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(CNN) -- Many Google users probably didn't notice this month that they can now display their search tips in the Hawaiian language. Hawaiian is one of more than 125 "interface languages" now available on Google. Wedged between Hausa and Hebrew, Hawaiian is one of more than 125 "interface languages" now available on Google. The list also includes some humorous twists on English, including "pirate," "Klingon" and "Elmer Fudd." But for Hawaiian educators, the addition of Hawaiian is a small step toward legitimizing a language that is considered "critically endangered" by the United Nations. "It's the capstone of a lot of work," said Keola Donaghy, an assistant professor of Hawaiian studies at the University of Hawaii-Hilo. "We've been doing this work for 18 years, simply trying to make it easier for people who speak Hawaiian to use these kinds of technologies." It marks the first native American language available through the "Google in Your Language" program. Getting started It took Donaghy several years to get the project off the ground through the "Google in Your Language" program, which was launched by the California-based company not long after it was founded in 1998. "The idea was to enable users worldwide to be able to access Google in the language of their choice, and if it wasn't available, to enable users to help make it so," Google spokesman Nate Tyler said. "Why limit users to a set of dominant languages if they were willing to help make Google their own?" The results of the search are still in English, although the user can select a preference for Web pages written in more than 40 other main languages. Google works with linguists like Donaghy who are interested in translating search instructions into their language. "Volunteers sign up on their own to provide translation," Tyler explained. "They simply sign themselves up, declare a language proficiency, and then start translating or reviewing the products that are available for volunteer translation. "When the translations are completed, we make the product(s) available in that language. Recent other languages like this include Maori language." It was the Maori project, launched last year, that actually helped get Donaghy's initiative off the ground. Three years ago, Donaghy started e-mailing and calling Google about a Hawaiian language project, but he got no response. He put the project on hold until last year. "When I heard the Maori version came out, I asked Google about it," Donaghy said. "Apparently the original (language) coordinator had gone and as soon as a new coordinator was brought online, they set up the system." Donaghy began working on the massive translation project sometime late last year. "It was whenever I could find an hour or two in between teaching or other duties," he said. "It was a combination of personal and work time." He spent more than 100 hours translating the search terms that appear on the Google page into Hawaiian through the program. "I did the actual translation from beginning to end, and then I consulted with my colleagues at the university who have worked on these projects in the past," Donaghy said. "I wanted to be very consistent -- such as how you say 'Go to this menu and select this' -- or people may become confused." What's Hawaiian for 'browsing' the Web'? Some of the Hawaiian words for terms such as "links" or "Web browser" had already been established when Donaghy and others worked on translating the Netscape Navigator search engine in 1997. "Over the years, we usually face the debate of do we want to 'Hawaiianize' an English word, or take an old Hawaiian word and give it a new meaning," he said. He explained some of the challenges in translating terms, such as "browsing" or "surfing," into Hawaiian. "People use the term 'surf the Internet' | [
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"What is Hawaiian considered?",
"what language are Google search terms now available in ?",
"who spent 100 hours translating for \"Google in Your Language\" program?",
"who considers Hawaiian a \"critically endangered\" language?",
"What language is available on google search?",
"What are Google search terms now available in?",
"What language are google search terms now available in?",
"How long did it take to translate?",
"What are google search terms now available in?",
"Who spent 100 hours translating?",
"what is new with google search?",
"what is considered critically endangered?"
] | [
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] | Google search terms now available in Hawaiian .
Keola Donaghy spent 100 hours translating for "Google in Your Language" program .
Hawaiian is considered a "critically endangered" language by the U.N.
It is the only native American language available in Google search preferences . |
(CNN) -- Many leading brands, including Cadbury-Schweppes, Tropicana and Tesco, have begun introducing "carbon labeling" on products to give customers an idea of the environmental impact of the food that they are buying.
How much carbon has that created? Food with CO2 emissions labels can be confusing.
CNN spoke to Tara Garnett, director of the UK-based Food Climate Research Network, an initiative committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the food chain, about the pros and cons of the system.
CNN: How do carbon emissions arise in food production?
Garnett: Only talking about carbon emissions is actually a bit of a misnomer. We should be looking at the full spectrum of greenhouse gases produced during food production.
Once food has left the farm gate, then we are mainly dealing with carbon dioxide from transport and packaging. But while on the farm it's nitrogen oxide and methane. They are present in smaller quantities but are much more potent in terms of the effect they have.
CNN: What proportion of our carbon emissions come from food?
Garnett: Estimates vary. For the UK it's around 19 percent, but one EU report puts European emissions at 31 percent. The thing to understand is this is a relative statistic, so if you're talking about a society where people don't have many cars and TVs, then the proportion will be quite high. It may actually be lower in countries with a high material standard of living. Also, the estimates differ depending upon the boundaries they use, what's included and what's not included in the calculations.
CNN: Do you think food-miles are a useful measure of the environmental impact of food?
Garnett: They have been useful in raising awareness of where food comes from and how it is transported, but in real environmental terms it's more useful to look at total greenhouse emissions. When we do that then there are often quite counterintuitive results.
For example, it might be more environmentally friendly to truck tomatoes from Italy to northern Europe rather than grow them in heated greenhouses closer by. Also, different modes of transport have different footprints; sea freight is better than road, for example.
CNN: What does carbon labeling hope to achieve?
Garnett: Well, it's predicated on the assumption that it will persuade consumers to make the right choice to cut their emissions, and I'm not sure it will. That would depend on having the time to construct a very consistent, clear message, and I'm not sure we do.
Carbon labeling could be very good for manufacturers, to help them understand the wastage and unnecessary expense in their business, but if it's left to consumer choice I'm not sure it will achieve the wholesale shift towards more sustainable living that we need.
Just buying low carbon chips won't change anything; we need to reduce the overall percentage of the high impact foods -- meat and dairy -- in our diet.
CNN: Is there a global standard of labeling?
Garnett: There are a plethora of different labels in Europe and the U.S., and at present there isn't a global standard. It would certainly be a good idea, and at the European level it looks quite likely. But I'm not sure about the U.S. My impression is that they are quite behind on food awareness.
CNN: Do you think labeling can reduce carbon emissions in the food production system?
Garnett: That depends on significant interest from consumers in their carbon emissions, which I'm not sure exists. But even if it does, shaving 10 or 20 percent off certain products doesn't create a different mind-set.
Low carbon snacks won't change the world. We need to be asking: do we need all this stuff? The science says we need to make 80 percent cuts in emission by 2050, and we just don't have time to be trimming the edges.
CNN: Do you think labeling could damage developing world economies that are based around exports?
Garnett: Possibly. When the Soil Association (a British organic certification body | [
"According to Garnett, what do we need to reduce in diet?",
"Who talked to CNN?",
"What does Tara Garnett talk to CNN about?",
"What is the name of the expert?",
"What is good for manufacturers?",
"Carbon labeling is good for whom?",
"What are carbon labels good for?",
"What is not the answer?"
] | [
[
"meat and dairy"
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[
"Tara Garnett,"
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[
"the pros and cons of the system."
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[
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"manufacturers,"
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[
"to give customers an idea of the environmental impact of the food that they are buying."
],
[
"buying low carbon chips"
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] | Food and climate expert Tara Garnett talks to CNN about carbon labeling .
Garnett: Low carbon foods not answer; we need to reduce "high impact foods" in diet .
Garnett: Carbon labeling not always clear for consumers but good for manufacturers . |
(CNN) -- Many skiers who visit Colorado prefer the slopes of Aspen, Vail or Breckenridge. But there's a cool little day trip from Denver that often gets overlooked by out-of-towners. The Ski Train begins its round-trip journey to Winter Park at Union Station in Denver, Colorado. The Ski Train is a 68-year-old local favorite that shuttles about 750 people between Denver and Winter Park. It runs on weekend days -- leaving Denver's Union Station at 7:15 a.m. -- and begins the return leg nine hours later. The 56-mile trip takes about two hours each way, and many riders say it's worth the cost to avoid the traffic hassles of the oft-congested I-70. A roundtrip ticket costs between $49 and $85. There are additional expenses, such as parking at the train station in Denver and lift tickets for skiers. If someone chooses to shop instead of ski, a free shuttle into Winter Park is available. Train riders love the trip route, which winds through the Rockies and climbs to 9,000 feet. It also travels through almost 30 tunnels, including the 6.2-mile Moffat Tunnel, which passes underneath the Continental Divide. "The train ride up there is spectacular. You see wonderful vistas as you leave Denver through the northern plains and into the mountains," Kristal Kraft, a real estate agent in Denver, says. "And once you get through the Moffat Tunnel, you're right there at Winter Park." Kraft says she enjoyed her maiden voyage on the train, which came courtesy of a local home builder that bought group tickets in one of the club cars. "I loved the convenience [of the train],' she says. "We relaxed, talked, socialized. And when you get off the train, you are right there at the slopes." According to skitrain.com, three additional cars are available for charter and one for company retreats. The Web site lists the price for the presentation car at $5,000 for a winter trip. The site says the current train cars were purchased after Ansco Investment Company bought the Ski Train in 1988. Kraft says the cars are comfortably heated and there is ample room to move around. Kraft, an amateur photography buff, enjoyed switching from window to window, side to side, to take pictures. There is one occasional hitch to riding the train. It shares the track with the Union Pacific Railroad and at times has to stop or pullover to make way for a freight train or Amtrak. And there are instances where another train has an accident. One time a coal train derailed in a tunnel and the Union Pacific officials told the Ski Train operators it would take two days to clear the tracks, says Ski Train media relations director Jim Bain. They called the passengers together in a cafeteria in Winter Park and advised them to call friends and family to come pick them up. The company also arranged for a few buses to come gather the remaining passengers and Bain says they were all headed back to Denver by 8:30 p.m. It was a worst-case scenario, he says, and it only happened once. There are occasional delays of a few hours. The bad news is you're delayed; the good news is you're on a full service train with food service and restrooms. And there's the ability to find a beverage. One reviewer on the Web site yelp.com said there's another bonus to the train. "What's great is that once you get back into Denver you can hit Wynkoop brewery or any other bars around there to keep the party rolling," Ramon G. wrote. | [
"what has been a local favorite for 68 years?",
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"what is the name of the tunnel underneath the Continental Divide?"
] | [
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],
[
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]
] | Ski Train from Denver to Winter Park has been a local favorite for 68 years .
Train ferries skiers to slopes in Colorado's Rocky Mountains .
"The train ride up there is spectacular," says Denver resident .
Train passes through 6.2-mile Moffat Tunnel underneath the Continental Divide . |
(CNN) -- Marcus Schrenker, the financial manager who officials say faked his own death in a plane crash after scamming his customers, has been found after an apparent suicide attempt, Florida and federal authorities said Tuesday. Marcus Schrenker was taken to a hospital after he was found in Quincy, Florida, on Tuesday, authorities said. The man was found in Quincy, Florida, with marks on his body consistent with a suicide attempt, said Lt. Jim Corder, a spokesman for the Gadsden County sheriff's office. He was taken to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Porter said. U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Peter Swaim said late Tuesday the man has been identified as Schrenker. The service was leading the manhunt for Schrenker, who has been missing since Sunday. A Marshals Service source, who asked not to be named because the case is still under investigation, said federal agents found Schrenker inside a tent at a camp site with a cut on his wrist. He was airlifted to the hospital, the source said. The source would not say how marshals knew to look at the camp site. Schrenker was charged in Hamilton County, Indiana, on Tuesday with unlawful acts by a compensated adviser and unlawful transaction by an investment adviser. Authorities believe Schrenker defrauded investors through three companies he owns before attempting a bizarre and potentially deadly vanishing act. Schrenker took off alone Sunday night from Anderson, Indiana, in a Piper PA-46 en route to Destin, Florida. Over Alabama, he contacted air traffic controllers, saying the windshield had imploded and he was bleeding profusely, authorities said. Police suspect he then put the aircraft on autopilot and parachuted to the ground. The plane later crashed near the Blackwater River in East Milton, Florida, missing a group of homes by only 50 to 75 yards, said Sgt. Scott Haines of the Santa Rosa County, Florida, sheriff's department. "We do consider him dangerous," U.S. marshals Deputy John Beeman said Thursday. "He has shown his disregard for life by letting this plane go unmanned until it crashed into the ground in Florida." Shortly before 2:30 a.m. Monday, hours after the crash, Schrenker showed up at a residence in Childersburg, Alabama, and said he had been in a canoeing accident, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. A resident gave him a ride into Childersburg, and police made contact with him, identifying him through his FAA pilot's license, authorities said. Childersburg is about 35 miles south of Birmingham. Unaware of the crash, the officers took Schrenker to a hotel in nearby Harpersville. After hearing about the crash, they went back to the hotel, where they found that Schrenker had checked in under a fictitious name and was gone, possibly into a wooded area, police said. Officials now believe he fled Harpersville on a 2008 red Yamaha street bike he had stashed at a storage unit earlier, also using an assumed name. Investigators found the unit empty of the motorcycle and with some wet clothes left behind. When leasing the storage facility, Schrenker brought the motorcycle in a brown pickup with a trailer and told the leasing agent he would return for it Monday, according to the Marshals Service. Back in Florida, military aircraft from Whiting Field in Milton, Florida, were dispatched Sunday to intercept the plane after Schrenker reported the emergency. The pilots saw that the plane's door was open, the cockpit was dark and witnessed the plane's crash, according to the Santa Rosa County sheriff's office. Watch what authorities believe happened » Although Schrenker had said he was bleeding, no blood was found in the downed plane. Before authorities said Tuesday night that Schrenker was found, friends of Schrenker's seemed as mystified as police, who were seeking him in several states. "Why someone would jump out of a plane and leave it on autopilot with his training and his background is beyond me," Tom Britt said. "There's no reason for him to do it other than trying to stage something." Watch Schrenker perform airborne stunts » Britt said he received an e-mail Monday | [
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"Did authorities file charges?"
] | [
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] | NEW: Authorities: Marcus Schrenker apparently attempted suicide, taken to hospital .
NEW: Schrenker found in Florida two days after plane crash, authorities say .
Police: Schrenker bailed out of plane before crash, fled on stashed motorcycle .
Authorities file charges against Schrenker, accused of defrauding investors . |
(CNN) -- Margaret Sanger opened the first American family-planning clinic in 1916, and nothing would be the same again. Since then the growing proliferation of birth control methods has had an awesome effect on both sexes and led to a sea change in moral values.
And as I've grown older over the past five decades -- from 1960 to 2010 -- and lived through this revolutionary period in female sexuality, I've seen how it has altered American society -- for better or worse.
On the upside, by the early 60's The Pill had made it easier for a woman to choose to delay having children until after she established herself in a career. Nonetheless, for young women of childbearing age (I was one of them) there was a need for some careful soul searching -- and consideration about the long-range effects of oral contraceptives -- before addressing this very personal decision. It was a decision I too would have to face when I discovered I was pregnant at age 19.
Even though I was married to the baby's father, Jim Welch, I wasn't prepared for this development. It meant I would have to put my career ambitions on hold. But "the choice" was not mine alone to make. I had always wanted to have Jim's babies, but wasn't at all sure how he would react. At the time, we were 19-year-old newlyweds, struggling to make ends meet. But he was unflinching in his desire to keep our baby and his positive, upbeat attitude about the whole prospect turned everything around. I have always loved Jim for how he responded in that moment.
During my pregnancy, I came to realize that this process was not about me. I was just a spectator to the metamorphosis that was happening inside my womb so that another life could be born. It came down to an act of self-sacrifice, especially for me, as a woman. But both of us were fully involved, not just for that moment, but for the rest of our lives. And it's scary. You may think you can skirt around the issue and dodge the decision, but I've never known anyone who could. Jim and I had two beautiful children who've been an ongoing blessing to both of us.
Later, I would strike out on my own, with my little ones, as a single mother to pursue a career in the movies. It was far from ideal, but my children didn't impede my progress. They grounded me in reality and forced me into an early maturity. I should add that having two babies didn't destroy my figure.
But if I'd had a different attitude about sex, conception and responsibility, things would have been very different.
One significant, and enduring, effect of The Pill on female sexual attitudes during the 60's, was: "Now we can have sex anytime we want, without the consequences. Hallelujah, let's party!"
It remains this way. These days, nobody seems able to "keep it in their pants" or honor a commitment! Raising the question: Is marriage still a viable option? I'm ashamed to admit that I myself have been married four times, and yet I still feel that it is the cornerstone of civilization, an essential institution that stabilizes society, provides a sanctuary for children and saves us from anarchy.
In stark contrast, a lack of sexual inhibitions, or as some call it, "sexual freedom," has taken the caution and discernment out of choosing a sexual partner, which used to be the equivalent of choosing a life partner. Without a commitment, the trust and loyalty between couples of childbearing age is missing, and obviously leads to incidents of infidelity. No one seems immune.
As a result of the example set by their elders, by the 1990s teenage sexual promiscuity -- or hooking up -- with multiple partners had become a common occurrence. Many of my friends who were parents of teenagers sat in stunned silence several years ago when it came to light that oral sex had become a popular practice among adolescent girls in | [
"What is an upside of the pill?",
"What does Welch say has altered society?",
"Who said the pill has altered society in good ways and bad?",
"What has caused a loss of discernment in choice of sex partners?",
"What has been an upside?",
"What is the loss of caution and discernment in choice of sexual partners?"
] | [
[
"made it easier for a woman to choose to delay having children until after she established herself in a career."
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"by the early 60's The Pill had made it easier for a woman to choose to delay having children until after she established herself in a career."
],
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] | Raquel Welch: The Pill has altered society in ways good and bad .
An upside has been empowerment of women in life decisions .
Welch: Downside is loss of caution and discernment in choice of sex partners . |
(CNN) -- Maria Sharapova returned to competitive singles after a near 10-month absence on Monday as she bids to prove her fitness for the forthcoming French Open in Paris. Maria Sharapova is hoping to prove her fitness ahead of the French Open in Paris starting on Sunday. The Russian defeated Italy's Tathiana Garbin 6-1 6-7 6-3 to book her place in the second round of the Warsaw Open claycourt tournament Sharapova's world ranking has slumped from No.1 to No.126 during her absence from the court because of a shoulder problem that saw her miss three Grand Slam tournaments. The 22-year-old had to sit out last year's Wimbledon and U.S. Open and also failed to recover in time for the 2009 Australian Open. She has had to shelve comeback attempts but did appear in one losing game in the doubles tournament at Indian Wells in March. Sharapova, who has three majors to her name, broke her Italian opponent four times in a row in the opener, dropping her own serve once en route to the set. Garbin offered stiffer resistance in the second set although Sharapova wasted four match points at 5-3 and 40-0 up in the ninth game -- a seventh double-fault in the subsequent tie-break giving her rival a set point that she converted. Sharapova, playing with a bandage on her right shoulder, hit back from 3-1 down in the decider to seal victory in two hours and 35 minutes. The French Open begins in Paris on May 24. | [
"Who did Maria Sharapova defeat from Italy?",
"what does she hope to prove",
"who returns with win",
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] | [
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"Tathiana Garbin"
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"her fitness for the forthcoming French Open in Paris."
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"Tathiana Garbin"
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"starting on Sunday."
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] | Russian Maria Sharapova returns with win after near 10-month injury absence .
She defeated Italy's Tathiana Garbin 6-1 6-7 6-3 in Warsaw Open first round .
Sharapova hopes to prove fitness for French Open which starts this Sunday . |
(CNN) -- Marin Cilic sealed his place in the third round of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters after a hard-fought win over Igor Andreev of Russia on Tuesday.
The fourth seed eventually dispatched Andreev 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 6-4 but it took the Croatian nearly three hours to do so.
Cilic, appearing in his first clay-court match for 10 months, started slowly and allowed the Russian to dominate the early exchanges and clinch the first set on a tie-break.
But Cilic regained his momentum in the second set, offering up just one game as he marched to a 6-1 success.
And though Cilic twice went a break down in the deciding set, he held on to claim it 6-4 and progress to round three.
"The conditions were tough, the balls were heavy," Cilic told the official ATP Tour Web site.
"I just wanted to stay in it after losing that first set by making him play a lot of shots. Afterwards I found some solutions so I could win easier points and win the mental battle."
Cilic was joined in round three by French fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Spanish sixth seed Fernando Verdasco, who both recorded straight-sets victories.
Verdasco breezed past Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-2 6-1 in just under 75 minutes, while Tsonga defeated Nicolas Almagro of Spain 7-6 (7-5) 7-5.
Tomas Berdych set up a third-round match with Verdasco after beating Richard Gasquet of France in straight sets. The Czech 10th seed took less than an hour to record a 6-2 6-0 victory.
The top names in the field -- world No. 2 Novak Djokovic, five-time champion Rafael Nadal and third seed Andy Murray -- begin their campaigns on Wednesday after being handed a first-round bye.
Nadal beat Britain's Murray in last year's semifinals before going on to defeat Serbian Djokovic to claim the title.
The tournament marks the start of the European clay season in the buildup to the second grand slam event of 2010, the French Open starting on May 24. | [
"Who does Marin Cilic beat?",
"what was the score of Cilic after defeating the Russian?",
"Who beated the Frenchman Julien Bennetau?",
"who beats Igor Andreev in second round of Monte Carlo Rolex Masters?",
"on what round did Marin Cilic beat Igor Andreev?",
"Who is the Spanish sixth seed?",
"who beats Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-2 6-1?",
"who defeats the Russian?",
"How long did the match take?"
] | [
[
"Igor Andreev"
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"6-7 (4-7) 6-1 6-4"
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[
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"Fernando Verdasco,"
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[
"Verdasco"
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"Cilic"
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[
"nearly three hours"
]
] | Marin Cilic beats Igor Andreev in second round of Monte Carlo Rolex Masters .
Cilic defeats the Russian 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 6-4 in just under three hours .
Spanish sixth seed Fernando Verdasco beats Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-2 6-1 .
French fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beats Nicolas Almagro of Spain 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 . |
(CNN) -- Marjorye Heeney knew something was wrong when she saw a bulging cloud of black dust darken the sky. Drought-like conditions dried this Kern River bed last year near Bakersfield, California. She then heard an eerie, train-like whistle as fierce winds rattled her front door and windows. When she looked outside, hordes of grasshoppers and crows swarmed over her father's barren farm. After the storm broke, her father walked outside and muttered curses as he scanned the horizon for rain clouds. "I can remember my dad just watching the sky so closely," Heeney says. "A sprinkle would excite him so much." That's how Heeney, now 83, describes growing up on an Oklahoma farm during the Dust Bowl storms in the 1930s. For much of that decade, "black blizzards" -- formed by a prolonged drought and poor farming techniques -- ravaged much of the nation. Now a new generation of Americans is again anxiously looking to the sky. Drought has returned to the United States, and some warn that more tough days are ahead. The value of water is starting to become apparent in America. Over the past three years a drought has affected large swaths of the country, and conflicts over water usage may become commonplace in the future, climatologists say. "Our focus is oil, but the critical need for water is going to make water the most significant natural resource that we're going to have to worry about in the future," says Larry Fillmer, executive director of the Natural Resources Management & Development Institute at Auburn University in Alabama. At least 36 states expect to face water shortages within the next five years, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. According to the National Drought Mitigation Center, several regions in particular have been hit hard: the Southeast, Southwest and the West. Texas, Georgia and South Carolina have suffered the worst droughts this year, the agency said. Yet most people don't need scientists to tell them there's a water shortage. Plenty of cities have implemented water bans while state squabbles over water usage are common in some regions. What may surprise people, though, are the causes for the recent drought. It's not global warming, some climatologists say. The droughts are caused by rapid population growth and unwise agricultural choices. John R. Christy, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, says the last three years have been drier than usual in many parts of the United States, but overall there's been no shortage of rainfall. He says the U.S. mainland experienced worse droughts in the 12th and 16th centuries. "The demand for water has gone up," Christy says. "The demand has skyrocketed in places like California and New Mexico because they've tried to grow crops in deserts." Even drought conditions in the Southeast can't be blamed on a shortage of rainfall, Christy says. The region's water delivery systems can't keep pace with the growth, he says. "The rain is still falling, but you're out of water because the storage facilities are not big enough," Christy says. There's also a public perception that ordinary people are wasting more water, but that's not true, says Mark Svoboda, a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center. "Per capita use of water is down because we're learning to be more efficient," Svoboda says. Water shortages don't have to remain a fact of modern life, drought experts say. Many offer the same solutions: Build better water delivery systems to accommodate population growth, develop more efficient uses of irrigation, and shift agriculture from the West to the East where it's easier and cheaper to water crops. Svoboda believes a change in attitude is even more vital than changing habits. "We take water for granted," he says. "We think it's a cheap commodity that's always going to be there." Heeney, the Dust Bowl survivor, doesn't appear to need that lesson. She remembers how precious | [
"Who remembers the Dust Bowl storms",
"How many states expect water shortages",
"What do experts say the main causes are",
"What do experts say is a main cause of the drought and water shortages?",
"How many states are being affected?",
"How many states are expected to have water shortages?",
"What do 36 states face?",
"What are the main causes of the drought?",
"What country has the drought affected?"
] | [
[
"Heeney, now 83, describes growing up on an Oklahoma farm during the"
],
[
"At least 36"
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[
"rapid population growth and unwise agricultural choices."
],
[
"unwise agricultural choices."
],
[
"At least 36"
],
[
"36"
],
[
"water shortages"
],
[
"rapid population growth and unwise agricultural choices."
],
[
"United States,"
]
] | Over the past three years a drought has affected large swaths of the U.S.
Report: At least 36 states expect to face water shortages within the next five years .
Experts say main causes are rapid population growth and unwise farming practices .
Marjorye Heeney, 83, remembers the Dust Bowl storms of the 1930s in Oklahoma . |
(CNN) -- Massachusetts sued the U.S. government on Wednesday, challenging the constitutionality of a federal law that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman. The state of Massachusetts says the Defense of Marriage Act denies same-sex couples essential rights. "We're taking this action today because, first, we believe that [the Defense of Marriage Act] directly interferes with Massachusetts' long-standing sovereign authority to define and regulate the marital status of its residents," Attorney General Martha Coakley said Wednesday afternoon. "Massachusetts has a single category of married persons, and we view all married persons equally and identically," she said. "DOMA divides that category into two distinct and unequal classes of marriage." The lawsuit argues that the act, which became law in 1996, denies same-sex couples essential rights and protections, including federal income tax credits, employment and retirement benefits, health insurance coverage and Social Security payments. "In enacting DOMA, Congress overstepped its authority, undermined states' efforts to recognize marriages between same-sex couples, and codified an animus towards gay and lesbian people," the state wrote in the lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in federal court. Massachusetts, the first state to legalize gay marriage, said that about 16,000 same-sex couples have been married there since 2004, when it began issuing marriage licenses. Since that time, the lawsuit said, "the security and stability of families has been strengthened in important ways throughout the state. " The state is challenging Section 3 of the law, which defines marriage as "a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife" and a spouse as "a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife." Before the act, the lawsuit argues, defining marital status was the prerogative of the states. The law "eviscerated more than 200 years of federal government deference to the states with respect to defining marriage," it said. The lawsuit also argues that the law forces Massachusetts to treat same-sex married couples differently from heterosexual married couples, particularly through determining who qualifies for the state's Medicaid program, known as MassHealth, and whether a same-sex spouse of a veteran can be buried in a veteran cemetery. "But for DOMA, married individuals in same-sex relationships in the commonwealth would receive the same status, obligations, responsibilities, rights, and protections as married individuals in different-sex relationships under local, state, and federal laws," the lawsuit said. The defendants named in the lawsuit include the Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and the United States itself. Charles Miller, a spokesman for the Department of Justice, said the department will review the case but noted that President Obama supports the legislative repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. In March, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders -- the same Boston-based group that successfully argued in 2003 for same-sex marriage rights in Massachusetts -- also sued the federal government over Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act. Besides Massachusetts, three other states recognize same-sex marriages: Connecticut, Maine, and Iowa. Vermont and New Hampshire will join their company when same-sex marriages become legal later this year and early next year. | [
"What does it call marriage?",
"What did attorney general say?",
"What did lawsuit challenge?",
"What is the typical definition for marriage in the past?",
"What did the lawsuit challenge?",
"What defines marriages?",
"What does the suit say?",
"What does the lawsuit challenge?",
"What does the measure define?",
"What was the lawsuit challenges?",
"What did the law denies?"
] | [
[
"the union of a man and a woman."
],
[
"\"Massachusetts has a single category of married persons, and we view all married persons equally and identically,\""
],
[
"Section 3 of the law, which defines marriage as \"a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife\" and a spouse as \"a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.\""
],
[
"union of a man and a woman."
],
[
"federal law that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman."
],
[
"\"a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife\" and a spouse as \"a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.\""
],
[
"the act, which became law in 1996, denies same-sex couples essential rights and protections, including federal income tax credits,"
],
[
"federal law that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman."
],
[
"marriage as the union of a man and a woman."
],
[
"federal law that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman."
],
[
"same-sex couples essential rights."
]
] | Lawsuit challenges constitutionality of Defense of Marriage Act .
Measure defines marriage as between man and woman .
Attorney General: Law means state can't define and regulate marriage .
Suit says law denies same-sex married couples essential rights, protections . |
(CNN) -- Mathieu Bastareaud returned from the international rugby wilderness to score two tries as France opened their Six Nations campaign with an 18-9 victory away to Scotland on Sunday.
The center made his first start since being cast aside after fabricating a tale of being assaulted during France's tour of New Zealand in June last year.
The 21-year-old crossed for his first five-point scores at the highest level, having made his debut in the 2009 Six Nations before causing controversy when he claimed he had been attacked outside his hotel to explain facial injuries.
He later admitted being drunk and falling over a table in his room, but speculation over the incident continued and French sports paper L'Equipe reported that he had psychiatric treatment following a suicide attempt.
However, Bastareaud scored the first try of the game in Edinburgh in the 12th minute following a five-meter scrum, and powered over the line again out on the left seven minutes before halftime.
Scrumhalf Morgan Parra converted to give France a 15-6 lead and then kicked his second penalty five minutes after the interval.
Chris Paterson, playing his 99th international for Scotland, kicked his third penalty to reduce the deficit but the home side never looked like breaching the try line of last year's third-placed team as France could afford to see Parra miss another attempt at goal.
Scotland coach Andy Robinson was left to rue defensive lapses ahead of next weekend's trip to Wales, who lost 30-17 to England on Saturday.
"We conceded two soft scores, and if we do that we're not going to beat anybody," the Englishman told reporters. "It was hard against a good French scrum. The French were very canny in what they did."
France winger Vincent Clerc praised teammate Bastareaud, who was banned for three months after his admission of lying.
"It was a good performance after some problems in July. He had a great match with two tries and some great defense," Clerc said. | [
"Which country defeated Scotland in 18-9 opening?",
"How many scores did Mathie score?",
"What result gave France the match against Scotland?",
"Who scored two tries on return?",
"Who did France defeat?",
"When did France defeat Scotland?",
"Who was banned for three months?"
] | [
[
"France"
],
[
"two"
],
[
"18-9"
],
[
"Bastareaud"
],
[
"Scotland"
],
[
"Sunday."
],
[
"Bastareaud"
]
] | Mathieu Bastareaud scores two tries on return from international rugby wilderness .
France defeat Scotland 18-9 in their opening Six Nations match in Edinburgh .
It was center Bastareaud's first start since admitting he had lied about an assault in New Zealand .
The 21-year-old was banned three months after finally admitting he fell over while drunk . |
(CNN) -- Matt Aldridge would have trouble contemplating life without the Shriners Hospital for Children in Greenville, South Carolina. Maddie Aldridge has received extensive care at South Carolina's Shriners Hospital, including leg amputation. Aldridge, 28, and his 21-month-old daughter, Maddie, were born without shinbones. Both had their legs amputated at Shriners near their first birthdays. Like all care given to youths admitted to any of North America's 22 Shriners Hospitals, their surgeries and follow-up treatments were free to them. Aldridge estimates the care he received through his teens in the Shriners' system -- which admits children irrespective of their parents' income -- cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, approaching the lifetime limits of some insurance policies. Now, he and his wife, Renee, take Maddie to Greenville -- about a 90-minute drive from their South Carolina home -- at least every six weeks, partly for treatment of a hip condition. Without Shriners' cover-all-costs policy, the family would be in serious trouble, said Aldridge, who works at a Wal-Mart cell phone connection center. Renee is a stay-at-home mother, and the family doesn't have private medical insurance. "If it weren't for Shriners, we'd be financially devastated," Matt Aldridge said. "With just the care Maddie has received already, we probably would be bankrupt." For the Aldridges and many other families, accessing care from Shriners may get a lot more difficult. The system's board says it may ask the fraternity's membership in July for authority to close six hospitals -- including the one in Greenville -- largely because the endowment fund that supports the hospitals dropped from $8.5 billion to $5.2 billion over the last year as the stock market plummeted. The others that could close are in Erie, Pennsylvania; Shreveport, Louisiana; Spokane, Washington; Springfield, Massachusetts; and Galveston, Texas. The Galveston hospital's operations have been suspended since Hurricane Ike flooded it last year. See map of where all 22 Shriners hospitals are » Deflated investments aren't the only reason the fund has dropped. The hospitals normally operate with donations and the fund's interest, but the system's $856 million 2009 budget is outpacing both, causing the hospitals to take about $1 million per day from the fund, said Ralph Semb, president and CEO of Shriners Hospitals. Other proposals from the system's board would close just one hospital or none, but slash spending systemwide. Leaders also are exploring other options, such as partnering with non-Shriners hospitals. But one way or another, the system must cut spending by about 30 percent to survive, Semb said. "If we do nothing, every hospital would have to cut 25 to 30 percent from their budgets, which in effect would shut about six of them anyway, because they couldn't give the services they've been giving," Semb said. Still, the hospitals can't close without consent of the fraternity's membership. Two-thirds of the roughly 1,400 representatives at the group's July 6-8 Imperial Council Session in San Antonio, Texas, would have to vote for it. Learn about the Shriners fraternity » History shows that might be difficult. Members, some of whom transport children to hospitals themselves, killed a 2003 proposal to close the hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after a similar market downturn. "I don't think it will happen. I don't think it should happen," said Carl V. Nielsen, a 40-year Shriner and a board member for the Minneapolis hospital, which is not on the current possible-closure list. "That would leave large areas of the country without a Shriners hospital, and the cost of transportation of the patients back and forth [to the remaining hospitals] would be too great." Shriners Hospitals, which deals with certain specialties up to age 18, have treated hundreds of thousands of children free of charge since the first facility opened in Shreveport in 1922. Most offer orthopedic care. Four, including the Galveston hospital, care for | [
"What do hospitals' leaders seek",
"Who would have to approve closures?"
] | [
[
"exploring other options, such as partnering with non-Shriners"
],
[
"Two-thirds of the roughly 1,400 representatives"
]
] | Hospitals' leaders seek savings after endowment fund shrinks in stock market .
One solution could be closing six of 22 hospitals .
Fraternity representatives would have to approve closures in July meeting .
South Carolina family: We'd be devastated without Shriners' free, expert care . |
(CNN) -- Mauricio Funes, a member of a political party that waged guerrilla war against the government 17 years ago, claimed the presidency of El Salvador on Sunday night. FMLN's Mauricio Funes shows his ballot before voting Sunday in Antiguo Cuscatlan, El Salvador. "This is the happiest night of my life," Funes told a jubilant crowd at his election headquarters. "It's also the night of greatest hope for El Salvador." With 90.68 percent of the votes counted, the FMLN party's Funes had 51.27 percent, while the ARENA party's Rodrigo Avila had 48.73 percent, the country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal said. The final tally will be certified within 48 hours, the electoral council's Walter Araujo said in a nationally televised news conference. Funes' victory ended a 20-year hold on the presidency by the right-leaning ARENA. "Now the ARENA party passes into opposition," Funes said. "ARENA ... can be assured that it will be listened to and respected." Although polls had indicated the race had tightened considerably in the past few weeks, most analysts had predicted that Funes would win. "It's a sign that there's democracy in that country, which is something the United States tried to foster," said Bernard Aronson, who as President George H.W. Bush's assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs from 1989-93 was heavily involved in ending El Salvador's 12-year civil war. The FMLN, which is the Spanish acronym for the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, was formed in late 1980 as an umbrella group for five leftist guerilla organizations fighting a U.S.-backed military dictatorship. The guerrillas and the government signed a peace pact in 1992 and the FMLN became a legitimate political party. By some estimates, 75,000 Salvadorans died during the war. The new president will find "a country that still retains a lot of bitterness, a lot of division," said Peter Hakim, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue policy institute. "This country is completely divided," ARENA party official Adolfo Torres said on CNN affiliate TCS TV station Sunday night. The election, Hakim said, was "an important test of how far El Salvador has come." The result also will be an important test of how far El Salvador will go. With an economy in deep trouble and neither party having enough seats to control the national Legislative Assembly, much will depend on the party that lost. "Conflict occurs when one person wants to force a conflict," Hakim said. "Compromise requires both sides." No one is certain how ARENA will handle the loss. "That's a big unknown," said Heather Berkman, a Latin America analyst with the consulting firm Eurasia Group. "I still think they'll play ball. They have an incentive to get along with the new administration. They certainly don't want to be shut out of the process." Otto Reich, who served in high-level Latin American posts for Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, sees the possibility of a spirited fight from ARENA. "If I had to guess, I'd say ARENA will try to put democratic obstacles in the way of an FMLN consolidation of power," Reich said. Although ARENA, which are the Spanish initials for the Nationalist Republican Alliance, has come back from a 14-point deficit in some polls two months ago, Reich said winning a fifth consecutive term was "swimming against the tide." "People in El Salvador are weighing risks and opportunities," Reich said. "They have an opportunity to replace a party with which they have gotten tired." Hakim also saw voter fatigue with ARENA, saying, "One party has managed the country forever and ever." Many of the 2.4 million Salvadorans who voted weighed competing doubts. "The uncertainty is that the FMLN has never been in power," Berkman said. But voters also asked themselves, she said, whether they were "better off than they were five years ago, | [
"What would end 20-year hold by the right-leaning ARENA?",
"What percentage of vote did he have?",
"Who had 51.27 percent of the vote",
"how many ballots were counted",
"When did he last win?",
"what would the victory end",
"Who died during the civil war?"
] | [
[
"Funes' victory"
],
[
"51.27"
],
[
"Funes"
],
[
"90.68 percent"
],
[
"Sunday"
],
[
"a 20-year hold on the presidency by the right-leaning ARENA."
