founder, Baha'u'llah. There. Nutshell version. Now, as I mentioned, this all happened in Iran, and needless to say the Muslim authorities did not like the Baha'is very much, accusing them of heresy and apostasy. Tens of thousands were killed in the early years of the faith, and the persecutions have continued off and on for the past 150 years. Why write about all this now? Well, I'm glad you asked. You see there's a 'trial' going on very soon for seven Baha'i national leaders in Iran. They've been accused of all manner of things including being "spies for Israel," "insulting religious sanctities" and "propaganda against the Islamic Republic." They've been held for a year in Evin Prison in Tehran without any access to their lawyer (the Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi) and with zero evidence of any of these charges. When a similar thing happened in 1980, the national leadership of the Iranian Baha'i community disappeared. And this was repeated again in 1981. In fact, since 1979, more than 200 Baha'is have been killed, holy places and cemeteries desecrated, homes burned, civil rights taken away and secret lists compiled of Baha'is (and even Muslims who associate with them) by government agencies. It's bad right now for all the peace-loving Baha'is in Iran who want only to practice their religion and follow their beliefs. It's especially bad for these seven. Here's a link to their bios. They're teachers, and engineers, and optometrists and social workers just like us. This thought has become kind of a cliché', but we take our rights for granted here in America. Imagine if a group of people were rounded up and imprisoned and then disappeared not for anything they'd done, but because they wanted to worship differently than the majority. There is a resolution on the situation of the Baha'is in Iran being sent to Congress. Please ask your representatives to support it. And ask them to speak out about this terrible situation. Thanks for reading. Now back to bears, paper and beets! The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rainn Wilson.

Rainn Wilson: I'm a member of the Baha'i faith, founded in the 1800s in Iran . He says the faith has been persecuted on and off for 150 years . Seven Baha'i leaders are going on trial in Iran on a variety of charges, he says . Wilson: Ask your congressman to support a resolution on the Baha'is .

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- The death toll from a flash flood in Indonesia's capital grew to 98 people on Sunday as rescuers widened their search for more than 130 other people in the aftermath. Members of a search and rescue team look for bodies near Jakarta. The nation's health ministry said 62 women, 31 men and three students had been killed. Of those, 12 bodies remained unidentified, ministry spokesman Rustam Pakaya said. Another 13 people were missing. The search for the missing will be called off Sunday night, he said. The flood started Friday morning after heavy rains caused waters to smash through a dam and rush into Jakarta. The breach unleashed a torrent of water that plowed into hundreds of homes in what some survivors described as a suburban "tsunami." About 1,500 volunteers -- mostly students from two flooded universities in Jakarta -- are assisting in the search and rescue effort, said Mardjito, a social affairs ministry official who, like many Indonesians, goes by one name. He said rescuers started using heavy machinery to lift debris. Still, the death toll is expected to rise. At least 50 people were injured and nearly 1,500 have been displaced. Mardjito said a camp for survivors so far has adequate supplies as members of political parties continue to send food, blankets, flashlights and other items amid a major election year. Sleeping residents were taken by surprise by the powerful flash flood as it crashed through the crowded Cirendeu district near Jakarta early Friday. Watch scenes of the flood devastation » . Drenched and shivering survivors were taking refuge on the rooftops of their homes as rescuers in rubber boats were struggling to reach them, said social affairs ministry official Mardjito. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, currently on the campaign trail ahead of the elections later this year, has said he had ordered senior ministers to visit the scene of the disaster. "On behalf of the government, I express my condolences to the families of the dead victims and may their souls be accepted by God almighty," he said, according to the official Antara news agency. The rain obliterated a 255-meter-long section of the dam, releasing a wall of water from a 20-hectare lake that some survivors said reminded them of the tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004. "They said they had heard loud rumbling sounds like during a powerful earthquake. They later found out that the sounds came from the water rushing out from the dam's lake," according to Antara. Floods from heavy rains are an annual occurrence in and around Jakarta, a low-lying city on the northern coast of Java island, where poor infrastructure often results in polluted canals and rivers overflowing their banks and spilling into thousands of homes. In 2007, 38 people were killed and 430,000 forced from their homes when storm water 3 meters deep in some places swamped 75 percent of the capital, which is home to about 9 million people. With poor sanitation and a hot and humid climate, the risk of water-borne diseases is usually a major concern following floods in the city, where mosquito-transmitted malaria is also a threat. CNN's Andy Saputra contributed to this report.

At least 98 dead, many more missing, from flash floods in Jakarta . Flood began after heavy rains caused waters to smash through a dam . Survivors say rumbling of waters sounded like an earthquake . Rescuers are having difficulties reaching people because of mud .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- The "crime scene cookies", "baaji custard" and "sponge shafts" depicted in Oliver Beale's letter of complaint to Virgin Atlantic struck a chord worldwide. Mean cuisine? Airline industry experts insist standards of in-flight food are improving. The missive he sent to Virgin chairman Sir Richard Branson about a meal he received on board a Virgin flight from Mumbai to London in December spread across the web and email with a vengeance. Not only was this a complaint letter par excellence, but it hit upon one of the most emotive subjects of long-haul air travel: the in-flight meal. Read the letter here. "Food gets everybody going, whether they are sitting at the back end or the front end of the plane," says Peter Miller, marketing director at Skytrax, a UK-based aviation research organization. "Apart from the sheer fact you might be hungry, it is there to alleviate the boredom. Because of that people tend to focus on it more." But the criticism passengers target at airline food is not always warranted, Miller argues. Skytrax has been tracking airline service for a decade and every year it ranks airlines according to catering in economy, business and first class. Miller acknowledges that there have been cut backs on catering across short-haul flights and a decline in spending on food in long-haul economy. But Skytrax's research has also revealed a general improvement in standards over the last five years. "We are actually strong supporters of the overall quality that is served up across most airlines in most parts of the world," says Miller. Standards have improved firstly as a result of greater competition between airline catering companies, says Miller. What do you think? Are in-flight meals getting better or worse? What was your worse meal? Sound off below. Austrian catering company DO & CO has transformed the food served onboard Austrian Airlines and Turkish Airlines flights. Skytrax reported a 35 percent increase in customer satisfaction for Turkish Airlines since DO & CO was hired in 2007. "In the last 15-20 years, the industry has focused on lean production. But we believe [airline catering] is not the job of a car manufacturer," says Attila Dogudan, CEO of DO & CO. Good quality airline food not only depends on the quality of raw ingredients, he says, but also the intangible elements of good cuisine. "If you have chefs doing 3,000 filets on the grill, after 300 they lose the passion," says Dogudan. To inspire enthusiasm in its kitchens, DO & CO says it employs an unusually high ratio of chefs to work on a greater variety of dishes. They say they also insist on training cabin staff in food service; they replace the dreaded disposable food trays with crockery; and give passengers menus explaining where their fresh, local ingredients come from. Airlines also use food as a marketing tool and improve standards to attract premium customers. Austrian Airlines has won the Skytrax award for Best Business Class Catering for the last two years. As Michael Braun, spokesman at Austrian Airlines says, "the current situation in the airline industry is tough and costs have to be cut. But the competition is also very tough, so we need something that makes us unique compared to other airlines." And for Austrian Airlines, one unique selling point is its food. There is an on-board chef on every Austrian Airlines flight who puts the crucial finishing touches on premium-class meals. The airline also offers a "Vienna coffee house in the air" and one quarter of flight attendants are trained sommeliers to guide passengers through the extensive wine list. Airlines worldwide also hire celebrity chefs to add prestige to their culinary efforts. British chef, Gordon Ramsay is one of Singapore Airline's "Culinary Panel"; Juan Amador works with Lufthansa; and United Airlines enlisted the services of U.S. chef Charlie Trotter to inspire its in-flight menu. Chefs help airlines design meals that perform at high altitude. As Michelle Bernstein, Delta's celebrity chef has said, palates weaken in pressurized air cabins, which means dishes need to be made a more flavorful and seasoned than they would be on the ground. Miller at SkyTrax is skeptical about the true benefits a celebrity chef can bring to onboard catering. After all, Gordon Ramsay isn't actually in the cabin sautéing the potatoes. But he does acknowledge that some chefs have influenced a new style of in-flight cuisine. Chef Neil Perry, hired by Qantas in 2003, initiated a move to healthy eating in first and business class. His work has since influenced standards across catering in all classes. Qantas won the Skytrax award for Best Economy Class Catering in 2008 partly as a result of simple enhancements such as the availability of fresh fruit between meals and from the self-serve bar in economy on its A380 aircraft. But as airlines grapple with a deepening recession, can passengers expect treats to vanish from food trays? Across short-haul flights, making cuts is an "easier game," says Miller. Passengers notice it far less if an airline switches a sandwich for a packet of biscuits and a plastic cup of coffee, he says. But on long-haul flights, airlines are restrained in what they can cut. Miller: "People measure the standard of their flight by the quality of the food or the size of the portion they get. If a meal is cut back too severely they are going to walk away." How important is food for you on flights? Is it good enough? Sound off below.

In-flight food has been the butt of much criticism for the airline industry . Industry experts say quality is improving despite some budget cutbacks . Airline food is back in focus after a six-page rant from a Virgin passenger . The complaint letter referred to the passenger's "culinary journey of hell"

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NEW YORK (CNN) -- John and Elizabeth Calvert enjoyed the good life on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, friends said, but they were growing more and more suspicious of the way their business books were being handled. Things weren't adding up. Money appeared to be missing. John and Elizabeth Calvert are featured on missing persons posters on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. So they scheduled a meeting with accountant Dennis Ray Gerwing to address their concerns, recalled one close friend, Nancy Cappelmann. The Calverts said they were meeting with Gerwing at his offices in the upscale resort community at 6 p.m. last March 3, she added. It would be the last time anyone would see or hear from the couple. The Calverts lived part-time on their yacht, docked at the island's Harbor Town Yacht Basin, the same marina where they managed boat slips. They spent the rest of the year in Savannah, Georgia, and also had a home in Atlanta. They were an active, affluent couple in their mid-40s, and their absence was quickly noticed. On the evening of March 3, 2008, the evening they were to meet with their accountant, both of the Calverts' phones were turned off. Family members said it was very unusual for either John or Elizabeth Calvert to shut off their cell phones. Watch an update on the case » . Family and friends called police and reported the Calverts missing on March 4, after they missed appointments and still couldn't be reached. "I was supposed to meet John that night and he is never late, so when 20 minutes went by, I got worried and called his cell, but it went straight to voicemail, like it was turned off," Cappelmann said. She was a good friend of the couple's and worked at one of their harbor businesses. Police and search teams scoured the island. Divers and dogs searched the harbor and found nothing. The Calverts' small airplane was still at the island's airport and provided no clues. Their 2006 Mercedes Benz was found parked at a hotel in Palmetto Dunes, a gated community six miles from where the Calverts' yacht was docked. The Mercedes also contained no forensic clues. In reconstructing the Calverts' last days, investigators concluded that Gerwing was worth a deeper look. They now say they believe the 54-year-old accountant was the last person to see the Calverts alive. Gerwing ran the management company that kept the books on the Calverts' four businesses on Hilton Head Island. Authorities were already looking into possible financial improprieties involving the company, The Club Group. They named Gerwing as a person of interest in the case about a week after the couple disappeared. An internal audit later revealed that Gerwing had embezzled $2.1 million from the Calverts and others, police said. Gerwing committed suicide within hours of learning he was a person of interest, slashing his neck and legs with a steak knife, authorities said. He also left behind suicide notes with vague references to the Calvert case, said Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner. Tanner said the notes indicated some acknowledgement of responsibility for his actions, but didn't say specifically what those actions might have been. Police also gathered circumstantial evidence that seemed to point to Gerwing, including drop cloths large enough to use to wrap bodies and latex gloves purchased on the day the Calverts disappeared. In addition, police learned that Gerwing's cell phone had been turned off for 12 hours after he was scheduled to meet with the Calverts. If Gerwing were alive, Tanner said, police wouldn't have enough corroborating evidence to name him a suspect and arrest him. Police executed search warrants on Gerwing's office, home and vehicles and found soil in Gerwing's kitchen. Investigators hope analysis of the dirt might provide clues to the origin of the dirt and a new location to continue searching for John and Elizabeth Calvert. Friends and family are offering a $65,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the Calverts' disappearance. Police urge anyone with information about John and Elizabeth Calvert to call the tip line at (843) 524-2777. Police also are seeking help from anyone who saw the Calverts' 2006 Mercedes Benz E320, Georgia Tech license plate GT821B on or about March 3, 2008.

John and Elizabeth Calvert were last seen on March 3, 2008 . They couple lived on board their yacht at Hilton Head Island . They were growing suspicious of their accountant; set up a meeting . Have information? Call (843) 524-2777. A $65,000 reward is offered .

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(CNN) -- Kellee Santiago wants to tap into the kinder, gentler side of gaming. The player takes flight in "Cloud," a video game distributed by thatgamecompany. The president and co-founder of thatgamecompany is finding success in the video game industry with titles like "Flower," "Flow" and "Cloud." The mellow interactive experiences are definitely different from the more violent "spray-and-slay" video games on the market and are designed to encourage emotion, innovation and creativity. In "Flower," the player journeys through an imaginary landscape where they can blow breezes, collect flower petals and enjoy the colorful landscape of what Santiago says is a "video game version of a poem." Such creativity seems to be in perfect harmony with the 30-year-old video game developer, who has a background in the performing arts. A graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Santiago worked with incorporating digital and interactive media with live performance before she discovered another passion. It was while completing a master's in fine arts at the Interactive Media program at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts that Santiago realized she could marry her love of the arts with video game creation. "That attraction I had to working on original theater works was very similar," she said. "I had grown up with video games; I was definitely a gamer all my life, and I had just never thought about it as a creative medium. "As soon as I did, it was just really exciting, because I saw this huge, untapped potential and a lot of things that hadn't been done before," she added. "That excited me." While at USC, she worked on a student project called "Cloud," a downloadable PC game, which only a few months after release online had been played by 350,000 people. "In comparison to every single play I probably ever worked on in combination never saw that large an audience," said Santiago, whose company released "Cloud" as one of its games. "That was really exciting." Santiago is returning to her alma mater Monday as a speaker for TEDx USC, an independently organized TED event, which has CNN.com as one of its supporters. TED stands for technology, entertainment and design and began 25 years ago as a conference to bring together some of the world's greatest minds. Krisztina "Z" Holly is vice provost and executive director of the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation as well as the curator of TEDx USC. She said USC is an ideal location for the event, which has a theme of "Ideas Empowered," because of its diverse, entrepreneurial and innovative environment. "It's a great opportunity to bring together leading minds both from on-campus and off-campus to share ideas, to hear new ideas and be inspired to come up with their own ideas to make a real impact," she said. Making an impact is exactly what Santiago had in mind when she and fellow USC graduate Jenova Chen launched thatgamecompany. The company, though small and independent, has received many positive reviews of its games and last year was honored as one of the "20 Breakthrough Developers" of the year by Gamasutra. Two of its games have been released on the Sony PlayStation 3 platform. Although the gaming industry is mostly dominated by men, Santiago said, she has always been treated as an equal among her peers. And although the main demographic for video games is young men, Santiago said, there is another audience. "The average gamer now is 35 years old," she said. "Because the audiences are maturing and simultaneously we have a generation of people who've grown up with games who are entering the industry, it's sort of now our turn to create." Scott Steinberg, publisher for Digitaltrends.com and author of "Get Rich Playing Games," said Santiago is one of several women making a splash in the world of gaming. Steinberg said Santiago, who is also an invited speaker at the Game Developers Conference this week in San Francisco, California, has achieved a level of visibility because of the quality of her work and the fact that she is a great game designer. "These are games that push boundaries that appeal to folks of all ages, interests and genders," he said. Santiago's games stand out, he said, because they differ so greatly from what many think of when they think video games. "That's part of what makes them so appealing is the fact that the offer something so different," he said. "They are unique, something audiences haven't seen before. A lot of them actually border on being virtual art experiences more so than video games. "The nice part about it is, they can be consumed at a very leisurely pace; they can be consumed in bite-sized sessions," Steinberg added. "These are the types of titles that we need as an industry to help broaden our horizons." Santiago remembers her first experience playing video games on an arcade version of "Super Mario Bros." that she and her brother tackled while her mother shopped at the supermarket. And although she says she doesn't think it's dangerous for children to play violent video games, Santiago does see danger in doing so without having recognition of the violence. From her games, she says, she wants players to take away the feeling that, like with any communicative medium, there is a relationship with a game. "One of the questions we always get is, are we always going to make emotional games," Santiago said. "We are saying all games are emotional."

Kellee Santiago's company produces video games meant to inspire . Santiago approaches games as art . Titles like "Flow" and "Cloud" are alternatives to violent video games . Santiago is a featured speaker at TEDx USC conference .

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ROME, Italy (CNN) -- When Anna Elisa Fattori arrives at work the first thing she does is to take off her clothes. All of them. For Fattori is a professional nude model working at Rome's art academy. Anna Elisa Fattori: "You are trying to give inspiration to the students." "It is a tough job!" she tells me just before beginning to pose for a group of students, eager to paint her gracious figure. There is something striking about her bright green eyes and wavy red hair. "It doesn't seem to be hard, but you know, try it! Put yourself in front of the mirror and then stay for a long time in a pose. You start: 'Oh my back, oh something is strange here...'" she says, mimicking pain on her lower back. Fattori is one of about 300 people in Italy who do this job, but only about 50 of them have full-time contracts. She makes the equivalent of about $1,500 each month, but only works three months per year. And that is why she and others recently went on strike, demanding a full-time wage for work they say not everyone can do. "It is not easy because you are naked, so you have to be very comfortable with your body and have a nice relationship with everybody," she says as the students look on, "but not too open and not too close. You are trying to give inspiration to the students. If we lose these artistic roots that are very important to Italy then we lose a big part of our identity." Italian Renaissance art is filled with naked men and women: Think of Michelangelo's David or Botticelli's Venus. But back then artists mostly used prostitutes and lovers as models and muses, often with the complicity of priests who wanted the walls of their churches painted by famous names. "Priests allowed prostitutes to use churches," explains Enrico Bruschini, one of Rome's best known art historians. "Officially it was to convert them, but the practical reason was to have the artist at the church." Bruschini says that the Saint Augustine church, a stone's throw from Piazza Navona, was a famous gathering point in Rome for Renaissance artists looking for "inspiration." Back then though professional modeling did not exist, and most would agree that the art didn't really suffer from its absence. So if Botticelli and Raphael could do without professional models, what is the big deal now? "It all started with the rise of art schools in the 19th and 20th centuries" says Fattori. "During the Renaissance you just thought that a prostitute can be a model or even a lover. But now we are here, so we need to move ahead." Art students hoping to become the next Michelangelo agree. "I think a person should have talent," argues Anastasia Kurakina, a first year student from Russia. "Because you, for example, you couldn't [model]... I don't know you, but Anna Elisa has talent." Anastasia is right, I certainly couldn't do it -- but unbeknownst to me she used me as a model while I was interviewing Fattori. Thankfully I was fully dressed, so all she drew was my head. And she didn't to a bad job at that. E-mail to a friend .

Italy's art models have gone on strike, demanding they get a full-time wage . Around 300 people do the job, but only about 50 of them are full-time . During the Italian Renaissance artists mostly used prostitutes and lovers as models . Priests let prostitutes use churches so it was possible to attract, employ name artists .