],
[
"75,000 Salvadorans"
]
] | NEW: FMLN's Funes had 51.27 percent of the vote, with 84 percent of ballots counted .
A Funes victory would end 20-year hold by the right-leaning ARENA .
By some estimates, 75,000 Salvadorans died during the civil war . |
(CNN) -- Maybe marriage to Kate Winslet isn't all that bad. Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski star as a couple on the road in the comedy "Away We Go." After cruelly dissecting marital malaise in "American Beauty" and again, just six months ago, in "Revolutionary Road," Winslet's husband Sam Mendes takes a slightly more optimistic view of family life in the edgy comedy "Away We Go." Not that he's offering a whole-hearted endorsement of the institution. Burt and Verona (John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph) aren't legally bound -- she staunchly resists his repeated proposals -- but nevertheless they're a couple about to go nuclear: She's six months pregnant. He sells insurance to insurance companies. She's an illustrator with a lucrative line in anatomical drawings. Nevertheless, they're struggling to make ends meet. "Are we losers?" wonders Verona (only she uses a more colorful expression). "We have cardboard windows... I think we must be." Insomuch as they have a plan at all, it hinges on the support they're expecting from Burt's doting parents. So it's a nasty wake-up call when Jerry and Gloria (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O'Hara) announce they're taking off for a new life in Belgium -- yes, even before the baby's out. There is a silver lining: Realizing they no longer have any reason to stay, Burt and Verona decide to widen their horizons. They could move to Arizona where Verona's sister lives. Burt has a job prospect in Madison, Wisconsin. Or they have college friends in Montreal. Their destiny awaits them, all they have to do is go out and find it. And away they go. Although the couple racks up a good few miles in their search for home, the movie doesn't betray much interest in location. Arizona is hot and arid. In Montreal they pour gravy on French fries. Don't expect cultural insights. It's never explained how these stragglers can afford such speculative wandering, and when they do find their dream home it's mystifying that it hasn't occurred to them before. Still, the movie's loose-limbed, spontaneous quality is a good part of its appeal, and a refreshing change of pace from other movies by Mendes, whose artfully designed compositions often seem self-conscious and painfully detached. In keeping with Indie-wood's vogue for shuffling snide satire and sentimentality (see "Juno" and "Little Miss Sunshine"), "Away We Go" presents its trepidatious travelers with half a dozen starkly contrasted parental figures, including Allison Janney's monstrously vulgar alcoholic, Maggie Gyllenhaal's radical earth-mother (who has shortened her name to "LN"), and Paul Schneider as Burt's rawly dumped brother, who wonders aloud if it would be wrong to tell his daughter her mom has been murdered. There's a level of bile here that some audiences may find alienating -- I can't see it being a big hit in Phoenix -- but Dave Eggers' and Vendela Vida's writing is a cut above the average, and it's performed with gusto. They may not be the most dynamic duo to hit the road, but the relationship between Burt and Verona feels touchingly true. Burt is a boy still trying on manhood for size (with a beard for extra emphasis), and though we've seen Krasinski do this before, he seems to have fine-tuned the performance to the point where he could very happily play it for the next two decades. Unlike his character, he's an actor who has found himself. Maya Rudolph is the joy of this picture. Give or take her role in Altman's "Prairie Home Companion," the "Saturday Night Live" star hasn't made much impact in movies before now. With her frazzled, freckled face, she's not the glamour girl who would normally be shoe-horned into the romantic lead, but she seizes her chance and runs with it. Mendes brings out a more thoughtful and nuanced | [
"Who was the director?",
"What film is John Krasinski starring in?",
"What is the movie about",
"Who stars in the movie",
"Who stars as a couple expected a baby?"
] | [
[
"Sam Mendes"
],
[
"\"Away We Go.\""
],
[
"a couple on the road"
],
[
"Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski"
],
[
"Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski"
]
] | John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph star as a couple expecting a baby .
Their onscreen relationship feels touchingly true .
Director Sam Mendes brings out a great performance from Rudolph .
Movie's loose-limbed, spontaneous quality is a good part of its appeal . |
(CNN) -- McDonald's probably won't be exclaiming "I'm Lovin' It" in this case. McCurry restaurant owners A.M.S.P Suppiah and his wife Kanageswary Suppiah. In a David-and-Goliath match-up in the world of fast food, McCurry -- a small Indian curry shop in Malaysia -- has won an eight-year legal battle against the hamburger giant. McDonald's claimed that the prefix "Mc" in McCurry trampled on its trademark. The country's Federal Court on Tuesday ruled that it didn't. "We're very relieved -- much, much relieved -- that this eight-year-old saga is finally over," said McCurry owner P. Suppiah. "We're a typical South Asian-Malay cuisine. No way people walking into McCurry can confuse us with McDonald's." The sparse 24/7 self-service restaurant in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, is popular with blue-collar workers who are drawn to its affordable fare, such as biryani rice and fishhead curry. Its logo: a chicken flashing a thumbs-up. The eatery opened in 1999. McDonald's filed suit two years later. "We were shocked that such a big giant wants to take us to court," Suppiah said. "We felt that we had nothing in common, because we were not selling any Western fast food." The hamburger chain, which has 185 restaurants throughout Malaysia, said McCurry was violating the prefix "Mc" and that McDonald's had the right to protect it. McCurry, in turn, said the prefix is common and is part of last names all across Europe. Furthermore, it said, the "Mc" in McCurry stands for "Malaysian Chicken Curry." A lower court ruled in favor of McDonald's, and Suppiah appealed. An appeals court in 2006 overturned that ruling, prompting McDonald's to appeal this time. On Tuesday, the Federal Court -- the highest in the land -- held up the appeals court ruling. McDonald's said it accepts the judgment. "We respect the finding of the court and beyond that have no further comment," said Liam Jeory of McDonald's Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region. Suppiah said the ruling means he can now add other McCurry locations, with its slogan: "Tasty and so Gooood." | [
"what did McDonalds claim about McCurry?",
"Did McCurry defeat McDonald's?",
"who won the case?",
"who owns McCurry?"
] | [
[
"was violating the prefix \"Mc\" and that"
],
[
"has won an eight-year legal battle against the hamburger giant."
],
[
"McCurry"
],
[
"A.M.S.P Suppiah and his wife Kanageswary Suppiah."
]
] | David-and-Goliath match-up in fast food world sees McCurry defeat McDonald's .
McDonald's claimed that the "Mc" in McCurry trampled on its trademark .
McCurry owner P. Suppiah: "We're very relieved -- much, much relieved" |
(CNN) -- Meals Ready to Eat, or MREs are used by the military to provide nutritious and compact meals for the troops. The meals spark memories good and bad, for those who ate them in the military and even for some civilians who used them during disasters, when food was not readily available. Harald Schweizer was 19 when this photo was taken in the summer of 1968 in Vietnam. He is holding a C ration. CNN.com readers shared their stories and memories of MREs and C rations. Some of the responses have been edited for clarity and length. Here is a selection: Michael Reimers of Gresham, Oregon MREs are the fancy ones. We had C rations. Probably left over from WWII! For my 21st birthday in 1982 I was on border patrol at the Czech border and my friends snuck in two beers and made a cake for me out of what was available. They took a fruitcake that was in something like a tuna can tin and they mixed hot chocolate mix with grape jelly to make the frosting and added a candle and two German beers and we were in business out in the woods. It was very cool being with all my buddies and them doing that for me. Ronald Mervyn of Burton, Michigan I served in the army from April 1985 to February 1988. MREs were not all that bad. I liked the chicken ala king, the dehydrated potatoes patty and the chocolate chip cookies the best. They were all edible. I wish I could have brought some home to share with family and friends. Steven Carrigan of Salina, Kansas I served in the U.S. Marine corps. Did I eat MREs? You bet and a lot of them. They get the job done but always needed a bit of spicing up, Tabasco sauce that someone would bring to the field, usually. Cold weather affected them more than anything. Nothing worse than getting the beans and franks in cold weather. The beans would be semi-hard and the franks rock solid. The preservative that they are in gels up and looks like petroleum jelly. Had to carry them next to your body to get them warm. To me the worst one was the chicken ala king, disgusting. The desserts were always good. Some guys had recipes that you could mix together two or three MREs and have a pretty good meal if you had heat and the time to cook it. Even though I thought I left them behind when I left the military, I still have them in the car during the winter and when I do ice fishing. They are great in a pinch. Annette Sweet of Leavenworth, Kansas This is a different side of life all together; I believe the best memories were how to heat your MRE before they came out with the heating pouch. Spaghetti, wow that was a good one, the best way to serve it was to take your MRE cheese, a mini bottle of the Tabasco that came in the pack and mix it all together and place on the hood of your Humvee on a hot day or by the heater on a cold day. Umm good. Now, the worst ever that I believe they came out with was the loaf, I can't even say whether it was meat or vegetables but it really left a very heavy feeling in the pit of your stomach. You can never forget the ham slices; unfortunately they forgot to slice it, it was about ½ inch thick filled with gristle and very salty, very hard to digest. The different assortments of all the MREs were, as I call them, Charms candy, hard as a rock and stuck to your teeth; Tootsie roll, huge and didn't taste like chocolate; Chicklet gum, send you straight to the throne; the peanut butter and crackers, well, a bit oily but I considered a keeper. Oh, by the way, they did have real coffee. I believe it was Tasters Choice, not sure though. And fruit loaf, what can you say about a loaf? Once a loaf, always a loaf, and staying with tradition of blended items, you mixed a pack of the powered cream they | [
"What 'left a very heavy felling the the pt of your stomach'?",
"What did the meat-vegetable-loaf leave?",
"what left a very heavy feeling in the pit of your stomach?",
"what CNN readers recall?",
"What gets the job done?"
] | [
[
"the loaf,"
],
[
"a very heavy feeling in the pit of your stomach."
],
[
"meat or vegetables"
],
[
"stories and memories of MREs and C rations."
],
[
"MREs?"
]
] | CNN readers recall good and bad memories of MREs .
"They get the job done but always needed a bit of spicing up"
Meat-vegetable-loaf "left a very heavy feeling in the pit of your stomach"
Canned sponge cake an "acquired taste" |
(CNN) -- Meat is murder? Well, perhaps not for much longer. Artist Banksy has satirized modern farming and meat production; could in-vitro meat be a better option? A pioneering group of scientists are working to grow real animal protein in the laboratory, which they not only claim is better for animal welfare, but actually healthier, both for people and the planet. It may sound like science fiction, but this technology to create in-vitro meat could be changing global diets within ten years. "Cultured meat would have a lot of advantages," said Jason Matheny of research group New Harvest. "We could precisely control the amount of fat in meat. We could make ground beef with an ideal fatty acid ratio -- a hamburger that prevents heart attacks instead of causing them." But it isn't just the possibility of creating designer ground beef with the fat profile of salmon that drives Matheny's work. Meat and livestock farming is also the source of many human diseases, which he claims would be far less common when the product is raised in laboratory conditions. "We could reduce the risks of diseases like swine flu, avian flu, 'mad cow disease', or contamination from Salmonella," he told CNN. "We could produce meat in sterile conditions that are impossible in conventional animal farms and slaughterhouses. And when we grow only the meat we can eat, it's more efficient. There's no need to grow the whole animal and lose 75 to 95 percent of what we feed it." Conventional meat production is also hard on the environment. The contribution of livestock to climate change was recently highlighted by the United Nations' report, "Livestock's Long Shadow", while groups such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth have demonstrated how soy farming for animal feed contributes to the destruction of the Amazon. In this context Matheny believes his project could significantly cut the environmental impact of meat production -- using much less water and producing far fewer greenhouse gases. "We could reduce the environmental footprint of meat, which currently contributes more to global warming than the entire transportation sector," says Matheny. Preliminary results from a study by Hanna Tuomisto, at the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford, suggest that cultured meat would reduce the carbon emissions of meat production by more than 80 percent. Making cultured meat In-vitro meat is made from samples of animals conventionally slaughtered. For example, "pork" is made from pig ovaries retrieved from slaughterhouses, which are fertilized with pig semen, transforming them into embryos. They are then placed in a nutrient solution, where they grow and develop. It's a long way from the popular image of animals wandering round the farmyard in the sunshine, but then so is modern intensive farming. The factor that could take the research from the lab to the store and into refrigerators around the world is its remarkable commercial potential. According to New Harvest, meat is already estimated to be a $1 trillion global market, and demand is expected to double by 2050. With concerns about health, animal welfare and the environment growing the appeal of in vitro meat is obvious. Matheny told CNN that venture capitalists Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers have shown an interest in his technology, while Stegman, a sausage subsidiary of food giant Sara Lee, is a partner. The Netherlands' Government has also invested around $4 million in Dutch research into in-vitro meat production. But it isn't just the suits who are circling with their checkbooks out -- campaign group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have announced a $1 million prize for the first commercially viable in vitro chicken product. The Humane Society of the United States has also been supportive. "We think that a technology to produce cultured ground meats -- burgers, sausages, nuggets, and so forth -- could be commercialized within ten years," said Matheny. "As with most technologies, successive generations should improve in price, quality, and acceptance. We don't think that matching the taste and texture of ground meats will | [
"When could lab made meat be served?",
"what did advocates say about in-vitro meat?",
"What is grown in a lab using animal samples?",
"When could lab-made meat be served?",
"Where is in-vitro meat grown?"
] | [
[
"within ten years."
],
[
"healthier, both for people and the planet."
],
[
"protein"
],
[
"within ten years."
],
[
"in the laboratory,"
]
] | Ongoing research into in-vitro meat; grown in a lab using animal samples .
Advocates say in-vitro meat is better for health of humans and environment .
Lab-made meat could be served in a decade, says research scientist Jason Matheny . |
(CNN) -- Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch expects News Corporation-owned newspaper Web sites to start charging users for access within a year in a move which analysts say could radically shake-up the culture of freely available content. Murdoch said the existing Internet business model was "malfunctioning." Speaking on a conference call as News Corporation announced a 47 percent slide in quarterly profits to $755 million, Murdoch said the current free access business model favored by most content providers was flawed. "We are now in the midst of an epochal debate over the value of content and it is clear to many newspapers that the current model is malfunctioning," the News Corp. Chairman and CEO said. "We have been at the forefront of that debate and you can confidently presume that we are leading the way in finding a model that maximizes revenues in return for our shareholders... The current days of the Internet will soon be over." Murdoch said the experience of the News Corp.-owned Wall Street Journal had proved that charging for content could be made to work. Would you pay to use news Web sites? Sound Off below He said 360,000 people had downloaded an iPhone WSJ application in three weeks. Users would soon be made to pay "handsomely" for accessing WSJ content, he added. Murdoch said he envisaged other News Corp. titles introducing charges within 12 months. Murdoch's international newspaper empire includes the New York Post, the News International stable of UK titles including the Sun and the Times, and a cluster of Australian papers including the Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun. His comments come with the U.S. newspaper industry in a state of crisis amid plunging advertising revenues and falling circulations with several historic titles already going out of business. Joshua Benton, Director of the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University, said Murdoch was not the only executive looking to generate new income streams from online content. "News executives are starting to recognize that online advertising revenues are not enough on their own," Benton told CNN. But he said the challenge for media organizations was finding a balance between advertising and subscription revenues and figuring out how to charge for content without alienating existing users -- which could lead to Web sites offering tiered levels of free and paid-for material. "I suspect within any readership there is a small slice -- maybe three percent -- that is willing to pay. News organizations are going to have to find a way of getting money from that slice without driving away everybody else," Benton said. "I don't think you can afford to put a lock and chain on the front page. Benton said the U.S. newspaper industry was in a "horrible state" which was likely to get worse. "We're starting to see holes where newspapers were. The question is, will new Web sites fill the holes, will traditional names come in -- or will they just not get filled?" Earlier this week, the 137-year-old Boston Globe said it would be forced to shut down unless it reached an agreement with unions over a $10 million program of cost-cutting measures. Watch media chief discuss charging for online content » The paper's owners, The New York Times Co., postponed plans to close the paper after reaching a deal with six of seven employees' unions but said the Globe was expected to lose $85 million in 2009 if it did not make major cuts. The developments followed the demise of print editions of The Rocky Mountain News in Denver, Colorado; The Seattle Post-Intelligencer; and The Christian Science Monitor. The Rocky Mountain News shut down completely; both the Seattle paper and the Christian Science Monitor remain in online editions. At least 120 newspapers in the U.S. have shut down since January 2008, according to Paper Cuts, a Web site tracking the newspaper industry. More than 21,000 jobs at 67 newspapers have vaporized in that time, according to the site. Despite the general mood of gloom over the state of the economy, Murdoch said he believed the worst of the financial crisis had passed. "I'm not an economist | [
"What did Murdoch say?",
"What did Rupert Murdoch predicts?",
"What is said about the Internet?",
"What do Murdoch's newspapers include?",
"What did Murdoch say about the Internet?",
"Name the Murdoch's newspapers?",
"Which papers do Murdoch own?"
] | [
[
"the existing Internet business model was \"malfunctioning.\""
],
[
"News Corporation-owned newspaper Web sites to start charging"
],
[
"will soon be over.\""
],
[
"Herald Sun."
],
[
"\"malfunctioning.\""
],
[
"New York Post, the News International stable of UK titles including the Sun and the Times, and a cluster of Australian papers including the Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun."
],
[
"New York Post, the News International stable of UK titles including the Sun and the Times, and a cluster of Australian"
]
] | Rupert Murdoch says News Corp. Web sites will charge for content within year .
Murdoch's newspapers include New York Post, UK's Sun, Times .
Wall Street Journal proves users can be charged for content, Murdoch says .
Murdoch: "The current days of the Internet will soon be over" |
(CNN) -- Meeting planner Gail Murphy heard about the travel warning to Mexico too late in the day on Monday to do anything about her plans to head to Cancun the following day.
Alberto Morales wore a mask on his flight from Mexico City to Denver, Colorado, on Monday.
"I'm in good health," said Murphy, who is heading to the Eighth Annual Mexico Showcase and Travel Expo from her home in Shelburne, Vermont. "I'm a risk taker, so I'll go anyway."
In light of the swine flu, the U.S. State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning against any non-essential travel to Mexico. The move could potentially devastate an already struggling tourism industry in the country.
The World Health Organization urged countries not to restrict international travel or close borders, as such measures would not in themselves stem the outbreak. Efforts to contain the outbreak by restricting travel would be unlikely to work without "draconian measures," said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, the agency's assistant director-general. But he said people who are ill should put off trips abroad, and people who fall ill after a trip should see a doctor.
Mexico is the epicenter for the swine influenza virus outbreak. More than 100 deaths in Mexico are being investigated as possibly tied to the outbreak.
The WHO confirmed 73 cases of swine flu Monday, but health officials in Scotland, California and Texas confirmed nine more, bringing the worldwide total to 82.
Reports of the illness in Mexico couldn't have come at a worse time for the country's tourism industry, which is already grappling with negative publicity about drug-cartel fueled violence.
"They were having a terrible time anyway with all of the problems on the border and now to be hit with this, too," said Barbara Nassau, owner of New York-based In House Travel Solutions. She added that the outbreak has the potential to hamper travel similar to the way it was affected when bird flu hit China.
iReporter Dyana Pari Nafissi works in international business development in Mexico City and said tourism in the country had already been dealt a blow by fears of violence. iReport.com: Watch Dyana discuss what's happening in Mexico
"We've been on a steady decline since the first U.S. travel warning about the drug cartels," she said. "When you look at the kids that braved [that travel warning], and now they are back [in the U.S.] and they are sick. It's devastating to the economy here."
Some of the confirmed cases in the United States were high school students who recently returned from a trip to Mexico.
News of the outbreak didn't seem to overly concern travelers arriving Monday at Denver International Airport on a Mexicana flight from Mexico City.
Two Mexicana crew members who didn't want to be named said about 60 percent of the passengers wore masks during the flight.
Ernesto Vargas, a Mexican businessman, didn't wear a mask. "I thought about carrying one with me, but the crew wasn't wearing a mask. So we asked them, and it seemed quite safe."
Alberto Morales, another businessman, said he wore a mask in the Mexico City airport and on the plane. "Yes. I have a mask, and we are using the mask."
Is he concerned? "Don't worry, I am OK," he said with a laugh.
"People are afraid about the flu, but we have many precautions and the government has a good sense for this trouble," Morales said.
Ian Jeffries, a spokesman for Expedia.com, said the company had no data as of Monday on cancellations or changes caused by fear of swine flu, but added that it was prepared to aid any of its customers that had concerns.
"Expedia is currently offering to waive Expedia-imposed change and cancel fees for hotel and air reservations originally booked to Mexico," he said. "We will continue to monitor the situation and modify our policy accordingly."
Several major U.S. airlines also are | [
"Who issues an advisory?"
] | [
[
"U.S. State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention"
]
] | U.S. issues an advisory against non-essential travel to Mexico .
Tourism industry waiting to see effects of swine flu .
Mexico tourism already dealing with reports of violence .
Theme parks, cruise lines and others monitoring situation . |
(CNN) -- Melissa Huckaby, the former Sunday school teacher accused of kidnapping, raping and killing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, will face additional charges that she tried to poison two people, including another 7-year-old girl. Melissa Huckaby is charged with killing Sandra Cantu and attempted poisoning of second child. A revised complaint against Huckaby, 28, of Tracy, California, was made public just hours before she was due back in court on Friday. The new charges caused another delay in the murder case, CNN afiliate KRON reported. The complaint charged that Huckaby "did willfully and unlawfully mingle a harmful substance with food or drink" with the intent to harm the child, identified only as "Jane M. Doe." Another alleged poisoning victim was identified as Daniel Plowman, but no age or other information was immediately provided. The latest charges also include one count of child abuse endangerment relating to the unidentified child, who was allegedly in Huckaby's "care and custody." Read the complaint (PDF) Huckaby did not enter a plea in the Cantu slaying in her first two court appearances last month. At an earlier hearing, Judge Linda L. Loftis agreed to keep the autopsy and toxicology reports under seal, citing a "great danger of public outrage." If convicted on the murder, rape and kidnapping charges, Huckaby, could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole, authorities said. CNN's Alan Duke and Jim Roope contributed to this report | [
"what is huckaby due in court for",
"what is melissa huckaby charged with",
"Will she get the death penalty?",
"Who was charged with attempting poisoning?"
] | [
[
"killing Sandra Cantu and attempted poisoning of second child."
],
[
"killing Sandra Cantu and attempted poisoning of second child."
],
[
"could face the"
],
[
"Huckaby,"
]
] | NEW: Melissa Huckaby charged with attempting to poison "Jane Doe," 7 .
Huckaby due in court to face charges in slaying of another 8-year-old .
She faces special circumstances including kidnap, rape by instrument .
Decision on whether to seek the death penalty will come later . |
(CNN) -- Members of the international community have welcomed Barack Obama becoming the 44th President of the United States -- and the first African-American to take leadership of his country.
Barack and Michelle Obama pictured before the inauguration Tuesday in Washington.
Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso said: "I believe President Obama will exercise outstanding leadership and achieve great success, leading his distinguished team on each field including foreign policy, national security, economy, environment/energy, in overcoming the serious economic situations and other difficult challenges.
"I am confident that Japan and the United States, which are in the position of leading the world, can create a better future, by putting together our expertise, will, passion and strategy. With this conviction, I intend to work hand in hand with President Obama, to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance, and make efforts towards the peace and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region and the world."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a statement: "With your election, the American people has vigorously expressed its confidence in progress and in the future, as well as its resolve to have an open, new, strong and caring America that you embody.
"As you are entering office, I should like to convey to you, on my behalf and on the behalf of the people of France, my very best wishes for great success at the head of the American nation." UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaking from Downing Street, said the new president was a "man of great vision and moral purpose" in comments reported by the UK Press Association.
"The whole world is watching the inauguration of President Obama, witnessing a new chapter in both American history and the world's history. He's not only the first black American president but he sets out with the determination to solve the world's problems." Watch world reaction to Obama's inauguration
In a statement Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said: "The greatest democracy in the world has again proven that it is a beacon and example for many countries. The entire State of Israel rejoices with the United States and welcomes President Obama, who took the oath of office this evening.
"Barack Obama's journey to the White House has impressed and inspired the entire world. I am convinced that the United States' deep and abiding ties with Israel will strengthen further. The values of democracy, brotherhood and freedom that constitute the building blocks of American society are also shared by Israeli society, together with the faith in man's power and ability to change and influence his surroundings.
"We wish the incoming President success in his office and are certain that we will be full partners in advancing peace and stability in the Middle East."
In a speech to mark Australia Day, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said: "I believe from everything I have seen, read and heard and from the conversations that I have had with him that the American people have chosen well in their new president."
Calling Barack Obama " the hope of our time," Rudd added that "Australia as always stands ready to work with America in the great challenges that lie ahead."
Mwai Kibaki, president of Kenya, birthplace of Obama's father, said: "On behalf of the government and the people of Kenya and on my own behalf, I extend our message of best wishes on the auspicious occasion of your inauguration as the 44th president of the United States of America.
"On this special day we recall the remarkable journey you have traveled to become the leader of your great country. Through that journey you have inspired many young and old people, not only in America but around the world with a strong message of hope. ...
"We, the people of Kenya, cherish the many years of bilateral ties with the U.S.A. and look forward to even stronger relations in areas that are mutually beneficial to our two countries."
Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said: "In my conversations with Senator Barack Obama before the elections and President-elect Obama after his election, it was made | [
"What did Brown say about Obama?",
"What description did UK's prime minister give of Obama?",
"What did Kenya's president say?",
"what did uk pm say"
] | [
[
"was a \"man of great vision and moral purpose\""
],
[
"\"man of great vision and moral purpose\""
],
[
"\"On this special day we recall the remarkable journey you have traveled to become the leader of your great country. Through that journey you have inspired many young and old people, not only in America but around the world with a strong message of hope."
],
[
"the new president was a \"man of great vision and moral purpose\""
]
] | Leaders around the world offer their congratulations to Obama inauguration .
French president: U.S. has vigorously expressed confidence in progress .
UK PM Brown: New president is a "man of great vision and moral purpose"
Kenya president: We recall your remarkable journey to become leader . |
(CNN) -- Members of the nation's oldest black sorority have accused the organization's president of using her sorority credit card for personal items and its board of directors of spending too much on her. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority President Barbara McKinzie denies the claims in the lawsuit against her. The suit alleges that the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's board of directors signed off on spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on President Barbara McKinzie and commissioned an expensive wax figure of her. McKinzie denied the allegations, saying they are "without merit." The most "outlandish representation" in the lawsuit, she said, is the allegation that the sorority spent $900,000 on a wax figure of her. Two wax figures -- one of McKinzie and one of the sorority's first president, the late Nellie Quander -- were purchased by the hostess chapters of the sorority's centennial convention last year, not the national AKA organization, for a total of $45,000, McKinzie said. The lawsuit says the sorority's board of directors approved the use of $900,000 for the wax likeness of McKinzie ahead of the centennial celebration. Edward W. Gray Jr., an attorney representing the plaintiffs, acknowledged that the sorority disputes the lawsuit's account of the statue's price tag. However, he said, "we have no way of knowing what the actual number was. We hope that it was as little as they say." He added that $45,000 is still a large amount of money, although, "certainly, it's a lot better than $900,000." He called the alleged conduct "shocking and bordering on illegal." The wax figures are to appear in the National Great Blacks in Wax museum in Baltimore, Maryland, according to AKA. The museum said they are on a traveling exhibit. The lawsuit, filed last month in a Washington superior court, also accuses McKinzie of using her sorority credit card for "designer clothing, lingerie, jewelry, gifts and other excessive and inappropriate expenses of a personal nature." It demands that the sorority fire McKinzie and the board of directors and that the alleged damages be repaid. The lawsuit says that by using her credit card for personal purchases, as well as for "properly reimbursed expenditures," McKinzie amassed American Express points, which she then redeemed for a 46-inch television and gym equipment. It also says that the sorority's board of directors had agreed on compensation for McKinzie without the approval of the sorority's policy-making body. The compensation, it says, included a $4,000-a-month stipend that McKinzie is to receive for four years after she leaves office. The board of directors also voted to buy a $1 million life insurance policy for McKinzie, a purchase that was also not approved by the policy-making body, the lawsuit says. McKinzie denied the accusations. "Allegations about personal use of AKA funds are false and unsupported by the organization's audited books," she said. The "malicious allegations leveled against AKA by former leaders are based on mischaracterizations and fabrications not befitting our ideals of sisterhood, ethics and service." The lawsuit also blames McKinzie and Betty James, the executive director for the organization's corporate office, for financial decisions they made for the sorority. The sorority's claimed deductions on its federal tax returns in 2006 and 2007 were "unreasonably large and inappropriate, thus exposing the sorority to potential IRS claims and obligations," the suit says. Furthermore, the sorority's policy-making body has not approved McKinzie's investment philosophy, which "has caused the shifting of several million dollars of the sorority and foundation funds from cash and cash equivalents to stock and bond investments." McKinzie said in her statement that under her leadership, "accounting and budgetary practices have been tightened, erasing past IRS liabilities and cost overruns." In addition to McKinzie, James and the sorority, the lawsuit names other members of the board of directors and the AKA Educational Advancement Foundation Inc. as defendants. AKA was founded in 1908 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. CNN's | [
"How much was OK'd for wax figure of president?",
"What was she accused of?",
"what is she accused of",
"What did the board approve, according to Alpha Kappa Alpha members?",
"Who is president of the U.S.'s oldest black sorority?",
"What did the President of U.S.'s oldest black sorority deny?",
"Who is accused of using the sorority credit card?"
] | [
[
"$900,000"
],
[
"using her sorority credit card for personal items and its board of directors of spending too much on her."
],
[
"using her sorority credit card for personal items"
],
[
"the use of $900,000 for the wax likeness of McKinzie ahead of the centennial celebration."
],
[
"Barbara McKinzie"
],
[
"credit card for personal items"
],
[
"President Barbara McKinzie"
]
] | Alpha Kappa Alpha members say board OK'd $900,000 for wax figure of president .
She is accused of using sorority credit card for "inappropriate expenses"
President of U.S.'s oldest black sorority denies "malicious allegations" |
(CNN) -- Memorial Day is a day set aside to remember the U.S. troops who have died. One way to honor the fallen troops is to volunteer at a veterans cemetery. And while there are opportunities on Memorial Day, there are other ways you can help all year long.
There are more than 150 national cemeteries and monument sites maintained by such groups as the the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Park Service. Read more about them or find a volunteer opportunity at a cemetery near you.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has these tips on ways you can help at a veterans cemetery that you might not have considered:
-- Volunteer to greet visitors, give tours or research and document cemetery history
-- Donate items such as golf carts, which are used to transport visitors who need assistance reaching a gravesite
-- Volunteer to raise and lower cemetery flags on national holidays
-- Help maintain the final resting place of fallen troops by volunteering to prune trees, mend cemetery flags, repair cemetery benches or sponsor a burial area or flower bed and maintain it all year long
-- If you're a bugler, volunteer to play a live "Taps" at veterans' funerals. About 1,800 veterans die each day, most of them from World War II, according to the VA. Because the military cannot provide enough buglers to play at such a large number of funerals, Congress passed a law in 2000 to allow a recorded version to be played. But many families of the fallen prefer a live version if possible. | [
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[
"ways you can help"
],
[
"volunteer"
],
[
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],
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"on Memorial Day,"
]
] | Volunteering time at a nearby veterans cemetery can be a way to honor the fallen at Memorial Day .
There are also volunteer opportunities all year long .
Maintaining the grounds, helping repair or even greeting visitors are some ways to help . |
(CNN) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon announced the resignations Tuesday of three high-level government officials, most notably Communications and Transport Secretary Luis Tellez Kuenzler.
The government of Mexican President Felipe Calderon, seen here in January, is facing elections in July.
Abraham Gonzalez, a key official for the powerful ministry that oversees Mexico's government, also resigned. So did Sergio Vela Martinez, president of the National Council for Culture and the Arts.
No official reasons were given for any of the resignations, which analysts said did not appear to be related. But at least two of the resignations did not come as a surprise.
Tellez, who stepped down from a Cabinet-level post, had been involved for weeks in a controversy over taped comments revealed last month by CNN journalist Carmen Aristegui.
In the taped conversation, Tellez said former Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari had stolen government money. Salinas has not been formally accused of any crime.
Tellez received an anonymous threat in late February from an apparent political enemy telling him to resign or more damaging audiotapes would be released to the media. He refused and turned the matter over to authorities.
Ana Maria Salazar Slack, a political analyst who is host of a daily radio show in Mexico City, called it "an almost soap opera-ish scandal" that left Calderon little choice but to force Tellez to resign.
"Although Calderon wanted to keep him in office, it made it very difficult to keep him there," she said.
Calderon moved Tellez to a post as a presidential aide dealing with economic matters.
Other observers also were not surprised by the move.
"That was waiting to happen," said Andrew Selee, director of the Mexico Institute at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Center. "But evidently the president values his counsel and has kept him in a high-profile position in the presidency from which he'll continue to have influence."
Robert Pastor, the Latin America national security adviser for President Jimmy Carter in the 1970s, praised Tellez but said political considerations prevailed.
"He's a very competent fellow," Pastor said. "One of the most competent people I've known in Mexico. But this tape in particular was very embarrassing."
In a televised news conference after Calderon announced the changes, Tellez expressed his "gratitude for this opportunity that few Mexicans obtain."
Replacing Tellez will be Juan Molinar Horcasitas, the head of the Mexican Institute for Social Security.
Molinar belongs to the same party as Calderon, the National Action Party [PAN], while Tellez belongs to the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party [PRI]. That played a role, Slack said.
"The president is sending a signal to his party that he's going to support people from his own party," Slack said. "Beyond the political scandals of the tapes, there's a decision for the president to appoint people very close to the party."
Gonzalez's departure was not a surprise either, since he is running for a congressional seat in July and Mexican law requires him to resign.
Analysts spoke highly of Gonzalez's replacement, Geronimo Gutierrez Fernandez. He had been the top person in the foreign ministry for Latin and North America.
"Gutierrez moving in is outstanding," the Mexico Institute's Selee said, calling him "one of the smartest people ... I've met" and "an impressive guy."
Consuelo Saizar Guerrero takes over as head of the National Council for Culture and the Arts, replacing Vela, whose reasons for resigning were not disclosed. Saizar previously served as head of the Economic Culture Fund, the government's book-publishing enterprise.
The arts and culture post will play a significant role in 2010, when Mexico celebrates 100 years of its social revolution and 200 years of its declaration of independence, radio analyst Slack said.
As for the timing of resignations from three key posts, Slack linked it to Mexico's election calendar.
"In order to understand these changes," she said, "you have to understand there are midterm elections in July. | [
"Who left Mexico's government?",
"Who resigned over controvery over comments?",
"Who resigned amid controversy over comments?",
"When are the Mexican midterm elections?",
"What country does the key official oversee?",
"What key official recently left in Mexico?",
"What did a key official for ministry do?",
"What was the resignation linked to?",
"Who resigned amid controversy?",
"Who is being voted on in the Mexican midterm elections?"
] | [
[
"Luis Tellez Kuenzler."
],
[
"Tellez,"
],
[
"Luis Tellez Kuenzler."
],
[
"July."
],
[
"Mexico's"
],
[
"Abraham Gonzalez,"
],
[
"resigned."
],
[
"Mexico's election calendar."
],
[
"Luis Tellez Kuenzler."
],
[
"President Felipe Calderon,"
]
] | Analyst says timing of resignations linked to Mexican midterm elections in July .
Communications and transport secretary resigns amid controversy over comments .
Key official for ministry that oversees Mexico's government leaves . |
(CNN) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon announced the resignations Tuesday of three high-level government officials, most notably Communications and Transport Secretary Luis Tellez Kuenzler. The government of Mexican President Felipe Calderon, seen here in January, is facing elections in July. Abraham Gonzalez, a key official for the powerful ministry that oversees Mexico's government, also resigned. So did Sergio Vela Martinez, president of the National Council for Culture and the Arts. No official reasons were given for any of the resignations, which analysts said did not appear to be related. But at least two of the resignations did not come as a surprise. Tellez, who stepped down from a Cabinet-level post, had been involved for weeks in a controversy over taped comments revealed last month by CNN journalist Carmen Aristegui. In the taped conversation, Tellez said former Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari had stolen government money. Salinas has not been formally accused of any crime. Tellez received an anonymous threat in late February from an apparent political enemy telling him to resign or more damaging audiotapes would be released to the media. He refused and turned the matter over to authorities. Ana Maria Salazar Slack, a political analyst who is host of a daily radio show in Mexico City, called it "an almost soap opera-ish scandal" that left Calderon little choice but to force Tellez to resign. "Although Calderon wanted to keep him in office, it made it very difficult to keep him there," she said. Calderon moved Tellez to a post as a presidential aide dealing with economic matters. Other observers also were not surprised by the move. "That was waiting to happen," said Andrew Selee, director of the Mexico Institute at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Center. "But evidently the president values his counsel and has kept him in a high-profile position in the presidency from which he'll continue to have influence." Robert Pastor, the Latin America national security adviser for President Jimmy Carter in the 1970s, praised Tellez but said political considerations prevailed. "He's a very competent fellow," Pastor said. "One of the most competent people I've known in Mexico. But this tape in particular was very embarrassing." In a televised news conference after Calderon announced the changes, Tellez expressed his "gratitude for this opportunity that few Mexicans obtain." Replacing Tellez will be Juan Molinar Horcasitas, the head of the Mexican Institute for Social Security. Molinar belongs to the same party as Calderon, the National Action Party [PAN], while Tellez belongs to the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party [PRI]. That played a role, Slack said. "The president is sending a signal to his party that he's going to support people from his own party," Slack said. "Beyond the political scandals of the tapes, there's a decision for the president to appoint people very close to the party." Gonzalez's departure was not a surprise either, since he is running for a congressional seat in July and Mexican law requires him to resign. Analysts spoke highly of Gonzalez's replacement, Geronimo Gutierrez Fernandez. He had been the top person in the foreign ministry for Latin and North America. "Gutierrez moving in is outstanding," the Mexico Institute's Selee said, calling him "one of the smartest people ... I've met" and "an impressive guy." Consuelo Saizar Guerrero takes over as head of the National Council for Culture and the Arts, replacing Vela, whose reasons for resigning were not disclosed. Saizar previously served as head of the Economic Culture Fund, the government's book-publishing enterprise. The arts and culture post will play a significant role in 2010, when Mexico celebrates 100 years of its social revolution and 200 years of its declaration of independence, radio analyst Slack said. As for the timing of resignations from three key posts, Slack linked it to Mexico's election calendar. "In order to understand these changes," she said, "you have to understand there are midterm elections in July. | [
"What was linked with Mexican midterm elections in July?",
"What is there controversy over?",
"The key official for ministry left for what reason?",
"What caused the communications and transport secretary to resign?",
"What did the key official for the ministry do?"