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(CNN) -- As the first president-elect with a Facebook page and a YouTube channel, Barack Obama is poised to use the Internet to communicate directly with Americans in a way unknown to previous presidents. Since the election, President-elect Barack Obama has posted weekly video addresses on YouTube. Judging by Obama's savvy use of social-networking sites during his campaign and the interactive nature of his transition team's Web site, Americans can expect a president who bypasses the traditional media's filters while reaching out to citizens for input, observers say. "The rebooting of our democracy has begun," said Andrew Rasiej, founder of Personal Democracy Forum and the techPresident blog. "[Obama] has the potential to transform the relationship between the American public and their democracy." During the presidential race, Obama's campaign won praise for its innovative use of social-networking sites, including Facebook, MySpace and MyBarackObama.com, to announce events, rally volunteers and raise money. Facebook has more than 150 million active users, and the average user has 100 friends on the site, according to the company. iReport.com: Your chance to ask President-elect Obama a question . Obama has more than 1 million MySpace "friends" and more than 3.7 million "supporters" on his official Facebook page -- some 700,000 more than when he was elected in November. His campaign also has a database of almost 13 million supporters and their e-mail addresses. Transition officials hope to transform Obama's vast Web operation and electronic list of supporters into a 21st-century tool to help accomplish his goals as president. They even have a name for this ambitious effort: Obama 2.0. "Obama has invented an alternative media model," said CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider. "In the old model, the president talks to the people on television [and] the people talk back in polls. In the new model, communication is online, and two-way." Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Twitter didn't exist when George W. Bush took office eight years ago. But since last November's election, Obama has wasted no time embracing these online communication portals. In recent weeks he has taped weekly video addresses and posted them to YouTube, where most have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. Obama's staffers also have stopped posting information to social-networking sites since the election, preferring to reach out to constituents through YouTube and Change.gov, the official site of the president-elect's transition team. Visitors to Change.gov can read a frequently updated blog, post their ideas on issues facing the country, and rate others' ideas. Top-rated ideas will be gathered into a briefing book and given to Obama after he takes office. "They want information going not just from them to the voters, but from the voters back to them," Democratic strategist Steve McMahon said Wednesday on CNN's "The Situation Room." "Thirteen million people pushing a button, sending an e-mail to their elected representatives, making a phone call, taking action, is a powerful, powerful lobbying tool." "It's a very smart use of the Internet, to get people to offer ideas," said David All, a Republican Internet strategist. All hopes that Obama and his staff take a similar approach to WhiteHouse.gov, the president's official Web site. The current WhiteHouse.gov site, operated by the Bush administration, contains few interactive features. A statement on the president-elect's transition site says that Obama hopes to "use cutting-edge technologies to create a new level of transparency, accountability, and participation for America's citizens." It's fitting, then, that Obama's inauguration next week could be one of the most watched video events in Internet history. Rasiej expects that hordes of users will be watching online when Obama takes the oath of office, visiting WhiteHouse.gov and refreshing their browsers to capture the moment the site switches to proclaim Obama, not George W. Bush, as president. As president, Obama will likely not just rely on WhiteHouse.gov but use multiple Internet sites and technological tools to build grass-roots support for his agenda, observers say. "[Obama] is using the tools that are available to him today," All told CNN. "The next president will be using some of the same tools, and also some tools that haven't been invented yet."

As president, Barack Obama will use the Web to communicate directly with citizens . Obama can bypass traditional media filters while reaching out to Americans . Political-tech expert: "The rebooting of our democracy has begun" Transition officials have a name for this online communications effort: Obama 2.0 .

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(CNN) -- From songs to poems to sayings on the side of coffee cups, everyone tries to define love in words. Liz Kelly donated her kidney to her fiance after he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. But often, it's the extraordinary actions we take in the name of love that really define it. Liz Kelly's fiance, Matt House, needed a kidney after he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. In order to get him to the top of the donor list, Kelly signed up to donate hers. At first, she never dreamed she would actually be a match, but it turned out she was. The Springfield, Massachusetts, couple (he's 31, she's 29) spoke with CNN's Nicole Lapin about whether Kelly thought fate played a hand in finding him a donor match. The following is an edited transcript of the interview: . Nicole Lapin: Liz, I didn't know about the donor process, until we started talking to you guys. The donor process works whereby a friend or a family member can donate a kidney to get Matt higher on the list, so you decided that you were going to do that. Why did you decide to do that? Watch Nicole Lapin's interview with Liz Kelly and Matt House » . Liz Kelly: It was pretty much a no-brainer, I think. His sister was actually going to donate at first. But she didn't work out for health reasons. It's obviously better to have, you know, a family member donate a kidney, too. But since that wasn't going to work out, his stepfather stepped in because they were the same blood type. And that ended up not working out either. He had some heart issues and some other health issues. So, I said, you know what, I'll just donate to the list. And that's what I was intending on doing. And then I found out that we were actually a match, and it was amazing. Lapin: It was amazing, I'm sure, to get that phone call, because you did it just so that you could get higher on the list. A lot of people on our Web site are fascinated by your story, guys. [A viewer] has a question for you right now, Liz: Have you ever had any surgeries before this one? If not, how did your prepare yourself for this? Kelly: No. This was my first surgery, so that definitely made me very nervous. That was the definitely scariest part for me, just not knowing what to expect. But, Matt has been through several surgeries before. So I know I had him in my corner. And I looked up a lot online. I found out a lot of great information online. So that's definitely how I prepared. Lapin: And [another viewer] has a question in for Matt, actually: Were you scared that perhaps your body might reject Liz's kidney or were you always confident that the surgery would be a success? Matt House: I think I was pretty confident with her being the same blood type or us matching is pretty phenomenal, so I didn't expect it to reject it anyway. Maybe after the surgery if I would have a little pain down there or something like that, I would get a little nervous and think that it was going to reject, that there's something wrong. But that would just pass. It was me just being a little overanxious, I guess, but not really, no. I was pretty confident everything would go well overall. We're both pretty healthy for the most part. And being the same blood type was just you know really great, so it worked out good. So, I wasn't really worried at all. Lapin: Fate, some may say? House: Yeah, yeah, definitely. Lapin: Yours is a lot bigger. You're a little girl, but you happen to have a kidney that is perfect for Matt. Do you think it was meant to be? Kelly: I do. I definitely do. People tell me that all the time. When they told us that we were a match, I was very surprised at first, but then I thought about it a little more. Of course we were a match. How could we not be a match?

Liz Kelly offered to donate kidney to move her ill fiance higher on donor list . Matt House had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure . House's family members were unable to donate because of health reasons . After recuperation is over, the Massachusetts couple plans to marry by summer .

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(CNN) -- An Australian pilot landed a company plane in the ocean off Darwin on Friday, in a water landing that prompted comparisons to last month's landing of a US Airways jet in New York's Hudson River. The Australian pilot has been compared to U.S. hero Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, pictured above. The Australian pilot also encountered problems shortly after takeoff. The twin-propeller plane was carrying the pilot and five passengers when it went down shortly after leaving Darwin International Airport, said Neville Blyth, a senior transport safety investigator with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. All those aboard were unhurt and managed to walk to shore, he said. Pictures showed the men from the plane soaked and carrying bags and equipment as they walked through the water. "It's essentially a good story," Blyth said. The ATSB is deciding whether to investigate, he said, and the cause of the incident is still unknown. The Piper Chieftain plane was on its way to the town of Maningrida, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) east of Darwin, according to its owner, Australian information technology company CSG. Watch the plane ditch in Darwin Harbor » . "We would like to congratulate the pilot following all emergency landing and evacuation procedures and his very professional handling of the situation," a CSG statement said. Darwin is in Australia's Northern Territory, on the coast of the Timor Sea. The city's airport is near the water. The plane's trajectory took it over the water, giving the pilot limited opportunities to ditch the plane on land, Blyth said. He said the ocean was a safer option for landing than the beach, where the firmness of the sand was unknown. "Personally, I think the decision was appropriate," Blyth said. Australian media dubbed the captain of the Darwin plane "Sully Lite," comparing him to the captain of the US Airways Airbus jet that landed safely in the Hudson. Pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger was hailed as a hero for landing the plane safely and ensuring that all 155 people on board survived. Asked about the comparisons, Blyth said the connection was tenuous. "The correlation for a water landing is as close as it gets," he said.

Australian pilot lands a company plane in the ocean off Darwin . He and five passengers escape injury after emergency landing . Australian media dubbed pilot "Sully Lite," comparing him to U.S. hero .

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(Budget Travel) -- Thanks to a vibrant design culture and growing tourism industry, Spain now has some of the best boutique hotels on the continent -- including a recent wave of hotel chains that's making chic accommodations affordable. The real estate boom has been a key factor. Spying the potential, many entrepreneurs snapped up 19th-century residential buildings and converted them. Gat, a trailblazer, operates two hotels in Barcelona's Raval, a multicultural neighborhood just off Las Ramblas. Both feature abstract art, acid green walls, and stylishly minimalist furniture. Book weeks in advance for the Xino (more appealing than sister hotel, the Raval). All its rooms have private baths, and you can admire the city skyline from the rooftop terrace (doubles from €70 ($110)). The Room Mate chain is multiplying rapidly, with branches in Granada, Madrid, Malaga, Oviedo, Salamanca, Valencia and counting. (It first caught our attention last year.) But don't think chain-like conformity. Each property, named after an imagined roommate, has its own personality, as interpreted by a crew of hot young interior designers. In Madrid, book Room Mate Alicia, a cultured, original, and slightly edgy creature, according to the owners. Near major museums, the hotel's light-filled, airy rooms are stylish without going overboard on showy design elements. Ask for one that looks out over Santa Ana, the city's hottest 'hood (doubles from €100 ($157)). Hot is regularly used to describe Madrid these days -- and not just in reference to the climate. Finally stealing some of the limelight from Barcelona, Spain's capital is going through a renaissance in food, design and counterculture. Visiting creative types head for fashionable Chueca and check in to Colors Host, decorated in a chromatic riot of shades. Book rooms 1, 2, 10 or 11 for an enclosed balcony overlooking Calle Fuencarral (doubles from €45 euros ($71)). At the other end of the spectrum, the Analina Rooms offers tastefully modernist brown-and-white interiors and breakfast next door at Maestro Churrero, a café famous for the quintessential Spanish snack, chocolate con churros (doubles from €65 ($102)). Get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you FREE - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2009 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc., all rights reserved.

Barcelona's Gat hotels feature abstract art and stylishly minimalist furniture . Room Mate has branches in a handful of Spanish cities . In Madrid, Analina Rooms offers tastefully modernist brown-and-white interiors .