] | [
[
"resignations from three key posts,"
],
[
"taped comments"
],
[
"a controversy over taped comments"
],
[
"controversy over taped comments"
],
[
"resigned."
]
] | Analyst says timing of resignations linked to Mexican midterm elections in July .
Communications and transport secretary resigns amid controversy over comments .
Key official for ministry that oversees Mexico's government leaves . |
(CNN) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon made his third visit in a little more than a month Tuesday to the troubled border city of Juarez, where three people associated with the U.S. Consulate were killed over the weekend.
Ciudad Juarez is the most violent city in Mexico, with more than 2,600 drug-related deaths in 2009. No official numbers are available, but more than 400 killings have been reported in local media this year.
The city, long the focal point of Calderon's war on drug cartels, came to renewed prominence after the January 31 killings of 15 people, most of them students with no links to organized crime. The massacre sparked outrage throughout Mexico and drew worldwide attention.
Saturday's deaths of a pregnant woman and two other people connected with the U.S. Consulate renewed attention to the blood-soaked city.
Calderon visited Juarez twice in mid-February within a one-week period, meeting with local officials and residents. More such meetings were scheduled for Tuesday.
Although Tuesday's visit had been scheduled before the latest slayings, analysts say it highlights the city's importance to the president.
"What it says is that he has really decided that success in Juarez is essential for stemming the tide of organized crime," said Andrew Selee, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Mexico Institute. "He has staked his presidency on success in Juarez."
Juarez, which accounted for about one-third of the drug-related killings in Mexico last year, was already significant because of the high death count, Selee said. But the killings in January and over the weekend have elevated the city to a symbolic level, the analyst said.
"It has gained an emotional value," Selee said.
The latest killings were carried out by a local gang known as Los Aztecas, who are allied with the Juarez Cartel, Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz said.
The three victims were followed and targeted, Reyes said. They were attacked as they left a birthday party at the U.S. Consulate in Juarez.
U.S. and Mexican officials said a consulate employee who was four months pregnant and her husband, a U.S. citizen who was a jailer in El Paso, Texas, across the border from Juarez, were slain in their SUV. The couple's 10-month-old daughter, who was in the vehicle, was not injured, Reyes and other officials said.
Authorities identified the couple as El Paso residents Arthur Redelfs, 34, and Lesley Ann Enriquez, 35. Redelfs was a 10-year veteran of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, department spokesman Jesse Tovar said.
The third victim was identified as Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, 37, a state police officer who was married to a Mexican employee at the U.S. Consulate.
His wife was not traveling with him, but two of their children, ages 4 and 7, were in the car and were wounded, officials said.
Authorities said they don't know of a motive, nor had they made any arrests Tuesday.
Widespread violence throughout northern Mexico in the past few weeks has led U.S. officials to take precautions, including the temporary relocation of State Department employees' families in border-area consulates.
The family members at U.S. consulates in Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros are allowed to leave for up to 30 days, the State Department said. The leave can be renewed after 30 days.
The announcement was part of a continued warning to U.S. citizens regarding travel to Mexico.
U.S. citizens are advised to delay nonessential travel to parts of the states of Durango, Coahuila and Chihuahua, where Juarez is located. In addition, U.S. government employees are restricted from traveling to all or parts of the three states.
Attacks have included the kidnapping and killing of two resident U.S. citizens in Chihuahua, the warning states.
"Some recent confrontations between Mexican authorities and drug cartel members have resembled small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and grenades," the warning says. "During some of these incidents, U.S. citizens have been trapped and temporarily prevented from leaving the area." | [
"What is the city the focal point for?",
"what did he do there",
"When was the visit?",
"How many people were slain on Saturday?",
"what was the city",
"Where did Calderon go?",
"What city did Calderon visit?",
"What is the object of Calderon's war?"
] | [
[
"Calderon's war on drug cartels,"
],
[
"made his third visit"
],
[
"Tuesday"
],
[
"three"
],
[
"Ciudad Juarez"
],
[
"Juarez,"
],
[
"Juarez,"
],
[
"on drug cartels,"
]
] | Felipe Calderon goes to troubled city for third time in little more than a month .
Analysts: Visit highlights city's importance as focal point of Calderon's war on drug cartels .
Visit was scheduled before 3 people slain Saturday .
Deaths of pregnant woman, two others renewed attention to the border city . |
(CNN) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon will return to Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, for the second time in as many weeks on Wednesday morning, a spokesman for the municipal police department said.
"For security reasons, details are nonexistent," police department spokesman Jacinto Seguro said.
Calderon will attend a meeting with local, state and federal officials, as well as civic and human rights groups, on Wednesday in Ciudad Juarez, which has been plagued by violence stemming from drug cartels.
The January 31 killings in southern Juarez of 15 people, most of whom were students with no ties to organized crime, has sparked outrage across the country. The slayings, which occurred at a house party, are thought to be the result of bad intelligence by a cartel and the gang that carried out the killings.
President Calderon, who has faced mounting pressure this month from Juarez residents to resign, will be visiting the city for the third time since assuming power in December 2006.
Last week in Juarez, Calderon apologized to the families of the 15 people killed and promised residents that their input would form part of the strategy against drug-related violence.
Residents of Juarez attempting to highlight the growing frustration with Calderon's war against organized crime took to the streets by the hundreds on Saturday. Many held signs targeted at Calderon reading, "Assassin."
On Tuesday, police said a business owner and his 24-year-old secretary were found slain inside a business near southern Juarez at 11 a.m.
"It's not new that the cartels target business owners, but killing his secretary, that's something that you don't see too often," Seguro said.
Also Tuesday, 20 students found skipping class and drinking in the street were detained by police as part of an effort to curtail unlawful street activity, Seguro said.
Violence in Juarez comes amid a backdrop of vastly increased numbers of homicides nationwide, as drug cartels battle each other and the Mexican government steps up its efforts to combat them.
The government has not released official figures, but national media say 7,600 Mexicans lost their lives in the war on drugs in 2009. Calderon said last year that 6,500 Mexicans died in drug violence in 2008.
Officials say more than 16,000 Mexicans have died since Calderon declared war on the drug cartels shortly after taking office in December 2006. | [
"Will his visit be his third since taking office in 2006?",
"where is calderon going?",
"On what date in 2006 did Calderon take office?",
"What place did Calderon visite last week?",
"What situation is the cause of the slayings of 15 people?"
] | [
[
"visiting the city for the"
],
[
"Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua,"
],
[
"December"
],
[
"Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua,"
],
[
"bad intelligence"
]
] | Calderon visited Juarez last week to discuss slayings of 15 people .
Latest visit will be his third since taking office in 2006 .
Calderon's resignation has been sought by residents .
He is leading a campaign to rid Mexico of drug trafficking . |
(CNN) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon will wake up a lame duck Monday. How lame will depend largely on nationwide midterm elections Sunday. Mexican President Felipe Calderon has three years left in his six-year term. On the ballot will be 500 federal legislators, six governors and mayors and local legislators in 11 states. Although Calderon has three years left in his six-year term and is not on Sunday's ballot, many analysts see the election as a referendum on his performance and his party's nine-year reign on the presidency. By most accounts, Calderon's party will fare well. "He's going to get a positive vote," said Larry Birns, director of the Washington-based Council on Hemispheric Affairs. "The nation feels he is doing a better job than they imagined he would." Low expectations may be understandable, given the circumstances under which Calderon came to power. After a bitterly fought race that polls indicated was too close to call, the nation went to the polls July 2, 2006, to pick a successor to President Vicente Fox. The race was so close that the results were not verified until a controversial decision two months later. Calderon's margin of victory was less than 1 percent. Losing candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador refused to accept the results and announced himself the winner. Fistfights broke out in the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies. The first three years of Calderon's tenure have not been much smoother. Perhaps most famously, the president declared war on the drug cartels that have taken hold of Mexico, spreading corruption, fear and violence to all corners of the nation. The war's outcome remains uncertain, but there's no doubt about the human cost: About 10,000 people have died in drug violence since Calderon took office in December 2006. The political fallout also has been costly. One U.S. politician said Mexico was undergoing a civil war. A Pentagon report said the nation was in danger of becoming a failed state. Calderon's job got tougher when the bottom fell out of the global economy late last year and the H1N1 flu outbreak drew the world's attention to Mexico this year. But Calderon's actions in the face of such adversity have helped his standing, some analysts say. "Calderon has become increasingly popular in the country because he did project a certain amount of strength in the anti-drug war," Birns said. "He did stand up to the United States on certain things, like swine flu." Calderon's aggressive management of the swine flu crisis -- in which he shut down schools, businesses and all public gatherings for more than a week to stop spread of the disease -- has given him higher credibility, said Peter Hakim, president of the Inter-American Dialogue policy institute. But Calderon's personal popularity may not help his party in the legislative elections. "The question is whether Calderon has coattails," said Ana Maria Salazar, a Mexico City columnist and political talk show host. Calderon is head of the National Action Party, known as PAN. The other two main parties are the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), which narrowly lost the 2006 presidential election, and the Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI), which had a stranglehold on the presidency from 1929 until the 2000. PAN candidate Fox -- Calderon's predecessor -- broke that hold nine years ago. The PAN has the most seats in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies but does not have a majority in either. The party could lose seats after Sunday, as most polls show the PRI holding a slight lead. "We will see the resurgence of the PRI," said Robert Pastor, a Latin America national security adviser for President Carter in the late 1970s. The PRD, he said, has largely discredited itself through internal division. "And the PAN has been overseeing a government that has shunted from one crisis to another," Pastor said. Still, some observers say PRI inroads may not make much difference. "It will not change the balance of | [
"What is the party expected to do?",
"Who is expected to do well despite years of troubles?",
"Who is is not on ballot?"
] | [
[
"fare well."
],
[
"Mexican President Felipe Calderon"
],
[
"Mexican President Felipe Calderon"
]
] | President is not on ballot, but many see vote as comment on his performance .
Party is expected to do well despite years of troubles .
Calderon has stood strong in face of adversity, analysts say .
Many see increasing voter distaste with electoral process . |
(CNN) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon's ruling party paid the price for a weak economy in midterm elections as the opposition Revolutionary Institutional Party rolled to victories in the lower legislative house as well as state and local posts. Mexican President Felipe Calderon wasn't on Sunday's ballot and has three years left in his six-year term. With more than 99 percent of the votes counted, the PRI had 36.7 percent to 28 percent for Calderon's National Action Party (PAN), the state-run Notimex news agency reported Monday. The leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), which nearly won the 2006 presidential election, came in a distant third with 12.2 percent of the vote. In response to the defeat, PAN president German Martinez resigned from the top party post Monday. On the ballot were seats for 500 federal legislators, six governors and about 500 mayors and local legislators in 11 states. Though Calderon has three years left in his six-year term and was not on the ballot, analysts said Monday he was held responsible for Mexico's problems amid the global economic downturn. "He got a beating because of the economy," said Ana Maria Salazar, a television and radio political commentator in Mexico City. "The government in power pays for it," said Peter Hakim, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue. Besides the economy, Calderon has had to face the consequences of a drug war he launched that has left more than 10,000 people dead since he came to office in December 2006. He also had to deal with the H1N1 flu pandemic that first became known in Mexico this year. The PAN has the most seats in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Mexico's Congress, but it does not have a majority in either. The party lost its lead in the lower house, as the PRI will hold more seats when the new delegates are seated in December. No seats were at stake in the Senate, which elects its members every six years. Calderon acknowledged the setback in a late-night address to the nation Sunday. "The federal government recognizes the new composition of the Chamber of Deputies since it is a sovereign decision of the citizens. I congratulate who they have chosen," Calderon said, adding he will work with the new representatives. He will have no choice but to work with the resurgent PRI, analysts said. But since the PAN did not have control of either house of Congress, Calderon has been compromising and making deals with the PRI and other parties since coming to power. "I don't think the job is much more difficult than it was at the outset," Hakim said. "It's all a matter of degrees. Yeah, it will make it a little more difficult. But he has had to work through negotiation anyway." Still, analysts said, the PRI now wields considerable more power. "They're in a position to run Congress," said Andrew Selee, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Mexico Institute. By forming temporary coalitions with the Green Party and other minor parties, the PRI can block presidential vetoes, Salazar said. "They pretty much have control over the purse," she said. Much more is at stake for the PRI though. After having held the presidency from 1929 to 2000 and then losing it to the PAN in the last two elections, the party is looking for a path back to power. Sunday's results were particularly significant because the PRI finished third in the 2006 presidential election. "The presidential campaign has started as of today, Monday," Salazar said. Also significant was the PRD's apparent collapse as a major party, considering it came within 1 percent of winning the presidency in 2006. That race was so close that the results were not verified until a controversial decision two months later. Losing candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador refused to accept the results and announced himself the winner. Fistfights broke out in the Chamber of Deputies. The PRI drew away votes | [
"What did Calderon's party lose?",
"What did Martinez do?",
"What is the name of the president of the political party PAN?",
"What percentage of approval has the PRI political party?",
"Who was held responsible for economic downtown?",
"Who resigned in aftermath?",
"PRI has what percent of vote ?",
"who is the president of pan?",
"who lost the lead?",
"what are the percentages?"
] | [
[
"midterm"
],
[
"resigned from the top party"
],
[
"German Martinez"
],
[
"36.7 percent"
],
[
"Calderon"
],
[
"PAN president German Martinez"
],
[
"36.7"
],
[
"German Martinez"
],
[
"The PAN"
],
[
"PRI had 36.7 percent to 28 percent for Calderon's National Action Party"
]
] | NEW: German Martinez, president of PAN political party, resigns in aftermath .
Felipe Calderon's party loses lead in Mexico's lower house .
Mexican president held responsible for economic downturn, analysts say .
PRI has 36.8 percent of vote to 27.9 percent for Calderon's PAN, news agency says . |
(CNN) -- Mexican authorities have arrested a reputed senior member of a major Tijuana-based drug cartel after a shootout, U.S. authorities confirmed Sunday. Eduardo Arellano-Felix was arrested in Tijuana, Mexico, on Saturday. Eduardo Arellano-Felix was arrested at a Tijuana, Mexico, residence Saturday, said Special Agent Eileen Zeidler of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration office in San Diego, California. She said federal authorities received a tip on the whereabouts of Arellano-Felix and provided the information to Mexican authorities. No other details were immediately available. Arellano-Felix was one of the last wanted members of the powerful and brutal trafficking organization bearing his family name, authorities say. His brother, reputed Mexican drug lord Javier Arellano-Felix, was captured by U.S. authorities in August 2006 off the shore of southern Baja California. The brothers were on the top of the DEA's Most Wanted List, carrying rewards of $5 million dollars for their capture. Officials say seven brothers and four sisters of the Arellano-Felix family inherited the Tijuana cartel from Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo in 1989 after his arrest for drug trafficking. Eduardo was the last remaining brother who had an active role in the cartel. Today, the notorious cartel is split into two factions -- one headed by Eduardo Garcia Simental and another headed by Eduardo Arellano-Felix's nephew, Fernando Sanchez Arellano. The two sides have engaged in brutal fighting, accounting for nearly all the violence in Tijuana, according to the DEA. More than 400 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Tijuana this year. While Eduardo Arellano-Felix was not the boss of the cartel, DEA officials said his nephew sought his advice on decisions. Zeidler said the arrest of Arellano-Felix was a significant step in potentially dismantling the cartel. "You pull the foundation out of the house and the house is going to come down," she said. "[Arellano-Felix] was the foundation." | [
"What could Arellano-Felix's arrest do?",
"Where was Arellano-Felix arrested?",
"this arrest help do what according to DEA agents?",
"Who was arrested at a Tijuana residence?",
"Who was on the dea's most wanted list?"
] | [
[
"potentially dismantling the cartel."
],
[
"Tijuana, Mexico,"
],
[
"significant step in potentially dismantling the cartel."
],
[
"Eduardo Arellano-Felix"
],
[
"Eduardo Arellano-Felix"
]
] | Eduardo Arellano-Felix was arrested at a Tijuana residence Saturday .
He was on the DEA's Most Wanted List .
Arrest could help dismantling the family's drug cartel, DEA agent says . |
(CNN) -- Mexican authorities on Saturday arrested four men in connection with last week's shooting death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in San Diego County, California, Mexico's state-run news agency Notimex reported. U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas was fatally shot Thursday night in California, U.S. authorities said. Mexican federal police identified the men as human smugglers, and said they were in the act of transporting 21 immigrants when they were detained in the northwest state of Baja California, Notimex said. At a news conference, federal police identified two of the suspects as brothers Jose Eugenio Quintero Ruiz, 49, and Jose Evodio Quintero Ruiz, 43. The other two arrestees were taxi drivers Antonio Badallares Zepeda, 57 and Jose Alfredo Camacho Penuela, 34, Notimex reported. Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas was shot and killed Thursday night while responding to a potential incursion into the United States in the Campo area in San Diego County, U.S. authorities said. The Mexican federal police did not offer specific evidence of the suspects' role in the killing, but said intelligence reports indicated the group was responsible for kidnappings, rapes and murders of several people who tried to cross to the United States, Notimex said. The men were wanted by American authorities, police said. Notimex said that during his interrogation, Jose Eugenio Quintero told investigators the shooter was Ernesto Parra Valenzuela, a man arrested the day before by local police in Tecate, Mexico. Rosas, who is survived by his wife and two young children, had been a border agent for three years. Rosas was the ninth Border Patrol agent to be killed while on duty since 2006, according to the agency's Web site. Two agents died in a vehicle wreck in 2006, and four died in 2007, including two who died in vehicle wrecks, a third who drowned and a fourth who suffered a heart attack while pursuing undocumented immigrants. Two agents died on duty last year, the Border Patrol said. One died in a single-vehicle wreck; another was struck and killed by a vehicle driven by a suspected smuggler, according to the agency's Web site. | [
"How many were arrested?",
"How many arrested?",
"who was gunned down?",
"What job did Robert Ross have?",
"What did Mexican police say?",
"Who was the shooter?",
"who are the suspects?",
"What news agency reported?",
"Who was gunned down Thursday?"
] | [
[
"four men"
],
[
"four men"
],
[
"U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas"
],
[
"U.S. Border Patrol Agent"
],
[
"identified the men as human smugglers, and said they were in the act of transporting 21 immigrants when they were detained in the northwest state of Baja California,"
],
[
"Ernesto Parra Valenzuela,"
],
[
"as brothers Jose Eugenio Quintero Ruiz, 49, and Jose Evodio Quintero Ruiz, 43."
],
[
"Mexico's state-run"
],
[
"U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas"
]
] | Mexican news agency: Four arrested in connection with U.S. agent's death .
U.S. Border Patrol agent Robert Rosas gunned down Thursday in California .
Mexican police say suspects are smugglers of humans .
News agency: Suspect says fifth man -- arrested earlier -- was shooter . |
(CNN) -- Mexican authorities on Thursday continued to investigate the kidnappings of at least six people from a Holiday Inn in Monterrey, Mexico, Wednesday.
Nuevo Leon state Attorney General Alejandro Garza y Garza said in a news conference that the unidentified gunmen entered a second hotel as well, the state-run Notimex news agency reported.
A convoy of between 10 and 15 vehicles carrying as many as 30 gunmen pulled into the Holiday Inn at around 2 a.m., Garza y Garza said.
According to him, the gunmen brought a handcuffed man into the lobby, who gave them information on the intended victims.
A businessman from Mexico City, Luis Miguel Gonzalez, was kidnapped, along with three other guests, Garza y Garza said.
The other guests were identified as Angel Ernesto Montes de Oca of Mexico City, Manuel Juarez and Aracely Hernandez, an employee of a staffing company near the border with the United States.
A hotel receptionist, David Salas, was also kidnapped, together with another hotel employee, authorities said.
A security guard at the hotel was missing, but it was not confirmed that he too was kidnapped, Garza y Garza said.
Before leaving, the gunmen took the computer from the reception desk as well as the video from the security camera, he said.
Minutes later, there was a report of the same group of gunmen entering the Mision Hotel, located near the Holiday Inn. Police responded to the hotel, but the officials there declined to report a crime to the authorities.
Northern Mexico, particularly the states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon, have seen a recent uptick in violent activity, much of it blamed on warring drug cartels. | [
"Who were kidnapped?",
"What did a man in handcuffs tell the gunmen",
"What did the same gunmen reportedly do?",
"who was kidnapped",
"How many gunmen get into the Holiday Inn at 2 a.m?",
"30 gunmen did what?",
"What city did this occur in"
] | [
[
"six people"
],
[
"information on the intended victims."
],
[
"entering the Mision Hotel,"
],
[
"Luis Miguel Gonzalez,"
],
[
"30"
],
[
"pulled into the Holiday Inn"
],
[
"Monterrey, Mexico,"
]
] | About 30 gunmen stormed into the Holiday Inn at around 2 a.m.
Man in handcuffs told gunmen which rooms to go to .
A businessman from Mexico City was among those kidnapped .
Same gunmen reportedly entered a second hotel . |
(CNN) -- Mexico issued a hurricane warning for the southern Baja California peninsula Monday in preparation for Hurricane Jimena, a powerful Category 4 storm with winds near 155 mph (250 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Forecasters expect Hurricane Jimena to approach the southwestern tip of Baja California's peninsula Tuesday. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected within 24 hours. The storm could bring as much as 2 feet of rain to the area, along with dangerous, battering waves, forecasters said. Jimena was centered about 285 miles (460 km) south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, according to the hurricane center. It was traveling northwest near 10 mph (17 kph) but meteorologists expect Jimena to pick up speed in the coming day. Forecasters expect the storm to continue in a northwest motion and approach the southwestern tip of Baja California Tuesday, forecasters said. "It's not expected to change in strength very much during the next day or so," said Daniel Brown, a hurricane specialist at the center. See the storm's projected path » "It may begin to weaken a little as it approaches the Baja peninsula, but it's expected to remain a very dangerous hurricane, perhaps a Category 3 as it approaches that area." Jimena is the 10th named storm of the Pacific season. Residents in spots expected to be hit by Jimena should prepare for potentially rough conditions, Brown said. Tropical Storm Kevin is also making its presence felt in the Pacific Ocean, just to the west of Jimena, but it is weak and is not expected to do any damage, according to Brown. "For the eastern Pacific, it has been about a near-normal season. It has gotten much busier here during the month of August," Brown said. CNN's John Lorinc contributed to this report. | [
"What part of Baja California is the warning issued for?",
"Jimena sustained winds near what speed?",
"The storm is traveling nortwest at what speed?",
"Where are hurricane warning being issued for?",
"At which speed are the winds blowing?",
"Where was a hurricane warning issued?",
"In what direction is the storm traveling?",
"What Category is the storm?"
] | [
[
"peninsula"
],
[
"155 mph"
],
[
"10 mph"
],
[
"southern Baja California peninsula"
],
[
"winds near 155 mph (250 kph),"
],
[
"southern Baja California peninsula"
],
[
"northwest"
],
[
"4"
]
] | NEW: Hurricane warning issued for the southern Baja California peninsula .
The Category 4 storm is centered off Cabo San Lucas, traveling northwest at 10 mph .
Jimena's sustained winds near 155 mph, but forecasters expect it to pick up speed . |
(CNN) -- Michael Jackson couldn't sleep. A coroner preliminarily has concluded Michael Jackson died of an overdose of propofol, court documents say. Maybe it was anxiety over his upcoming comeback concert series in London, England. Perhaps his body was trying to process too many different medications. The reason may never be known, but a sworn affidavit makes clear that the King of Pop couldn't get rest the night before he died on June 25. The affidavit, from Detective Orlando Martinez of the Los Angeles Police Department, outlines probable cause for search warrants on the offices of doctors who are thought to have treated Jackson. Yet it also opens a window into Jackson's final hours, revealing information about the singer's treatment and the drugs given him by Dr. Conrad Murray, his personal physician, before his death. Watch a panel discuss Jackson's death » Based on interviews, visits to Jackson's home as well as records and documents gathered during the investigation, the affidavit provides the following account of Jackson's last days: In May, Jackson hired Murray, a cardiologist. The singer was spending long days rehearsing for concerts that he saw as crucial to reviving his career. For six weeks, Murray told police that he treated Jackson for insomnia. He said he had been giving the singer an intravenous drip with 50 milligrams of propofol, diluted with lidocaine, every night to help him sleep. Jackson was already familiar with propofol, a powerful anesthetic, Murray said. The singer even called it his "milk" because of its milky appearance, he said. With the concerts approaching, Jackson started to need these drugs every night, Murray said -- and the doctor said he worried that Jackson was becoming addicted to propofol. He wanted to wean Jackson off the drug. Three days before Jackson's death -- on June 22 -- Murray gave the singer a combination of drugs that he hoped gradually would move the singer off propofol. That mixture involved propofol, the anti-anxiety drug lorazepam (known by its brand name, Ativan) and midazolam (known as Versed). It succeeded in helping Jackson to sleep for that night and the next, Murray said. But by the night of June 24, Jackson again apparently was unable to sleep. Learn more about the events of Jackson's final hours » At 1:30 a.m. on June 25, Murray decided to forgo the propofol in favor of 10 milligrams of Valium. Half an hour later, with Jackson still awake in bed, Murray injected the singer with two milligrams of lorazepam. It still wasn't working. At 3 a.m., Murray gave the singer two milligrams of midazolam, pushed slowly into his IV. And two hours later, with Jackson still awake, Murray administered another two milligrams of lorazepam through Jackson's IV. The drugs did nothing to help Jackson sleep. At 7:30 a.m., Murray gave the singer another two milligrams of midazolam in his IV. By that point, Murray wasn't even leaving Jackson's room anymore, let alone his bedside. The doctor told police he sat next to the singer in his bedroom, monitoring Jackson's pulse and oxygen levels. More than three hours later, despite a night of medication and doctor's care, Jackson remained awake. Jackson was repeatedly asking -- even demanding -- that Murray give him more propofol to help him sleep, the doctor told police. So Murray finally administered 25 milligrams of propofol diluted with lidocaine via Jackson's IV drip. The singer now had his "milk," and it worked. After a restless night, Jackson was finally able to close his eyes and go to sleep. Murray told police he watched Jackson sleep for about 10 minutes before going to the bathroom. It had been a long night for both of them. The trip to the bathroom took less than two minutes, Murray told police. But when he came back, he said, he saw Jackson wasn't breathing. He started cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but it didn't work. Jackson was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead later that afternoon | [
"Who said he worried Jackson was becoming addicted to propofol?",
"What happened the day Michael Jackson died?",
"Who gave Michael Jackson several drugs on the night before his death?",
"What opens a window into Michael Jackson's final hours?",
"Who is the doctor?",
"What was Jackson' addicted to?",
"What drugs did Michael Jackson receive that night?"
] | [
[
"Dr. Conrad Murray,"
],
[
"was unable to sleep."
],
[
"Dr. Conrad Murray,"
],
[
"a sworn affidavit"
],
[
"Dr. Conrad Murray,"
],
[
"propofol."
],
[
"propofol,"
]
] | Affidavit opens a window into Michael Jackson's final hours .
Doctor reportedly said he worried Jackson was becoming addicted to propofol .
Affidavit: Dr. Conrad Murray gave singer several drugs on night before June 25 death .
Murray's attorney calls some information in affidavit "factual," other "police theory" |
(CNN) -- Michael Jackson was an international superstar, and many in the black community herald him for breaking down racial barriers in the music industry. Michael Jackson was one of the first black global superstars. "Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama," said the Rev. Al Sharpton. "Michael did with music what they later did in sports and in politics and in television. And no controversy will erase the historic impact." As the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson and his brothers "became a cutting-edge example of black crossover artists," said Mark Anthony Neal, a professor of black popular culture at Duke University's Department of African and African American Studies. "You basically had five working-class black boys with Afros and bell bottoms, and they really didn't have to trade any of that stuff in order to become mainstream stars," Neal said. Young Michael Jackson was the first black "bubblegum teen star" in the vein of Monkees singer Davy Jones, Neal said. Jackson continued as a pioneer in the black culture when he broke barriers by appearing on MTV, and by breaking sales records with the 1982 album, "Thriller." Timeline: The life of a "King" » "At the time that he releases 'Thriller,' I always argue that MTV was arguably the best example of cultural apartheid in the United States," Neal said. The former president of CBS Records, Walter Yetnikoff, remembered with scorn that MTV would not play "Billie Jean" or "Beat It" because it billed itself as a rock station. Looking back on that era, a 1991 Los Angeles Times article quoted MTV founder and then-CEO Robert Pittman as saying the channel's format didn't lend itself to other musical styles, including R&B and country. And Pittman accused his critics of attempting to impose their musical pluralism on the channel's die-hard rock fans. But Yetnikoff said he threatened to pull videos of his other artists unless MTV played Jackson's videos. Watch Yetnikoff talk about getting Jackson's videos played » Soon Jackson's videos were heavily in rotation on MTV. Showcasing a black artist paved the way for the popular show, "Yo! MTV Raps," and other black artists, Neal said. In turn, Jackson became one of the first African-Americans to be a global icon. He also influenced a new generation of black musicians, including Usher, Ne-Yo and Kanye West, according to Joycelyn Wilson, a professor of African-American studies at Morehouse College, who specializes in popular culture and hip-hop studies. Slideshow: Michael Jackson and his music » Changing appearance Jackson's changing physical appearance in the past two decades led to criticism he was trying to be less black. "Here's a man who started off looking very typically African-American and ended up looking like something few people would have recognized early in his career. His nose was trimmed, his lips were different ... his skin was different," said Cheryl Contee, who writes as Jill Tubman on Jack & Jill Politics, a blog centered on African-American issues. "The only thing that seemed to almost stay the same were his eyes," said Contee, who also called Jackson "a genius and more than a trailblazer." "I think [it] troubled a lot of people that he left his skin color behind and seemed somehow to be ashamed of who he was [when] he was born," Contee said. But during a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Jackson shot down rumors that he was dying his skin to make it lighter. He told the talk show host that he had vitiligo, a disorder that destroyed his skin pigmentation. Black popular culture professor Neal said Jackson's physical changes did not reflect his life on the whole. "I think if you solely pay attention to Michael Jackson's physicality, you actually miss something that's much more complex. ... Michael | [
"Who went mainstream and still maintained black identity?",
"What station didn't play videos of black artists before Jackson?",
"What did the professor say about the Jackson 5?",
"Who was the first black artist MTV played?",
"what did the professor sAY"
] | [
[
"Michael Jackson"
],
[
"MTV"
],
[
"\"became a cutting-edge example of black crossover artists,\""
],
[
"Michael Jackson"
],
[
"As the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson and his brothers \"became a cutting-edge example of black crossover artists,\" said Mark Anthony Neal, a"
]
] | Jackson 5 went mainstream and maintained black identity, professor says .
MTV didn't play videos of black artists before Jackson .
Expert: Despite his changing appearance, he was always in touch with black culture . |
(CNN) -- Michael Jackson was the pride of Gary, Indiana, growing up, and on Friday, his hometown paid tribute to the late entertainer with a memorial and celebration in his honor. A group pays tribute to Michael Jackson by performing some of his signature moves. They remembered him as not just the King of Pop or the musician who took Hollywood by storm, but as someone with an unmatched enthusiasm and talent for entertaining even as a little boy growing up in this city of about 100,000 in northwestern Indiana, 30 miles from downtown Chicago, Illinois. Jackson's first music teacher, Anita Hill, spoke of teaching Jackson to sing "Climb Every Mountain," and remembered him as a "very energetic and wonderful student." The principal of his middle school remembered how, at Christmastime how Jackson, always jumped up and offered to sing to his class. Later, when he joined with family members to create the Jackson 5, he performed for kids at his school, the principal said, joking about the bargain that at the time it only cost them 10 cents to see the future pop icon. Gary Mayor Rudy Clay noted Jackson put the city on the world's map and bid farewell to the star. "He's going to put on those golden slippers and he's going to dance all over God's heaven," he said. The tribute at The Steel Yard baseball park in Gary was full of children dancing and singing to Jackson's music, including a performance of "Thriller" complete with the cemetery scene that became so iconic. Some of the biggest applause of the night came after a video was played of Jackson in Gary talking about his love for his hometown. "Gary, you will always have a special place in my heart," Jackson said in the video played on the stadium's jumbo screen. "And Gary, you are more than good friend -- you are my family and you always will be." As a finale, about 700 people holding candles sang "We Are the World," the 1985 song Jackson co-wrote with Lionel Richie to benefit USA for Africa. Jackson lived in Gary for 11 years before moving to the West Coast after the Jackson 5 recorded their first album in 1969. His father, Joe Jackson, made a brief appearance after being introduced by the Rev. Jesse Jackson. After being surrounded by TV crews and photographers, Joe Jackson made his way to the stage, thanked everyone for attending and said it was good to be home. "This is a pleasure to be back to see so many people here," Joe Jackson said. "It's always good to come back home, you know that." Fans have flocked to Jackson's boyhood home in the days following his death in Los Angeles, California, on June 25. Autopsy results are pending. | [
"What did people do to pay tribute to Jackson?",
"What do his teachers and neighbors remember about him?",
"What does Joe Jackson think about going home?",
"who remember energetic boy full of talent?",
"what says joe jackson?",
"who is joe jackson?",
"What do children and groups do to pay tribute to Jackson?"
] | [
[
"performing some of his signature moves."
],
[
"someone with an unmatched enthusiasm"
],
[
"\"It's always good to come back"
],
[
"A group"
],
[
"\"It's always good to come back home, you know that.\""
],
[
"His father,"
],
[
"performing some of his signature moves."
]
] | Joe Jackson: "It's always good to come back home"
Teachers, neighbors remember energetic boy full of talent .
Children, groups sing and dance to pay tribute to Jackson . |
(CNN) -- Michael Jackson's bizarre private life and change in appearance ended up eclipsing his musical achievements, according to the world's media. A Los Angeles fire official told CNN that paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson's home after a 911 call. Jackson's death from cardiac arrest Thursday has sparked an outpouring of grief from fans, and his life has been given a more measured summing up by news media. Britain's Guardian newspaper said "his bizarre life-style and personal notoriety eclipsed his talent and his numerous achievements." The Guardian said his fame, from the age of 11, "had such a damaging effect that his life was permanently affected." Watch why Jackson is "as big as it gets" » "A combination of dysfunctional family and invasive fame ate away at the essentially private singer, whose initially minor eccentricities escalated into grotesque changes to his appearance and lifestyle. "If ever there was an illustration of the adage that celebrity destroys what it touches, Jackson was it," the Guardian said. Daily Mail agreed, saying Jackson "courted controversy and acclaim in equal measure." Watch Jesse Jackson share memories » "It was the tales of oxygen chambers, chimp chums, shopping sprees and physical transformation that have brought intrigue and amusement and earned the singer the nickname Wacko Jacko." The Mail said star's behavior drew increasing alarm following a "documentary in which he pronounced sharing a bedroom with a child to be 'charming' and an incident in Germany in which he dangled his baby son Prince Michael II over a balcony." The country's Times newspaper said only a "handful of performers -- (Elvis) Presley, (Frank) Sinatra, the Beatles -- could outrank Michael Jackson as the most successful popular music entertainer of all time." However, "as he approached middle-age, it was Jackson's abiding interest in children which was his undoing." iReport.com: Your Michael Jackson tributes Australia's Sydney Morning Herald newspaper also compared Jackson to Presley. "Just as Presley was the iconic voice and presence of the 1950s so Jackson enjoyed a similar status during 1980s and 1990s. And just as Presley, driven by the strange demons that seem to haunt the super-famous, died before his time so Jackson has died, aged 50, in Los Angeles after suffering cardiac arrest." France's Liberation newspaper described Jackson as the "total artist," but said his physical transformation and way of life brought controversy. Le Monde said Jackson was one of the most famous singers of the 20th century but his image was tarnished by his private life. Kingston: Jackson "a legend" » Germany's Bild tabloid agreed, saying Jackson's private antics had seem him "dethroned" as the King of Pop. China's People's Daily newspaper said Jackson had "set the world dancing to exuberant rhythms for decades." "Jackson's dramatic stage presence and innovative dance moves were imitated by legions of fans around the world. Sharpton: Jackson "was a trailblazer" » "His one-gloved eccentric style also earned him plenty of critics and another nickname, "Wacko Jacko." Thailand's Bangkok Post newspaper said: "While Jackson ruled the charts and dazzled audiences with electric dance moves like the backwards "moonwalk" in the 1980s, his once-stellar career was overshadowed by his colorful public behavior, his startling physical transformation and multiple allegations of child abuse." | [
"What did the newspaper say?",
"When did Jackson become famous?",
"Who was jackson compared to?",
"When did Michael Jackson die?",
"What is Jackson's first name?",
"What did Jackson die of?",
"Who is Elvis Presley?"
] | [
[
"\"his bizarre life-style and personal notoriety eclipsed his talent and his numerous achievements.\""
],
[
"age of 11,"
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"Presley."
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[
"Michael"
],
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"cardiac arrest"
],
[
"the iconic voice and presence of the 1950s"
]
] | Jackson pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. PT on Thursday after cardiac arrest .
Early fame had very damaging affect on Jackson's life, says newspaper .