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(CNN) -- Normally, "hot spot" isn't the first phrase that comes to mind when talking about Saskatchewan, Canada. A relocation service company president said he is moving more people to Saskatchewan than ever before. But with most of Canada suffering from devastating job losses, this cold province is becoming exactly that. It's an asterisk to the entire country when it comes to the economic climate, and Premier Brad Wall is shouting it as loud as he can. "It's a great time to come to Saskatchewan," said Wall, who even called the Toronto Star newspaper to tout his province's economic success and let Ontarians know there were jobs for the taking. "For those who are losing their jobs, we need them to know we have thousands of jobs open right now in both the private and public sector," Wall said. "We have a powerful story to tell, a story of success and that's something we want to share with those who are struggling." Wall's province is one of the exceptions to the unemployment increases battering provinces across Canada. Saskatchewan's unemployment rate fell to 4.1 percent in January from 4.2 percent in December, making it the only province recording a decline. In Ontario and the city of Toronto, unemployment rates rose to 7.2 percent and 8.5 percent respectively. To the west, British Columbia shed 68,000 full-time jobs in January. More Saskatchewan jobs should be on the way. To stave off any possible recession, Wall announced a $500 million infrastructure "booster shot" to help keep the economy strong. Learn more about different towns in Saskatchewan » . "All across the country, industries are getting quite ill," Wall said. "We aren't immune to it. We see some impacts in terms of layoffs and new vehicle purchases slowing off, and so we want to be proactive in staying ahead of the curve." On Tuesday, the Conference Board of Canada released a report that said Saskatchewan will likely continue to lead the nation in economic growth in 2009 because of the infrastructure investment and tax reductions. The province has also been reaping the benefits of an influx from nearby Alberta. When the government in Alberta decided to raise the oil royalty rates, oil exploration and expedition companies decided to move their operations to Saskatchewan in hopes of making more money. With the province's growing opportunities, David Montgomery, president of Calgary's Qwest Haven Relocation Services, said he is moving more people to Saskatchewan each day. "Alberta has always been the gravy train of oil," said Montgomery, who is also a former resident of Regina, the capitol and second-largest city in Saskatchewan. "But with the new royalties, oil companies are saying 'Why stay here and make less when the opportunities right next door are even better?' Many other companies may start to follow suit." Montgomery said people looking to move have said that cheaper land and insurance prices are among the other reasons they are headed to Saskatchewan. "There, government insurance is cheaper than anywhere else in the country and it comes with your license plates," he said. "With the amount of jobs, cheaper opportunities and great way of life, the government there has made it very attractive to move there." That means more business for Wall's province and more jobs coming to the area. Not that there's a shortage of jobs. On Tuesday night there were nearly 6,000 private- and public-sector jobs on the Web site Saskjobs.ca. A constant stream of revenue from oil production and exports also buoys the economy in the province. Saskatchewan falls just behind Alberta, as the largest oil exporter in Canada, and Wall's province sends more oil to the United States than Kuwait. Wall said the province is the leader in uranium production and produces a third of the world's potash. The province continues to keep ahead of the curve, Wall said, finding ways to diversify its resources and embark on ambitious green projects and new oil projects. The province is working with Montana on a $212 million climate change initiative that would create the first major greenhouse gas storage project in North America. The carbon dioxide from coal-fueled power plants would be stored in the ground in Montana and later be withdrawn for use in oil production. Wall also said what may be the largest discovery of sweet, light crude oil in the southeast part of the province means it could have even more oil to work with. The Bakken Formation could potentially have 413 billion barrels of oil, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. That would be another huge untapped revenue gold mine. Despite the growth of nearly all sectors across the board, Wall cautioned that it is possible his province may see economic stress, just later in the game than other places. "We need to be circumspect and prudent about promoting our province," he said. "We are not immune; we do see the impacts. It isn't some sort of panacea or answer to economic questions that don't exist elsewhere. We are a bit of an asterisk that says there is some stress, but it's relatively calm here." Wall encouraged people not to count out a move to the province based on stereotypes that it is "only winter here," and "all of the land is just rolling hills." "'It's a beautiful, big place where life is great and right now there's also opportunity," he said. "I'm very, very biased, but I can't imagine a place I'd rather be, especially with what's going on economically around the world."

Saskatchewan projected to lead Canada in economic growth in 2009 . Province helped by infrastructure investment, oil production . Premier: We are "a story of success" that wants to help those struggling . Relocation services business sees more people looking to move to province .

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LINKENHOLT, England (CNN) -- Hidden away in the hills of Hampshire lies the village of Linkenholt. This idyllic community, home to just 50 people comes complete with grand Edwardian manor house, cricket pavilion and grounds, blacksmith's forge, rectory, shooting grounds, 22 houses and grade 2 listed cottages. The current owner has ensured that houses are not sold off in the near future. It's all one could ever want from a quintessential English village, and now it is on sale for $33 million. Once owned by English cricketer Herbert Blagrave, the estate was left to his own charitable trust which has now put the entire village -- church not included -- up for sale. "That," joked local estate agent Tim Sherston, "is owned by God." In times of financial downturn and falling house prices, the decision to sell up is curious. The trust says though it wants to free up the capital tied up in the estate so it can give more to charity on an annual basis. Sherston maintains that Linkenholt is not only a rare opportunity; it is a sound buy. "Big time investors will look upon it as a safe haven to place their money because in five years you're going to see a great deal of appreciation here, so this is perfect." The new owner could also take away a significant income from the rent of the houses. Watch as village goes on sale » . Likely buyers are private individuals interested either in farming or the shoot, regarded as one of the finest in the south of England, according to Sherston. There has also been some foreign interest though he adds "the village is run very much as it has been for the last 200 to 300 years and it is the trustees' hope that the new owner will continue to run it in the same manner." Provisions have been made by the trust to ensure the houses are not sold off in the near future. Only the manor house will be vacant for the new owner. But locals do worry about their new landlord. The village thatcher Paul Raynsford told CNN: "I'd sooner not see a banker or someone who's going to asset strip it. I'd like to see a film star, pop star, footballer, someone who just wants to buy it so they can say 'I'm the lord of the manor.'" Ray Smith, known locally as "the Sheriff," has worked as the estate's manager for 50 years. He says: "I'd like to see an Englishman live in the manor, run the farm and the shoot like it used to be." Indeed, Linkenholt is idyllic; within the beautiful surroundings classified as an area of outstanding beauty, this is a village full of characters and local tales. Ray's wife Elsie talks of how they met as teenagers cycling past each other everyday on the way to work along the same path. Stopping one day to help with her broken bike, they have been together ever since. He made the permanent move to Linkenholt when the keeper before him caused a local scandal when caught illegally shooting the ground's deer. Two doors down lives Elsie's sister, who is married to Ray's brother. The sisters were born here, christened and later married in the church here, worked in the cricket club, and though their own children have moved further afield, they would never leave. Their father even died on Linkenholt's cricket ground during a game in the 1930s. Having dedicated their lives to the village, the Smiths and childhood friend Alan Dewey, another original local, were given the houses in which they live by the trust. Ray adds: "I'm on holiday all the time. With a place like this to sit in the sun and look at all the views, I don't think you'd want to go anywhere else." Though the media has shone a temporary light on Linkenholt, the hope after the arrival of the new owner is that the village will revert back to times of old, unspoilt and wonderfully English. Reiterating the ideal of having a new lord of the manor, blacksmith Colin Boast adds: "We would like to see someone come in and take the village to their heart and to love it like the people here do."

Village of Linkenholt, in southern England, up for sale for $33 million . Estate was left to a charitable trust that has put entire village on market . Trust, villagers hope new owner will continue to run it in same manner .

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- At least 22 people were killed Friday in two bus bombings in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan security officials inspect the bus that was the target of the roadside bomb attack. Initially, police said 21 commuters were killed and more than 53 wounded when an explosion hit a crowded bus in a town south of the capital of Sri Lanka on Friday, police said. Police accused Tamil Tiger rebels of carrying out the attack in Moratuwa, a southern suburb of Colombo. Police said they also discovered and defused a Claymore mine in the same place, preventing another explosion. A few hours later a bomb explosion in a bus outside Sri Lanka's hill capital of Kandy killing one person, police said. The incident took place at Polgolla, some eight kilometres from the outskirts of Kandy where the bus was headed from the hill country town of Matale. Police also blamed Tamil Tiger rebels for that explosion. At Moratuwa, police and soldiers sealed off an area around the scene and searched for suspects. Authorities also intensified security in Colombo. Initial reports said an explosive device was placed on the ground and detonated with a remote control device, police said. In an adjoining town, another bomb was discovered and diffused immediately, they added. Watch medics treat bus blast survivors » . The explosion came as rebel bomb attacks on civilian targets in Colombo and its suburbs have showed a marked increase. Pro-rebel web sites have accused Sri Lankan security forces of attacks on civilians in Wanni, the northern region dominated by them. On Wednesday, a packed train heading to Colombo from the southern suburb of Panadura narrowly escaped severe damage when an explosion hit the track. The blast injured 23 commuters. On May 26, an explosion on the same southern railway line killed nine and injured 84.

At least 22 commuters were killed and more than 53 wounded in blast . Explosion hit a crowded bus near a southern suburb in the city of Colombo . Police defused claymore mine in the same place, preventing another explosion .

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(CNN) -- American al Qaeda member Adam Gadahn appeared in a video posted on the Internet on Saturday, focusing on Pakistan, with references to the U.S. economic meltdown and fighting in Kashmir. Adam Gadahn, also known as Azzam the American, is seen in a video posted on the Internet in August 2007. The rambling, wide-ranging video was released by www.LauraMansfield.com, a Web site that analyzes terrorism. The 32-minute video was produced by As Sahab, al Qaeda's video production arm. Gadahn, also known as Azzam the American, is on the FBI's Most Wanted List, with a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to his capture. He was indicted in 2006 on charges of offering material support for terrorism and treason, making him the first American charged with treason since World War II. He has renounced his American citizenship. "It's time for you to put aside tribal, ethnic and territorial differences and petty worldly disputes not just for now but forever and unite to restore the glories of your forefathers and hasten, Allah willing, the defeat of the Zionist-crusader enemy and the establishment of the Islamic state, the Ummah, the so eagerly anticipated," Gadahn says in English. Gadahn also notes that "victory in Kashmir" has been delayed for years, adding that, "It is the liberation of the jihad there from this interference which, Allah willing, will be the first step towards victory over the Hindu occupiers of that Islam land." He also cited the economic woes in the U.S. economy. "The enemies of Islam are facing a crushing defeat, which is beginning to manifest itself in the extending crisis their economy is experiencing. The crisis, whose primary cause, in addition to the abortive and unsustainable crusades they are waging in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, is they are turning their backs on Allah's revealed laws, which forbid interest-bearing transactions, exploitation, greed and and injustice in all its forms and demand the worship of Allah alone to the exclusion of all false gods, including money and power," he said. Gadahn, who grew up in rural California, embraced Islam in the mid-1990s and moved to Pakistan. Since October 2004, he has appeared in at least eight al Qaeda videos speaking in English and praising the terrorist network. In a video released in January, Gadahn renounced his U.S. citizenship and destroyed his passport on camera, saying, "I don't need it to travel anyway." His demands have ranged from pulling out all soldiers from "every Muslim land" to halting support of the "enemies of Islam" and freeing all Muslims in detention centers and prisons. Failure to take any one of the steps, he said, would be "considered sufficient justification" for continuing the fighting and killing. However, according to CNN Senior Arab Affairs Editor Octavia Nasr, no known terrorism activity has been linked to his messages.