Jackson compared to Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra . |
(CNN) -- Michael Jackson's impact on pop culture is indelible. But perhaps his biggest legacy will be how he changed the music industry. Jackson's impact on the music business still reverberates today. "As a performer he changed history ... his singing, his songwriting, his choreography, his dancing, his business acumen," said Howard Bragman, a public relations expert who worked with Jackson to launch the singer's shoe line with L.A. Gear. "He rewrote the history of the entertainment industry in his time," Bragman said. Jackson crossed color lines and broke down barriers between musical genres. He followed in the footsteps of Elvis and the Beatles to create a transnational fan base that prefigured the era of globalization. And Jackson became a canny power broker who helped lead artists from stage performers into major boardroom players. "That gets lost in the last five and 10 years, with all the litigation battles -- what he did the first 30 years to set the landscape for these other artists," said James Walker, an entertainment attorney. "Michael transcended race before Michael Jordan, before Oprah, before Tiger Woods, before Barack Obama. "You can't underestimate what his did for black artists -- and artists as a whole -- as a business man," Walker added. His 1982 album "Thriller" has sold more than 50 million records worldwide -- a record that, considering the decline of record sales in the wake of new media, is likely to stand for some years to come. "Records just don't sell that much anymore. The industry has changed. ... Now it's in shambles because of technology," said Gideon Yago, head of the IFC Media Project and a former correspondent for MTV News. Videos that accompanied the album became landmarks that set the industry standard, as MTV and cable television began to proliferate, creating ready outlets for a growing marketing tool. At the time, Jackson's label had to fight to get onto MTV, which then featured only rock artists. "Walter Yetnikoff (former president of CBS records) drew a line in the sand and said, 'We believe in this guy and you're going to play his videos or we're going to pull all our videos,'" Walker said. "What he did was so cutting-edge regarding videos; he defined the video age as we know it," said Tommy Mottola, who succeeded Yetnikoff as head of CBS. Though his personal finances were in disarray at the end of his life, Jackson made some canny business decisions at the height of his power -- most notably buying half the Beatles music catalog in 1985 for $47.5 million. "When you look at his royalties and his copyrights, he's probably got a half a billion to a billion (dollar) catalogue," Walker added. The current value of his estate is unclear. His debts stood at about $500 million, according to a Wall Street Journal story earlier this month. As the music industry model moved more toward live events in the face of dwindling album sales, two billionaire businessmen stepped in to bank on Jackson's comeback with a series of concerts scheduled in London. Tom Barrack, head of hedge fund Colony Capital, teamed with Philip Anschutz, owner of AEG Live, to plan a third-act comeback for Jackson, with a sold-out 50-date stand at AEG Live's O2 arena scheduled to begin next month. Future business plans included a world tour, a Broadway musical and even a "Thriller" casino. "You are talking about a guy who could make $500 million a year if he puts his mind to it," Barrack told The Los Angeles Times in an article last month. "There are very few individual artists who are multibillion-dollar businesses. And he is one." Billboard magazine estimates $85 million in ticket sales from the sold-out concert series. Additional packages, merchandise and secondary market sales could have raised the total to $115 million. AEG Live declined to comment. "There will be a process put | [
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"How much were Jacksons's debts when he dies?",
"What owns half the Beatles catalogue?",
"What did Bragman say?",
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"Who transformed the role of artists as power brokers?",
"Who said that Jackson rewrote the history of entertainment?",
"The estate owns half of what catalogue?"
] | [
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"$500 million,"
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],
[
"$500 million,"
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[
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"Howard Bragman,"
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[
"Beatles music catalog"
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] | Jackson transformed the role of artists as power brokers .
Estate includes ownership of half the Beatles catalogue .
Bragman: "He rewrote the history of the entertainment industry in his time"
Report: Debts estimated at $500 million at the time of his death . |
(CNN) -- Michael Jackson's life has ended, but the legal battles over his possessions, his debts and his children are likely just beginning. Michael Jackson, seen here with two of his three children, died suddenly on Thursday. Perhaps the biggest and saddest question is what will happen to the late singer's two sons and his daughter: 12-year-old Prince Michael I, 11-year-old Paris and 7-year-old Prince Michael II. Normally in such cases, care of the children would be taken over by the surviving parent or a close relative. But as with many other aspects of Jackson's life, his family situation was complex, unusual and far from normal. Born to two mothers -- Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe and an unidentified woman who reportedly served as a surrogate -- the children lived and traveled the world with Jackson, their faces often covered by veils and masks when appearing in public. Rowe gave up her parental rights to her two kids with the singer, but later battled to have them restored. She may be considered to take over custody for Prince Michael I and Paris, said CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, who has followed Jackson's legal woes for years. "Certainly any court that is looking at that sort of question will say, if the father dies who is the mother and would we consider giving the children to the mother?" Toobin said. "As I understand it, in later years after a substantial amount of time when Debbie Rowe didn't see those children at all, she started to have a relationship with them again. So she'd certainly be an obvious candidate for custody of those two children." Watch Toobin talk about Jackson's legal issues » The question of custody for the third child would be even more up in the air since his mother was likely never involved in his life, Toobin added. The three kids are staying with their paternal grandmother, Katherine Jackson, People magazine reported. She may just wind up keeping them, observers said. "Katherine is the logical choice -- she has all the grandkids and nieces around her but it will be up to the courts," said Brian Oxman, a former Jackson family attorney, according to People. "I wouldn't be surprised if there are more proceedings regarding the children." Complications may already be looming on the horizon. Katherine Jackson may wish to keep the children, but Michael Jackson wanted them to be taken care of by their nanny if anything happened to him, ABC News reported, quoting Stacey Brown, co- author of "Michael Jackson Behind the Mask." Meanwhile, Rowe's former attorney tells People that a judge returned parental rights to Rowe in 2005, so she is the legal parent of her two children with Jackson and can gain custody of them. Chaotic legal life Instructions specifying who should care for children after a parent's death are often left in a will, but it's not known whether Jackson had one prepared before his untimely passing. "Michael Jackson led an extremely chaotic financial and legal life. ... Given how chaotic his life was, did he even have a will?" Toobin said. Beyond the question of Jackson's children, a will may also be key to answering questions about what's left of his estate. The pop star's financial ups and downs have been as well-chronicled as his personal problems, including a near-bankruptcy and the threatened foreclosure of his Neverland ranch. Jackson accumulated almost $500 million in debt by living large over the years, but he also had considerable assets when he died, including his own music royalties and a 25 percent stake in a music publishing library that contained many Beatles songs, Fortune reported. Those assets might prompt new legal battles and it may be a long time before the dust settles. "[Jackson] was surrounded by some of the sleaziest, most unethical advisers who came in and came out and he has had a tremendous amount of litigation in his life," Toobin said. "His death will | [
"Did Michael Jackson have will?",
"Did Jackson leave a will?",
"Who gave up her parental rights?",
"Who are the mothers of Michael Jackson's kids?",
"How many women did Michael Jackson have children with?",
"How many children has Michael Jackson got?",
"How many children did Michael Jackson have?"
] | [
[
"it's not known"
],
[
"it's not known"
],
[
"Debbie Rowe"
],
[
"Debbie Rowe and an unidentified woman"
],
[
"two mothers"
],
[
"three"
],
[
"three"
]
] | Michael Jackson had three children with two women .
Ex-wife gave up her parental rights, but later fought to have them restored .
She may be considered to take over custody for her two kids with Jackson .
It's not known whether Jackson left a will . |
(CNN) -- Michael Jackson's sudden death has thrown the peculiar path of his later life back into the spotlight. Michael Jackson spent 11 months living in Bahrain after his acquittal on child abuse charges in the U.S. He spent much of the past four years flitting from one part of the globe to another, failing to put down permanent roots. However, one of his longest spells in one place was spent in Bahrain. When his life was falling apart at the seams in 2005 he was offered sanctuary in the Persian Gulf kingdom. He had been just been acquitted of 10 child abuse charges at the end of a 14-week trial in the U.S., but there appeared to be no respite from the bad publicity and his spiraling debts which had forced the sale of his Neverland ranch. He suffered health problems during the trial and appeared increasingly frail. Jackson, who died owing an estimated $500 million, had been living beyond his means for years and wanted to flee the spotlight. He had not been seen in the two weeks after the trial before reports emerged from Bahrain that he and his children had landed there on a private jet as the guests of Sheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, the king's son, and a friend of Jackson's brother, Jermaine. It was claimed at the time that Jackson had a large fan base in the kingdom and wider Gulf region. Watch why Jackson is "as big as it gets" » Indeed Bahrain, a chain of around 30 islands with a population of 766,000 and relaxed social social environment, appeared the perfect escape -- for 11 months anyway. It was made even more enticing by Sheikh Abdulla's generosity. In 2008 he sued Jackson in a Britain's High Court for £4.7 million ($7.7 million), claiming the pop star had reneged on a music contract. Sheikh Abdulla said he had paid all of Jackson's living, travel and other expenses until his departure from Bahrain in May 2006, and advanced funds to retain legal and financial advisers. Watch Jesse Jackson share memories » Sheikh Abdulla also built a recording studio, which he believed would be used to record albums using material he had helped to write. However, he claimed the singer pulled out of the deal in May 2006 after 11 months. iReport.com: Your Michael Jackson tributes Jackson claimed the payments were gifts. In November last year the High Court in London was told the dispute had ended with an "amicable settlement," the details of which remain confidential. | [
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"how long did he spend in the kingdom",
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"who was offered sanctuary",
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],
[
"11 months"
],
[
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[
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] | Jackson was offered sanctuary in Bahrain by king's son in 2005 .
He spent 11 months in the Persian Gulf kingdom .
Sheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa later sued Jackson . |
(CNN) -- Michael Jackson's upbringing was shaped by two very different parents. An image of Michael Jackson and his parents was on the big screen during his funeral in Los Angeles. His mother, Katherine Jackson, has been portrayed by her children as the loving glue that bonded the family together, while her husband, Joe, was the harsh disciplinarian whose iron hand not only shaped one of the most successful musical families in the world, but also elicited enough fear in his superstar son that it sometimes made him ill. Now the couple of 60 years stands at the center of a custody drama surrounding their grandchildren. Michael Jackson's will, filed in 2002, designated his mother as caregiver for Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and "Blanket," 7. It is the latest installment in the many trials that have tested the Jackson family, not least of which has been the unexpected loss of its most famous member. "[Katherine's] taking it real hard," Joe Jackson told ABC News about his wife's coping with their son's death. "When you start talking about Michael, she starts crying." By many accounts, Katherine Jackson, 79, shared a special bond with her second-youngest son. In a 1993 interview with talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jackson spoke glowingly of the matriarch. "My mother's wonderful," he said. "To me, she's perfection." According to a biography posted by A&E Networks, Katherine Jackson was born Kattie B. Screws in 1930 in Barbour County, Alabama. Her family reportedly relocated to East Chicago, Indiana, when she was 4, and her name was changed to Katherine Esther Scruse. A childhood bout with polio left her with a permanent limp. She was a teenager when she met Joe Jackson, an aspiring musician and a boxer whose first marriage dissolved. Katherine said it was love at first sight. "I just had a feeling that he was going to be my husband," Katherine Jackson said in an interview shot last year by Xonger Global Entertainment Networks for a planned reality show about the family. The video was obtained by ABC News. "The first time I saw him, I fell in love with him." Together, they raised 10 children in a modest Gary, Indiana, home, while Joe worked as a crane operator, according to the A&E biography. A devout Jehovah's Witness, Katherine nurtured the children's love of music by singing with them, made her sons' costumes as their father booked local gigs, and served as the family's backbone. "As best as I could tell from both talking to [Michael] and my observations of the family throughout the years, Katherine was the one that had really unconditional love for Michael and was always there, was always supportive and was always comforting," said journalist and CNN contributor Bryan Monroe, who conducted the last major interview with Michael Jackson. "It was the epitome of a mother's love." Joe Jackson's relationship with his famous son was a bit more complicated. Monroe said the hard taskmaster -- who Michael said sometimes held a belt in his hand as he and his brothers rehearsed -- evoked mixed emotions from the singer. "In my interview with him, [Michael] spoke almost in the same breath of the fear he had of Joseph's sternness ... and at the same time the respect he had for Joseph's work ethics and his teachings," Monroe said. "He said [Joseph] taught him and his brothers an awful lot about discipline and performance." According to the biography posted by A&E Networks, Joe Jackson was born in Arkansas in 1929 and pursued fame early on, first as a Golden Gloves contender and later as a member of The Falcons, a band he started in the mid-1950s. When he noticed musical talent in his brood, he formed the Jackson Brothers with his three oldest sons and served as their manager. The group later became The Jackson 5, with young Michael serving as lead singer | [
"Who is seeking custody of Michael Jackson's children?",
"Who is viewed as the backbone of the family?"
] | [
[
"His mother, Katherine"
],
[
"Katherine Jackson,"
]
] | Joseph and Katherine Jackson had different parenting styles, observers say .
Katherine viewed as family backbone while Joe reportedly a harsh taskmaster .
Author: Katherine Jackson "kept everyone pretty well grounded"
Michael Jackson's mother is seeking custody of his children . |
(CNN) -- Michael Jackson, the show-stopping singer whose best-selling albums -- including "Off the Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad" -- and electrifying stage presence made him one of the most popular artists of all time, died Thursday, CNN has confirmed. He was 50. He collapsed at his residence in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, California, about noon Pacific time, suffering cardiac arrest, according to brother Randy Jackson. He died at UCLA Medical Center. As news of his death spread, stunned fans began to react and remember one of the most remarkable careers in music. | [
"Who was shocked and numbed by the news?",
"What hospital was Jackson at?"
] | [
[
"fans"
],
[
"UCLA Medical Center."
]
] | Video shows ambulance rushing the pop star to the hospital .
Crowds gather at the hospital where Jackson was rushed .
A.J. Hammer: This "is big as it gets"; Rev. Al Sharpton: He was "a trailblazer"
Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. says he's "numbed and shocked" at the news . |
(CNN) -- Michael Jackson, the show-stopping singer whose best-selling albums -- including "Off the Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad" -- and electrifying stage presence made him one of the most popular artists of all time, died Thursday, CNN has confirmed. Michael Jackson, shown in 2008, was one of the biggest pop stars in history. He was 50. He collapsed at his residence in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, California, about noon Pacific time, suffering cardiac arrest, according to brother Randy Jackson. He died at UCLA Medical Center. Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said an autopsy would probably be done on the singer Friday, with results expected that afternoon. Watch crowds gather at Jackson's hospital » "Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color," the Rev. Al Sharpton said. "To say an 'icon' would only give these young people in Harlem a fraction of what he was. He was a historic figure that people will measure music and the industry by." Jackson's blazing rise to stardom -- and later fall from grace -- is among the most startling of show business tales. The son of a steelworker, he rose to fame as the lead singer of the Jackson 5, a band he formed with his brothers in the late 1960s. By the late '70s, as a solo artist, he was topping the charts with cuts from "Off the Wall," including "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough." Watch Jackson perform at a 1988 concert » In 1982, he released "Thriller," an album that eventually produced seven hit singles. An appearance the next year on a Motown Records 25th-anniversary special cemented his status as the biggest star in the country. Timeline: The life of Michael Jackson » For the rest of the 1980s, they came no bigger. "Thriller's" follow-up, 1987's "Bad," sold almost as many copies. A new Jackson album -- a new Jackson appearance -- was a pop culture event. iReport: Share your memories of Michael Jackson The pop music landscape was changing, however, opening up for rap, hip-hop and what came to be called "alternative" -- and Jackson was seen as out of step. His next release, 1991's "Dangerous," debuted at No. 1 but "only" produced one top-ranking single -- "Black or White" -- and that song earned criticism for its inexplicably violent ending, in which Jackson was seen smashing car windows and clutching his crotch. And then "Dangerous" was knocked out of its No. 1 spot on the album charts by Nirvana's "Nevermind," an occurrence noted for its symbolism by rock critics. After that, more attention was paid to Jackson's private life than his music career, which faltered. A 1995 two-CD greatest hits, "HIStory," sold relatively poorly, given the huge expense of Jackson's recording contract: about 7 million copies, according to Recording Industry of America certifications. A 2001 album of new material, "Invincible," did even worse. In 2005, he went to trial on child-molestation charges. He was acquitted. In July 2008, after three years away from the spotlight, Jackson announced a series of concerts at London's O2 Arena as his "curtain call." Some of the shows, initially scheduled to begin in July, were eventually postponed until 2010. Watch the reaction to Jackson's passing Rise to stardom Michael Jackson was born August 29, 1958, to Joe Jackson, a Gary, Indiana, steelworker, and his wife, Katherine. By the time he was 6, he had joined his brothers in a musical group organized by his father, and by the time he was 10, the group -- the Jackson 5 -- had been signed to Motown. Watch Michael Jackson's life in video He made his first television appearance at age | [
"Where does Jackson suffer cardiac arrest?",
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"What Michael Jackson album was one of the best selling albums of all time?",
"Who was dominant in pop music?",
"He was dominant in what kind of music?",
"Who suffers cardiac arrest at home?",
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"What is one of his best-selling albums?",
"Where did Michael Jacson suffer cardiac arrest?",
"What caused the death of Jackson?"
] | [
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"his residence in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, California,"
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"his residence in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, California,"
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],
[
"\"Off the Wall,\""
],
[
"at his residence in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, California,"
],
[
"cardiac arrest,"
]
] | Video shows ambulance rushing the pop star to the hospital .
Crowds gather at the hospital where Jackson was rushed .
A.J. Hammer: This "is big as it gets"; Rev. Al Sharpton: He was "a trailblazer"
Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. says he's "numbed and shocked" at the news . |
(CNN) -- Michael Vick turned himself in to authorities on Monday to get a head start on serving his sentence for running a dogfighting ring, the U.S. Marshals Service said. Michael Vick leaves court in Richmond, Virginia, in August after pleading guilty to dogfighting charges. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10 on a federal conspiracy charge of bankrolling the dogfighting operation. Vick, 27, voluntarily turned himself in around noon, said Kevin Trevillan of the Marshals Service, and is being held at Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia, until the sentencing hearing. The quarterback, who has been suspended indefinitely by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, faces 12 to 18 months in prison on the charge. Vick pleaded guilty in August after three associates admitted their own roles in the operation and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. "From the beginning, Mr. Vick has accepted responsibility for his actions and his self-surrender further demonstrates that acceptance," Vick's attorney, Billy Martin, said in a statement. "Michael wants to again apologize to everyone who has been hurt in this matter and he thanks all of the people who have offered him and his family prayers and support during this time," Martin's statement said. CNN Senior Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin speculated that Vick started his sentence early "to get it out of the way." Watch Toobin explain why Vick would surrender early » On September 25, a Virginia grand jury indicted Vick and the three co-defendants -- Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, Virginia; Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia; and Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton, Virginia -- on state charges of running a dogfighting ring at Vick's home outside Newport News. The Surry County grand jury brought two charges against the four men: one count of unlawfully torturing and killing dogs and one of promoting dogfights. Each is a felony charge that could result in a five-year prison term. In addition, Taylor faces three additional counts of unlawful torture and killing of dogs. A hearing in that case is set for November 27, but Vick does not have to be in court at that time. In September, Vick was put under tight restrictions by the federal court after he tested positive for marijuana use. Vick tested positive for the drug on September 13, a court document from the Eastern District of Virginia shows. As a result, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson ordered Vick to "submit to any method of testing required by the pretrial services officer or the supervising officer for determining whether the defendant is using a prohibited substance." Those methods could include random drug testing, a remote alcohol testing system "and/or any form of prohibited substance screening or testing," the order said. Vick was also ordered to stay home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., "or as directed by the pretrial services officer or supervising officer," the order said. He was to be electronically monitored during that time. Vick must participate in substance abuse therapy and mental health counseling "if deemed advisable by the pretrial services officer or supervising officer" at his own expense, the order said. E-mail to a friend | [
"Who pleased guilty?",
"What team does Vick play for?",
"What did Vick's attourney say?",
"What are the charges against him?",
"When did he surrender?",
"When did Atlanta Falcons quarterback plead guilty?",
"When is sentencing?",
"When is sentencing due to take place?",
"When is Michael Vick's sentencing?",
"Whose attorney says early surrender shows Vick accepts responsibility?"
] | [
[
"Michael Vick"
],
[
"Atlanta Falcons"
],
[
"\"Michael wants to again apologize to everyone who has been hurt in this matter and he thanks all of the people who have offered him and his family prayers and support during this time,\""
],
[
"dogfighting"
],
[
"Monday"
],
[
"August"
],
[
"December 10"
],
[
"December 10"
],
[
"December 10"
],
[
"Billy Martin,"
]
] | NEW: Vick's attorney says early surrender shows Vick accepts responsibility .
Sentencing set for December 10 on dogfighting charges against Michael Vick .
Atlanta Falcons quarterback pleaded guilty in August .
Monday, he surrendered to begin whatever sentence he gets on December 10 . |
(CNN) -- Michael Vick, recently reinstated to the NFL after being freed from federal prison after a dogfighting-related conviction, has signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to his agent, Joel Segal. Michael Vick is set to join his new team on Friday, according to his agent. The former Atlanta Falcons quarterback reports to Philadelphia on Friday, Segal told CNN. Details of the deal were not immediately available Thursday night. The league suspended Vick indefinitely in August 2007 after he pleaded guilty to a federal charge of bankrolling a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in Virginia. Vick, 29, was freed from federal prison at Leavenworth, Kansas, on May 20 and returned to his home to serve the last two months of his 23-month sentence in home confinement. iReport.com: Is this a good move? The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said Thursday night in a statement it was "incredibly disappointed" at the news of Vick's signing. "Philadelphia is a city of dog lovers and most particularly, pit bull lovers," said Susan Cosby, the organization's chief executive officer. "To root for someone who participated in the hanging, drowning, electrocution and shooting of dogs will be impossible for many, no matter how much we would all like to see the Eagles go all the way." However, Ed Sayres, president and CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said in a statement that "Commissioner Roger Goodell and the Philadelphia Eagles have granted Michael Vick a second chance, and the ASPCA expects Mr. Vick to express remorse for his actions, as well as display more compassion and sound judgment this time around than he did during his previous tenure with the NFL." "We hope that Mr. Vick uses his stature for the betterment of the community and the advancement of the issue of animal cruelty," Sayres said. Eagles head coach Andy Reid told reporters he knows there are some fans that will not accept Vick. "I understand how that works," he said. "But there's enough of them that will, and then it's up to Michael to prove that that change has taken place. I think he's there. That's what he wants to do." He said Vick "seems very focused, and he wants to get his career back on track." It is unclear what role Vick will play in the Eagles' offense. But it was clear that the move had the blessing of current Eagles starting quarterback Donovan McNabb. "I pretty much lobbied to get him here," McNabb said. "Because everybody deserves a second chance." The NFL reinstated Vick on a conditional basis last month. Vick "will be considered for full reinstatement and to play in regular-season games by Week 6 based on the progress he makes in his transition plan," the NFL said in a statement last month. Week 6 of the NFL season is in October. Vick may participate in practices, workouts and meetings and may play in his club's final two preseason games under the conditions of his reinstatement, the league said last month. "I fully understand that playing football in the NFL is a privilege, not a right, and I am truly thankful for [the] opportunity I have been given," Vick said in a statement last month upon his reinstatement. "As you can imagine, the last two years have given me time to re-evaluate my life, mature as an individual and fully understand the terrible mistakes I made in the past and what type of life I must lead moving forward," he said in last month's statement. Former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy has agreed to continue working with Vick as an adviser and mentor, the NFL said. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters last month that Vick underwent tests, including a psychiatric evaluation, after requests from animal rights groups. Vick has also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. At a hearing in that case, he told the judge he | [
"Who is eagles head coach?",
"Animal advocacy group in which city says it was disappointed at signing?",
"Some fans won't accept who?",
"The NFL player was found guilty of what?",
"What is the name of the head coach?",
"Who was suspended in 2007?"
] | [
[
"Andy Reid"
],
[
"Vick's"
],
[
"Vick."
],
[
"bankrolling a dogfighting operation"
],
[
"Andy Reid"
],
[
"Vick,"
]
] | NEW: Eagles head coach Andy Reid: I know some fans won't accept Vick .
Agent: Vick to report to Philadelphia Eagles on Friday .
NFL suspended Vick in 2007 after pleading guilty in dogfighting case .
Animal advocacy group in Philadelphia says it is disappointed at signing . |
(CNN) -- Michelle Obama, wife of Sen. Barack Obama, is honing her message for the fall, aides say. Sen. Barack Obama and wife, Michelle, have been thrust into the public eye. "Michelle wrote her own stump (speech). And you know, she's refining it now I think as we're going into the general election," said senior Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. "We have an opportunity for her to kind of step back and think about the message she wants to deliver. So she's really working on it as we speak." Her new speeches will include more details about her family and humble upbringing on Chicago's South Side, aides said. Michelle Obama graduated from Harvard Law School, was a vice president at the University of Chicago and landed a job as a health care executive making $275,000 a year. But along with her success has come criticism -- that's she's too angry, too negative and too sarcastic. Now, the woman who would become the first black first lady is trying to connect with voters on a more personal level. Watch experts weigh in on how Michelle Obama is perceived » On Wednesday, she made an appearance as a guest co-host on ABC's "The View," and later this week, she and her husband will grace the cover of Us Weekly. The magazine is headlined "Michelle Obama: Why Barack Loves Her," and includes details about her love for Target, "Sex and the City" and her daughters' recitals. Asked Wednesday while on "The View" if she's going through a makeover, she said she realizes "I wear my heart on my sleeve" and that "it's a risk you have to take." She said she thinks people will change their perception of her as they see her family more. Michelle Obama's spokeswoman, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, said earlier there is no "image makeover" in the works. Watch what Michelle Obama would be like as first lady » "She has staff engaged in simply part of the process of growing to a general election campaign and putting a strategy together to help people get to know her," Lelyveld said. "It's what you do as you move from primary voters to general election voters." Carl Sferrazza Anthony, a first ladies historian, said it's important for Michelle Obama to define herself before others define her. "One comment made off-hand ... might be easily misinterpreted by the opposition," he said. Michelle Obama saw that in February when a Republican ad used a snippet from a campaign event in which, referring to record voter turnout in the Democratic primaries, she said, "for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country." Obama's campaign says she was just excited about the grassroots support, but her words still provided fodder for her husband's opponents. The day after the comments, Cindy McCain, wife of presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, introduced her husband saying, "I don't know about you, if you heard those words earlier -- I am very proud of my country." Michelle Obama has been a vocal advocate for her husband while on the campaign trail, delivering sometimes impassioned speeches on his behalf. Robin Givhan, fashion editor with the Washington Post, said people see Michelle Obama in different ways. "Some people will see confidence, and others might see cockiness. I think some people will see strength. Others might see arrogance," she said. "She comes across as someone who is extraordinarily independent and very much a force to be reckoned with." Behind the scenes, she maintains that independence. According to the campaign, Michelle Obama picks out her own clothes. She received a lot of attention for the sleeveless purple dress and pearls she wore the night her husband became the presumptive Democratic nominee. Beyond her style, though, a sense of dignity may be what most defines a first lady. It's a job that requires | [
"what was she criticized about?",
"Who came across as angry?",
"Who is her husband?",
"Who refines her speeches to emphasize family?",
"What is she co-hosting?",
"She is co-hosting on \"The View;\" also on cover of Us Weekly",
"what is the Michelle Obama speech about?",
"She has been criticized for coming across as angry, unpatriotic",
"What does Michelle Obama emphasize?"
] | [
[
"too angry, too negative and too sarcastic."
],
[
"Michelle Obama"
],
[
"Sen. Barack Obama,"
],
[
"Obama,"
],
[
"\"The View,\""
],
[
"Michelle Obama"
],
[
"her family and humble upbringing on Chicago's South Side, aides said."
],
[
"Michelle Obama"
],
[
"details about her family and humble upbringing on Chicago's South Side,"
]
] | Michelle Obama refining her speeches to emphasize family, upbringing .
She has been criticized for coming across as angry, unpatriotic .
She is co-hosting on "The View;" also on cover of Us Weekly .
Her spokeswoman says this is not an "image makeover" |
(CNN) -- Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar of Springdale, Arkansas, are the parents of 18 children, and their family is the focus of a TLC network reality series. Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar say they are grateful for their 18 children, and may have more. Joy Behar, guest host Thursday night on "Larry King Live," asked the Duggars how they are able to stay debt free with such a large family and what they thought of Nadya Suleman, the single mother who recently gave birth to octuplets after having fertility treatments. Following is a transcript of their conversation. Joy Behar: Let me ask you something. What is your reaction to this octomom? Nadya Suleman, the story. What do you think about that? Michelle Duggar: Well, I just know from my own heart, I can't judge and look at her and judge her situation. I just know from my heart, and personally God changed our heart about children years ago. And so we've kind of gone about it the old-fashioned way. And so we are enjoying each one of the blessings that God has given us, and we're thankful for each one of them. Behar: Right, at least you guys enjoyed having the babies, you went through the sex then the giving birth. This woman didn't have any of that, except the giving birth, which must have been rough, don't you think? Michelle Duggar: Oh, my, I can't imagine. I had twins, but I have -- I just can't imagine having eight at once and the responsibility that that brings. Behar: Why do you suppose this woman has provoked such negativity? They have a "USA Today" Gallup poll saying 70 percent of those surveyed are unsympathetic to this woman. What is going on? Michelle Duggar: Well, you know, I feel like probably more than anything it's just the fact of the responsibility issues from their perspective, and I, you know, I imagine that's probably more of the animosity that's out there. And so -- but I do -- I just can't imagine, you know, her -- how she's going to handle that many little ones under the age of 8. That's a lot of little ones all at once. Jim Bob Duggar: We just need to pray for her. Behar: But you guys haven't experienced that kind of hostility for the children you have. Is that because you're married? Michelle Duggar: I don't know. I think maybe, you know, being that God's given ours one or two at a time and we've kind of done it the old-fashioned way, I don't know. We love them, we're enjoying them, and by God's grace we're taking care of them if he gives us one more. So I just think we're grateful. Behar: I understand that you guys are debt free. I can't even imagine how you pulled that off. ... How did you do that? Jim Bob Duggar: Well, back about 18 years ago, we saw Jim Sammons' financial seminar on DVD, and it was life-changing. At that point, we purposed to try to get out of debt and try to stay out of debt. And our family motto is to buy used and save the difference. We shop a lot at garage sales, thrift stores. Michelle Duggar: Auctions. We bought our industrial kitchen equipment that way, our vehicles that way, and so we really cut corners and we live very frugally. Jim Bob Duggar: That's right, we've never bought a new vehicle. So we do live -- we try to -- we know how to stretch a dollar. Behar: How many cars do you have? Jim Bob Duggar: We actually have probably about, what? Seven or eight right now? Michelle Duggar: We have a lot of drivers, which is great. Behar: Seven or eight cars, well, that's | [
"by buying used and saving difference, the Duggars managed to what?",
"what does Mcihelle says about octuplets?",
"how many childrens Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have?",
"What number of children do the Duggars have?",
"What do the Duggars do to stay debt-free?",
"What do the Duggars do to stay debt free?",
"What did Michelle say about the octuplets' mom?",
"What did Michelle say?",
"How many children do Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have?"
] | [
[
"get out of debt"
],
[
"I just can't imagine having eight at once and the responsibility that that brings."
],
[
"18"
],
[
"18"
],
[
"buy used and save the difference."
],
[
"buy used and save the difference. We shop a lot at garage sales, thrift stores."
],
[
"I just can't imagine having eight at once and the responsibility that that brings."
],
[
"they are grateful for their 18 children, and may have more."
],
[
"18"
]
] | Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have 18 children, are subject of reality show .
The Duggars have managed to stay debt-free by buying used and saving difference .
Michelle on octuplets' mom: "I just can't imagine having eight at once"
Maybe when octuplets are older, mom could handle doing reality show, Jim Bob says . |
(CNN) -- Michigan authorities are investigating whether foul play led to the death of a 9-year-old quadriplegic girl whose body was found inside a public storage facility. Shylea Thomas, 9, of Flint, Michigan, was quadriplegic and used a feeding tube. "This is a very sad and tragic case that hurts all of us involved in the ongoing investigation," Genesee County prosecutor David Leyton said at a news conference Wednesday. Shylea Myza Thomas of Flint, Michigan, hadn't been seen in six weeks, and relatives reported her missing Tuesday, Leyton's office said. Her adoptive mother, who is also her aunt, is in custody as a suspect, special assistant prosecuting attorney John Potbury told CNN. No charges have been filed pending the results of the autopsy, he said. Because of her physical disabilities, Shylea used a feeding tube. She suffered from quadriplegia because of a "suffocation issue" in her crib at 3 weeks of age, Leyton said. On Wednesday, Flint police found her body stuffed inside a garbage bag in a public storage facility in Vienna Township, near Flint, Leyton said. The bag was covered in mothballs "in an apparent attempt to mask odors from the dead body," his office said in a news release. "For her to have to live like that, and then to die and be stuffed into a bag and plastic bin in a storage facility, just breaks my heart," the prosecutor said. CNN affiliate WJRT reported that the suspect could face charges including murder, first-degree child abuse and welfare fraud. The station also reported that investigators are trying to determine why the girl's disappearance wasn't reported until six weeks after she went missing. Relatives told WJRT that they remember Shylea as a happy child, who loved music and whose smile was infectious. Watch a family in shock » "The last memory I actually have of Shylea is seeing her when she was in my care," said her second cousin, Josette Thomas. "She was on the bed listening to the radio and smiling. Those are actually the memories I want to keep in my head. I don't want that memory to leave me." | [
"Who is in custody?",
"What kind of issue did the child have?",
"What was the body covered in?",
"where Child's adoptive mother is in custody as a suspect?",
"Where is Shylea Thomas?",
"what Body was found stuffed in trash bag?",
"Where was the baby located?",
"In custody as a suspect for what?"
] | [
[
"Her adoptive mother,"
],
[
"quadriplegic"
],
[
"stuffed inside a garbage bag"
],
[
"Flint, Michigan,"
],
[
"Flint, Michigan,"
],
[
"Shylea Thomas,"
],
[
"public storage facility"
],
[
"murder, first-degree child abuse and welfare fraud."
]
] | NEW: Child's adoptive mother is in custody as a suspect, official says .
Relatives told police they hadn't seen Shylea Thomas in weeks .
Child had "suffocation issue" in crib at 3 weeks of age, was quadriplegic .
Body was found stuffed in trash bag, covered with mothballs . |
(CNN) -- Michigan's Supreme Court issued an order Tuesday allowing lower state courts to "exercise reasonable control" over the appearance of witnesses and parties, a rule change proposed after a Muslim woman refused to remove an Islamic garment in a small claims court. A niqab is a garment that covers the entire face and head, except for the eyes. The order allows courts "reasonable control over the appearance of parties and witnesses" so as to "ensure that the demeanor of such persons may be observed and assessed by the fact-finder and ensure the accurate identification of such person." The order, which amends a rule of the Michigan Rules of Evidence, is effective September 1. The amendment was prompted by a 2006 small claims case in Michigan filed by Ginnah Muhammad, who wore a niqab -- a garment that covers the entire face and head, except for the eyes -- to court, the order said. According to the Detroit Free Press, Muhammad was contesting a $2,750 repair bill from a car rental company because she said thieves broke into the vehicle she was using. As she prepared to testify, Judge Paul Paruk asked her to remove her niqab, saying he needed to be able to see her face to tell whether she was telling the truth, according to court documents. "I can't see certain things about your demeanor and temperament that I need to see in a court of law," Paruk said at the time. Muhammad refused, saying that she was a practicing Muslim and would take off the veil only in front of a female judge. Paruk said a female judge was not available and told Muhammad she could remove the niqab or have her case dismissed -- she chose the latter, according to court documents. She sued the judge in federal district court, which declined to exercise jurisdiction over the case. Muhammad has since appealed to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a statement saying that if the amended rule was interpreted broadly, it could "not only adversely affect Muslim females who wear the head scarf, but could also be used to violate Jewish, Sikh, and other people of faiths' constitutional rights under the First Amendment while in Michigan courts." It added, "As a civil rights advocacy group, CAIR-MI is concerned about individuals who may be reluctant to report crimes or petition the courts out of fear that their religious rights may be violated." Other religious groups, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union and domestic violence groups, had opposed the rule change, the Detroit Free Press reported. The ACLU had asked that the court add a sentence to the rule saying "that no person shall be precluded from testifying on the basis of clothing worn because of a sincerely held belief," the newspaper reported in May. CAIR also said that it would announce on Wednesday the filing of a federal lawsuit against a Wayne County, Michigan, judge who had asked a Muslim woman to remove her head scarf in court. "The Muslim plaintiff felt so intimidated by the judge's repeated demand that she eventually removed her head scarf," the organization said in a statement released Tuesday. CAIR-MI is a co-plaintiff in the lawsuit being filed on behalf of the Michigan woman, who is a member of the group. Last month, the Judicial Council of Georgia adopted a policy allowing religious head coverings in the state's courtrooms, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. | [
"What organization opposes the rule?",
"What do rules say demeanor must be?",
"Who demanded a woman remove her face-covering?",
"Who opposes the changes?",
"What prompted this ruling?",
"What does the rule say must be observable?",
"What did the judge demand the woman do?",
"What are courts allowed to do?",
"Who opposed the change?"
] | [
[
"The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations"
],
[
"observed and assessed by the fact-finder and ensure the accurate identification of such person.\""
],
[
"Judge Paul Paruk"
],
[
"The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations"
],
[
"a 2006 small claims case in Michigan filed by Ginnah Muhammad,"
],
[
"demeanor of such persons"
],
[
"remove her niqab,"
],
[
"\"reasonable control over the appearance of parties and witnesses\""
],
[
"American Civil Liberties Union and domestic violence groups,"
]
] | Courts allowed "exercise reasonable control" over appearance of witnesses .
Change prompted by case in which judge demanded woman remove face-covering .
Rule says "demeanor" must be observable, "accurate identification" ensured .
Council on American-Islamic Relations, ACLU oppose the change . |
(CNN) -- Microsoft founder Bill Gates told CNN on Wednesday that he hopes President-elect Barack Obama and Congress immediately craft a wide-ranging stimulus package, to help jump-start the nation's sputtering economy, and double the United States' commitment to foreign aid.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates spoke exclusively Wednesday with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
"Clearly we need a stimulus that doesn't undermine the incentive for businesses to be careful about their spending and making those correct investments," Gates told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in an exclusive interview airing on The Situation Room on Wednesday and Thursday.
Gates, one of the world's richest men and founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is also calling on Obama to increase investments in the nation's education system and spur technological advances to improve agriculture, prevent disease, and promote economic growth in the world's poorest nations.
"The key point I'd make is that in addition to that stimulus, you've got to fund the kind of scientific work and educational investments that could really have us be a much better country as we emerge from the recession," he said. Watch Gates discuss economy »
On his Web site, Obama has pledged to double the United States' annual investment in foreign aid to $50 billion by the end of his first term, with the goal of fully funding debt cancellation for poor nations and fighting AIDS and global poverty.
In the interview with CNN, Gates said he thinks Obama will live up to that commitment.
"Obviously it's the Congress that gets to actually vote the final decision for how the money is spent, but I do think he will get to that commitment," Gates said. "I am thrilled to be able to see that people are responding to the success stories. Aid from the United States did go up in the last eight years."
The interview came shortly before the Microsoft founder delivered a wide-ranging speech at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., during which he reiterated his call for a major new stimulus package to spur job growth.
"Spending is the only way we'll ever come out of this downturn, and with businesses, state governments and consumers pulling back, the federal government must step forward," Gates told the crowd.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has distributed more than $17 billion in grant commitments in all 50 states and 100 countries. In his interview with CNN, Gates said he had personally given more than $30 billion to the foundation. | [
"who is founder of Microsoft?",
"what he want from Obama?",
"What should investments be increased in?",
"who is bill gates",
"What does Gates say Obama should do?"
] | [
[
"Bill Gates"
],
[
"craft a wide-ranging stimulus package,"
],
[
"the nation's education system"
],
[
"founder"
],
[
"craft a wide-ranging stimulus package,"
]
] | Microsoft founder Bill Gates talks to CNN's Wolf Blitzer .
Gates says Obama should craft a wide-ranging stimulus package .
He also wants Obama to increase investments in education, technology .
"Spending is the only way we'll ever come out of this downturn," he says . |
(CNN) -- Midway through Jason Dinant's fitness journey to get six-pack abs by June, the 27-year-old had a breakdown. Halfway through his fitness goal, Jason Dinant said he sees a four-pack gradually forming. After months of eschewing junk food in favor of lean protein -- egg whites, chicken breast and vegetables -- he devoured pie. The slice came from Marie Callender's, drizzled with caramel, loaded with candied apples and layered with cream cheese. Yes, it was delicious, Dinant said. Then he got home and had a Tootsie Roll. Then, he ate a Klondike ice cream bar. The breakdown came late February after months of following a lean diet. It also came with consequences. "When I woke up the next day, I had a horrible stomach ache," Dinant said. "My trainer said once you're on the diet, you can try to go back and have a day where you binge on bad food and it's going to give you a stomach ache." Since January, CNNhealth has been following the progress of three iReport contributors as they strive to meet their New Year's diet and fitness goals. One of them is Dinant, a Las Vegas, Nevada resident, who wanted to get a six-pack by summer in time for his 10-year high school reunion. He also wants to show off a chiseled stomach on his blog called "Naked Boy News," where he stands shirtless to give "the naked truth about today's news." The junk food breakdown came after almost two months of staying on a lean diet. The self-described "candyaholic" often craved his favorite treats like York Peppermint patties, macaroons, Mounds bars and Coca Cola. "The key to falling off the wagon is not to stay off the wagon," said Gregg Avedon, a certified fitness trainer and model whose chiseled six-pack has appeared on the cover of Men's Health magazine 18 times. "If you fall off the wagon for one day, the problem is it could lead to two days, three days, a week, then you fall off completely. Next thing you know, it leads to two weeks of binge eating." Dinant has maintained his diet of 16 egg whites, one and a quarter-pound of meat, four cups of vegetables, potatoes and rice a day. He treats himself to one Tootsie Roll a day, and sometimes indulges in gelato. Dinant's quest for six-pack abs -- which initially included 500 daily crunches -- brought attention from his neighbors, an egg company that ships him 15 dozen eggs every two weeks and news media such as USA Today and his hometown newspaper, Las Vegas Review-Journal and blogs. Some people left words of encouragement for Dinant's quest for tight abs, but others were less supportive. A picture compared him to a toothpick. Another one showed a kitten shooting a shirtless Dinant. "A lot of people said, 'You need to put on a shirt,'" he said, so Dinant set up a Web site called putonashirt.com where he compiled the comments. The hate mail comes "when they see a thin guy trying to be more fit. They're jealous," Dinant said. The negative comments add fuel to his fire. "I've wanted to do this before and last year, I had the same resolution," Dinant said. "I did it for two weeks and by January 15, it was time to move on. So I applied for iReport. I wanted people to follow it, so I'm motivated to do it. So many people are watching, so mentally, I have to do it. I put my mind to it. I have to do it." Watch Dinant's video Dinant doesn't have a six-pack yet. "You can see four," he said. "It's more defined. The middle two are coming in. I need a tan. I'm so white it's | [
"What do his abs look like?",
"What did he binge on?",
"What does Dinart eat a day",
"What does he eat every day?",
"What did the Men's Health model and fitness expert say?",
"How many pounds of meat does he eat"
] | [
[
"six-pack"
],
[
"bad food"
],
[
"16 egg whites, one and a quarter-pound of meat, four cups of vegetables, potatoes and rice"
],
[
"Dinant has maintained his diet of 16 egg whites, one and a quarter-pound of meat, four cups of vegetables, potatoes and rice a"
],
[
"\"The key to falling off the wagon is not to stay off the wagon,\""
],
[
"one and a quarter-pound of"
]
] | iReporter Jason Dinant on a quest for six-pack abs has sweet tooth binge .
Men's Health model and fitness expert said falling off wagon is OK if temporary .
Dinant reports that so far, his abs are looking more like a four-pack .
He eats 16 egg whites, 1¼ pounds of meat, 4 cups of veggies, potatoes, rice a day . |
(CNN) -- Mike and Missy Wilson sat in a meeting late Tuesday afternoon, planning a ministry trip to Haiti when they were interrupted by a text message. A co-worker read the news: a powerful earthquake had just struck the Caribbean country.
In their Nashville, Tennessee, office, Mike Wilson said, "My heart just dropped" as he listened to the one-line bulletin. The quake's epicenter was a few miles from an orphanage in Carrefour, Haiti, where the Wilsons' 21-year-old daughter Katie was working, and the 5-year-old girl they were about to adopt lived.
"I felt like I couldn't take another breath," Missy Wilson said, "I jumped up and yelled, 'This can't be happening.'"
The first bits of news were discouraging, as sketchy reports came in of buildings collapsing and widespread destruction.
"It was horrible," Missy Wilson said. "We spent hours trying to get any information."
The Brent Gambrell Ministries where she is director frequently works with churches and groups in Haiti. Any phone number they had in the country was quickly written on a board in the office.
"A group of 20 (people) sat and dialed the numbers over and over and over again."
"There are no words to explain that two people I love dearly were in the middle, and I couldn't reach then," Mike Wilson said, his voice cracking.
But it was more than 24 hours before they finally got word. A brief, scratchy call from their daughter Katie came through -- she and 5-year-old Tia had survived the quake that destroyed the orphanage. Missy Wilson said Katie was able to say, "I'm alive. We're safe. Tia's safe. Please just know we're alive," before the 40-second call was cut off.
It would be Thursday before the Wilsons learned the whole story. Mike Wilson, with two ministry officials, was able to travel into Haiti on a medivac plane, and the three made their way to the town.
"There was destruction all around," he said from Haiti, "When I saw what was left of that building, I knew they were protected."
Katie, Tia and 47 other children all made it out, but were living in the parking lot across from the shattered orphanage. When Mike Wilson finally found his daughter, she ran up to him at full speed and hugged him. "I can totally see her knocking him to the ground," her mother said.
The first order of business: a call home to a nervous mom. Wilson was able to get through on a rare working cell phone, and told his wife, "need to you to hear something."
Missy Wilson said the next words were from Tia, barely able to speak English, saying, "'Ma-ma, I love you.' I started screaming at the top of my lungs."
Wilson and his colleagues brought food, water and supplies to the 200 quake victims in the parking lot. He described the injured, including one with a broken leg, being treated for two days in the heat with nothing more than an aspirin.
The group arranged a bus to take the children to a guest house, a trip delayed when the bus broke down. But that news was minor, knowing they would have shelter and supplies.
For the Wilsons, the next struggle is how to bring Tia home. They had been in Haiti just last week finishing paperwork for the adoption, but the office handling the case was destroyed in the quake. "All that paperwork, God knows where it is," Mike Wilson said. "That building was five stories, now it's five feet tall."
For Missy, waiting for news at home, "I feel like I'm floating on top of my body."
"Like I'm living a dream and waiting to wake up," she said. This week has gone "from hopelessness to hope to tears to ' | [
"Who is Wilson's daughter?",
"Who was in Haiti?",
"What age was the girl they were about to adopt?",
"Where is the ophanage?",
"Who made it out of the orphanage alive?",
"Where did father travel?",
"What did Missy Wilson spend hours trying to get?"
] | [
[
"Katie"
],
[
"the Wilsons' 21-year-old daughter Katie"
],
[
"5-year-old"
],
[
"Carrefour, Haiti,"
],
[
"Katie, Tia and 47 other children"
],
[
"Haiti"
],
[
"any information.\""
]
] | Wilsons' 21-year-old daughter, and the 5-year-old girl they were about to adopt live in Haiti .
"We spent hours trying to get any information," Missy Wilson says .
Daughters and 47 other children all made it out of orphanage alive .
Father traveled to Haiti on a medivac plane for joyous reunion . |
(CNN) -- Mikkel Kessler is the new World Boxing Council (WBC) super-middleweight champion after out-pointing Briton Carl Froch in a bruising encounter in his native Denmark on Saturday night.
Despite being previously unbeaten after 26 fights, the 32-year-old Froch never looked comfortable against his durable opponent, who was given the decision on all three of the judges scorecards after 12 brutal rounds in front of a partisan and passionate crowd at the MCH Messecenter in Herning.
Froch had Kessler on the canvas in the fifth round, but the referee ruled that the Dane had slipped, and the challenger eventually wore the champion down with a combination of hooks and jabs to take the belt by a margin of 117-111, 115-113 and 116-112.
The result means 31-year-old Kessler, who has lost just twice in 45 fights, is a world champion again just five months after losing his World Boxing Association (WBA) title to Andre Ward.
Although gracious in defeat, Froch questioned if the decision would have gone Kessler's way if the fight had taken place in his hometown of Nottingham, England.
"I feel terrible that I lost my title, absolutely gutted," Froch told ringside reporters after the fight.
"I don't want to make a mockery of anything but I feel if it was at home in my town, the decision would have gone the other way."
He added: "I took some big punches off a big puncher and I've got to give Kessler the credit he deserves. He stayed in there and is a strong, proud warrior." | [
"Who defeated Froch?",
"Who defeated Carl Froch?",
"How many rounds were there in the match?",
"Who defeats Carl to win?",
"Kessler secures unanimous points decision after what number of rounds?"
] | [
[
"Mikkel"
],
[
"Mikkel"
],
[
"12"
],
[
"Mikkel"
],
[
"12"
]
] | Mikkel Kessler defeats Carl Froch to win the WBC super-middleweight title .
Kessler secures unanimous points decision after 12 rounds in Herning, Denmark .
The defeat means Briton Froch loses his unbeaten record in his 27th fight . |
(CNN) -- Militants who control parts of Somalia's capital city are beating women in broad daylight for violating their radical brand of Islamic law, according to local officials and witnesses in Mogadishu. "Just today, Al-Shabaab dispatched men with whips to the streets around Bakara market and they are flogging any woman who is found not wearing socks," according to a female maize trader at the Mogadishu market, who spoke Thursday. She did not want to be named for security reasons. In the past two days, more than 130 people, including women who were not wearing headscarves and men chewing dried khat leaves, have been detained for violating Al-Shabaab's interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law, according to witnesses and officials. Hooded Al-Shabaab gunmen rounded up 50 women on Wednesday from Mogadishu's Bakara market for not wearing the veil that is required for women under some interpretations of Islamic law, according to the maize trader. "Most of these women were vegetable traders, so they are poor and can't afford to buy veils for 600,000 shillings [about $23 U.S.]," she said. She said she saw more women being detained Thursday. Another 80 Somali civilians were detained in the southwestern town of Luuq, near the Kenyan and Ethiopian border, "because they turned deaf ear to orders we imposed on the town," said the local Al-Shabaab commander Sheikh Hussien al-Iraqi. Al-Shabaab is considered a terrorist organization by the United States because of its ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. It has been imposing stricter rules on Somali civilians living in the areas it controls. Earlier this month, Al-Shabaab militants whipped women for wearing bras in an area of northern Mogadishu that they control, shocking residents who have been besieged by the ongoing insurgency. The militants believe the female undergarments are a deception to men. | [
"Women violate the law how?",
"What does Al-Shabaab impose?",
"what Militant group Al-Shabaab imposes strict interpretation?"
] | [
[
"not wearing headscarves"
],
[
"stricter rules on Somali civilians living in the areas it controls."
],
[
"sharia,"
]
] | Militant group Al-Shabaab imposes strict interpretation of law in areas it controls .
Women violate law by not wearing socks, headscarves and by wearing bras .
"Al-Shabaab dispatched men with whips to the streets," witness says .
Al-Shabaab is considered a terrorist organization by the United States . |
(CNN) -- Millions of Californians will duck for cover Thursday morning in one of the largest earthquake drills in the world. Elementary school students in Burbank, California, take part in last year's earthquake drill. "The Great California Shakeout" will kick off at 10:15 a.m. at schools, museums, fire stations and other sites across the state. More than 6 million people have registered to take part in the drill, sponsored by various state agencies. About 5.5 million Californians participated in last year's drill, organizers said. iReport.com: Are you taking part in California's earthquake drill? Senior citizens at the Vallecito Mobile Home Park in Ventura County were among last year's participants. They took cover for three minutes and some pretended to be injured so emergency workers could practice safety procedures. This year's participants also can watch an animated video that shows how much damage a magnitude 7.8 earthquake can cause. iReport.com: Museum undergoes "fake quake" drill Thursday's event comes two days before the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake. The magnitude 6.9 quake rocked Northern California in 1989, killing dozens, collapsing a 50-foot section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, damaging thousands of homes, and interrupting baseball's World Series. | [
"The earthquake drill takes place in what US state?",
"where is loma prieta",
"Civilians will feign injuries so first responders can what?",
"Event comes near 20th anniversary of what quake?",
"How many people registered to participate in the drill?",
"6 million in California registered to participate in what?"
] | [
[
"California,"
],
[
"Northern California"
],
[
"practice safety procedures."
],
[
"Loma Prieta"
],
[
"6 million"
],
[
"earthquake drill."
]
] | 6 million in California registered to participate in earthquake drill .
Civilians will feign injuries so first responders can practice rescue techniques .
Event comes near 20th anniversary of Loma Prieta quake . |
(CNN) -- Millions of Muslims from around the world were in the holy city of Mecca on Saturday for the first day of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage that every able-bodied Muslim is expected to perform at least once in his or her life.
Dressed in white and following in the footsteps of the prophet Mohammed, pilgrims climbed Mount Arafat, just outside the Saudi Arabian city.
Hajj, a five-day pilgrimage, consists of a series of detailed rituals in Mina, Muzdalifa, Arafat and Mecca.
It is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Will this year's Hajj have an 'Arab Spring' effect?
This year's pilgrimage is unique as it is the first to happen since the Arab Spring began last year.
Some experts are watching for potential flare-ups in Saudi Arabia, a country governed by an unelected royal family and where freedoms are limited.
The pilgrims this year have come from 183 countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported. About 54% of the pilgrims are male.
U.S. President Barack Obama released a statement of Saturday to coincide with the start of Hajj. Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, begins on Sunday.
"Michelle and I extend our greetings for a happy Eid al-Adha to Muslims worldwide and congratulate those performing Hajj. Thousands of Muslim Americans are among those who have joined one of the world's largest and most diverse gatherings in making the pilgrimage to Mecca and nearby sites," he said.
"The Eid and Hajj rituals are a reminder of the shared roots of the world's Abrahamic faiths and the powerful role that faith plays in motivating communities to serve and stand with those in need. On behalf of the American people, we extend our best wishes during this Hajj season."
CNN's Yasmin Amer contributed to this report. | [
"What is the Hajj?",
"How long does the annual pilgrimage last?",
"How long does Hajj?",
"Where do the pilgrims come from?",
"How many countries have the pilgrims come from?"
] | [
[
"the annual pilgrimage that every able-bodied Muslim is expected to perform at least once in his or her life."
],
[
"five-day"
],
[
"five-day"
],
[
"183 countries,"
],
[
"183"
]
] | The pilgrims this year reportedly have come from a total of 183 countries .
President Obama and his wife extend greetings for a happy Eid al-Adha .
Hajj is an annual pilgrimage that lasts about five days . |
(CNN) -- Millions of people are expected to go to Washington to celebrate Barack Obama's inauguration on January 20, but with a troubled economy and pocketbook issues on the mind, the president-elect must be careful to set the right tone. Construction of the inaugural stand continues in front of the White House last week. President Bush raised a record $42.8 million dollars for his second inauguration, and according to Public Citizen, more than 90 percent of the donations to that ceremony were from executives or corporations. But this year, some say throwing a multimillion-dollar party would be unseemly in a time when crash, bailout, and foreclosure fill the economic headlines. "A lot of it is about tone and making sure that the celebrations that do take place are not over the top, that they don't appear to be insensitive to the pain people have right now," said Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense. The inaugural committee for Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to make sure the ceremony underscores the incoming administration's "commitment to change business as usual in Washington." The Presidential Inaugural Committee has limited individual contributions to $50,000. There is no law restricting the size of donations, but in the past, inaugural committees have set contribution limits as high as $250,000. The PIC said it will not take contributions from corporations, political action committees, current federally registered lobbyists, non-U.S. citizens or registered foreign agents. Obama has promised to "take power away from the corporate lobbyists" -- a pledge that would be questioned should the president-elect rely on them to foot his inauguration bill. "If he can pay for these parties with small donations, I think there'd be a lot more acceptance of that," Alexander said. Watchdog groups say there are some things Obama can do to take control of the tone. For example, he could make donations to charity, and Michelle Obama could opt for something more reasonably priced than a designer dress. When Franklin D. Roosevelt took office, he also faced a financial crisis. He gave voters a now famous pep talk about the failing economy, then skipped the fancy inaugural balls because they sent the wrong message. But analysts say Obama's not expected to go that far because so many people want to celebrate his historic win. "Washington, D.C., was pro-Obama and had Obama-mania long before November 4. But the moment November 4 occurred, all -- all craziness sort of broke loose," said Anne Schroeder Mullini, a gossip columnist for Politico. As inauguration organizers work to keep the tone in check, they are speaking out against those trying to make money by scalping tickets to the event. Tickets for the inauguration are distributed through members of Congress, and just 240,000 seats are available for the actual swearing-in ceremony. The tickets are supposed to be free, but with demand outpacing supply, a traditional giveaway has turned into a thriving online marketplace. Legitimate ticket brokers -- the same companies that peddle tickets to rock concerts and NASCAR races -- are selling tickets to the inauguration for thousands of dollars, even for standing-room areas on the National Mall. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein wants to make that practice a crime, punishable by up to a year in prison. Organizers of the inauguration say it violates the spirit of the event and could spell disappointment for people who buy tickets for the ceremony. "We think it's absolutely insane to be selling those tickets. We understand some people want to make a buck, but for those people thinking of buying tickets, it's buyer beware," warned Howard Gantman, staff director of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. CNN's Carol Costello, Brianna Keilar and Erica Hill contributed to this report. | [
"What does ticket scalping violate?",
"How much did President Bush raise in his second inauguration?",
"How much has Obama limited individual donations by?",
"How much did President Bush raise?",
"How much has Obama limited individual donations to?"
] | [
[
"the spirit of the event"
],
[
"$42.8 million dollars"
],
[
"$50,000."
],
[
"$42.8 million dollars"
],
[
"$50,000."
]
] | President Bush raised a record $42.8 million dollars for his second inauguration .
Barack Obama has limited individual donations to $50,000 .
Some say an extravagant celebration would be out of place, considering economy .
Inauguration organizers say ticket scalping violates the spirit of the event . |
(CNN) -- Millions of people around the world have taken part in ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the Scouting movement. Scouts renewed their promise to build a tolerant and peaceful society. Dawn celebrations involving 28 million young people took place across the globe, from Ecuador to Bhutan. In southern England, 40,000 young people from around the globe gathered to take part in the largest ever 12-day world Scout Jamboree. The island where the movement was born, Brownsea Island off the coast of England, has been the focus of celebrations, with 300 scouts from more than 160 countries attending a commemorative camp. It was on that site that Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell held an experimental camp for 20 boys, following his experiences in the Army during the Boer War. The movement requests its members, boys and girls from the age of six, to uphold values such as trustworthiness, loyalty and to "do their best". Scouts from countries including the UK, Lebanon, Nepal, Rwanda, Serbia, Libya and Argentina, displayed their flags on the island, before taking part in a sunrise ceremony. In Romania, scouts formed a human chain around the Parliament building in the capital Bucharest to express how young people will play a role in the country's future. In Namibia, Africa, around 1,000 scouts cooked breakfast over a camp fire, and groups from Malawi camped at the top of Mulanje mountain. The Taj Mahal in India, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Sydney Opera House in Australia also witnessed sunrise ceremonies. The small gathering at Brownsea Island led the rest of the globe in renewing their Scouting promise to build a tolerant and peaceful society. A speech written by Baden-Powell during the first scout camp was also read out to the group. It includes a call for peace, comradeship and cooperation over rivalry between "classes, creeds and countries which have done so much in the past to produce wars and unrest". Alistair, 16, from Manchester, at the Brownsea Island ceremony, said: "It has made me think how one man has changed the world. "It is one world, one promise. We are all here as peace ambassadors. We are the next generation. We are the ones bringing peace forward into the world," he told the Press Association. Ana Mejia, 14, from Honduras, added: "It doesn't matter what our nationality, our religion, our color, we are a family and we have to support each other. Baden-Powell's book "Scouting for Boys" is the fourth biggest selling book in the world after the Bible, the Koran and Mao's Little Red Book. E-mail to a friend | [
"Scouts' promise is?",
"How many scouts took part?",
"Who was it started by?",
"Who started the scouts?",
"Who renewed their promise?",
"Whose the Scout's founder?"
] | [
[
"to build a tolerant and peaceful society."
],
[
"28 million"
],
[
"Robert Baden-Powell"
],
[
"Robert Baden-Powell"
],
[
"Scouts"
],
[
"Robert Baden-Powell"
]
] | At least 28 million scouts across the world took part in sunrise ceremonies .
Scouts renewed their promise to build a tolerant and peaceful society .
Started by Robert Baden-Powell it upholds values such as trust and loyalty . |
(CNN) -- Millions of poor American children have untreated tooth decay, some of them because they cannot find a dentist willing to treat them, a federal report issued Tuesday said. Only 1 in 3 children in Medicaid received any dental care over a year time span, according to a new report. "Dental disease remains a significant problem for children aged 2 through 18 in Medicaid," the U.S. Government Accountability Office report concluded, referring to the federal/state health program for poor people. According to the report, which used data from 1999 to 2004, about 6.5 million children enrolled in Medicaid had untreated tooth decay in 2005 and were nearly twice as likely as children with private health insurance to have untreated tooth decay. The GAO report was ordered after widespread publicity of the case of Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old boy boy who died last year in suburban Washington when an untreated infected tooth led to a brain infection. Driver "had extensive dental disease and his family was unable to find a dentist to treat him," the report said. The report said 14.8 percent of Medicaid recipients said their children had not gotten necessary dental care because their dentist refused to accept Medicaid, which typically pays providers less than private insurers. "Clearly, the oral health care system failed this young man," said Dr. Jane S. Grover, first vice president of the American Dental Association in testimony Tuesday to the Committee on House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Domestic Policy. "All of us -- practitioners, payers, parents and policymakers -- need to come together and make the system work for the most vulnerable among us," she said. The report found that, nationwide, only one in three children in Medicaid had received any dental care in the year before the survey was carried out, and one in eight reportedly had never seen a dentist. In comparison, more than half of children with private health insurance had gotten dental care during the prior year. "Fundamental changes to the Medicaid program are long overdue to prevent the possibility of future tragedies like Deamonte and to ensure that all low-income children have the same access to oral health care services enjoyed by the majority of Americans," Grover said. Efforts are under way to fix the problem. She cited plans to open eight dental schools in addition to the 57 currently in existence and said a new job -- community dental health coordinator -- has been created. The coordinators will be trained to work in clinics and schools to ensure emergency care is provided to children, she said. "If there had been a CDHC in the school that Deamonte Driver attended, we believe this tragedy could have been prevented," she said. "Through a routine exam, a CDHC could have spotted a simple cavity, filled the cavity with a temporary filling, and made arrangements for care by a dentist," she said. The CDHC will also help families enroll in Medicaid and get transportation to appointments, she said. But even if the numbers of dentists increase, Congress must act to increase fees for those participating in Medicaid to match private rates, she said. | [
"Is it difficult to get dental care with Medicaid?",
"How old was Driver?",
"What type of service do recipients of Medicaid say is difficult to get?",
"About how many children enrolled in Medicaid had untreated tooth decay?",
"What is the age of Deamonte Driver when he died?",
"Where was Deamonte Driver from?",
"How many children on Medicaid had tooth decay?",
"What often pays less than private insurance?",
"Who died as a result of infected tooth?",
"What did Deamonte Driver die from?"
] | [
[
"Only 1 in 3 children in Medicaid received any dental care over a year time span, according to a new report."
],
[
"12-year-old"
],
[
"dental care"
],
[
"Millions"
],
[
"12-year-old"
],
[
"Washington"
],
[
"6.5 million"
],
[
"Medicaid,"
],
[
"Deamonte Driver,"
],
[
"an untreated infected tooth led to a brain infection."
]
] | About 6.5 million children enrolled in Medicaid had untreated tooth decay in 2005 .
Last year 12-year-old Deamonte Driver died from complications of infected tooth .
Dentists often refuse to accept Medicaid, which often pays less than private insurers .
Many Medicaid recipients say it's difficult to get dental care using Medicaid . |
(CNN) -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin, police have arrested a man whose DNA linked him to the bodies of nine women killed over 21 years, officials said at a news conference Monday night. Walter E. Ellis, 49, was arrested after police matched a DNA swab taken from him last week to the victims. Walter E. Ellis, 49, was arrested after police matched a DNA swab taken from him last week to DNA left on the bodies of nine women killed since 1986. Police said eight of the women were prostitutes and one was a runaway involved with drugs. They were all killed within a 3-square-mile area of Milwaukee's north side. "This case was solved with shoe leather and science," Milwaukee Police Chief Edward A. Flynn said. "Continuing advances in DNA technology have enabled us to link these homicide cases, and it was good police work pursuing numerous leads that led to the arrest of a suspect." The homicides occurred between 1986 and 2007, police said. See where the bodies were found » Ellis was charged Monday with two counts of first degree murder relating to two of the deaths: 41-year-old Joyce Mims, who was killed in 1997, and 28-year-old Ouithreaun Stokes, who was killed in April 2007. Police said more charges are likely. It wasn't immediately clear whether Ellis had obtained an attorney. Police said other victims linked to Ellis through DNA were: Tanya L. Miller, killed in 1986; Deborah L. Harris, killed in 1986; Sheila Farrior, strangled in 1995; Florence McCormick, strangled in 1995; Irene Smith, killed in 1992; Carron D. Kilpatrick, killed in 1992, and Jessica Payne, killed in 1995. Flynn told CNN it was hard for investigators to discern a geographic pattern for the homicides. In the 20-year period, more than 2,000 slayings occurred in Milwaukee, he said -- 200 of them in the same area where the bodies were found. Another challenge investigators faced was the developing technology of DNA evidence. The technology in 2009 far exceeds that available in 1986 or even 2002, he said. It was only this year that police were able to link the nine homicides with the same DNA pattern. Even then "we did not have anyone to match our DNA profile against, until we were able to get [Ellis'] toothbrush," he told CNN. A Wisconsin law passed in 2000 mandated the DNA collection from convicted felons. Ellis was released from prison in 2001 without having his DNA sample collected, Flynn said. Because his name had surfaced in the investigation and because he was also listed in two FBI databases, authorities decided to investigate him further and were able to obtain the search warrant that allowed them to collect his DNA from his toothbrush, the police chief said. News of Ellis' arrest shocked those who knew him. "That was just my ex-boyfriend," his former girlfriend, Chanita, told CNN affiliate WISN-TV. She asked that her last name not be used. "I didn't know nothing about nothing like this. I'm getting shivery now cause you're talking about some strangling stuff. Lord have mercy on me. I'm just a wreck right now. I can't believe this. I'm trembling in here. I'm shakin'." Chanita said she dated Ellis for four years. "I can't believe it. This is a shock," she told WISN. "I got like goose bumps on my arms instantly when you told me that. I'm like no way -- not Walter -- I can't see him hurting nobody." For relatives of the victims, the news brought mixed emotions. "I knew they was gonna get him, I knew it," Patricia Donald, best friend of victim Deborah Harris, told WISN. "Finally he can't hurt nobody anymore." For her and others, like Sandy Farrior, whose daughter Sheila was linked to Ellis, it was news that helped bring closure. "Late justice is better than no justice," he told | [
"Who was charged in two killings?",
"How many killings has Ellis been charged in so far?",
"how many women were killed",
"when were the women killed",
"Who was the DNA on the bodies matched to?",
"In what year did the killings start?",
"The women were killed when?",
"Who was the DNA found on bodies of nine women matched to?",
"who is the suspect",
"what has ellis been charged with?",
"when were they killed",
"who was DNA found on bodies of nine women matched to?",
"when were the women killed?",
"where did the murders take place"
] | [
[
"Walter E. Ellis,"
],
[
"nine"
],
[
"nine"
],
[
"The homicides occurred between 1986 and 2007,"
],
[
"Walter E. Ellis,"
],
[
"1986."
],
[
"between 1986 and 2007,"
],
[
"Walter E. Ellis,"
],
[
"Walter E. Ellis,"
],
[
"two counts of first degree murder"
],
[
"over 21 years,"
],
[
"Walter E. Ellis,"
],
[
"between 1986 and 2007,"
],
[
"Wisconsin,"
]
] | DNA found on bodies of nine women matched to Walter E. Ellis, police say .
Ellis charged in two killings and more charges likely, police say .
Police chief hails arrest: "This case was solved with shoe leather and science"
The women were killed between 1986 and 2007 . |
(CNN) -- Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook was arrested and charged with domestic assault Friday night, the Hennepin County, Minnesota, sheriff's office said.
According to the sheriff's office, Cook was charged with two counts of domestic assault and was being held without bail.
Details of the alleged incident leading to the arrest were not immediately available.
The Vikings released a brief statement but offered no details.
"The Minnesota Vikings are aware of the incident involving Chris Cook. We take this matter very seriously and are still gathering all the details of the incident," the statement said.
Cook was booked at the Hennepin County Jail at 4 a.m., and his arrest likely means he will not play on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, CNN affiliate WCCO reported. | [
"What is Cook charged with?",
"What position does Chris Cook play?",
"What charges does Chris Cook face?",
"Which team does Chris Cook play for?",
"When was Cook arrested?",
"When was Chris Cook arrested?",
"what charge he faces"
] | [
[
"domestic assault"
],
[
"cornerback"
],
[
"domestic assault"
],
[
"Vikings"
],
[
"Friday"
],
[
"Friday"
],
[
"domestic assault"
]
] | Vikings cornerback Chris Cook was arrested Friday night .
He faces two charges of domestic assault .
Details of the alleged incident were not immediately known . |
(CNN) -- Minutes after Bill Clinton's doctor divulged that the former president underwent a stenting procedure to restore blood flow through a coronary artery, CNN's Larry King made a similar announcement.
"A month ago, maybe five weeks ago, I had the same procedure at Cedar-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles that Bill Clinton had today," the 76-year-old talk show host told viewers of his program, "Larry King Live."
King noted that he suffered a heart attack in February 1987 and underwent a quintuple bypass five months later. He described his experience with heart disease in his 1989 book, "Mr. King, You're Having a Heart Attack."
Recently, he said Thursday, he began feeling symptoms that turned out to have been related to his heart.
"I felt some strange feelings in my shoulder, where I had the original heart attack," said King. He said he went to the hospital and underwent the procedure a few days later. Stents are tiny balloons that are threaded into a patient's heart vessels where they are inflated, pushing plaque against the vessel wall and increasing blood flow.
"I did it on a Monday morning, was out on Tuesday and back here on 'Larry King Live' on Tuesday night," King said.
"So I can report to the waiting public that I never felt better. They got it open, they put the stents in. I share a bond with the former president and I feel very good. I only didn't make it public because I just like to keep things private. But I feel terrific," he said. | [
"What did King say to the public?",
"Since the procedure what did King report how he felt?",
"Who had a heart attack in 1987?",
"When did King get a stenting procedure done?",
"In what year did King suffer a heart attack?",
"Is King feeling better now?",
"What were his recent symptoms?",
"what kind of procedure did he get?"
] | [
[
"\"A month ago, maybe five weeks ago, I had the same procedure at Cedar-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles that Bill Clinton had today,\""
],
[
"never"
],
[
"Larry King"
],
[
"\"A month ago, maybe five weeks ago,"
],
[
"1987"
],
[
"I feel very good."
],
[
"strange feelings in my shoulder,"
],
[
"stenting"
]
] | King said he suffered a heart attack in 1987 and underwent a quintuple bypass months later .
Recent symptoms sent him back to get stenting procedure about a month ago .
Since the procedure says King, "I can report to the waiting public that I never felt better" |
(CNN) -- Mir Hossein Moussavi, Iran's former prime minister, has emerged as a serious contender to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was, for months, considered a shoo-in for re-election to the Iranian presidency. Presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi holds up the "V" sign after casting his vote on Friday. A painter and architect who withdrew from the political front for two decades, Moussavi has emerged with a platter of promises. He has said he wants to reform Iran into a global communicator that embraces freedom of speech. He's also taken an usual step in politics in Iran by relying heavily on his wife, a college professor. Her public support of his candidacy has underscored his professed support of women's rights. Largely an unknown to the rest of the world when he announced his bid in March, Moussavi has tried to be the foil to Ahmadinejad, who has earned a reputation internationally as a fundamentalist for his Holocaust denials, calls to annihilate Israel, and cat-and-mouse games with the United States and the United Nations over Iran's nuclear activities. "This anti-Ahmadinejad image is connecting with a lot of Iranians because many feel Ahmadinejad has gone too far, said too many outlandish things and is responsible for a serious financial crisis the country is in," said Afshin Molavi, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy institute in Washington. Molavi is also the author of "The Soul of Iran," a book about Iran's middle-class struggling to free itself, under intense economic and cultural restraints, from the control of the state. Moussavi was Iran's prime minister from 1981 to 1989 and oversaw the nation's eight-year war with Iraq. He has been largely praised by analysts across varied political leanings for that. But when the constitution was reformed in the late 1980s, removing the job of prime minister, Moussavi retreated to a life outside the public sphere for two decades. "Twenty years -- what has he done in that time? No one really knows," said Shireen Hunter, a Georgetown University visiting professor and Iranian author of numerous books on the nation's political history who interviewed Moussavi just as he was officially exiting politics. "What you have is a war and a history that the younger Iranians do not know about or remember, so they know less about him and see him as the reformer he says that he is," Hunter said. She spoke with Moussavi for her 1992 book "Iran and the World." "I quoted Moussavi as saying that Iran did not suffer as much from the Soviet Union as it did from America," Hunter said. "He was very anti-Western. He presided over a lot of nationalism [during his time as prime minister,] and now he is saying that he is a reformer? I don't believe in born-again Democrats. I'm skeptical." It's an image or impression the people are being moved by, she and Molavi contend, that may not be based on hard evidence. "There were still freedoms that were stifled under Moussavi," Molavi said. "[But] what Iranians seem to remember, what is lingering, is that he steered the country relatively well in a time of crisis during the war." Now Moussavi has seized on Iran's most pressing problem: its economy. "There's a sort of overwhelming support now for an opening up of the country to the international community and some access to the free-market economy because, frankly, Iran's own economy is on the verge of utter collapse," said Reza Aslan, an analyst for DailyBeast.com and author of the book "No God But God," an analysis of Islam in politics and culture. Last week, tensions between the candidates reached a fever pitch. During a recent fiery television debate, Moussavi accused Ahmadinejad of being a radical and turning Iran into a "dictatorship." He said Ahmadinejad was an "adventurist" when it came to foreign policy. The acrimony between the candidates | [
"Which ex-PM of Iran hasn't worked in politics in 20 years?",
"Who hasn't worked in 20 years?",
"Who is portraying himself as the Anti-Ahmandinejad?",
"Who is Iran's ex-PM?",
"What does Moussavi say?",
"What is he doing to woo support?"
] | [
[
"Moussavi"
],
[
"Hossein Moussavi,"
],
[
"Moussavi"
],
[
"Mir"
],
[
"\"This anti-Ahmadinejad image is connecting with a lot of Iranians because many feel Ahmadinejad has gone too far, said too many outlandish things and is responsible for a serious financial crisis the country is in,\""
],
[
"relying heavily on his wife,"
]
] | Mir Hossein Moussavi, Iran's ex-PM, hasn't worked officially in politics in 20 years .
Analysts: He is wooing support by portraying himself as the "anti-Ahmadinejad'
Moussavi says he's a reformer, believes in more freedoms and an open Iran .