Al Qaeda member Adam Gadahn appears in video posted on Internet on Saturday . Video refers to ethnic divisions in Pakistan, fighting in Kashmir, U.S. economic woes . The native Californian was charged with treason in 2006 .

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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Jessica Keenan tried on wedding dresses in a fancy Beverly Hills boutique, about 100 miles from the Santa Barbara, California, clinic where she gets blasted with chemotherapy once a week. Jessica Keenan, 34, is getting married January 24, thanks to the Dream Foundation. Keenan is 34 years old and battling Stage 4 breast cancer with faith, hope and a charity called the Dream Foundation, which helps terminally ill adults. ''You get a diagnosis and you never know how short your time is," Keenan said. "I chose to believe there is going to be a cure. You still carry those dreams of getting married, having a kid." But Keenan and her fiancé, Curtis Jimenez, couldn't afford a wedding -- their finances are sapped by her cancer battle. They rent from friends. Keenan wrote a letter to Dream Foundation, at the suggestion of her devoted nurses at the Santa Barbara cancer center. "It all just started snowballing," she said. Her wish has been granted, thanks to Dream Foundation and flock of people she has never met. Think of the foundation as Make-A-Wish, but instead of trying to help desperately sick children, Dream Foundation assists terminally ill adults. Keenan's wedding is a different, more lavish wish than most of the requests the foundation has been receiving in this tough economy. "People's needs are becoming basic," said the charity's founder, Thomas Rollerson. "We are getting wishes just to pay an electric bill, pay the rent, or help keep a promise to go to Disneyland to give them that memory in a time of hopelessness, doctors visits and uncertainty." Other dreams are simply for dying family members to be united with loved ones, last visits before last rites. Rollerson explains that with money tight, donors can still help without writing big checks. For example, people can donate frequent flier miles or hotel points. When corporate donors and philanthropists jump in, a Dream Foundation wish can turn elaborate. The foundation's Web site is a bulletin board of heartache looking for relief. There's Bruce, 31, dying of Hodgkin's lymphoma. He wants to leave New York state for the first time and take his wife and his 6-year-old son to Disney World. Remedios is a California woman with incurable cancer. She wants to treat the daughter who stands over her bed to a Quinceniera, a traditional celebration for a girl who turns 15 years old. Bone cancer is expected to kill Edward Lucas of Springfield, Missouri, in less than six months. He wants to celebrate his 21st wedding anniversary with his wife, Nancy, before he leaves her a widow with an adult daughter and three grandchildren. Their dream is a warm-weather honeymoon trip never taken. Edward was hospitalized and too weak to talk to CNN. "I wanted him to have a trip or something to look forward to," Nancy said. "A lot of people don't realize there are dreams for adults too." The Lucas' dream trip is coming together with the help of Dream Foundation, which is hashing out some of the flight and hotel issues to Florida. Back in California, Keenan's wedding is speeding toward January 24, thanks to dozens of corporate sponsors and a wealthy Texas do-gooder, Beverly Adams, who made a big financial contribution. The upscale boutique Monique Lhullier donated the dress. "We're a conduit," Dream Foundation's Rollerson said. "People are willing to help. They just need to know how and where." Keenan, a hairdresser by trade, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. She thought she had it beat two years ago when she met her fiancé on New Year's Eve. She found out in March of 2007 the cancer returned. Her fiancé has remained at her side. "When they met, they were just so into each other," said Lena Rueff, who first introduced the bride-to-be to her brother. "He has been a rock for her. He packs snacks, games, books to the hospital where he stays with her." In the dress shop, she and the other bridesmaids cheer for Jessica. "You look sexy!" Her hair is cropped short after all the chemotherapy. "I like the long veil." Jessica pauses, realizing she's not just playing dress-up with grade school friends. "It's overwhelming. I'm anxious and excited," she said, standing in a room where some dresses cost more than new cars. "I still don't believe it's going to happen." The bridesmaids stop cheering for a second and rub away tears of joy.

Jessica Keenan, 34, has Stage 4 breast cancer . One of her dreams is to get married to defy her terminally ill prognosis . The Dream Foundation is helping her dream come true . The foundation helps terminally ill adults with their last wishes .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Navy has charged six guards accused of assaulting detainees in May at Camp Bucca in Iraq, naval officials said Thursday. U.S. guards patrol at Camp Bucca in Iraq in May. The Army Criminal Investigation Division investigated alleged incidents that left two detainees with minor bruises. The division also investigated an incident in which eight prisoners were confined overnight to a housing cell that had been sprayed with a riot control agent, the Navy said. The six guards will face courts-martial. Seven other cases have been resolved through nonjudicial punishment, according to a statement from the commander of U.S. Naval Forces-Central Command. The courts-martial are expected to start within 30 days at Camp Bucca, which is in southern Iraq near the Kuwaiti border. The guards accused in the case are assigned to Navy Provisional Detainee Battalion 4.

Navy guards accused of assaulting detainees at Camp Bucca . Eight prisoners were confined to cell sprayed with riot control agent, Navy says . Navy: Two detainees allegedly left with minor bruises .

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NEW YORK (CNN) -- A lawsuit filed January 30 by baseball great Roberto Alomar's ex-girlfriend alleges he engaged in unprotected sex with her while suffering from HIV/AIDS. Roberto Alomar's ex-girlfriend says he had unprotected sex with her while infected with HIV. Ilya Dall is asking for $15 million for "personal injuries" suffered due to Alomar's negligence. She and her two children lived with the former New York Mets slugger for three years. She alleges that he started exhibiting signs of HIV as early as 2005, but twice refused recommendations for an HIV test by his doctor, saying that earlier tests for the disease had come back negative, according to court papers. Alomar's lawyer, Charles Bach, was not available for comment, but attorney Luke Pittoni, who also represents Alomar, said, "We believe this is a totally frivolous lawsuit -- these allegations are baseless, he's healthy and he'd like to keep his health status private. We'll do our talking in court." Anthony Piancentini, who is representing Dall, said he has "no comment" at this time. Dall says in court papers that Alomar told her "I don't have HIV." She alleges he "lied and purposefully misrepresented his physical condition" and "that he was endangering the health and well being of [Dall] by continuing to have unprotected sexual relations with [her]," according to the lawsuit. Court papers list several physical ailments that Dall says Alomar exhibited from early 2005 on, including white spots on his mouth and throat, extreme fatigue, back and vision problems, and shingles. In early 2006, Alomar submitted to an HIV test that, according to court papers, confirmed he was HIV positive in February 2006. Dall says she went for an HIV test shortly afterward and the results were negative. The couple visited a disease specialist shortly after Alomar's diagnosis, who found a mass in Alomar's chest and advised the couple that he was suffering from full-blown AIDS, according to the lawsuit. Dall alleges that a few days later, Alomar's skin was turning purple and he was foaming at the mouth; a spinal tap on February 21, 2006, confirmed he had full-blown AIDS, court papers said. Dall claims in the lawsuit that Alomar's negligence caused her severe "emotional distress" over the health of her children. Court papers say that because the couple lived with the children, they may have been exposed to Alomar's saliva or blood in the bathroom, through things like toothbrushes and other items. Dall claims to suffer from "permanent emotional distress" even after repeatedly testing negative for HIV. The lawsuit claims her fear of contracting the disease is known as "AIDS phobia" and that she suffers from permanent post-traumatic stress disorder. Alomar requested Tuesday that the suit be moved to Brooklyn, New York, federal court. It was originally filed in Supreme Court in Queens, New York. An initial conference on the case is expected on April 15 in Brooklyn federal court. Alomar is the son and brother of major leaguers -- father Sandy Alomar was a second baseman with several teams between 1964 and 1978 and brother Sandy Alomar Jr. is a former catcher who played from 1988 to 2007. Roberto Alomar retired in 2004 with a .300 lifetime batting average, 12 All-Star game selections and 10 Gold Gloves. He was the All Star Game MVP in 1998 and played on two Toronto Blue Jays World Series champion teams. Alomar, then playing for the Baltimore Orioles, is also known for an incident in 1996 during a game against the Blue Jays when he spat in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck following a heated argument over a third strike. After the incident, Alomar claimed the umpire uttered a slur to him during the argument.