Author who has interviewed him says she is skeptical that he truly feels that way . |
(CNN) -- Miriam Brown has always wanted to visit Cape Cod, but when she recently began to plan a trip and found out she would have to pay $200 or more a night for lodging, her dream vacation seemed out of reach. Miriam Brown and her husband bartered their services for room and board on Cape Cod. Brown, who lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, is an accountant. Her husband is a home renovations contractor. Like many people dealing with a soft real estate market and high food and gas prices, they just don't have that kind of extra cash for a trip. "I have traveled a lot in prior years, but after [Hurricane] Katrina, there's just no money for traveling," Brown said. So she still plans to go, but she won't spend any cash at all on lodging. Brown has joined the growing ranks of Americans who are bartering -- trading goods and services without exchanging money -- as a way to cope with tough economic times. Brown posted an ad in the barter section of the online community Craigslist last month, offering to trade her accounting skills and her husband's knack for home repairs in exchange for room and board on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She has lots of company. There were some 142,000 listings in the barter section of Craigslist in July, or almost double the number posted during the same month last year, according to Craigslist spokeswoman Susan MacTavish Best. "When the economy turns unfriendly, Craigslist users become far more creative to get their everyday tasks done," Best said. Swapping 'to get by' Other Web sites that put Americans in touch with like-minded people who are willing to trade everything under the sun have also seen a boost in traffic. SwapThing, which lists almost 3.5 million "things" available for trade, reports its customers are bartering for different reasons than before. "I think a few years ago it was more for fun," said Jessica Hardwick, SwapThing founder and CEO. "But we've seen a real shift in the last year, and especially an increase in the last few months, where I think people are really doing it to get by." Some of the most popular items to trade for late this summer were school uniforms, which some parents found they could not afford to buy for their children, Hardwick said. Experts aren't surprised Americans are becoming more financially creative during an economic downturn. "Historically, when times get tough, you see a 50 percent-plus increase in bartering as a way for people to be able to buy things or get things and do it economically," said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group. The company talks with thousands of consumers every week to gauge their spending habits and attitudes. A couple of years ago, many Americans had $500 to spend at the end of the month, but that money has evaporated because of rising prices, Beemer said. "We've never had a time, at least in my lifetime, where you have food and fuel going up at the same time. So it isn't a question of buying things, it's a question of buying nothing," Beemer said. Breast implants and a horse Businesses have long recognized the benefits of bartering, and there are hundreds of barter networks set up across the country to fill their needs. They use barter credits as currency, so a plumber in need of a filling doesn't need to search for a dentist's office with plumbing problems to make a deal. He can fix a leaky pipe for one member of a network and use the credits he earned for that job at any other. Since all kinds of companies are members, the trades can be all over the map, said Michael Krane, president of Green Apple Barter Services in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His company has brokered everything from breast implants to college tuition to a horse. "Really, there are no limits to it. We trade for just about anything you can think of | [
"What are Americans doing as a way to cope with tough economic times?",
"When does bartering rise dramatically?",
"Who is the barter network president?",
"What does bartering involve?",
"What does barterng involve?",
"What are Americans doing to cope with tough economic times?"
] | [
[
"bartering"
],
[
"\"When the economy turns unfriendly,"
],
[
"Michael Krane,"
],
[
"trading goods and services without exchanging money"
],
[
"trading goods and services without exchanging money"
],
[
"bartering"
]
] | Many Americans are bartering as a way to cope with tough economic times .
Bartering involves trading goods and services without exchanging money .
Researcher: Bartering activity rises dramatically during economic downturns .
"We trade for just about anything you can think of," barter network president says . |
(CNN) -- Missing Florida pilot Robert Wiles, who was believed kidnapped and held for ransom 21 months ago, now is believed to be dead, and a former co-worker is in custody, accused of his death, the FBI said Friday.
Authorities arrested Stobert "Tobie" Holt Jr., 42, Friday in Orlando, Florida, after he arrived from Colombia, where he was on a business trip, according to Tampa-based FBI spokesman David Couvertier.
Holt faces state charges of first degree murder, kidnapping, extortion, and intent to inflict death or serious bodily harm, the spokesman said. The arrest was made by police from Lakeland, Florida, the Polk County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, who were accompanied by FBI agents, he said.
Though authorities now believe Wiles was killed, they don't know where his body is, he said.
The arrest was uneventful, Couvertier said: "Holt was advised of his rights and said nothing."
A four-count grand jury indictment was unsealed Friday in Polk County, where Wiles, then 26, ran a branch of his family's international aircraft maintenance business, National Flight Service, at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.
The FBI said Holt worked for Wiles at the time he disappeared. He was among several employees who told investigators they last saw Wiles on April 1, 2008, at the office and had no clue what happened to him.
The FBI won't reveal the suspected motive or why agents believe it was Holt who left a uniquely signed ransom note demanding money two days after Wiles disappeared.
At the time, agents said Wiles' father tried to comply with the demand to get back his son, but heard nothing.
Holt is described as an employee who, at least at one time, had a supervisory role at the company.
Authorities say he now works as a contract employee doing similar flight maintenance work at Patrick Air Force base near Cape Canaveral in Florida.
Wiles was single. When he vanished without a trace, fellow employees said they were stunned.
"All that he ever worked on was customer relations. Making things better for the company," co-worker Jerry Grief said at the time. "Make the customer happy and make them come back."
The FBI said it traveled to six countries and three states tracing Wiles' trips and interviewing business associates. Without disclosing details, agents said the investigation led them back to Holt and his whereabouts the day Wiles disappeared.
Several agencies, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Polk County Sheriff's Department joined the investigation. The case will be prosecuted by state authorities in Polk County.
Wiles' parents, who live in Ohio, had offered a $250,000 reward for their son's safe return.
They are said to be in seclusion after being notified about Holt's arrest.
When CNN interviewed them last year, Wiles' mother, Pamela, said, "We're willing to work with them and do anything to get him back. We just want Robert back. And they can just go and live their life, and we just want him back."
The FBI will not reveal what makes agents believe Wiles is dead.
"Our investigation and evidence obtained to date indicate he's dead, " Couvertier said.
CNN Senior Producer Rich Phillips contributed to this report. | [
"who spent a branch of international maintenance business aircraft family",
"who she was believed kidnapped and held for ransom 21 months ago",
"What does Wiles do for a living?",
"Who was believed kidnapped?",
"Who was kidnapped and held for ransom?",
"What does the FBI say now?"
] | [
[
"Wiles,"
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],
[
"pilot"
],
[
"Robert Wiles,"
],
[
"Robert Wiles,"
],
[
"is believed to be dead,"
]
] | Robert Wiles was believed kidnapped and held for ransom 21 months ago .
FBI now says he is dead, have arrested former co-worker Stobert Holt Jr.
Wiles ran a branch of his family's international aircraft maintenance business . |
(CNN) -- Mississippi has kept its U.S. heavyweight title for a fifth straight year, among both adults and children. Adult obesity rates went up in 23 states in the past year, a survey shows. The percentage of adults classified as obese went up in 23 states, but Mississippi, with 32.5 percent, stayed atop the latest annual rankings by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America's Health. The same survey put the state's adult obesity rate at 31.7 percent in 2008. In addition, 44.4 percent of Mississippi children ages 10 to 17 are classified as overweight or obese, the study found. Doctors have linked obesity to increased risks of a variety of conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, arthritis and heart disease. Wednesday's study found the current U.S. economic slump could worsen the problem by putting more nutritious food out of the reach of struggling families. See a map of obesity in the U.S. » "At the same time, safety-net programs and services are becoming increasingly overextended as the numbers of unemployed, uninsured and underinsured Americans continue to grow," the report states. "For many people, too, worries over the recession are triggering increased depression, anxiety and stress, which often can be linked to obesity." Dr. Ed Thompson, Mississippi's state health officer, called the report -- which was drawn from state figures -- "old data rehashed." But he said the state is taking steps to address what he called "a multifaceted problem," targeting schoolchildren in particular. Thompson said teachers not only are trying to educate students about the importance of good nutrition and exercise, they are changing schedules to increase the amount of physical activity students experience in a day. In addition, lower-calorie, lower-fat foods are replacing some high-calorie, high starch lunchroom staples, he said. "We can't tell our children to eat wise dietary choices and then provide them with little except for poor dietary choices in their school cafeterias," Thompson said. Rounding out the top five states among adults were West Virginia, with 31.2 percent of its population considered obese; Alabama, 31.1 percent; Tennessee, 30.2 percent; and South Carolina 29.7 percent. At the bottom of the rankings, Colorado had the lowest percentage of obese adults, with 18.9 percent. It was followed by Massachusetts, at 21.2 percent; Connecticut, 21.3; Rhode Island, 21.7; and Hawaii, 21.8. Even in those states, the obesity rate grew by fractions of a percent since 2008, according to the study. Thompson said most adults know they should eat less and exercise. "The hard part is getting people to actually practice these things," he said. "Our work lives require less physical exertion than they used to," he said. "With less physical activity, we should have adjusted our dietary consumption downward." While deep-fried Southern cooking is legendary, Mississippi also ranks high in poverty statistics and low in education -- two factors commonly related to obesity. But Thompson said education appears to be more closely related to obesity than poverty. "We do see obesity among people who are in lower socioeconomic levels, but we see it in higher socioeconomic levels as well," he said. "Being poor does not not make you obese, and being rich does not make you thin." The survey used the Body Mass Index standards set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC defines someone as obese if they have a BMI -- a figure based on a ratio of height to weight -- of 30 or more, while anyone with a BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight. Calculate your Body Mass Index » Adult obesity rates went up in 23 states in the past year, with 31 states now reporting rates over 25 percent. By comparison, no state topped 20 percent in 1991, the survey's authors reported. | [
"What was the survey based on?",
"what % of children are overweight",
"What percentage of Mississippi children are overweight?",
"What percent of Mississippi children ages 10 to 17 are overweight or obese?",
"What could put more nutritious food out of the reach of struggling families?",
"What did the survey use"
] | [
[
"Adult obesity rates"
],
[
"44.4 percent"
],
[
"44.4 percent"
],
[
"44.4"
],
[
"U.S. economic slump"
],
[
"Body Mass Index standards"
]
] | Survey: 44.4 percent of Mississippi children ages 10 to 17 are overweight or obese .
Economic slump could put more nutritious food out of the reach of struggling families .
Other top states were West Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina .
The survey used the Body Mass Index standards set by the CDC . |
(CNN) -- Mississippi voters Tuesday rejected a controversial amendment that would have defined life as beginning at conception while Ohio voters repealed a law that limited the collective bargaining rights of public workers, CNN projects.
The two ballot measures had national implications as Americans voted in an off-year election.
The Mississippi amendment would have made it impossible to get an abortion in the state and hampered the ability to get the morning-after pill or birth control pills that destroy fertilized eggs. Disposing of unused fertilized eggs could also have become illegal, making in vitro fertilization treatments more difficult.
National right to life groups opposed the measure and the Catholic Church in Mississippi called it extreme.
The Ohio law limited the bargaining rights of police, teachers, firefighters and other public workers over salaries, workplace conditions and hours. It prohibited strikes and promotions based on seniority only, and required public workers to contribute at least 10% of their income toward their pensions and at least 15% to pay for their health care insurance.
The Republican-controlled legislature passed the bill Republican Gov. John Kasich signed it into law in March but a successful petition drive kept it from being enacted and placed it on the November ballot.
Kasich said Tuesday night that it was clear that the people had spoken.
"Part of leading is listening to and hearing what people have to say to you," he said.
The vote was seen as a victory for unions and Democrats, but CNN projects that Democrats are taking a loss in Ohio in a measure that exempts Ohioans from compulsory participation in the mandatory health care coverage portion of President Barack Obama's health care reform law passed last year. Since the measure is a state one and the health law is a federal one, it is unclear what impact it might have and it is seen as largely a protest vote.
In other elections around the country:
• CNN projects that Mississippi's governor's seat will stay in Republican hands as Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant appeared to be on his way to victory over Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree, who would have been the state's first African-American governor. DuPree, who was elected the first black mayor of Hattiesburg in 2001, was expected to spark a stronger than usual turnout in the African-American community.
Bryant will succeed Republican Gov. Haley Barbour, who was barred by term limits from running again after serving two terms.
• In Arizona, the state senator who wrote the controversial immigration law lost to a charter school superintendent in a recall election widely seen as a referendum on tough measures against illegal immigrants. The recall petition pitted Russell Pearce against fellow Republican Jerry Lewis. Lewis led with 53.4% of the vote with all precincts reporting while Pearce got 45.3%.
• Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear will win a second term, CNN projects, easily beating Republican state Sen. Steve Williams in a race that centered on jobs and the economy.
Williams frequently criticized Beshear's record on creating jobs and balancing the state budget. Beshear kept a tally of the number of jobs that companies were bringing to the state on his website.
• While the abortion ballot initiative in Mississippi got the most attention, another constitutional amendment that CNN projects to pass will require voters to submit a government-issued photo ID. Mississippi will be the 15th state to require photo IDs to vote. Such laws have become popular with Republicans, who say they are trying to reduce voter fraud. Democrats argue that Republicans are trying to suppress voter turnout, especially among people who tend to vote for Democrats.
CNN's David Ariosto, John Helton, Ashley Killough, Kevin Liptak, Paul Steinhauser and Robert Yoon contributed to this report. | [
"What had national implications in an off election year?",
"how many ballot measure were there",
"Who repealed a law that limited public workers' collective bargaining rights?",
"What state rejects the amendment that would have defined life as beginning at conception?"
] | [
[
"The two ballot measures"
],
[
"two"
],
[
"Ohio voters"
],
[
"Mississippi"
]
] | Two ballot measures had national implications in an off-year election .
Mississippi rejects amendment that would have defined life as beginning at conception .
Ohio voters repeal law that limited public workers' collective bargaining rights . |
(CNN) -- Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt Thursday announced his intention to run for a seat in the U.S. Senate, a move that sets up what is likely to be a showdown between two prominent families in one of the country's most politically divided states.
Former House Republican Whip Roy Blunt announced he will run for a Missouri Senate seat.
Making the official announcement in St. Louis, Missouri, the former House Republican whip indicated he would run on a platform of keeping Democratic control of both Congress and the White House in check.
"Common sense and open debate are in danger of being suppressed by the overreaching liberal monopoly in Congress and the White House," he said, according to prepared remarks. "Never has Washington been in greater need of hearing from people who work hard, pay their taxes and want solutions to urgent economic problems and the ongoing threat of terrorism."
"My sense is Missourians and Americans are not well served by one-party rule," Blunt also said, citing the massive stimulus measure signed by President Obama that won little Republican support.
Blunt's announcement comes two weeks after Democrat Robin Carnahan jumped into the race. Carnahan is another Missourian with prominent name recognition who enjoys widespread support.
"The Missouri Senate race is shaping up to be one of the most competitive races of the cycle," said Nathan Gonzalez, political editor of the Rothenberg Report. "It has attracted two of the biggest names of the state that has a history of closest elections."
Both Blunt and Carnahan are seeking the Senate seat set to be vacated by longtime Missouri Republican Kit Bond.
Blunt, a six-term congressman representing the state's conservative southwestern corner, is a longtime Missouri politician with high name recognition across the state and solid support among his party's conservative base.
He has run for statewide office several times during his nascent political career, having served as secretary of state for two terms before losing the Republican primary for governor in 1992. His son Matt also served as the state's governor from 2005-2009, but ultimately decided not to seek another term because of low approval ratings.
Blunt faces a state that has become increasing Democratic in the last several election cycles. The state's other Senate seat went Democratic in 2006 with Claire McCaskill's narrow win, and Democrat Jay Nixon was elected governor of the state in 2008. But Republicans still hold edges in the state's House and Senate chambers and have a majority of the state's nine congressional seats.
While Blunt is likely to enjoy the support of the party's establishment, he could face a competitive primary challenge from former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman, a vocal critic of her party's leadership who narrowly lost a bruising primary bid for governor last year.
Even though she is not particularly popular in her party, Steelman's message of reform could resonate if the GOP's national approval ratings remain low throughout the next two years.
"Republicans would like to avoid a primary in the Senate race, but she's not the kind of person they will be able to just shove out of a race," Gonzalez said. "She relishes in being in an outsider role."
But should Blunt make it to a general election facing Carnahan, the race will likely become a hard-fought and high-profile battle of two powerful political names.
Carnahan's father, Mel, served as governor of the state from 1993-2000 and died in a plane crash while running for the U.S. Senate. Carnahan still won the seat, defeating then-Republican Sen. John Ashcroft, and Carnahan's wife Jean held the post for two years.
Carnahan's brother is also a U.S. congressman representing the outskirts of St. Louis.
But national Democrats are eager for a match-up against Blunt, who was a protégé to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and has been linked to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
"As one of the faces of the same old Republican Party, Roy Blunt enters this race with a whole lot of baggage and a whole lot of questions to answer," said Eric Schultz, the Democratic Senatorial | [
"Where is Missouri?",
"Who is Robin Carnaham?",
"Who wants to keep democrat control in check?",
"what Both candidates have?"
] | [
[
"in the U.S."
],
[
"Democrat"
],
[
"Rep. Roy Blunt"
],
[
"are seeking the Senate seat set to be vacated by longtime Missouri Republican Kit Bond."
]
] | Ex-Republican whip wants to keep Democratic control in check .
Decision comes two weeks after Democrat Robin Carnahan announced bid .
Both candidates have high name recognition in Missouri . |
(CNN) -- Moammar Gadhafi had been on the run for months, as opposition fighters aided by NATO airstrikes pushed him and his supporters from the Libyan capital of Tripoli and other long-time strongholds.
Finally, on Thursday, the long-time Libyan leader's life ended around where it began -- in Sirte, the coastal city where he was born.
Here is a timeline of some key moments leading up to Gadhafi's death, according to Libya's interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, other National Transitional Council officials and other sources:
-- Having taken over the city of Bani Walid earlier in the week, fighters aligned with Libya's National Transitional Council turn their attention on Sirte -- the last holdout of Gadhafi loyalists.
-- French fighter jets and a Predator drone, firing a Hellfire missile, strike a convoy near Sirte on Thursday morning, a U.S. Defense official says. That official is unable to say if Gadhafi was in the targeted envoy. But a senior NATO official says that Gadhafi was part of that convoy and survived the attack.
-- Around noon on Thursday, transitional council officials announce that their fighters have taken control of Sirte, despite pockets of resistance. There is no official word then about Gadhafi.
-- During the day Thursday, Gadhafi is captured alive and in good health in Sirte, according to the interim prime minster.
-- According to Ali Aujali, Libya's ambassador to the United States, troops find Gadhafi during the day in a large drainage pipe in Sirte. Daily Telegraph reporter Ben Farmer in Sirte later tells CNN's Anderson Cooper the pipe is about 3 feet wide and filled with trash and sand.
-- Gadhafi is alive and in good health when he's captured, according to the interim prime minster.
-- He does not resist arrest.
-- At the time, he is wearing an undershirt and trousers and carrying a gun.
-- While being transferred to a vehicle -- destined for Misrata, Jibril says later -- Gadhafi is shot in the right arm.
-- Grainy video broadcast on Arabic satellite networks shows a bloodied but still-alive Gadhafi being hauled onto a truck.
-- Eventually, National Transitional Council forces put Gadhafi into the vehicle. As soon as it takes off, a firefight erupts involving council forces and those loyal to Gadhafi.
-- Caught in the crossfire, Gadhafi is shot in the head.
-- He dies a few moments before arriving at a hospital, a coroner says, according to Jibril. Another video shows a dead Gadhafi with what appears to be a head wound.
-- At the hospital, DNA samples are taken -- including blood and saliva -- that confirm that the dead man is indeed Moammar Gadhafi.
-- Council representatives get in touch with the International Criminal Court, which had charged Gadhafi with war crimes. After sending the coroner's report and photos, the court gives Libyan authorities permission to bury Gadhafi.
-- Soon after the news breaks on Thursday afternoon, crowds throughout Libya erupt in celebration of Gadhafi's death. | [
"who is gadhafi",
"what dna tests says",
"Where was Gadhafi found?",
"What did the interim prime minister say about Gadhafi's capture?",
"What kind of tests were used to confirm Gadhafi's identity?",
"What was used to confirm that the dead man was Gadhafi?",
"Where is Gadhafi found?"
] | [
[
"long-time Libyan leader's"
],
[
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],
[
"Sirte,"
],
[
"is captured alive and in good health in Sirte,"
],
[
"DNA samples"
],
[
"DNA samples"
],
[
"Sirte,"
]
] | NEW: Gadhafi is found in a large drainage pipe, a Libyan envoy says .
Libya's interim prime minister says that Gadhafi didn't resist capture .
He was caught in a crossfire while on a vehicle, destined for Misrata .
DNA tests were used to confirm the dead man was indeed Gadhafi . |
(CNN) -- Mohammed Alshaya owns more high street brands than most fashion addicts could stuff in their closets. Mohammed Alshaya, CEO of Alshaya's retail division, tells MME he sees a new mindset in the Gulf Topshop, Coast, NEXT and River Island are just some of the big names he's imported from the United Kingdom to shopping centers in the Middle East. As chief executive of M.H. Alshaya, he knows what sells: tried and tested Western brands that will appeal to local shoppers. And his empire is not limited to clothing. In the past month, he's taken Mothercare and The Body Shop to Central Eastern Europe. With the addition of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, M.H. Alshaya now operates in 16 markets including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus, Turkey, Poland and Russia. John Defterios spoke with Mohammed Alshaya, and started by asking him for his thoughts on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) plans for a single currency. (JD): I would imagine as a retail operation you'd be a huge proponent of a single currency within the GCC. Is it realistic within the next 4 to 5 years? (MA): I think it can be, as long as there is a will of the leaders to get together and decide. It is a huge leap towards efficiency, conciliation, getting closer between the six countries. One single Central Bank that governs and regulates is much better than the current six, I believe. (JD): Have you ever done any calculations of what impact it would have on your back office operations? (MA): Not yet, but it will be great, I think. (JD): You're one of the largest retail operations throughout the Arabian Peninsula. With all this growth that we're seeing right now, it must have a direct impact on the retail sector. What sort of annual growth are you experiencing? (MA): We're experiencing close to 25 percent annual growth, if not 30 percent in some cases, like in Dubai. (JD): Do you have any sort of concerns that this is going to be a bubble like the 1970s where the money was not deployed correctly? It seems different from my vantage point, do you share that view? (MA): There is a new generation of people from the region that are leading businesses and strong leadership in the government that have mitigated any concern. And if you see now the statistics, the Gulf is the seventh largest economy in the world. In ten, in 15 years time, it will be the fifth. So I see a new mindset, a new attitude. (JD): One of the other things I wanted to ask you about is your moves into other countries. The Alshaya group is very well known throughout the Arabian Peninsula, but you're moving into other markets, into Eastern Europe, specifically into Russia. Do you have the expertise to go into these markets? (MA): Well, yes. We have the expertise, and the expertise is by really retaining good management, and traveling with them into new markets. I'm not going to open shops myself. We have a very strong team in Russia; Russians that are taking our investment into good projects like Starbucks which we opened two months ago, two stores. We acquired a business there. So we have plans like Mothercare, Bodyshop, NEXT. (JD): So you can basically move this group into any city and have that potpourri of offers? (MA): We have the software. We have the software to launch the retail portfolio into a new market. (JD): Obviously you're a family business. You feel quite strongly about preserving culture and the family structure, and the need for family businesses to create jobs, because they represent 75 percent of all turnover in the Gulf. (MA): We have a social responsibility toward our people. We have | [
"who MME speaks with?",
"What is the growth of the retail division",
"what percent of annual growth is retail revision seeing in Dubai?",
"Who is CEO of M.H. Alshaya's retail division?",
"Who calculated the annual growth?",
"who speaks with mme",
"Who speaks with Mohammed Alshaya?",
"Which brands is the group taking into Eastern Europe and Russia?",
"what is taking to eastern europe",
"Where is the group taking Starbucks?",
"what is retails divisions annual growth",
"What rate of annual growth did the group see in Dubai?",
"What percentage of growth is the retail division seeking?"
] | [
[
"Mohammed Alshaya,"
],
[
"if not 30 percent"
],
[
"25"
],
[
"Mohammed"
],
[
"Mohammed Alshaya,"
],
[
"Mohammed Alshaya,"
],
[
"John Defterios"
],
[
"Topshop, Coast, NEXT"
],
[
"Mothercare and The Body Shop"
],
[
"Russia;"
],
[
"close to 25 percent"
],
[
"30 percent"
],
[
"25 percent annual"
]
] | MME speaks with Mohammed Alshaya, CEO of M.H. Alshaya's retail division .
Retail division seeing annual growth of 25 percent, up to 30 percent in Dubai .
Group taking Starbucks, Mothercare, Body Shop into Eastern Europe, Russia .
On GCC single currency: It is a huge leap towards efficiency, conciliation . |
(CNN) -- Mohsen Rezaie may have little chance of winning Friday's presidential election in Iran, observers say, but they believe he's running with a purpose: getting rid of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Mohsen Rezaie could garner enough conservative votes to swing Iran's election, experts say. "He came there just to defeat Ahmadinejad. He didn't come to win," said Mehdi Khalaji, a senior fellow with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Hardliners disappointed with Ahmadinejad and reformers eager for new leadership are both glad Rezaie is running, Karim Sadjadpour wrote in a recent article for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he is an associate. "Intimidating in appearance and lacking in popular appeal, reformists are happy to have Rezaie in the race, believing he can take some of the votes from Ahmadinejad in the first round," Sadjadpour wrote. Khalaji said the incumbent will lose votes at both ends of the political spectrum. Watch how the campaign is a watershed for Iran » "Look, everybody in this country wants Ahmadinejad out," Khalaji said, "except the Supreme Leader and his organizations." Rezaie, no ally of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, was a founder of the Revolutionary Guard in 1979 and its leader from 1981 to 1997, a period that included the devastating eight-year war with Iraq. "Iranian people don't like the military at all, " Khalaji said. "He's considered a military man, despite his claims that 'I'm a civilian.' But his image is associated with war, and people don't like it." Many people blame Rezaie for prolonging the war and failing to achieve victory, Khalaji said. In an interview this week in the Los Angeles Times, Rezaie said the conflict taught him "that war is a terrible thing, that we should do everything to avoid war." "Look at what happened to us, the chemical weapons attacks on Iranian cities and Halabja [in Iraq]," he told the newspaper. "War is a terrible thing. I saw dead people and crushed children, families destroyed and fleeing from their homes, here in Iran but also there in Iraq. "I also learned the value of unity," he went on. "The war created a fusion between the population and the state. Everybody was together and everybody was united. I learned the value of self-sacrifice and martyrdom." Rezaie has been linked to terrorism. The 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, by Revolutionary Guard client Hezbollah occurred under his watch. The blast killed 241 Americans. Rezaie is one of several people indicted in Argentina for the 1994 bombing of Jewish and Israeli sites in Buenos Aires. He has denied responsibility for those attacks. In the Los Angeles Times interview, Rezaie said he sees an opportunity for improving relations with the United States. "I propose to put together a package of eight or nine topics that the U.S. and Iran would work toward," he told the paper. "What is important is to just start the talks. It can be on drug trafficking, it can be anything, but the idea is just to start some kind of dialogue. If we solve one or two problems, we're on our way." Watch how the campaign has heated up at the end » Rezaie is a member of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, a "council of elders" from many parts of government and society whose job is to reconcile the needs of the state with the rulings of the Council of Guardians, the arbiter of Islamic law in Iran. Rezaie was raised in a poor family in southern Iran and founded the Manssouroun, a paramilitary force that resisted the reign of the Shah, Khalaji said. That experience led directly to his role in founding the Revolutionary Guard, a force created by revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei to protect against coup attempts by army officers who remained loyal to the Shah. The Revolutionary Guard eventually came to dominate the military. In 1998, Rezaie's son Ahmad fled Iran and sought political | [
"Mohsen Rezaie led Revolutionary Guard for how many years?",
"In what campaigns did he lead the Revolutionary Guard?",
"What is the name of the presidential candidate?",
"Rezaie led Revolutionary Guard during war which country?",
"Which presidential candidate led the Revolutionary Guard for 18 years?",
"Who does Rezaie want to improve relations with?",
"Rezaie's only goal according to experts is what?",
"How long did Rezaie lead the Revolutionary Guard?",
"How long did Mohsen Rezaie lead the Revolutionary Guard?"
] | [
[
"1981 to 1997,"
],
[
"eight-year war with Iraq."
],
[
"Rezaie"
],
[
"Iraq."
],
[
"Rezaie,"
],
[
"the United States."
],
[
"running with a purpose: getting rid of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."
],
[
"from 1981 to 1997,"
],
[
"from 1981 to 1997,"
]
] | Presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaie led Revolutionary Guard for 18 years .
His only goal in campaign is to undermine incumbent, Iran expert says .
Rezaie led Revolutionary Guard during war with Iraq, Beirut bombing .
He tells newspaper he would seek to improve relations with United States . |
(CNN) -- Moldova's president Wednesday accused Romania of involvement in a huge anti-communist protest, much of it coordinated on Facebook and Twitter, which saw government buildings ransacked and police arrest scores of demonstrators.
Protests over Moldova's election have gathered pace, fueled by Facebook and Twitter.
Vladimir Voronin described riots in the Moldovan capital Chisinau against his ruling Communist party's victory in Sunday elections as "very serious" and pledged to take action in response.
"Romania is involved in everything that has happened," he said, according to the RIA-Novosti news agency. "Patience also has its limits."
An estimated 10,000 mainly students gathered Tuesday to protest what they say was a rigged election. Many in the crowd were summoned using social networking tools, particularly Twitter. IReport: Send your photos and emails.
Protesters threw bricks at riot police who responded with batons and water cannon. Outnumbered, police retreated, leaving rioters to enter the parliament building and presidential offices where they smashed windows and started fires. See images of the chaos »
Demonstrators claim Voronin's ruling Communist Party manipulated Sunday's election results to make it appear that it had won 50 percent of the vote, a majority that would allow the party to and amend the Constitution to allow Voronin to rule for a third term.
Although election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe found the voting largely free, many in the former Soviet state disagreed.
"There were too many frauds," said Alina Radu, director of the weekly newspaper Ziarul de Garda.
Her newspaper's Web site asked readers Wednesday morning to send in instances of voter abuse. "In just half an hour, we had tens and hundreds of cases," Radu said.
Voronin said he was expelling the Romanian ambassador to Moldova and imposing visa restrictions on Romanians in response to the violence, RIA-Novosti said.
The agency reported that Romania has denied involvement and was threatening retaliatory measures.
Analysts saw Tuesday's demonstrations as a student-led action that "caught the opposition political leaders by surprise."
"Because I think that after talking to the Western observers, they didn't expect they would get any support for protests," said Tammy Lynch, senior fellow at Boston University's Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology and Policy.
"It seemed to be undirected," Lynch said. "A lot of students felt angry they were being ignored and took out their anger on buildings."
Moldova's ties with Romania have become increasingly strained under Voronin, who has steered his country diplomatically closer to Russia since taking power in 2005. The president has repeatedly accused Romania of wanting to absorb his country.
-- CNN's Saeed Ahmed contributed to this report | [
"who were rigged?",
"how many people gathered in Moldova's capital Chisinau?",
"What are the protesters claiming?",
"What is the capital of Moldova?",
"where did they gather",
"what were they summoned by",
"how many gathered",
"How many gathered in Moldova's capital?"
] | [
[
"Moldova's election"
],
[
"10,000"
],
[
"rigged election."
],
[
"Chisinau"
],
[
"Facebook and Twitter,"
],
[
"social networking tools, particularly Twitter."
],
[
"estimated 10,000"
],
[
"10,000"
]
] | Up to 10,000 gathered Tuesday in Moldova's capital Chisinau .
Many demonstrators summoned by Facebook or Twitter .
Protesters claim recent parliamentary elections were rigged . |
(CNN) -- Monica Conyers, Detroit's embattled City Council president pro tempore, pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring to commit bribery, a federal court representative in Michigan told CNN. Detroit City Council member, Monica Conyers, admits accepting bribes to sway a $1.2 billion contract vote. Conyers, 44, admitted accepting bribes in exchange for her vote to sway the City Council to approve Synagro Technologies Inc.'s $1.2 billion contract in 2007. It's unclear when Conyers, the wife of U.S. Rep. John Conyers, began her relationship with Synagro, but court papers say she received money from Synagro until December 2007. Conyers voted in favor of the wastewater treatment contract on November 20, 2007, the same day she received an envelope filled with cash from Detroit businessman Rayford Jackson, court papers say. Jackson pleaded guilty to providing Conyers with the money. He had been a paid consultant of Synagro. On December 4, 2007, Conyers received another envelope of cash from Jackson in a McDonald's parking lot, said Terrence Berg, the U.S. attorney from the eastern district of Michigan. "She was the swing vote in this deal," Berg said. "She used her power to get the deal done, and she acknowledged that." The mood was somber at Conyers' office on Friday, an official there told CNN. A few office workers cried. They found out about the developments through news reports, said Denise Tolliver, Conyers' deputy chief of staff. "We've been going through this for a while," Tolliver said. "Reporters would ask us questions about anonymous sources, and we just didn't believe them." Office workers were preparing for an afternoon meeting with City Council President Kenneth V. Cockrel Jr. later Friday. According to state law, Conyers will have to forfeit her seat, Tolliver said. Cockrel said there's language in the law that makes it unclear whether she needs to forfeit her seat immediately or after sentencing "It hurts the City Council's image, for sure," Cockrel said. "But we need to remember, this is only one member of the council. You can't paint the entire council with the same brush." For a seven-month period in 2008, Cockrel replaced former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick after Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two counts of obstructing justice. During that time Cockrel terminated the city's contract with Synagro because of rumors circulating about bribes, he said. Conyers faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, according to prosecutors. Synagro would not comment on Conyers' plea, but a spokeswoman said, "We have cooperated fully with the federal investigation and will continue to do so." | [
"who is pro tempore",
"Who sealed the treatment deal?",
"who sealed 1.2",
"who are taking bribes?",
"how many years are in prison?",
"Who admits taking bribes for contract?",
"Whose wife is Conyers?"
] | [
[
"Monica"
],
[
"Monica Conyers,"
],
[
"Monica Conyers,"
],
[
"Monica Conyers,"
],
[
"five"
],
[
"Monica Conyers,"
],
[
"U.S. Rep. John"
]
] | Detroit City Council president pro tempore admits taking bribes for contract .
Monica Conyers sealed $1.2 billion wastewater treatment deal, U.S. attorney says .
State law forces her to give up seat, she faces up to five years in prison .
Conyers is the wife of U.S. Rep. John Conyers . |
(CNN) -- Months after her father's prolonged campaign against President Obama's national security policies, Liz Cheney is spearheading a new organization aimed at organizing conservative opposition to the new administration's foreign policy approach. Liz Cheney formed Keep America Safe with William Kristol and Debra Burlingame. The new group, Keep America Safe, says its aim is to provide a cogent and organized rebuttal to a series of recent moves that expressly divert from the more muscular policies of the Bush administration. The group plans to tackle hot-button issues like the way forward in Iraq and Afghanistan, defense spending, CIA interrogation techniques, and the planned closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. "We have watched with concern and dismay as the Obama administration has cut defense spending, wavered on the war in Afghanistan, and launched investigations into Americans serving on the front lines of the war on terror, while at the same time expanding legal protections for the terrorists that plot to attack this country," Cheney, along with the group's two other founders, wrote on its Web site. "These policies, along with President Obama's abandonment of America's allies and attempts to appease our adversaries are weakening the nation." Weekly Standard Editor William Kristol and Debra Burlingame, the sister of the pilot of American Airlines Flight 77 -- the flight that crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11 -- are also heading up the new effort. The new group says its goal is to focus media attention on continuing and emerging national security threats, and marshal grassroots opposition to the president's policies. "Too often, significant events and thoughtful analysis in the war on terror are glossed over or ignored on nightly national newscasts," the group writes. "Keep America Safe will highlight this information on our website and encourage dialogue between American citizens and their elected representatives in order to produce the legislative and executive action that will keep this country safe and strong. " A spokesman for the Democratic National Committee responded forcefully to the creation of the new group, saying the Cheneys' foreign policy approach "was deemed a failure." "Last fall, the American people overwhelmingly rejected a radical foreign policy authored by Dick Cheney that alienated our allies, emboldened our enemies, depleted our resources, distracted our focus and made the nation less secure," DNC Press Secretary Hari Sevugan said. "The Cheneys can continue to focus on securing their sullied legacy if they want to. But, the president will continue to focus on securing the country." Incorporated as a non-profit 501(c) 4, the organization is not subject to contribution limits, and is not required to disclose a list of its contributors to the Federal Elections Commission. However, it cannot engage in efforts directly aimed at influencing the outcome of an election. Kicking off a fund-raising drive Tuesday, Keep America Safe launched a one-minute, 30-second Web video that portrays Obama as a wavering politician whose ambitious foreign policy promises as a candidate have not matched his actions. "Not enough time for a decision, but plenty of time for Letterman, golf, a beer summit, more golf, vacation, and a visit to Copenhagen," the video states. Cheney has been no stranger to the media spotlight since the Bush administration left office nine months ago. Regularly appearing on a series of cable news shows, the eldest daughter of former vice president has criticized Obama on a host of moves, once concluding that he has "sid[ed] with the terrorists." The former vice president has also been a vocal critic of Obama, declaring earlier this year that the president's decision to cease the CIA's practice of aggressive interrogation practices has left the country more vulnerable to a terrorist attack. | [
"Who says its goal is to provide effective rebuttal to Obama?",
"Keep America Safe founders say they have watched administration with what?",
"Who are the group's founders?",
"Which party called Cheney's foreign policy a \"sullied legacy\"?",
"What are the group's goals?",
"Whose foreign policy was called a \"sullied legacy\"?"
] | [
[
"Keep America Safe,"
],
[
"concern and dismay as the Obama"
],
[
"Liz Cheney formed Keep America Safe with William Kristol and Debra Burlingame."
],
[
"Democratic National Committee"
],
[
"is to focus media attention on continuing and emerging national security threats, and marshal grassroots opposition to the president's policies."
],
[
"\"The Cheneys"
]
] | Keep America Safe says its goal is providing effective rebuttal to Obama .
Group's founders say it has watched administration with "concern and dismay"
NEW: Democratic Party calls Cheney foreign policy a "sullied legacy"
Keeping focus on national security threats is one of group's goals . |
(CNN) -- Months after rescuers found them struggling and covered in oil, 33 endangered and threatened young sea turtles are finally going home to the Gulf of Mexico.
Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Audubon Nature Institute freed the turtles Thursday in waters about 40 miles southwest of Grand Isle, Louisiana.
This marked the latest mass release of turtles since about 500 were rescued in the weeks and months after the massive months-long oil spill.
"We were able to release these turtles because they're now healthy, and we're seeing recovery in the surface habitats of the Gulf of Mexico," NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco said in a news release.
The spill began after an April 20 explosion on the offshore drilling platform Deepwater Horizon that killed 11 men. Two days later, the platform sank and oil started gushing into the Gulf. In early August, owner BP used cement and mud to plug the damaged Gulf of Mexico well.
Officials formally declared an end to the oil spill disaster on September 19, though considerable efforts remained to clean up area waters and revive wildlife affected by the spill.
Earlier this month, NOAA reopened federal waters off the Louisiana coast to fishing. Thursday's release marked another milestone in the area's recovery, according to those involved.
"Returning this group of sea turtles to their home waters is ... a sign that Louisiana is on the path towards recovery," said Randy Pausina, an assistant secretary for Louisiana's office of fisheries.
The 33 turtles had been rescued more than three months ago by federal officials and state wildlife authorities from Louisiana, Florida and Georgia, as well as the Riverhead Foundation and the In-Water Research Group. They were rehabilitated at the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans.