Ex-girlfriend says he denied having HIV/AIDS, had unprotected sex with her . Woman says Alomar endangered her health by lying to her about disease . Court papers say tests in 2006 showed Alomar had full-blown AIDS . Alomar's representative says claims are part of "frivolous lawsuit"

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Editor's note: Jordan Lorence is senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, a nonprofit organization of Christian attorneys. He has litigated religious liberty and free speech cases since 1984, including the Southworth case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1999, involving mandatory student fees at public universities, and a 2004 case that resulted in a California Supreme Court ruling that marriage licenses issued by San Francisco to same-sex couples were invalid. Jordan Lorence says Rick Warren's views on marriage shouldn't bar him from Barack Obama's inauguration. SCOTTSDALE, Arizona (CNN) -- Proponents of redefining marriage couldn't wait for the new president to be sworn in before demanding that he erase from the inauguration ceremony a prominent American who disagrees with them. The target of their rhetorical bombardment is Rick Warren, the popular Christian pastor from Southern California. President-elect Barack Obama has asked Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration. Not so fast, cries Kathryn Kolbert, head of People for the American Way, an organization that claims to advance equality and freedom of speech and religion (but not for Rick Warren and those who agree with his marriage views) in a piece published on CNN.com. Warren's grave sin? Along with 52 percent of California voters, he supported California's Proposition 8, which affirmed the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. What a radical! Though Warren will only be praying for the country's future (not giving a speech about marriage), Kolbert and others are pressuring Obama to set a precedent for his administration of publicly shunning someone who supports the traditional definition of marriage. They want people like Warren silenced and ostracized for their "hate speech," defined today as disagreeing with their agenda to impose a redefinition of marriage on an unwilling America. Obama, to his credit, has resisted their strident demands. The attacks on Warren are the latest in a series of coercive, intimidating attacks on supporters of traditional marriage. Now, activists have ramped up their strong-arm tactics by pushing the president-elect to ban Warren from appearing at the inauguration. This is amazingly audacious, in light of the fact that on marriage, the overwhelming majority of Americans and, indeed, humanity, agrees with Warren. Americans have voted to preserve marriage in all 30 states where it has been on the ballot by an average vote of more than 65 percent. The collective experience and wisdom of every major civilization from the dawn of time agrees that societies function best and children are best protected when marriage is defined as between one man and one woman. Warren and those who agree with him want all nations to experience these benefits of marriage when it is rightly defined and consistently practiced. Ironically, Obama has repeatedly stated that he agrees "that marriage is the union between a man and a woman." Does Kolbert question his fitness to serve as president in light of his allegedly "bigoted" views on marriage? Kolbert brazenly denies that she and other activists desire to silence pastors like Warren because of their marriage views. She is indignant that Warren and others spread the "big lie" that redefining marriage would threaten the freedom of speech and religious liberties of those who hold the view shared by the vast majority of Americans. Her argument is disarming in its pure duplicity. Part of Kolbert's case against Warren, who she thinks should not be speaking at such an important public ceremony, is that he believes that folks like her are working to ban people like him from speaking at public ceremonies. Thus, the "big lie" becomes an obvious truth. This is really all about ideological purity -- and purging. Are the activists proposing that no one should be permitted to speak at the inauguration if they hold beliefs on marriage contrary to hers and her ideological bedfellows? How can publicly snubbing the influential and respected Warren advance what Kolbert calls "the values of unity and respect ... on which President-elect Obama campaigned?" It won't. But it will surely send a message to those who believe in marriage, that they will be viciously attacked for expressing, or merely believing, that marriage is defined as between one man and one woman. Ms. Kolbert provides just the latest example of how the forces of "tolerance" and "diversity" quickly abandon their principles of "live and let live" when somebody disagrees with them. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jordan Lorence.

Jordan Lorence: Barack Obama has asked Rick Warren to give the invocation . He says activists are seeking to ban Warren from speaking because of his views . Lorence says Warren's view on marriage is the majority position in the U.S. He says Obama also believes marriage is between a man and a woman .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Karma caught up with former Culture Club singer Boy George on Friday when a court sentenced the star to 15 months for falsely imprisoning a male escort, a court spokeswoman said. George O'Dowd, also known as Boy George, arrives at Snaresbrook Crown Court, in east London. Full details of the sentence weren't immediately clear. A jury unanimously found the pop star and DJ, whose real name is George O'Dowd, guilty of the charge last month after a seven-day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in northeast London. The jury determined O'Dowd, 47, had chained male escort Audun Carlsen to a wall at his apartment in London's hip Shoreditch neighborhood. Carlsen had also said the singer beat him with a metal chain. Watch as Boy George arrives at court » . O'Dowd, who maintained his innocence, came to court Friday sporting a multicolored tattoo on his bald head, none of his trademark makeup, and a black winter coat. The star quit Culture Club in 1987 after a string of hits with the group, including "Karma Chameleon," "Do you really want to hurt me?" and "Church of the Poison Mind." He has since become a DJ and revived his singing career, releasing a single last year called "Yes we can," inspired by Barack Obama and featuring clips of the U.S. president-elect. O'Dowd is no stranger to the law. In August 2006, he spent five days cleaning the streets of Manhattan as part of a community service sentence for falsely reporting a break-in at his New York City home. He has also publicly battled drug addiction.

Former Culture Club singer jailed for falsely imprisoning a male escort . The victim, Audun Carlsen, claimed he was also beaten with a chain . Boy George, whose real name is George O'Dowd, has battled drug addiction . He spent 5 days cleaning the streets of Manhattan in 2006 on community order .

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Editor's note: Carly Fiorina is chief executive of Carly Fiorina Enterprises and former chief executive of HP. She was an adviser to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign last year. Carly Fiorina says outrage at Wall St. pay is justified but salaries shouldn't be set by government. (CNN) -- Americans are outraged over excessive CEO pay and perks. That outrage is justified, particularly when American taxpayers are footing the bill. Our capitalist system works best when there is transparency and accountability. There has been too little of both on Wall Street. Inevitably, the president and Congress are now attempting to respond to taxpayer anger and restore some "common sense," as President Obama recently declared, to CEO compensation. The proposed solution caps top executive pay at $500,000 for institutions that have received bailout money. I don't think this is the answer, although it is an understandable reaction. It's arbitrary: Why not $400,000 or $600,000? It's incomplete. It only applies to institutions that will receive more government assistance going forward. And it doesn't strengthen our economy when government decides how much each job is worth. In America we leave that job to markets. So what's the answer? To strengthen transparency, all aspects of CEO pay and perks should be fully disclosed on a regular basis. This should include airplanes, cars, golf-club memberships, bonuses, stock options, retirement plans and salaries -- in short everything that a common-sense person would consider part of a CEO reward package. See Fiorina discuss exec pay, including her own » . To strengthen accountability, all aspects of CEO compensation should be voted on by shareholders on an annual basis. Ultimately, it is the owners of a company who must determine whether a CEO's rewards are justified by a CEO's performance. And because the American taxpayer is now a partial owner in many companies, the government can get a vote as well -- in some cases a very sizeable vote. In addition, "clawback provisions," which require a CEO to return compensation to shareholders if promised results aren't delivered, should be standard fare. Finally, when a company comes to Washington for American taxpayer money, it is an admission that mistakes have been made and major bets have failed. These CEOs should be prepared to tender their resignations and those of their boards. To earn a bailout, a CEO and board should be held accountable. We should not weaken our economy while trying to fix it. These are difficult times. President Obama has described our current situation as a "crisis" and an impending "catastrophe." In such times, action is required. The key is to take actions that help in the short-term, while also being sensible for the medium and long-term. Too often our politicians react to crisis and public anger by over-reaching, and they create new, unforeseen problems that only become clear with the passage of time. In this country, the opportunity to be rewarded for taking prudent risk is fundamental to our economic vitality and strength. Let's not lose that fundamental principle in our outrage over Wall Street greed and excess. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Carly Fiorina.

Carly Fiorina: It's understandable that people are outraged at Wall St. pay . Fiorina says government shouldn't set limits on executive compensation . She says all aspects of pay and perks should be disclosed . Fiorina: Shareholders, including government, should vote on pay packages .

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(CNN) -- The Indigo Girls navigate the challenges of today's recording environment with their new two-disc album, "Poseidon and the Bitter Bug." The Indigo Girls, Amy Ray, left, and Emily Saliers released their latest folk-rock album on Tuesday. Rather than abandon ship amid the country's economic recession and after being dumped by their former label, the folk-rockers decided to release the album independently -- and they recorded it in a mere three weeks. The veteran Atlanta, Georgia, duo remains optimistic about America's recording industry and the ability of artists to market themselves online. But nothing will replace a heartfelt live performance, said Amy Ray. "We need to keep art as a visceral experience, too, and not just an Internet experience," said Ray, who plays in the group with Emily Saliers. It is "going to be up to bands to keep touring and people to keep going to hear 'em." Watch their live performance and interview with CNN » . CNN talked with the Indigo Girls about the Internet, food, their Southern roots and their newest album's strange name. The following is an edited version of that interview. CNN: What's been the primary influence for you all? Has it been a place, like Atlanta? Or has it been something else? Emily Saliers: Atlanta and the South, just in general. ... Some of it comes through the content and some of it just comes through a vibe. We're sort of a hootenanny bar band. We cut our teeth in Little Five Points Pub, and what we always like to do is bring people up on the stage and jam with us. ... We tie it back to the days when people just sat on the porch and played together. It's a very Southern thing, an Appalachian thing. CNN: Tell me about the title for this album. Saliers: Mitchell Froom, the producer, came up with the title, and it was originally a joke. He said it and he laughed -- and we all laughed. Naming a record is probably one of the hardest things in the whole process, and that name just stuck with us. And it's also cool because "Poseidon" is a reference to a lyric in one of my songs, and "Bitter Bug" is a reference to a lyric in one of Amy's songs. So to be able to fit two of those pieces together in a way that works is cool. CNN: And you all are working as free agents on this [album]. Tell me about that. Amy Ray: We got dropped from the last label we were on, Hollywood, right before we were going to go into the studio, so we just kind of kept all of our plans in place and everyone that was going to be involved with us came to the table and gave us deals and made it work. ... Creatively we've always done what we want, but on the business level it's demoralizing when you feel like there's not a team anymore because the label you're on isn't really behind you or doesn't know what to do, or is kind of paralyzed by the industry, generally. CNN: What are you all listening to lately? Saliers: You know, I just bought yesterday -- I downloaded it -- Sean Lennon's last record. I saw him on some obscure Japanese channel when we were in some other part of the world and I really like the sound of that. And then this artist named Sia. She sang with Zero 7 and she's a really good artist, I like her stuff a lot. I like the Weepies. CNN: You [Emily Saliers] are a part owner in a restaurant here in Atlanta. ... Is there any kind of relationship between music and a good restaurant experience? Saliers: There definitely is! The name of the restaurant is Watershed, it's in Decatur [Georgia]. We're very fortunate to have Scott Peacock as our executive chef. ... He's a very decorated chef but he also makes Southern food -- good Southern food. It's kind of like what your grandmother would make if you grew up in the South: lots of lard and butter and comfort food ... I think the experience of sharing food is a lot like the experience of sharing music. It's just something that people's work goes into it and a lot of love goes into it, and then you share it together. CNN: I wonder what you make of Twitter and artists playing on Second Life and sort of all of these virtual personas that people have these days. Ray: I don't really have a judgment about it one way or the other. I have a lot of friends that delve into all that stuff and it doesn't stop them from being creative in other ways. I think it increases creativity and exercises a different part of your mind. ... My nieces and nephews, they're very involved in [the video game] "Rock Band" and stuff like that, which I think is really great because it's introducing them to music, but I just want them to go outside sometime, too. (laughs) That's all. Play in the woods a little bit. CNN: How has your collaboration changed over time? Saliers: The way that we collaborate hasn't changed that much. Amy writes her songs; I write my songs. We write totally separately but then since the very beginning we've come together to arrange songs. ... Over the years we've picked up a few more instruments, so texturally we're more expansive than we were when we were just two guitars at the very beginning. Now there's harmonica and mandolin and banjo -- a little bit of keyboard. We mix that up, but the process is pretty much the same. We just trust it more now.