They included green, Kemp's ridley and hawksbill sea turtles, which are classified as endangered species. There also were loggerheads, which are a threatened species.
With 270 turtles having been cleaned, nursed back to health and released, there are more than 200 still in rehabilitation sites around the area.
Scientists did extensive aerial and shipboard tests earlier this week on the waters near the release point, making sure the sargassum algae was clean. Young turtles thrive in such areas, which provide protection from predators and ample food, including small crabs, snails and other creatures.
"Six months ago, it was nearly impossible to imagine this day would ever come," said Ron Forman, the Audubon Nature Institute's CEO and president. | [
"what waters did this occur in",
"what was were among 500 rescued after the mammoth months-long oil spill",
"What was rescued?",
"What do experts say the release is further evidence of?",
"what is recovering according to scientists",
"What is recovering?",
"How many turtles were rescued?"
] | [
[
"40 miles southwest of Grand Isle, Louisiana."
],
[
"sea turtles"
],
[
"sea turtles"
],
[
"the area's recovery,"
],
[
"surface habitats of the Gulf of Mexico,\""
],
[
"turtles"
],
[
"33"
]
] | The turtles were among 500 rescued after the mammoth months-long oil spill .
They are now healthy, and the habitat is recovering, scientist say .
Experts say the release is further evidence that the Gulf waters are recovering . |
(CNN) -- More Occupy Wall Street protests were scheduled in New York on Thursday, a day after demonstrators marched to support an Iraq war veteran who was hurt in California.
Hundreds packed the streets near Manhattan's Union Square on Wednesday in a march in support of veteran Scott Olsen. At least 10 people were arrested in clashes with officers, a New York police spokesman said.
Olsen suffered a skull fracture Tuesday night after allegedly being struck by a tear gas canister in Oakland, California, according to witnesses. He was in fair condition Thursday in the intensive care unit at Highland Hospital, hospital spokesman Curt Olsen said.
The former Marine has become another rallying cry for the Occupy Wall Street protests spreading throughout the country.
Demonstrators have typically railed against what they describe as corporate greed, arrogance and power, as well as their assertion that the nation's wealthiest 1% hold inordinate sway over the remaining 99% of the population.
The movement seems to be growing despite a recent crackdown in several cities.
Authorities made a series of arrests at protests in Oakland and Atlanta on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Police said they fired tear gas on protesters in Oakland after the crowd threw paint and other objects at officers. In Atlanta, police arrested dozens of demonstrators at a downtown park after they failed to leave the facility as ordered.
In Nashville, Tennessee, authorities said Thursday that Occupy Nashville participants will be required to have permits, according to a statement from the state's Department of General Services.
CNN's Susan Candiotti and Joe Sutton contributed to this report. | [
"What condition was Scott Olsen in?",
"What will be required to have permits?",
"Occupy Nashville participants are required to have what?",
"Who is Scott Olsen?",
"What fractured a veteran's skull?",
"What will Occupy Nashville participants be required to have?",
"What is Scott Olsen's condition?",
"What did the witnesses say?"
] | [
[
"fair"
],
[
"Occupy Nashville participants"
],
[
"permits,"
],
[
"Iraq war veteran"
],
[
"tear gas canister"
],
[
"permits,"
],
[
"fair"
],
[
"Olsen suffered a skull fracture Tuesday night after allegedly being struck by a tear gas canister in Oakland, California,"
]
] | NEW: Nashville authorities say Occupy Nashville participants will be required to have permits .
Witnesses say a tear gas canister fractured veteran's skull .
The injured vet becomes another issue for protesters to rally around .
Scott Olsen is in fair condition in an intensive care unit . |
(CNN) -- More than 1 million babies born prematurely die each year before they are a month old, the March of Dimes said Sunday in the first comprehensive global report on premature births. A premature baby rests at a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, in October 2007. The organization suggested the situation could worsen if the rate of premature births increases. Each year, 12.9 million infants -- or nearly 10 percent of the annual worldwide birth total -- are born before 37 weeks of development in the womb, the organization said. More than 85 percent of the premature births occur in developing countries in Africa and Asia. "Premature births are an enormous global problem that is exacting a huge toll emotionally, physically and financially on families, medical systems and economies," March of Dimes President Jennifer Howse said in a statement. "In the United States alone, the annual cost of caring for preterm babies and their associated health problems tops $26 billion." The March of Dimes report, which used data collected by the World Health Organization, breaks down premature birth rates by continent. The highest premature birth rate is in Africa, where 11.9 percent of births each year are preterm, with more than 4 million premature deliveries annually. In populous Asia, although the preterm birth rate is lower at 9.1 percent, the number of premature births is higher, at nearly 7 million a year. While North America -- consisting of the United States and Canada in this report -- counts fewer than 500,000 premature births a year, its preterm birth rate is close to that of Africa, at 10.6 percent of all births, according to the report. The rate is the world's second highest. In the United States, the rate of preterm births has increased 36 percent in the past 25 years, with births between the 34th and 36th week of gestation accounting for the majority of the increase, the organization found. Much of the hike in preterm births is linked to more pregnancies after the age of 35 and the use of fertility treatments that can lead to multiple births. "Wherever trend data are available, rates of preterm birth are increasing," the report said. Infants who survive premature birth face lifelong health risks, including the possible development of cerebral palsy, blindness, hearing loss, learning disabilities and other chronic conditions, according to the March of Dimes. "Preterm birth is a global problem that needs greater attention by policymakers, researchers, health care providers, the media, donor organizations and other stakeholders," the report said. "The marked disparities in preterm birth along racial/ethnic lines in many high-income countries and the concentration of preterm births in Africa and Asia also clearly indicate that addressing preterm birth is essential for reducing the pronounced inequities in neonatal health and for the world to achieve," it added. The March of Dimes, a nonprofit agency engaged in pregnancy and baby health research, said some premature births can be prevented by addressing risk factors in mothers, including diabetes, high blood pressure, nutrition, body weight and tobacco and alcohol use. Women who earlier gave birth to a preemie face a greater risk of having another. While doctors know some of the health and behavior factors in mothers that increase the risk of preterm births, doctors have yet to identify a reliable remedy to prevent early labor, said Christopher Howson, vice president for global programs of the March of Dimes. "While much can be done right now to reduce death and disability from preterm birth even in low-resource settings, we need to know more about the underlying causes of premature birth in order to develop effective prevention strategies," Howson said. | [
"on what countries are the most premature births?",
"what percent of the world's births are premature?",
"What is the percentage of the world's birthrate of premature babies?",
"what have doctors not been able to do?",
"What countries are more than 85 percent of premature births occurring?",
"Who has the world's second-highest premature birth rate?",
"what is the percent of premature world's birth according to March of Dimes?",
"Was does March of Dimes says about world birth's.",
"Doctors have yet to identify a reliable remedy to prevent what?",
"Who says nearly 10 percent of world's births are premature?",
"Where are more than 85 percent of premature births?",
"Which area has world's second-highest premature birth rate?",
"Who has second highest premature birth rate?",
"What percentage of world's births are premature?"
] | [
[
"Africa and Asia."
],
[
"10"
],
[
"nearly 10 percent"
],
[
"identify a reliable remedy"
],
[
"in Africa and Asia."
],
[
"North America"
],
[
"10"
],
[
"More"
],
[
"early labor,"
],
[
"March of Dimes"
],
[
"occur in developing countries in Africa and Asia."
],
[
"Asia,"
],
[
"the United States and Canada"
],
[
"nearly 10 percent"
]
] | March of Dimes: Nearly 10 percent of world's births are premature .
More than 85 percent of premature births are in developing parts of Africa, Asia .
But North America has world's second-highest premature birth rate .
Doctors have yet to identify a reliable remedy to prevent early labor, group says . |
(CNN) -- More than 1,100 people worldwide have died from swine flu since it emerged in Mexico and the U.S. in April, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization. A young girl wears a mask at a hospital in Hanoi. Vietnam reported its first death from swine flu this week. As of July 31, the total number of victims killed by the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, stood at 1,154 -- an increase of 338 since WHO's previous update on July 27. The virus has spread around the world with unprecedented speed, spreading as widely in six weeks as common influenza viruses spread in the six months, according to WHO. WHO data showed the total number of laboratory confirmed cases at 162,380, but the number could be higher since individual cases no longer have to be tested or reported. The total number of countries and territories reporting at least one case of infection now stands at 168, with new cases reported in Azerbaijan, Gabon, Grenada, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Monaco, Nauru, Swaziland and Suriname. In the United States, federal health officials are worried about the upcoming flu season. They say nearly 160 million Americans may need to be vaccinated against the H1N1 virus, but it won't be as simple as a single shot. In a background briefing with reporters on Tuesday, two senior administration officials said the vaccine, which is still in clinical trials, would require two shots. The first shot would be followed by a second shot three weeks later. Immunity to the virus would finally kick in two weeks after that. That means someone who is vaccinated by the time the program is expected to launch in late October won't get protection until late fall. On Tuesday, British-based pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline announced it had signed contracts with nine governments to provide 96 million doses of a H1N1 vaccine and was in ongoing discussions with governments to provide further supplies. GlaxoSmithKline has already signed deals worth $250 million in total to provide 195 million doses and plans to donate 50 million doses to the World Health Organization. "First supplies of the vaccine will be available to governments from September onwards, with shipments expected in the second half of 2009 and early 2010," GlaxoSmithKline said in a statement. "The exact pace of delivery will be dependent on capacity and the yield of the influenza strain." Details of the immunization program were revealed as part of the government's overall plan to deal with what is expected to be a difficult flu season. The federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices last week issued sweeping guidelines for a vaccination campaign against the swine flu strain, identifying more than half the population as targets for the first round of vaccinations. The priority groups include pregnant women, health care and emergency services personnel, children, adolescents and young adults from six months to 24 years of age, household and caregiver contacts of children younger than six months and healthy adults with certain medical conditions. The symptoms of swine flu are similar to that of seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, aches and runny nose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A significant number of infected people have also reported diarrhea and vomiting. | [
"What is the number of vaccines available by the company?",
"WHat is the current number of victims?",
"How many Americans will be vaccinated?",
"What is the cause of 1,154 deaths worldwide?",
"What is causing the people to die?",
"Who has signed deals to provide vaccine?",
"how many swine flu deaths in recent days?",
"What is the total amount of deaths worldwide?",
"How many deaths from swine flu?",
"What has caused 1,154 deaths worldwide?",
"Who signed the deals?",
"How many weeks did it take the virus to spread?",
"who has signed deals to provide 291 million doses of vaccine?",
"How many Americans will be vaccinated?"
] | [
[
"96 million doses"
],
[
"1,154"
],
[
"160 million"
],
[
"H1N1 virus,"
],
[
"swine flu"
],
[
"GlaxoSmithKline"
],
[
"1,154"
],
[
"1,100"
],
[
"1,154"
],
[
"H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu,"
],
[
"GlaxoSmithKline"
],
[
"six"
],
[
"GlaxoSmithKline"
],
[
"160 million"
]
] | WHO: Swine flu deaths up 338 in recent days to 1,154 in total worldwide .
WHO: Virus spreads in 6 weeks as far as most viruses spread in 6 months .
U.S. plans to vaccinate nearly 160M Americans ahead of winter "flu season"
GlaxoSmithKline has signed deals to provide 291 million doses of vaccine this year . |
(CNN) -- More than 1,300 Palestinians died and about 5,400 others were wounded during Israel's three-week offensive in Gaza, the Web site of the Palestinian Authority's Central Bureau of Statistics said Monday.
A Palestinian man Monday prays in the rubble of his home, destroyed during Israel's offensive in Gaza.
Louay Shabana, head of the agency, said more than 22,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Shabana put the economic destruction at more than $1.9 billion.
The fighting largely stopped Sunday with a cease-fire. Israel has said 13 of its citizens -- including 10 soldiers -- were killed during the offensive, which started December 27.
Israel said its offensive was aimed at stopping Hamas militants from firing rockets into southern Israel.
Gaza is in need of humanitarian, economic, sanitary and social help as a result of the Israeli attacks, Shabana said.
The attacks destroyed public sector and private buildings in Gaza, affecting even the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's facilities and halting economic and social services, the statistics agency said. Watch Palestinians recover bodies from rubble »
Gaza's gross domestic product was slashed by 85 percent during the 22 days of war, and it could take a year for the economy to recover, the agency said in a preliminary report.
About 80 percent of crops in Gaza were destroyed, according to the agency.
"The pervasive sense here among the population is one of overwhelming grief, so many families have been destroyed in so many ways," said John Ging, the top United Nations official in Gaza.
Ging, UNRWA's Gaza director of operations, said the bill could reach "billions of dollars."
Among the dead were 159 children, two of whom died in an UNRWA school that was shelled Saturday, Ging said.
Gaza's main border crossings, which Israel often closed in response to Hamas rocket attacks, were open Monday. Infrastructure repairs were being made, but 400,000 people still had no water, according to Ging.
Streets in some northern Gaza towns were flooded with sewage, and about 50 U.N. facilities were damaged, he said.
More than 170 supply trucks crossed into Gaza on Monday, less than a third of the daily number that crossed in 2005, said John Holmes, U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.
Israel tried to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza, a senior Israel Defense Forces officer said in a posting Monday on the IDF Web site.
"This was not a war against the Palestinians," he said. "It was an operation of self-defense against Hamas and related terror organizations. Unfortunately, this task was made extremely difficult by Hamas, as they made the choice to use civilians as human shields."
Israel began the offensive in response to rocket fire by Hamas militants after showing eight years of restraint, the officer said.
The operation's goal, he said, "was to improve the security situation in southern Israel, and to facilitate peaceful living for the Israeli civilians living there."
"We asked ourselves how to accomplish this, and the answer was to hit Hamas hard -- to strike the tunnels, the terrorists themselves, and all of their assets -- in order to prevent them from committing war crimes by firing rockets that target our civilian population," the officer said.
He said seven rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel since Sunday's cease-fire declaration.
"We want to give this cease-fire a chance, but if Hamas chooses not to, we will utilize all of our means," he said. | [
"What U.N official says?",
"Where did the Israeli offensive occur?",
"How many children were klled in the offensive?",
"Will it take long for the economy to recover?",
"Who were killed in the offensive?",
"What was the cost from destruction?",
"How much destruction does the official say offensive cost?",
"How many children was killed in Gaza?"
] | [
[
"\"The pervasive sense here among the population is one of overwhelming grief, so many families have been destroyed in so many ways,\""
],
[
"Gaza."
],
[
"159"
],
[
"a year"
],
[
"1,300 Palestinians"
],
[
"more than $1.9 billion."
],
[
"more than $1.9 billion."
],
[
"159"
]
] | Israeli offensive caused $1.9 billion in economic destruction in Gaza, official says .
It could take a year for Gaza's economy to recover, Palestinian agency says .
U.N. official: 159 children among 1,300 people killed in Gaza during offensive . |
(CNN) -- More than 100 countries attending a conference in Dublin, Ireland formally adopted a treaty Friday to ban cluster bombs -- a large, unreliable and inaccurate weapon that often affects civilians long after the end of armed conflict. Cluster bombs are usually air-dropped shells that eject multiple small bomblets to kill enemy soldiers. A document released by Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs says the countries agreed never to use cluster munitions or the explosive bomblets they contain. The countries also agreed never to develop, acquire, retain or transfer cluster munitions. Countries attending the 11-day conference agreed to the treaty Wednesday but formally signed it Friday. The accord calls for a total, immediate ban of the weapons, strong standards to protect those injured by them, contaminated areas to be cleaned up as quickly as possible and for the weapons to be immediately destroyed, he said. Thomas Nash, coordinator of the CMC campaigning organization, said Wednesday: "This is a great achievement for everyone who has been working hard to see the end of 40 years of suffering from these weapons." Though some of the biggest makers of cluster bombs, including the United States, Russia, China and Israel, were not involved in the talks and have not signed the accord, organizers predicted that those nations would nevertheless be pressured into compliance. "Take the United States," Nash said. "Almost all of its allies are here. They've decided to ban these weapons. That's going to make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the United States to ever use these weapons again, either on its own or in joint operations." The agreement requires the destruction of stockpiles of the weapons within eight years, he said. Cluster munitions, which break apart in flight to scatter hundreds of smaller bomblets, are what the International Committee of the Red Cross calls a "persistent humanitarian problem." Most of a cluster bomb's bomblets are meant to explode on impact, but many do not. Estimates show the weapons fail to explode on impact between 10 and 40 percent of the time, the Red Cross says. That means unexploded bomblets lie scattered across a target area, often exploding only when handled or disturbed -- posing a serious risk to civilians. Last week, Acting Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs Stephen D. Mull called it "an absolute moral obligation" to rid a battlefield of unexploded ordnance after the battle. But he also predicted that the United States would not agree to any ban. "We think that it is going to be impossible to ban cluster munitions... because these are weapons that have a certain military utility and are of use," Mull said. "The United States relies on them as an important part of our own defense strategy." Instead, he urged that the weapons be regulated "to take humanitarian considerations into account" and that "technological fixes" be pursued that would render them harmless after a battle. During the 34-day war in Lebanon in 2006, the United Nations estimated that Israel dropped 4 million bomblets, 1 million of which may not have exploded, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. More than 250 civilians and bomb-disposal operators have been killed or injured by them in southern Lebanon since the war ended. Cluster bombs were also used in the 1999 war in Kosovo. Lt. Col. Jim Burke, a military adviser to the Irish Defense Forces said they quickly became a major killer of civilians. In more than 20 countries, according to the ICRC, cluster bombs have created lasting "no-go" areas, rendering them as dangerous as minefields. Laos is the most affected country. Millions of bomblets dropped during the Vietnam War continue to kill civilians more than three decades later. Still, militaries consider cluster bombs important for use against multiple targets dispersed over a wide area, such as tanks or military personnel moving across the landscape. A single bomb containing hundreds of submunitions can cover more than 18 square miles. CNN's Jacqueline Clyne contributed to this report. | [
"what did the 111 countries ban",
"what is the risk of Controversial weapons",
"Which country is not expected to agree to banning cluster bombs?",
"What was the number of countries formally agreeing treaty banning cluster bombs?",
"What is the total number of countries agreeing to treaty?",
"Which country did not attend?",
"who is not attending",
"What is being banned?"
] | [
[
"cluster bombs"
],
[
"unexploded bomblets lie scattered across a target area, often exploding only when handled or disturbed"
],
[
"United States"
],
[
"than 100"
],
[
"than 100"
],
[
"Israel,"
],
[
"United States, Russia, China"
],
[
"cluster bombs"
]
] | 111 countries formally agreeing treaty banning cluster bombs .
U.S. not attending and not expected to agree to banning cluster bombs .
Controversial weapons often don't explode but stay dangerous for civilians . |
(CNN) -- More than 150 students at the University of California at Berkeley took over a campus building Thursday to protest a proposed 81% increase in tuition fees, university officials said.
UC-Berkeley spokeswoman Callie Maidhof described the scene as "an open occupation with people coming and going" at Tolman Hall on the campus that has been known for decades as a hotbed of student activism and protests.
The tuition increase proposed by the board of regents would be phased in over a four-year period.
Maidhof added that when the protest began Thursday afternoon, campus police initially resisted the demonstrators and used pepper spray at one point. The university maintained a hands-off approach after that, but according to Maidhof the situation could change at the building's scheduled closing time of 9 p.m. (midnight ET).
As evening fell, there were between 60 and 70 students occupying one of the classrooms and another group was participating in a teach-in outside on the lawn.
Helicopter aerials of the scene from CNN affiliate KTVU showed a few protest banners hung from windows of the classroom building. | [
"What did the university board of regents propose?",
"When will the building be closed?",
"What did a university spokeswoman say?",
"when is A university spokeswoman says the building is scheduled to be closed ?",
"What did the students do?",
"Where are students in protest?",
"What percentage hike has been proposed?"
] | [
[
"tuition increase"
],
[
"9 p.m."
],
[
"\"an open occupation with people coming and going\""
],
[
"9 p.m. (midnight ET)."
],
[
"took over a campus building"
],
[
"University of California at Berkeley"
],
[
"81%"
]
] | The university board of regents has proposed an 81% tuition hike over four years .
Students at UC-Berkeley take over a campus building in protest .
A university spokeswoman says the building is scheduled to be closed for the night at 9 p.m. |
(CNN) -- More than 2,100 registered North Carolina sex offenders were found on the social networking site MySpace, the state attorney general's office said Tuesday.
North Carolina bans sex offenders within the state from social networking sites where children are members.
In response to a subpoena from state Attorney General Roy Cooper, "MySpace turned over the names, IP and e-mail addresses of 2,116 convicted North Carolina sex offenders found on its social networking Web site," Cooper's office said in a written statement.
Cooper has requested similar information from Facebook, another popular social networking site, the statement said.
MySpace has told North Carolina authorities that the sex offenders it identified have been removed from the site.
North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation is sharing the sex offenders' information with all 100 sheriffs in the state, Cooper's office said.
"It's no secret that child predators are on these Web sites," Cooper said in the statement. "Turning over information about these predators to law enforcement helps, but MySpace, Facebook and other social networks need to do much more to protect kids online."
North Carolina passed a law last year banning sex offenders within the state from social networking sites where children are members, making it a felony offense.
Sex offenders on social networking sites is not a new issue. Last month, Newsweek magazine reported that Facebook said it had removed 5,585 convicted sex offenders from its site between May 2008 and January 2009. MySpace also announced it had removed 90,000 sex offenders in a two-year period, the magazine said.
Last June, the Texas attorney general's office said it had arrested seven convicted sex offenders who violated their parole conditions by creating MySpace profiles, according to an article on the TechNewsWorld Web site.
Cooper and Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut's attorney general, for more than three years have led a group of attorneys general in working to make social networking safer, Cooper's office said. The group is pushing social networks to use technology such as age and identity verification to better protect users who may be children.
After discussions with the group, MySpace became the first social networking site to develop technology aimed at finding and removing sex offenders, the North Carolina statement said. Cooper is pushing Facebook to take similar steps.
But, Cooper's office said, "the information provided by MySpace does not include sex offenders who have not been convicted, are not registered or may be using aliases on the site. Cooper remains concerned about other sex offenders on the site who may be lying about who they are, and is continuing to ask MySpace to do more to protect children on the site." | [
"what is the AG name?",
"What did the AG say about the site?",
"From where similar information had been requested?",
"What is North Carolina now doing?"
] | [
[
"Roy Cooper,"
],
[
"\"MySpace turned over the names, IP and e-mail addresses of 2,116 convicted North Carolina sex offenders found on its social networking Web site,\""
],
[
"Facebook,"
],
[
"sharing the sex offenders' information with all 100 sheriffs in the state,"
]
] | Site provided names, IP and e-mail addresses of offenders it found, AG says .
Similar information requested from Facebook networking site, he says .
MySpace says that sex offenders it identified have been removed from site .
North Carolina officials sharing sex offenders' data with all sheriffs in the state . |
(CNN) -- More than 200 former fighters and other members of the Maoist People's Liberation Army -- including minors -- were discharged from a Maoist camp Thursday in line with Nepal's ongoing peace process, officials said. Those being discharged were part of a group deemed "disqualified" by United Nations findings in 2007, which identified at least 4,008 such combatants -- including 2,973 minors. The "disqualified" status applied to anyone under the age of 18 who was serving in the liberation army, and those who joined the Maoist group after its 10-year insurgency to abolish the country's monarchy ended in 2006. More than 15,000 died in the fighting and more than 100,000 people were displaced, according to the United Nations Web site. Nepal became a republic in 2008 following elections in which the people voted to abolish the monarchy. "Those who left the Sindhuli camp today are no more members of the [Maoist] People's Liberation Army," Nanda Kishore Pun, commander of the Maoist People's Liberation Army, told CNN in a phone interview from Sindhuli, about 150 km (93 miles) southeast of Kathmandu. The discharge process is expected to end in about a month. As part of the rehabilitation package for the disqualified combatants, the United Nations has offered to provide vocational skills training and education up to high school to those who want such opportunities, but Pun said that these offers are still being discussed. The process of the discharge is seen as in important part of the Nepal's ongoing peace process. The Maoists and other political parties in the country are discussing ways to integrate the 19,602 verified Maoist combatants into Nepal's security forces -- a move that made up part of the peace deal signed in 2006 to bring the peace process to a conclusion. Once the minors remain out of the command and control of the Maoist military structure for six months to a year, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) can be considered for removal from the list of parties that recruit and use children, which is included in the annual U.N. Secretary-General's report on Children and Armed Conflict. As the discharge and rehabilitation process began, about a dozen of the disqualified combatants were listed as being under the age of 16 and about 500 were under the age of 18. Though called combatants, the United Nations said the minors were used as messengers, cooks and porters during the fighting. | [
"What kind of people were in the discharged group ?",
"What country is the Maoist camp in?",
"How many people were discharged from the Maoist camp ?",
"What is their discharge seen as",
"Where is the Maoist camp",
"How many people were discharged?",
"Of what is this discharge seen a part of ?",
"Who were they deemed disqualified by",
"The group was \"disqualified\" by United Nations findings in what year?"
] | [
[
"200 former fighters"
],
[
"Nepal's"
],
[
"than 200"
],
[
"in important part of the Nepal's ongoing peace process."
],
[
"Nepal's"
],
[
"200"
],
[
"of the Nepal's ongoing peace process."
],
[
"United Nations findings in 2007,"
],
[
"2007,"
]
] | More than 200 people were discharged from Maoist camp in Nepal .
They are former fighters and other members of the Maoist People's Liberation Army .
Part of a group deemed "disqualified" by United Nations findings in 2007 .
Their discharge is seen as in important part of the Nepal's ongoing peace process . |
(CNN) -- More than 40,000 Somalis have returned to the abandoned neighborhoods of Mogadishu in the past six weeks, despite some of the heaviest fighting in months, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Friday.
Violence continued this week in Mogadishu between Somali Islamist fighters and African Union soldiers.
They are part of more than a million residents who have been displaced by fighting, including 100,000 who fled to neighboring countries last year, according to the United Nations.
Most of those returning are families from Somalia's southern and central regions, areas that are suffering from drought and renewed fighting, according to UNHCR. They are now living in neighborhoods in northern Mogadishu that had been abandoned over the past two years of conflict, the U.N. agency said.
Part of the reason displaced Somalis may be braving the violence and returning to the war-torn capital city is because of the recent pullout of Ethiopian troops, who were blamed for indiscriminately killing civilians in Mogadishu, a Somali journalist said.
"The AU [African Union] and [Somali] government forces only defend in their positions, they don't move around," according to Mohammed Amiin Adow. "This may reduce the fear of the civilians that their homes may be raided.
"During the Ethiopian presence, it was different: When their bases were attacked, they used to come and carry out search operations in which civilians may be detained, killed or wounded."
Adow also said another reason refugees may be returning is the bad conditions at the camps for internally displaced Somalis.
"People had been living in very poor conditions in the makeshift camps on the road between Mogadishu and Afgooye for the last two years," Adow said. "So that is I think why people are returning."
Those returning to Mogadishu will have limited access to basic necessities, a problem that is compounded by the scarcity of international aid agencies, who have fled Somalia because of the violence, UNHCR spokesman William Spindler said Friday.
"UNHCR is not encouraging returns to Mogadishu at this juncture, as the security situation is volatile and the conditions are certainly not conducive," he said. "Nevertheless, we are preparing to help returnees or those who wish to return in the near future, in the hope that the security situation will improve." | [
"What are people in central and southern Somolia Fleeing?",
"Where was most of the fighting in Somalia?",
"What groups were currently fighting in Somalia?",
"What are the people returning fleeing from?",
"How many Somalis have been displaced throughout the country and abroad?",
"Why are supplies in the capital scarce?",
"How many Somalis have been displaces?",
"More than what number of Somalis have been displaced?"
] | [
[
"drought"
],
[
"Mogadishu"
],
[
"Somali Islamist fighters and African Union soldiers."
],
[
"bad conditions at the camps"
],
[
"more than a million"
],
[
"scarcity of international aid agencies,"
],
[
"more than a million"
],
[
"a million residents"
]
] | Most of those returning are fleeing drought, fighting in central and southern Somalia .
Others may be returning because of conditions at displacement camps .
More than a million Somalis have been displaced throughout country, abroad .
Supplies in the capital city are scarce due to exodus of aid groups fleeing violence . |
(CNN) -- More than 50 children have been abducted in Haiti since the beginning of the year, adding to a trend of kidnappings in countries affected by violence, according to a United Nations Children's Fund report.
Haitians demonstrate June 4 in Port-au-Prince against the kidnappings and acts of violence in Haiti.
"It is everyone's duty to ensure children are safe from harm, and governments have a responsibility to enact and enforce measures that provide a protective environment for all children," the agency said in a statement released Friday.
In countries torn by war, like the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iraq, food shortages and poverty have added to the already hellish conditions children live in. The youngest in unstable countries have become primary targets for armed groups who see them as commodities, the agency said.
In Haiti, UNICEF and local officials report that kidnapped children are being raped, tortured and murdered. The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti has been working with the national police force to try to halt such crimes. They suspect that criminal gangs are responsible.
The agency reports that as many as 2,000 children a year are trafficked to the Dominican Republic, often with their parents' support. And about 1,000 children are working as spies, messengers or soldiers for armed gangs in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.
Earlier in the month, a demonstration was held in Haiti's capital after a 16-year-old hostage was murdered and other hostages had been raped and lynched, including infants, UNICEF said.
The agency urged officials to take action.
"There is no acceptable motive or rationale for these crimes, as there is no acceptable excuse that they should be allowed to continue with flagrant impunity," UNICEF's Haiti representative, Annamaria Laurini, said in a statement.
The agency recently received reports that Iraqi children have been recruited by militia and insurgent groups.
"Girls are increasingly subject to murder, kidnapping and rape, or are being abducted and trafficked within or outside Iraq for sexual exploitation," according to the report.
In the Central African Republic, the agency reports that armed gangs terrorize farms and communities, kidnapping children and holding them for ransom.
Souleimane Garga, in Paoua, recounts to UNICEF how bandits broke into his home nearly two years ago and kidnapped his wife, newborn baby and two other children -- Harouna and Beldo -- after killing older family members, including an uncle and a grandfather.
"It was two in the morning when they came. There were many of them, and they knocked down the doors," Garga tells UNICEF in a video posted on the agency's Web site. Garga was shot in the back during the attack, UNICEF said.
"They had Kalashnikovs, and the bullets came down like rain," he said.
For two years, now-5-year-old Harouna and his 7-year-old sister, Beldo, were held in bush camps because their father couldn't afford to be in a position where he might have to pay a ransom. It had financially broken him when he paid to free his wife and newborn baby, UNICEF said.
Garga tells UNICEF that the children lived in horrible conditions that included beatings. "Harouna still wakes up at night; he shouts and cries."
When someone mentions kidnapping, Beldo stops talking. "Whenever she hears that word, she stops talking; she tells us to 'keep quiet of such things' and asks for peace," her father said.
"We were afraid, but we kept thinking our father would come soon," Harouna told the agency. "'I'm happy to come back home. ... Thanks, we're free.'"
Although some children are returned to their homes, other kidnapped children may never return. They are instead used as muscle behind rebel militias in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The agency added that many children are also held in captivity and used as sexual slaves.
In a July 2006 UNICEF report on child soldiers in the nation, the agency reported that " | [
"where are children kidnapped and held for ransom",
"How many children are trafficked?",
"How many children have been abducted in Haiti?",
"who are victims of murder in war-torn nations?",
"what is the number of kids that have been abducted in haiti since january",
"where are children held for ransom?"
] | [
[
"Haiti"
],
[
"2,000"
],
[
"than 50"
],
[
"kidnapped children"
],
[
"than 50"
],
[
"Haiti"
]
] | UNICEF: Children are often victims of murder, kidnappings in war-torn nations .
Report says 2,000 children a year are trafficked to the Dominican Republic .
More than 50 kids in Haiti have been abducted since January .
In the Central African Republic, children are kidnapped and held for ransom . |
(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 | [
"What will US citizens receive?",
"How many of the troops are still alive?",
"Number of troops that are still alive?",
"Filipinos were promised what to enlist?",
"Who later signed an act reneging on promise?",
"Which President did not keep his promise?",
"What were Filipinos promised?",
"How much money will non-citizen soldiers get?",
"Who signed an act reneging on promise?",
"Who was promised full military benefits?",
"How many of the relevant Filipino troops are still alive?"
] | [
[
"$15,000 each;"
],
[
"about 15,000"
],
[
"15,000"
],
[
"$15,000"
],
[
"President Truman"
],
[
"Truman"
],
[
"full veterans benefits"
],
[
"$9,000."
],
[
"U.S. government"
],
[
"Filipinos"
],
[
"about 15,000"
]
] | 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 . |
(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 | [
"How many troops are still alive?",
"Who are still alive?",
"Who were promised full military benefits to enlist?",
"What will U.S. citizens get?",
"Name of president who signed act?"
] | [
[
"15,000"
],
[
"Filipinos"
],
[
"Filipinos"
],
[
"$15,000"
],
[
"Truman"
]
] | 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 . |
(CNN) -- More than a month after the Plastiki set sail from San Francisco, the six-person crew has made it to Christmas Island, nearly marking the halfway point of the ship's journey to cross the Pacific Ocean.
Upon their arrival, the crew was greeted at by local residents who performed cultural songs and dances, as well as offered them drinks and chocolate -- traditional treats on the Republic of Kiripbati island.
The vessel embarked from San Francisco on March 20. The arrival on Christmas Island is the first time since the ship left California that that the crew -- David de Rothschild, Jo Royle, David Thomson, Olav Heyerdahl, Vern Moen and Max Jourdan -- disembarked from their ship, constructed of more than 12,000 plastic bottles.
After participating in the arrival ceremony, the crew members spoke to 1,000 high school students about the importance of recycling, and led a discussion to address the challenges the students face in their own efforts to promote sustainable practices.
The crew had the additional opportunity to interact with the local community while the Plastiki was re-stocked and underwent a maintenance check and minor repairs.
Also on Christmas Island, filmmaker Moen will leave the Plastiki to return to California, where his wife gave birth to their son last month. In his place, Graham Hill, the founder of environmental website Treehugger, will be joining the crew.
The Plastiki has sailed 3,617 nautical miles of it 11,000-mile journey. Its final destination is Sydney, Australia. | [
"What number of days did it take to reach Christmas Island?",
"What island did the Plastiki reach?",
"who interacts with the local community and promotes its sustainability message",
"What message do they promote?"
] | [
[
"a month"
],
[
"Christmas"
],
[
"The crew"
],
[
"practices."
]
] | The Plastiki crew reaches Christmas Island 39 days after it set sail from San Francisco .
This is nearly the expedition's halfway point and is the first time the crew touches land .
The crew interacts with the local community and promotes their message of sustainability . |
(CNN) -- More than just the quintessential Seattle shopping experience, Pike Place Market is a tourist attraction in its own right. This historic farmers market is the place to pick up all manner of fresh local produce, as well as handmade crafts, jewelry, antiques and paintings. Keep your camera handy to snap the colorful floral displays and the fishmongers tossing whole salmon to each other. Flying fish at Pike Place Market. If Pike Place whets your appetite for fresh produce, check out the Ballard Sunday Farmers Market (5330 Ballard Avenue, Sundays) for delicious farm-fresh goodies. Another great Sunday market is the weekly Fremont Flea Market (400 N 34th Street), a cornucopia of used, vintage and antique goods. For the avid antiques hunter the underground Pioneer Square Antiques Mall (602 First Avenue) has more than 60 stalls. If you prefer big brand names you'll want to head downtown, where you'll find the likes of Banana Republic (500 Pike Street) and a colossal Nike Town (1500 6th Avenue). Downtown is also home to Macy's (1601 Third Avenue), still known to locals as "The Bon" from its former incarnation as Bon Marché. Macy's can be good for a bargain, but the city's best department store is the flagship Nordstrom (500 Pine Street), famed for it exemplary customer service. For something more cutting edge, Capitol Hill and Belltown are full of funky boutiques and vintage clothing stores. Crossroads Trading Company (325 Broadway Avenue E and 4300 University Way) is a good option for second-hand threads, while sneaker freaks will find that Gems (615 Western Avenue) is a treasure trove of fancy footwear. Bibliophiles will love Seattle for its numerous independent books stores. Set aside a couple of hours to visit the Elliot Bay Book Company (101 South Main Street), a vast space crammed full of new and used books. It boasts an excellent selection of titles about the region, a pleasant café and readings or signings almost every night. University Bookstore (4326 University Way) has a huge selection, while Fremont Place Books (621 N 35th Street) is a cozy little place with an interesting range of titles. If you're planning an expedition into the beautiful wilderness around Seattle, you can get kitted out at the flagship REI (222 Yale Avenue N). There's everything you'll need for hiking, biking, rock climbing and skiing, and you can even hire stuff, so you won't have to drag it all back home with you. Bamboozle your friends by getting them an eccentric souvenir from Archie McPhee (2428 NW Market Street). Of course, eccentric is a relative term, but squirrel underpants (which, apparently, are also suitable for hamsters, frogs and gerbils) and inflatable fruitcakes should qualify as eccentric by most standards. If you plan to visit this bazaar of the bizarre you should note that Archie's is set to move to the corner of North 45th Street and Stone Way North, in Wallingford, some time next year. Where to stay | What to see | Where to be seen | Where to eat | Where to shop | ...................... Do you agree with our Seattle picks? Send us your comments and suggestions in the "Sound Off" box below and we'll print the best. | [
"where is this located?",
"Downtown is the place for what?",
"Where are chain stores?",
"what do they sell?",
"Does Seattle have bookshops?"
] | [
[
"Seattle"
],
[
"to pick up all manner of fresh local produce, as well as handmade crafts, jewelry, antiques and paintings."
],
[
"downtown,"
],
[
"handmade crafts, jewelry, antiques and paintings."
],
[
"numerous independent books stores."
]
] | You have to visit Pike Place Market, a fantastic, historic farmers market .
Downtown is the place for chain stores; Capitol Hill is great for boutiques .
Seattle is full of independent bookshops -- Elliot Bay Bookstore is the best .
Archie McPhee is a bizarre store where you can buy some quirky souvenirs . |
(CNN) -- More than nuclear bomb tests, the suicide of former South Korean president Roh Moo-Hyun has stunned the South Korean public. While the news has shocked the nation, perhaps the level of surprise at the method wasn't as great. The suicide of former president Roh has shocked South Korea. In a country with one of the highest suicide rates among economically advanced countries, traditional concepts of honor and public "face" remain powerful social forces. According to World Health Organization figures, rates of suicide in South Korea doubled to 21.9 deaths per 100,000 people between 1996 and 2006. The United Nations cites that 90 percent of suicide cases were caused by mental disorders, but socio-cultural and economic pressures play a large part. While each case of suicide has a number of complex personal issues, the connection between suicide and honor has a historical basis in many Asian countries. "There are cultural histories in Asian societies of honorable suicide, such as hara-kiri in Japan, where the person assumes total responsibility," said Dr. Erminia Colucci, research fellow at the University of Melbourne's School of Population Health. "In many western countries, a suicide in someone of Roh's position might be more about looking for understanding. In collectivist societies, like Japan and Korea, where a person's identity is more tied closely to other groups, suicides can be seen as the ultimate way to rebuild or reclean your image, if it changes." "I think there is something paradoxical in it. On one hand, some see it as a way of maintaining status and restoring honor to you and the people you represent, but the pressure from that group could contribute to you considering suicide." Roh was under investigation for corruption and some believe the pressures he felt just became too great. "Roh had come to power as a human rights lawyer, as an uneducated outsider pledging to clean up Korean politics, so it was particularly hard on him to have what he stood for and the reality of what happened under his administration. I think that was particularly hard for him to take," David King, director of the Korean Studies Institute at the University of Southern California told CNN. Watch more on the rise and fall of Roh In a suicide note to his family, Roh described his life as "difficult" and was sorry for making "too many people suffer." Roh had said he was ashamed about the scandal and in the first round of questioning, he said he was losing face and that he was disappointing his supporters. In South Korea, Roh is the latest and highest profile of recent suicides of public figures. In late 2008, two South Korean actors took their lives. Police cited malicious online rumors as a possible cause for the suicide of Cho Jin-sil in October 2008. The blogs and chat rooms had speculated that she had been pressuring fellow actor Ahn Jae-hwan to repay a debt before he took his own life in September 2008. Video: How South Korean continue mourning » High-profile suicides can make for lurid headlines, which Dr Paul Yip, director of the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention at the University of Hong Kong, believes are far from helpful in combating suicide rates. "Common in Asia is to sensationalize suicides, especially among celebrities. Often the local or national media publish lots of details of how it was done. The media (in Hong Kong) has got better in their responsible reporting," he said. "Whenever famous people kill themselves there is an effect on those people who are most vulnerable from a similar age group -- we see this in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan and China, " said Yip. "People at risk can see Roh's death as an example and say, 'Well if he can do it, so can I'. Neither Roh nor any of the high-profile people who have committed suicide would have thought about this affect. There are a number of complex issues. There isn't just one that leads someone to take their life." Copycat deaths | [
"What is a complex mix of issues?",
"What is honor and \"face?\"",
"concepts of what remain strong",
"What is the cause of these suicides?",
"what is a complex mix",
"What remain strong social forces in many Asian societies?",
"Who has a high suicide rate?",
"who has highest suicide rates"
] | [
[
"\"People at risk can see Roh's death as an example and say, 'Well if he can do it, so can I'. Neither Roh nor any of the high-profile people who have committed suicide would have thought about this affect. There are a number of"
],
[
"traditional concepts"
],
[
"of honor and public \"face\""
],
[
"caused by mental disorders, but socio-cultural and economic pressures play a large part."
],
[
"each case of suicide"
],
[
"traditional concepts of honor and public \"face\""
],
[
"South Korea."
],
[
"South Korea."
]
] | South Korea has one of the highest rates of suicide in developed countries .
Concepts of honor and "face" remain strong social forces in many Asian societies .
Suicide is a complex mix of issues, but ideas of 'honorable' death persist . |
(CNN) -- More than two dozen times in the past three years, authorities came to Phillip and Nancy Garrido's ramshackle home at 1554 Walnut Ave. in Antioch, California, a rural property where Jaycee Dugard is said to have been confined for 18 years. Jaycee Dugard was locked in a shed tucked under a blue tarp in her alleged captor's backyard. And each time, they left without learning of the secret shed where Dugard lived. The Garridos have pleaded not guilty to charges of abduction and forcible rape. They are being held without bail in the Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez, California. After she was abducted in June 1991, at age 11, Dugard's disappearance spawned a massive search that continued, on and off, for almost two decades. Federal agents remained committed to the case, chasing thousands of leads. But they apparently never had the Garridos on their radar. The case of the missing girl evoked deep emotions that rippled across the South Lake Tahoe community. Strangers threw fundraisers and parades to raise money for search efforts. Friends and neighbors wore T-shirts bearing images of Dugard's smiling face to give the case exposure. Elementary school students toted signs that encouraged the community to stay committed to the hunt for their classmate. All they wanted was to find little Jaycee Lee Dugard. And for some of that time, authorities were visiting the home of the couple now accused of abducting her. Watch an FBI agent talk about why clues were missed » Interviews with public officials show that parole officers, law enforcement officials and firefighters visited the Garrido household but left without realizing that the kidnapped girl had grown to adulthood and was living in a soundproof shed hidden in the backyard. Two Dozen Contacts There were at least 16 visits from parole officers and seven by the fire department. There was also one by the sheriff's office responding to an allegation that people were living in the backyard. State and local authorities have now begun internal investigations to find out why none of these visits uncovered the existence of Dugard, now 29, and her children, Starlet, 15, and Angel, 11. Their makeshift home of tents, tarps and sheds was tucked behind a 6-foot wall at the rear of the Garrido property. "I feel confident the sheriff will use this as an example of how to do things better," said Federal Glover, a district supervisor for Contra Costa County who also heads the community's public safety committee. "From this lesson, we will not have this type of missed opportunity occur again." One of the first red flags authorities might have caught was in 1993, two years after the kidnapping. Garrido, who had been released from prison after serving 11 years for a 1976 kidnapping, violated his parole in April 1993. It is unclear what he did or how the violation was flagged. As a result, he was placed in federal prison for one month and then released on house arrest for three months. He returned to the Antioch home, where he lived with his wife and his elderly mother. Violation Wasn't Reported to Nevada But the parole violation was never reported to the state of Nevada, where the first kidnapping and rape had occurred, said Gail Powell, a spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Public Safety. "The state of Nevada would have taken some action," Powell said. "I don't know what, but some action could have meant putting him back in prison, pulling him off parole." In 1999, the California Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections agreed to take responsibility and authority for supervising Garrido's parole because he resided in that state. Garrido's most recent parole agent visited the home at least twice a month since December, according to California corrections officials. Sometimes the visits were unannounced, said Gordon Hinkle, a department spokesman. Parole officers also checked on Garrido frequently before 2008, Hinkle said, but he did not know how often or how many parole officers visited Garrido's residence. The parole agent who most recently entered Garrido's backyard didn't notice any children | [
"Officials visited Garrido home more than two dozen times in?",
"Who did police visit?",
"Garrido violated?",
"Who checked up on Garrido at least twice a month?",
"Who did officials visit?",
"Phillip Garrido's parole officer checked up on him at least?",
"What number of times did they visit?",
"Garrido's parole officer checked on him how often?",
"How many times have officials visited Garrido home in the past three years?",
"Garrido's parole officer checked up on him how many times per month?",
"When did Garrido violate parole?",
"What year did he violate parole?",
"When did Garrido violate his parole?",
"Official have visited Garrido home more than two dozen times in the past how many years?"
] | [
[
"the past three years,"
],
[
"the Garrido household"
],
[
"his parole"
],
[
"most recent parole agent"
],
[
"Phillip and Nancy Garrido's"
],
[
"twice a month"
],
[
"than two dozen"
],
[
"than two dozen times"
],
[
"than two dozen"
],
[
"than two dozen"
],
[
"April 1993."
],
[
"1993."
],
[
"April 1993."
],
[
"three"
]
] | Officials visited Garrido home more than two dozen times in past three years .
Phillip Garrido's parole officer checked up on him at least twice a month .
Garrido violated parole in 1993, but offense wasn't reported to all the right agencies . |
(CNN) -- More timely now than when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008, "Sunshine Cleaning," an agreeable, midrange independent film, makes light work of heavy burdens.
Amy Adams gets to work cleaning up as Rose in the indie comedy "Sunshine Cleaning."
Sisters Rose (Amy Adams) and Norah (Emily Blunt) struggle with menial jobs and periods of unemployment. Together, they're also coping with the nasty emotional residue of their mom's long-ago suicide -- a trauma that is likely responsible for their current troubles. Self-esteem isn't a strong suit for either of them.
As "Sunshine Cleaning" dawns, they're both scraping by. If Norah is out of work before we've settled into our popcorn, she's not overly concerned by her situation. Rose, on the other hand, is desperate to graduate from cleaning other people's middle-class homes. It's not just that the humiliation of laundering for her old cheerleader team is getting her down; she needs the money to put her "difficult" kid (Jason Spevack) into the kind of school that will give him a chance.
It's Rose's married boyfriend -- and old high school sweetheart -- Mac (Steve Zahn) who spies a new niche for the sisters. A homicide detective, he's watching the cleaning crew bag the blown brains of a shotgun enthusiast when he overhears the proprietor of the building grousing about the "three grand" it's costing him. Granted, blood and intestinal juices aren't everybody's cup of tea, but that kind of return sure beats washing Mrs. Johansson's drapes for $30 an hour.
"CSM: Crime Scene Maid" isn't a job you're likely to find down at the employment office, but somebody must be doing the dirty work. Rose and Norah -- incorporated -- find that the stench takes some getting used to, and there's a whole new arsenal of cleaning fluids to master, but they get to work with a positive attitude and like to think they're doing their bit to put the world right.
From this unusual setup, the movie might have skewed in any number of ways. The sisters might have uncovered evidence of corruption and murder, for instance, perhaps implicating Mac?
"Sunshine Cleaning" is nowhere near so abrasive or generic as such a scenario. Written by Megan Holley and directed by Christine Jeffs ("Sylvia"), it instead puts a sympathetic, gentle comic gloss on the characters' fundamentally forgivable foibles and imperfections.
Norah tracks down the daughter of one suicide (Mary Lynn Rajskub) to present her with mementos that should have been destined for the junkyard.
Blunt's edgy performance keeps us guessing. Norah's a bit of a flake, but she's animated by her anger and her rebellious streak. If she's hard to read, it's because she's still young and doesn't know herself yet.
Rose is easier to understand. She's determined to seize this chance to dig herself out of the hole and recapture the promise she used to see in herself. Adams has a knack for putting a brave face on things -- something about the way she tilts her chin up while her mouth goes in three directions at once. She keeps our rooting interest in Rose alive even when her choices seem misguided or naive.
A subplot concerning Rose's son bonding with Joe (Alan Arkin), the sisters' lovable but infuriating father (you know the kind: He buys bulk orders of shrimp off the back of a truck) tips us too far into the realm of indie quirk. The character is a useful sounding board, and an amusing grouch, but it's just about impossible to imagine this man bringing up these girls.
Ironically, for a movie that's marketed with the one-liner "Life's a messy business," Holley's script has been polished to within an inch of its life. Emotions are experienced most vividly when they're raw, but in "Sunshine Cleaning," feelings come filtered through neat-and-tidy grace notes. | [
"What did the reviewer say?",
"Which movie presents feelings in neat-and-tidy packages?",
"Who are the struggling sisters?",
"How many sisters are there?",
"What is the name of the movie?",
"What is the name of the film?"
] | [
[
"Cleaning,\" an agreeable, midrange independent film, makes light work of heavy burdens."
],
[
"\"Sunshine Cleaning.\""
],
[
"Norah (Emily Blunt)"
],
[
"Rose (Amy Adams) and Norah (Emily Blunt)"
],
[
"\"Sunshine Cleaning.\""
],
[
"\"Sunshine Cleaning.\""
]
] | Tom Charity: Up-and-coming stars, optimistic message buoy "Sunshine Cleaning"
Two struggling sisters become a crime-scene cleanup crew .
Movie presents feelings in neat-and-tidy packages, reviewer says . |
(CNN) -- More timely now than when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008, "Sunshine Cleaning," an agreeable, midrange independent film, makes light work of heavy burdens. Amy Adams gets to work cleaning up as Rose in the indie comedy "Sunshine Cleaning." Sisters Rose (Amy Adams) and Norah (Emily Blunt) struggle with menial jobs and periods of unemployment. Together, they're also coping with the nasty emotional residue of their mom's long-ago suicide -- a trauma that is likely responsible for their current troubles. Self-esteem isn't a strong suit for either of them. As "Sunshine Cleaning" dawns, they're both scraping by. If Norah is out of work before we've settled into our popcorn, she's not overly concerned by her situation. Rose, on the other hand, is desperate to graduate from cleaning other people's middle-class homes. It's not just that the humiliation of laundering for her old cheerleader team is getting her down; she needs the money to put her "difficult" kid (Jason Spevack) into the kind of school that will give him a chance. It's Rose's married boyfriend -- and old high school sweetheart -- Mac (Steve Zahn) who spies a new niche for the sisters. A homicide detective, he's watching the cleaning crew bag the blown brains of a shotgun enthusiast when he overhears the proprietor of the building grousing about the "three grand" it's costing him. Granted, blood and intestinal juices aren't everybody's cup of tea, but that kind of return sure beats washing Mrs. Johansson's drapes for $30 an hour. "CSM: Crime Scene Maid" isn't a job you're likely to find down at the employment office, but somebody must be doing the dirty work. Rose and Norah -- incorporated -- find that the stench takes some getting used to, and there's a whole new arsenal of cleaning fluids to master, but they get to work with a positive attitude and like to think they're doing their bit to put the world right. From this unusual setup, the movie might have skewed in any number of ways. The sisters might have uncovered evidence of corruption and murder, for instance, perhaps implicating Mac? "Sunshine Cleaning" is nowhere near so abrasive or generic as such a scenario. Written by Megan Holley and directed by Christine Jeffs ("Sylvia"), it instead puts a sympathetic, gentle comic gloss on the characters' fundamentally forgivable foibles and imperfections. Norah tracks down the daughter of one suicide (Mary Lynn Rajskub) to present her with mementos that should have been destined for the junkyard. Blunt's edgy performance keeps us guessing. Norah's a bit of a flake, but she's animated by her anger and her rebellious streak. If she's hard to read, it's because she's still young and doesn't know herself yet. Rose is easier to understand. She's determined to seize this chance to dig herself out of the hole and recapture the promise she used to see in herself. Adams has a knack for putting a brave face on things -- something about the way she tilts her chin up while her mouth goes in three directions at once. She keeps our rooting interest in Rose alive even when her choices seem misguided or naive. A subplot concerning Rose's son bonding with Joe (Alan Arkin), the sisters' lovable but infuriating father (you know the kind: He buys bulk orders of shrimp off the back of a truck) tips us too far into the realm of indie quirk. The character is a useful sounding board, and an amusing grouch, but it's just about impossible to imagine this man bringing up these girls. Ironically, for a movie that's marketed with the one-liner "Life's a messy business," Holley's script has been polished to within an inch of its life. Emotions are experienced most vividly when they're raw, but in "Sunshine Cleaning," feelings come filtered through neat-and-tidy grace notes. | [
"What do the sisters become?",
"Who is struggling?"
] | [
[
"Rose (Amy Adams) and Norah (Emily Blunt) struggle with menial jobs and periods of unemployment."
],
[
"Rose (Amy Adams) and Norah (Emily Blunt)"
]
] | Tom Charity: Up-and-coming stars, optimistic message buoy "Sunshine Cleaning"
Two struggling sisters become a crime-scene cleanup crew .
Movie presents feelings in neat-and-tidy packages, reviewer says . |
(CNN) -- Mormon leader Gordon B. Hinckley died Sunday night at age 97, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced. Gordon B. Hinckley, 97, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died Sunday. Hinckley had "been in failing health for some time and his passing is due to age," said church spokesman Bruce Olsen. "He was speaking in public as late as two to three weeks ago and had a full schedule in his office as late as last week." Hinckley became president of the Salt Lake City-based church in 1995, at age 84, and had been a member of its top leadership since the 1960s. Mormon church presidents serve for life. The church has about 13 million members worldwide and has experienced 5 percent annual growth in recent years. He died about 7 p.m. Sunday with his family by his side, church officials said. "His life was a true testament of service, and he had an abiding love for others," said U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican and fellow Mormon. "His wit, wisdom, and exemplary leadership will be missed by not only members of our faith, but by people of all faiths throughout the world." Hinckley married Marjorie Pay at the Salt Lake City temple in 1937. They had five children, 25 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren. Marjorie Hinckley died in 2004. "I've been blessed so abundantly that I can never get over it," Hinckley told CNN's Larry King in 2004. "I just feel so richly blessed. I want to extend that to others, whenever I can." Hinckley was the 15th president in the 177-year history of the Mormon church. President Bush awarded him a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004. Watch Hinckley receive medal, share his views » According to a church statement, Hinckley was the most-traveled president in the church's history, visiting more than 60 countries. He also oversaw a massive temple-building program, doubling the number of temples worldwide to more than 100. Hinckley spent 70 years working in the church and is considered the architect of its vast public relations network. He worked to defuse controversies over polygamy and to promote full inclusion of nonwhites. Mormons believe the president of the church is a living prophet and apostle. They considered his words divinely inspired, including his views on homosexuality and the role of men and women in the home. "We are not anti-gay. We are pro-family, let me put it that way," Hinckley told King in 2004. "We love these people and try to work with them and help them. We know they have a problem. We want to help them solve that problem." In an earlier interview with King, Hinckley laid out his views on family structure. "Put father at the head of the house again," he said. "A good father, who loves his wife and whose wife loves him, and whose children love him ... and let them grow together as good citizens of the land." A church body known as the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles becomes its governing body upon the death of a president. It will choose a successor after Hinckley's funeral. No arrangements have been announced, Olsen said. E-mail to a friend CNN's Matt Smith, Ed Payne and Ninette Sosa contributed to this story. | [
"What was Hinckley president of?",
"When did Hinckley become president of the church?",
"When did Hinckley die?",
"What church was Hinckley president of?",
"Who was by Hinckley's side?",
"Where is the church located?"
] | [
[
"Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,"
],
[
"1995,"
],
[
"Sunday"
],
[
"of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,"
],
[
"his family"
],
[
"Salt Lake City-based"
]
] | Hinckley was president of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1995 .
The Church will choose a successor after Hinckley's funeral .
Hinckley died at about 7 p.m. with his family by his side . |
(CNN) -- Moroccans went to the polls Friday in the country's first parliamentary elections since adopting a new constitution following mass protests over unemployment and corruption.
Turnout in the North African country was 45%, the Interior Ministry said.
Both Parliament and the prime minister have greater powers under the new constitution, while the monarch's sway has been slightly lessened.
More than 300 international observers monitored the voting, alongside 3,500 Moroccan observers, the semiofficial Le Matin newspaper reported.
Morocco's moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) is expected to do well in the vote.
Lise Storm, senior lecturer in Middle East Politics at the University of Exeter in England, told CNN the elections were important because "they are exciting for the first time."
After years in which the results have been predictable, this time more is at stake and the outcome may signal whether the population is happy with the monarchy or not, Storm said.
If people voted for the bloc of traditional loyalist parties, that would suggest they want to maintain the status quo, she said, whereas more votes for the PJD would signal a desire for greater change.
"We don't know who's going to win for once," she said.
Zeineb, 29, a business owner in Casablanca who would give only her first name, told CNN she did not expect a great deal to change as a result of the elections.
"I don't expect this to be a historical turn," she said. "I am waiting for real changes from the government. As long as parties controlled by the palace will be around, and Mounir Majidi, the king's private secretary, will dominate the economy, nothing will change for me."
She said the PJD's pledge to fight corruption was appealing but she does not subscribe to its ideology, so her vote was likely to go to the Socialist Union of Popular Forces as the "less bad" option.
Others were less motivated to use their ballot. "I am not going to vote for people who don't care about my fate," one taxi driver said. "Today, I am not going to the polls. I am staying home."
The elections were first set for September 2012, but they were rescheduled after negotiations between the Interior Ministry, which oversees elections, and some 20 political parties.
Under the constitutional changes approved in July, the country's prime minister must now be chosen from the party that wins the greatest number of votes, rather than King Mohammed VI selecting his own nominee for the job.
However, he is not obliged to choose the leader of the winning party, Storm said, which gives him more room to maneuver.
Also, the number of political parties involved means that a coalition government is almost inevitable, she said.
The PJD is more moderate than Turkey's governing Justice and Development Party or the Islamists who won power in Tunisian elections last month, Storm said.
The constitutional changes came after thousands of Moroccans took to the streets to demonstrate earlier this year, inspired by what became known as the Arab Spring.
The youth-based February 20 Movement called for jobs and an end to corruption its members say stems from royal cronies.
Economic reform is needed to create more jobs for the country's young people, particularly many university graduates who are unemployed, Storm said.
Journalist Aida Alami in Casablanca contributed to this report. | [
"What continent is Morocco on?",
"Turnout is what percent?",
"What year did the election happen?",
"What is this turnout percentage for?"
] | [
[
"African"
],
[
"45%,"
],
[
"2012,"
],
[
"a new constitution"
]
] | NEW: Turnout is 45%, the Interior Ministry says .
The poll is important as a reflection of the desire for change, an analyst says .
The elections are the first to be held since protests forced constitutional reform .
Morocco has not seen the same major upheaval as some other countries in the region . |
(CNN) -- Morocco's king asked the head of a moderate Islamist party to form a government Tuesday, state media said, after the party claimed victory in the country's first parliamentary elections since constitutional reforms this summer.
The Islamist Justice and Development Party, or PJD, is expected to form a coalition government after it won 107 of the 395 seats contested in Friday's vote.
King Mohammed VI appointed Abdelilah Benkirane, the party's secretary-general, as head of the new government Tuesday and asked him to form a Cabinet, the official news agency MAP reported.
Benkirane, a former managing director of three newspapers and a father of six, was elected secretary-general of the PJD in 2008, MAP says.
According to its website, the PJD previously participated in elections in 1997, 2002 and 2007. The party won 46 seats in 2007 and 42 in 2002, after taking just nine seats in 1997.
Lise Storm, senior lecturer in Middle East Politics at the University of Exeter in England, said the PJD's result this time round constituted "remarkable progress -- much higher than anticipated by anyone, and also much, much better than any of the party's competitors."
The margin of victory for the PJD surprised many observers, she said, and suggests that those protesting against the country's governing elite in recent months are truly fed up.
"I think we are witnessing an Islamist wave in the Middle East, with so-called Islamist moderates winning not only in Turkey, but also in Tunisia and Morocco, and possibly also in Egypt," Storm said.
"It gives an indication of the sentiments of the general population in these countries, and (of) the state of the political opposition there too, as the Islamists in many cases have been the most visible opposition force, and the best organized too."
The PJD is more moderate than Turkey's governing Justice and Development Party or the Islamists who won power in Tunisian elections last month, Storm said.
The party's online mission statement lists three values -- authenticity, justice and development -- and makes little mention of Islam.
Authenticity "has to be consistent with our values, culture and civilization, with the incorporation and respect for the cultural, linguistic and ethnic groups, within the space of the Islamic brotherhood," the statement says.
Under the new constitution, approved by referendum in July, both Parliament and the prime minister have greater powers, while the monarch's sway has been slightly lessened.
The changes -- which mean the prime minister must now be chosen from the party that wins the greatest number of votes -- came after thousands of Moroccans took to the streets to demonstrate earlier this year, inspired by what became known as the Arab Spring.
The youth-based February 20 Movement called for jobs and an end to corruption its members say stems from royal cronies.
CNN's Saad Abedine contributed to this report. | [
"Who is the secretary-general?",
"How many seats did the Justice and Development Party win?",
"what is won 107 of 395 seats in Friday's election?",
"Who has been asked to form a Cabinet?"
] | [
[
"Abdelilah Benkirane,"
],
[
"107"
],
[
"The Islamist Justice and Development Party,"
],
[
"Abdelilah Benkirane,"
]
] | The Justice and Development Party won 107 of 395 seats in Friday's election .
The head of the moderate Islamist party has been asked to form a Cabinet .
Abdelilah Benkirane has been the PJD's secretary-general since 2008 .
The election results indicates public unhappiness with the governing elite, an analyst says . |
(CNN) -- Most of us know we shouldn't be talking on a handheld cell phone while driving. But recent studies suggest that hands-free devices are just as dangerous on the road.
Studies suggest that talking on a hands-free cell phone while driving is just as dangerous as a handheld one.
Engaging in a phone conversation on a mobile device while driving distracts the brain and delays reaction times, experts said. Drivers are more likely to swerve between lanes, slow down and miss important signs.
"When you're on a call, even if both hands are on the wheel, your head is in the call," said Janet Froetscher, president of the National Safety Council, which in January urged legislators in all 50 states to pass laws prohibiting motorists from using cell phone devices.
A recent University of Utah study found that drivers engaging in a cell phone conversation on a headset were more likely to make errors behind the wheel than a driver talking to a front-seat passenger.
"It doesn't matter what kind of cell phone device they are using, because the impairments are so large," said University of Utah professor David Strayer, who used a high-tech driving simulator for his experiment.
Strayer's study, published in December, concluded that conversations with a front-seat passenger can actually mitigate accidents, because the passenger can help observe road conditions and warn the driver of possible hazards.
In Strayer's previous studies, he found driving while talking on a mobile device is "just as bad as driving drunk."
The risk of getting into a car accident while talking on a wireless device -- including headsets and vehicles with built-in communication systems -- is growing as the number of cell phone subscribers increases.
There are 270 million cell phone subscribers in the United States, up from 76 million in 1999, according to CTIA -- The Wireless Association, an organization representing the wireless communications industry.
In a survey by Nationwide Insurance, 80 percent of people admitted to talking on their cell phones while driving. About 45 percent of drivers said they have been hit or nearly hit by someone using a cell phone, according to Nationwide's survey, conducted in 2006.
Some experts said drivers talking on cell phones are four times more likely to get into a crash than those who don't talk on their phones behind the wheel.
One study from the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis estimated that 636,000 traffic accidents each year -- about 6 percent of all accidents -- are caused by drivers using their cell phones, resulting in an estimated 2,600 deaths.
Elderly and younger drivers are most at risk of getting into an accident when they talk on a mobile device while driving, said Arthur Kramer, a psychology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
"I don't think legislation alone is the answer," Kramer said. "Education needs to go along with the legislation to encourage people that these are risky habits for yourself and for others."
There is no federal law against using handheld devices on the road, but six states and the District of Columbia have such laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, a group that tracks legislative data trends. No states ban the use of hands-free or wireless communication devices, experts said.
Some private industries, such as trucking and bus companies, prohibit their employees from using cell phones on the road. Other states restrict teenagers from talking on cell phones while driving.
Anne Teigen, a policy specialist on transportation issues for the National Conference of State Legislatures, says states are moving to ban handheld cell phone use. Almost all states have debated the issue, but many governments are reluctant to pass restrictions because they say there isn't enough research.
They point out that talking on a mobile device isn't the only distraction. Other distractions, such as reaching for the glove compartment, changing the radio station or putting on makeup, also can cause accidents.
The popularity of smart phones equipped with Internet, text messaging and e-mail present drivers with even more distractions. Such new | [
"What amount of accidents are drivers on cell phones involved in?",
"What was the study about?",
"How many accidents are drivers on cell phones involved in?"
] | [
[
"about 6 percent of all"
],
[
"talking on a hands-free cell phone while driving is just as dangerous as a handheld one."
],
[
"636,000"
]
] | Study: Talking on a hands-free cell phone while driving is still dangerous .
Drivers on cell phones are involved in an estimated 636,000 traffic accidents a year .
Six states and District of Columbia ban handheld cell phones by drivers .
DriveAssist service can help drivers stay off the phone by managing calls . |
(CNN) -- Motor Sport's governing body, the FIA, have formally confirmed the entry list for the 2010 Formula One season -- with potential newcomers US F1 omitted from the grid. The financially-troubled team had asked the FIA if they could miss the first four races of the season in order to attract extra sponsorship, but have instead been told that they must re-apply if they are to be on the grid for the following season. The official entry list shows 12 teams and 24 drivers -- two teams more than last season. Three new teams are lining up -- Lotus, Virgin Racing and Hispania Racing -- with Toyota deciding to leave the sport. There are also two team name changes. Last year's winning constructor's Brawn GP have been taken over by Mercedes, while BMW Sauber have reverted back to being the Sauber team, although they have to retain the BMW title for this season due to legal obligations. Meanwhile, there is also no place on the grid for the proposed Serbian-backed Stefan GP team, who had been hoping to gain a late entry in place of US F1. An official FIA statement read: "The US F1 Team have indicated they will not be in a position to participate in the 2010 FIA Formula One world championship. "Having considered the various options, the FIA confirms it is not possible for a replacement team to be entered for the championship at this late stage. "In the coming days the FIA will announce details of a new selection process to identify candidates to fill any vacancies existing at the start of the 2011 season." US F1 have faced a race against time to have their car ready for the grid, after a number of sponsors opted to pull out the project. Production of the car had been stopped with the team struggling to pay wages, resulting in a number of staff choosing to leave. Team principal Ken Anderson is yet to comment on whether he will attempt to make the grid for the 2011 season. The decision leaves Argentinian Jose Maria Lopez, who had already been offered a drive with US F1, without a team. Tuesday also saw the final driver appointment confirmed, with Karun Chandhok becoming the second Indian to compete in the sport having been named by Hispania Racing. The 26-year-old follows in the footsteps of Narain Karthikeyan, who had one season with Jordan in 2005. There will be four world champions on the grid; Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, while 11 of the 24 drivers have experienced winning a grand prix. Official 2010 Formula One grid: 1. Jenson Button GB McLaren Mercedes 2. Lewis Hamilton GB McLaren Mercedes 3. Michael Schumacher Ger Mercedes GP 4. Nico Rosberg Ger Mercedes GP 5. Sebastian Vettel Ger Red Bull Racing 6. Mark Webber Aus Red Bull Racing 7. Felipe Massa, Brz Ferrari 8. Fernando Alonso Sp Ferrari 9. Rubens Barrichello Brz Williams 10. Nico Hulkenberg Ger Williams 11. Robert Kubica, Pol Renault 12. Vitaly Petrov Rus Renault 13. Adrian Sutil Ger Force India 14. Vitantonio Liuzzi It Force India 15. Sebastien Buemi Swi Toro Rosso 16. Jaime Alguersuari Sp Toro Rosso 17. Jarno Trulli It Lotus Racing 18. Heikki Kovalainen Fin Lotus Racing 19. Karun Chandhok Ind Hispanic Racing 20. Bruno Senna Brz Hispanic Racing 21. Pedro de la Rosa Sp BMW Sauber 22. Kamui Kobayashi Jpn BMW Sauber 23. Timo Glock Ger Virgin Racing 24. Luca di Grassi Brz Virgin Racing | [
"who confirm entry list",
"for what year ?",
"who has been denied entry",
"Who was denied entry?",
"Who confrimed the entry list?"
] | [
[
"FIA,"
],
[
"2010"
],
[
"Serbian-backed Stefan GP team,"
],
[
"Serbian-backed Stefan GP team,"
],
[
"Sport's governing body, the FIA,"
]
] | FIA confirm official entry list for the 2010 Formula One season .
There is no place on the grid for struggling newcomers US F1 .
Proposed Serbian-backed Stefan GP team have also been denied entry . |
(CNN) -- Mourners gathered Saturday in a California church to remember slain Yale graduate student Annie Le, 24, whose body was found on the day she was to be married. Yale student Annie Le's family said in a statement that "her laughter was infectious." "You were born in my loving embrace," said Le's mother, Vivian Van Le, reading a poem she'd written in Vietnamese to those gathered for the funeral at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in El Dorado Hills, California. Chris Le -- her son and Annie Le's brother -- provided a translation. "The most wonderful gift that God had sent to me. ... You left life at too young an age, at the beginning of many great things. All the dreams and hopes of your future gone with you to your resting place," Vivian Van Le said, according to her son. Le, a pharmacology graduate student, was last seen alive on September 8, the day she appeared in a surveillance video as she entered the four-story lab at 10 Amistad St., about 10 blocks from Yale University's campus. Her body was found inside the basement wall of the building on September 12, the day she was to be married. Authorities have charged Yale lab technician Raymond Clark, 24, with Le's murder. Bond has been set at $3 million, according to police. See timeline of case » Vivian Van Le addressed her daughter's fiance, Jonathan Widawsky, on Saturday at the funeral, saying, "Even now, Annie is gone. But I still have you and love you very much, like my son, Christopher." Widawsky is a graduate student in physics at Columbia University, according to Yale. Watch loved ones say goodbye to Le » Monsignor James C. Kidder told the mourners that "the worth of Annie's life was not its length, it was its intensity of love." Yale released a statement Friday, saying that a university memorial service would be held on October 12. The university is also establishing a scholarship in Le's memory. It released a statement from her family, saying "Annie was loved by everyone who knew her and special to all those who came in contact with her. ... Her laughter was infectious and her goodness was ingenuous. ... We will always remember her beautiful smile, her fun-loving spirit, and the joy that she brought to us all." | [
"who was slain at yale",
"Where did the slain student study?",
"Who has been charged with the murder?",
"what did the mom say",
"Where are mourners gathering?",
"At what school did the victim study?",
"Where have mourners gathered?",
"who was charged",
"Who has been charged with the murder of Le?"
] | [
[
"graduate student Annie"
],
[
"Yale"
],
[
"Yale lab technician Raymond Clark,"
],
[
"\"You were born in my loving embrace,\""
],
[
"Holy Trinity Catholic Church in El Dorado Hills, California."
],
[
"Yale"
],
[
"California church"
],
[
"Raymond Clark,"
],
[
"Yale lab technician Raymond Clark, 24,"
]
] | Mourners gather in a California church to remember slain Yale student .
Le's mom: "You left life at too young an age, at the beginning of many great things"
Authorities have charged Yale lab technician Raymond Clark with Le's murder . |
(CNN) -- Mourners gathered Saturday to remember two California firefighters who died last month battling the largest fire in the history of Los Angeles County. Capt. Ted Hall and firefighter Specialist Arnie Quinones died while seeking an escape route for their crew. "We were all blessed by these two men, and we will continue to be blessed by their example and their spirit. Their deeds and their names live on," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told the crowd at Dodger Stadium. "Ted Hall and Arnie Quinones, you are giants in my eyes and in the eyes of all Californians." Hall, a captain, and Quinones, a firefighter specialist, were killed on August 30 when their vehicle slid down a steep embankment in Angeles National Forest. Schwarzenegger said the two men were searching for an escape route for their crew, which included 55 inmates. The governor said Hall and Quinones had sheltered the crew in a cinder block dining hall. "Everyone reached safety, except Ted and Arnie," he said. "We are humbled by their courage." Firefighters are still fighting the blaze, which is 84 percent contained. Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Frank Garrido said officials expected 15,000 uniformed firefighters and, including members of the public, as many as 40,000 people, CNN affiliate KTLA reported. No official attendance figures were immediately available "Ted, trusty veteran, widely respected, hardcore firefighter; he was immersed in the fire service," said Dave Gillotte, of Los Angeles County Fire Fighters, Local 1014. "Arnie, he knew no strangers," Gillotte said. "What a smile, what a family." Vice President Joe Biden also spoke at the memorial, saying there was "very little that we can do today that is going to bring genuine solace to the empty void that the families are feeling." Hall is survived by his wife, Katherine, and two sons, Randall, 21, and Steven, 20, as well as his parents. Quinones is survived by his wife, Loressa -- who is expecting the couple's first child within the next several weeks -- his mother, his brother and numerous nieces and nephews, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Biden said the men's wives "knew every time their husbands walked out the door to report for duty, they knew every time that it was a risk. ... but they supported their husbands' doing that job they loved." He added, "It's above and beyond the call of duty when two fathers seeking to save a building full of people leave their own families behind, that's real courage. "The only thing we can do for certain, is to promise and keep the promise, we will give the Teds and the Arnies all the support they need, the equipment they need, the capacity they need, for we owe you." | [
"Who reportedly expect up to 40,000?",
"What were they searching for?",
"How many do they expect to attend Dodger Stadium memorial?",
"Who offered condolences?",
"Who died on August 30?",
"Who offer condolences?",
"How many people are expected to attend the memorial?",
"Who died on August 30th?"
] | [
[
"officials"
],
[
"an escape route"
],
[
"40,000 people,"
],
[
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger"
],
[
"Hall, a captain, and Quinones, a firefighter specialist,"
],
[
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger"
],
[
"40,000"
],
[
"Capt. Ted Hall and firefighter Specialist Arnie Quinones"
]
] | Capt. Ted Hall and firefighter Specialist Arnie Quinones died on August 30 .
Their vehicle slid down embankment while searching for an escape route for crew .
Vice President Joe Biden, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger offer condolences .
Officials reportedly expect up to 40,000 to attend Dodger Stadium memorial . |
(CNN) -- Moussa Dadis Camara, the military leader of the West African nation of Guinea, was shot and wounded in an attack on his presidential convoy, an official said.
His "life is not in any danger," said the regime's minister of state for presidential affairs, Maj. Keletigui Faro. "The situation is under control."
The attack occurred on Thursday in Conakry, the nation's capital, Faro said.
It comes after increased pressure internally and internationally for Camara to hold, but not be a candidate in, elections in January. Camara, who seized power in a coup in December 2008, has given no indication that he will follow through with the elections.
In September an opposition demonstration was marred by violence, as the military fired on people gathered in the capital's national stadium. Human rights groups say at least 157 people were killed and many women were raped.
The military continues to crack down on opposition in the country, Amnesty International said in a newly released report.
"A climate of fear continues in Guinea," said the organization's Gaetan Mootoo. "The authorities can no longer turn a blind eye to the human rights violations committed by its security forces." | [
"What is the number of people killed?",
"What month did the coup occur?",
"How many people were killed?",
"Where did the attack occur?",
"When did the attack occur?",
"When did Camara seize power?",
"who stars in this attack"
] | [
[
"157"
],
[
"December"
],
[
"157"
],
[
"Conakry,"
],
[
"Thursday"
],
[
"December 2008,"
],
[
"Dadis Camara,"
]
] | Attack occurs Thursday in the nation's capital, Conakry, official says .
Camara seized power in a coup in December 2008 .
In September an opposition demonstration was marred by violence .
At least 157 people were killed, women raped, human rights groups say . |
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