The Indigo Girls released their latest album, "Poseidon and the Bitter Bug," Tuesday . The folk rockers talk with CNN about working on the independent effort . The Atlanta duo recorded the album in just three weeks . Band member: Writing process is the same, but "we just trust it more now"

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NEW YORK (CNN) -- For three years, family, friends and her college sorority sisters have been looking for Jennifer Kesse, wondering what happened to her. Jennifer Kesse would be 26 now. She has been missing since January 24, 2006. Last week, on the third anniversary of Kesse's disappearance, an inmate in a Florida prison said he might have the answer. David Russ, a convicted killer being held at the Seminole County Jail, spoke last week with the missing woman's father, Drew Kesse, claiming he had information that could lead to a break in the case. Details are being withheld from the public. In a jailhouse phone call with CNN, Russ hinted he'd eavesdropped on other inmates. He also was outspoken about his skepticism toward investigators. "The investigators have messed this case up from the beginning and cannot be trusted," he said. That's why he asked to speak directly with the missing woman's father, he said. Orlando police are just as skeptical of Russ. They said he provided information they already had. "His information is not some big break in the case," said Sgt. Barbara Jones of the Orlando Police Department. "We are still hoping for new tips that could lead us to finding Jennifer Kesse." The 24-year-old financial adviser was just back from a Caribbean vacation with her boyfriend and was getting back into her routine. She went to work at her new job, came home to her new condominium and called her parents. Watch an update on the case » . At 10 p.m., she called her boyfriend, who lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Then, her family believes, she went to bed. The next morning, she got up and showered for work. Her clothes were neatly laid out on her bed, her family says, suggesting she may have tried on a few outfits before deciding what to wear to the office. Then, she disappeared, her family said. She did not show up for work that Tuesday morning and her employer reported her missing. Police found Kesse's Chevy Malibu two days later. It was parked in a gated lot about one mile down the road from the condominium complex where she lived. Inside the vehicle, police found some of Kesse's personal items, but her purse, wallet, two cell phones and briefcase were missing. The car doors were locked and the car keys were not found. Police later released a video surveillance tape of the car being parked in the lot by someone other than Kesse. The grainy video partially shows a person walking away from the car, past a parking lot gate. Police are uncertain if this person of interest is a man or a woman, because the image is partially obscured by the gate. The person is described as 5 feet 4 inches, with a short haircut, wearing light-colored clothes and dark shoes. The video is time and date-stamped at noon on the day Kesse disappeared. Forensic tests on the vehicle came back inconclusive, Sgt. Jones said. No blood or other trace evidence was found to show that Kesse had been injured in the vehicle. Drew Kesse said that every Tuesday, landscapers worked at the condo complex near his daughter's parking space. The landscapers said they didn't see Kesse leaving her apartment and getting into her car, which she did every weekday morning between 7:30 and 7:45 a.m. "The only theory we could come up with is that she walked out her front door and was kidnapped somewhere between her front door and the parking lot where her car was. We think since the landscapers didn't see her, she must not have even made it out of the hallways or stairwells of the condo complex," Drew Kesse said. He added that there weren't any surveillance cameras in the hallways or stairwells at the time his daughter was living there. Sgt. Jones said investigators have developed forensic evidence from Kesse's car that could someday match with a person of interest and identify a suspect. Police have also released a photo of a green clover tattoo on Kesse's left hip. Anyone with information leading to Jennifer Kesse or the person responsible for her disappearance is asked to call the tip line at 1-800-423-TIPS. The reward is $10,000. Kesse would be 26 years old and has blonde hair, green eyes, is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 125 pounds.

Inmate calls missing woman's father, says he heard other inmates talking . Police say inmate's information is nothing new . Jennifer Kesse was 24, disappeared three years ago near Orlando, Florida . Information? Call 1-800-423-TIPS. A $10,000 reward is offered .

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(CNN) -- Kansas leaders Wednesday ended a standoff that had delayed tax refunds and state paychecks by agreeing to borrow $225 million from various state accounts, a spokeswoman for the governor's office said. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius approved $300 million in budget cuts Wednesday. Republican lawmakers approved moving money into the state's main account to pay the bills after budget cuts agreed to by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, spokeswoman Brittany Stiffler said. The state resumed processing income tax refunds on Wednesday -- they had been suspended last week because of low funds -- and state employees' paychecks will be paid on time Friday, Department of Administration spokesman Gavin Young said. Republicans earlier this week denied the Democratic governor's request to move the money, saying they could not approve the certificate of indebtedness, also known as internal borrowing, until they knew the state could repay the money by June 30, the end of the fiscal year. However, Republicans said they would be likely to approve the internal borrowing if Sebelius agreed to the Legislature's proposed budget cuts for the 2009 fiscal year. On Wednesday, she approved about $300 million in budget cuts. "She blinked, and that's helpful," Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, a Republican, said Wednesday. "I'm just sorry we had to have high drama and worry a lot of Kansans about our ability to pay our obligations," Sebelius said Wednesday. Kansas was one of several states to meet this week to address budget concerns in a time when 43 states are starting the year short on funds, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. "This is an equal-opportunity recession. States in virtually every part of the country are suffering... even the energy states are starting to report problems," Corina Eckl of the National Conference of State Legislatures said. iReport.com: What you'd fix first . "For most, it has only gone downhill. They have tried to make up the difference with expanded gambling, with delays of construction projects, with hiring freezes, with fee and tax increases. But almost all of this has failed to regain lost ground, merely serving as a firebreak against worse troubles," she said. California faces a $42 billion deficit that prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare a fiscal emergency in December. California lawmakers worked into early Wednesday but couldn't pass a budget. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued 10,000 layoff notices Tuesday, affecting a wide spectrum of state agencies and employees, in an effort to deal with the budget crisis, a spokesman said. Another 10,000 layoff notices might be sent Wednesday, the spokesman said. All the layoffs would take effect July 1, the start of the new fiscal year. The Republican governor has butted heads for months with the Democratic majority over easing the $11.2 billion revenue shortfall this fiscal year alone. Cuts would save California $750 million for the year. The $42 billion deficit is for the current and next fiscal years. Interactive: See projected state budget gaps » . Last month, the state began delaying $3.5 billion in payments to taxpayers, contractors, counties and social service agencies so the state could continue funding schools and making debt payments. Watch more on California's budget woes » . Also today, New Jersey's governor announced that all state employees will be forced to take two unpaid furlough days, a move that will save $35 million, part of the nearly $4 billion in budget cuts that state is making. In Maryland, tax collections in nearly every category are falling short of expectations, with dismal revenue projects putting more pressure on state legislators to balance the budget without relying on the federal stimulus package, CNN affiliate WBAL reported. State workers in Colorado may face unpaid time off in an effort to spare the state's colleges and universities millions of dollars in budget cuts, KUSA-TV in Denver reported Tuesday. Interactive: Estimated job growth across the country . Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, announced plans recently to furlough some state workers to balance the budget. Roughly $600 million in budget cuts need to be made by the end of this fiscal year, according to KUSA. State lawmakers will debate a bill in the House this week that would require furloughs for state workers depending on how much money they make. "It's drastic, but we're in a drastic situation," Rep. Steve King, R-Grand Junction, told KUSA. In Washington state, proposed budget cuts have led to protests in the capital, Olympia, KOMO-TV in Seattle reported. State officials are looking at some $300 million in cuts as part of a package the governor is expected to sign this week. Lawmakers also are aiming to cut nearly $6 billion over the next two years. But about 100 union members, state employees, school supporters and health care providers rallied on the lawn of the Capitol, telling lawmakers to stop the health care and education cuts and prevent tuition hikes. State employees said they want fair pay, better benefits and pensions and no layoffs. Hawaii faces a nearly $2 billion budget shortfall in the upcoming fiscal year. That figure has led legislators to seek alternative ways of balancing the budget, including possible reductions in health and retirement benefits for government workers, KHNL-TV in Honolulu reported Tuesday. One bill being debated in the Legislature aims to cut off insurance benefits for all employees retiring after July 1 regardless of how many years they had worked. Back East, states such as New York and Florida, which have high unemployment rates and huge budget shortfalls, also are looking to cut programs. In New York, the expected budget shortfall is around $1.7 billion, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. President Obama took his economic stimulus message to Florida last week to hard-hit Fort Myers. The jobless rate in the area is 10 percent, up from 2.3 percent this time in 2006, and the area's foreclosure rate of 12 percent is the highest in the nation. Interactive: See where the stimulus money is going » . And Michigan's Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm, whose state has been hit especially hard by the recession and the auto industry's near collapse, said job creation is paramount to turning the economy around. "We see the impact of this every day, and I'm speaking not just for Michigan, but for governors across the country. We need help. We need it now. And it's not about budgets; it's about creating jobs in our states," she said recently on CNN's "State of the Union With John King." CNN's Taylor Gandossy, Ed Hornick and Stan Wilson contributed to this report.

NEW: Gov. Kathleen Sebelius approves $300 million in cuts for 2009 budget . NEW: State leaders agree to borrow $225 million to pay tax refunds, state employees . New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine announces 2 furlough days for state employees . 43 states starting year short, National Conference of State Legislatures says .

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Editor's note: CNN Contributor Bob Greene is a bestselling author whose current book is "When We Get to Surf City: A Journey Through America in Pursuit of Rock and Roll, Friendship, and Dreams." Peggy Sue Gerron, left, and Jerry Allison, right, at Buddy Holly's wedding to Maria Elena Holly. (CNN) -- After days on end of grim and dreary news, the first weekend of spring is with us, and with its arrival comes, to many people, the yearly promise of new romance and a chance for lasting love. But if figuring out the secrets of how to revive a battered economy is something that is complicated and elusive, that quandary is simple in comparison to matters of the heart. The legendary experts on romance, star-crossed and otherwise, are generally not available for comment. Romeo and Juliet have left the building. However, there is one person I know who has a better feel for the vagaries of love than most, and I sought her out the other day. "Spring is the time when you allow yourself to hope that love will come around again," said Peggy Sue Gerron. You may not recognize her full name, but you sure do recognize the first part of it. Yep -- she's that Peggy Sue. The Peggy Sue of Buddy Holly's unforgettable 1957 hit, a song of longing and heartbreak that is instantly familiar today even to people who weren't born until decades after it came out. "If you knew Peggy Sue, then you'd know why I feel blue ..." Juliet, that other symbol of the glory of love, may have been a fictional creation of William Shakespeare's imagination, but Peggy Sue was, and is, real. She lives in West Texas, just as she did when Buddy Holly recorded the song. She was actually not even his girlfriend, although she sensed a certain yearning on his part. She was the girlfriend of Jerry Allison, the drummer for the Crickets, Holly's band. "I think the reason people think about finding love in the spring is that the season represents new beginnings," she said. "The flowers are blooming. The air smells good. You feel that you have a chance." In the song, Peggy Sue, implicitly, was the one who did the dumping, not the one who got dumped. But time has made her understand: . "I think, I really believe, that on a rare occasion, two people in life run across each other in a path like two comets. And when it happens, I think that feeling lasts forever." Which is to say: With a love so rare and true. And that, she said, is what makes people keep looking for love regardless of how many times they may have tried and failed. She has a theory of what being in love does to a person: . "Your eyes are a little bit shinier and your skin is a little bit clearer when you're in love. When you meet that person, you think: Whatever you're doing, I want to be right beside you when you're doing it. I want to be near you just because I like to see your smile." Not that being Peggy Sue means she has all the answers. "I don't," she said. She is 68 now; she has been married twice, divorced twice. When she introduces herself to new people, they often say, "Oh -- like the Peggy Sue in the song!" Sometimes she tells them she is in fact that Peggy Sue; sometimes she lets it go. It's an uphill battle to convince them she's not kidding. And as the woman who eternally will be a symbol of true love's ways, she thinks she understands why people never give up on hoping to find the right person. "You have a tendency to put the walls up after you've been hurt," she said. "You think it's not worth trying again. But then you do it anyway. It's like it's not even up to you. It's stronger than your intellect." For those who, as spring arrives, have just lost a great love, her advice for dealing with the sadness is to remember that some people never find love in their whole lives. "Even if you're the one to get left, you've been lucky to have the feeling. And the feeling, unlike the person, will never leave you." Somewhere this spring -- many somewheres, undoubtedly -- the words, sung for the first time more than 50 years ago, will come blasting once again out of a car dashboard's speakers: . "Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty Peggy Sue." And people in 2009, hearing it, will remember anew just how much happiness the right person can bring. "When I first heard the song," Peggy Sue said, "I just thought the drums and the lyrics and the melody were so great, it made me want to get up and dance. As I grew older, it began to seem like more of a love song to me. It began to seem more like a song about not giving up." Living in Lubbock, Texas, a ham radio enthusiast in an age of Twitter and text messages, she said she is currently not dating anyone. And with the arrival of spring, and its universal promise of life's best possibilities, she acknowledges that there is hope in her own heart, too. "Always," said Peggy Sue. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene.

Bob Greene: Peggy Sue, of famous Buddy Holly song, lives in west Texas . He says she has a theory about what love does to a person . Greene: As spring arrives, Peggy Sue admits she has hope in her heart .

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(CNN) -- Two leading Jewish watchdog groups are denouncing a prominent cartoonist's illustration about Israel's offensive in Gaza, saying it uses anti-Semitic imagery. The cartoon was published Wednesday in newspapers and on the Internet. The Anti-Defamation League, which has been fighting anti-Semitism since it was founded in 1913, called the syndicated cartoon by Pulitzer Prize-winning Pat Oliphant "hideously anti-Semitic." The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which, among other things, fights anti-Semitism and educates people about the Holocaust, said "the cartoon mimics the venomous anti-Semitic propaganda of the Nazi and Soviet eras." Published Wednesday in newspapers and on the Internet, the cartoon shows the small figure of a woman, labeled Gaza, carrying a child. She is being pursued by a headless, jackbooted figure wielding a sword, marching in an apparent goose-step and pushing a fanged Jewish star on a wheel. The Anti-Defamation League said the cartoon used "Nazi-like imagery" and a "hateful evocation of the Star of David." Abraham H. Foxman, the ADL's national director, said the cartoon's "outlandish and offensive use of the Star of David in combination with Nazi-like imagery is hideously anti-Semitic." "It employs Nazi imagery by portraying Israel as a jack-booted, goose-stepping headless apparition," Foxman said. "The implication is of an Israeli policy without a head or a heart. Israel's defensive military operation to protect the lives of its men, women and children who are being continuously bombarded by Hamas rocket attacks has been turned on its head to show the victims as heartless, headless aggressors." The Wiesenthal Center, which also issued its statement Wednesday, said it urged The New York Times Web site and other Web sites to remove the cartoon. "There is nothing about Oliphant's cartoon not meant to denigrate and demonize the Jewish state, from the headless goose-stepping soldier to the horrific depiction of the Star of David about to devour a cowering innocent Gazan woman holding a baby," Rabbi Marvin Hier, the group's dean, and Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the group's associate dean, said in a joint statement. "The imagery in this cartoon mimics the venomous anti-Semitic propaganda of the Nazi and Soviet eras. It is cartoons like this that inspired millions of people to hate in the 1930's and help set the stage for the Nazi genocide," the statement said. A spokeswoman for Universal Press Syndicate, which distributes Oliphant's work, issued a statement defending him, saying he, "like all editorial cartoonists, uses his art to comment on important issues of the day widely reported in the worldwide media -- in this case, the conflict over Gaza. That his cartoons sometimes spark intense debate is a testament to his talent." Universal said no media outlet had informed the syndicate that it removed the cartoon, but "Oliphant's clients are not contractually bound to inform us." A New York Times spokeswoman said, "We did not run the cartoon in the newspaper, nor do we plan to do so." She said NYTimes.com has, by contract with uclick.com, an "Oliphant" button on the cartoons page. "Yesterday, those who clicked on it saw the cartoon you mentioned, which is now relegated to the Oliphant archive," she said. Imagery and rhetoric comparing Israel to Nazis have been deployed by Israel's persistent critics, who decry the Jewish state's treatment of Palestinians as oppressive and brutal. Israel and its supporters defend the state as humane and say it has properly defended itself against attacks. There has been sharp criticism of Israel's offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza who launched rockets into southern Israeli towns. Human Rights Watch said Wednesday the Israeli military's firing of white phosphorus shells over densely populated areas during the offensive "was indiscriminate and is evidence of war crimes," a claim denied by Israel. Israel has said that Hamas militants situated themselves among civilians during the offensive. Oliphant, who won the Pulitzer in 1967, has been a dominant figure in the editorial cartoon world. His work has been distributed since 1980 by Universal Press Syndicate, which calls the Australian native one of the "sharpest, most daring practitioners" among editorial cartoonists. He has received many honors, and his cartoons have been exhibited across the world. "In 1998, the Library of Congress commemorated the acquisition of 60 of his works with a special exhibition at the Library's Great Hall," according to an Oliphant biography on the Universal Web site. This isn't the first time Oliphant's cartoons have drawn criticism. The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in 2005 "wrote to the San Francisco Chronicle and Universal Press Syndicate to communicate concern over racist depictions of Arabs," according to the group's Web site, and the Asian American Journalists Association criticized offensive stereotypes in cartoons in 1999, 2001 and 2007. Debates over offensive editorial cartoons are not uncommon. Keith Woods, dean of faculty at the Poynter Institute, a journalism school in St. Petersburg, Florida, was asked to comment on the reaction to the cartoon, whether the cartoon was improper, and at what point in the editorial process an editor can say a product has gone too far. He said he understands the positions the Jewish groups and Israeli policy critics bring to the table. He said he believes Oliphant is saying that "Israel is behaving toward the Palestinians the way the Nazis behaved toward the Jews" and that he is stating an opinion shared by many in the Middle East and the world. "I believe that like the caricatures they are, editorial cartoons by their nature exaggerate their messages, so I don't think Oliphant is suggesting a one-to-one comparison. So I get the message, instead, that Israel is acting brutally toward the Palestinians." He also believes the ADL and the Wiesenthal Center "are saying that the cartoon is at least doing unintentional harm (if not more calculated harm)." "I see their point. There are symbols -- and the Nazi extermination of the Jews is surely one of them -- that can only truly be analogized to their equals. Unadulterated evil compared with unadulterated evil. Israel's ongoing battles with its Arab neighbors may be many things, but it is not The Final Solution." As for the question of how news organizations should handle and discuss such a cartoon, Woods said that "Oliphant clearly has the right to provoke or offend. The question for him is: Do you truly wish to conflate a complex, historic conflict with one of the most evil acts in history? And for the newspapers that carry the cartoon -- and their behavior here is equally open to critique -- do you wish to perpetuate such a comparison?"

NEW: Cartoon's distributor defends cartoonist, cites his talent to stir debate . Work by Pulitzer-winning cartoonist shows jack-booted figure, Jewish star with fangs . Anti-Defamation League, Simon Wiesenthal Center say it uses anti-Semitic imagery . Critics compare Israeli actions to Nazi aggression; Israel says it must defended itself .

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